Brittyn's Gym Class

October 2012

Ryan loved her gym class when she was two years old. We thought Brittyn might like it too so we signed her up for the EXPLORER's class at Truesdale Gymnastics center. She wasn't initially sure of the class but she eventually warmed up to it. She loved her coach Alana and her favorite station was always the trampoline. At first she didn't participate in very much but by the end, she was doing one of the best tabletop moves in the classroom!!! She loved that class and looked forward to going to "my gwymm cwass" every Friday. I am forever grateful that she had such a good time!





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Brittyn's birthday...

I kinda feel bad for Brittyn this year. I feel like her birthday go pushed aside because we had a brand new baby and we couldn't give her special day the attention it deserved. I know, she's only two and probably won't remember but I will, for a while at least and I'll feel bad for a while. But we started off her birthday on Friday the 14th of September with an afternoon at The Cake Shop. She picked out a special cupcake for herself and she and Ryan enjoyed a cupcake at the shop. Poor Huntington was just along for the ride, he didn't get one on that day. The next day was her party and we did a "Hungry Caterpillar" theme and had family over for lunch and birthday cake. She seemed really excited to be eating yet another cupcake, until the green icing stained her fingers and her face. She got over that real quick! She had a good day eating cupcakes and opening presents, I hope she'll remember a happy day!!!











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The boy's first bath

I love giving my babies their first bath at home. When they are done I love to scoop them up out of the water and wrap them in warm hooded towels and stand in front of the bathroom mirror and admire nothing but their little faces because everything else is covered by the towel. I love that when I scoop them up from the water that the shock of going from warm water to cold air startles them so that their arms and legs turn into little frog extremities and their little hands spread out super wide. I can't help but laugh at this sweet little reflex. And, when I gave Huntington his first bath at home, he did not disappoint. His little hands and feet stretched out super wide, grasping for anything he could reach. It was hard to get him wrapped in the towel because I was laughing so hard. I hadn't seen that kind of shock since Ryan and Brittyn had their first baths. I miss that soooo much. I guess I'll enjoy it until my little Huntington get too big for mama's help.


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At home with Huntington

I had the best maternity leave this go round. It was easier for me because I had already been through one baby where we were both brand new at the game of mommy/baby and another where I took care of more than one child at a time. Now I'm not saying by any means was this a cakewalk but it was just so where I was able to juggle and maintain a little sanity at the same time. I was able to focus on Ryan by taking and picking her up from school and spend the time in between on Brittyn and Huntington. I enjoyed my time off with them very much and am so grateful I had as long of a leave as I did.





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And then there were three...

(August 31, 2012)
The weeks before Huntington were some of the most miserable weeks on record for me. I had had two other children in the summer but they were girls and I kind of knew what to expect but with this boy, he just completely threw me for a loop! I was more sore, more tired, more emotional and cranky...you name it, I had it!!! I thought he would never get here. I had even gone so far as to schedule an induction TWICE!!! Thankfully I chickened out the first time and the second time I progressed on my own, for which I was so thankful. Finally on my due date, August 31, 2012 my baby boy was born at 2:50 pm. Huntington Brooks Longfellow weighed 8lbs 8oz and measured 20 1/4 inches long. He is the most precious boy I've ever laid eyes on and all my aches and sicknesses melted away when they gave him to me. He was and continues to be so precious and he joined his two big sisters in the "love of my life" category. The girls love him and couldn't get enough of him, even from the very beginning. I'm so happy he's finally here and everyone gets to enjoy in the fun that is my Huntington.








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VPre-K

(August 2012)
Turning FOUR YEARS OLD was a huge milestone for Ryan. She had been talking about it since she was two! Even then, she was read to go to school. She and Joe would scour the roads every morning for school buses on the way to Grandma's and when I picked her up she would tell me how many buses she had seen. She even told me several times that she wanted a "school bus" birthday party. She would talk endlessly about how old and big she's getting and counting down the days till she turned four years old so she could go to school.
Finally, that day has arrived. The night before school, we tried to prepare her for her first day by letting her choose her snack and pick out an outfit. then Joe gave her a father's blessing to start the school year. the next morning, on August 20, 2012 she started
VPre-k at Bradfordville Baptist Church, here in Tallahassee. She started their Beginning Steps Ministry Program and she loves it. Her teacher is Mrs. Debra Albanese and Ryan loves her. She affectionately referred to her as Mrs. "Elbow Knees" until she figured out the correct way to say her name. Ryan was so excited so Joe and I both took her to school that morning. I let her pick out a cute little outfit to wear the first day, a coordinating set of shorts with cherries on them and a navy shirt with sparkle cherries on it. She was so happy and did not cry at all. I was not so fortunate but I was able to contain my emotions till I left her. We were and continue to be so proud of her and know that she is going to have a blast in school this year. I just hope this enthusiasm lasts for many school years to come!!!


Ryan's very first school picture!!!















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Our little Rough-n-Tumbler

Brittyn is a lot of things. She's silly, smart, funny, determined, sweet and a little bit sassy. Sadly, she's a little clumsy too. In the last 24 hours, she has fallen into the bathtub and out of the laundry basket, only to hit her head and her shoulder. Thankfully, she was mostly scared and was able to shake it off and continue playing.
Now, I say all this because there was a time not too long ago that she took a tumble and wasn't able to shake it off as easily. Back in March 2012, I got a call from grandma saying that Brittyn had been jumping on the couch and had tripped and fell and hit her head on the glass and iron table. She had a pretty big goose egg on her head and wasn't completely and consistently conscious. She wanted to know what to do. Well, I didn't know what to do either, so we thought we should take her to the emergency room. I was scared outa my mind and Joe was out of town for work so I met grandma at the ER and waited for the doctor to see my baby girl. We waited for a couple hours before we got a room and the ER doctor said she would need x-rays to make sure they weren't missing anything. By this time, she was awake and slowly returning to her normal self. Still we needed the x-rays for safety. Brian and a friend were able to come over and give her a priesthood blessing and off we went to get the x-rays.
She was such a trooper, I couldn't be with her at the x-rays because I was pregnant with Huntington, but grandma stood with her and the doctor was able to get the info he needed to ease my fears and let me know she would be fine. I was so scared for her but she was fine then and thankfully continues to be fine. I'm so glad everything turned out good for us, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my little "Brittles". So thankful everything turned out ok!











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It takes a village...

(April 2012)
They say it takes a village to raise a child. I'm a firm believer in that saying. I know I could probably raise my kids by myself but I also know that I don't want to at all. I love and appreciate my husband, family members and friends who pitch in and help me with my children. I think I should modify that saying a little bit and say that it also takes a village to help get a child to bed, even of that village is a village of Care Bear stuffed animals!!! Joe and I have never been strict parents when it comes to keeping a schedule. We try our best but life somehow creeps in and will interrupt our perfect plans 9/10 times. This is especially the case when trying to get Ryan out of our bed! She has slept with us since birth. We even sold her baby furniture before Brittyn was born and she slept in a pack-n-play in our room when she was born. We eventually bought a bed for the girls and began to target our efforts into getting them to sleep in their own room. It took a while but this spring Ryan spent her first night in the bedroom all by herself. We were so proud of her and decided to snap sleeping pictures of her to mark the occasion!!! When I went in to see how she was doing, I saw that she had found comfort in several of her Care Bear friends. I was so touched by her innocent and sweet face and that she felt so secure. I hope all my children can feel that way all the time, not just bedtime. Maybe then they will all be able to sleep in their own rooms!!!








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Easter photo shoot

(March 2012)
Trying to get my girls to cooperate for a photo shoot is truly a feat. Thank goodness I am lucky enough to have great sisters who act as my "silly girls" behind the camera in an effort to get the children to show some other emotion than disdain for what I'm making them do in order to have memories. One day they will thank me for it, as they try to make their own children sit for photos. So, back in March I met up with Laura Wahlquist in Blountstown to try and get some shots of the girls for Easter. We met at the pioneer settlement which I hadn't been to in a long time. The photo shoot started out a little rocky but we eventually were able to get some great pics. I would say the girls had a great time, but who am I kidding?! They were in dresses, ruffle socks and dress shoes instead of sneakers, t-shirts and shorts and they had to sit and smile when all they wanted to do was run around outside. Thank goodness for the quick hands of our photographer, Laura and the help of Terah and Kylia to help us come up with some great pictures!































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The dreaded Easter bunny...

(March 2012)

One Saturday afternoon, I got Kylia to go with me to the mall to get pictures of the girls with the Easter bunny. Jaren had gone earlier that day or week and Bellamy had loved the bunny so much, she only cried when they were making her leave. Well, my experience was a little bit different. You will notice that the only pictures with the Easter bunny have Ryan in them. I got the girls dressed in really cute coordinating dresses and went to the mall where we waited in line in excess of 15 minutes. When it was our turn to see the bunny, Brittyn Gray did a complete 180 degrees and refused to go near the bunny. Even with Kylia and I offering lots of treats and Ryan promising to hold her hand the whole time, she would not budge. We finally gave up, thanked the bunny, received our complimentary bunny and sheep masks and left. We ended up letting the girls play at the park inside the mall then going to get the girls a treat for making the effort. Overall it was an interesting trip and as I write this post from my experience back in March and now we are in the month of November, I can't help but think Santa will be at the mall soon. I can only hope that jolly old St. Nick doesn't scare my Brittyn Gray away from the possibility of cute pictures. I'm gonna cross my fingers and pray that having Huntington will make things a lot easier. Did I say easier?!!! I must be delirious!!!





























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More Easter pics 2012

After church, we had dinner at Grandpa and Grandma's. We had a good meal and tried to get some pictures. Grandma continues to be a wonderful photographer, always able to catch shots of the children in their most "real" moments. They like to ham it up for the camera and she gets some great shots, and they love to see themselves on the blog so I'll be sure to post lots of pics for them!

















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Bunnies and chicks

(April 2012)

I try not to have a huge Easter basket for the girls. It's not enough that they get candy out the wah-zoo, but it just takes away the meaning of the meaning of Easter and the message of the resurrected Jesus Christ. That's not something I ever want them to forget. Alas, I do give Easter baskets and want them to enjoy their day as children as well. They enjoy seeing their baskets and putting on their pretty new Easter dresses. I love seeing their faces as we get dressed and I attempt to remind them of the true meaning of this special holiday.





Ryan is hugging her new Champ care bear. She was pretty torn up over losing her last one b/c Brittyn tossed it out the car window on the way home one day.





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