The merry, merry month of May

How is it already Memorial Day weekend?  I feel as though spring is flying by and we've hardly had a chance to enjoy it...   

Since I spend so much time on the couch with this little girl...  who is now over 9 pounds and looks squished in newborn clothes...  

 Bob is back at work and we are surviving just fine so far.  *grin*  He's very popular in the evenings.

 Mornings are pretty low key around here- they start as late as possible and last as long as possible. 

 Cecily made Emmy supper and brought her a present...  hehe...  she's been quite spoiled and loves all the visitors.  And I am too... much good food every night that I didn't have to make.

 It's a dirt pile... according to Cecily.  Mulch to the rest of us.  Nathan and Shelly were kind enough to come over Saturday afternoon to help us spread it.  (Pay no attention to my spray paint project in the garage... )

 The guys played on the roof with the leaf blower for a while, cleaning all the nasty maple keys off the roof and gutter screens.  Little miss and I directed traffic and got in the way since I'm really not supposed to be working. 

The little one chilled in the stroller. 

So now the landscaping looks great until the trees and weeds push through.  Woot woot.   

We all went to church today!  Hooray!  I tried to take a picture of the girls in their coordinating dresses (that I made back in March for Easter- not since she was born... I'm not that crazy).  

 I got a series of not so great ones... first of many, I'm sure.  Hehe. 

Blessings.

Rain, rain, go away

I know, we need the rain, but the gloomy cold is making me feel quite cooped up...   

Our microwave decided to die while we were heating up supper one night.  So Bob got to go pick out a new one.  Then he turned the box into a "dog house" for Cecily.

 It doubles as Noah's ark when it's upside down and full of animals.  Not sure what that look is for...

Mother's day was....  interesting.  Rustin and Sharon took Cecily to church and then brought her home early because she threw up.  And had a fever.  Aaaahhh  I felt so bad.  Thankfully, after a nap, Tylenol and a good night's sleep she was back to normal.  Happy Mother's day to me.   Just as long as this doesn't become tradition like our anniversary (it was Bob's turn to be sick this year). 

So far Emmy has been a really good baby.  Eats like a champ and then sleeps. 

Cecily's still pretty jealous.  She likes 'Emmy Ma-jo-lee' most of the time, just not nap time when Emmy needs to eat and Cecily wants to fall asleep on my lap.  So there hasn't been much napping happening.  (For whatever reason she has refused to take a nap in her crib or bed her entire life... I gave up long ago, not worth the screaming and loss of a nap.) 

We bundled up and went for a walk with our new double stroller.  It's a sit- and- stand, which Cecily loves. 

Cecily got to go play at the farm today and I tried hard to be lazy and rest.  It's a good thing it's not nice enough out to paint or I would be.  Or weeding.  Or doing something other than sit on the couch.  Haha. Why is it that when you aren't supposed to do anything it's the worst thing ever?  Normally I would be avoiding housework...  anyway. I'm only a little bit stir crazy.  *grin*

Blessings.

This week

Lots of pictures, probably some rambling just so I don't forget... 

I taught Cecily to do somersaults.  "Tuck 'er chin!"  



 

So, even though I was overdue I was probably less concerned about "being done" than about the uncertainty of when and what if and Cecily...  I really wasn't all that uncomfortable, just tired.  I don't remember at what point in the week I was pretty sure it was going to be Monday.  I was flipping ahead in my verse a day calendar and the verse for Monday the 5th was Colossians 1:29- "Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily."  So then I was praying that I would at least get a good nights sleep... fatigue was my worst enemy when Cecily was born. 

I stayed home from church Sunday because I was feeling off and just getting Cecily dressed was exhausting... and that evening while I was trying to make supper I suddenly felt totally nauseous and emotional.  And then later I read Psalm 40...   I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry...  so I was not surprised to wake up in labor Monday morning after a good nights sleep. 

Anyway, so it went much faster than last time, so much so that I wanted to leave before my mom got there... and Sharon didn't answer... thankfully Aunt Joann was home.  I wasn't worried we wouldn't make it in time, I'm just a wimp and didn't want to deal with anything stronger in the car.  *grin*   

Apparently it is busy season for L and D and they were full...  we were stuck in a tiny Triage room pretty much the whole time... though they would have moved us to the OR for delivery- hence Bob wearing scrubs...  hehe.  



But a room opened up and she was born... crying... for the first hour... we were worried. She hasn't cried much since, thankfully.

 

I didn't even get a chance to look at the verses I had printed out (thanks for the suggestion Jo!  at least they were encouraging the week before...).

Bright eyes, dark hair.  So far really contented. 

Hospitals are not restful and quite uncomfortable, but we decided to stay 48 hours because they were worried about Emmy being jaundiced. 

So Cecily got to come meet Emmy on Tuesday evening.  "What is it?"  "Want to go back to the farm!"  Haha.  She was a little spoiled at the farm... 

 First family picture...

Finally got to go home on Wednesday morning. 

And Cecily came home...  she likes the baby so far.   

Sharing toys. 

Although after 2.5 jam packed, fun filled, not enough sleep, days at the farm she's a little fragile.  Like me. Stupid hormones.  Poor Bob.

Three new outfits from Rita and frequent visits from Grandma help. 

Nights haven't been too bad so far.  Better than the first few with Cecily.  I'm thankful. 

Aunt Shelly brought me Dr. Pepper... she matched Emmy. 

 After the storm went through, Cecily wanted to go outside with a 'brellella.  Grandma humored her.

 And let her go out without pants. 

 Who's kid is this?  haha... then they wandered across the road to talk to Marcy and one of the other neighbors... 

 Uncle Matt stopped in.  Cecily looks a little bit jealous here... 

She is doing a lot better today after sleeping until 10 in her own bed and naps.   We picked lots of flowers this morning.  "Want four flowers, Mama."

Grandpa and Grandma Beutel stopped and brought presents for the girls.   

 And Matt and Lena.

I think she looks a lot like Cecily did- with dark hair.  And chubbier cheeks.   Sometimes she gets "wake-ups" which little miss thinks is hilarious.

 Bob and Cecily went to the store for milk and bread today... and came back with a trunk full of things that were not on the list.  Haha.  We are set for snacks for a while.  And they brought home flowers to add to the armfuls Cecily and I have been picking every day. 

Actually, after the rain yesterday all the "flowers up in the sky," aka, the crab apple blossoms, have blown away, so there is less to pick right now. 

Anyway,  things are going pretty well so far.  I don't feel like I'm just surviving, so that's a blessing. I will be glad when my hormones level out again... hopefully soon.  It will be awhile before I can sleep so I'm not even going to think about it.  At least Emmy hasn't been cluster feeding through the night like Cecily did...  And I'm soooo thankful that Bob has two full weeks off work.    

 Blessings.

Introducing...

My chair has returned!!   Isn't it so pretty!?

 



Just kidding...  meet Emmy Marjorie.  She was born at 2:21pm today, (after a much faster labor than Cecily) weighed 8lbs, 7.8oz, and was 20 inches long.  She has a full head of dark hair!

 So far we are both doing pretty well.  She wasn't all that happy to be born... now she will have to deal with her big sister on the outside...

If you want more details, I'll be happy to email you... *grin*
Blessings.

Let there be light

Hooray for cold, gloomy, days... or not.

Pretty much the most exciting thing that has happened is that there's a new light in Cecily's room!  I really don't have anything against ceiling fans, however, this one is just bad.  Not only are our ceilings too low (barely 8 ft), it also doesn't have a light.  Hence the awful track lighting...  bedrooms are not good places for track lighting....  plus so much more surface area for dust...

 

AND they broke the most important rule of ceiling fans- fan blades need to be higher than any light source!  If you don't, you get a strobe effect when the fan is between you and the light and that'll give anybody a headache, fast.  I suppose it would have been fun to put in black light bulbs and use it for dance parties or something... 

Anyway, moving right along... Rob came Monday and got rid of the ugly and now we have a nice nondescript, practical, ceiling light.  It's lovely.  Now I just need to find the energy to patch the holes in the ceiling and paint over the strip of nasty yellow ceiling... I know it's a thing to paint ceilings colors, but I'd have to agree with my Dad that ceilings (and closets) should only ever be white. 

I had a doctor appointment yesterday (will they never end??) so we met my parents for lunch and little miss got to go play at the farm for the afternoon.  "I have fun, Momma."  How could she not when there's Gus and baby ducks and cats and tractors and pigs and cows to see?  Plus she got to take an extra bath when we got home because she smelled like the hog house.  *grin*

I don't like storms, but I really don't like storms when all of my favorite trees are blooming.  So far none of the flowering crab blossoms have been rained off/ blown away yet, and I picked a half open lilac today!  Hooray!  They got added to the collection of flowers in the house... notice the bowl of flowers with no stems... guess who.  She likes to smell them all.

How are there so many weeds already?  I've pulled so many trees out of the landscaping, and half the yard is dandelions and ground ivy.  The neighbors have mentioned the ground ivy/ creeping charlie to us a few times (it's growing into their yard), and the stuff we sprayed last year didn't do anything...  sooo... now we've got a lawn service coming to spray.  It makes me feel silly... I mean, we don't live in Morton, and I'm actually kind of fond of dandelions... can you really have a good childhood if it doesn't involve countless hours of braiding dandelions into crowns and necklaces and using them to write on sidewalks and as body paint?   Oh well, the ivy needs to go and I'm sure the dandelions will come back.  *grin*

Otherwise, I got nothing.  My brain is mush.  I'm still "here," whatever that means... I hope to be "here" for quite some years yet...  And I really wish it was warm enough to walk to Pinky's for ice cream.

Blessings.

Under my 'brellella

Five years already... where does time go?

 
O man, looking at that picture just makes me nostalgic...  we're all in such different places now. I miss these people... probably mostly my fault because I didn't/ don't make enough of an effort... or I could just blame it on the T-town bubble... or life.  *grin*

Little miss was looking at our wedding pictures and said "Mommy like a princess."  Aww... way to make me feel better little girl! 

So the guy that does our tilling came Thursday and I got most of the garden planted.  No worries that I'm planning on doing too much this summer- about half of it is flower seeds for someone to pick.  I have lots and lots of headless daffodils right now.  *sigh*   

Then we were about to go outside again that evening when it started raining.  It wasn't storming and it was still fairly warm so we broke out the 'brellellas and the rain boots.  "I like Chris-fer Robin, Momma." 

 "Wanna spin?"

 "C'mere Momma!"

It was one of those days that I'm glad we live on a dead end- there are fewer people to see our ridiculous outfits... me in my one pair of gauchos that are currently modest enough to wear out and U of I rain boots and huge Illini stadium umbrella; Cecily in her third outfit of the day because she seems to have forgotten what the potty is for...

Yeah, two accidents in the sandbox in one day.  The second time I told her she would just have to wait to change because I was tired of going in and out... being in wet clothes didn't prevent another accident inside later.  *sigh* 

Daddy's new programing book is fascinating, apparently. 

Bob had some old PJ pants with lots of holes worn in them, but enough good fabric for pj pants for Cecily.  I didn't use a pattern so they don't fit super well, but it doesn't matter because she pretty much refuses to wear them.  Bob did bribe her into wearing them outside one evening because she has to wear something on her bottom half outside and she really wanted to go out.  *grin*  I need to get some new U of I pj's so I can match too. 

We put some stuff out on the curb last night with a free sign (things we had inherited from the previous owners that we decided we probably weren't going to use) and I put a curb alert on Craigslist...  it was all gone by 11pm.  Crazy. 

We went to a few garage sales this morning, but didn't come home with much.  Mostly just a good excuse to get out and chat with neighbors we haven't seen all winter.   I finished my spring cleaning list!  Yay.  Bob says I'm nesting... I call this lazy.   The screen shot on the left is last years list... on the right is this years...  yeah... bare minimum.

Blessings.

Easter Weekend

Mostly pictures... 

Way back in the day we started doing an Easter egg hunt for my "little" cousins, most of whom are now in high school and college.  So this year it was Cecily and some borrowed children on Good Friday afternoon.  hehe.  

They all wanted to see the cows while we were waiting for kids to show up.  Little miss has no fear and kept wanting Willow to join her in the feed bunker.   

 Until she saw the boys on the fence...

 Then she had to stand on the gate too.

 Ca'mere cows!!  And this would be a really cute picture of her and Russell if somebody's foot wasn't in the way.

 This picture amuses me on several levels...  none of them are looking the same way; and all of the imported toddlers.  Hehe.  Ok, so they all have connections- Cliff's holding my friend's boy that they babysit for, the next three are my second cousin's kids, the other two are Ron and Kary's grandkids, and then there is silly little miss... who actually left her cute braid in for the occasion!

 Off she goes to find some eggs.

 And a wheel barrow ride.

 Then Aunt Kary bribed them with quarters to pick up walnuts after they found all the eggs... haha.

 Shelly and I dyed some eggs... Cecily was more interested in Grandma's toys at this point so she didn't last long.

 

Good Friday evening services did not go so well...  the only nap she took was in the car between the farm and home so she was sooo ridiculously fragile in church.  I had to take her out twice because she started sobbing over nothing.  *sigh*  So irritating.  And then of course, the minister had to say something like, 'I'm sure everyone is glad they came tonight...' Um... well... I would maybe take a do-over!  *grin*

Saturday was gorgeous and we got some work done outside in the afternoon.  The Koch's got together in the evening and there were more eggs to find.  I'm not sure if she was trying to steal Isla's eggs, or just comparing baskets.

 Three small children going after the same egg... 

 Playing with Hanna...

 We let her open her Easter basket Sunday morning.  Check out that bed head! 

 She was quite excited to discover that marsh-pillows can look like bunnies.

 And she 'read' her new ice-skating book quite a few times.

 My attempts at a good picture of her in her Easter dress were pretty much failures. 

 She was rather squirrely that morning.

 Yeah.

 Anyway, here's a so-so picture- slightly rumpled from a day in church (and somehow there are water/milk marks on the bodice already!?  How does she manage!?)  I thought it turned out pretty good, and as long as nobody looks at the inside they won't know how bad of a seamstress I really am.  *grin*  I got smart this time and tied a perfect bow and sewed it down tight to the sash, which closes with snaps.  So much better than constantly retying it at church. 

Oh, and the ruffles.  I love the ruffles.  Grandma Koch's sewing machine has a ruffle attachment... so slick.  All I had to do was stick in my fabric and it made those perfect pleated strips.  Which I love. 

We spent Sunday evening with my family at Lori's.  So little miss got to play with Max Cliff all evening.  "Ca'mere Max!  Come slide!"  And if you reminded her that this boy's name is Cliff, "Ca'mere Ma-Ca-liff!"  hehe.   There is nothing quite like Aunt Pearl playing detective....  'Hi Honey, and BAM!'  I laughed.  A lot.  (It might have even been better than the 'Put 'em on the street corner and kick 'em' comment.)

And today we did laundry and were lazy.  Blessings.