Sleeping Baby

There is really nothing better than sleeping babies. The fact that my children go to sleep (sometimes) and look so peaceful  (sometimes) helps them stay alive. It's the universal truth of parenting. You love your kids best when they're asleep.

Apple Picking

Since David had Columbus Day off (and actually got the day off....the last few holidays he's still had to work), we headed up to Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, one of our favorite places in northern Georgia. We've gone there several times but never for their apple picking which is really what they specialize in. So many wonderful apples. 

David had to lift up the girls to reach some of the apples near the top. Unfortunately, I cut off Adelaide's head in this picture because it was so bright I couldn't see what was in the frame.

We picked Fuji and cameo apples (my favorite) and then bought several more pecks in their store.

The lake at the orchard.

We ate lunch at their deli, bought several fried apple pies and apple cider and drove home with our loot.

Here's our haul. I bought a half bushel of Granny Smith which has already been turned into 5 quarts of applesauce. I need to make some more apple butter too. We also got more Cameos, Jonah Gold, and Staycrisp Winesap. So many apples.

I love fall.

Celebricktion

Last weekend, the Cobb Galleria hosted Celebricktion. Being LEGO fans, I thought we'd enjoy a visit. It was mostly vendors selling LEGO specific toys, accessories, and sets but there was several awesome structures built out of LEGOs, some free build areas, and games. They even had some people in costume including a bunch of Star Wars characters and the Ghostbusters. The girls have been totally obsessed with Star Wars lately so they were super excited to meet Darth Vader. (Adelaide especially. She really loves Darth Vader.)  

When Darth Vader realized that we had three children, he congratulated David and told him he was very prolific.

I loved the Lady Stormtrooper.

Let's just pretend Benjamin doesn't have drool running down his chin and Zara's finger isn't blurring out half the photo. This is what happens when you give your five-year-old your phone.

All my babies. Adelaide is playing peekaboo. She did not want to uncover her eyes for the camera.

We came home and David and Benjamin took a nap together. So sweet, my little men.

Benjamin is Two Months!

Somehow Benjamin is two months old. I don't know where the time went. It sure speeds up when you've got a newborn. Benjamin is luckily a delightfully wonderful baby. He sure loves his milk (and has the chunk to prove it) but he's generally pretty easy going and allows me to put him down to get stuff done. He doesn't take consistent naps during the day (being that our comings and goings vary so much each day) but he is a great nighttime sleeper and often sleeps in long 5-7 stretches. He smiles more readily now and makes some very cute cooing noises. 

My biggest challenge, really, is trying to keep his sisters from crushing him with their constant love and attention. He generally likes the attention, but they never want to leave him alone.

Three days after his birth, Benjamin had lost quite a bit of his birth weight (8 pounds 4 ounces down from a birth weight of 8 lb. 12 oz)  and seemed to be struggling to add weight. I worried that he wasn't eating enough and weighed him nearly everyday.

I guess I shouldn't have worried so much because now Benjamin is a super chunk and weighs in the 90-95th percentile. At his one month check-up, he weighed 11 lb. 5 oz and was 22 inches long. But at his two month check-up, he weighed 13 lb. 12 oz (5 pounds since birth!) and was 24.5 inches long.

This little boy makes being a parent of three as easy as it can be, which is not very easy at all. But we love our little B.

Zara's Fifth Birthday

Zara celebrated her fifth birthday on August 31st. She's such a sweet girl who loves to sing, dance, and move. She's got a sweet and innocent heart and wants to please everyone. She's such a good big sister, always trying to help her younger siblings and her beleaguered mother. 

For her birthday dinner, Zara requested one of her favorite meals: pork katsu.

Adelaide's cranky face cracked me up.

After dinner, we moved into the living room to open gifts. I never intend to buy a lot of presents, but I never can seem to control myself.

She got several new clothes, some books, doll clothes (to go with the doll that my mother bought her for her birthday), and a dance bag.

I bought Zara and Adelaide matching dresses which they both wanted to try on right away. 

After presents, we went back to the kitchen to eat birthday cake--lemon cake with vanilla frosting. I bought these small My Little Pony characters to put on the cake. (I had originally planned to make cupcakes and use one pony on each cupcake but Zara didn't want cupcakes.) The girls have loved playing with their ponies since we cleaned them up. We like to figure who would be which pony. I think Zara is Pinkie Pie (although she claims she's Fluttershy), Adelaide is Rainbow Dash (although she could be Applejack too), David is Rarity, and I'm Twilight Sparkle. No word on who Benjamin might be.

Zara had a great birthday and is so excited to finally be five! Now let's check in with Zara and her favorites.

FAVORITE FOOD: won tons

FAVORITE ANIMAL: cat

FAVORITE CANDY: all of them

FAVORITE BOOK: The Pigeon Needs a Bath 

FAVORITE COLOR: Pink 

FAVORITE SHOW: My Little Pony

FAVORITE MOVIE: Frozen and Star Wars
FAVORITE SONG: I am Like a Star Shining Brightly, Let It Go

FAVORITE TOY: Elsa
FAVORITE THING TO DO: play with my while family
FAVORITE PLACE: the beach

Zara's Dance Recital

I'm about 5 months behind in posting these pictures from Zara's dance recital last may at the Ferst Auditorium at Georgia Tech. Zara was enrolled in Fairytale Ballet for 3-5 year olds at Rhythm Dance Center. She loved her class and her teacher, Miss Anna. Their end of the year dance was (shockingly) based on Frozen. Zara loved performing and was incredibly excited for us to come see her. 

My sister-in-law watched Adelaide so David and I could enjoy Zara's dance recital together. I bought Zara some roses for after her performance which she loved.

This year, I enrolled Zara in a jazz class because they didn't have a kindergarten ballet class and I didn't want her to repeat the same ballet class again. She loves to dance and enjoys it so much. I'm so glad we were able to find a good dance studio which a variety of classes for all ages. I think she'll want to return to ballet next year, but I did want her to experience some other forms of dance.

Student of the Month

Last week, Zara was selected as her class' Student of the Month. She got to attend a special ceremony in the library (during school hours) where she was given cookies and juice and a few little surprises like pencils.

She took home this certificate which says (on the back): "Zara is honest and trustworthy. She uses self-control. She is kind and fair to others. She is a peacemaker in our classroom and tries to always 

do the right thing."

We're very proud of this little girl.