Me At Nya's Age

Thank you for answering my question in the last post about how often you and your partner are in contact throughout the day.  I think it is more professionally based than anything!  Gary really doesn't have time to text/call/email me as he's teaching all day.  Let's be honest, if you are Gary's friend, you know that is not his strength.  At all.

I told him he could get an iPhone but he said he didn't want to be able to text with me:)  I think he's scared I'd ask him to do a million errands on the way home or something.  I know I can always contact him in an emergency if I call the school but we are trying to figure out the best way to stay a bit more connected during the day because I need it.  

Here is a picture of me at Nya's age.  I look like a mix of Nya and Georgie.  Nya's head is thinner and she has a cuter nose but man, we tie for baldness!  She has my smile though:)

Today Isaac was over and it was wet but we still explored.  Kai and Koen went to Gary's parents overnight (Yahoo!!!!  Missed them but so nice to have a break!  They do it about 2-3x a year) so I just had the two little kids! They are soooo easy together!  If Nya was a twin, I wish it would be with Isaac:)  He is very gentle and sensitive.  When I said `NO!' to Nya, Isaac started crying!  So sweet.

Isaac: Water! Water!

Nya is so cute and tries to pick up water with a pincer grasp.

 Wait up Isaac!  He's a runner.

A walk is more about the journey.  Fun things to jump on that make a cool sound.  Isaac is 4 months older and about 2 inches and 10 lbs heavier than Nya :)

And the park is in sight! Off they go....

So great to spend some time with Isaac and get to know him better.  I could never do daycare full time but I do enjoy doing it once in a while...for one kid :)

And the boys.  This trampoline has been sooooo well used.  Always a different game going on.

Too cute! Buddies!

By the way, I've been having smoothies for breakfast every day for 5 days and have tripled my fruit and veggie intake (it was really terrible before), feel way healthier, and lost 2-3 lbs.  Just saying! Ha, I sound like an infomercial.  Koen LOVES infomercials:)

HOpe you are having a good week!

Love, Louise

Thankful

There have been quite a few hospital stays for my family over the past couple of years but I think it's hardest to see the kids in there :(  Last week, Isaac spent three nights there due to dehydration from bacterial and viral tonsillitis   Poor bubba.  My sister blogged about it here.

He was in isolation so when I went to see him, I stayed far away.  He liked it when I danced though, so I did.

Today he came over for a little play date and he's walking!  Nya pushed him around on the car and all was well.  So glad to see him back to normal!  

Thankful for an awesome medical system.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love, Louise

Babies

Picture taken by my sister Maria.  We had our weekly playdate and rarely are all the 5 kids up at the same time:)  Aren't they cute? They were so confused as we were jumping around singing `If You're Happy And You Know It' so that Isaac and Hannah would be okay laying down.  The two oldest are crawling now and Jack is rolling.  It's going to get reeeeeeeaaaaally crazy soon:) 

I love having 5 babies around the same age.  I wish we could do it all over again.  Sort of:)

Backsplash and Desserts

We saw `The Lorax' yesterday and the kids enjoyed it. We went to the Clova so it was just $15.00 for our whole family:) Koen thought the Lorax was cute and Kai laughed throughout the movie. It was good, the kids give it an 8/10. Oh ya, Koen kept calling me the `Lobster' last night and we realized he thought that was the name of the Once-ler.

{Above is the old backsplash in the messy looking kitchen, below is the new backsplash in a still messy kitchen}

Gary is almost done the back splash, he just has to seal it one more time. Next week we have someone coming by to give us an estimate on refacing our cupboards (they just replace the doors and put a veneer on the side to match rather than replacing the cupboards). It does seem ridiculous to spend big money on aesthetics rather than functionality but the orange looking cupboards do drive me nuts. We love our house and if we can put money into it to make it just how we want it then we save a ton of money not moving. I wish we had done the upgrades when we first purchased our home but we were just married, it was our first home and I was too scared to put even more money into upgrades, even though we were approved by the bank to spend much more:)

Koen can play all day long by himself. He makes up his own rules and plays for me, Kai, Gary and even his baby sister. Baby sister (in utero) has won several games already!

We are just prepping for our `big trip' to the island and looking forward to it! I am so incredibly tired so I'm taking Palafer (iron). I do feel very, very good physically so that is awesome. I totally credit prenatal yoga. We have our maternity/family photo session on Monday so I'm just hoping the weather is decent for that day. I'm also hoping the kids keep their faces injury free for just a few more days:)

{Playing with the 85mm a bit...man, I've never struggled so much with a lens before. I want to fall in love with it so I will persist.}

The kids are driving Gary and I a bit crazy so I'm hoping they will tire themselves out while we are on holidays. It doesn't help that we've had snow/rain every day.

We babysat Isaac for a couple of hours last night. I love him but it reminded me how evenings (or really any part of the day) will not be free anymore in just 10 short weeks. I am soaking up my selfishness now. Free time to do as I wish. With the boys being 3 and 5, it's just so easy as they really take care of themselves most of the day. I'm a bit nervous:) I'm very thankful that I have the entire month of June to just focus on baby and the boys and then have very limited bookings after that.

Baby girl is definitely craving desserts. Every night I want to have something homemade that involves chocolate. I don't do it every night but I want to:) These two minute brownies in a mug desserts are perfect! What else do I crave? Some awesome homemade mousse, banana cream pie, cupcakes with lemon frosting....oh man, so good. I don't want to waste the calories on store bought stuff and I don't have tons of energy to bake so fortunately I don't end up eating it very often. Oh, and whipped cream. It makes everything better. I've gained 22lbs so far which is pretty much on track with my weight gain with Koen. I'm still exercising daily so that's good too.

Well, better get to the laundry so I can pack our suitcases!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love, Louise

Friday Night Without Kids

Life around here has been good. Gary and I had a wedding on Saturday so we asked his parents if they could take the kids from Friday night until Saturday night. It was great. They are usually able to babysit during weddings, which is awesome, the only thing is that it's an extra 3 hours of driving in the day.

So, what did Gary and I do with our Friday night without the kids? This may sound boring but to us it was fun:) We walked to three different restaurants/stores and picked up sushi, sweet and sour pork and cupcakes. Then, we brought them back home and ate in front of the tv while watching a Criminal Minds episode that we had missed. We went for another walk after that. I LOVE being able to walk and talk without the kiddos. I have always wanted to try the cupcakes from a local cupcake shop and although they were good, they weren't great. I'm a cupcake snob:) Please note that I have actually been eating pretty healthy, that was sort of an, uh, special treat:)

I babysat Hannah for a couple hours on Friday and it was right during her nap time so I didn't get any photos in as she just wanted to nap in peace.

(I wanted to see how white on white looked, I decided I don't really like it.)

I'm 27 weeks! Got all my blood tests back and they are good. Slightly anemic but I'm not taking iron for it because I feel fine. Also, free T4's are out of range but not too much so hopefully thyroid behaves! I don't have Gestational Diabetes so that is good. Baby is transverse and I'm pretty sure she has been the whole time. She just lays horizontally on the bottom of my uterus. There are many inches up top that she is not utilizing so I look forward to her going head down at some point! I have my Langley OB appt on Thursday and if they say no to a VBA2C, I will go to the Better Birth Clinic at Women's and see what they say. Just trying to cover all of my bases. Braxton Hicks are way more frequent with this little one so my uterus is really working out in preparation:)

My dad has always wanted to be a pilot. My mom said he could go for it once the kids were all out of the house. So, he has been taking flying lessons and done a bunch of ground school work and I believe he will be able to fly solo sometime this spring. The kids are not allowed to go up with him even though they really want to (I won't let them!). Way to go, Dad.

There was a freak hail/snow storm yesterday.

Fortunately it wasn't raining/snowing/hailing on Saturday for the wedding we photographed. Unfortunately it was REALLY windy and cold so it made it a bit challenging.

{Hannah and Isaac smiling at about 6 weeks old. They both look like their daddies but you can tell they are cousins!}

This morning was the sisters playdate morning. I had gone to Value Village for the 50% off day first and got Kai a few things (mostly pants as he wears through the knees so quickly).

I should mention the boys current dream jobs:

Kai: be a professional hockey player (or ref) that also works at Subway.

Koen: be a big man that is a swim teacher who also works at McDonalds.

And now, laundry is done, bathrooms clean, dinner is in the slow cooker and I better get to work:) I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Love, Louise

Life Around Here

Quick update:

1. My sciatica is bad. I almost cried two nights ago because I was feeling sorry for myself and I don't ever do that. I have massages booked for the next two weeks. I'm fine if I don't walk more than 5 minutes. Or wash the van. Or do a lot of bending. What does it feel like? It feels like someone is stabbing me in the butt and it just happens whenever it wants to. In the evening it is the worst so I spend a lot of the evenings on the couch. It is really important to me to exercise and normally I LOVE going for walks but that just isn't ideal these days. So, what works well? Deep water aerobics, prenatal yoga and the recumbent bike. I highly recommend them! After the baby is born I'll be normal again, right?!! By the way, if anyone has 2 for 1 Langley adult swim admission coupons they are not using, let me know! That way, my sister and I can each go for $2.50:)

2. Today Jackie and Isaac came by unexpectedly as they were without power. Nice to cuddle with a baby. I bounced on the exercise ball with him in the bjorn...felt good for my sciatic nerve. Koen has a pretty bad cough so he had to stay far away.

{Isaac loves auntie Louise! Brought back some great, and not so great, memories bringing out the bjorn again!}

3. Gary has his last basketball game tonight. Yay!!! The main reason I'm excited is because then my evenings are free to go out if need be. I'm also happy for Gary that he'll have some down time.

4. I had to pay for our business insurance today. I wonder how many photographers have business insurance. It cost over $600.00 for the year. That's a lot. But, when you have a business, your equipment is not covered by house insurance so we don't really have a choice. And also, there's that whole liability thing too.

5. Doing one session per week has been dreamy. I have time to relax, visit with a friend or two, still feel busy enough without getting stressed, keep everything under control at home etc. It's perfect!! So thankful for this job. Not sure how shooting weddings will be with my sciatica but we will see:)

6. Went to Winners today to buy a baby gift and I did check out the baby girl clothes. SO CUTE. I resisted. But, I can't tell you how long I will actually be able to do that for:) No matter what anyone says, girl clothes are 1 billion times cuter.

7. Made something cute for the baby room today! The paint is just drying so I'll have to show you once it's dry and up in the room. Now, to start on the owl mobile. I don't sew anything more than buttons on so this will be a bit of a stretch:)

8. I have an appointment with a Langley OB in 3 weeks to see what her thought on a VBA2C will be. I'm anticipating a big fat `NO' and therefore if she says anything different, I'll be pleasantly surprised. Looking forward to it!

9. I was reading our 2011 photobook with the boys and I have to say that for me, the highlight of every year is when we go on vacation. Last year it was the Oregon Coast and Whistler and Tofino. This year will a lot less exciting but still, I CANNOT WAIT FOR SPRING BREAK!! We'll be spending time in Victoria and Parksville and Green Lake. I love family holiday time. One more month!!

All right, time to get dinner on the go.

Have a wonderful evening.

Love, Louise

Different Kind of Playdate

Gary and I attended a memorial service for our friend's dad yesterday. It was a beautiful service. I always feel so bad for the kids as I know how bittersweet it is. Thankful that their loved one is not suffering anymore, thankful they are in heaven, and thankful for the awesome example of parenting they had. However, it sucks too. As Andrew said, and I've said of my mom, his dad was his biggest fan and supporter. It's tough. Really tough. However, hopefully my kids will see that I am their number one fan and that example that I was given will be passed on.

I am very appreciative of my family and close friends. I know I have a lot of really solid people in my life and I am so thankful. I don't know how to say this but I'm very hesitant to make new friends because I feel like I can't even invest enough in those that I do have. Does that make sense?

So talking about those we are close to, today we had our first sisters playdate with all sisters in attendance and just Kai was at school (Ani is still recovering from her appendectomy). That means 5 mommas and 7 kids (and 3 in utero). The `big kids' just played upstairs and the little ones just got cuddles while the mommas chatted. Good times. We are planning on getting together weekly so we'll see how it goes!

Sami's `cheese' face. She's adorable. And a monkey. I love it. She will be a big sis in April!!!

The `little' ones. With lots of aunties to hold and cuddle them, it was a fuss free time:)

There was a whole lot of kids clothes swapping going on. A whole lot. I think we're all good for a while!

Hannah is about 5 or 6 weeks old now. So strange to be thinking I will be having a girl because it does feel more `normal' to be holding Isaac. I'm just used to lugging around big chunky boys.

Tummy time for two!

I'm thinking that by the time Maria and I have our kids, no one will want to hear anything about diapers or breastfeeding or sleep as our conversations are just saturated with it these days. So thankful for these babies, those inside and out. Praying for health all around.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Love, Louise

PS Did you know Gary is pretty much done basketball after this week?! Yippee!

PPS Kai and Koen are playing together so well these days! They play soccer or football for about an hour every night after dinner. Kai is so incredibly encouraging of Koen (mostly because he knows he has to or Koen won't play with him). This isn't to say that there isn't a lot of contact, because there is, but I love to see them playing sports together:)

Baby Shower and A Great Husband

Today, before the Superbowl, we had a baby shower for Isaac at our house. It went really well (I think) and all three babes in attendance slept almost the whole time.

Below, Jackie is getting a little emotional over the Ergo they were given. They have been utilizing `The Backbreaker' (a terrible carrier) and are excited for some relief:)

Below, Hannah and Isaac. Pretty much the same size and just snoozing away.

I have to say that my husband is pretty awesome. I warned him that I would be bossing him around a bit over the last few days as my hip/butt/sciatica started acting up again. Totally my fault as washing the van was not ideal for my sciatic nerve. But seriously, the van was so dirty. Anyway, back to Gary. So, Gary just went and did everything I asked and then some without complaining. He helped clean the house, shopped for food, prepared the food, took the kids out for 2 hours during the shower, and then came back to clean everything up. He's a pretty great guy, in case you were wondering.

Yay for babies and for great husbands.

Love, Louise

PS Today reminded me why we never have pop or junk food in our house. I indulged and feel disgusting! I have no control over chips or pop. Fortunately my kids don't like pop and they would rather have a bowl full of fruit and veggies:)

Baby Isaac Elliott

Yay!! My sister Jackie, and husband Tyler, welcomed 8lb 8oz Isaac into their lives just before 7am on Sunday. I was just giving them time to inform everyone before blurting out the exciting news myself:)

The plan was for a home birth but after stalling at 8cm for a long time (and a lot of Scrabble playing), they went to the hospital at 1am and got some oxytocin to help out. Just before 7am, after about 3 hours of pushing (I think), and two sleepless nights, out came baby Isaac! It was hard for me to not have a clue what was going on after about 9:30pm so I only slept a few hours that night. There are very few people that I worry about to such a degree but obviously my sisters are way up there. I'm looking forward to getting to know my first Dekens nephew! Isaac, you are loved and auntie Louise is ready for another cuddle soon!

{Koen came with me to the hospital to meet baby Isaac (Gary and Kai were at the bball game) and even asked to hold him. We sang `Happy Birthday' to him. It was cute. Koen will be a great big brother! It was pretty busy with all my sisters in there so we didn't stay long and therefore didn't get many pictures.}

Jackie is recovering well and now my heart can relax for a bit before my next nephew is born in April! The number of boys may even out the girls soon enough. You can read my brother-in-law Tyler's thoughts on it here.

Yay for babies:)