Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!

We had a nephew's third birthday party today that included a train ride.  I just had to share how cute the kids were on the ride! :)

As we were all attempting to eat dinner, it was chaos.  Five adults wrangling six kids and finishing dinner led to lots of "time for dinner"s.  Sam waited patiently at the table for several minutes before loudly saying, "AMEN!"  There were several doubled over adults.  Funny boy.

Bedtime

Without fail, each night after we put the kids in bed, Sam will come out of his room and call down the stairway, "I'm scared, Mama."  Since I'm feeding Lydia, Roy gets to go up and put him back in bed and talk about not being scared.  On a side note, I don't really think he's scared of anything...he just wants to get out of bed.  Roy wasn't home tonight so the honor of putting Sam back in bed was mine.  When I got up there, Abby explained that she had taught Sam to say a prayer if he got scared, but he was still scared.  I handed each kid the teddy bear they got from Bedstemor (my grandma) when they were born and told them it was their brave bear.  If they got scared, they could say a prayer and hug their bear.  Five minutes after I got back downstairs, Sam called down the stairs again.  I reminded him about not needing to be scared and he could hug his bear.  His response was, "Bear go night-night, Mama!"

He has really reached this hilarious stage and cracks me up all the time.  The great thing is that most of the time the humor is intentional.  Love it!

Family Time!

Sam is so funny.  I seriously love watching him as he plays and love listening while he talks because he is just so funny.  A couple weeks ago, I told the kids that they had done such a great job eating lunch that they got a cookie (not normal at our house).  Sam held out both hands and said, "One, two?"  Sad for me that I can't resist that huge smile and the two hands.  What can I say...I'm a sucker for my boy!  It's so fun to watch him grow up and show off how strong he is at the playground by swinging from bars, hear him count his cars or animals, and go up to strangers to say hi and tell them some random information about his monster truck, ball, or stick he is holding.  Love him!

Abby gave a talk in Primary today and did awesome.  I'm so proud of how much she understands and remembers.  Sometimes, though, it doesn't work out so well with what she remembers because it gets me in trouble. :)  Yesterday as we were leaving the zoo, Abby declared, "I want to be an eagle scientist when I grow up!"  Roy was a little panicked and said, "You want to be what?"  Now, if you say it really fast in a 4-year-old voice, you'll understand that Roy heard "evil" scientist.  Abby thought it was so funny. :)  She is so happy and friendly, has 200% enthusiasm, and is incredibly creative and imaginative.  I love her!

Lydia, my perfect angel baby, has us all wrapped around her finger.  All she has to do is breath and she has a sibling at her side demanding she be fed, changed, or cuddled.  Seriously, the siblings adore her.  She is a cuddle bug and is growing up so fast.  I feel so spoiled by her!


We went to the zoo yesterday and enjoyed some turtles,

snakes,

gorillas,

turtles,

and more turtles.

(Okay, maybe the last two are tortoises, but we are obsessed with turtles and I had to stick with the theme.) 

So, It's Been a While

See that look of "I don't quite trust you"?  It reminds me a lot of the picture at the end of this post.  Doesn't Sam look so grown up now?  I can hardly believe how big he is!

On an unrelated to any picture side note, the other day Sam was in the rocking chair and Abby climbed in.  Wanting to be alone, Sam told Abby to get out.  When she didn't comply, he said in a very commanding voice, "5-4-3-2-1".  We all cracked up laughing and, needless to say, Sam counts backward from 5 much more often now.  As frustrating as 2 is, I sure love the animated 2-year-old I have!

All three kids have worn the pajamas pictured above and below.  It's funny how a pair of pajamas can bring back so many memories of cuddling, poo-throughs, happy and sad tummy times, and those moments when you and your baby stare at each other and you wonder how you got to be so blessed.

Sam spends a lot of time with Dad and technology.  The best times for him are when he can combine those favorite activities:

My girls!  Now that Lydia smiles more, she often smiles at Abby.  They are going to be such great friends!

Speaking of good friends, Abby and Sam are closer than ever.  And I love it!

Zwahlen Trio

We spent half the week in recovery mode and the other half making up for it. :)  Sam was sick so we all stayed home watching movies, reading books, doing art, and waiting for him to get better.  It was a long few days. :)  A big chunk of our mornings were spent in pajamas...

...but luckily we had the additional excuse to stay in pjs to cuddle a baby who is starting to come into her own with a nice schedule and great sleep habits.  She plays with her tongue (love it!) and is so patient with her loud, loving siblings.

I have a picture of Abby wearing this same onesie...love to remember Abby (below) as a baby when I dress Lydia in the same clothes!

 I remember seeing pictures of my grandpa holding a baby while they were asleep (it was probably a grandbaby, but I'm not sure) and I think of that snapshot every time I see Roy holding one of our little ones.  And I just can't help but take a picture!

I braved church today.  As we were leaving the parking lot, I wanted to shout, "I DID IT!" just like Sam yells when he accomplishes just about anything.  Going to church is not a big deal, but being the solo parent at church with three is (Roy is out of town and I'm hoping for a gigantic load of chocolate to come home with him along with a big, long nap).  I had help from several people so that was my saving grace.  But I had to take a picture of my trio all dressed up.  If you look closely, you'll see that the older two are shoving Whoppers in their mouths.  Bribery is becoming more a part of our lives. :)

And here are my girls!

2 Week Recap

Lydia has made a very smooth transition into our family.  It's like we've never been without her because it's so natural to have her around.  She doesn't really seem to mind the extra noise and attention of her siblings and has done great sleeping at night.  We love this little lady!

My last pregnant picture, taken 2 days before Lydia was born.

Lydia and I were able to come home after almost 2 days at the hospital, which happened to be my birthday. I got birthday wishes from all sorts of hospital staff who were coming in doing discharge things and asked the typical questions of name and birthday to verify they had my information.  It threw several of them off for me to say that day's date. :)

We were very ready to get home to these fun kids, who have done a great job transitioning to a new baby in the house and Sam in the role as big brother.  This was taken about 5 minutes after walking in the door from the hospital.  The proximity of Abby and Sam to Lydia in the picture is pretty typical of every minute, every day.

My mom (aka Mor Mor, aka Poopsie, aka Generic Mama) flew out on the day Lydia was born and was here almost 2 weeks.  She did fun activities with Abby and Sam, did laundry, held Lydia, cleaned and cooked, worked on sewing projects, and let me take naps.  It was so nice to have her here and for the help!

Roy loves sitting like this with his three musketeers.  

We feel very blessed that Lydia is such a delightful baby and that Abby and Sam have done so well adjusting to her.

Kid Pictures

Our talented friend, Song, took these pictures of our three angels yesterday.  Aren't they cute?

For more pictures, visit Song's blog: http://songbirdportraits.blogspot.com/2012/04/lydia-jane.html