avery peeking

Just a few cute shots of Avery peeking over the back of the sofa. He was eating veggie straws and therefore distracted and semi-willing to look at me when I shouted his name, animal noise, or other such non-sensical vocalizations.

the eating shmata

For awhile, Vivienne had a tendency to put her hands in her hair while eating. Scott eventually said, "We should get her an eating shmata." One trip to the mall later, and I present to you...the eating shmata. It actually has been excellent at reducing the amount of food that ends up in her hair, but often results in Scott saying, "Vivienne, when you're done, clean the house!"

* Scott thinks shmata should be spelled schmata, but according to the internets, both are correct.
** Text from my sister: Shmata?!? That is a babushka and you know it. (I inform her that we are a half-Jewish family) she responds: Babushmata!

las vegas, finally

Shortly after we arrived. At this point I had already had 2 drinks and was about to do a $5 shot with Sarah of tequila swill.

So, I thought this outfit was actually more risque than it actually appears. It looks quite tame for Vegas standards. That is Andrea, an old friend from our Outback days, who lives in Vegas and brother manages a club and that's a free martini in my hand!

About 3 years ago when Sarah had just started her MBA program I told her that when she graduated we would take her to Vegas to celebrate. Well, thank you, Sarah you graduated (with honors) and we all got to go to Vegas! At the time, graduation seemed so far away, especially for Sarah. We have been talking about this trip for years and even though we could have used one more full day, we had a great time. Heidi and Mel also joined us in the celebrations and I'll have you know that Melvin plays a mean game of Black Jack.

Since this is a family program, I'll just say that we all had a lovely time. It was relaxing and fun. Truth be told, it wasn't all that crazy. We went out each night, but all three of us love to gamble so we mostly did that. I checked out for the whole Saturday and just stayed in bed, napped and read. It was delightful. I did not have to take anyone potty. I did not make any grilled cheese. I woke up when I wanted to. Ahhh...

Me thinks this needs to be an annual trip.

Also, a HUGE thank-you to my parents for watching the kids. I'm pretty sure they went home and slept for 3 days.  

chocolate seder

Hey! What are you guys doing??? Busted. They were throwing rocks over the fence (those are 2 guilty faces in the second picture).

Meanwhile, the babies participated in more innocent activities. I love how the girls are playing footsie, but actually, I don't think Mady wanted to touch the grass with her feet.

The next two are for Cathryn:

Earlier at swim class, Cathryn and I were laughing at how voraciously Mady was eating her post-swim snack and said it would have probably been easier if she had just stuck her head in the bag. She repeated said eating style at the Seder when luckily I had my camera.

 

First of all a) I did sit there and take pictures while Mady climbed on the table, b) her Daddy was close by should she lose her balance, c) she might have a career dancing on tables and d) her parents did just take her to Vegas the week before...just sayin'.

I think the chocolate Seder tradition could have some legs as the kids gets older and understand what a treat it is to consume bittersweet chocolate rather than bitter herbs. Even though the point of our maj family gathering was to observe some Passover traditions, I just loved watching the kids play despite the illegal rock throwing going on. Vivienne was SUPER cranky which made things a little more challenging, but luckily Scott was on hand to help out. 

I am happy to report, however that when Scott and I returned from Vegas, the She-Beast had been tamed and our happy girl returned.

weather vane

It's a good thing she has that weather vane on top of her head so that we may always know which way the wind blows.

the photo shoot that was

Step 1: Everyone check to make sure you have hair bows - remove any found.

Step 2: Take a picture after hair bow removal.

Step 3: Smile like a cheeseball.

 Step 4: Become fascinated by the strings on your shirt and/or pout because you do not have a bow.

Step 5: Enter the She-Beast / Pout like a He-Beast.

Step 6: Play with your Sister's strings.

Step 7: Pout

Step 8: Cry

Step 9: Pout

Step 10: Cry...and get some comfort.

Wouldn't any self respecting amateur photographer mother want to have a little photo shoot when she realizes her children have coordinating shirts and takes the time to dress/bribe her children into said shirts and jeans before a chocolate Seder...I think so! However, instead of the cute, smiling, happy Turbow children photo I had hoped for, I got the cranky, whining, pouting version instead. Yet, I think this photo shoot is as successful at capturing the moment as any I've had.

It's true that I want my pictures to capture their lovely smiles and charming personalities all while being bathed in gorgeous natural light, but sometimes my kids are in a bad mood. Sometimes they fuss. Sometimes they have fits. Sometimes the cry...and cry...and cry. This is as much of a part of our lives as the laughter, smiles and snuggles. Luckily, the happy moments far outweigh the challenging, but can you blame me for trying?!?! They were wearing matching outfits! 

the mover

I told you I saw the light bulb go off for Vivienne. Now, she just has to learn to go forward.

the reader

This is just a small sample of the reading Avery did tonight. This was a brand new book from the library and I was just so impressed and proud of his reading. Way to go, Avery!!!

seeds of passion

Taken with my incredibly crappy cell phone camera.

Last Friday, I took the kids to the mall to play. I intentionally left my camera at home because sometimes I just want to be in the moment with my kids and not worry about capturing it through my lens. It is inevitably at these times where I kick myself that I didn't bring said camera and have to use my cellphone to capture the goings on.

Let me explain. Vivienne is a pretty happy gal. She has however turned into somewhat of a She-Beast in the past week, meaning the whining, crying, SCREAMING, and general unhappiness has increased to a point where I am praying there's a tooth in there somewhere to explain the behavior and hope we can go back to normal after it is out. She's definitely giving me a run for my money and I even got frustrated with her for the first time this past weekend. There is only so much of that noise I can tolerate. 

Anyway, after we finished lunch up, I lifted Avery over the wall and set him off on a playing adventure. He had brought a cement truck and was quite popular with the other kids. I got Lou cleaned up and thought that she might like the slide. Well, what occurred next was witnessing the birth of a little life's passion. It was like that girl was BORN TO SLIDE. After each time down, she would literally try and launch herself out of my arms back to the slide. There is a long platform leading to the slide and I put her on it on her tummy while I tried to get my phone camera ready to capture her smile, all the while holding on to her so she wouldn't get hurt. I think some other moms were laughing at me.

Well, being on her tummy a mere 3 feet away from her new-found passion was the motivation she needed to move. Using her arms she scootched herself backwards until she reached the edge of the slide and down she went. I think I saw an actual light bulb go off above her head as she realized that, "hey, I can move myself to get what I want!"

I must of helped her down over 30 times and each time she smiled with pure delight. It was such a moment and I love that I was there to witness and share it with her. This was not a fluke either. We went to the park on Sunday and again, the She-Beast was tamed with an hour of slide time. This time, Avery was kind enough to catch. 

 

mady's 1st birthday

The ever charming, completely delightful, blue eyed beauty, birthday girl, Madelyn.

No love lost between these two.

Will just look at these faces? How did the big kids get so...big?

A couple of color coordinate mother/daughter shots.

I just really like this photo.

Hands off my OshKosh.

Everyone play play played.

And then home for crossing streams (sorry).

We had the honor of celebrating Madelyn Mae's first birthday last weekend and I have to say, this was probably my most favorite birthday party. I loved it so much because the big kids are old enough to know how to par-tay and par-tay they did. I could have watched them play all night long. Truth be told, the littles (term stolen from Cathryn) were a twee bit cranky and clingy, except for Reuben, but there was a blue plastic horse for him. Scott and Vivienne were quite late because the She-Beast was in full force (more on that in a later blog).

So happy birthday dear Mady. I hope that you and Vivienne develop a friendship as close as your older siblings and we spend many more years celebrating you!


PS. Sorry for the multiple editing styles. I'm still having too much fun to narrow it down to one per post.

chair snacks

Sometimes, I just like to sit back and observe....

...Vivienne and Avery playing together (or feeding/eating snacks in this case).

I really think they love being together.

Sorry. This is the mother of all collages, but it this really is the narrowed down version. I started with 30 shots.

The snacks were then spilled and Avery insisted on cleaning them up himself.

our new housecleaner

I'm sure I'm violating all sorts of child labor laws here.

picnic

I'm in love with these pictures of Reuben, and Reuben too!

Baby in a hat. It didn't fit quite right because there was a large pony at the top of her head.

Playing in the backyard!

Quite possibly two of the best pictures I've taken.

Ah, Fridays...how do I love thee, let me count the ways. We got together with Stacy and the kids for a low key picnic a few Fridays ago and had a spectacular time just relaxing in the backyard, playing and taking a few pictures. It was all you could hope for on a Friday afternoon.

crybaby

He is such a good big brother. It blows my mind and melts my heart and fills me with pride.

He told me tonight that he loves Vivienne Sam Turbow so much and he wants her to feel better. 

I hope the best thing I have given my children is each other.

what i have to work with

Just trying to justify why there just aren't as many pictures of Avery...he can get up and walk away just like he's doing here.

The light has been just spectacular after work now that the days are getting longer. I love putting my camera on manual mode and experimenting with the different settings. Lou is usually a good sport about things, but Avery on the other hand...not so much.

However, I have one trick up my sleeve, but I have to use it judiciously because I don't want my kid watching that much tv. I'm glad I played the Dora card tonight.

I love this one and he still loves his Bebe.

See what I mean about the light.

skinny girl | stats

She doesn't look that skinny to me! Can you see the rash?

A sick Lou, but on the mend.

On Tuesday of this week, I had to take Vivienne to the Dr. because she had spiked a fever and was clearly not feeling well. I had no idea what was wrong. Turns out she has Hand, Foot and Mouth disease which is just a rash and fever causing virus. I highly suggest the medical establishment find a new name for said virus, because as it is, it sounds so gross and dirty - two things I assure you, we are not.

Luckily, we had to return to the Dr. for her 9 month well-baby visit and to see if her virus suitable for the Oregon Trail (or the trek to the McWolf estate) was better. The good news is that the rash signifies the end of the virus and she's no longer contagious. She is definitely still feeling a little punky, but were on the road to recovery...and clear skin.

The bad news is that she weighed 16lbs 9oz at 6 months and only 16lbs 14oz today. Granted, she's been sick, but that is not any sort of weight gain over 3 months for a girl I've spent the last 2 months touting her voracious eating!

Now begins Operation Weight Gain. Lou will now be getting butter on her veggies, olive oil in her soup and full-fat Greek yogurt. I'm trying not to be jealous! I'm actually not that worried because she has a very well-rounded diet and I believe that babies eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. Can you imagine what's going to happen to her when she actually starts moving???

So, here are her 9 month stats:
Weight: 16lbs 14oz | 20%
Height: 27.5" | 49%
Head: 17.5" | 60% 

vivienne | 9 months

My new favorite picture of Lou. Scott thinks we need to take the same picture 18 years from now.

And a few more faces.

Lovin' the swing.

Yup, really lovin' the swing.

These pictures are unedited. I was really trying to capture the blue of her eyes.

Hey, at this point you'd think I actually know my daughter's birthday! I only paused for half a second when the pediatrician asked for her birthday instead of a whole one...

Wow. 9 months. The specific birthday has been on my radar because a long time ago when we planned our vacation to Vegas (April 21-24) I knew Lou would be 9 months old and at the time, I couldn't even imagine her being such an age. Well, here we are.

At 9 months, Lou is just fabulous. Like I've mentioned, I am savoring every single last second of her babyhood because I know what's just around the corner. There are still no signs of crawling but truthfully I am enjoying a non-moving Lou because goodness there are enough small pieces (it's Legos this week) lying around the house. I know the time is coming where we're going to have to be extra vigilant about such things. I don't really have a sense if this little lady is going to get into everything or respect the boundaries we set for her like her brother did. With Avery we could have made it through toddlerhood without baby proofing anything. Fingers crossed.

We do however, have waving, clapping, and an increasingly complex way of playing with toys. Even though mouthing her toys is still number one, she has started banging things together, playing the pop-up toy, putting things into the walking toy (while sitting, of course) and her new favorite, the circular racetrack. She watches Avery intently, studying what he's doing and how he plays. Can you imagine how organized by size, color and shape all of the things in our house are going to be one day!?!?

Each evening when Nikki leaves, she pulls out of the garage, stops in front of our building and gets out to say goodbye one last time (talk about going above and beyond). So, all 3 of us gather on the porch to wave and say goodbye. Well, yesterday Lou wanted her turn and waved and said her first "bye-bye" to Nikki. It was loud enough that Nikki even heard it two floors down. We can really see her trying hard to speak, and even though she has not used any signs, when I ask if she wants 'more' she always breaks into a huge grin.

I can't say it enough. I love her so much. I swell when I see her or think about her. I can't get over the relationship she has with Avery. She has fulfilled our family and my heart.

 

 

zombies

While Avery and I were snuggling, he mentioned something about zombies, so I asked, "What are zombies?" and this is what he said:

"They are people with dust all over their bodies, have jelly on their chin and they're wrapped in streamers."

I didn't know about the jelly.

dueling pianos

The once was a sister and brother

Who played piano like no other

Wouldn't it be neat

If they played with their feet

And happily entertained their mother.

april fools

You didn't actually think I would enter my daughter in a pageant, did you? No, probably not. No one really believed me except for maybe Grandma Carole (have I told you about the time I convinced her I got put in jail because I ran the Naked Mile? Classic!).

Anyway, this was just a ruse so that I could take pictures of her all girled up and I don't think they could have turned out better.

So, I want to thank me daughter for sitting through two photo shoots complete with full dress-up and one failed attempt at hair rollers.

I would also like to thank my son who got his sister to smile even though she was not really feeling it.

pageant princess

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Exciting news...I have decided to enter Vivienne in the Little Miss Denver pageant!!!

Okay, I know what you're thinking. It's the same thing I thought when I first heard about it. However, after to talking to one of the moms of one of Avery's classmates (she also has a little girl who does pageants), I think this could be fun. Really it's just dress up and prancing around a stage for a few minutes - alright, I'll be the one prancing until she can walk. If nothing else we'll got some cute pictures, and if things go well, she could earn some money for her college fund.

The first step is submitting a professionally taken photograph. So, I need your help choosing our entry photo (we can only submit one). It's due Monday and if she's accepted the pageant is April 16. If she wins there she'll earn a place in the Little Miss Colorado pageant and that's the one where she'll start winning $$$.


Personally, I love Option 1.