March 2011

What did we do in March? Mostly we hibernated in our house from the cold (which I'm happily having a hard time remembering as I write this in mid-May). We hosted some wonderful visitors, including Sam's parents and sister Hannah; Sam's brother, Andy, and wife, Amy, and daughter, Ava; and my father and sister, Serenity. It was good times all around. It was so nice to have all the help around here as we adjusted to having 3 kids age 2 and under.....CRAZY!!!!! 

It was right after my mom left that Ben displayed his true colors as a super fussy newborn. We thought it was silent reflux at first. Our doctor prescribed zantac for him. Then the major spitting up began....not so silent. Anyway, the month of March was a very fussy month for this little dude. There were many moments where I thought "I'm not going to survive....I'm going to go crazy....what is happening?" Thank heavens for a swing though (see Ben in the background in the picture below)...how does any parent survive without one? (I am very happy to say, here in mid-May, that he has outgrown his "fussy" stage, and is becoming quite a pleasant child as he gets used to life.) 

The one thing that will nearly always make this little man happy is getting naked....and taking a bath. But even if it's just a diaper change, he is instantly happy as soon as he realizes what's going on:) Why do boys love to be naked so much? Oh well, I LOVE naked/diaper babies. They are so soft, smell so good, and are so cuddly!

Handsome daddy and handsome son....I'm so glad Sam got his boy!!! They are going to have so much fun together....can't wait to see Sam as a father to his son as he grows up...he's already so fun to watch with the girls.

He's so stinkin' cute isn't he? Would you ever guess that this little fella could be so much trouble? Man, has he got a set of lungs though....and he has exercised them well....ahhh, the joys of parenting:)

What a HUMONGOUS blessing it was having Sam's parents and sister here. They were AMAZING!!! Not only did Mark and Clair feed us every meal while they were here, but they left us with a freezer full of meals that kept us going for the week or so before our next guests arrived. And LucyMae and Samantha were in heaven with all the attention from aunt Hannah and Grandpop and Grandma Clair! Life was really wonderful for a week. Sam and I also got to enjoy a night out on our own, courtesy of Mark and Clair. Just looking at theses pictures and remembering how great it was to have them here is making me wish we lived near family again....someday....right?

Our first decent picture of our family of 5!!!! WHAT?????!!!!! Since we moved here to Rapid City 2 years ago, our family has grown from a family of 3 to a family of 5!!! Oh, how much has changed! How much we have grown....in so many ways. Sometimes I don't even remember what life used to be like....sometimes I look back with longing to what life used to be like....sometimes I am overwhelmed with how amazing life is right now....in any case, we are what we are and doing our best to enjoy all the little moments along the way:)

We also enjoyed a WONDERFUL visit from Andy & Amy & Ava-boo (as we like to call her still). Amy is simply amazing....cleaning, cooking, taking care of her sick child, having fun, taking amazing pictures, etc. We had such a great time with them while they were here....sure wish we lived closer to them! We'd have some good times:) We went to Crazy Horse for the first time.....cool, but it'll be way cooler when it is actually done. We did enjoy some fairly decent weather while they were here....as you can see....no coats:)

These sisters are really becoming best friends! It has been so fun to watch them learn to play with each other as Samantha gets older, more mobile, better at communicating. LucyMae is SUCH a sweet big-sister most of the time. And Samantha idolizes her big-sister. She imitates everything LucyMae does. AND we are discovering quite a bit of attitude and sass in this little one....she can stand up for herself when she wants to:)

Crazy husband....cool gate.

Crazy brothers.....cool gate. These brothers really love each other. Sorry to be sappy Sam and Andy...but it is fun to see how much fun they have together and how close they are. It makes me excited to see my kids as they grow up.

Here are some examples of the AMAZING pictures Amy took of our kids and family. I've never gotten such cute baby shots of my other kids....now I wish I had. THANK YOU AMY!!!!

And isn't this little girl just BEAUTIFUL????

Samantha became quite attached to uncle Andy! And both LucyMae and Samantha had a ball with their cousin, Ava She is adorable We miss you guys!

With one night of overlap, our next visitors were my dad and sister. And their timing couldn't have been better. Sam left on his first business trip the day after they arrived. Sam was gone from Thursday to Tuesday. He was supposed to get home on Monday, but had the opportunity to get bumped from a flight and get a $400 Delta voucher, so we chose that. Anyway, my dad and Serenity were here til Sunday. So, although I did survive 2 days by myself, I'm sure I wouldn't have survived 5. But, it was easy-breezy with the help of my dad an sister. My dad kept us all fed and happy. Serenity did a lot of dishes. And LucyMae and Samantha of course loved all the attention. And my dad and Serenity got to see first-hand how full my hands are with these 3 kiddos....I think Ben was at his fussiest stage while they were here:) I think they felt true sympathy for me as they left to drive home.

Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY happy to have Sam home when he finally arrived. He had a great business trip to New York, with his boss, to meet with some cardiologists about their valve. And thanks to my cousin, Talmadge, and his wife, Anita, he had a great time when not on business, and a great place to stay:) Thanks Tal and Anita!