Sister Act

Mike has three sisters.
I grew up with none.
When I married Mike I gained more than just a great man.
I got a pile of fantastic sisters.

Tammy and I have been pregnant at the same time but I was in California and she was in Canada.
I love that our kids are close in age and proximity and their relationships with each other are really precious.  I love being a mom with Tam, I trust her completely with my kids and she is my biggest ally and confidant on the parenting front.

I am so excited to now be pregnant with Terri.
Our babies will likely be only 1-2 months apart!
Terri was a teenager when she came for the summer to nanny for us when Maddie was born.
I love how our relationship has grown over the years as we have gained more things in common.
It's cool how an age gap can disappear as you get older!
I am so excited to enjoy the journey of motherhood alongside her!

Today we got some pics before I lose my last {that's right, I said it...LAST} baby bump.

Thanks Mailee Joy for the photos!!

More Getting Ready

We got a Baby Bjorn from the consignment store  last week.  In my opinion a Baby Bjorn carrier is an essential baby gear item for the first 6 months.

The kids have been getting quite a bit of enjoyment out of the carrier!

Maddie informed me she was "practicing for the baby" as she was climbing up on a chair unaware that she was also whacking the pig's head on the counter.

{I made a mental note }

Cait looked so funny:)

Mailee informed me she would be able to hold two babies at once!

A package came from my Dad in California...

Uncle Harry's Pesto bagels!

{I have managed to have my favourite sandwich as a little reward to myself after every birth.  The pesto bagel that is only sold in Fresno is a key component}

Call me a princess.

Maybe I am.

For a day or two after giving birth I think that's allowed:)

Caity has been practicing the rocking technique with her baby doll.

So exciting!

All we need is a name and we are good to go!

Baby Preparations

 I am feeling really ready physically to have this baby.  I can tell it will happen pretty soon.  We have kicked into high gear with the baby preparations.

Last night the boys went to a hockey game and the girls and I sewed a bunch of baby blankets.  I consider this an awesome benefit to homeschooling.  I taught them a new skill even though it was Saturday night!  We had Justin Beiber cranked in the background and it was an awesome evening together.  I am so so lucky to have so many daughters!!!

A little teamwork.

 Mikayla's finished product!

She also made one with chickens.

 Mailee's finished product.

She also made one with strawberries that turned out really cute.

 Maddie's finished product.

Mads went with a girly blanket, all the girls are hoping for another sister so this is the "just in case" pink option:)

 A pile of cuteness.

Loving these barnyard animals:)

 Remember my corner of our room?

Yikes!

It is clear and now home to a cradle!

This was the other messy corner of our room.

Now it is the temporary home to a birth tub.

 A little pile of neutral newborn things.

So exciting!!

We will be sure to let you all know when we have baby news.

Still accepting C names, if you have any suggestions:)

St Patrick's Day Party 2011

I'm Irish.

Not just a little Irish.

My name is Colleen Erin.

My Grandma came over from the Emerald Isle on a boat in the 40's to marry her American soldier.

When I was 13 my family travelled to Ireland to meet all the Irish relatives.

I come by my "thing" for St. Patrick's Day honestly:)

This year we hosted a little party.

Here are some of our favourite elements...

I got the idea for these cute little guys HERE.

We painted rocks gold and hid them all over the house for the younger kids.

We told them that the leprechaun left gold behind.

We made a trap the night before.

We left a little gold at the top for the greedy little fella.

It worked!  Look who was stuck in the trap in the morning!!

My younger kids, Caleb especially, were so excited about this!

Cute!

Ingredients:

felt, pipe cleaners, wooden bead, orange embroidery thread, google eyes, puff paint and hot glue.

We made cute rainbows using the edge of our hands.

Of course we had fun nails.

We made bean bags.

We played hot potato and a few other games.

Ingredients:

felt, puff paint, dry beans

Paintings doubled as place mats:)

Mason jars got belted.

(with paper and secured with hot glue...which popped off nicely when the party was over)

Green smoothies!!

Ingredients:

spinach

peeled apples

pineapple

ice

stevia

Irish Soda Bread

A tradition in my family.

Potato Leek Soup

(eaten with green spoons:)

Lucky charms squares.

I got the recipe HERE but I opted for chocolate Lucky Charms.

YUM.

So not normal fare around here.

This was a super big treat!!

Gold loonies left behind by the leprechaun:)

Little cone shaped baskets to collect the "gold" hidden around the house.

The party people in their green!

This was such a fun party!

The kids won't be forgetting about Mr. leprechaun anytime soon.

He will be a tradition for sure!

Another Winterized Romper

After Cait winterized her romper last week, Mikayla decided to show baby sister how it's done in tweenland.

The sun was out today and Mike just bought me a new lens so I was super excited to get outside with a willing subject and take some photos!!!

Taking further inspiration from Alana at I Love Denham, Mikayla came up with this little number all by herself.  

Wearing leggings under a "romper" or even under shorts sure does open up the wardrobe options.  The girls are sick of wearing jeans so this is a great way to mix it up!

This girl of mine has so many different sides.  Lately she has been such a pleasure to have around.  She has been helping Maddie read her chapter book each day, she helps her sisters pick out outfits on days when we have somewhere to go, she helps me get the house cleaned up at the end of the day and she is a task master for getting us all out of the house and where we need to be on time.

Seems like discovering that she loves writing regularly on her blog and creating the Book Nook site has helped to give Mikayla a new sense of purpose and enjoyment that has benefitted everyone!!

Toddler Time

 We've been going to the Library weekly so the big girls can load up on books.  We go during Toddler Time and Cait loves having fun with all the "babies" (as she calls them...some of them are 3 and 4 but to her they are all babies!).  Caleb and Maddie enjoy helping her enjoy the songs and stories.  His week, Mailee sat with her as well.

Listening intently.

Doing the motions to a song.

Lots of helpers!

"mine damp!" {my stamp}

"roggy" {froggy}

Maddie's Community Map

Counting Down, Slowing Down

According the the Baby Bump app on my phone, I have a baby the size of a leek {19.75in}, a 2 1/2 pound uterus and only 8 days to go!  Nesting is in full swing around here and I am pretty sure I have begun to perfect "the waddle".

I am making sure to stop for lots of moments like this.
So precious!