Meet the new guy

Meeting Jeb for the first time brought on feelings of relief, joy and surprise. I actually remember having these thoughts in this exact order. We have a healthy (phew!), baby (hooray!), boy (what?!). Jeb Edgar Barnes was born at 8:11 am weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and measured 21 inches in length. He is now 3 weeks old, but we are still getting to know him. For now, we've figured out that he resembles both our kids, but favors Miles a little more. He likes to eat, sleep and be bounced. He does not enjoy being poked in the eye by little curious fingers, but loves being read to by Piper (not me because, ain't nobody got time for that. Right, Christa?).
On other news, Piper started kindergarten 2 weeks ago. She really seems to like it, but has a rather short memory. Most of our conversations go like this:
"Piper, I missed you! How was your day?"
"It was great!"
"What did you do?"
"Oh... I don't remember"
Yep, It's kind of a let down. However, her teacher keeps us updated with the basics, so we can ask questions that will jump start her memory. Without a busing system, we have to get Piper to school by 8 am, and pick her up when school lets out. Our days and nights have suddenly become very busy and I'm realizing that this is just the beginning of being very busy. This is my favorite line from one of  Piper's books, Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown. Lucille Beatrice Bear: "I guess children do make terrible pets" Mother Bear: "They really are the worst." It's a good read and it may be true for bears, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Pool Party

Piper requested a pool party for her 5th birthday. We don't have a pool, so this presented a challenge. We ended up borrowing cousins Luke and Julia's giant inflatable water slide and filling a large kiddi pool. It went well and all the kids had a grand, wet time. The day was followed by a requested bonfire to include s'more making and firefly catching. Piper selflessly (or perhaps obliviously) shared her party with cousin Kaitlin who turned 2. I think it was a success in that no child was bored, all were sugared up and at least ours were well worn out days afterward.

Shake it out

Miles has a wide range of moves, he can tap in to The Beatles, Passion Pit, The Killers, to our discouragement Train and even breaks off some Carly Rae Jepsen. This is what happens...

 

Progress

Although it feels like our house will be in "the works" for a very long time, its nice to see some progress here and there. Broc and his dad have been hauling rear to finish the floors in the kitchen/dining/family room before Piper's 5th Birthday party. They did it! These photos were taken shortly after having been sanded, but they are now complete with varnish. I look forward to revealing before and after shots, but as you can see there is still much to be done. While this room remains fairly empty, the kids have enjoyed it as a personal gymnasium. It currently serves as a space for dancing, riding cars and bouncing balls.

Happy Fathers Day?

I decided to gift Broc some Tigers tickets for father's day. For the most part it was a fun experience, but my poor planning put us in direct sunlight on a 90 degree day. The kids and I spent a lot of time walking around the stadium and slurping cold beverages. Nevertheless I wanted to celebrate my husband for being such a wonderful father. Piper and Miles can't get enough Dad and it shows. He is loving, encouraging, hands on, and never short of a goofy, silly, tickle monster good time. I picked a good egg, that one.

 

garden

I felt a bit silly the other morning trying to banish bunnies from our garden, like Mr. McGregor stomping around in my slippers. With much help from the grandparents, we have a nice sized vegetable and herb Garden right outside our family room window. Anytime we go out to water and tend to our plants, Piper picks a few sprigs of mint and basil to munch on. She's a bit of a bunny herself now. Miles has little interest in vegetables (unless hidden in spaghetti and meat sauce), so he will quickly turn away from anything green I offer. I'm hopping some of Piper will rub off on him, but I think he'd prefer it if we raised cattle for slaughter. He's a meat loving man. After having Miles, I'm beginning to see the weight of nature over nurture. Many things cannot be taught, like his OBSESSION with automobiles or his outgoing personality. By Gods design he is so different from Piper and I am so blessed to have them both. It makes me wonder what's coming next. Our new little person will be here in 9 short weeks. In fact, our scheduled c-section is set for August 26th. Yikes! 

Brownies

Our kitchen is on it's way, but with chunks of missing drywall and the development of a new pantry, there's stuff everywhere. Piper and I haven't spent much time together in the kitchen these past several months, but we decided to make it happen today. We had everything on hand for a single batch of brownies, thank goodness. Miles doesn't do much baking yet, but you know he reaps the benefits because he rarely leaves the table without food in his hair.