Quotable Day

The kids were especially quotable today...

1. Henry in the car was frustrated that I was taking the time to send Carl a text (mind you it took me all of 30 seconds) and he said..."MOM, No More Taxes!!!!". I got a good giggle out of that one.

2. Henry was singing the B-I-B-L-E song today and Ava sang her version,
"The B-I-B-Elyse".

Oh, how they make me smile!

First smiles

Elyse started smiling today. It is a happy day to see smiles from such a wee babe. It was sunny so I took her out to soak up some rays...

Happy Valentine's Day...

...from the loves of our life! xoxo

Fun and Five

It is hard to believe that Henry is five. He is truly a joy. He has moments (usually when he is tired) where he is not too obedient and plays too rough with his sisters. However, he is generally very kind, loves people and is the only 5 year old I know who enjoys 'studying'. He invites us to 'study' with him all the time. His most recent passion is birds and he has discovered that the adult non-fiction section of the library is far more extensive than that in the children's section. The library is his favorite place to go and his thirst for knowledge is insatiable. He loves field guides--about anything...flowers, insects, but especially birds...His favorite bird is the violet-green swallow and he is a much more accomplished ornithologist than I. Ava loves to bird watch (sometimes for real and sometimes pretend) alongside her big brother. It warms my heart to watch and listen to them play together. They genuinely adore one another.

Henry's other interest currently is buildings. He can name the tallest buildings in several major cities around the world. One of his most beloved are the Petronus Towers in Kuala Lampur, Indonesia. He is ready to go visit ASAP. I've assured him he must be at least 12 before we can travel that far! Henry is learning to use his words (instead of just react) and is looking forward to having Ava at school with him next year. He is a sensitive soul and loves deeply. I pray we can shepherd that soul with loving care as he continues to grow into a wonderful boy!

Henry had dinner with his Nana (with whom he shares his birthday), his Aunt Nini (Cabrini who was visiting from St. Louis), his Grandpa B and Lulu, and us after a fun day at the Portland Auto Show with Carl and his Papa. He got a big bouquet of balloons and had ice cream with his Gigi and Papa and had his school party on Monday. His friend party isn't until the 22nd...stay tuned!

Well

Elyse is finally well and I am thankful to have 3 healthy kids (for the meantime)! She has started reaching for things and clearly enjoys the company of Henry and Ava. She is very good at taking a bottle, but we are still eagerly awaiting those baby smiles!

The best of friends...

I am heading to bed with a thankful heart for my amazing family and friends. As I teeter on the brink of feeling overwhelmed, we have meals arriving at our door all week (after many of them have already brought us dinner after Elyse's birth), Henry is getting shuttled to and from school by my mom, a good friend is taking Ava to and from school tomorrow (since she's missed the past 3 weeks due to illness and appts), and my mother-in-law came over several times over the weekend so Carl could come down to the hospital. Numerous people have been praying for us. We are so very blessed. I have a thankful and grateful heart.

Home Sweet Home

We found out late yesterday that they were going to let us go home--hooray! Elyse and I got home about 6:30. It was pretty hectic between reuniting with the kids (who did just fine without me, I must say), feeding Elyse (which takes ALOT longer than usual) and getting settled. That said, we had a great night. Her last two feedings have been much improved and my anxiety about making it through the night without an oxymeter reading her oxygen levels has been eased. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. She should just continue to improve until we get back to 'normal'.

And kudos to the Steelers for an amazing Super Bowl win!