Tag Archives: The Kids 2012

Busy Busy…

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We have had a wonderful very busy May and going in to June.  Including a Transue Invasion!  That alone explains why I haven’t been blogging!

So, to start off my reentry into the blog world, here are some beautiful pictures of Malachi taken by the very talented Aunt Tracy.  Stay tuned because our annual/semi-annual family pictures have been made and we are all anxiously awaiting the results!

I could come up with several captions…
“Yo!”
“Superman!  Away!”
“Who’s cute?”  “Me!”

Either way this is one of my super favorite pictures and was on the birth announcements (that one day I will post here).
 Mama Hen?!  Yes ma’am.
His shirt says Baby Geek spelled out using the Periodic Table of Elements.  Yes, I found it on pinterest!
This daddy loves his babes.
Set for takeoff!  Aunt Tracy made the hat and we had to squeeze it on his big ol’ head.  My babies and their big heads (and bodies and such).
Dinos like pacis too!
Another favorite.  The Bible is opened to his birth verse.  Psalm 111:4, 7-8

 How awesome is this?  He has no clue what’s in store for him.

And while I’m looking at these pictures, I’m caught off guard by how big this boy has grown!  He started rolling over yesterday (6/13) from his back to his belly.  This week we had to make a run to Target (or Tarjey…depending on how upscale you want to sound).  I thought I had plenty of summer 6-9 month clothes but when we pulled the bin down, I realized I didn’t!  All of my boys were summer boys with the exception Liam and he stayed pretty small so I never bought 6-9 mth boys.  Six to nine months ya’ll…he just turned three months old.   Don’t let the size fool ya.  He looks a bit chunky but his clothing size is mostly from length!

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Pit Stop

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On the way back from the beach, we stopped off at Papa & Grandmere’s house.  This was a quick visit.  Not really to see them (although that was a bonus), it was for Mark and I to travel to visit my aunt.

My dear Aunt Mary was diagnosed with brain cancer at the end of February.  We were blessed to be able to visit with her a week before she went home to be with our Lord.  While I grieve over not having her here with us on earth, I rejoice that she is in heaven praising her Creator.  She had such an amazing influence on my life.  She was not my “biological” aunt but she treated me like her niece in every way possible!

While Mark, Malachi, and I went to visit Aunt Mary, the kids enjoyed some sweet Papa & Grandmere time.

The girls prepared treats for a tea party.

And the sweet boys picked flowers for Grandmere.

I love the way she’s looking at her Papa!

*Thanks to Grandmere for providing the pictures.

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Bamapalooza-Chocolate (Yeah Baby!)

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It’s no secret that our family loves chocolate.  So, while in St. Augustine we visited the home of Whetstone Chocolatiers.  Oh my people!  Is it safe to say that all eight of us (Malachi doesn’t count…he gets mom’s milk), loved it.  The samples were so worth the tour of the chocolate factory.  Of course, the history lesson and information the kids received were wonderful too. 

Ace took the pictures for us and I have no idea what this machine does.

Or this one.

However, I do know that some of the samples included dark chocolate to which I almost didn’t try but am so glad I did.  I’ve never tasted a smoother or more rich dark chocolate than I did at Whetstone.  Oh yummy!  And yes, we did leave home with some of it too…which I have to hide from Bryant.

Just a side note:  Apparently, Whestone didn’t have any oompa loompas much to the disappointment of the kids.

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Bamapalooza-Castille de San Marcos

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We ventured into the city one day with the kids and all our crew.  Ace took over camera duty when we made it into the Castillo.  Wow, this structure was amazing…but don’t take my word for it.

Here is Zoe’s first ever post!  Enjoy (oh the joys of homeschooling and making your kids practice their writing skills for all the world to see).

Castillo De San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida was very interesting. It was never taken by force. Instead, it was handed over in peace treaties. Castillo De San Marcos, which is pronounced CasteeO DE San MarcOs, was first occupied by the Spanish, then it was handed over to the British, then the British to the Americans. The Fort was made of coquina, which turned out to be surprisingly strong. The British changed the Castillo De San Marcos name when they occupied the fort to Fort St. Mark. Castillo De San Marcos still stands today in St. Augustine. by Zoe, age 9

Dad’s favorite shorts.  Great shot, no?  All pictures provided by Ace.

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Bamapalooza-Alligator Farm and Fort Matanzas

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We took another trip on our Bamapalooza ventures to the Alligator Farm.  Charming fella, isn’t he?

Getting ready.
This is an albino alligator.  I’ve never seen one.  And they, like me, can get sunburned.
Our gators chomping at the bit.
Hands down the coolest (and most dangerous in terms of poo) was the Rookery.  Thousands of birds in trees all over laying eggs and raising babies.  The kids were amazed they could see this:
And even babies in nests.  Lots of beautiful birds too.

And we all enjoyed feeding the alligators from the bridge and watching them swarm (we fed them those food pellets found at all zoos).
But, watching this zookeeper feed the alligators fresh rats.  Now that was quite interesting (if not a little gross).
On the way home from the zoo, we stopped at Fort Matanzas which isn’t really a fort.  It’s more of a watchtower.  The locals just began calling it a fort and it stuck.  Very neat old structure and the kids enjoyed the ferry ride to and from it.
Safe to say they got some “larnin'” in while on vacation.  Ah the joys of having a mom who enjoys history.
Bryant was a bit tired from all our site seeing.  I had forgotten the sling so I had to use this carrier for Malachi.  By the afternoon, Bryant was asking to get in it.  He loved it too!
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Bamapalooza-Cinnamon Beach

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It’s been over three years but the “gang” all came together again. Bamapalooza is the gathering of all of Mark’s friends/roommates from college. There are five guys total. Then the wives (each just has one though) and the kids. So, for a head count, ten adults and fourteen kids. Now, keep in mind that half of them were ours. And all of them were nine and under.

We had a wonderful time. Mark and I both said that was the best vacation we’ve ever taken. We stayed in a mansion on the beach and enjoyed the ocean, pool, and trips in to St. Augustine, Florida.

I’m starting off this series with our beach and pool ventures. I wish I had gotten more pictures of the house because it was just wonderful.

The last time we were at the beach, Bryant was a baby (a little bit older than Malachi).  He loved it!  He kept talking about the big wata.  When we went back in the first night, I told him we’d be back tomorrow.  He looked at the beach and ocean and said, “Bye wata, see ya morrow.”  And that bump on my front is Malachi.  He helps to cover up my mommy tummy.
Josiah found some digging buddies.
We may or may not have had some issues with the hurricane shutters (the switch for them was placed right near the light switches…instant kid toy).  Luckily, two of the engineers figured out how to fix it.
A view from the third story!
Uncle S enjoyed cuddling with all the kids.

And building sand castles.

One day, I had the smart idea to have Ceili Rain get the clothes out of the dryer (I don’t know what I was thinking).  About 30 minutes later, we all realized the door to the laundry room was closed and had been for quite some time.  This is what we found when we opened it.  What you can’t see is that Bryant is covered in clothes on the floor.  The peek-a-boo head is Big A who is Ceili Rain’s age.

Ceili Rain got a stuffed monkey as a souvenir.  Here she is feeding it (yes, she’s breastfeeding it).
The rewards of building with Dad.

This is how I spent most of the trip, cuddled up with Mr. Malachi.  I didn’t mind it one bit though.
Uncle M was all alone building a volcano for his boys…
Then the boys all came to destroy it.

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A Bunch of Characters in Concert

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Before we left on vacation, the kids informed us that they had a show to do. We had Tracy and Kevin over with their kids and our bunch did not hesitate to perform for them. Zoe even made up a sign and programs. It was a blast to watch and they had fun putting it on.

It’s funny because this is what my sister and I did for our parents when we were little. Ge & Granddaddy please forgive me for all the times I made you “watch my feet” or listen to me sing.

No one should have to listen to me sing.

But my kids, well, that’s a different story. I could listen to their giggly singing voices all day…almost all day…especially if there is no whining or fighting involved.

No one should have to listen to me sing.

But my kids, well, that’s a different story.  I could listen to their giggly singing voices all day…almost all day…especially if there is no whining or fighting involved.

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Malachi is 2 Months Old

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I’ve been trying to post this for two days now!  Every time I sit down something calls me away.  Mainly, answering questions as the kids finish up their projects for the end of year project display with our homeschool care group.  Besides that, there’s recovering from vacation last week (which was awesome…and I will post about that later too).

Anyway, Malachi turned two months old on the 9th.  I can’t believe how big he’s gotten and how old he’s gotten at the blink of an eye.  I do believe it goes by faster the more we have!

He had his well baby check and is growing great.  He even cooed at Dr. B and smiled for our favorite nurse (because her shots are fast and don’t seem to hurt as much, oh, and she also knows all our kids by sight/name) M.

Here’s his stats:
13 lbs.  4 oz (84%)
24 1/2 inches (93%)
16 2/8 inches (81%)

I thought his head was much bigger than that.  It seems so heavy.  Well, it could also be that it seems heavy after I’ve punished my body by exercising.  That’s usually when I can’t really lift my arms up past my waist…no kidding.

Anyway, he’s tracking right on with all the other two month old kids we’ve had.  Josiah seems to be winning the race for the biggest two month old.  Malachi falls in third place if you really must know how he’s tracking (Bryant in second).  Either way, this kid eats well so I’m not worried about his growth.

He also sleeps really well.  At night.  Don’t ask about the daytime.  Usually nurses around 9 or 9:30 and doesn’t get up until 6 or later the next morning.  He has had some occasional growth spurts where he gets up at 4 or 5 but still…that’s seven or more hours every night.  Yes, I’m totally thrilled.  I have done my fair share of late night screaming fests…we just have had a bit of a respite with the last four.  And we are so grateful.  Now, if I could just get to bed early, then I might have a decent rest too…but that’s my fault.

How adorable is he!?! 

And as far as my recovery from the c-section.  It’s going really well.  I’ve really felt good and my energy level is up and up.  My scar is healing fine and I’ve not had any other complications from it.

I’m determined to get in to shape in 9 months or less.  That means down to my original clothing size before Ceili Rain…which is about where I was when I got married.  So, to accomplish this, I started exercising about three weeks ago.  I’m using T-tapp and I love it.  My legs and arms and now stomach are a bit shaky after I finish a workout but my muscles are trying to get used to being used.  My goal is to exercise every other day with T-tapp basic and the walking dvd and then bike on the weekends (mainly as a reward…I just can’t drive myself to running…but if I’m being chased…well, a run is in order).  I’m slowly getting into that routine.  I’m enjoying it and slowly starting to see changes besides the shaky arms and legs.  I’ll write more about t-tapp later, but for now, I attribute that program to helping keep my blood sugar levels in check during my pregnancy with Malachi.

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