Picture Perfect

Most of the time if I want pictures done and I'm not taking them myself, I load the Team in the car and head to Sears. And overall I've been very happy with the job they've done. We've gotten very lucky sometimes and gotten somebody who wants to think out side the box and gets some really good shots. But more often than not, it's the standard poses with the same backgrounds and after 3 kids, they all start looking the same.

A mom at ballet is a budding photographer and very good if I do say so myself. So this time I decided to do something different. And it was perfect. It was so much fun - the kids laughed and played and ran around and really enjoyed themselves. She made them all feel so comfortable that by the end of our hour, the girls were climbing all over her and Jack was freely leaving my arms to go to her! We did some studio shots inside her house, but most of them were done outside in a park and I am so excited to see them. I know they'll turn out great!

See, I'm so confident in her work because she's actually has taken Jack's picture before - as a test shot outside the ballet studio. It turned out so well, it's now hanging in her studio and is on her promotional material. Not even a year old and already a model!

My Heartfelt Gratitude

I'd like to take a moment to thank my children, from the bottom of my heart, for all the little things they do to make my life just a tad bit easier.

So first - Samantha, thank you so much for using the last of the toilet paper in my bathroom this morning. And thank you for not telling me, allowing me to discover for myself when I actually had to go.

And speaking of the bathroom, Alexandra, my sweet Lu - thank you for waiting until I had your brother and sister loaded into the car this morning to inform me you had to use the bathroom. Despite the fact that we were already running late and that I had already asked you a half dozen times before we stepped foot into the garage.

Running late - that brings me to Jonathan. My baby. Thank you so much for choosing today to learn to pry the top off your sippy cup. And then proceeding to dump the entire cup of water on yourself. 30 seconds before we had to pick up Samantha from school.

Thank you to all my children for helping me out today. Because you know it's the little things. But hey, life sure would be boring without them, wouldn't it?

Monday Morning

I love Monday mornings. I know,that's odd right? But as a stay at home mom, it's my chance to regroup and get things back in order.

If you stopped by here on any given Sunday night, I probably wouldn't let you in my house. There are toys scattered all over the family room floor, dishes sit rinsed but not washed in the sink, laundry isn't done, beds may or may not be made. What you would find however is a family having fun and not worrying about the small stuff. And I wouldn't change any of that.

So I don't try anymore. I've realized that's what Mondays are for. Sure, we don't get to sleep in, but with kids I don't get to that any of the time. But the girls go off to school, Nacho goes off to work, Jack naps and I have time to put order back into my house. I don't deal well with clutter or mess and it can honestly cause me to feel overwhelmed. But with 3 small children and a husband who isn't bothered by it, I've got to figure out how to deal with it. And so I do.

So come Monday lunchtime, you'd be welcome into my house with open arms!

Moments Like This

I get asked more often than one would think how I do it all. And I never know how to answer it. I don't feel like what I'm doing is that hard. Maybe it's because each and every one of our children were planned, so we had already planned for the changes a new one would bring. Maybe it's because our children are just that easy. Maybe it's because I've found what I've always wanted to be - a mother to these beautiful children and wife to my life partner. Probably all of that combined.

But regardless of all of that, there are still days that are hard. That I question what I could have possibly been thinking. When I question my sanity in even considering the possibility of one more baby. When my children spend more time in time out then they do out of it. When the girls are fighting, the baby is crying and I have no idea what we're having for dinner even though it's 5pm.

And then that moment comes. That moment where it all falls into place and I'm reminded why I do this. Why it's all worth it. The moments that melt my heart over and over again. And it's even more amazing when it comes in a form you never expected. Which is exactly what happened last night.


When my 4 year old quietly walked up to me and whispered in my ear, asking if she could please feed the baby. And then snuggled him like there is no place she's rather be. It honestly brings tears to my eyes.

Here are some more of those moments....

A Day Late & A Dollar Short

I realized I promised to talk about what we did for Halloween, but frankly I just don't feel like it. Probably because I could barely get the kids in from trick-or-treating before being bombarded with Christmas stuff. I love Christmas, but even I find it to be a bit much. Driving home the other day, after school drop off, I saw a house with Christmas decorations on the front lawn. Seriously! And downtown is already putting it's wreaths & banners up. So anyways, Halloween is now a distant memory for me.

And now, I'll be an even more awesome blogger and do this post bullet point style. Because I aim to please.

* Halloween - fun! We took the kids to a Halloween festival at the local Baptist church. And no, we're not Baptist and I'll be honest, I was a bit nervous about that. But it was awesome. They put on a great day, complete with kids' carnival, candy apples, face painting, cake walk, hot dog dinner and the ultimate trunk-or-treat. 65 cars in 20 minutes and the kids' basket were over-runneth (like the word I just made up) with candy. We did take them trick-or-treating around here with our neighbors and my best friend and they had yet another bucket full of candy each. So my great plan to not buy chocolate to hand out has completely back fired because our neighbors buy awesome candy and I now have a houseful of Reese's cups I'm trying desperately not to eat.



Only downside to the night was when we got 4 teenage girl TOTs at 10pm AFTER our lights were off. I answered the door and let my old lady come out as I explained how rude it was of them and that we had babies asleep and didn't they realize our light was off. They all look up and say "oh". Really??

* Jack - So sweet. Just turned 11 months old yesterday, which means we're in the final countdown to his 1st birthday. I just can't believe it. He is pulling up to standing on everything and is starting to cruise. My guess is he'll walking around his birthday. He is as happy as ever!



*Lexi - loving being 4. However already counting down to when she turns 5. Has learned to spell & write her name. Really enjoying school & ballet. Sassy & testing my patience every day. But is starting to show an amazingly sweet side to her.



Sam - just started bringing home books from school to read to us. BECAUSE SHE CAN READ!! I am so proud of her. We butt heads the most, probably because our personalities are so much alike, but we also share a bond unlike any other. That isn't to say I love her more than the other two, but very, very differently. She is thriving in school...and ballet...and looking forward to whatever else I might be nice enough to sign her up for.




So that is what's going on with us. Gearing for the holidays and birthdays and anything else that might come our way.

Happy Halloween

Pictures and story about our day will come soon, I promise. But for now, here is a big shout from Team Lua!

Halloweens of Yesterday

As we get ready to celebrate Jack's first Halloween, I think it's time to take a walk down memory lane. And of course by that, I mean only as far as my first baby's first Halloween ;)



2004 celebrated Samantha's first Halloween. There was nothing more suiting to my little angel than to be angel. We went to my mom's this year, where Sam helped hand out candy to all the trick-or-treaters, which she LOVED. And knowing her Dad well, she hid all the peanut M&Ms under the skirt of her costume.





2005 brought us Halloween in the form a princess and very new, days old little pumpkin. Although, Lexi has now informed me that dressing her in pumpkin pajamas, despite the matchin hat, does NOT constitute a costume. This year we went out trick-or-treating with our friends Megan and Rick and their beautiful daughters Carly & Lydia.



2006 brought the first of what is sure to be many years of Disney Princesses. This year we had a Snow White & Cinderella. It was also the first year we did Boo at the Zoo...and we were lucky enough to be joined by our friend Karen and her daughters Elizabeth & Abigail. This also was the first year in our new house, so we went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood for the very first time.



2007 was our 2nd year doing Boo at the Zoo and materialized a Dorothy and Glinda the Good Witch (which yes, is the recycled princess costume from Sam's 2nd Halloween). By this time the girls were pros at the trick-or-treating stuff, but were still too little to make it much further than the block. Good thing our neighbors love them and always fill their buckets!



2008 was a hard Halloween for us. After attending the girls' first ever school parade, I got a phone call that my grandmother was unresponsive in the emergency room. After much debate back and forth (and MUCH understanding from the girls), Nacho and I finally decided that I needed to be with my grandmother. It was heartbreaking for me to leave the girls, but I also knew I'd never forgive myself if I missed the opporunity to say goodbye. Oh and did I mention I was 8.5 months pregnant? Nacho took the girls trick-or-treating and they seem to have had fun. And the best news, my grandmother is now fine. Well, not fine fine, but not at the point of needing to say goodbye.


So that brings us to this year.....2009.....and my baby's 1st Halloween. You'll have to check back tomorrow to see a picture of them all dressed up and to find out what we did. That is if you care. But I can promise it will be great, since I feel like I have a lot of making up to do for last year.