What plan?

David and I thought we had a pretty good plan to have Nikki take some pics on the little beach here and give our Moms each a good one of the kids for Mother's Day. They both seem to love pictures of the kids and so we thought it would be great.
Once again I was reminded that as much as I may plan (which my Mom and sister are probably cracking up at- as they are even bigger and better planners than me!), I am not ultimately in control of what will become of that plan....
We had to reschedule the photo shoot once because the kids were sick. Nikki was nice enough to squeeze us in before her family trip so that we would for sure have the pictures ready for Mother's Day. The day came, and it was a BEAUTIFUL day. I thought, "Yes! Everything is going according to my plan!"
Then, hiccup one - Lila and Bennett chose this day to take an e x t r a long nap. I had to WAKE them up at 4 to be to the location on time.
Hiccup two - Elise falls dead asleep in the car on the way there. Whenever this happens she is always pure joy when she is woken up. Ha.Ha.
Hiccup three- Bennett is having a kind of bad hair day.
Hiccup four- Lila is in a HORRIBLE mood and screams hysterically every time I put her down on the sand. As if I were putting her down on hot coals. Umm....not so much of a great "plan" at this point.
Luckily, Nikki is both a Mom, and a good friend, and she was sooo patient with the kids. And, especially considering the circumstances, I think the pictures are beautiful. But, with the MAJOR lack of cooperation we weren't able to get one spectacular pic of the three of them together- as we hoped.
So, I guess we'll have to go to plan B. Or C. Or D.

Here are some of my favorites:

I wasn't planning on being in the pictures, but this one makes me laugh so much because it really captured what was going on that afternoon!

Nikki was cracking up (I swear she is a nice lady!!)-- she just knows Lila, and that she is a drama queen (and a spunky, funny, nurturing, cute little thing-- got to defend my girlie), and so she kept shooting pictures of her meltdowns....Glad I have proof!!!!

On another note, thought I would share Elise's lastest quote of the day. She was doing her usual routine of trying to talk us out of bedtime last night and we finally just had to put her in her room until we finished putting Lila and Bennett down. As I was walking out of her door she flung her hands up to face and screamed, "This CANNOT be happening to me!!" and then dramatically flung herself on to the bed. I swear she may win an Oscar one day.

Night, Night! Got to go catch up on Idol and get the house ready for another showing tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed for us!).

Love, Nic

Can you say crawfish?

Our annual family (Easter) crawfish boil was a blast as always...Uncle Steve and Jeff were the crawfish chefs for the day, and as usual my Mom made about 15 of her best desserts!
Elise was fascinated with the live crawfish...



Bennett (surprise, surprise) loved chasing them with his bat!



Bennett and Grandpa Roland (a.k.a. PaPa Rollin) hanging out....




Little cutie pie...



Lila with her two favorite Aunts!!

Taking a walk to see the turtles with Steph...

Was pretty hot on Saturday, so we decided it was the perfect time to bust out the baby pool!

The kids had a BLAST!! Especially Lila, she would still be swimming if we would let her!!

Elise posing for the camera...

Think it is time for a bigger pool?

The "little kids" (as Elise calls them)...(I love how Lila's belly is hanging over her bathing suit!!)

Bennett would drop the football into the pool and make a splash...this absolutely cracked Lila up...they were having such a good time!

Time for a swing in the hammock...Erinn and Jared brought the girls the cute little cover-ups from their Mexican honeymoon...so cute!

Most of the family gathered around the table chatting...

Bennett taking a rest on Steph's shoulder...I really thought he was going to fall asleep he looked so comfortable!

So, as you can, it was a fun, full day! I was really glad the kids got to spend a lot of time with all of the family and especially with my cousins (although Brad wasn't able to come into town)...usually at holidays everyone is (understandably) pulled in several directions and the visits end up being pretty short...but Saturday we really just hung out, grazed on good food, enjoyed the weather, and spent the day together....it was so nice!

Lots of "F"s

Our fun, fabulous, family-filled, food-focused, sometimes frantic weekend was kicked off Friday with the free music Friday at the trailhead. Monique and Phillip flew in Friday afternoon and the kids and I met up with them and went to grab a bite to eat (David would have to meet up with us later..he had depo's out of town)...then we headed to the concert...



Lila watching the band...



Bennett dancing....



Elise laying on my lap listening to the music....



Lila and Bennett braving the dance floor!

Fun, fun! I am hoping Mo will come through with some better pics...I unfortunately ended up spending a good 30 minutes in line for a snoball for Elise (they seriously need more than one sweet lady making snoballs. I mean, we live in Louisiana- it it HOT!). She was dying for one (and I don't blame her a bit!)...so I kind of slacked in the picture area...But, I know Mo got some good ones...
It was a little stressful keeping up with all three in such a wide open area, but with all of the extra hands we did all right. We were thrilled to also run into lots of friends and hope it is something we can do again!
Lots more to post about the weekend, but I am too tired to do so...time for "nite-nite"....
Be back tomorrow!
Goodnight!
Nicole

Highlight of my day so far...

For some reason this picture brings tears to my eyes. I don't know why. Just something so simple. I took L & B to the grocery store this morning and they were "driving" their most favorite car/cart. Every once in a while she would just lean over and hug him. It was sooooo sweet. I finally got my phone out and ready, so that I could capture it if it happened again. And, yea!, it did....
They were such good sports today as they were shuttled around to and fro and as our big plans for a bike ride in this BEAUTIFUL weather had to be put aside because we (thankfully) had some more "lookers" that wanted to see the house last minute. Things have been very busy in that area and so I am hopeful that that means that this adventure will be coming to an end soon...Looking forward to concentrating a little more on my children and a little less on keeping the house clean as a whistle!
Anyway, two posts in a day, I know...but this picture was too sweet not to share!


The kids are counting down the days til Aunt Mo and Phillip get here!!!

Happy Tuesday!
Nicole

Buckle

L & B are obsessed with buckles. Especially Lila...I don't even know when she does it, but every buckle in the house (and car) is always buckled. Quite fun for me since this means I have to unbuckle everything before I can put a child in! Oh...and if I DARE buckle her and don't let her do it herself....watch out! That temper!!

Above you can see her right before bed last night making sure the high chairs are all buckled before she heads upstairs....

I really think they just like saying the word "buckle"...the added touch is that they chant it the whole time they are buckling...

Who needs toys???

Quirky, fun, little ones!

Time Out

Bennett spent a lot of time in time out today. He is definitely testing the waters with hitting, throwing, biting, and pulling hair. Actually, they both are....Whew! Time out in the corner just wasn't cutting it. I couldn't get him to stay there, and ended up spending too much time bringing him back to the time out. Most books suggest you do that (repeatedly put them back), but I'm sorry- that is SO not realistic with two (and today three) other kids to watch!!! Plus, I realized that all of the attention (although negative) I was giving the one I kept walking back to the corner was causing the other ones to act up in order to get the focus back onto them. It was very counter-productive. So, today I turned a high chair into time out so that I could buckle them (yes, Lila had a few turns too) and then set the oven timer for 2 minutes. He definitely isn't "cured", but having to watch his sisters play while being strapped in the high chair was not fun for him. By the end of the day (after about 5 time outs), when I threatened it, he stopped his bad behavior. Maybe I am getting somewhere?



Ella spent the day with us and the girls had sooo much fun! I love listening to their little conversations and hearing all of the imaginative things they come up with! They mostly played with their babies the whole day (while dressed in extra fancy dresses!), but also spent some time pushing each other on the swings (so adorable) and doing art projex (that's how Elise says it, and it cracks us up!)....

At one point they were "going to the grocery, then to play football......"

So, so cute and fun! Having her here was actually quite the help...when the little ones were napping Elise was so content that I was able to get some ironing done! Yippee!!

I also got to catch up with one of my oldest friends, Janelle, today. She was in town for the first time in years for her Dad's birthday, and I am so glad she came by. Even though we just stood in the kitchen and chatted (while I ironed) it was SOOO much fun. It was great to see her and spend time with her....I was so glad to introduce Elise to her (little ones missed out b/c they were napping!). Maybe I'll make it to Louisville one day!

Things are quite stressful in the house department but I think I'll save that for another day....I know in the end it will all be ok....plus, it is way more fun to focus on the important things- like our cute, healthy, time-out needing kiddos!

Nite-Nite.

Nic

A little fever won't slow us down...

Last night after we put Lila and Bennett down, David and I let Elise stay up so that we could work on some eggs together...We had lots of fun and, although our eggs did not have the exact sparkly look we were going for, they looked great and it was a fun activity!



The Easter bunny did visit our house last night! Luckily, he likes to bring bathing suits, and that is a great way to kick off the summer! The kids also got funky plates with their names on them (they are running out of room on those "baby" plates), a chocolate bunny, and a pez dispenser each. What lucky kiddos!



As you can see below, Elise is QUITE excited about her fancy new bathing suit...This was her about 5 minutes after she found it!



After MUCH discussion, we convinced her that this was not an appropriate outfit for Easter church and so she changed into her Easter dress and off she went with her Daddy. I am so sad that I didn't get a picture, as Elise looked precious and David looked super spiffy in his seersucker suit. Things were just a little hectic at that time and I unfortunately let the moment get away....
Meanwhile, I decided to fore go the Easter outfits (didn't exactly know how well silk and snot would mix- gross, but true!) and got the kids dressed in some other spring clothes in order to go over to my parents house.
They love to play peek-a-boo from behind our curtains these days, and while on a motrin "high" they had fun doing so....





"ta-daaa!" "Happy Easter!"



Our family lately tends to plan the "dinnertime" for around 1 o'clock....(hmmm...I wonder if this could have anything to do with the fact that that is the exact time that the dynamic duo go down for their naps??!!)
So, we put Lila down in the crib, Bennett in the pack-n-play in the room with her, and Elise on the floor in my parents' room on her favorite sleeping bag (like THAT was going to last)....
After about 10 minutes Lila's usual singing began to escalate into more of a scream and so David went up to check on her. (They aren't the greatest about sleeping other places. Probably because they do it so infrequently...and combine that with the inability to breathe...and you get the idea...anyway...)
Below, you will see what he found. And I am so happy that he did just what I would have done! Rather than laying the poor baby down, he called me for the camera!!!!! This, to us, was totally hysterical.




Poor Bennett. Sleeping SITTING UP in the pack and play!!
So, we decided (after he caught enough on tape) to let poor Bennett get some much needed rest and let hysterical Lila come down and go just where she wanted- SuSu's lap!



Not too many minutes later Elise followed and decided to have her "quiet time" next to Uncle Jared.



After Bennett woke up, we decided to try to fit in a quick Easter Egg hunt before the severe weather that was headed this way got here....They had a blast!






Elise thought it was hilarious that David "hid" an egg on his head...she kept talking about it after...



Then we headed back inside and Elise convinced Mimi to play not only Candyland, but Hello Kitty bingo with her!



So, despite the droopy little ones, we had a great day spent with family. The kids loved having both sets of Great Grandparents around...I did have them keep their distance for fear of getting them sick...So, I wasn't able to get any good pictures...
We are looking forward to our annual crawfish boil in a few weeks when Aunt Mo and Phillip will get to be here as well.
Because it appeared that David would have been driving for 6 hours in horrible weather including hail and possible tornadoes, I am very thankful that he made the hard decision not to got to Lake Charles for the wake tonight. I know he felt that he should be there, and was looking forward to seeing family and friends, but I do think that he made the best decision considering the situation. On a selfish note I know I would have been worried sick all night.
So, I think we will head to bed ourselves to catch up on our sleep. We are hopeful they will be able to get some rest tonight...David and I were both saying that the past few nights have been reminiscent of when they were babies. Up every two or so hours....funny how you forget! But, no matter how the night goes, we are so thankful today and every day for all three of our precious gifts from God!

Super Droopy Easter

Our children have a knack for getting sick around Holidays. Will have to double check my blog, but I think they have been sick for all of the major ones in the last calendar year....Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and now Easter. Bennett's been running fever since Wednesday afternoon and Lila started with it last night. Poor babies. We feel so bad for them...I know not everything needs to be medicated, but it is so frustrating that there is really nothing (other than motrin and a humidifier) that we can do to at least help them get some sleep! They are so exhausted.....
I am super sad that we will not be able to attend Easter Church together as a family, but there is no way that we should bring L and B out and expose them to other children....So, we will definitely be having a low key day. On a superficial note, I am glad I dressed all of the munchkins in their Easter gear for the Bunny breakfast so that the pretty dresses and jon jon didn't go to waste! Who knows, maybe I'll still put my sick little chick-a-dees in their Easter attire to go over to my parents house anyway.....
Our measly little sickness, though, has been put into perspective because David learned yesterday that his second cousin Bob passed away on Friday. He will be leaving tomorrow after lunch to go to the visitation. He was such a sweet man, and although we had not seen him in a few years, we definitely remember the time we spent with him, and his wife Louise, especially during the short time we live in Lake Charles. They were an outstanding couple! Bob's wife and children are definitely in our thoughts and prayers....

Hope everyone has a very Blessed Easter!
Goodnight!
Nicole

They are trickling in...

I can relate a lot to Kate's post from this morning....

It has definitely been one of those weeks where the days are just getting away from me...I know things will slow down next week with Spring Break and I am looking forward to that! I am so THRILLED to have a few more pictures of the kids from Jared and Erinn's wedding...I hope more trickle in...

We closed on the "new" house this afternoon and right now David and I (I think I can speak for him) are feeling about 150 emotions...mostly grateful, thrilled, thankful, excited, and optimistic...but admittedly a little nervous and scared...we are very hopeful that our current house will sell soon, which would be a huge relief!

Bennett is a little under the weather..running a pretty high temp...but luckily, with his laid back personality, he only really seems "sick" when it is time for another dose of motrin.

My Mom came today to babysit for both the closing and Elise's school Easter party- thanks Mom!!! I was on the "committee" for the party, and had a blast spending time in her classroom. She is blessed with such sweet, nurturing, and caring teachers, and her classmates are adorable! I am still feeling a little guilty that I brought store bought cookies rather than baking home-made (as I had planned), but things like houses on the market and sick babies got the best of me! Oh well, the three year olds didn't seem to notice! Thank goodness for Mandeville Bake Shop!

Playing Games...

With the Easter bonnet she made...

Her sweet class!

Hope everyone had a great week and that everyone has a very Blessed Easter weekend.

Love, Nicole