Harry Potter

It's a long weekend and we wanted to do something fun but lazy.
Shea thought of a Harry Potter Sleepover Marathon Party so we rented the movies from my parents and watched all 8 all weekend.
Shea got the goods, I got printing and our party started!

Tickets please,

Drinks and Treats,
Sydney's favorite part!

We got tons of great free foodie printables here

http://overthebigmoon.com/free-harry-potterhalloween-drink-printables/

Let the sorting begin,
Connor's above all favorite part!
He cheated and got the Slytherin badge and proudly wore it for all the movies, cheering all the way through for his house!
When he took it off he stuck right under his house "banner".
Shea got Ravenclaw, Bella and Sydney got Gryffindor, and Piper and I got Hufflepuff.

After the first couple movies the kids were pretty much done but Connor did great and we had a lot of fun! All the credit goes to Shea he has been itching for a movie party like this since I told him I used to these parties for my family when I was a kid.
So party we had!

3rd MONTH

UPDATE

No Doctors Appointment this month, so NO shots, yay!
As for an update, her eyes are a dark blue, changing to brown??? And with all her playtime in her baby gym and sleeping so well at night her head is pretty bare from looking from side to side and such. We love her bald little head. She wins for baldest baby yet! She is still in size 1 diapers and wearing 0-3 mon clothing. Piper hasn't taken a pacifier for quite awhile and honestly we haven't really even tried, she just hasn't needed it. She still takes a tiny formula bottle or two weekly. Piper does spit up fairly regularly mainly after a large feeding or when she doesn't get burped or every time she gets formula. She can't sit up quite yet but she loves using those expert back and neck muscles while she bounces all over the place when your holding her upright.
In terms of sleeping it's been great!

Her routine is...
7:30/8 pm
Cluster feedings
9/9:30 pm
Change of clothes and diaper and wrapped in a swaddler
Last feeding to go to sleep
And then she's out
Around 6:30/7 am
She wakes and is hungry but happy sometimes so happy she can't stop smiling while she eats

LIKES

Her baby gym is seriously her favorite thing ever. She has started grabbing some of the toys randomly and only by chance I think. If toys get close she also tries to lick them. And she often wiggles so much she ends up in the opposite direction in no time. She enjoys it so much she spends an hour regularly playing, scooting around in circles, and pulling at her toes; and it's not until she falls asleep from all the playing that I have to pick her up (I get a little worried about her on the ground with her siblings playing around especially when she's quietly sleeping).
She is warming up to the bumbo and enjoys it for about ten minutes.
The rock n play is my saving grace! It's her nap zone whenever I'm downstairs and whenever I need to put her down to get something done she will watch her crazy sisters while they play for a little bit, she even tries to sit up lunging upwards for several minutes, until she remembers moms arms are better, then she wails. I've also started using the rock motion more as well to keep her sleeping or keep her settled until I can come. Connor loves helping with putting it on. And everyone does pretty well leaving it alone while it's moving. If it's not moving then Piper is bombarded with kisses, hugs, lots of "watch this", songs, presents, meals filled with play food, and attempts of squished company; Mom has to stay close and in eyes view to watch the happenings of Piper so they don't get to reckless.
She regularly sucks her fists, especially around the time she wants to nurse. She LOVES her fingers. (Please don't tell me we've got another determined thumb sucker.)
She loves using her legs, and scoots forward a little at a time while on her belly.
Smiling at faces and getting attention.
I would definitely not say she likes baths but she doesn't scream through them anymore. So that's nice.

DISLIKES

The car seat is her mortal enemy I'm sure!
I'll admit I don't give her tummy time as much as I should she either hates it and screams till I pick her up or she rolls over so much it scares me (belly to back). Even though she doesn't like it much she always uses her arms to raise her chest and looks all around prob in attempts to catch Moms eye so she can get picked up.
Teething?!? I'm not sure what's going on lately. She has started vigorously gnawing on her fist as of late, completely on her right side of the mouth, she randomly chews the heck out of the pacifier the last couple days which is so weird because as I said before we have used it very little in the past month.
Poking herself in the eye. Her hands get a little crazy sometimes when she is playing and when they go right for her eye it is terrible, she does a shocked little jerk and screams in pain. (It is kinda horrible but I laugh every time.)

FAVORITES
I love Piper's
I love when she sticks her whole fist in her mouth and smiles with that full mouth.
I love her after nursing face, full bellied, fast asleep, full lipped and I totally can't resist kissing her full lipped face.
Daddy loves giving her kisses.
Daddy loves Piper's pouty lip.
Daddy LOVES getting spit up on... NOT! He absolutely hates it and is a total baby about it. But truth be told he says she's getting worse but all day long she seems like she's getting a little better; maybe Daddy just has special evil spit up powers he doesn't even know about.
Connor loves her burps and poops...?!?
Bella loves Piper's clean smell (after bath), she also loves helping put lotion on her and feeding her the bottle. Anything she can actively do or is prompted to do she is game for a bit.
Sydney loves singing Happy Birthday to Piper's nose/cheeks/eyes; "Happy birthday Pipers nose happy birthday to you happy birthday pipers nose your cute too".
Sydney loves telling me everything about Piper is cute; "Look Mom she smiled at me its cute. Look Mom Piper's toes cute. Look mom she looked at me aww so cute. Look Mom Piper's tongue is cute." and on and on it goes in the best big sister ever kind of way.

REALITY

Reality is bombarding Dad when he gets home.

 Reality is far too many family movie nights.

Reality is trying to convince baby that baths are a good thing and not some evil satanic ritual.

Reality is counting the minutes till bedtime and then feeling so eternally grateful for all the crazy they bring to your life that you want to burst.

Reality is underwear on your head never gets old.

Reality is watching your daughter count baby toes and melting just a little.

Reality is dandelion blowing is a sport; followed closely by dandelion picking, dandelion smashing, dandelion accidental consumption, yellow dandelion smelling and lip smearing!

Reality is feeling so proud I beam when I am out shopping with all three girls; not just because they are awesome but because I take a little hard earned credit too!

Reality is throwing tantrums in the car, involving; screaming, hair pulling, shoe throwing, head banging, dancing(who can resist a good song on the radio?), undressing, and then flat out moaning as she succumbs to the thumb. Waiting in the Car Rider Line for Connor Stinks!

Reality is literally sending prayers of gratitude for swaddlers, the only way I she sleeps.

 Reality is jumping on the bed post baths.

Reality is tongues stick out way too often.

Reality is never letting your two year old dress herself.

 
Reality is losing track of time doing chores, so your daughter decides to make you lunch, "here lunch for you you hungry me too".

 Reality is finding a pirate trying on your heals in the closet.

Reality is the card section is way too alluring to these two.

Reality is, who said hair should only be washed once, twice, or thrice a day?

Reality is falling madly in love with her multiple times a day.

Reality is this boy is the oldest and goes to school so he knows all or so he thinks.

Reality is "In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." // Gordon B. Hinckley

Thai and Shades

Our first date night since Piper was born.

"How adventurous are you feeling Shea?

Pretty adventurous.

Thai or Peruvian?

Peruvian? Interesting.... I could do Thai.

Thai it is."

Discovering a new place and trying something new is kind of my favorite thing.

And so is eating so this was kind of perfect.

Super cute urban vibe Thai Kitchen. We loved the Kittawat Fritters (Assortment of crispy rolls, sesame tofu, shrimp parcels and fried dumplings w/ peanut sweet chili sauce), and the Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles); but weren't huge on the Kuay Tiao Ruah (Boat Noodles). Definitely want to try again already so much looked good to me! And Shea was a great sport like always, this isn't really his thing but he admits when he discovers new things he loves like the Drunken Noodles it makes him really open up and want to do it again!

Since we both needed shades we also had fun doing a little shopping for some!

Can't get enough of this guy.

Boys Night VS Girls Night

Woods, chopping with an axe, fire, tin foil dinners, smores, burning marshmallows, burning sticks, burning leaves and leaves and leaves, stars, watching Lord of the Rings in the Tent, sleeping in a tent, waking to rain, splashing in mud puddles, watching Dad pack up and meeting Mom and the girls at Dunkin Donuts; 

"Camping with Dad is the BEST, when can we go again?!?!" -Connor

Packing

"no Dad this isn't cool"

"no not like this Dad"

"This is cool Dad."

"STOP taking pictures for MOM"

Ever since Shea heard about the Father/Son Camp out at church about a month ago, Shea has been talking about taking Connor. I wasn't sure if it was going to happen with all the rain we have been having but either way both boys were looking forward to it.
I'll be honest I had my motherly concerns and worried Connor wasn't quite old enough and would freak out sleeping in the dark (he hates the dark). But I kept my worries to myself. And since we hadn't been camping in years and never had bought our own gear, we bought a few essentials and with every passing day that week both boys were itching for Friday to come!
Of course when Friday came it took forever to get out the door (future reference even for trips Mom's not going on Mom packs everything and should know where everything is... what was I thinking), but they made it nearly forgetting pillows but Mom thinks of everything so the day was saved. Shea very sweetly invited, my brother Joseph, along too! My family was never much into camping so we did a little but not a lot. I loved it as a kid though, as a Mom its a lot of prep and clean up, so I don't blame my family at all for not going more. We actually hope to get some gear for the family and make a family camping trip each year... I love trips so I hope we make it happen.
All in all Connor's first Father/Son Camp Out was a grand success. He loved every minute of it and did a great job listening. He was a happy camper for sure, even when things got a little wet at 4 am due to the rain. He can't wait to go again already!

.........................................................................................

Ice cream with pink sprinkles, watching Tangled, playing games, hair and bows and bows and bows, doing our own nails by OURSELVES, dancing to Tangled, playing games, singing GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, snuggling with Mom in her bed, falling asleep to Tinkerbell; 

"Can we do this every night Mom?" -Bella

I promised the girls that while the boys were away the girls would play, so we had a girls night. I planned to do a little more but we made it work with a night in, I had a migraine beginning and it wasn't getting pretty so I did my best to entertain and make these beautiful girls happy while I sat on the couch trying not to count the minutes till bedtime so I could take my med. In the end they never realized Mom was in pain, maybe they thought I was a bit lazy but hey independence for the win and bed without clean up and they were in heaven. It wasn't even that extravagant and she literally was begging for the boys to never come home just so we could have more Girls Nights. I can't wait to make Girls Night a tradition when the boys go off for scouting camping trips and things (I'm making Shea go with Connor on all the overnight trips, I've heard horror stories). Bella has seriously asked every day since to have another Girls Night, I love my little girls!