Between Pumpkin Patch Visits

Boy what a difference a year makes!

See that little cutie with the crazy, dark, beautiful hair lounging in her sister's lap? She was only an inch one year ago-- now she's well over 2 feet.

Biggest of the big sisters still enjoys holding the baby. I swear this gal is going to be an early-childhood educator or maybe a NICU nurse.

Brownie has shorter hair now--funny thing is now that she doesn't have much hair, she loves to adorn what she does have with bows and ponytails.

And the tiny terminator, or Bug as I refer to her on here, is still silly and entertaining. So much so that she can hardly wait the two seconds it takes for me to snap a picture before she's off looking in another direction!

Here are the girlies sporting their Halloween-wear last October

And here they are again, this year. I'm still shocked that so much can change between two pumpkin patch visits.

And though the weather was a bit chily this time, my little pumkins were still silly enough to pose for some goofy pictures.

but she was a tad grouchy looking in her pictures

She wasn't though. Here's a happy brownie riding in a train-car.

Peach also enjoyed her train riding experience.

But she still looks slightly unsure about all the hay.

And last year she wasn't so sure about the corn she was sitting in.

But she still looks really cute in her pretty bows!

I wonder what will happen between now and our next pumpkin patch visit?????

Oops, I Did It Again!

Thanks for the title, Brit.

I totally messed up again by not posting a special little something for my little birthday girl.

My beautiful Brownie turned 3 last Friday-- the same day that I happened to be in the hospital assisting my sis-in-law while she was in labor-- by the way, I got to see my nephew come into this world and that was a wonderful experience.

Anyway, my Brownie has changed a lot during the last three years. She started out a rather hefty-sized newborn at nearly 9 lbs! She had a smooth transition from my belly into the world where she was greeted by lots of happy family! Her dark hair and eyes captured me instantly, as well as everybody else!

These days, her eyes are still full of magic and are a so bright and deep. Her soul reaches right out of those eyes and grabs hold of anybody in the room. She's goofy, silly, stubborn, hard-headed, strong-willed, bright, a daddy's girl, an every-once-in-a-while mama's girl (mostly if I'm about to leave the house without her), and an imaginative, friendly, little helper girl! From day one, she stole my heart and made it hers (at least one of my four mommy hearts- the other three belong to the other three girls).

Captivating? Oh yeah!

Learning to be a helper and not a whiner? Mmm hmmm!

Silly-heart? When she wants to be!

A snuggle bug? Not really, but sometimes when she's hurt or sick, or maybe around grandmas or aunts. Do I wish she'd cuddle more with me-- HECK YEAH!

A purse and baby doll hoarder? Yes, but don't tell her sisters-- I think they're missing a few of these items!

Oh, and did I mention...

she's got a mind and heart of her own!

Brownie, you are a sweet little spirit who keeps this house alive and kicking! I can't believe you are three and enjoying the heck out of preschool. You have such a tender side-- always showing others you care. My love for you started that day I saw those two lines-- and, my darling girl, that love will never, ever end.

even if you do put those stinky footies in your mouth!

Thanks for sharing your heart, smiles and thoughts with me. You embody everything I ever expected my daughter to be. I have dreams for you to find your place in life, to be a happy and productive adult, and to love your friends and family like only you can.

Many blessings for my happy-heart girl!

Love always,

Mama

YIKES!

I'll say it again...

YIKES!

I missed the post I wanted to share with you all on M&M's 5 month birthday. It seems as if I just wrote her 4 month post--ridiculous, I know!

So M&M, as you end your 5th month and begin your sixth month of life on the outside here are some facts we know:



-Oh my, do you smile and giggle. We love your belly laughs.

-You like to have your cheeks munched on.

-I've (sadly) packed away every piece of clothing smaller than 3-6 months. You wear some 6-9 months as well.

-(Daddy claims) you like to watch football-- something to do with the jerseys (no, I don't think he's full of hopeful wishing)!




-Peach in your face--it can't get more entertaining than that!

-You've grabbed toys out of people's hands and off of the bar with your play mat. They go directly into your mouth!

-Feet! Feet! Feet! --you are discovering these loverly toys!

-You still nurse about every 2-3 hours during the day!

-Still sleeping well at night-- about 7:30 until about 5 am! Thank you!!!

-Unfortunately, naps aren't that steady or scheduled since you spend a significant portion of most mornings in your car seat traveling from play date to preschool to park to MOPS to meetings. I'm sorry!!!

-You love to make silly noises-- you babble lots and da-da-da is one you've definitely mastered.

-You've yet to be sick!! You survived the round of head-colds and stomach virus that affected the rest of us.

-People, mostly strangers, still comment about your hair and big eyes. Yes, you are quite beautiful (I don't care if I'm biased)!

-If I had the heart, I'd be cutting your bangs. They hang well below your line of vision.

-After going on Zantac at 4 months for GERD, you gained a whole pound in 2 1/2 weeks. You must weigh about 13 1/2 pounds now.

Thank you, my sweet (fast growing), lovely, perfect little girl. You are seriously a wonderful addition to our family. Everyone just adores you- and there's just a scosh of jealousy (not naming anyone, Bug). You are the most kissed-on baby I've ever seen. I'm so happy to have my four great girls, but more importantly, I'm so blessed to know that my four girls have each other for life. What a blessing you are to us all. I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!!!

Love,

Mama

No Ordinary Life-- well maybe it is

Well, I was doing good with posting for a while and then everything hit at once-- life started again. Our new normal routine is in full swing.

Since posting last, my darling Brownie started her first day of school. Yes, I'm scared about how too cool for school she looks in this picture!



Peach also started school--her second year!



You all know Peach turned four at the beginning of this month, but what I haven't told you is that we took her on a special date with mom and dad. We dined at Stix for lunch and Peach fell in love. She's always loved the hibachi style of cooking, but this place was just too cool!

We then headed off to a children's museum where she shopped...

watched golf balls swirl around ...

and shoot out of containers...

played in sand...

and gave birth to four babies at once!

and then gave them a check-up of course!

But like I said above, life, routine, whatever you call it, rolled around again. MOPS started back up (thank goodness). I've worked a couple of days and there are a few more to come soon. I'm starting a new job through an on-line college as an assistant teacher-- still not quite sure what all this entails. Halloween/Fall decorations are up. Clothes for all four darlings have been switched out to the new season (do all moms despise this chore as much as I do-- I'm sure they do, right?) or size! A new nephew will make his debut soon and I've been planning some fun things for him, and his mama of course! But much is still the same around here...

... with the regular 8-12 loads of laundry per week still being washed, dried, sorted, folded, but rarely put away. The tiny hand prints still cover many of my glass surfaces. And my basement is still {usually} a mess!

Much has changed, but much of the change was expected, so in a way it doesn't feel as if much has changed. Make sense?

If you peeked into my house right now, you see one sleeping baby in her bassinet, two siblings coloring at the kitchen table and the little Bug up to no good (as usual). You'd also see about 8 tubs of clothes that need to be taken to the basement closet, but your eyes would skip over those and look directly at our light-up Mickey Mouse pumpkin. Yes, there is a basket full of laundry sitting next to our love seat and a book titled Nurture Shock sitting at my feet. A vacuum cleaner is waiting to be plugged in and my sweet babes are waiting to make cranberry pumpkin cookies. Look out, I'm told they're delicious.

So, I'm off to control the madness, the mayhem, the chaos, the loveliness that is my life. But as ordinary as my days may be now that fall is on my doorstep, they never truly are anything but extraordinary.

Birthday Girl

My now 4 year old when she was a mere 12 hours old. Take a peek at her hair-- it'll explain her nickname mentioned below!

Well, not only do I now have a 4 MONTH old, I now also have a 4 YEAR old. Miss Peach is no longer three-- she is this many--picture a little girl holding up four fingers.

Although, I feel she should still be this many-- I think she's 2 weeks in this picture. Isn't she so cute? This little girl was such a good baby-- slept through the night at 8 wks (would've done it earlier if I didn't have to wake her up to eat), never fussed much, smiled and cooed with the cutest little face! Oh, I cherish those days when it was just the three of us. Not that I don't love my life now, but life then just seemed so un-chaotic. So easy-going. But I was also living in a constant state of euphoria-- I couldn't help it, I was totally in love with this sweet thing-and I still am!

We had a full busy day yesterday, with special meals, presents and cake of course! Here's my sweet Peach in her classic photo pose with her eyes half open (or closed-- depends on how you see it)! Of course Brownie had to be in every part of it. They are often treated like twins (being exactly 13 months apart, I get asked at least once per outing if they are twins); they were the first two of the children to be treated like twins-- although, I think Bug is starting to put her two cents in though, because she's demanding it be considered triplet status around here. Anyway, here's the twins blowing out candles on Peach's cake.

Ohhhh, Mama, I can't wait for the cake!!!! By the way, this cake frosting is so super delicious! Do you like fudge? Thought so! Well, then you need to make this frosting!

I love my new jammies! They're so pretty!

Look, there's monkeys on there! This is exciting because her other nickname is Monkey (due to her spiky orange-tinted hair at birth--see picture at top of page).

What more could a girl want than a special birthday sundae and a nice group of servers to sing a song!

Happy Birthday to my gorgeous, nurturing, sweet, kind, responsible, loving, good-doer, smiley, fantastic, first-born babe. I'm so in love with you, and I have been since I first knew you! You melt my heart at least once a day-- I can't thank you enough for all that you've taught me. I hope you get to experience all the blessings in life-- especially that of being a mommy. It is the most precious blessing! I love you,

-MAMA XO XO XO XO XO

My Little Girl Witout Little Curls

I know a little girl,

who's got no little curl,

but she's...

4 months old

almost rolling over from front to back,

wearing sz 2 or 3 diapers,

tipping the scales, weighing 11# 12 oz (but I think their scale is off),

got the yummiest cheeks,

wearing some 0-3 clothing, but mostly 3-6 months,

rockin' her entertainer while lovin' on her sissies,

got just a few spots where her hair is not quite as thick,

quite the talker-- she is a Copeland,

wearing her bangs in her eyes (because, seriously I can't cut my 4 MONTH OLD'S bangs),

rockin' some pretty cute hair accessories,

giving hints at her awesome giggle-- it's jut not quite full-blown,

loving tummy-time a bit more (but still wants to roll over to her back),

sleeping from 7:45pm 'til about 5am (though some nights it's more like 3 or 4) when she wakens to eat,

napping when the house is quiet-- so occassionally if much at all!,

loving her rotating bugs that hang above her swing,

enjoying her reflection,

a total joy to spend my days (and nights) with.

She really is a sweet little girl-- even though she's without the curls-- and I just can't get enough of her smiles, coos, jibber jabber, little giggles, long stares, teensy (sz 1) feet, dipmled elbows, or long lashes!

Thank you, M&M for the sweet blessing you are. I'm so incredibly honored and proud to be your mama!! Let's see where month 5 leads us--I'm sure it'll be an adventure!

Love, Mama

Tattoos and Babies

Disclaimer: The following post is about tattoos. I used to love drawing on myself when I was a child and I have been known to do it as a full-blown grown up. For most of my life I have composed my to-do lists on my left hand. I have drawn on my own children (because we were out of paper, just kidding), telling them that I was giving them a tattoo. I see no harm in this. And for those of you who think that growing up to get real tattoos is crazy/dangerous/stupid/etc... I have yet to go out and get a real tattoo. So, please don't think that just because I encourage/allow self-expression by drawing art on hands and feet, legs and arms, that I am going to end up with crazy tattooed teenagers. Even so, I really have no beef with the art as long as it's done safely. If I end up with tattooed adult children someday-- well, then that was their choice and I'm fine with it! So let's see just how crazy today got!

What you didn't hear or see heard and saw at my house today:

Me to Peach: Sure, go ahead and give yourself a tattoo. Mommy'll help you draw that flower in just a minute.

Brownie to M&M: Oh you need a tattoo, too. It's otay, I tan (can) draw it.


Me trying to hide my laughter when I saw what Peach had done: Tee-hee-hee, that looks beautiful, honey.
Peach to me: Thanks, mama!

Aging

Aging is a process-- I can appreciate that.

It's something that happens over time and causes us to act, feel, function and most obvious, look different. Laugh lines, wrinkles, sun spots, and stretch marks have made their way onto many peoples' skin. Some adults pour money into that non-existent fountain of youth, while others accept these little badges of time and wear them proudly (is that the right word?). After all, they do usually represent many significant memories from years ago.

Laugh lines are memories of good times. Years of hearty chuckling.

Days that turned into nights because the comedy and conversation were so tantalizing you just had to stay up.

Every time your toddler repeated something she shouldn't have and you couldn't hide your snickering.

That evening you spent watching old home-movies with your family.

And how about those wrinkles-- showing all the millions of emotions you've experienced in a lifetime.

When you cried and cried after scraping your knee during a game of tag.

Those late nights you were scared to come home because you missed curfew and you knew mom or dad (or both) would be sitting, waiting on you.

Remember all those late nights in college: whether you were lounging and laughing with friends or rubbing your forehead as you tried to figure out what exactly Orwell had on his mind when he wrote "Animal Farm."

And you can never forget the roller-coaster of emotions you felt upon meeting your newborn baby. Excitement turned into pure joy; smiles sometimes morphed into tears; tears wept over a feverish child in the middle of the night; pride you feel when they walk, talk, wave goodbye to you from the school bus or walk at graduation or maybe down the aisle; and of course when you meet their first-born.

Yes, wrinkles are the road map of our lives.


Don't forget sun-spots--while not the most attractive tan, they represent summers spent outdoors and in the sun.

Pools.

Gardening with Grandma.

Running in the sprinkler.

Cancun or Palm Beach.

Tending to crops.

Selling lemonade.


And how about stretch marks? Women, I'm talking to you.

Some of us have them and most of us would trade them in for that tummy we sported 10 years ago; but I know we wouldn't trade them for those precious 9 months or the prize we got at the end.

I, like millions of women, ignore them when I look in the mirror; while at the same time, I consider them my badge from the war my body went through for 40 long weeks.

Oh, and each time I woke up nauseous, felt the baby kick, saw my belly grow another centimeter, or devoured a piece of chocolate cake just because I could --yes, I know that's how you get stretch marks!

These facts of aging, though not easy to accept, are not as bad when you look at them from a proud, badge-wearing point-of-view. But what I can't seem to accept, nor do I think I ever will, are little, gray hairs on my head.

Think about it.

Keep thinking about it...



See, you can't think of any good reason they show up, can you? Well, neither can I. I HATE them. Yes, HATE is a strong word, but when we're talking about gray hairs I think I can say HATE, HATE, HATE!!!

There's no memory associated with graying. Seriously, the only memory-like quality about gray hairs goes a little somethin' like this:

You're looking in the bathroom mirror while brushing your teeth; and you spot one. You grab the tweezers and inch closer to the mirror (or pull out your super-jumbo, well-lit, crazy-magnified little mirror) looking for that little scoundrel. You find him (because it's obviously a him) trying to camouflage himself with his perfectly-colored and in-tact friends. You pull him out from hiding and pluck him out of your beautiful, young scalp. You hold the tweezers under the light to double-check the grayness-- making sure you didn't just pluck a highlighted or blond hair. And then the truth, or the gray root, is staring at you. You can see where the change occurred; where your natural hair color meets up with the gray. And then you wonder, Why? What happened on that day that made you decide to start growing gray? You scoff at the ridiculousness of it all and toss that hair down the drain (or maybe in the trash), and voila, you're gray-free (or at least you think you are because you really don't have time to check for any more-- but you put that on your to-do list for Saturday right between shopping at Target for hair dye and taking a nap-- HA).

Sound about right-- I'm mainly talking to those of you who are not blond because I heard you blondies don't really notice those gray hairs (remember when I mentioned double checking suspected gray hair to make sure it wasn't blond? ).

Well, I have no love for those gray hairs. There's nothing about them that says, sweet memories helped to build you. I'm sure someday I'll be embarrassed when I have to call a plumber (no one named Joe, though) to fix my bathroom sink, and he comes down to report how the plumbing experience went by explaining, Well mam, it looks like the old folks who lived here before you must have lost a lot of hair while they brushed their teeth because all I could find are huge clumps of little, gray hairs.

I'll comment on how strange that is and he'll leave here non the wiser. And I'll run off to Target!

More Veggie Recipes

Since I know you are all racking your brain trying to figure out some new veggie recipes so you can cook like me (by including one or two veggie recipes in your weekly rotation so that you can a) save money, and b)cut out some of the meat from your diet), I've decided you need to see my most recent tasty and totally, deliciously satisfying veggie ensembles.

I know, this may not look like much (in fact it may be a bit unappetizing); but if you look real closely and suck it up (you know, if you're having trouble thinking about eating this odd looking dish) you'll find some very healthful ingredients. Some of my very favorite foods are in this gosh darn good meal-

fresh-from-the-(no pesticides used)-garden tomatoes {I used 4;chunked}

fresh-from-the (no pesticides used)-garden basil {I used bout 1/4 c, shredded}

red onion {I used about 1/2 an onion, sliced)

fresh mozzarella cheese {I used 1-8oz(?) pkg; chunked}

toasted (at 400, about 10 mins) bread chunks (from 1, day-old french loaf) that were lightly coated with EVOO (about 1/3 c) prior to toasting

and a perfect 2:1 mix (1/4c: 2T) of EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar

***************************************

1) chunk bread and toss to coat in 1/3 c EVOO; toast at 400 for 10 mins

2) meanwhile, cut up cheese, tomatoes, onion, basil and put in large bowl

3)mix up EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar

4) Take toasted bread and add to tomato mix

5)Toss Balsamic mix to coat the bread/tomato mix

6) Try not to eat it too fast!

**************************************************************************

My second new fav is a little veggie enchilada I threw together one day!

You chop up: 1 green pepper & 1 onion (or 1/2 if you're not a big fan), and saute it in some EVOO on medium heat.

Dump in a small (4oz) can of green chilies, 1 (15oz) can of black beans; drained, and 1 can (whatever size you wish) corn (feel free to use mexicorn, pinto beans, a red bell pepper; this recipe is easily adaptable to your tastes)

So you'll have a little something like this in your skillet.

Then you portion out some (however full you like your enchiladas) into your whole wheat tortilla

Roll up each tortilla and lay them seam-side down in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour on a can of green or red enchilada sauce and sprinkle some cheese on top.


Here I've put green sauce on the enchiladas and about 1/3 cup of a Mexican cheese blend.

Put it in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. No need to cover it.

Total need to devour it.

Blog Hop

Here is Brownie just four months ago while she was visiting M&M and me in the hospital. I just asked her what she was doing and she said, "Getting my nose in there."

Okay, honey. As always, we know that you live in your own little world. We sure do love you, though!!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

There's a reason I put both the not me's on the top of the page-- Duh, it's because my life is so full of these moments for me and the babes that I must include them both!

Well, there is quite a lot I so DIDN'T do this week, like--

stay up until 2 am reading The Shack-- you should NOT check out this book!

try out a new recipe for the best brownies, have them come out a little crispy (as in, stuck to the pan), and then eat them anyway-- you know, because I was too embarrassed to share them with company/friends!

When I went with my sis-in-law to her ob appointment, and was totally surrounded by many preggo bellies I DIDN'T start feeling the baby bug sneaking up on me. Goodness sakes, it's NOT like I was just like that, preggo with my big belly, just four months ago.

I really DIDN'T consider using my designated gym time (5pm right after hubby gets home) to shop at some of my fav stores. I DON'T have 3 gift cards left over from my birthday that I'm just dying to use but can't find time for shopping.

Speaking of being awesome about always doing the right thing with my health, I most certainly REFUSED to eat Quizno's twice this week just because I wanted to eat the Turkey Cabo-- yeah, NO need to try this awesome guacamole/chipotle, turkey/bacon love fest on wheat bread!

As for those kids of mine...

M&M really DOESN'T smell like rotten milk-- oops, maybe this one should go under what I DIDN'T do this week. She also DIDN'T take a much-needed nap with me today instead of going to Target for some necessities--oops, that's me again. Sorry!

Bug really DIDN'T refuse to come to me when she saw my friend, Becky. Becky DIDN'T humor us by picking up Bug and holding her for a while. Bug was totally NOT thrilled by this gesture. She then DIDN'T proceed to throw a horrible, awful fit if I even tried to pry her from Becky's arms. And Becky most certainly DIDN'T have to walk us to our car with a cranky Bug in her arms just so we could get out to the parking lot safely.

At the end of the day when I tuck the girls in, I ask them, What was your favorite part of the day? Brownie most certainly DID NOT simply repeat the day's events and claim it all as her favorite part. My favwut part was waking up, eating oatmeal, playing with my sissies, eating lunch, taking a nap, playing outside, daddy not coming home (he was out of town this night), taking a bath, and going to bed. Oh, honey, you win the originality award!

That Peach of mine probably DIDN'T eat so many Peaches for breakfast that she is living up to her nickname (again, since I let her eat these, maybe this should be under my Not Me's).

She also DID NOT put her sister, Brownie, in a strangle-hold because she was just tryin' to tell her somethin' MOM!

And NONE of my children love to dance around our house in their birthday suits. In fact, they despise it so much that when one starts doing it, the others DO NOT immediately strip down and shake what I gave them!

So, what DIDN'T you do this week?