- Five months young! -

Oh hello, pretty girl...

Rahhhhhhhh rawr! You're gonna be SIX MONTHS tomorrow, so I'm typing with fast and furious fingers before the clock strikes me out.  But this month! Month five: you're sooooo full of smiles [and even those big belly laughs when someone kisses your tummy!], BUT! no one would ever know it by your sober ole' monthly chalkboard photos!  You were smiling and babbling on and on for at least an hour before I staged this photo; after seeing that, I was so sure we would get a good grin today, but nope nope nope! Not a one.

[Finally, after an exhausting effort on behalf of Grammy and Harper, you did crack a few.]  You don't particularly like to lay down anymore and are always craning your neck up if you're left in a supine position. You can almost sit up all by yourself [though we usually leave a little pillow behind your back juuuuust as a little pad for error!], and a little mound of toys between your chubby legs will keep you occupied for hours several minutes. I think I've been saying this for the past couple posts, but EVERYTHING goes straight to your mouth and you chew.chew.chew.chew.chewwww on anything you can get your little gums on. I had to dig some bibs out of the basement [Harper never wore bibs?!] because you are a drooling machine! 3.28 minutes with no bib = a soaked outfit from neck to nipple-line. Big, sloppy, droooooooly kisses are your specialty, and you'll plant one on the cheek of anyone who comes within arm's reach. You found your feet and -- not a shocker -- spend a good chunk of the day chewing on 'dem lil' tootsies. You have the sweetest little demeanor and only show your squeals if you're left in a room by yourself.  Harper calls you "stinker butt" ...not sure where she heard that one?! ;)

Lastly and most importantly, you had two memorable milestones this month!  First swim and FIRST FOOD! ...Momma got a new phone a couple weeks ago [party emojiiiii] and I haven't uploaded any new pics off yet, so stay tuned for some adorable poses of the pea-faced princess! 

Ahhhhh! Signing off now to enjoy the last day of life with a fabulous five-month-old!

- Christmas 2.0 :) -

Ahhh...a short reminiscence of Mother's Day twentah-eighteen that came and went without sight of a single scribbled on card or solitary homemade toddler gift [#notbitter ... #justamused] ...But love makes the world go 'round, and the love was abounding on May 13, 2018, and so! I rest my case forever and ever amen.

...But I was juuuuuust reminiscing/comparing for a hot second, because for literally three weeks before Father's Day, the girls and I spent our days hand-picking special cards ...and taking and printing pictures to glue in said cards ...and cutting vinyl with the Cricut ...and painting with brushes and our hands ...and HOLY crafting basicallllly 24/7 all for the dads/papas in our lives!  Every single day, Harper said, "Mommmmmy, is it Fah'ver's Day yet?!" with her head cocked to the side and eyebrows raised and lips pursed.  She always had the most anticipatory look on her sweet little face, which is when I decided to officially deem Father's Day as "Christmas 2.0."  [Admit it, it's appropriate.]  The second Brian walked in the door in the evenings, she would run to me and say, "Mommy! Where did you put 'dat ting we made today wif our hands on it so I can show Daddy?" Yessssss. Definitely Christmas 2.0.

She was also dead set on buying Brian a hot and steamy [sort of inappropriate, too] wife-to-husband card, but alas I coaxed her into the daughters-to-daddy section and she found a cute one with two baby bears wearing princess crowns that she liked almost as well. Phew.

All [bitter] joking aside, I am truly in awe of the love and patience that Brian has for these girls, and I was almostttt as excited as Harper was for Father's Day to arrive and for him to open his gifts!  It takes a real man to live with three attention-seeking women ;) :), but Brian does that perfectly and flawlessly day in and day out!

[^^ Swooning over these beautiful pieces of artwork that came home from the daycare... I cherish these little handmade things sooooo much -- probably more than Brian does hah! -- and literally almost cried when I saw the gifts in their daycare bags.  Harper was so proud of the things she made and again could hardly wait for Fah-ver's Day to arrive!]

Annnnnnd drumroll... Harper popped out of bed at 6:48am on the holiday of all holidays to give her daddy a hug and then begin the large task of transporting all her homemade gifts for him to open in bed!

Happy Father's Day, babe! We are blessed by you and hope you enjoyed your special day! :-* :-*

- A Mother's Love -

[Two months behind the times, buuuuut better late than never!]

I've always loved this quote: 

"To love and to be loved is to feel the sun from both sides." 

And while it probably wasn't originally penned specifically for all the momma's out there, after growing and raising and bonding with/falling head-over-heels in love with a pair of tiny humans, I totally believe that the quote is perfectly embodied and lived out through the amazing relationship between a momma and her child[ren]!  I've been feelin' the sun from both sides for a few years now, and there truly is nothing like it!!! *swoon*

We celebrated Mother's Day this year with a little sunrise breakfast before Mass...

...then on to brunch/lunch in 'da city [Grammy Resa's dream for the last decade]!

The dessert table/crepe bar was a hit for sure!

Rounded out the evening with dinner/BBQ for Grammy Ann!

Innnnnn a nutshell, I just want to send so many claps and cheers to all the moms out there: moms with babies on earth and moms with babies in heaven ...grandmas and great-grandmas ...moms-to-be and those who long to be moms ...mothers-in-law and stepmoms ...ALL THE MOMS!  We women are a unique and special mix of gentleness and sensitivity and nurturance and selflessness; we radiate a love that is like no other! 

So keep on keepin' on, mommas... You are cherished and celebrated today and every day! :-* :-*

- Spring... -

...is springing...

...sprang...

...has sprung! 

Take 'dis grammar goddess back to conjugation classsssss, 'cuz holy whoa: spring was up and spring is DOWN!  I bumped into this bulletin board at the daycare a few weeks ago and was so amazed at Scarlett's my child prodigy's painting/cutting/gluing skillz that I had to snap a pic to save forever: 

And so! In the spirit of spring [but without dwelling on allllllll the nitty gritty details of the last few months], let me just photo-highlight some of this season's funs and faves:

-- Picnics packed by Harper...

[^^ Complete with a bag of chocolate Teddy Grahams in a Tupperware.]

 [^^ Scarlett really enjoyed her view of the beautiful park!]

-- ...and ice cream socials in the park!

-- Sleeping...

-- ...and grocery shopping...

-- ...and Snapchatting! 

-- Exploring the Science Center with some dear friends...

-- and strawberry picking with Grammy! 

-- Teaching/learning...

-- ...feeding/growing [always a hit]...

-- ...cleaning up one mess just to make another...

-- ...taking time to soak in the sunshine...

-- ...and trying to keep our heads above water while Daddy's away on work trips! :/

-- Visiting those we love...

-- and loving when visitors come our way [and make forts and do what we say]!

-- And last but certainly not least, celebrating Scarlett's FIRST SWIM [!!!] and Harper's increased bravery in the pool!

[^^ Does this swimsuit -- AKA my Mommy's 1989 vintage garb -- make me look chubby?]

Cheeeeeeeers to this spring!  It's so absolutely totally true what they say: the days are long, but the years are short! Trying so incredibly hard not to ever EVER blink, because the love I have for these sweet souls is exponential and I want to soak in every single second of these super fun months!!!

Alas, spring has kinda sprung'ed and sooooo... Let's keep this ball-a-rollin' and SPRANG RIGHT INTO SUMMA! :) #bring #it #on

- Four months young! -

OHHHHHH MY GOODNESS; where where whereeee does the time go?

Our little Sissy is four beautiful months young and ca-yooooot as a freakin' button!!! 

Oh, sweet Scarlettttttt,

You are becoming so interactive, so responsive, and SO FUN! As much as I absolutely love everything about having a limp little newborn, I remember being the 4-month mark with Harper being one of my favorite ages; and so far that is proving to be the same with you! You have a constant, contagious [yet sometimes mischievous!] little grin that swoons us and melts our hearts all in one.  Your cooing and babbling has totally taken off; you love to tell stories, especially at 4am in the pitch black of Mommy and Daddy's bedroom. ...And yes, that means you're still sleeping in your pack n' play riiiiight next to my pillow. The infamous "4-month sleep regression" has hit, and I'm finally starting to make peace with the fact that I'll probably have black circles under my eyes until you're at least 16... [Scratch that, I'll definitely never sleep again.]

You are mesmerized by your big sister's every action; and a little bit to my surprise, the adoration is still very VERY mutual! Harper lives and breathes for you: she pitter-patters in the bedroom every morning to come see and snuggle you, and she always takes responsibility for helping you don a fresh diaper and picking out your outfit for the day. [Sometimes you come out looking like a little mismatched hood-rat, but in my mind, Harper's pride trumps your appearance and so! Clown-like clothes it is. ;)] You have become one of Harper's life-sized baby dolls, and her newest interest is making you a "crib" full of pillows on the floor that you must lay right in the middle of. You never go without a toy in your hand or a massage on your head, because your doting sister's gotchuuu covered.

You checked out perfectly at your 4-month well baby exam [14 pounds, 7 ounces and 24.75 inches long!] but screamed your head off for the two shots you had to get. As we were buckling you back into your carseat, Harper squatted down right by your face and sternly said, "Scar-wetttttt, you needa be a wittle bit more patient for 'da doctor!" ...It's a good thing you'll always have two mommas around to praise you when you're good and scold you when you're bad! ;) :) 

You have a fat roll in the middle of your right forearm, but not on the left. You're a feisty little hair grabber and delight in yanking a fistful of Mommy or Harper's locks at every chance you possibly get! "Owwwwwwwwwwwch, Scar-wett! STOP IT, Scaaaaar-wett!" is the tune of the day! Annnnnd lastly, you put literally everything you can get your hands on straight into your mouth [Sophie is the new favorite, but you also don't discriminate against Daddy's fingers or even your dress].

I say it all the time, but I wholeheartedly mean it: we could not adore you ANY more than we already do!!!  :-* :-*

Please stay small and sweet forever, pretty girl!!!

- I'm siiiiiingin' in the rain... -

...just singin' in the rain!

Ohhhh the buckets of fun a dreary, rainy day can provide!  Harper loves to put her boots on and stomp around in puddles, so these warm summer rains are the perfect storm for her [pun intended]. After we watched a decent thunder + lightening episode through the window, we went out to the porch to check out the calm.  I quickly retreated back inside to grab the camera, because HOLY CUTENESS!

"Come on Scar-wett, do you want to try my 'breh-wah?" ...Harper is always including her little sissy, which totally melts this momma's heart!

"Mommy! Her can't ho'd my 'breh-wah!!! Here Scar-wett, wet me show you... Say cheeeeese for Mommy!" ...Yep, she's her momma's daughter.

What a glorious feelin', I'm happy again!

I'm laughing at clouds, so dark up above...

The sun's in my heart...

...and I'm ready for love!

Let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the place...

Come on with the rain, I've got a smile on my face...

I walk down the lane with a happy refrain...

...just SIIIIIIIINGIN' in the gloooooorious rain!

So! Rain, rain, come and stay; you gave us so much fun today!!! :)