Celebrating Eloise

Our dear, darling Eloise turned five at the end of May during the wildest few weeks we've had since we moved back to Texas. Basically, we bought her a house two days after her birthday. Our nest was filled to the brim with boxes while we celebrated. Being the sweet little lady she is, she didn't mind one bit! In fact she adopted the motto "hang loose" as she donned a grass skirt & a beautiful lei that her sister picked out. She colored a sign that said Aloha & helped me hang a lei for each guest.

She looked lovely...

Here's the whole crew

Not only did we celebrate Eloise but we had another extremely special guest. Gigi joined us from Michigan! These two have a few day span between their special days so it was perfect!

Celebrating 85 years young & 5 years old....

What a special moment this was....

some others partied with us...

Auntie Deb & Uncle Joe in their Hawaiian attire...

Two Great Grandmothers that care so deeply for us & our little ones. What a precious blessing it is to share life with them.

What kiddo is not excited about opening gifts? For as silly & loud as this girl can be she is reserved in a group setting even if she knows everyone. She opened each gift calmly & said her thank you's for some Lego sets, a bird feeder for the new house, a new Goldie Blox set, a Little Passports monthly membership (I love these!) & a microscope. Oh my was that last one the favorite! Not only did Eloise love it but her sister & daddy tried to commandeer it on more than one occasion ; )  The following morning I woke up in a dark room to a bright light feet away from my bed. This light was surrounded by a big sister & two little brothers with Sleeping Beauty nowhere in sight. We may need to lock birthday gifts away for at least the first week! I put it away & once Elo was up we got it back out & begin collecting things to place on the slides. We looked at the fibers in a napkin which was extremely boring compared to what came next. I was fixing Eloise's hair in the bathroom & smashed a mosquito perfectly meaning there was still plenty to zoom in on. She ran to the table & handed it to her Daddy who set up to look at his disgusting body. It was actually pretty cool. When she was done with that one her eyes lit up & she said "Hold on! Let me get a beetle!" She ran to her bathroom & came back with a beetle. Minutes later she exclaimed "Hold on! Let me get a spider!" She returned with a spider. Robby & I were looking at each other laughing that Eloise knew where these dead little creatures were....gross. Anyway, all of the gifts have been played with & put away & pulled back out again. The boys really like to get into their sisters toys.

Anyway, back to the party.. 

The whole theme came about when we decided to surprise her with a ukulele. She loves to play my dad's & we knew she would be excited to have her own. We then decided we were going to get her a bicycle instead. About an hour before the party I said to Rob "we planned this whole Hawaiian party & we didn't even get her a ukulele!" He grabbed Char, made it to & from Guitar Center in record speed & handed me the prettiest little ukulele to wrap for the birthday girl.  Here she is with my cousin Keaton who showed up in swim trunks & a shirt embroidered with parrots. He could not have been dressed more appropriately! He played her some tunes & she made us smile everytime she said "luke-oo-lele"

The party ended about 10 minutes before the sky opened up & released an absurd amount of rain with huge gusts of wind.  It was a rushing river down our street as we stood beneath a light sprinkling of rain from our sky light in the entryway. The kids were wired after all the sugar. We on the other hand were well sugared but wiped out. Once we administered tranquilizers to the wild animals we collapsed on the couch around the time we headed to the hospital five years ago with me in labor.

I replayed those hours perfectly in my mind as I drifted off to sleep. I woke with my little newborn Arlo who forgot how to sleep at night right around the time of her birth & felt the weight of another year gone by since I looked into her eyes for the first time. We were smitten then & are still smitten five years later.

The next morning was the official celebration which fell on Memorial Day just as it did the year she was born. It was extra fun because it meant that Robby didn't have to go to work! We enjoyed some sausage balls & coffee cake for breakfast then surprised Lolo with her first bicycle! She was so excited & hopped on immediately to ride it all over the tile floor. Great goal, poor execution as she would move forward 3 inches then press her foot backward on the brake. She couldn't get anywhere & was so frustrated & so cute. After breakfast & a couple FaceTime calls we headed over to the elementary school down the street. It has a large concrete area with basketball goals & a painted map of the USA which is the reason it is known to our clan as "going to the map."

Here she is on the new ride...

In no time at all she was rockin' & rollin' all over the map with a huge smile across her face. She wasn't quite fast enough to keep up with her big sis but she's keeping up now & already asking if she can take her training wheels off. Eloise asked what the bars are that stick out from her front tire. Robby told her that they are used for tricks.  Within five minutes she crashed to the ground & I ran over to check on her saying "Eloise honey, what happened?" She looked at me with a grumpy face & replied "I am not good at doing tricks!" Haha! What an adventurous girl!

We looked at Toys' R Us & could not have found a bicycle more perfectly fit for this girl. The brand is "Little Mismatched" with the quote "let you be you" near the spokes. So, there she was cruisin' around with her mismatched socks as happy as she could be. To say we love her is an understatement. She brings much joy to our home & we look forward to all that will unfold in her personality & in her heart as these years continue to fly by. In closing, she didn't really like her biggest birthday gift (the new house) & has told us along with all her siblings that they would like to move back to the old house. Ha! Talk about a waste of money! She's settling in like the rest of us, still among boxes but making a bit of progress each day. My little helper often asking "what can I do now?" is making me smile.

The day ended with dinner from her favorite SPIN Pizza, a bath to wash off all the sunscreen & bug spray followed by a good five year old snuggle on the couch.  Love this little thing to pieces.

April showers bring May flowers

Our home of nearly two years happens to be in view of a beautiful field of wildflowers. It is a prime spot for photo shoots of all kinds & though we drive past it multiple times a day it took a good five weeks to get ourselves together & take some pictures. Robby & I worked as a team last Saturday. Our goal was to make it as speedy & pain free as possible. We succeeded & got some sweet shots of our little bunch....

from oldest to youngest...

a couple outtakes of the three stooges although maybe it's one stooge.. I'm not naming any names.

This is our attempt at five. Arlo was feeling a little like a chubster, Eloise was trying to capture Anson as he wanted to flee the scene with flowers in hand to deliver to his Daddy. Owen had already completed his delivery in a previous picture. All in all it's the perfect picture of those who reside in our Nest.

One of these days we will have an official photo session that include the mama & daddy. For now we stick with selfies & hands holding nests...

For the grand finale during a choral performance of "Jesus loves the little children" or as Anson so sweetly sings "tilldwen" for children, Arlo spit up all over himself. Thumbs up little buddy for showing how you really feel about getting your picture taken.

In less than one week we will be unpacking & beginning to make our new Nest. Our neighborhood is covered in wildflowers so spring after spring we can enjoy their beauty & attempt more family photos. 

Eloise at 4

Has anyone seen the Zootopia preview with the sloths that laugh uncomfortably slow? That's how I feel about the speed of which I have been posting. Haaaa........haaaaa.......haaaaa (as slow as humanly possible). Since Eloise turns five in less than a week I must summarize her fourth year in a non-sloth fashion.  It might make more sense to write about Eloise at the end of being four to capture what being four was actually like.

The year prior, Eloise was often heard saying "it's hard to be three." That's when we realized the importance of upping the ante on our speaking in "code." There was never a more true statement though & I think of it fondly now as she is growing & changing everyday. It was definitely easier to be four & I know that five is the magic number. We cannot believe that it's been FIVE years since she was welcomed into our arms. She brings much delight to our souls...

Eloise is by far the most caring person in our home & we have much to learn from her concern for others. She shares anything & everything with the most joyful heart even if it is her entire cookie or most prized possession.  She has larger than life facial expressions when she is telling you something & it is hard not to giggle when you are the listener. You might think she gets ready for her day by standing in complete darkness & reaching into her drawer to grab clothing including socks that don't match & that you might not wear with tennis shoes. She brushes her hair parting it perfectly imperfect then dons her camouflage Bass Pro hat & she's ready to go. She could not be any more adorable with her dimples & sweet smile.

Eloise & I differ greatly in the area of creativity. I love to "create" but I really REALLY like directions. The old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" holds true for this girl. She could be given a box of junk & turn it into a tower with a zipline & a house for her animals. Half way through the year I was making every attempt to involve her in even 20 minutes of our school time. She had no interest & once I gave it some thought & was reminded by others that encouraging her to create is absolutely one of the most important parts of her development at this age & really any age. So, when Char & I would sit down to do our afternoon lessons I would "assign" Lolo to make something with whatever I handed her. She never ceases to impress me.

That last picture is with her family of snakes that included grandparents all the way down to some newborn babes. They even hissed as they introduced themselves.

My parents bought her a Goldie Blox set which is a STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) toy that is specifically for little ladies. There are instructions to make specific designs such as a catapult or a spinning playground toy. She has made use of those but is usually making her own design. AWESOME toy especially for Eloise.

Once we hit the halfway mark through the year she became interested & was participating in the handwriting portion of our day. She learned how to write her name & in all seriousness has probably written it a thousand times. This picture was in the early days of practice. She can write it almost the same way I can now. She is a lefty & can also write it backward perfectly. So interesting but that's our girl!

She finds the best places to work....

I love when the drawing takes off & turns from scribbles to family portraits....

Robby helped with some ears for a few of us. My favorite parts are cyclopes Eloise, Charlotte with legs coming out of her head & Arlo in my belly.

Eloise finds great value in a good night's sleep. Sadly there are only a few of those in the Nest right now. Sometimes she's stretched out in my bed as the sun comes up.

We are never sure where we might find her. Sometimes she's in Charlotte's bed, on the floor with a pallet, halfway under the bed....who knows? That's been the case forever though. This was the child that was found sleeping in a baby bathtub she dragged into her room when she was about two. She appreciates a snuggly bed bubby..

She also likes to have Bella nearby or sets up stuffed animals around her before she goes to sleep. We almost had a heart attack when we walked past her room this night....

Some things we don't want to forget about this cutie...

• always wanting to help in the kitchen & if I tell her it would be most helpful if she could set the table, she tells me that she does not want to help anymore. She also hates to touch dirty silverware.
• claims to make the best mashed potatoes adding butter, sour cream, salt & milk without any measuring. She makes sure to watch each persons face as they eat & ask if they think she is the best potato maker.
• often reminds me that she is a great problem solver & she is
• when we play the rhyming game she changes the first letter to "H" EVERY time usually making nonsense words & it's hilarious
• favorite food is salmon & she could eat a whole pound in one sitting...we have to cut her off
• she will try ANY food you put in front of her & likes about 95 % of it
• wants to be a fire chief when she grows up
• extremely interested in bugs & has put her bug-sucker & observation container to good use
• will wander around in the backyard or at the park looking for little creatures, digging for treasures or collecting 100 roly-polys
• loves dancing in the kitchen to a good rockin' song & plays the best air guitar I've ever seen
• when I was pregnant with Arlo or when I am carrying him around she goes out of her way to make sure I don't have to lean over or tries her very hardest to lift me off the ground. She insists on carrying a ridiculous amount of grocery sacks from the car to the kitchen & surprises me every time since she is VERY strong...

Sweet talkin' over the past year...

• "segrets" for secrets
• "booty trap" for booby trap
• "botatoes" for potatoes & tomatoes
• "snickie doodies" for snickerdoodles
• "clippord" for Clifford
• "kitty cat nap" for cat nap
• "mometer" for thermometer
• "cavva-cake" for patty-cake
• when Owen & Anson are acting like maniacs she has said "I'm sorry I wild them up" instead of riled them up
• at the doctor one visit I had told her that they might ask her some questions. She was staring at the picture of a human skeleton, looked at me & whispered "am I going to have to tell her all those bones?"
• one morning she said "I didn't sleep last night. Well, I may have slept for a little bit then I stared at Charlotte all night while she slept"....creepy!
• when she talks to Arlo in the morning she says in her baby voice "did you have a milk party all night long with your milk mama last night?" She also stares at me while I'm feeding Arlo contemplating how that all works. Her latest thought was "so you drink milk & it goes to your breast right?" Soooo close ; )

• forever she would say "the last day" for anything in the future
• she went through a stage where she would randomly put her hands up in the air & proclaim things like "I love God more than my family!" or "Jesus is God!"
• anything we would say as a compliment to her such as "you are so strong" or "you are funny" she would say "but God is the strongest or funniest" or insert your own adjective.
• a preface to the story- there is a movie we like about a horse called Spirit. We had a conversation one afternoon that went like this. Eloise- My teeth are pretty but God's teeth are the most beautifulist right mommy?" Me- Well God doesn't have teeth because he is a spirit & doesn't have a body like us. Eloise- So you're saying God's a horse? We need to watch that movie again.
• I have overheard her on more than one occasion teaching the boys how to pray & reminding them that it is just talking to God

We know that the Lord is causing her heart & mind to consider his greatness. It comes across in simple phrases like "Jesus is God" or in conversations from the backseat about what sin is & that Jesus came to save sinners. We continue to pray that he would change her heart in his time & allow us to shepherd her well.

All that to say, she's sweet & spicy wrapped up into one utterly loveable almost five year old.

Arlo at 6-7 months

This sweet little buckaroo is hitting the seven month mark this week & we can't believe the amount of joy he brings to our family each & every day. His smiles, belly laughs & interaction with his brothers & sisters keep us well entertained & thankful that he's ours.

It was about time to let him borrow a big bubby's shirt from back in the day for a little photo shoot. He proved to be just as cute as they were....

STATS

17 pounds

26 inches

size 3 diapers & mostly 9 month clothing

Our kiddos end up with all sorts of nicknames & many times with no reason. Some names that are often heard: Bubble Monster, Arley, Darlo, Oogi Googi, Lovey Boy & Schnukums.  It really doesn't matter what you call him as long as you say it with a sweet voice....he always responds with a smile. He is extremely easy going, certainly the most out of the bunch. That is an important quality for the caboose of the family! Often if he's bored he just gets ahold of those delicious tootsies & is content once again...

I don't blame him, I can't help but kiss those feet all day long! We also can't stop kissing his drool covered little chin & neck.

Some things this little buckaroo is up to:

• he has an insatiable appetite for books & unless he has a toy he is chewing on when the book starts, he pulls it up to his mouth with a death grip & would chew it to shreds if we don't take it away
• he laughs the most when Robby kisses him under his chin with much gusto. It turns into a scream laugh pretty quickly & gets us all laughing
• he is excellent at sitting up & if he does fall he is able to catch himself &do some move where he snakes onto his belly
• he acts like he is permanently in a jumperoo when you hold him
• if you lay him on his back he immediately rolls to his tummy
• he can combine rolling with pushing himself forward from a knee tucked tummy position & make it a good distance across the room. I first realized this when I left him on his playmat & within minutes he had rolled under the bed!
• he looooooves being in the Ergo & makes my heart melt when he leans back & grins at me. He doesn't mind riding piggy back while I'm in the kitchen.
• he tries to play peek a boo when he is snuggled on my chest burying his face then popping up slowly after I say "where's Arlo?"
• he stares at Bella a lot & is good from a distance but when he is in the highchair & she comes near him he loses it
• he's definitely a tummy sleeper & thumb sucker

He is not always a happy guy...

but when he gets that thumb, all is right with the world..

Eating & Sleeping: I'm not sure what my problem is but we are in & out of our nighttime routine & it's driving me crazy & making me so tired! I figured by numero cinco I would have it down pat but clearly that's not the case, haha! Daytime he's predictable nursing around 7:30, 11, 1 & 4. He usually naps from 9-11 & 1:30-3:30 & falls asleep quickly when put down wide awake. He is a super speedy eater & can be done in a about 5 minutes. He doesn't mind a bottle but doesn't get one often since we are attached at the hip or he's attached to something else ; ) He nurses around 6:45 & goes down for the night. Sometimes he sleeps for 12 hours, more often he wakes between 3:30 & 5 for another feeding then sleeps till morning & on really exciting nights he wakes up every three hours & screams for fun. He also coordinates with his brothers to never let us have a night off. On the nights Arlo sleeps 10 hrs +, some other brother wets the bed or can't manage to stay under covers for more than an hour. Last week I woke up one morning feeling more refreshed than I had in weeks. I was raving about it when I realized the monitor was off! Who knows what happened but he was still alive...hungry but alive when I saw him when the sun came up. I felt sorry for him but I'm considering "forgetting" again & see if we can get out of this exhausting lack of routine!

A bit more on eating- I have been reading up on baby led weaning where instead of pureeing all the food they are self feeding soft pieces of food they can smush up & swallow on their own. I thought it would be worth a try. We tried bananas, they made him cry but they do the same thing to me. We tried avocado which he enjoyed more than the bananas until it all came back up 10 minutes later. One lunch time all the kids were at the table & Arlo was sitting next to the boys (first mistake). I gave him a slice of pear that he was sucking on. He spit some out so I put it away & cleaned him up. Ten minutes later he was drooling like a rabid dog & I thought he might have a piece of pear stuck in there. I scooped him up, flipped him over & gave him some pretty hard pats on the back. I almost died when he shot out a chunk of hotdog!!! I lost it & yelled "who put hotdog on Arlo's tray?" This question was directed at the three year olds who at the same time & with straight faces said "ELOISE!" Eloise was horrified & happy to know I didn't believe them. Owen confessed to the crime.

He is the fifth child, maybe hotdogs are a good first food ; ) We've got to watch out for that little Owee. I heard him singing to Arlo "patty cake patty cake baker's man, I'll bake you in a cake as fast as I can" haha!

We are hoping to move the boys into the "bunkhouse" (as O&A call it) once we are settled in our new house but after the hotdog incident, Owen's threat to bake Arlo in a cake & valid concern about acrobatics on a top bunk this may be postponed.....to never.

Just to compare buckaroos one, two & three. Arlo, Owen, then Anson.

All that's left to say is we just love him...