Rub a dub dub...

...This kid loves the tub. Bath time for him would be equivalent to a day at the spa for me. (Not that I have ever experienced that, but I am sure it is pretty darn fabulous.)  With both girls, their first full bath was a screaming nightmare! I thought for sure we were in the middle of an exorcism with the way they screamed as the water touched them. Not my boy! He was in heaven. And so was I. Let's just say the third week was a difficult one with lots of crying so a silent bath was just what we ALL wanted and needed.

They really adore him

Shark bite!

Pray for Oklahoma

Home is where the Army sends us. 

Tom and I always say that to each other and how no matter where we are stationed...as long as we are together, we will be ok.  Home for us for the past 7 years has been Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It's been the second longest place either of us has ever resided in.

My heart is heavy this morning for all of Oklahoma, but especially those hit hardest by the tornado yesterday in Moore. All of those parents waking up and not having their babies to hug. I absolutely can't imagine it. I know I hugged my children a little harder today.

All of the people waking up in a foreign place because their houses have been destroyed. Their family members missing, pets missing, belongings gone. They barely walked away with the shirts on their backs. The few trees left standing were literally debarked. The whole city left in a twisted, tangled mess.

We may joke about not loving Lawton, but one thing has never faltered: the people of Oklahoma have always been good to us. Of all the places I have lived, the people here are the kindest, most genuine. They love their state and have complete pride in being from Oklahoma. I pray they find the strength to get through this disaster. Our hearts are with you.

From the song Oklahoma...pretty fitting right now.

Flowers on the prairie where the June bugs zoom,

                                                         Plen'y of air and plen'y of room,

Plen'y of room to swing a rope!

Plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope.

God Bless You! 

Sam's Second Week

I'm playing catch-up with this post. The second week with Sam was great. We had his newborn photo shoot. We visited Daddy's office so Sam could meet all of the wonderful people who showered him with so much love. He had his two week appointment where we found out he made it back to his birthweight at a whopping 6 lbs 2 oz. The doctor and I had a quick giggle at him being on the 3rd percentile. 3rd! 97% of babies his age are bigger than him. He's so tiny. 

Life returned back to pre-Sam during that week, too. Tom went back to work after having his ten days of paternity leave. I had to start bringing Ella to dance again (I loved when Tom was taking her!), we took trips to the park and the grocery store.  It's amazing how fast you need to be back on your feet again with three kids. There is no true resting period unfortunately. 

All in all, the first two weeks of his life were a breeze. Now, the third week of Sam...whew. I'll have to save that one for another post. 

Visiting Daddy's office...and even though he's on leave, he still had a "little work to do" 

Yay! We finally have a real life baby doll. 

My first "baby" 

What tiiiiimmmme is it?

Indoor picnic lunch in a tent

I truly savor these moments with him. 

He looks so tiny in Tom's arms!

Fudgescicles on the porch!

He's literally as big as Madeline's American Girl baby doll. 

At his 2 week appointment

I had to include this picture so you could see how big the newborn diapers are on him. 

And he's out.  Totally milk drunk.

I feel like he could be throwing out a gang sign here. 

Madeline was Rapunzel for the day

"I think it's safest if I sleep with one eye open" 

Asleep at the park in the Moby. He loves this thing.

Daddy came home for lunch:)

The Pacifier

Every time Sam cries, we try to soothe him. (Obviously) The last resort is the pacifier. Not because I am against pacifiers. I am all about them. But usually we can never find one of the twenty pacifiers we own for him. I mean seriously, how do they all end up underneath furniture in places that I just can't reach?

Madeline, bless her sweet heart, is such a great helper with the baby. 

She starts off easy. "Sam, here's your paci. Shhhhhhhh. Shhhhhhh"

Such determination on her face, huh? 

Totally satisfied with herself as Sam seems to have shut up. Finally. I don't think he had much of a choice;)

Mom's 60th Birthday

That title was hard to even type out. My mom? 60? Say whaaaat? No way. Although I don't even find 60 to be old anymore! I thought about my mom's 60th birthday present since the beginning of last summer. I knew exactly what I wanted to do for her (thanks to Pinterest). I wanted to make it as special as possible and to make her feel as special as possible. She's been an amazing mom to me and my two brothers, an incredible sister to her nine siblings, a loyal friend to many, and the best grandma to her grandbabies. I wanted her to know she is extra loved and adored! 

I contacted family and friends (stalked her facebook to find her very good friends from NY...thank you to them for not thinking I was a crazy person!) and asked them all to mail, email, or message me their favorite memory with my mom. My goal was to collect 60 memories and I surpassed that number. I loved checking our mailbox everyday to find it filled with letters, birthday cards, and pictures. I truly can't thank everyone enough for making this gift her favorite birthday present ever...and for making her 60th birthday the most memorable one to date. She was overwhelmed when she opened the box and couldn't believe people wanted to do this for her. I think she needed a good reminder of just how much everyone loves and cares for her. (We all need that every now and then!) It took her three days to open everything and read through it all. But I loved sharing lots of good cries, laughs, and listening to the memories with her.

I learned a lot about my mom from this gift and in the end, it was a gift for me as well. We now have this box filled with a bit of her history which we can pass down to generations. It's a true treasure for our family. Just how I think of my mom.

The memories started pouring in

The final product!

I always take way too many photos, but these are some of my favorites with the girls and their grandma. Their expressions as she was reading the letters are so adorable and you can tell they love her endlessly.  Happy 60th birthday, Mom.  We ALL love you so very much. 

Tooth Fairy

My Ella had to have two of her bottom teeth pulled. Apparently she has what is called "shark teeth" (where the adult teeth grow in before the baby teeth fall out) hehehehe...every time I hear that expression I seriously laugh. She finds it funny as well so I am allowed to laugh at her teeth problems. Lord knows I will NOT be laughing later on in life when we are forking over thousands for braces and whatever else it takes for her smile to be perfect;)

Ella was so brave about the whole thing though. The dental assistant took her back alone for the procedure. I felt helpless and so sad as she walked away, and I waited in the waiting room with Madeline and Sam. We read books and magazines to make time go by (all of 20 minutes). I'm not sure, but I don't think I took a breath the whole time (riiiiggghhhhht) she was away from me. I kept thinking "what if she's scared? What if they pull the wrong teeth? What if the laughing gas knocks her out and she never wakes up?" I mean seriously...those were my thoughts. I. AM. CRAZY.  Tom will tell you that's the truth.

But in the end, Ella came out smiling with the bloody gauze hanging from her mouth. Behind her smile was the look of pride and when they brought her to me, I realized two things: 1. My baby girl is growing up and 2. I seriously need to get a grip.

Before 

After

Look at those roots! Those teeth weren't falling out anytime soon.

My awesome mama made her a tooth fairy pillow. She's the best!

Just so everyone knows, Ella told me it was the best day ever because she was spoiled with milkshakes, jello, pudding, and mashed potatoes. The tooth fairy left Ella quite a few single dollar bills folded in fun origami designs like hearts and butterflies, too. :)