OSLL edition 2

I've been texted, emailed, and told "It's been almost a month since you last blogged."  And it has.  But life, well we've been sick-then almost better, then super sick again, and I started a new job, and my house still has straggler boxes that are not unpacked, our cars still cannot both be housed in the garage yet, and I just realized there are only 10 days between now and Christmas when I am not at work.  So yeah.  Life; crazy, beautiful, busy, changing, and so this has been a neglected space.

So a brief catch up, right before I head to bed to get some rest in order to have the patience to take on the sick-fest of 3 Loprinzi littles again tomorrow.

Jovie, and pneumonia, a sad thing really.  It goes something like this: cough, take meds, lay around, read books, watch a movie, fall asleep in random places, repeat x1month.  Sister can't catch a break.

Now Hartley, photos documenting her progressive wake-up, which is one of my favorite things about baby habits, they always wake up so dang smiley...

Big brothers who cross their green socks, and hold little sisters might just be the cutest thing ever.

Finally a funny family photo fail story: I had family pictures scheduled.  Twice.  You know, the yearly ones where I purchase cute clearance rack clothes that are all matchy-matchy, color schemed up, for our family of 6.  Then spend a small, but worth the investment, fortune on a professional photographer to meet us at a park where I will bribe my children with M&Ms to smile and look cute for the camera for a whopping however many minutes we can keep the sanity alive in an attempt to get a yearly family picture…yeah, those family pictures.  But we had to reschedule the first time because of flu.  Then fevers and positive strep swabs made me cancel the second session, and well by this time the whimsical fall leaves were long gone, along with my motivation to attempt such a lofty goal.  So mission Loprinzi family photos 2014 - epic failure.  I'm super saddened by this, but given the going on almost 2 months of sickness running rampant in my house I've accepted the loss.  However, in an effort to get a Christmas card photo I forced the kids to put on the cute, color coordinated clothes I had in mind for these professional pictures, and attempted to take pictures on Thanksgiving.  I had elaborate plans of being really awesome and was going to attempt to get a family picture using the self timer.  I even moved things around in my room to accommodate a spot for picture taking to happen.   My expectations were high, Paul's were not, and the kids were all sick, sick.  Like fevers of 100-102 while medicated, hacking cough, body aches..yeah.  So the ending went something like this - wife swearing and pissed off, husband sick and annoyed that I would even think to attempt such a task.  I got some cute ones of Hartley, Paul got a couple cute ones of me with some of the kids, and well...when you get your Christmas card, I tried.  Here are a few of the outtakes.

 And the charmer - Hartley Lane, the smile that lifts a pissed off mood in less than a second.  This doll-baby.  Love her to bits!

 So much love for this little lady.

 So yeah, cute baby overkill here, but it has been a while so I figured you all need a fix.

 I spy a little bit of heaven - you know, that baby squishy of arm chunk, meeting hand, that creates that only adorable on a baby squishy roll.

 and those squishy, dimpled cheeks, they get kissed a million times each day, I'm positive.  And this quilt totally gets used way too much in photos, but it is bright and cheery and my most favorite $12 purchase I've ever spent.  Bonuse photo prop - her favorite blanket

 Then Kip came in for a close up, and his giggles afterward were pure joy.

 Little charmer this 5 year old, easy going kid.  His cuteness is too much!

 and this picture, I adore.  While I can tell the fever is just zapping the zest in her usually bright and sparkly eyes, and the pneumonia is making her so pale, this picture is just, so Jovie at 3.5 years old.  Her favorite blanket held tight, pony tale with cute whispy curls, and all those crazy cats.  Yes, a future crazy cat lady, maybe?

My hip-shaking, petite, 27 lb, size 2T wearing 3.5 year old gal.  She's equal parts diva and tomboy, and the perfect litte-big-middle sister ever.

 and then Kip self timered the camera to "take a picture of my butt."  Classy Kip.  But there is something I adore about a little boy in Levis, and so…the picture makes the blog.

and the self timer continues with pictures of cat butts too, because butts and potty talk rule their world.  But her smile in the naughtiness of it all…three-nager, and Kip's photobomb half giggle, memories to have forever!

 Yep, that one time I thought I'd get a family photo, and instead got a bunch of pictures of cat butts…life in the Loprinzi house.

Our simple little life (OSLL) edition 1

In an effort to better document the important to us (but boring to others moments of life) I've started a new ongoing post series starting today.  

Our simple little life:

A sister feeling up to doing more.  We are so thankful our JovieReese looks more lively today, which is a huge change from her lethargic body just laying around the last 8 days.  Long story short - fever turned pneumonia/ear infection.  After an IM injection of antibiotics, oral antibiotics, and nebulizer treatments every 4 hours the last 3 days she is finally beginning to perk up.  Huge sigh of relief.  What a scary week of sickness she gave us. 

Lego obsessed boys have now been quarantined to their bedrooms for all things Lego.  I told Kip, he'd tell you I yelled at him, which I probably did yell, not out of hostility but out of urgency for it to get done quickly - "Grab your legos, they are not allowed anywhere but your bedroom anymore" because...

She's rolling around now.  That paired with the new found hands, that actually work to grasp things allow for anything and everything to make way to her tiny mouth. This raising a baby with older kiddos who have tiny little objects gig, it takes work.  New era of parenting to experience and learn from.  Brings a new level of challenge to the baby-proofing task.

 

These three little noggins just about melt me.  The only thing that would make this picture absolute perfection is the addition of the missing little Loprinzi noggin.  She was too sick to be in the picture though.  One thing is certain, the littlest lady of the house has a force of protection and that makes me smile.

 See - our Loprinzi crew has a lone red-head in the mix...It is true, I'm way too busy to edit pictures.  What you see, is straight out of the camera. 


Also smile worthy - a lemonade party.  It started as tea, she said it tastes like dirt.  She asked for lemonade, and so now we have lemonade parties.  Frequently.  Because nothing is cuter than a daughter-daddy lemonade share-fest.

 

The way he smiles at her.  Cheers to these two and the cuteness that is a plastic princess tea set, lemonade, and mint cookies.

 Perk to lemonade parties - working on mastering the art of drinking from a cup.  She's got it down with minimal spillage now.

Moving on to her cheeks.  So kissable and squishy.  Savoring every moment to squish on this final fourth, because I'll blink and she'll be 8.

Finally, we've found a park that they can all agree on.  The agree on part, coupled with the beauty that is the outdoors makes for a pretty sweet Saturday.  It has become the weekly get out of the house and run like a wild person place for us. Necessary. 

My Mr. with our baby, sunlight peeking through the trees, being outside = perfection.

Three just exploring, collecting miscellaneous items for a "battle" which include sticks and acorns.

Baseball

He got some baseballs, a bat, and a tee as part of his birthday gift.  He wasn't too thrilled initially.  But an afternoon of one-on-one time with his daddy quickly changed his mind about the gift.

After about 15 minutes of practice, and patience, he hit a ball from the best pitcher in the world.

Clearly I was wrong in thinking he'd need a to bat from the tee for a while.  Kid nails them like a pro.

and giggled uncontrollably when Paul screamed "watch my nuts, man!"

This is the start of something great.  

On a side, yet related note, Ryker's class uses dialogue journals as homework once a week.  The student writes on a given task, then we write back.  This past week they had to write a convincing letter, so Ryker chose to write to his dad asking to play baseball after school until it got dark outside.  The sweetness of the situation made me smile.  Happy son, happy daddy, happy life.  I just love their relationship.