Christmas 2011

Vacation...Destination Park City!

We spent last week in Park City with family...and it was ALOT of fun!

Cousins

and more cousins

Evie handled the drive superbly...in fact this is what she did the whole time in the car!

This is a photo of the twins and what they wore on the ride home...I think this is a gas station in Wyoming or western NE...love the boots, shorts and tanktops!

It was a great week...full of swimming, snow tubing, shopping, hanging out and just relaxing!

New wheels

Evie got her first set of wheels this weekend...a Jeep! So we took it for a spin at the zoo. It was such amazing weather that we just had to take advantage of it!

The twins took turns pushing their little sister around and Pucca loved getting her picture taken! Our animal lover Kwynnie desperately wanted to share her popcorn with the primate - dang glass partition anyway!

Loved the falling leaves and crisp autumn weather! Also loved that the twins weren't too old to feed the goats!

I have no idea who this child is- but the structure is our next project at Davey! We agreed that it would be the perfect 'fort' for the kids!

We also strolled over to Sunken Gardens, which are still BEAUTIFUL! There was a wedding going on so we didn't stay long- but WOW! We will definitely be taking some family photos there again!

I've taken Evie for a few walks around the neighborhood and she loves it! I pull down the canopy so she can look up at the sky and trees...she just stares in awe! Wish I could know what she was thinking! :)

Is that what I think it is?

Does that look orange to you!?

I think I see a carrot top emerging...or maybe she's just being festive for Halloween!

Over the river and through the woods...

...to grandmother's house we go!

We ran back to GI town and Hastings to see the grandmas. Our children are extremely lucky to have two grandmas, two great-grandmas and one great great grandma! That's 5 lovely ladies...perfect examples of love, kindness, strength, humor and goodness for our girls to look up to and to be genetically connected too. Like I said- super LUCKY!

Here are some photos from our latest gma run:

p.s. Now I'm not saying that the men in our lives aren't special and wonderful too- because they are! I simply adore my father-in-law and think he's the best grandfather in world to his grandkids! And my grandma's husband has many special qualities too...hard work ethic, a no nonsense type of mentality and an awesome great-grandpa to the girls! We love our grandpas!!!!!

GO BIG RED!

Evie needed something Husker-esque for the game yesterday. She has two NU onsies but nothing really girly. SO the girls and I decided to make her a Husker tutu.

I forsee a future of many tutus...in many colors! Too sweet!

love

Hard to believe its almost been 4 weeks since this little wonder entered our lives! She's a doll and loved by many!

Especially her big sisters- they have been super great helpers! All of them have really taken to her and help me out when I'm trying to do other 'mom' stuff. They hold her, snuggle her, 'shhh' her back to sleep and have even changed a diaper or two. We are really lucky to have such great kids!

Adding a baby to the mix can be tricky- but the family seems to be adjusting well. Its crazy how everyone can just readjust and fall back into a routine (all be it slightly changed).

Crossing my fingers and knocking on wood that this transition continues to be easy peasy and fun!

my feets

My poor poor footsies went from this during my pregnancy

to this after my c-section

and are now back to this!

It was so bad that my crocs barely fit and would leave little diamond bubbles of raised skin from where my chub was squeezing out of the tops of them once I took them off. THEY WERE SO GROSS!

I think I seriously freaked out some family members last week at Evie's blessing when I squeezed my elephant chubs into dress shoes. I was actually told to take my shoes off while at church...by several people! Owell- my pretty skinny feet are back! I'm going to enjoy every day of sandal and pedicure weather- up until I have to tuck these beauties away for winter! :)

Evlynn's birth story

Evlynn was scheduled...a c-section due to her estimated size and my previous difficulties birthing large children. An ultra-sound performed a week prior, estimated her size to be about 9lbs 2oz...with a variant of 12 ounces either way. So she could be anywhere between 8.6 and 9.14. My dr was quite certain she would be on the lighter side due to her bone length. After considering everything...I decided a c-section would be best for the baby and me.

August 29th- be to the birthing center by 5:30am

That was one of the longest weeks and shortest weeks I've ever experienced. LONG because I couldn't wait to meet her! 40 weeks is LONG freaking time! And SHORT because I was scared to death of surgery and recovery. I kept myself busy that week prepping the house and making sure the house was stocked with groceries, lists of 'family' that would be helping with the kids and those bringing meals. Every night that week I would think to myself- this is the last Tuesday we'll be a family of 5...this is the last Wednesday we'll only have 3 children...this is the last Saturday I'll be able to nap whenever I want.

Early Monday morning (8/29) after a less than perfect night's sleep (anxiety and nerves...and having to pee every hour!) John and I kissed our sleeping beauties goodbye, gave them hugs and headed off to the hospital. My mom stayed with us and was bringing them up after awhile.

John- he kept my spirits light. Made me laugh and for the most part put me at ease. The prep lasted about an hour...probably would have been shorter except they couldn't get my iv in- OUCH! After three tries- it finally went. John had to change into surgical scrubs...he modeled them very well! Loved the booties and mask too...but the hat was the BEST! I sure do love that man!

Then they took me back to the surgical room. It was only about 50 feet down the hallway but my knees went weak and I tripped. I could feel myself starting to breathe fast. The nurses were sweet and kept reassuring me. I asked for my husband- they said he would be there as soon as the meds were in and I was numb. I started to cry. I said a quick prayer "Please, God!"

Then the doors to the operating room opened and my panic eased a bit. The room had a bank of windows spanning an entire wall. The sun was coming up and the light was beautiful and calming. The room was white and tiled with cool green...not sterile and scary as I was expecting.

The nurses were patient and kind. They helped me through the spinal block and talked me through everything was going to happen. They helped me lay down and the dreaded sheet was put in place. The sheet that they put up to keep the surgical field sterile and to keep me from seeing too much. I'm extremely claustrophobic and began to panic. One nurse quickly went to get John to help calm me.

The actual c-section was so surreal. You can feel but you can't. I think it probably helped that I was more concerned about that darn sheet being in my face. I kept pulling at it, crying because I was scared and freaking out and thinking this can't even be real! Finally, my dr said there was going to be alot of pressure because the baby didn't want to come out- so she was going to have to force her. She asked for a foot stool so that she could position herself up on my upper abdomen and push down on the baby to force her out through the incision.

Just when I thought I was going to pass out from all the anxiety, pressure and just the whole situation...I heard her cry. And everything seemed to stop.

John popped up and took a quick pic. Then one of the nurses brought her to the side so I could see her...she was a big chub ball! I mean HUGE! Her face was smooshed- her nose off to one side and her lips all squishy. Poor thing was cramped to say the least. All I could do was cry and I might have uttered something like "wow- she's fat!" I blame that 'loving motherly statement' on the meds.

All 9lbs and 14 ounces of her were completely healthy! All 20 fingers and 20 toes were accounted for! John was able to cut the cord and held her next to me as they stitched me up.

I am so thankful that John was there with me. I know I didn't converse much with him during the surgery- even though both him and the anesthesiologist were asking me questions to keep my mind off the sheet. But he held my hand and kept telling me he loved me. Which helped me the most. It must have been hard for him to sit there and not be able to do anything to help...and I appreciate that he went through that for me. And that he didn't pass out with all the blood and needles...that was really great too! :)

Recovery has been brutal...at least for me. I am a wuss when it comes to pain. And even though I've recovered quicker than expected...it was still horrible! For the last 7 years I've been telling John that our family isn't complete- that I've felt like someone was missing. Our family is complete now. We are all so happy to have Evie in our lives- its been along time waiting!

Mr. Man turns 4!

Our nephew on John's side turned 4 this weekend- and it was a family affair!

Of course there was singing and cake!

And gifts galore!

Fishing at the lake with the cousins.

We caught a rope, a stick, a tree and two itty bitty fishies.

Never the less, Mr. Man was happy- and that's what counts!

Happy Birthday!

First Day 2011

WOW! Another school year has begun! We officially have two 8th graders and a 3rd grader! Kind of NUT-SO!

The twins are super excited about being top dogs of the middle school! They know the layout, classrooms and have all the procedures down- so not many nerves at all! They are taking some accelerated classes (called 'diff' classes) which are considered 'high school' level- but they seem to be taking it in stride.

Pucca is back in her school- a new school...kind of. It was completely gutted and renovated last year so its basically a brand new building. Lucky for her - her classroom is right across the hall from the door she enters. She's starting her first year of 'diff' classes.

Back to school shopping wasn't well executed this summer. I managed to get all the supplies, new shoes, manicures and haircuts...but definitely slacked in the clothing department.

I told them I'd take them this fall and make it up to them...just too much for this mama...three girls in three different areas of each store at the mall...I didn't last long! So only a few new outfits. Each girls picked out their own 'first day' ensemble!

Here are the first day photos:

Twins...check out the necklaces! They ordered these from an Etsy shop with their own money- they are CUTE!

Pucca- she wanted to be 'casual- not too fussy!' ...those were her exact words!

She calls her new shoes 'twinkle toes' because there are sequins all over the toe area. Very Pucca-esk!

What's in a name?

Naming a child is always a big deal. It will be your child's moniker for their lifetime and a permanent branch of the family tree. Will it be conventional? Trendy? Unisex? Picked for a special meaning? Picked solely because you liked it? Was it the result of a family vote? A name you've imagined naming your child since you were once one yourself? Is it a family name? OR was it randomly picked out of a 'Baby Names' book on 125th page fifth from the bottom because you were tired of looking through names?

Lucky for us- naming our children has come pretty easy. We've picked names that reflect our culture and family. The twins both have Irish first names and their middle names are after women on my side of the family.

Pucca was named for the living matriarchs on both John's and my sides of the family. Which would be my great grandma and John's grandma.

This baby is named after women on John's family tree.

Evlynn Cecilia

We will most likely call her Evie for short or as a nickname while she is young. Evlynn is such a grown up name for such a little thing. Evlynn is pronounced like 'EVAN' but with the added 'L'.

Evlynn is Gaelic in origin. A great great great grandma of John's (although its spelled Evelyne- we had to keep the 'ynn' thing going! ). It also means 'the longed for child' which after all we've been through, seems to fit perfectly!

And Cecilia for a Kelly matriarch that encouraged her son to leave Ireland for America. With out which would have made it extremely difficult for me to meet and marry my bestfriend a 120 years later!

So now the secret is out. I initially didn't want to tell the name, but people kept asking and quite frankly wore me out. The girls played a part in helping pick the name as well, which makes it even more special.

Can't wait to meet you, sweet pea!

Nursery for baby E

YAY! The nursery is ready for baby #4 !

Here's a picture of the mobile that the twins helped me with. Believe it or not the hardest part was figuring out how to hang strings with multiple cranes. We even GOOGLED it for goodness sakes. In the end we came up with our own plan...involving color matching buttons. Worked pretty darn good!

I made the curtains, the bedding, dust ruffle and baby blankets. I still have a few more blankets to make. If not for this little one- maybe as gifts for someone else's. I ordered all the fabric online for less than $100 and have a ton left over. That's pretty good considering the crib bedding sets we were looking at were like $150! Nuts-so! Oh and the yellow crocheted blanket hanging on the crib is from John's grandma...it was one of the twins's but they graciously offered to let the baby use it.

The twins made artwork for Pucca's room when she was baby and now all three were able to make some for this baby. Kwynnie made the zebra, Kynna did polka dots and Pucca went with fish. I think she's hoping this sister will like to fish more than her older ones! :)

The graffiti art that's framed says "We 'heart' you"...I already mentioned it here. We painted numbers on the drawers- deciding to spell out number four just for her. Kwynnie picked out the yellow piggy bank. As family project we painted the dresser- the girls picked the color and we changed out the knobs to a simple pewter. THIS dresser has had many lives! The white shoes are leather booties from an antique store. They were still in their box from the 1950s. You can bet she will be wearing them- they are so cool! I'm very into the classic vintage style!

And the bag on the floor is her overnight bag. Nice size and has a bunch of pockets going around the outside of it for all her little baby gear. A great purchase from 31.

And if you look really close at the bottom right you can see the tip of the sheep skin rug. We found the perfect rug but it was too small. So we bought two and whip stitched them together. You can't even tell! And we now have the perfect rug!

I wanted a tree mural for the blank wall we had. I decided on the one in the picture...its a small tree blowing in the wind. Small and petite for baby...and blowing to represent fall and change. I wish it was a bit bigger...but it really looks sweet!

I have a few blankets and pillows to work on still- but not vital to the room. The pillows would go on the window bench. Speaking of which...that bench is there kind of by mistake. Or just laziness. We are actually putting a bench style toy box there. I just haven't painted it yet, she won't need it for a while. And I'm too lazy to move the existing bench- plus I'm not even sure where we'd put it...so basically procrastinating and ignoring all that at this point!

All in all...its pretty much how we envisioned it to be. The girls love it and had a fun time contributing! And I'm glad its done!

Happy Birthday, twinners!

Our twinnies turned 13 yesterday! Holy cow! TEENAGERS!!!!!!! TIMES TWO!!!!!!!

We picked up some of the twins' friends and headed to the salon. Manicures and pedicures all around! And then we went to lunch. It was fun, low key and easy on mama! Which is good because this HUMIDITY is crazy terrible! YUCK!

Love you McKynna and Kwynn!

photos

We have this amazing rain garden...planted years before we bought the property. So the girlies and I decided to head out first thing this morning and take some photos. Nothing professional - just for fun and something to do!

Here's a few...

The twins

I had hoped to catch them 'casually' but Kynna snuck in a cheesy smile!

Kynna

Pucca

Having fun with an oversized frame I bought years ago on clearance...worked well for a photo prop!

Ems even got in on the action!

proof that they do LOVE eachother!

Weirdest thing!

Pucca LOVES to ride her bike...up and down the street she goes! Even when its 98 degrees outside with 80% humidity- she's out there...just pedaling along.

Well, the other night she was riding her bike and she wiped out. By happen stance, John was walking out to the mailbox and saw her sprawled out on the street just between our house and the neighbor's. When he got to her, he noticed she was wearing flip-flops - which when riding a bike, is a NO NO in our house. It never ends well!

John realigned her handle bars and walked her bike home and she limped back to the house. When she came in she wasn't crying- in fact she looked upset more than in pain. I asked what happened, where the injuries were and what hurt.

Her wrists were sore from bracing herself during the fall and her knee was scratched. Oh and her toe was bleeding. I looked down at her toe and nearly threw up! It looked like a little bomb had exploded on the side of her big toe. Skin was shredded and mangled.

I had her hurry into the bathroom and I grabbed our first aid supplies. I started to rinse it with some water- so I could see what I was dealing with. I expected her to jump off the counter- butNOPE she just sat there looking at it and watching me. I continued to pull back shredded tissue and cleaned it the best I could. Still she just sat there...calm as could be. Peroxide...sat there and watched the bubbles. Neosporin...no reaction. Wrapped it in bandaids....she hopped off the counter and was out riding her bike the next morning.

Very strange...because she is our DRAMA QUEEN!

Then John and I realized that it was her right foot and the injury was on the outside part of her big toe. When Pucca had her nerve grafting when she was 3 months old for her Erb's palsey- they took the nerve that runs on the outside of her right foot that runs along the pinky toe and the nerve the runs along the inside of her right foot that runs along her big toe. We were told that by doing this graft she would no longer have sensation along those parts of her foot. Which isn't a big deal so we never really gave it any thought...until now. And boy did she luck out!

Because it was nasty and would have hurt like HOLY HECK!

(this is day two after she peeled of the mangled flesh that was hanging)

Weird, huh!?

Family Fourth of July FUN!

Well, actually it was the SECOND of July fun...we had John's parents and his brother's family over for dinner and fireworks!

And of course a water fight!

Here's a pic of our nephew with his ear protection. He wore them the whole night...I think it was more for the comforting factor rather than function. For most of the night they rested around his chubby cheeks...so cute!

John and Uncle Luke helped the children light the fireworks.

And of course there's always the running away!

We had a great display going...

until a sill artillery shell decided to misfire in our direction and explode sparks all over us. I mean singed clothes and everything! It was crazy scary- but we're all good! Needless to say...that was the end of the fireworks that night! :)

On the third and fourth our neighborhood sounded like a war zone- no kidding! A couple of time our house shook and the sky was lit up so much that it didn't seem like night. There were spectacular displays in every direction as well as what neighbors were lighting off. It was quite the experience!

I love the fourth of July...the whole weekend! The feel of it, being with family, bbq and relaxation! Just love it! And this year added to my love of it!