Top 10...

material things that I could not stand to live without (in no particular order):

~Baby Einstein videos (brilliant, just brilliant)
~an excersaucer (you have to have a baby to understand)
~little books, plastic cups and watering cans (keeps LL entertained for hours)
~my computer/the world wide web/email (it's my sanity saver, it's an addiction, it's so much fun!)
~Juice Plus+ (I guess this is not really a material thing, but still...good health is priceless)
~pacifiers (silence is golden)
~a breast pump (when you need one, you REALLY need one)
~my camera (how else would I capture my memories...goodness knows my brain won't)
~play-doh/washable markers or crayons (again, hours of entertainment)
~my washer/dryer (seriously...how did they do laundry before electricity?)
~white noise (in the form of a fan or space heater... children sleep longer... so do I)

Notice I did not put my cell phone. While I think my cell phone is great to have on the go, I actually could stand to live without it. But I guess for emergency use... it is a good thing.

From my office window...

I have watched a baby robin learn to fly as his mother watched and brought him worms to snack on. I have watched a woodpecker in his brilliant red, black and white plumage, rest on the dogwood branch. I have watched a regal blue jay break off small twigs from a dead branch until she found the perfect one for her nest, and proceeded to fly off to her project. And now, I can watch from a distance, the children jump off the diving board at the pool. A room with a view is a gift from God, as He sends me little reminders that His creation is truly awesome.

Finger Lick'n Good

Kristin has been noticing food. Whenever we are eating, her gaze follows the fork or spoon going from one's plate to the mouth. While I am a pretty "natural" mom, I am really not hardcore about things having to be done on a perfect time frame. I thought I would wait to start Kristin on food until she turned 6 months. Well. She's close enough, and upon her first meal, she turned into a pro at eating from a spoon. It did not take her long at all to grasp the concept, and she wanted MORE. Apparently, she thinks rice cereal is pretty tastey (*organic* I might add... I am finding Wal-Mart is actually starting to get with the program).

Being a "seasoned" mom now, I put Kristin in the baby bath on the kitchen sink. She needed a bath anyway, and this makes for a less frustrating experience. Clean up is super easy. Kristin really did think the cereal was finger link'n good... even toe lick'n good (she sucked on her toes for a minute). I do admit, this isn't her first taste of real food. Mr. Jesse let her taste deviled egg a month ago, and I let her taste a melted chocolate chip a week ago, and last night a small bite of mashed potatoes. She really liked the chocolate, but, who wouldn't?!



Maybe some solid food will help her sleep through the night? We'll see. Last night was the first time she slept in her crib the whole night. Usually she ends up in bed with us, and she is starting to take up too much room! If I can get her to sleep through the night, I might get a 6 hour stretch of solid sleep... something I have not enjoyed since my second trimester of pregnancy back in September!

A Grandad visit

We love it when Grandad comes to visit! This time, was extra special because just by chance, my cousin Reid had a soccer tournament in Greensboro the same day. So, we had a wonderful visit with [Great] Aunt Georganne, too! I truly had an enjoyable time, and this kids all behaved despite keeping them out until 10:30 p.m.



Lauralyn is so good at being super cute.



And so is Kristin.



Soccer apparently bores Lauralyn, and makes Daddy wish he was young[er] again.

AND the pool is OPEN!!!!! Woohoo! We have only been waiting for this moment for the past 9 months. Even Kristin enjoyed her first swim in the chilly water.



Grandaddy with his two bathing beauties. Note the matching swimsuits :-)



"I got my eyes lasered and all I got was 20/20 vision and this pair of sunglasses." At least Kristin is super cute as always. So are you, Noah.



Kristin's first surfing experience, thanks to Daddy and Mr. Jason.

And here are my favorite boys... Isaac with his cool shades, and his best buddy, Elijah.

4 Years Old!!!!! Oh, and I'm 28.

On May 22nd, Isaac and I celebrated our Birthdays. Nanut and Grandfather came and visited us and much fun was had by all. Last Saturday, we ventured to the Lazy 5 Ranch, and took some friends along for the ride. Then, on the 22nd, Isaac and I had a special date in downtown Lexington, and we ate Isaac's requested John Deere/Camo cake after we had Nanut's yummy pizza for supper.












In a few words, here is Isaac at 4: loves John Deere, love anything that is camo, loves monster trucks; does not sleep much; always in motion; very athletic in his build; Mama's boy, but wants to dress and be like Daddy; protective of his sisters, but loves to annoy Lauralyn; loves to be loud, but does not like loud noises; likes to change his clothes, a lot, and has a strong opinion about what he should wear.

Look what I can do!

Did I mention that Kristin is exceptionally flexible? I don't remember ever seeing a baby keep her feet so close to her face. And she appears quite comfortable doing so.

Rome...

wasn't built in a day, and the same applies for the Haut House. We love our old home which is circa 1948. The charm and character abounds with neat built-in features and a ton of beautiful Knotty Pine throughout. There are some drawbacks to having an older home of course.

Last week, with the warm weather, we noticed a musty, stinky smell coming from the hall bath. Hmmmm. I mentioned my dislike for the smell, and also hinted, "Gee, I hope it is not a mold problem from water getting under the floor." (The vinyl floor had been poorly sealed next to the old cast iron tub... it was unattractive, but something I just learned to ignore). My lovely husband swooped in to the rescue, ready and willing to conquer said mildew problem. This shouldn't be too difficult, right? Many layers of flooring later (all really interesting choices of decor, I might add), as well as rotting plywood, Noah managed to get down to the original hardwood. His hand was completely blistered and bleeding I might add.



Then, with the help of Will (Ruthanne's friend who visited), Noah cut and layed a drop dead gorgeous tile floor. Now, there is more work to be done, because I can't have a lovely new tile floor, with a toilet seat that clashes with the floor, and a junky old sink, shower curtain rod, light fixture, etc. So, there are a few "simple" improvement to be made this coming weekend (hopefully with the help of Grandfather, who is visiting).



So, while Noah worried that he did not go buy me an official Mother's Day gift, I think a new tile floor far exceeds flowers. Thank you, Honey! (And, thank you, Will, for agreeing to hard labor during your short visit!)

The Haut House...Entertainment is Free with Visit!

Looks like the next three weeks we will have family visiting! The kids will be thrilled... they LOVE when people visit, and stay for longer than a day. Lauralyn is one who attaches herself to people for the length of their visit. She puts the word "my" in front of the name of whomever she is attached to. (i.e. when the babysitters leave from Monday night Bible study, "I need my Meghan.") Our visitors, who include Aunt Dewey and her friend Will, Nanut and Grandfather, and then Grandad... Granny will come up for when Daddy is on a business trip in early June, but of course we have had several Granny sightings of late, but we ALWAYS enjoy her drop ins (especially Mommy who takes advantage of the free babysitting).

Well, the entertainment at the Haut House abounds. First, we have Isaac, who may take a little while to "warm up," but once comfortable with his audience is quite the comedian/actor. Here are photos of his performance yesterday. I call them "Shirtless with a Stick" (in other words, a sword, which can transform into a 'shooter'.)











Our music is provided by Miss Lauralyn, who has really taken off in this area since her vocabulary had improved. Her song of choice was taught to her by Miss Shannon ("My Shannon"), and it is the cutest thing to hear her sing. The song is "Lulu" and the lyrics go like this, "Lulu, where are you going? 'Upstairs to take a bath.' Lulu, with legs like toothpicks, and a neck like a giraffe. Lulu, got in the bathtub. Lulu, pulled out the plug. Oh my goodness! Oh, my soul! There goes Lulu down the hole! Glub, glub, glub." I am REALLY going to try to get this on video. She can sing the whole song and while I may be bias, she is ADORABLE. Shirley Temple, you may have met your match!

And finally, we have Kristin, who is just simply, the cutest little, big, baby ever. I am already starting to put away the 6-9 month clothing, and just going straight to the 12 month size. She is a long girl, not yet 5 months old, and yet her feet are almost hanging over the edge of the baby carrier. Here are some photos of the rasberries I mentioned in my last entry.





Needless to say, those of you who are planning to visit... prepared to be entertained!

I found my feet!

Kristin has a few new tricks. She loves to hold onto her feet. She also will often times put the bottoms of her feet together... yes, she is quite flexible. Maybe she'll be a ballerina? Of course, she also loves to make rasberries with her tongue and lips, which I don't think the ballet will approve of. Another new trick is the ability to roll (Lauralyn and Isaac were never really into rolling over). She is the most agile of our 3 kids, it will be interesting to see how this develops as she grows. I just love seeing her personality come out more and more each day.