a pat on the back- sort of

the other day stover girl asked me 'do you know who the best mommy in the whole world is?'  i suspected the question was a rhetorical one but also knew that there was a possibility she was referring to her friend's mom whom she's recently been raving about!  i proceeded to ask 'who?' and she exclaimed, 'you!'  i smiled and said, 'oh good... i try my hardest to be a good mommy.'  she then said authoritatively... 'yeah- I know that when you have a baby in your tummy you make mistakes because your brain isn’t working right.  i guess your brain must be working again!' 

(little miss pat on the back)

april 27th tribute

happy birthday to ma!



happy birthday to grandma!

happy birthday dear 'old gal'

happy birthday to you!





remembering newborn-ness

caught this gem when shooting 'our little doll'-  her expression represents all the things i'd forgotten about newborns: just how long they sleep; the medley of yawns, stretches, and facial contortions predicating a wake up; a consistent case of the hiccups; the excitement of seeing their eyes OPEN; total lack of hand coordination; etc.

three ring circus

this picture perfectly depicts the bit of spectacle we've felt this week while learning to adjust to a family of five...   i.e. stover baby being handled incessently by stover girl who is constantly cueing mom to feed and wake the baby; stover boy refusing to participate, growling at the baby, and running off in tears; stover mom attempting an assortment of unsuccessful approaches to behavioral change; and stover dad taking it all in stride... thank goodness we love fairs, carnivals and parties!

stover baby is here

some things we've learned about this precious little spirit in the past 5 days...  she has a cute loud piggy squeal (but never carries on).  she prefers to sleep with both arms out and both legs straight (and she sleeps well).  she has one funny crooked toe (that her mom will love but she'll likely loathe).  she's our only child to have a birth mark (on her knee).  she was born hungry (literally).  although she's quite content, she has little tolerance for being moved around a lot (much to her siblings dismay).  she's most soothed by whispers in her ear and a hand on her stomach.

quiet time opposites

stover girl's approach to quiet time is an all out resistance to fatigue- pushing through yawns, droopy eyes, and headaches to get her beloved crafting done.  she spends the majority of her hour meticulously crafting a variety of cut and paste projects and then follows it up with a little polly pocket time.

on the other hand, stover boy deems all quiet time activities a waste of time and instead opts for taking a nap.  as soon as the timer begins, he jumps into bed (comfortably undressed) with some favorite books and is almost always found in a doze within 10 minutes.

goodbye old friend

for the past 5 months, stover mom has been eating cheese nips almost daily with no care that this daily dosage caused awful heartburn and repulsive weight checks. 
until today...
stover mom made a conscious decision to leave her pregnancy comrades behind.  instead of purchasing 2-3 boxes of cheese nips, she instead filled the cracker jar as she used to (approximately 5 months and one day ago) - with goldfish for the kids!

clueless desert dweller

the other night stover boy woke up crying around 5 am.  mom assumed it was because of the rain storm and went in to comfort him.  his actual complaint was that he'd lost his blankie in the sheets but while there, stover mom realized she'd forgotten to shut his window.  she said- 'oh it's chilly in here- i'd better shut the window!'  stover boy responded 'yeah... i hear the popcorn.' 
...mom laughed hysterically that a child of hers doesn't immediately recognize the sound of raindrops and instead mistakes it for a snack we prepare maybe once a month!   

(a pleasantly clueless look on a cloudy day)

just waiting...

after a fantastic, tasty, and heartwarming shower, stover mom is so anxious to have her little girl! 



two Fools, Four to the Farm, and the First 100 degree day

you know the gratification a parent secretly gets when allowed to imitate and mock childish behaviors while 'playing house' ....april fools day offers the same opportunity to enjoy good natured jabs at your kids!

dad removed the toilet seat

attempting to get dressed but only finding boys' clothes



the old money stuck to the ground trick


passing by the neighborhood bovines at least 3x weekly brings repeated 'can we visit a farm?' requests.  when hearing about this nearby gem, mom hurriedly scheduled a last hoorah for our family of four! stover kids loved it and have been asking for milk (with an automatic suffix of) 'from a cow' ever since!

 
the air conditioner is running and water-themed activities have begun!