Mama's Old Toys!

Since we are moving things around at our house I ended up finding a bunch of my old dolls and toys that I had put away. It was fun going through them and letting the kids play with them.

My little boy CPK (I think I named him Kyle)....I wish I had taken a picture of Zeke with this when he was brand new. I bet they would have been the same size! And oh my goodness doesn't that smile on his face just make you melt!

Jackson has taken a likely to Maxwell. I got him when I was 11 and had surgery to have the tubes in my ears removed. My Grandma brought him to the hospital to cheer me up and I named him Maxwell because my doctor's name was Dr. Maxwell.

Ella is into all my girl dolls....Care Bear, Rainbow Bright, Strawberry Shortcake and of course my girl CPK...Mildred Patricia. She's taken to calling her Tricia because she's used to saying that name because of my friend Tricia.

Owen found my Light Brites and wanted to play with those, but the light bulb was burnt out and I haven't gotten around to replacing it yet. It was definitely a fun trip down memory lane seeing all those old toys.

I'm curious what kind of dolls, toys or games did you keep from your childhood or wish you had???

Leavin' On A Jet Plane!!!

The kids backpacks came today! Now we just have to wait until it's vacation time.

Owen being his ornery self and now wanting to have his picture taken....you know he's too cool for that! One thing you can't see in the pictures are that each backpack has a special zipper pull that goes with the animal. Owen's is a leaf and so is Jack's...it's a different shaped leaf though.

Jack's zebra also has a little poof of hair on the top and the orange nose is actually corduroy.

Ella's cute owl backpack that I ordered is on back order so I decided to order this doggy one for Zeke when he's older and she will just use it for the trip if her owl doesn't come in time. The doggy zipper pull is a dog bone.

These bags are a perfect size for little kids and at the same time they are quite roomy inside. I think that are going to make perfect carry ons for the kids. Plus they are just stinkin' cute!!!

Such A Beauty!

Ever since getting Ella's haircut a few months ago I haven't put it in pigtails. I usually just put a clip on one side or put it in a ponytail. On Friday I thought it would be fun to put pigtails in again. I told her to go check out her pretty hair.

I love that she can see herself in the mirror now when she stands on the stool.

She loved her pigtails as you can see!

Evening Outside!

On Wednesday when Michael got home from work we ate dinner and then got right to work. More changes...this time to the yard.

We have this little section of dirt at the bottom of our stairs to the backyard that I thought needed a bit revamping. 

Zeke had been up on the deck in his bouncy chair, but that was not cutting it for him. He loves being in on the action.

While Michael worked the kids and I wandered around the yard checking things out. The above picture is our 2 tomato plants in the back....we've never had tomatoes do this well. Michael actually had to reinforce the stake things that were holding them up. In front of the tomatoes are my zucchini...I've already harvested one.

Here is one of my pepper plants. Poor thing needed a drink...don't worry I watered it!

Raspberry bush! This thing was SO tiny last year and it's gotten crazy. The kids and I love coming out and eating fresh berries.

While we were outside the kids had some good love on Zeke time!

Owen showing off his making letters with his body skills....'X' marks the spot!

Ta Da! The bistro table that was in the kitchen now has a new home. Love love love it!

And the whole reason I wanted the table and chairs down there is because we moved the kids new pool (Thanks Ga-Ga) down to the backyard so it won't kill our grass anymore. Now that it's in the backyard I will have to be right there when the kids are in it and I wanted a place to be able to sit and drink my tea.

This is another reason we moved the pool....the kids love having the slide go into the pool.

There was only one towel down in the backyard so when the kids wanted to dry off they had to share.

Ella almost made it without getting wet, but she slipped at the last second. She did great though and didn't even cry.

Snuggle time!

During the kids swimming time Zeke's blanket got downsized from the purple towel to a kitchen towel since the kids were using it to dry off. He is such a 4th child!

Once we came upstairs he was SO mad so I decided to nurse him a bit earlier than normal. After about 20 seconds or so he was out!

Cute sleepy boy!

He only slept for a few minutes while we put the older kids to bed then he woke up to finish eating, pooped and then was down for the count! I love that he just rolls with it!

Mini Makeover!

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just get a feeling that I NEED to change the layout of my house. Lately that feeling has been burning inside of me. So on Tuesday I did a mini makeover of our kitchen.

These first two pictures are what our kitchen looked like before. They are old pictures (before kids) so there are no paintings on the frig or junk on the counters!

When we moved into this house I was so excited that the kitchen was big enough to have an island....a small island, but an island. My friend Jen also gave me her old pot rack I had always wanted a pot rack! Lately the island has been bugging me. The kids are always wanting to be in the kitchen "helping" me and they pull chairs over to the counter and it's almost impossible to move around. It usually ends with me getting frustrated and telling them to, "Get out of my kitchen". I don't necessarily like doing that because I want them to "help" me even if it takes longer. I want them to want to cook and eat the things they help me cook. So....

I moved the island and took down the pot rack. I also dusted the light fixture up there and let me tell ya that was gross. I have never in all the almost 7 years we've lived here dusted it. Don't judge me!

The kitchen feels and is SO much bigger now. We don't have to walk around the island to get to the frig or the stove. We aren't squeezing by each other either. I mean the kids and I danced in the kitchen tonight! It is going to take some getting used to since I was so used to setting things on the island in it's former location.

So where did I move the island...over to the corner where the bistro table used to be...sorry no before picture. I've been a bit irritated with the bistro table for a while too. First off it's really an outdoor patio set and the cushions my MIL had made me wore out and I haven't been able to find the right size and shape for the chairs. Also since it's a bistro table there are only 2 chairs. When it was just Owen and I it was great. We would eat lunch in the kitchen every day. When Jack was born we still ate lunch in there and I just moved his highchair in the kitchen. When Jack moved out of his highchair I just stood, but once Ella came along we just started eating lunch at the dining room table. It wasn't getting used as much so I figured we wouldn't miss it.

Here's a closer shot of the former island. I wasn't sure Michael would want the pot rack hung up like that, but he didn't fight me...he just went to the hardware store and got the right bolt things he needed and hung it up. I guess that's what 13 years of marriage gets you...a husband that just wants to make you happy! And happy I am! I feel so good having gotten one room updated. It feels new and rejuvenated! Michael has also been working on an impromptu remodel of the kids bathroom due to an unexpected toilet overflowing and ruining the flooring. I'll post pictures of that once it's finished. Next up on my list is getting Michael's office moved downstairs and changing the room upstairs into Owen's very own alone room. Then we'll be moving Zeke in with Jack. Cha Cha Cha Changes!

My 4 Monkeys!

I've been trying to be more intentional about taking pictures of all 4 of the kids together. Thankfully they all love to hold Zeke so that makes it easier.

It's True...He Does!

Thank you Aunt Stephie for getting Zeke this cute outfit!

Zeke's 2 Month Check-Up!

On Monday I took Zeke in for his 2 month check-up. This cutie is now weighing in at 10lbs 9.5oz! He also grew an inch and is now 22 inches long!

Zeke was great and loved kicking around on the exam table. He didn't even cry when Dr. Apostol listened to his heart. He did get a bit upset when he looked in his ears though.

Ella came along with us while the older boys stayed at home. Miss Kim came over with Andrew & Josiah so they could play together.

While we were waiting for the doctor to come in Ella drew, and we played the 'Where is Zeke's nose and every other body part' game. We also read a few books too. I hate waiting for doctors!

Ella came with us because she was being seen too. She's had this funny rash on her chin and it's not going away. She is a thumb sucker so I was wondering if it had anything to do with that. At first I thought it was just the normal teething spit rash that all my kids get, but it's just sticking around. He's having me rub Nystatin on it so hopefully it will be gone soon. If not we'll try another cream!

Poor Zeke Man had to have 3 shots and 1 oral med. The oral med he did great with...he was hungry! The shots made him cry and I mean he had his first tears cry! Broke Mama's heart! He only cried for a bit though and then he was fine. Later in the afternoon was another story though. He was absolutely beside himself when he woke up from his nap. His legs were so sore from the shots he couldn't even nurse since it would put pressure on his legs. He just laid there crying and crying. I ended up giving him some ibuprofen and then pumping for his next feeding. Thankfully it didn't impact his sleeping and he slept from 9pm - 6:30am when I woke him up.

The Many Faces Of Zeke!

Zeke's is definitely coming out of that newborn glazed look that my kids have. It's that...hey are you in there...look. His eyes are really connecting to the world around him and he's even following us with his eyes and head now.

Love that his little arms and legs are starting to get some rolls. Can't wait to find out what he weighs at his appointment on Monday.

When the camera comes out so do his bug eyes. I think it has something to do with the red eye reducer flash on the camera.

Zeke can make some of the funniest faces. He definitely knows what he wants and when he wants it. He is so easy though! He loves to eat, burp, poo, kick and then sleep! That his day...over and over again!

Here is his 'mom I'm gettin' kind of fussy' face!

Ah...that's better! Yes his paci is in upside down...that's the way he likes it! :)

Okay all calmed down...paci comes out! Love the double chin action!

Chilling out with mommy in bed watching The Big Bang Theory.

Silly Crazy Boy!

For those of you who know Owen in real life you know that he loves to make weird faces! He also loves to use his hands when he makes said weird faces. The other night he asked me to take pictures of all his weird faces and being an awesome mama I obliged! ;)

Goof ball!

Psycho eyes!!!

I see you!

This one actually turned out really quite normal!

I told him to give me his best face and this is what I got....he looks super determined!

Tummy Sleepers!

I used to be freaked out when my kids would sleep on their tummies. When Jack was 3 weeks old he would not sleep! He loved his tummy though and wanted to sleep like that. After talking with a friend and getting some reassurance I started to relax a bit. I still was worried so we started letting him nap on his tummy during the day so I could check on him and feel more comfortable. We recently decided to see if Zeke would like tummy sleeping as well. He can not sleep on his back unswaddled and with all the hot weather we've been having I hate that I have to swaddle him. As it is I have only been dressing him in a onesies at night and we've been making sure his room is cooled down at night so he doesn't get too hot. If Zeke would sleep on his tummy then we wouldn't have to swaddle him and I would feel like he's too hot. So last Thursday I put him on his tummy for one of his naps to see if he would like it....he loved it! He did wake up after about 45 minutes and started to fuss, but I just went over and popped his pacifier back in and then he was off to la la land again. I decided to snap a picture of him and it reminded me of a similar picture I took 4 years ago.

Zeke Russell - 7 weeks old - July 2012

Jackson Daniel - 4 weeks old - July 2008

It's even the same blanket in both pictures and the same furniture. The picture of Jack was taken at my parents house, but since then they've given us that furniture!