Our First Get Away Sans Babies

My entire pregnancy I said that once the babies could get out and about, I was going on vacation -- and we finally did two weekends ago. We went to the wine country in Northern California with some of our best friends. There were 11 of us total and we rented a house in Sonoma. (There should have been 12, but our friend Ralf had to go back to Germany.) We had leisurely mornings with coffee and a great view on the deck of the house... Fun days wine tasting at gorgeous wineries... Dinner at great restaurants with delicious food and fun cocktails! And just being with each other and our friends again was amazing. It was so nice not to have to wonder what time it was and what needed to happen next. It was so nice to not sleep with one ear open. One day we spent just with the girls and I loved catching up on girl time. All in all it was a fantastic, much needed time away. As with all vacations it was over way to quick!

Stephen & Me
(In front of the house in Sonoma)

Leisurely Mornings
Kari, Sooze, RJ, Bob, Kim & Stephen

Day 1 - View from Ravenswood Winery

Day 1 - Ledson Winery

Day 2 - Healdsburg - La Crema Tasting Room
Susan, Kim, Kari, Me, Amy

Day 2 - Healdsburg - Thumbprint Tasting Room
Me, Susan, Amy, Kari, Kim

Running Through a Vineyard

The Group on the Way Back to the Airport

I have to say I did miss the babies more than I thought I would and I wasn't prepared to be sad when I was leaving, but I cried a titch when each of them left... In case you were wondering where they were, I sent them all to stay with different families. I am so lucky to have a different friend come over on a specific day of the week to help me with the babies. Since each of them know the daily routine and love the babies like their own, I felt comfortable sending each of the babies to stay at their homes for the weekend. They are so amazing... first of all for even offering to take them , but then they came to the house to pick them up and dropped them off the day after I got back, so I could get one more nights rest and unpack... they even bought the food, formula and diapers so I would have less to pack. Thank you guys so, so much for everything!!!

Miss Sandy & Briellen

Peaches & Sidney

Miss Deborah & Ivy

Miss Lisa & Mitchell & Luke

Happy Memorial Day!!

Stephen & Elle
Ivy, Mitchell, Sidney, Luke & Brie

(Picture taken with self timer... Hilarious watching Stephen run to the couch with two babies in the 10 seconds before the picture took!)

Baptism

We finally had the babies baptized a few weeks ago... and they did surprisingly well! Our new church building was finished and we got to use the gorgeous new baptismal font!

The babies wore adorable moccasins that our friend Rick made for them. (He is the one that we stayed with after Hurricane Ike.) They were so preoccupied with pulling on the laces that the baptism didn't phase them.

The babies grandpa and grandmas (Papa Steve (Teebs), Mama Jude & Nonna) came in from out of town for the special day. It was so much fun having them here with us.

Briellen

Luke

Mitchell

Ivy

Sidney

Papa & Brie, Nonna & Luke, Nain & Mitchell, Elle & Ivy, Stephen & Sidney
Pastor Fred & Pastor John

Family Pic
Sidney, Ivy, Luke, Briellen, Mitchell

(The best pic I could get of everyone before they all started climbing off the couch.)
Sidney, Mitchell, Briellen, Ivy, Luke

Out & About

April 1st was our independence day!!! From the beginning I said I would keep the babies out of public until RSV season was over and we made it without dying of cabin fever. Now, we haven't done anything major yet, but we have gone out to eat Mexican, we have been to church every Sunday, we went to a craw fish boil and have been to a couple of play dates. As my luck would have it, this happens to be the time period in which our camera was lost, so I can't share! I will just move on and give you pics from now forward.

As a part of being out in public, the babies got somebodies germs and are sicky-poo... It started out as runny noses and ended up with ear infections and chest congestion... Then they shared the germs with me, then my family, then my friends. Sorry everybody! If I thought life was tough before, I was mistaken... Suctioning noses, taking temperature, giving inhalers, giving antibiotics, giving Tylenol and keeping track of who got what and when! Whew! I am glad that they waited for 10 months before getting this sick! I try to look at sickness as immune building from now on.

Here is a baby update --

SIDNEY ALUN
15 lbs 5 oz -- 26 3/4"
For the longest time, she would just sit and cry instead of crawling to get to where she wanted to go... Now she has started a "bear cub" crawl on on foot and one knee. She has a beautiful smile and crystal clear blue eyes. She is almost always happy and is fun to go and get out of crib in the morning. She has decided that her dad is her most favorite person in the world and cries like her heart is broken when he leaves the room and then follows him wherever he goes. She has a titch of a defiant streak which is showing when she is not in the mood for vitamins or if something I am serving does not appeal to her.





LUKE HARRISON
17 lbs 8 oz -- 28 1/2"
Still so serious and intense, but has a unexpected happy side. He likes to rough house with Mitchell. Luke & Mitchell travel in a pack as they explore wherever they happen to be. As they are traveling about they will just start to wrestle with each other! Luke is very ticklish and will belly laugh at the slightest touch, even from his siblings. He has this random loud yell that is ear piercing. He is my early riser... sometimes I hear him playing at 4:30 in the AM!!






MITCHELL THOMAS
17 lbs 8 oz -- 29"
Mitchell is a very easy going baby... He rarely gets upset about anything other than food (He eats like a grown man.) He is very clumsy and very much like a baby puppy with too big of feet. He claps his hands anytime you say "Yay Mitchell!" and he has started to wave to you!
He has a deep voice and says " Buhhhh, Buhhh" all the time. He loves to hug and nestle in your neck. Mitchell and Luke share a room and when I put them down for a nap, they both immediately stand up and start talking to each other. Once I leave the room, I hear them take turns laughing at each other! So, so cute.






IVY ELIZABETH
18 lbs 11 oz -- 27 1/2"
Our big girl... Will drain her bottle dry at every feeding and is a puff eating machine! She is a total mommy's girl and wants to be with me all of the time. If I am on the floor, she will crawl over and kind of back in to sit on my lap. She has a huge bottom lip pout when she is upset about something. If she wakes up too early, I put her in bed with Stephen and she talks in her sweet voice for a few minutes and goes right back to sleep... She loves to cuddle.






BRIELLEN
14 lbs 7 oz -- 27"
She is the teeniest baby, but is super feisty. She explores everywhere, is into everything and is never still. (Taking toys out of baskets, taking laundry out of the basket, crawling under the table, pushing her cart around the living room.) She is the PICKIEST eater!!! She won't eat table food yet, but will stick a cheese puff in her mouth for flavor. She gags on green peas, just like her mom. She makes an "eh, eh" noise when she is on the move, like she has a motor. It is funny because she looks too small to be able to do all that she does -- I just want to squeeze her.






Other Stuff....
- They love being outside, but as they put EVERYTHING in their mouths I have to take them walking twice a day to give them their outside fix. I melt in Houston heat and am a super stink pot, but an hour of peace is worth it.

- They all "cruise" around furniture and try standing on their own.
- They all love to stand at the window sill and look out...


- If you sit on the floor with them, they will all crawl over to you to climb on you or pull your hair or poke your eye or explore your mouth with their index finger.


- They all have the most amazingly blue eyes.

I thought that I loved them with my whole heart they day they were born, but every day I love them more and more!