Black-Eyed Baby

Sad baby got his first "black eye" this last weekend. He doesn't lose a lot of fights, but this time he lost a fight with the marble coffee table. He's a tough cookie though...he was more annoyed with me restraining him to put ice on it than he was with face-planting into a table. ;) A black eye doesn't look good on everyone, but I think he pulls it off pretty well.

Didn't see that coming...

Kinda tired. Feeling like I should blog. Don't have anything to say, even though there's always something ridiculous happening. Like this: 

Or yesterday when Tirzah got a splinter in her heel, and when told by Merrick not to walk on it, said: "Yeah. I'll just twinkle toes."

Or that I had to force-feed Jericho two meals yesterday because some days he just decides not to eat. How does a baby stay that huge and refuse to eat as often as he does? (But then other days, he will eat two pieces of pizza and a breadstick for dinner.)

Or that the hubby's new job is S-T-R-E-S-S-I-N-G me out...big time. I feel like I need a serious vacation. Alone. With no way for anyone to get in touch with me at all. Even by sending carrier pigeons. Silence...ahhhhh.

Or that every time I step outside I get eaten by mosquitoes. Ok, that's really not that big of a deal, but my legs are itching and I keep having to stop typing so I figured I would just throw that out there.

Or how I might have just gotten caught eating cookie dough out of the tub, and told the kids that it's bad for their teeth so they won't make me share. (They are terrified of getting "green teeth"...I'm not gonna lie and say I don't use this fear for my own benefit occasionally.)

This blog was supposed to just be a few pretty pictures of crepe myrtles, my apologies. Carry on. ;)

Tizzy Turns 4

I did one of these "birthday interviews" with Merrick last year, and thought it would be fun to see how it would go with Tirzah. Today is her 4th birthday (what the HECK?), and today is all about Tay-Shae...but come to think of it, in our world that's everyday. ;) Tizzy the warrior princess takes no grief off of anyone. She wears a tiara while body slamming little and big brothers alike. She is the sister in the middle of a brother sandwich, and adds sugar (and a whole lotta spice) to our lives.

1. How old are you? Four!

2. Who is your best friend? Merrick. (Merrick pipes in and says..."I have no socks on." Um. Ok.)

3. What is your favorite thing to do? Play with my new teacups.

4. What is your favorite color? Purple.

5. What is your favorite food? Cupcake.

6. What do you like to do with your family? Play. Play, um, hmmm...I love to hug them.

7. What is your favorite toy? Tinkerbell. 

8. What do you want to be when you grow up? A parent. (Wow...I have no idea where that came from.)

9. What makes you happy? When you give me kisses. (I die.)

10. What makes you sad? When I get hurt, like when I trip on sidewalks. (This happens frequently.)

11. What is your favorite show to watch? American Ninja Warrior. (What was I saying about the tiara and body slamming...?)

12. What is your favorite book? Ariel.

13. What do you love to learn about? Jesus at church.

14. What was the best part of your birthday? Not looking at my balloons. (We hung surprise balloons up for her this morning, so I think she meant she liked being surprised? ;)

15. Where do you like to go? To the park, where I play on the swings and the slide.

16. Who is your teacher? Charlene. She is at the gym. And Miss Katie. But She went out of town forever and ever. 

17. What is your favorite treat? Cake.

18. What do you think about before you fall asleep? I think about...Jesus. I think about Him because He's in heaven...and He's so handsome.

19. If you could meet someone who would it be? I would meet Jesus. (This girl.)

20. What was your favorite birthday present? My cupcakes for breakfast. 

We are so undeserving of the gift of this crazy beautiful spunky girl, and although I joke and say she's going to make me grey-haired, I really can't wait to see the amazing woman she turns into. She is strong-spirited, quick-witted, wild-haired, and deep-hearted...and I couldn't be more proud of her. I'm so aware, as always, that even though it's a day all about her and that first time we saw her precious chubby cheeks and adorably dimpled chin, that we've been given a gift beyond compare. We love you, Tirzah Shae!

Judah Rose

I always love getting to do birth photography. This particular time was even more special since it was my little sister's first baby, and my first niece (on my side of the family)!

She did a fantastic job. She was induced, but little girl came surprisingly fast anyway. We almost missed it! We (my mom and I) got there before my "babysitters" arrived, and were thinking one of us would have to sit it out.

My sister (and her nurses) told them to come on in. I was surprised they let them in, and surprised at how well they did. They honestly didn't really know what was going on. (Amanda was really calm.) and watched a movie on the iPhone most of the time. When my other sisters arrived and mom took them out to them, I looked up and realized they were gone, and asked where they were. The nurse joked: "Oh they are probably off assisting another delivery."

Baby Judah Rose is a gorgeous little miracle, with an awesome name, and we are glad we were able to be a part of her birth! She was a little lady, weighing in at 6lbs 8oz, and 19in, but girl can let out a screech like a pterodactyl. It's super cute now, but probably won't be in a few weeks at 3 am. ;)

We are all so thrilled that she is a part of our family, and are grateful that God blessed us with yet another little life to fill up our hearts. Congrats Amanda and Jonathan!

(Kiddie) Poolside

The kiddos love to swim. Well, none of them actually "swim". As alluded to in my last post, Jericho thinks he can swim. (He cannot.) The other two do like to jump in, as long as they know the bottom isn't too far away. ;) We are members at the Y, and they have an indoor pool. But during the summer it's just not the same. The only outdoor pool at our local YMCA's is about 30 minutes away. We do make the trek as often as we can, but I decided I would save a little gas money and get a blow up pool for the backyard.

Yes, we did used to have a porch pool. The kids popped it. I'm hoping this one doesn't suffer the same fate. Since Merrick has already attempted jumping off the porch rail into the pool, (when I had it in the yard below the deck) I'm not holding my breath on that one. He was informed that is NOT allowed, and after I moved it up onto the deck I caught him jumping off the rail into the pool. Is anyone surprised? No. At the rate he is displacing water I'm going to be the highest paying costumer for water in the county.

This one is a good bit bigger, big enough for Jericho to face-plant in, his favorite swimming stroke, and hopefully a big more sturdy. It's even big enough for me to get in and take an "ice-bath" after a hot run. (It really isn't all that cold, but it felt good on the legs anyway.) I took a few minutes to sit in it while the kids were napping the other day, cool off my post-run legs, get some sun, and read my kindle.

When Tirzah got up from her nap she tried relaxing in the pool with one of her books, that quickly became a soggy mess. (They spy on me from their window if I'm ever out in the yard while they are napping...I have no privacy.) She just didn't understand how it worked for me and not her. But I assured her that one day when she's old enough to have 3 children, she will be a master at never doing just one thing at a time. ;)