Camera-less

This morning I was tempted to call my mom at 6am - when Jovie was wide eyed and ready for the day.  See, she tells me that someday I'll miss these early mornings with my babies, and each time she says this her eyes leak, so I know she is not kidding. But since I am grown with a family of my own, I figured if I called her at 6am she would panic, worrying something is wrong, so I refrained...at least for this morning. 

Aside from the exhaustion that having a kid with a cold brings (Kiplin), I lived up that 6am wake up call to the fullest. 

We were busy here, doing the things we do best - and here is the proof...

Aunt J with snoozing baby J

And I just love the way that babies have a special way of getting all cozy in the strangest positions...

 The early morning wake up made our little J a snoozing gal for Aunt J and Nana's visit

 Feet from a tiny baby and giant baby

 Middle of the day TV show watching, just to calm down two rowdy boys (one of them who is sick)

 She is trying to become a thumb sucker...

We went on a late family walk this evening after much bickering of "it's too late" but goodness sometimes you just gotta throw the schedule off and just get outdoors when it isn't raining buckets.  So our little family of 5 all got ready, we had a few melt downs in the midst, but finally made our way out the door.  

And though we were only outside 30 minutes, it was just what we needed.  

The camera got left behind (thanks P) - which initially was a bummer. But it let me just sit back and enjoy the moment.  Sometimes it is so easy to get wrapped up in taking pictures, capturing every precious second of these little lives we get to see grow up, that it is nice to sit back and just take it all in.  

While I was camera-less I really got to focus on my kids.  I got to soak in the little 8lb10oz baby who was snuggle up against my chest, in that perfect spot, all cozy in her bear suit, closely nestled in the sling.  I got to see my little K's smiling face as he raced up and down the gravel path with his daddy, sporadically picking up rocks to throw them.  I got to throw rocks into a big puddle with R, who would say "wow I throw them mega far cause I got these muscles" as he proudly flexed his "muscles" for me.  I got to see the bickering transform into bliss.  There is just something about being outside that does something for each and every one of us.  And so sometimes, it is worth it, to throw off the schedule for an impromtu family outing to go exploring.

and all evenings should end this way.

Home

When driving on I-5 to get to the Loprinzi Easter brunch I asked Paul "do you think we will always consider Oregon home?"

We both grew up here, got married here, went to college here, had our babies here, both our families live here.

We love it here.  We do.  We love the rain, the mountains, the ocean, etc.

But we especially love that we can get on I-5 in just a matter of 15 minutes and be on our way to see any of our family members or friends in just 2 short hours or less.  We love being able to snuggle our nephews, and kiss our little niece.  We love that our kids have been able to grow up with their cousins and have a loving relationship with their aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  We cherish every.single.moment that we get to spend with everyone.

We have been really blessed that our lives have unfolded this way, to allow us to be so close to family for so long.  But our time in Oregon is coming to an end and our once 2 hour car drive will be a 7 hour plane flight, the luxury of living so close to family will be gone.

In just 2.5 short months we will pack up and leave everyone we love, we'll be leaving "home."

And as cliche as the statement is...home is where you make it.  And that is comforting. 

So here is to making Kentucky "home" and finding new friends!

Now to iron out all the details...

• To rent or buy a home
• To drive or fly there 
• How to ship our stuff and cars
• Figuring out a job for me
• Finding daycare/a nanny for the kids

Messy

What would give my boys colorful hands and messy shirts?  Given that it is Easter time, you'd probably guess dying easter eggs, but even that wasn't messy.

But it's not dying easter eggs, because in addition to colorful hands and messy shirts it also left K's lips green.

and it was a gift from Nana, a gift that I am so thankful she was here to help with, because boy was it messy!

They were colorful bubbles, and they left color on everything - the apartment sidewalk, building walls, faces, hands, hair...this is an activity that would be best done on a hot summer day so messy kids can jump in a pool to clean off afterward, not in a bathtub as that brings the colorful mess indoors.

But despite the mess, my kids (and my mom) had fun making it,

which says a lot for R since he is a kiddo who hates to be dirty.

Nana taught K to blow bubbles

while aunt J stood back, safeguarded from the colorful bubble mess by holding little J

not to worry, the mess came off the important things, the sidewalk outside our apartment however, is currently blue.  We might be the reason they outlaw bubbles here, with all the silly rules I wouldn't be surprised (we have rules that won't allow us to back into our parking spaces...).

Anyway, the bubbles are currently outside our front door, and will probably be put away for safekeeping until weather that permits a kiddie pool arrives.

2 month comparison

Currently we have one sad little baby in our house.  Our little lady, who usually only grunts when unhappy is a crying mess today.  Two little band-aids on her "not so chunky thighs" (per the nurse administering the vaccinations) are left to show for her tough morning.

It is so interesting to me how differently my babies have grown.  They all started out with an approximate 1lb weight difference at birth...

• Jovie - 5lbs 14.9oz, 17.5 inches
• Ryker - 6lbs 14.9oz, 20 inches
• Kiplin - 7lbs1oz., 19.5 inches

and then by 2 months old, there was a drastic difference...

• Jovie - 8lbs 10oz, 21 inches 
• Kiplin - 13lbs 4.5oz, 23.5inches
• Ryker - 11lbs 10oz, 22.5 inches

Jovie is our little peanut.  It is so strange to have a little baby as both the boys got chunky right away, so I was worried about her slow growth, but her height, weight, and head circumference are all in between the 5th and 10th percentile so she is proportional - just little.  Thus the reasoning behind J's nickname "tiny baby" and K's nickname "giant baby"

Kiplin at 2 months old

Ryker at 2 months old

Just an ordinary day in pictures

The day started and ended with two pretty cute pictures, both of which happen to be J.  This morning I finally captured half of a Jovie smile while she was awake, albeit a poor quality picture.  That stinking flash scares the smile right off her face, but with the poor lighting in this practically window-less apartment a flash is a must.

Then tonight after her bath I took this picture with the mindset of sending it to her Nana - she is the one who got J this doll - but I thought it was too funny not to share.  Of course I got pictures without her tongue sticking out, but since the doll appears to have her tongue out too this one just cracks me up. 

I can't leave my boys out, and goodness was it a day with them.  Both were rowdy, busy boys all day long.

Specifically giant baby K, he was really interested in J's stuff today.  First he decided to try and climb from the couch onto J's changing table (while she was on it getting changed) don't worry I stopped him and told him to get off the couch.

So he got off the couch and while I was still changing J's diaper he climbed up into her swing...

 After that he found one of her blankets on the floor, picked it up, and headed to sit on the couch.  I figured he was going to snuggle with it, and he did for a second...

before covering J up with it...

 He was so proud, it was such a sweet gesture, as he thinks blankets are the most prized possession ever (or at least his is).

After a morning of mischief, K finally went down for a nap.  Normally during K's naptime J is sleeping as well, so it is a special mommy and R time.  Now that J is getting older and more alert during the day, she has joined in on the fun, and R welcomes her fully.  I know there is absolutely no jealousy (yet) from her interrupting the one-on-one mommy time, evidence by the fact that today Ryk shared Woody.  Woody and Ryk are "best friends" so this is such a gesture of love.

Then R helped me give J a bath, and we practiced sounding out words.  Today R learned to spell Jovie...

After bathtime, J did tummy time while I read books with R.  R decided mimicking his baby sister was more fun than book reading.

 Then R had a turn with the camera, which for a 4 year old is big, heavy, and awkward.  He said "J keeps doing crazy things with her eyes and mouth," so he took a picture of the back of her head since "her head doesn't make funny faces at me."

 And like with every tummytime session, sweet J fell asleep.  That girl would LOVE to be a tummy sleeper, but I am a momma who strictly follows the recommended "back to sleep" guidelines - though a nap on her belly while I am awake and alert watching her works for us :).

 I tried to convince R to practice writing letters with me, he wasn't digging it, but said he would color.  He looked up at me and said "look mom, I carry my marker just like Manny does!"

Once Giant baby woke up we had snack - some delicious cookies (thanks E for sabotaging my "bring sexy back program" - kidding, I LOVE your cooking/baking and will always welcome it!)  

You will notice that my kids are wearing multiple outfits in this post - yes it is true, they change their clothes, a lot.  I bring this up to help vouch for my constant lacking ability to keep up with the laundry, and the reason my couch usually always has a laundry basket full of (at least) one load of clean clothes that needs folded/put away.  Giant baby K is the reason for the toys strewn all over, the kid is a walking disaster.  I love this picture 1)because of my goofy R and 2)because it shows a tiny apartment that clearly has lots of people living in it with a mom who just tries, but fails, to keep up with the housework.  I'll take happy, played with kids any day over a perfectly clean place.