our updated life

The past month has been BUSY to say the very least!  We added a third child to our family ... and now we are officially a "party of 5".  We have had a revolving door of family and friends (which I LOVE), and I have been dying to get back into a routine for the sake of my older kiddos (and mine, as well).  

I returned to MOMs Club when Allie was just over two weeks old.  We have been attending the outdoor or public events ... I'm not quite ready to take her into people's homes ... you never know what illnesses they have been fighting.  Extra germs are not welcome ... I have two germ-wagons living in my house that Alice is trying to adjust to already!  Cole and Koki have really been enjoying getting back into MOMs Club and going to the park.  They really miss the gym.  Every time we drive by it (or go to church, for that matter ... they are right next to each other), Khloe screeches, "THE GYM, MOMMA!  GYM, GYM, GYM!"  I miss it as much as they do.  I am dying to Zumba, but I still need a few more weeks on the healing train, and I can't take little Allie to the gym daycare until she is three months old.  So, we have a few more weeks to go (7 and counting)!  

We had a fun time with MOMs Club at JR Ranch picking strawberries!

Tons of fun strawberry picking!

Me and Allie picking strawberries!

They had so much fun picking strawberries!  Koki ate every single one that she picked. 

My big boy was in charge of carrying the bucket of strawberries.

They both really liked the cows at JR Ranch.

She said, "They licked me, Momma!"

Making pizzas at Marcos pizza tour with MOMs Club.

Piling tons of cheese onto her pizza.

We got ice cream after our pizza fun!  They got cute cones with eyes.

We went to the Dance and Gym Academy ... Khloe jumped and jumped and jumped into this pit!

Having Billy's parents here for three weeks was wonderful!  They came a week before Alice was born, and they stayed another two weeks after that.  Billy's Mom and Dad were so very helpful with Colton and Khloe ... both of whom I could not lift and could barely move to help them out (at least for that first week).  Dad mowed our lawn, made me the most AWESOME console table, fixed things around the house, and played with the kids.  Mom spent every waking moment feeding my kids, reading to them, playing with them, taking them to the park, riding bikes with them, coloring with them, bathing them, and holding and loving Alice when she was born.  She fed our family for those last two weeks, and she cleaned up my house.  It was so wonderful to have them around to help out!  We really missed them when they left.

Grandma went on the ice and skated with Colton after his practice ended!  He had so much fun with her!

Grandma and Khloe had some quality time while Colton had soccer practice.

Khloe got to help Grandma make Valentine's cookies for the trip to the beach!

Cheese!

Making those cookies with Grandma H. 

Good job, Koki!  You only got your fingers poked down in to some of the cookies!

Grandpa H holds a sleeping Alice ... which she did A LOT of while they were here.

The kids wanted to bring Allie some toys while she had some play time on the floor.

Khloe wanted a picture like, Allie.  "Take MY picture, too!" she says.

They played like this the whole time Mom and Dad H were here.

Grandpa H had two little girls to snuggle that night! 

Grandma H bought this little outfit for Alice.  She's a little bumble bee!

These three cuties on the blanket Grandma H's younger sister, Kathy, made for Allie.

Grandma with five of her seven grandkids ... she seems pretty happy!

Alice (two weeks) and Owen (seven weeks)

A week after Alice was born, Mom and Dad Heinrich took Colton and Khloe to the beach for a long four-day weekend.  Billy's sisters, Cherrie and Debbie, and their families were coming down to FL to meet Alice and Owen (Billy's younger sister's second baby who was born 5 weeks before Alice).  They all decided to spend a long weekend at the beach here in Clearwater ... which gave Allie and me a nice long weekend to bond.  On Sunday (the last day everyone was here), they came to our house, and Alice got to meet a plethora of Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.  It was very nice of them to make a trip down here to the sunshine state in mid-winter to meet their newest extended family members!

Uncle Josh and Aunt Cherrie meet Alice for the first time. Allie had a nice, long snuggle with Aunt Cherrie before they had to fly back to Minnesota. 

Allie got some very nice snuggles with Aunt Debbie, too!

This is Colton, Khloe, and Allie's older cousin, Devin.

Aunt Debbie with Allie and her son, Devin.

Khloe and Elle ... you have to watch these two!  They are two peas in a pod!  Only 5 months a part in age, they had a blast playing together all weekend, and they are just two silly girls together. I love to see how much fun they have with each other!

I spent a week on my own after Mom and Dad Heinrich left.  It went better than I had imagined it would.  It helps, because Alice is the most patient, calm, and sweetest baby ever!  She just goes with the flow of life ... and I need her to do that, because I have a four year-old and a two year-old who need to go, go, GO! 

My Mom came at the beginning of March, and she stayed with us for a week.  It was a wonderful (and much too short) visit!  We had plenty of Greek food, Indian food, and we cooked and baked like fiends.  We did a driving tour of the University of Tampa to find the Vaughn Center ... so named after my Mom's first cousin, Ronald Vaughn, who is the University's President.  We lunched at a bakery, a burger place, and did some fun shopping!  I wish my Mom lived closer.  We always have a good time when we're together.  It's so nice to see my kids interacting with their grandparents in a positive and loving way.  I wish they could spend more time with each other.  I didn't realize how much I just needed to have my Mom around.  It was nice to talk about my kids, how they are growing, get her advice, and have her help around the house.  Her one week here was much too short!  But she needed to fly up to Kansas City to see my sister and her new baby who was born the second day my Mom was here visiting.  So even though it was very hard for me to let her go, I knew that my sister needed some Mom time ... and I couldn't hog it all!

I love my Mom so much!  I'm so happy she came to visit us.  Come back soon, Mom!

Getting some Greek food with Grandma!

Colton picked out this tasty treat when we went to Alessi's bakery with Grandma Bourland!

Grandma Bourland with three of her grandkids.  They had so much fun with her visiting!

Getting kisses from Grandma B.

Trying so hard to get Allie to look at the camera!

Allie kisses!

Grandma B and Colton

Grandma B and Khloe

This Dolly of mine ... she melts my heart!

When my mom was here, we went through some of my old outfits ... and she brought me a few more from home.  I had Khloe try on my old ballet/tap outfit with my shoes.  They are too big (I wore it when I was 4), but she looked so cute that I had to take pictures!  My girl!  Ta-da!

I had to capture this moment ... she loved the taps on the shoes, so she walked around with her hands behind her back like this ... focusing on the tapping sound that her shoes made with each step she took!

Now, we are back in the run of life.  It's just me with the kids all day ... and we are doing really well.  Alice is the sweetest, and she fits right into our family.  Every day gets easier ... and as soon as she's ready to sleep through the night ... I will feel like myself again!  Ha, ha!  We have her 6-week growth spurt coming up ... ah!  But I know we'll get through it and move right along.