A good performance

At the risk of being redundant with posting about smiles... it is always great when a video actually manages to capture the moment. Thought this was a great performance for 7 weeks!

More smiles

(don't worry, we don't put him in the laundry basket normally, even if he IS the 3rd child)

First haircut

I gave Laura her 1st real [read: intentional] haircut last week (see post on 9th June). She wanted to use the clippers and have 'hair like Daniel'. Mmmmm, not likely! Before: Holding the cut ponytail Finished Give us a smile Big girl now...

my sleeper

Daniel's such a sleeper - he still naps a few days a week, and this is him today after a nap, when he staggered out to the living room, fell asleep on me while I was reading, then crawled/fell onto the floor when I got up from the couch. Just thought it was cute...

Just me and Nicholas

Andrew has D and L out for breakfast and at the park. I'm home with Nicholas, enjoying little smiles.

One month old

Contrary to what my postings look like, we do take photos of Nicholas! He's one month old now, and is now doing a manageable nighttime routine, for which I'm grateful, even if it still only means 3 hours of sleep in a row for me!!! He's doing all the normal stuff - growing, eating, spitting up (which Daniel hates)... I'll spare you all the details and just add photos! he really loves being on his tummy... the stars and stipes boys. who put those pants on you nicholas?!

Looking back

Just having fun looking back at old photos and comparing kids... --- Daniel at 5 days old Laura at one and a half weeks old Nicholas at 3 weeks old And the progression of 'family photos' with each birth.

Daniel's made up story

"Made-up Stories" are a common request from our kids. Andrew tells them brilliantly. Me, I try. Here's Daniel's version this morning. D: "What do you want the story to be about?" M: "Ducks and frogs." D: "Okay. One day there was a brother duck, and he hid from his mom and dad when he was supposed to have a time out. He hid under his sister's bed." M: "And his sister hid with him." (it's okay, we regularly interject into each other's stories) D: "No, his sister was at school. His mom and dad couldn't find him, so they went to get his sister from school. [really, they left him at home?!] When they got back, they looked under his bed and found him and said, 'NO!'. M: "Did he have to have another time out?" D: "No, he got 2 smacks (for the Americans reading this, that's a spanking). The 1st smack didn't hurt and he didn't cry. The 2nd smack was really big and he cried." [and he proceeds to demonstrate on a pillow what the 2nd smack was like] * So much for the ducks and frogs request. * You've no doubt realized that made-up stories have no resemblance AT ALL to anything that happens in this house...

Cheating?

1st day with 3 kids on my own, and no disasters yet. But tell me if you think it's cheating to count today when Andrew went to work at 10.30, Beth came over for an hour over lunchtime, then both older kids went for naps...?? The TV has been on for too long today, I'm still in sweat pants (not an uncommon sight), and my hair has been back in a rubber band since my shower (hey, at least i had a shower!) Might as well ease into it, hey?!

Saying goodbye

Just got home from taking Grandma and Grandpa to the airport... the house is really quiet (was it the grandparents who made all that noise?!). Miss 'em. (yep, it was really early in the morning...)