a memoria-ble weekend

omi visited and although it was a low-key weekend, we felt treated.  treated to plenty of sleep and a chance to take a date (don't judge me when i reveal that we'd been waiting to see fast five). treated to a fun stop at toys r us (where we discovered that dad has better hula hoop skills than mom).  and treated to lots of time with our hands free (free of headaches as well!)

oh yeah... the kids were treated too!

mr roboto turns 3

stover boy began his birthday with presents at 6:45 am. 

woke up the neighbors at 7:15!

(his favorite present: a bikehorn from grandma and grandpa)

celebrated with friends (and robots) all morning

(picking up robot parts with robot arms)

   

(an unknown party-goer was kind enough to include the baby)

devoured cupcakes and icecream for lunch

(he absolutely loved the happy birthday song)

and ended the day with a special late night show!

reaching homeostasis

yesterday (at the end of a day that allowed mom to play and talk a good amount), stover girl insightfully said 'i feel so happy right now like i'm at grandma's house'... perhaps we're getting close to a steady state again!?

a new old tradition

we started watching america's funniest home videos on sunday nights together- just like my family did as a kid.  we all really enjoy it- even if bob saget isn't around anymore!

benjamin button baby

stover baby is officially one month old and officially balding!



frilly, fancy girl revised

much better right?

(exhausted after her first full day at church)

... thanks megan!

'firefighter guy'

doesn't every little boy long to be a firefighting hero?

(saving the tangled princess)

sisters

i could go on and on about how much stover girl loves this little baby but the most concrete evidence i can give is that this love surpasses her love for her precious tv time!  stover girl often leaves her show to dote on the baby and ALWAYS leaves her show to calm the crying baby.  considering she completely ignores the doorbell 10 feet away if the tv is on and considering the incident in which i found her intently watching dora while her little brother screamed with his head stuck in a cubby right below the tv -- this is certainly evidence of sister love! 

a frilly, fancy girl?

i've never been a frilly, fancy girl.  it's not that i don't want to- i would love to be a black pants-clad lady but i just have always gravitated towards an american eagle type look.  no matter how much makeup i try, what jewelry i wear or how many items i own from j.crew- i feel out of my element in frilly, fancy stuff.  stover girl has mostly followed suit.  because she was our first, i took a more practical approach giving her lots of gender neutral gear, refraining from extra accessories, and never fussing over her bald head.

this time around, i'm determined to do a bit more frilling and fancying.  i've been waiting for a bow to fit around stover baby's tiny little head and the day has finally come! 

...the instant i put this on, i couldn't help but think she looks a little silly!  i am committed to trying cause i think all girls in bows are adorable but it has me wondering if she's destined to have the same look as the other two ladies of the house.

first smile

'Little girls... are born with a bit of angelshine about them.'
- Alan Beck

what a treat

every year mother's day is NICE but this year mother's day was SPECIAL!  at a time of overwhelming insecurities about my capabilities as a mother of 3, i was treated to feeling that just maybe i'm doing okay!

thank you hubby for roses, allowing me numerous naps, and sacrificing your saturday afternoon (and pretending it was easy) so i could shop carefree!

thank you stover girl for a million notes calling me her 'lovey', for practicing mother i love you over and over so it was sung perfectly in sacrament meeting, and for yelling 'happy mother's day' the instant i awoke.

thank you stover boy for fully completing a coloring page for me and surprising me with a kiss on the lips!

and thank you stover baby for sitting so quietly through sacrament meeting- even though that hasn't been your recent standard of conduct.



thank you swedish-maker

bjorn [byorn]
-noun

1. swedish for bear
2. a baby carrier whose english translation must mean, seems to mean, does mean freedom!

puzzled love

feeling a bit displaced, stover girl has been screaming for attention lately.  usually her screams sound like pressured speech and incessant questions about everything under the sun!  however, today, her tender heart requested a love note.  so stover parents spent a few minutes putting together a love note puzzle she could wake up to.  she loved it with a specific request for ANOTHER the next morning.

*of note- we also did a puzzle for stover boy's door.  we tried catering it to his tastes- nothing mushy but instead a funny face that he had to unscramble.  he responded with a literal growl and walked away.

pee and poop

these days, life on stover street revolves around a meticulous accounting of bowel functions...

stover baby's got a nasty case of constipation.  yesterday, her uncomfortability prevented sleep for a period of 8 hours!  and the other night, she was up all night (as were her co-sleeping parents) grunting rather than sleeping.  prune juice has been initiated but we're still keeping a watchful eye on those diapers!  

not to be forgotten... stover boy has joined in on the fun.  he's been wetting his pants when sent to time out (and at other times too) keeping a busy mother busier!