Germany

Elliot and I had wonderful time in Germany. It was so nice to have some one-on-one time with my girl. She was such a great traveler. It was also wonderful to spend some time with wonderful friends. Here's a quick run down of our itinerary:

Thursday 1pm- leave Orlando
Friday 10am-arrive in Frankfurt, go to John and Jen's (and their 3 kiddo's) in Wiesbaden

(I thought Elliot would sleep on the plane, but she only rested for TWO hours! That's all the sleep we got the entire night and she did great the whole day)

Saturday-travel by car to Stuttgart for Oktoberfest (tried to get there early, but it just didn't happen. Needless to say, things were quite rowdy by the time we arrived and we didn't stay long)

Saturday-Tuesday Elliot and I stayed in Stuttgart with our friends Jeremy and Julia and their 2 kids. We visited Triberg in the Black Forest, hiked to Germany's tallest waterfall, visited a beautiful castle, ate at some neat places, and enjoyed our friends!

Tuesday- El and I ventured to the train station to go back to Wiesbaden. I waited to have an attendant book my ticket because I had been told they speak good English. Well, the lady I got spoke NONE. Printed ticket in German, so I had no idea what it said. We figured it out though. I only thought some guy was going to blow us up once in the Mainz train station...but other than that it was uneventful.

Wednesday-Monday we finished our trip up in Wiesbaden. Got to see some more friends. Go to Heidelberg, Rudesheim, and even found the Schloss Vollrads winery to pick up a case of my moms most favorite Riesling ever! It was sooooo much fun!

Now, I know you probably don't care about all that, and pictures would make everything better and more interesting. BUT, my computer has serious issues and I had to upload everything on Wes'. HOWEVER, if you click THIS link you can see some (Okay, a bunch :-) As a suggestion: you may want to just click on the 1st picture once at the site rather than view slideshow. If you do slideshow, you can't see any of the captions.

Most importantly, if any of our FRIENDS whom we visited are reading this, thank you so very much for all of your hospitality. We had such an amazing time and are so thankful that we can call you friends. Miss you already!

Piano Lessons

Elliot's fabulous little preschool has a lady that comes to the school and offers the children piano lessons (for a fee, of course...but very reasonable). Anyways, she gets them from class and does a one-on-one 15 minute lesson.

Last week was El's first week. I was so impressed with the books and work she came home with. They did a LOT in 15 minutes!! She actually enjoyed practicing during the week (and then putting the keyboard on some crazy auto tune for an hour afterwards!) We worked on learning high and low notes, glisserado's, going up & down the piano, curved fingers, and steady beats. It was fun to do it with her. I also learned quickly that I can't tell her what to do for her lesson. She's way to independent for that and it wasn't working. If I say "Do you want to play a high note or a low note?" she will choose and do it. Simply rephrasing saved a lot of arguing!

I was at the church for MOPS this morning and was able to sneak a peak of her learning. She was very intent. I snapped a pic from far away with my cell.

*Note: I just realized I always type "El" when referring to her in blog land. However, in real life I NEVER call her that. She is always Elliot. Weird?

Levi's 1st Phrase

My precious little Levi can say his first phrase. Okay, it's only 2 words but yesterday he started saying "put that" sometimes he says "back" at the end (technically making it a 3 word phrase) :-)

I first heard it when I walked out of their bedroom to see he had dumped the whole basket of nicely folded laundry onto the floor. He was pointing at the clothes, then the basket while looking at me and saying "Put that!" over and over. It was slightly demanding, but cute.

As I've started thinking about it, I find it to be an odd 1st phrase. How/Why is that what he decided to talk about? Is it because he is always into something and I'm always saying "put that back?" I'm really not sure. That would kinda make me feel bad-like I'm not letting him explore as much as I should. I feel like I'm more likely telling him to "give that back" since he is always stealing everything Ezra tries to play with. I'm sure he always hears his fair share of "put that back" from his sister too.

Is he bossy? Does he just like to tell everyone what to do already? Nah, I think he's a pretty care free kinda kid. As long as he can get into something and Mommy doesn't go too far for too long-he's good.

The boys have recently started trying to help clean things up. It's very cute, and they can be very helpful if they are in the mood. I can see this as a time where I would say "Let's clean up, put that back." In fact, I would most likely say "Put that back" multiple times while cleaning. Yes, this sounds like a logical place for him to have learned the saying. I think I will claim it: this explanation helps neither of us sound too demanding.

Regardless, he's adorable saying it and you want to "put back" whatever he is talking about. Tonight he was throwing a little ball with my brother over the kitchen counter. They knocked over a bottle and he immediately started saying "Put that!, Put that!" It was way too cute. We wanted him to knock something else down just so we could hear it!

Maybe I can get a video of him saying it sometime. I need to capture Ezra making his bunny face on video too! HILARIOUS!!!

Thoughts on Multiples and T.V. Shows

I decided to watch "Quints By Surprise" on TLC the other night. I guess I have some random thoughts to write about regarding this show

A. I like that their older daughters name is Eliot. Spelled incorrectly :-) but I still adore the name

B. Seriously, how "Surprising" can it be to have 5 babies at one time when you do fertility treatments? When you have at least 5 eggs and inject some very healthy/"clean" sperm, what do you expect to happen? Really?!

C. I wonder how they deal with having QUINTUPLETS and a 5 year old? That is the part of having twins that I find the MOST difficult: managing having 2 young children that are sometimes demanding on my time and still finding time to spend special time with my 4 year old. I won't lie, it's hard. Some days I feel like a failure at it. I want her to know that I love her more than anything, that she is just as important to me as her brothers, and I'm always trying to find ways to balance my time. The fact that El is so independent may make it more difficult, simply because I know she is fine with playing in her room and making crazy art projects. I hope I can always find ways to do things with her that are unique to things that I do with the boys.

D. The mom of the quints, Casey Jones, was talking about how people always ask her "How do you do it?" I could immediately relate to that! I am asked that all the time (and I ONLY have 3 kids!) Her response was exactly how I feel, "You just do it." It's sooo true. When this is your life (for me: 3 fairly young kids, multiples, a hubby gone half the year, etc) you just adapt. I think God knows what He's doing...He's smart like that. He gives us what we can handle (or learn to handle). Granted, some days are hard. It's a lot of work. But, no one ever said life was going to be easy, did they? I'm probably guilty of thinking the same thing about other women, "How do THEY do it?" But, I think I too need to get rewired. We're all different and all capable of amazing things!


NOW...onto "Kate Plus 8"..

A. I am sad that their marriage didn't work out. Sad for her, sad for Jon, sad for the kids. Just stinks all around.

B. Sad the way the spotlight has clearly changed her. I honestly don't think I can watch it anymore. It seems too fake. What mom walks around NYC in shorts, a top that her fake boobs hang out the sides of, and HIGH heels? (see PIC) Can't you just wear some flops and a tank? I know, that's my style I'm trying to put on her, but the heels are just way too much. You KNOW that is NOT comfy. I can barely walk from the parking lot into church when I try to wear heels half that high.

C. I'm probably judging her and that's no good. I just wish that the media didn't get to them. That they kept their cozy life, with no cameras, ugly hair-do's, 9-5 job, smaller house, flabby tummy skin, going to church, good relationships, etc. Bet if they did they'd be WAY more content with less than they now have with "more".

18 months

I can not believe my boys are 18 months old today. They are really starting to learn so much! They are starting to follow directions, which is super nice. They are both talking some (not that much...but some). Levi has become quite aggressive lately. He likes to try to drag Ezra around by the collar of his shirt. This doesn't go over too well with Ez. The other day I heard Ezra screaming, I run in to check on him and he is in prone position with Levi standing on his back. It was so sad! Along with the biting, we've added hair pulling to our skills. Recently Levi grabbed out a ridiculous amount of Ezra's hair. I was shocked, while Elliot's response was simply, "well, Ezra doesn't need a hair cut now." Really?? Poor Ezzy always gettin' picked on.

After some crazy non-sense tonight, the sweetest thing ever happened. I was trying to suction out all of Levi's snot, and of course he was not happy. He was screaming and crying. Ezra came over and started patting his belly real gently. OH, melts my heart to think about it. Precious! I guess Ezra doesn't hold a grudge! :-)

The boys also have a great love for their Papa. (We like to think this means they are missing their Daddy?) Last night they were in their bedroom and I was nursing Levi before bed. Elliot opened up the playroom gate and the metal clanked a little. Levi immediately unlatched and yelled "PAPA" and waved. Ezra then started chanting "Papa, papa! and RAN out of the bedroom to look for him. It was adorable.

I didn't get any pic's of them on their 18 month milestone, except one. Here is them with their Papa having tickle time. I wish you could hear all the giggles!
Elliot and I made some pizza tonight. The boys did not like it! HAHA

My Girl's Room

Finally got Elliot's room put together. It only took 15 months, but it's done. Actually, I can thank my parents for most of it since they are getting rid of the "Princess" room when they move. I've been snagging things when I can.

Here you can see the wall color. (cell phone pic's so not perfect!). Elliot chose green, but now that everyone says they like it she is claiming she wanted blue. Go figure!

Grabbed the night stand from the parents casa. Found the snazzy pink "bin" (and 2 others like it) for $0.99 @ Goodwill. Fits perfectly under the night stand and the others fit in her closet organization.
Also took these curtains from my parents. Got rid of her old valance. Elliot decided to tie them back with pom pon's (which have since been replaced with a proper pull back thing, like in the 3rd pic).
The final touch for the room came with getting this dresser. We replaced her old spray painted thrift store one! :-) Now, every time Ezra goes in her room he opens and closes the drawers non-stop (the old one's didn't move so smoothly!) haha.

My brother and sis-n-law just bought a house that came with this mirror. It was nasty and brown, but with a little spray paint, it's my masterpiece. Hung another set of curtains around it and I think it looks quite cute. I know it's nothing extravagant, but I'm just excited it finally looks like a place where a little girl would like to call her own. (Although, I think her favorite place is still her closet where all of her ART is set up!).

Painting

I decided to paint Elliot's bedroom. It looks great, but what should normally be a 2 hour project took 12 HOURS with 3 kids to care for. Ridiculous. On top of that Elliot was "helping" me. As soon as I moved the paint onto the carpet (to move the drop cloth across the room) Elliot stepped in it, and proceeded to hang her soaking foot over the carpet! So, this is what I was left with:
After just sitting and staring at it (while listening to all 3 kids screaming) I decided to get to work. Got out my all powerful Nature's Sunshine Veggie wash and started scrubbing and soaking up. I was shocked to see it actually working. As I'm soaking everything up here is a darling conversation El and I had:

El: Mom, you're using too many paper towels
Me: Whatever, it's gotta get clean!
El: Well, you're not saving a tree.

I wanted to crack up. I'd actually like to blame this one on her school friend who says, "1,2,3...save a tree" when they get their paper towels. Regardless, this is coming from the girl who thinks it's great to cut up paper all the time or just draw a line and throw the sheet away. I must say, after she made her comments about my paper towel use (which I never use!) she said, Where does paper come from? When I informed her it was from trees, she seemed intrigued. Maybe she'll quit being wasteful with her art.

Any whoooo.....after about 1.5 hrs. the floor cleaning was a success:
(the picture actually looks like there is a green tint, but in real life..you don't see that!) YEA for a clean floor. All this to say: if you are going to put wood floors in your entire house except the kids rooms....just go ahead and do their rooms too! It's SOO MUCH EASIER to clean! :)

Levi, Ezra and a Jumprope

The boys found a jump rope at my parents house yesterday and had a blast with it! I got to thinking, this might be a good way to keep them in one place at the pool. They'd never get very far since they both would be fighting to go in opposite directions :-)

CLICK ON PICTURE TO SEE THE VIDEO

Fingerprints..and a WHOLE LOT MORE

So, I'm sure most of you have read one of those little fingerprints poems, usually on the back of a cute little handprint of your child. You know, one that goes something like this:

Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small,
And always leave my fingerprints
On furniture and walls.
But everyday I am growing,
-I'll be grown up someday,
And all these tiny handprints
Will simply fade away.
So here's a final handprint
Just so you can recall,
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small.
I love you!

I've been thinking about that a bit lately and using it to appreciate the goings-on in my house. I think I will miss those fingerprints (so that's my excuse for never cleaning the glass that will just be dirty 10 minutes later)

I'm also reassuring myself that I am going to miss this very cluttered playroom, full of crumbs and beautiful children along with my kitchen counter full of junk (wait, I mean very educational childrens items):
my porch overtaken with toys, play equipment, and furniture piled up and shoved into the corner: sippy cups filling the dish strainer...or wait, is it called a drainer? WOAH! Mom brain, I honestly don't know!
My dining room overtaken with spelling games and art projects:
tripping over random bottles and toys in my shower:
then getting out of the shower to step on some more random piles in my bathroom:
You see, I could have never taken these pictures (all on the same day-promise!). I could have let you think I have this wonderfully tidy house with the most well-behaved children ever...but that would be a big lie. Most of all, I really have been thinking about that poem. I've been looking around my house at ALL of these things and really appreciating them. Learning to love this stage of life that my little one's and I are in. Realizing that I can't possibly keep everything in order-and that it's perfectly okay. I have 3 children to care for and teach...and couldn't ask for a better "job" or bigger responsibility. SO BLESSED!

Summer Time

We've been quite busy lately. I know, I've been terrible at keeping up with the blog! I'm going to blame part of it on the boys deciding that 5:30pm is no longer bed time! Yup, that lasted until they were 16 months old and they decided to change. BOO HOO! Now they are up till around 7pm and that extra 1.5 hrs is a BIG change for me.

Instead of a huge update, I'm just going to post a few (well, a FEW is my intention) pic's of what we've been doing:

Ez and Elliot riding in the Jeep at Mimi and Papa's house:Dress up fun! The boys LOVE when Elliot lets them in her room. They go crazy climbing on the bed and getting into her things.
Skyping with Daddy (unfortunately, we don't get to do this as much as we'd like but we sure are thankful when we do get to!)
We've also gone to this place called Fun Town. It's a skating rink, but it also has a toddler play area & bounce house that you can use for FREE. And, since it's insanely hot that has been a nice option some days. (no good pic's of that!)

We've had a couple play dates with some of my high school friends who have boys right around the same age as mine and Cheree's little girl and Elliot have the same birthday (American date)
One day they came and played at our house and yard and another we met at a Splash Pad in Cocoa Village. Both were LOTS of fun!Of course we've had some time at the beach and the Sebastian Inlet Tidepools (my new favorite place) ...and for a few more great photo's my mom snapped while we were at the Inlet the other day, check THIS OUT

Elliot has enjoyed her 1st (and 2nd) Vacation Bible Schools and had a blast. In fact, we still have the privilege of listening to the CD's everyday. (That's honestly not a complaint. VBS music has come a LONG way!) The 1st was a Saddle Ridge Ranch theme:
the 2nd was Galactic Blast. Elliot seemed to enjoy it a bit more and I think the whole theme was way cooler (Sorry, not really into the "ranch"). Plus, they incorporatde science into each lessons. It was great! (no pic)

Well...I think that kinda sums our our summer so far. I can't believe Elliot starts VPK in just 1 week (OH, that's FREE Voluntary Pre-Kindegarten for those not in FL. Kinda crazy we use our tax dollars to pay for it, but whateva.). She is still going 3 hours /day but for 5 days/week at our church preschool. I'm sure she'll love it!

Letter to Daddy

*I've been waiting over a week to post this. Had to wait for W to get his mail over in Afghanistan so I wouldn't spoil the surprise!
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I went in Elliot's room tonight and she was drawing pictures of our family. It was so precious to watch her create everyone. She even labeled everyone (and spells names without asking how)! She wanted to send them all to Daddy, so I wrote a quick note on a separate sheet of paper. I asked if she wanted to tell Daddy anything and she said "YES!" Usually, it's something very quick, but tonight it was a book! It was so sweet, I couldn't help but post it here! Everything is completely UNPROMPTED! She barely took a breath telling me what to write :-)

Part 1:
"Elliot loves you Wes. And, thanks for being my Daddy, Dad. Thanks for being my dad Wes. You're a nice dad Wes and you're pretty cool dad, Wes. I love you Daddy Wessy"
Part 2:
"Elliot. I love you Daddy! You're a nice dad, Wes. You're the best dad, Wessy Wessy Pezzy. And, I got a great Mom too, Wes. And Wes, you're a pretty cool dad, and I got a pretty cool Mom. I got a lot of great Nannies and I love my Mimi too. And, I like all the stuff you send me. And, I love my brothers and I won't be mean to them when you're gone. I'm happy all the time, Wes. And, I'll be happy all the time that you're gone. Nothing else."
*Maybe it's cause I'm her Mommy, but I just think that is precious!

Here's a few of the drawings (I just snapped the pic's with my cell, so of course they are not the greatest)

The 3 Boys:
The 5 of us:

Levi...Climbing!

As I've said before, Levi is quite a talented climber. Tonight we were at my parents and told the boys that dinner was ready. Ezra ran to his seat then Levi went to his and decided to climb in it ALL by himself! I could not believe it (well, maybe I can). He was flawless. We tried to get him to do it again after bath by bribing him with an ice cream cone. He did pretty good! Check it out:

Daddy Daughter Dance

Elliot got to go to her first dance the other week. We went out that morning to find a "fluffy dress." Thankfully Macy's was having a sale, and we were all set! She was so excited! Here's some pictures from before the dance. She was enjoying posing with her daddy, practicing her spins, and chasing a frog!




I went outside to meet them when they got home (just like any Mommy does after their daughters date, right) The very first thing she says to me is, "Another girl had on the same dress as me. And the same necklace" HAHAHA....such a girl already!! I just laughed. She really had a great time and so did her daddy. He has some great videos of her doing the Robot, but they aren't on my 'puter yet. Apparently this girl really likes to dance!

I think one of the most precious things is that she puts the dress on almost everyday. She is always dressing up in Princess dresses and listening to her music. Well, now she wears her Daddy Daughter Dance dress. She even wore it to our neighbor boys birthday the other day...and out to dinner! She keeps talking about next years dance. PRECIOUS!

Maryland

We went to Maryland to visit Wes' family at the end of May. The worst part was the plane ride up there: when before the flight even takes off I spill an entire sippy cup all over me and Ezra! GROSS! I ALWAYS have an extra outfit when we travel...except this time. What was I thinking? Overall, the kids were great. The first few nights the boys had a hard time getting to sleep in the pack-n-plays, but I guess that's part of traveling with 15 month olds. (We both forgot our cameras, so once again...these are all cell phone shots. One day I'll remember the real deal. You can click on the collages to enlarge)

We met up with The Welte's one day and swam in their front lake. (Okay, Wes and Elliot swam, I did not.) Elliot had fun playing with their little man, Sam and it was great to meet their one week old little guy, Will.We also went to The Morehouse's house (hehe) one day. (We met them the 1st time we were out in AZ...and they were still there the 2nd time we moved there). Anyways, it was great to catch up and let all the kids play. For some reasons, we neglected getting a picture of all of us big people...ugh! I also count this as the day Levi started walking! I guess he didn't want to crawl on the deck, so he started walking! It was so fantastic. Now, he's all over the place.
There's a great playground at Sandy Cove (where Wes' mom works). OH, and the kids were in their pajamas in the pic's because it was a chilly day and I neglected to pack ANY warm clothes besides their PJ's. oops
Elliot got to stay up late one night and go over to Wes' bro's house for a bonfire. It was super fun. She got to ride on the 4-wheeler and drink her very FIRST can of soda (Gingerale) She was so excited :-)
We got to have a girls day out and go to Olive Garden (El's fav) and IKEA! Elliot even went into the childcare/play area at IKEA. Kinda scary leaving her, but she had a blast! It was lots of fun walking around that enormous store :-) Elliot enjoyed playing in a bin of sheepskins. I kinda feel bad 'cause both the boys have sheepskins that they sleep on in their cribs (they even came on the trip with us), but she doesn't have one on her big bed. Maybe I need to do something about that (but big one's are quite pricey)
We also went to Jersey one day to see Wes' grandparents. His Pop is in a nursing home, so we didn't get to stay too long. All the boys wanted to do was run around and make noise, but it was good to see him. We then tried to visit with his Nana some. She is going through radiation for cancer but is such a trooper. The boys found her walker and were all over that! haha. (sorry some pic's our fuzzy!)
One more visit to Taylor and Kate's house for a family pic and some more 4-wheelin' for all the kids.
....then our 1st Class Ride home! FUN!

Bed Time

Our bed time routine generally involves going and playing in the boys room for a bit. Levi goes over to his crib and can climb up and and just hangs from it. The kid is SOO STRONG! Tonight, I put the rail down a bit and he climbed right in. Ezra tried to lift his leg and would just walk away. HAHA. He is not going to be a gymnast. :-)

15 Month Check Up

Took the boys to the doc. for their check up today. The boys got bored after about 2 minutes (and I forgot to bring any toys) so they started getting into everything. Ezra was opening the drawers and throwing the rolls of paper on the floor. Levi kept pulling the stirrup things out and then slamming them back in..until we decided to pull the step out and just encourage climbing. Seemed like a better option than listening to metal slam 100 times!
Then, Levi went over and climbed in the stroller and started eating some pretzels. Ezzy joined him for a quick snack. Actually, all he wanted to do was throw pretzels all over the floor. FUN!
They took all their measurements and got Levi a referral to a pediatric orthopedic doc to get his foot checked out. It just does some funny turning in thing and I want to make sure it is not affecting him walking. I think it doesn't walk much just because he can't run (and he can crawl super speed). When he is tired, I will catch him walking all over the place. He just stops thinking about it, slows down, and walks.

So, their stats are:

LEVI
Weight- 21 lbs (8th %ile)
Height- 30.75 in (40th %ile)
Head- 18.75 in (64th %ile)

EZRA
Weight- 24 lbs (41st %ile)
Height- 31.75 (71st %ile)
Head- 19.5 in (96th %ile)

NICE AND HEALTHY!

Ez's 1st Haircut

Ezra has his first hair cut today. Nothing sentimental and I didn't even take advantage of the photo op. I just stood him up in the front yard and snipped off his mullet!

El's 4th Birthday Party

We celebrated Elliot's 4th birthday party today. (Remember, we pick a random day since her real birthday is 3 days after Christmas). Anyways, it was a lot of fun and most importantly, exactly what she asked for (minus the absence of a few friends who had things come up last minute-hope you all feel better!)

We had a table set up so the kids could decorate bookmarks (they said "Elliot D.'s 4th birthday Party") with stickers and markers. They seemed to have fun doing it.....I tried to keep the food simple, so the menu was yummy...hotdogs. Okay, I know-that's gross. But really, they were grilled so they weren't so bad. Made some baked beans, and had chips, fruit, and potato salad. As requested, everyone decorated their own cupcakes. I like this idea because all I had to do was make plain cupcakes. That's fairly simple. It's always the decorating that bogs me down. Oh, and everyone gets what they want this way. Worked out well...good idea El! Everyone was very generous and gave her some very sweet presents. It was fun to watch her open them. I love how kids always hover around the "birthday girl" and watch/help them unwrap everything. Something annoyingly sweet about the whole thing :-)
...and what party isn't complete without a water balloon fight with your cousins?? I can't believe you guys are moving in a few days. We love you and will miss you SOO MUCH!! *For those of you who really like pic's and want proof that we and her brothers were actually at the party, feel free to browse the pic's I have HERE!

Mother's Day Tea

Elliot's class had a Mother's Day tea the other day. It was so sweet. The moms had to wait in the lobby, then the kids walked out from their room to escort us to a special room. Elliot was the 1st to walk me down. We had to stop and get our photo taken at a little area set up for Mommy/child pictures. Then we walked into a room with cute little tables all decorated. There was nice music playing, a food table set up, etc. I gotta admit, I am not really an emotion person but this got me. No, I didn't start crying or anything, but it was really special! Touched me I guess.

Each child had a special placemat they made for their Mommy. They also had a card for us. Here is Elliot with mine:
Wrapped up in a bag, they had made us a treasure/jewelry box. On the inside of it is a picture of our most precious treasure-them!
Elliot took this lovely photo of me and my loot:
This was my favorite thing...each kid made a picture of their Mommy. They were all displayed on a wall together. I started looking at them and was able to pick the one she made-first try! Looks just like something she would do. The circles around the eyes, the buttons all in a row, the smaller shirt (some kids had huge pieces of fabric for the shirt), the girly fabric, the squiggled necklace. Everything-it was all very Elliot (me too, apparently)! It is my favorite thing from that day! Love it!
On the back of my "portrait" was this list of questions. The teachers wrote exactly what she said....
Really?!?! If she could buy me anything it would be MILK?!?! I wonder if this means she wants me to wean her brothers and just give them milk? I'm still trying to figure this one out. Still adorable. Man, I love this girl.