Baby Dallas

I have watched baby Dallas a couple of times while Stephanie is at work.  His big brother Brax is an amazing helper, always so concerned about the well being of his baby brother.  Havanna has simply fallen in love with this tiny little boy.  She was thrilled when we let her hold him, and put her on her best "CHEESE!" face.  Poor Brax nearly had a heart attack when I showed him the photo.  "She HELD him?! Did he cry?  Was he, like, really upset and crying?"  I had to reassure that poor boy that Dallas was safe and sound and that I was fully supervising the entire time.  Isn't that too sweet?  He just loves his little brother.

Just him.

And... Here's a picture of JUST NICK.  I love being in control of something.  Even if it's just a blog.  Nick is a great father, and he is the master when it comes to getting down to the girls level during play time.  It's dress up day, obviously.  And if he would have stood just a few inches to the left it would have looked like a little fairy was resting on his shoulder.  So, there you go.  Here's a recent picture of my dear husband.

Just me

Not very often do I post pictures of JUST ME.  I honestly feel a little vain adding this post.  But secretly (or not so secretly), I kind of like it.  Here's a recent photo Nick took while we were in Fort Bragg celebrating our fifth anniversary.

The Butterfly House

We finally had a chance to go see the Butterfly House in Fortuna, and it was so beautiful.  Aunt Lois, Uncle Ken, and James had come to town for the weekend, so we were doing our best to find fun stuff to occupy their time.  Obviously the Butterly House was actually for the kids, but isn't almost everything.  Aunt Lois is wonderful about enjoying time with children and getting to know each one.  She's always been that way, which is why she's always been the 'favorite'.  There's something almost magical about her.
When we arrived, we were greeted by the friendly couple who care for the butterflies.  They were so knowledgeable and told us all about the stages and styles of the different bugs flying around.  *Are butterflies bugs?  Maybe I wasn't listening so well.*  Berlyn had picked up a magnifying glass and was carefully observing everything.  Talullah was enthralled with the butterflies, even letting them land on her hand.  Havanna REALLY wanted to catch some of the fluttering creatures, so we had to get her out of there quick.  She spent her time checking out the adorable mini horses and playing in the ball pit.  Now... most of you won't fully understand how huge this is.... but I actually got a photo of Aunt Lois with one of the girls.  A full on face shot.  In all of my thirty two years, I don't believe I've ever seen more than a handful of pictures of Aunt Lois.  She is always methodically the woman behind the camera.  It is a rare and special thing to have this treasure for my scrapbook and blog.

Nigh Nigh, Mom.

Havanna is LOUD.  She has this new favorite thing.  To get my attention she yells "Mom?!  Mommy?!  Momma!  Mom?!  MOMMY!!!!!"  She could say it twelve times, twelve tones, twelve pronunciations.  Sometimes, she even has my attention after the first 'mom', but it doesn't seem to matter.  She just loves yelling my name.  Most of the time, there is no final point she is even trying to make.  She simply wants me to acknowledge her and stop in my tracks to look at her sweet face.  Then she goes on her merry little way.  She has also started picking up on some tricks from her big sisters.  Today she grabbed a shirt from daddy's drawer to use as a blanket, threw herself on the floor with her favorite baby doll and declared "Nigh Nigh, Mommy."  She turned her head and closed her eyes.  When I started to walk away she opened her eyes and let out a fake "WAH WAH WAH".  Fake crying?  Really?!  Sigh.....

It' time you make your own dinner, kids!

That's right.  This momma needs a break every now and then.  Tonight, these girls were on there own for meal prep.  Well... almost.  I gave them olives to add on top, and by the time these little pizzas reached the oven, Berlyn had already eaten all the olives AND half of her cheese.  They both did a great job, though.  They had a great time doing it, and they felt oh so proud of their accomplishment.

It's supposed to go in your MOUTH, Havanna!!!!

It's berry picking time, and we have picked pounds and pounds of berries this year.  All three girls LOVE blackberries.  Havanna enjoyed them so much during our dinner, it literally looked like we had died her hair pink by the time we left the table.  Can we say.... bath time?!