Baby Shower

I had the privilege of hosting a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Chrissy, this past weekend. Technically speaking, I'm not entirely sure it can be called hosting when it wasn't my house. Either way, I was able to prepare yummy food and slightly ridiculous, but entertaining, games. 

Angel food cake was on sale for 97¢ at Harris Teeter. I took advantage of this steal and made super cheap parfaits.

My sister used to make these delicious turtle pretzels that I've been craving. What money I saved on the angel food cake, I spent on the overpriced square pretzels and Rolo's. Confession: I may have eaten a few handfuls of these while taking them out of the oven.

Another party favorite to make is cinnamon-sugar tortilla chips with fruit salsa.

Other foods included chicken salad sandwiches, chips with queso, cupcakes, brownies, Cheerwine punch, mints, and veggies with dip. As always, I had more food than mouths to eat it, but I don't think any food was wasted due to family and guests taking extra food home.

The guests were all good sports at playing the games (Price is Right, art contest, and blindfolded feeding). I detest so many baby shower games like dissecting candy bar "poop" in diapers or guessing the girth of the giant pregnant belly with toilet paper. The guests could have very well thought the same thing with the entertainment I provided, but they at least laughed and smiled through it.

My mother-in-law funded the food and helped set up. I know so many women who complain about their in-laws. While I'm not completely exempt from this, I am most definitely blessed to call these two women family.

I love the genuine smiles on Jason and Chrissy's faces. I hope they felt the love and excitement we all have for their second child.

Since my siblings are finished having children and Jesse and I are unlikely to have more children, this nephew might be the last addition to either side of the family. The countdown is on. We are more than ready for some baby loving. (Of course, we're happy to wait until the due date!) 

Food and Family and Swimming, Oh My

It's a rare treat for all of Jesse's extended family to gather together at one time. (Rare, as in, I've only been with all of them a handful of times in the past decade.)  I don't know if it's because of Father's Day weekend, or Jesse's parents celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary, or just because family decided to come into town. Whatever the reason, we all joined together at Jesse's aunt's house for food and fellowship.

There's always potential for food challenges when we're eating in a social setting. Jesse and I had more than enough variety of meats, cheeses, and fruit. Everything was so good that I wasn't tempted by any poor choices. In fact, it just now occurred to me while writing this that I never had any dessert and I didn't even think of the croissants or potato chips at the time. (Obviously I didn't eat the pound cake, though I was happy to be asked to contribute it.)

We swam after dinner. The kids were beyond content in the water. Jackson confidently tested out every flotation device available, including multiple inner tubes, floaties, and a noodle. Maddie was kicking and moving her arms about joyfully. She especially enjoyed drinking pool water. Amelia was easy going floating around. James cried real tears at his first attempt in the pool. After cuddling with his PaPa for twenty minutes he had a pleasant take two. In typical James fashion, he made it his goal to splash as much water as possible.

We were even able to snap some family photos. While none were outstanding, there's at least photographic evidence that Jesse and I do exist.

Of course the best aspect of the day was being able to share in the fun with Jesse's cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, and parents. I absolutely love big families and the shared responsibility of caring for the children.

Often times when the family gets together, time is spent reminiscing on past events and stories. While there may have been memories shared, today was about creating new memories and simply enjoying the present.

It Takes a Village

We so frequently visit family, but I don't post enough pictures. We had an eventful week visiting both sides of the family. Jackson accompanied his uncle and cousin to the lake on Saturday. Jesse and I took the trio to Jesse's parents to meet up with Jackson later that evening. 

James and Amelia are unimpressed by the chickens.

Jack and his MiMi share a snack.

James, Amelia, and Maddie took turns swinging.

Most PaPa's have a spare organ in their shed, right?

Maddie gets to "ride" the lawn mower.

On Sunday we attended church and a potluck lunch afterwards. All four kids have been in the nursery since they were a month old. The church nursery volunteer staff increased to accommodate our increasing family. While Jesse and I frequently disagree over church, I take great comfort and confidence in knowing that my children will be held, read to, and loved by so many members of our congregation.

After lunch we drove just over an hour to my brother's house for a birthday party. It was apparently a swim party, though I didn't get the memo. Thankfully, my sister brought a spare suit and towel for Jack. The kids wore themselves out in the pool before pigging out on hamburgers and hotdogs.

Hesitant to go swimming??

James is ready to dive in.

Jack spent most of his pool time in his Uncle John's arms.

Michael and James

Sisters holding sisters

❤

This blanket comes in so handy! It's big, but still not big enough for all the cousins.

Bubble fun

Ethan and Amelia

My two favorite 5th graders (for a few more days, at least)

Between friends, family, and church family, we are very blessed to have a large village to help raise our kids.

Memorial Day Weekend

Most of the events of Saturday blurred together. Amelia and I unintentionally tried to starve to death by spending two hours at Urgent Care to confirm an ear infection, taking an hour to deliver a cake, and waiting for yet another hour in race traffic and getting Amelia's prescription filled at WalMart. Thankfully Jesse cleaned the house while we were gone because we were expecting company just 15 minutes after I came home.

A few former coworkers and 3 month old came over for an overdue visit. I think the kids were a bit jealous curious of this baby intruder on their Daddy's lap.

I made taco dip and chicken quesadillas. For dessert I had purchased a chocolate pie and saved some strawberry cupcakes from the cake delivery. Jesse and I were full and content from the taco dip (without chips, of course). I always thought I enjoyed baking and cooking because I get to eat it. It turns out I truly just enjoy cooking and feeding people.

I miss having these women in my daily life!

Saturday evening was slower-paced. We spent hours on the deck eating watermelon and roasting marshmallows over our fire pit.

Jackson's marshmallow roasting strategy was to either dangle a stick five feet from the fire or to place the marshmallow directly in the center of the fire. He proudly came waving his flaming marshmallow to James and I. I swear, the boy can unintentionally turn anything into a weapon.

Sunday morning the girls and I went to church while the boys worked in the yard. A tree had fallen on our fence a few weeks ago. Jesse chopped it up for more firewood.

I had invited Jesse's family over for dinner on Sunday evening. Jesse cooked a pork butt all day and collard greens. I boiled corn on the cob and stewed apples.

The weather was gorgeous. Jackson and his cousin ran around the yard, chased one another with sticks, and climbed the fence. With my sister-in-law expecting another boy, we're going to have four boys under five soon. It's a good thing we've got a big fence. ;)

We enjoyed the unofficial welcome of summer by eating more watermelon, 

and making s'mores. Jesse and I didn't eat any, of course. I still struggle with the idea that I'm refraining from grains and refined sugar because there are no health benefits, yet I'm feeding those foods to my children. Yet, there is something about roasting marshmallows over a fire and sandwiching it between chocolate and graham crackers that seems critical to childhood.

Amelia and PaPa enjoyed their s'mores, too. (Baby s'mores=graham crackers)

We're excited about meeting our new nephew in the fall.

James wasn't feeling well. I think this picture was the only time he smiled all evening.

Monday was a nice balance of lazy and productive. Jesse took James to the doctor first thing after a night of screaming. It turns out he just has a cold and is teething. We rarely took Jackson to the doctor when he was a baby, but I've become paranoid after completely missing the double ear infections a few months ago. We've taken all three babies to a separate sick visit this week. FYI, at 10.5 months old they weighed the following (with clothes):
James-19 lbs, 1 oz
Amelia-18 lbs, 13 oz
Maddie-15 lbs, 5 oz

I contemplated going to a nearby zoo park since Jesse had the day off, but Jesse wanted to stay home (surprise). I'm glad he did because I really enjoyed time to unwind after having company over. Jesse and I tackled the overwhelming task of updating the babies' wardrobe. Almost all of the bins were full of clothing that was too small or too hot. We had bins of footed pajamas and 3-6 month clothing. It took a few hours to sift through clothes and replace the bins with 12 month, summer clothing. The trio look so big now wearing clothes that actually fit.

I started and finished another book, The Bungalow by Sarah Jio, this weekend. This is the same author as The Violets of March. My problem with reading quickly is I cannot savor books. I won't sleep because I want to finish the book immediately. And even though I get completely engrossed in the book, by the following week all of the beloved characters are jumbled together and the details have faded.

Only three more weeks until school is out for the summer, aka, Jesse is home!

Mother's Day Weekend

The kids were especially silly during our regular Friday play date. I had dressed the girls in over the top girly outfits. They protested their enforced gender roles by playing in the toolbox most of the afternoon.

The boys rummaged through my sister's extensive dress up closet and put on quite a fashion show for us.

We eventually corralled everyone and headed home for a low key evening at home.

Saturday proved to be busier than usual with grocery shopping and cleaning the house. In preparations for a new diet, Jesse and I purged our kitchen and replenished it with tons of produce and meats. We went to Sam's as a family and ate a variety of samples (asparagus, cheese, mango, pineapple, baked chicken, hamburger, Snicker's ice cream bar, etc).

Saturday evening was a long awaited date night. It had been two months since Jesse and I last managed to get out of the house. My best school friend was in town with her husband and graciously volunteered to watch the kids while Jesse and I escaped the house. We didn't realize that it was graduation day for the nearby university, in addition to prom night for local high schools. We spent more time looking for a place to eat than we did actually eating. Alas, Mexican food never fails We even ended up with free fried ice cream.

I was able to catch up with friends for a few hours and have a glass of wine once the kids were in bed. I felt like an actual adult. 

Sunday morning began with the usual pancake breakfast. Jesse surprised me with this beautiful necklace.

Confession: I was upset about a slight error, but sincerely appreciated the thoughtfulness.

While it would have been nice to do nothing all day and let Jesse take care of everything, that was impossible. Feeding, changing, and clothing three babies, caring for a toddler, washing never ending piles of dishes, and preparing food for in-laws are all tasks that require two people, if not more.

Lunch was delicious. Jesse grilled veggies and pork chops. I was in charge of mac-n-cheese and dessert.

Our families keep growing, which means we need two tables to accommodate us all. The more, the merrier!

After family left, we cleaned more. I've failed to mention the fact that we haven't had a working dishwasher in over a week. The repairman came out on Thursday, only to inform us that our dishwasher needs to be replaced. We are working out the details of getting a free, used dishwasher. Until then, we all take turns washing dishes.

The only thing I wanted for Mother's Day that I didn't get was a picture with all four kids. I've decided that a picture with everyone in good moods is next to impossible. I settled for dinner on the deck, then enjoying time with the babies while Jesse gave Jackson a bath.

Just pretend like I'm ending this post with a cute picture of me holding all four kids. We're all smiling and looking affectionately at one another. Ha!

Happy Mother's Day.