Let's Go To The Movies

I hope you all have that song from 'Annie' stuck in your head now.

Our Hayden turned three years old in May! I had yet to throw the girl her own birthday party, so this was the year. It worked out to have the party while Aunt Allison and Uncle Noah were in town (it would not have happened without them!) In fact, five minutes before people showed up, I was nursing Bennett and still needed a shower. It was my own fault, I had in my head all day the party started later and it wasn't until that moment I realized--'no, no, no, they are going to be here in five minutes!!'

So all the Pace girls were a tad disheveled; Abbey pretty much wore a princess towel for a crown the whole night. Oh man, we are awesome these days.

The invitation was a sleeve with tickets inside for each kid in the family. After walking up the red carpet outside, they handed me their ticket to get inside and later got their cash for the concession stand. I didn't make a plan for how to handle eight kids all wanting things from the table at once, but they were so polite about it and dutifully paid for each toy or treat.

Of course, every girl was dressed up in some form of pink princess or ballerina :)

An hour or so before the party, J started setting up the trampoline in the front yard and giving the girls water balloons. Why? I don't know!!! He's the fun parent. It's been established. I had my 'what in the world!?' face on, but the trampoline turned out to be the unplanned hit on the night.

Hayden at Two Years

A few pictures of my Hayden from May 2010 to....

...May 2011

My baby girl. You truly are startlingly beautiful to me. Sometimes I'll catch myself just staring at you, amazed at your stunning blue eyes and golden hair. We were laughing the other night about how you sleep with your eyes half open. Nana said it is because they are too big for your eyelids to cover :)

You were so fun this year--such a pleasant two year old. Sometimes I would forget you were only two because you are just so ready to jump into Abbey's world. You love her and love to drive her crazy. It's surprising how good you are at teasing her already. The two of you can play so well together and it amuses me to see you so engulfed in your pretend play--I wonder where the two of you go in your imaginations. You also play wonderfully on your own. I like to listen to you have conversations with your dolls. It usually reflects pretty accurately how I have been acting at the time!

You are a rather aloof child. Maybe that's not the right word. I call you my quiet stubborn one. Because you rarely throw fits or scream or cry, but you do find trouble. And usually when you are being scolded, you will half close your eyes, tilt up your chin, and get the smirkiest grin on your face. Maddening! And a little endearing, you sneak. I actually hope I never forget that particular face you pull.



I took you to a peony garden last week to get some three-year birthday pictures (of which you had absolutely no interest.) So I'd slyly walk behind you with the camera and ask you every now and then about the flowers. You'd run from bed to bed, smelling each variety. Then you'd throw your head back like this and say, "Mmmm! Stwawbewwy!" or "Mmmmm! Chocolate!!"




I love you, sweet pea. You are going through something major right now with the new baby here. I wish I could dig into that little head of yours and know just what you need from me to make it better. But you still delight us every day and I hope the next year is as good as the last.

What was THAT?!

So about an hour ago I'm trying to entertain the kids outside and realize I need to feed Bennett. I take Hayden inside with me because I don't trust her outside and try to get her settled with activities and food so I can nurse. Bennett's almost done, almost asleep. Hayden waddles in because she just peed her pants on the couch. I quickly lay Bennett down as gently as I can so he'll stay asleep and I can take care of the pee situation. Just then I look outside and Abbey and her friend are throwing pool toys into the road so they can run and save them. I'm uncomfortable with them being outside alone anyway, so that does it. In the thirty seconds it takes me to gather their toys and clean up some sidewalk chalk, Hayden has gone in to find Bennett. She can not be trusted around that baby. Truly, it is a threat to his life. So he is awake and crying now. I grab Hayden so fast she drops her pancake on the floor and is in tears because I scared her. Bennett's in tears and needs to be calmed back to sleep. Then Abbey is in tears because something happened with her friend and a new toy.

So what I want to know is, IS THIS MY LIFE NOW?!

My New Bag, Baby

When my cousin, Allyn, mentioned on her blog she had finished up a bag for a certain V.I.P., I dared not hope it would show up in my mail box. (I hardly consider myself a vip) I got a kick out of the package that showed up last week, especially since this was exactly what I was wearing when I opened it up:

I think she nailed my style!

Thank you, Allyn!! I am completely blown away by your mad sewing skills.
(Did I mention she was on her way to the hospital to meet her SIXTH baby when she finished this up?)

Blessed Baby

We took this picture about two minutes before the biggest tantrum any of my kids have ever thrown. Epic. And we won't be winning any parenting awards soon for how we dealt with it. I hope that isn't how I remember Bennett's blessing day :) Is there an emoticon to show a weak smile? Something like this-- :? Eh, that looks more like half a mustache.

I hope I remember the sweet words Justin used to bless our son. I want to remember that we made it to church on time without the typical crazy rush in the morning. And the sweet lady who took the time to write the prayer down for me even though we've never actually met. And our friends who were there to support us on the special day. And that Bennett miraculously fit into his blessing outfit, I thought it would just be too big. And, simply, Bennett at six weeks. I never want to forget how he looks and feels right now.

Since You've Been Home

Our first few days home were...emotional. Luckily, by kid three, Justin and I expected the tears and laughed through each episode. It's ridiculous, really. All I'd have to say to start a crying meltdown was, "I feel like...." even if it was just to say, "I feel like nachos tonight" or "I feel like it would be faster to get on the freeway". Just starting a sentence with 'i feel' was enough. J thought it was hilarious, which would start me laughing, and we got through it.

Enough about me, how's the baby? That little man! (seriously, he kinda looks like a little old man) He makes me want to have more!! He's what my brother-in-law, Jer, would call, 'The Trick'. You know, the easy baby that tricks you into having another :)

This is the little worried face I see on Bennett so often these days. I'd look like that too if my big sister (HAYDEN!!) was silently and sneakily trying to cut off my air supply every day.

The next two pictures are from the rainy afternoon we brought Bennett home.

She figured out right away the joy of snuggling a newborn and enjoying a show. This is a whole new experience--having a baby and a sibling old enough to hold him for a time. Now if I could just get my hands on an eight year old....

Perfect! My sister, Koryn, flew out for a week with her daughter, Whitney.
This picture cracks me up: Whitney navigating the capriciousness of the two-year old and Abbey sulking in the background.




My beautiful sister is the greatest; the greatest conversationalist, the greatest cook, the greatest baby snuggler. I mentioned something on facebook about her being in town and my cousin, Jen, wrote, "You got Koryn?!" Yes. Yes, I got Koryn. :) I started feeling down days before she left, just knowing the visit was coming to an end. Thank you, thank you Koryn!! Now come back :)

Did you know it's taken me a week and a half to do this post? I kept wondering why I can't express my thoughts at all right now. I wanted to jot down what life has been like the past few weeks and I can't. Because time right now is in little chunks, small bits of time in between interruptions and satisfying demands, especially since the accident. My mind is a bit off. In fact, two of the last three shirts I've worn were inside out all day.

But some quick things I want to remember:

--Abbey giving Bennett hugs and kisses every morning and predictably saying, "Mom! Isn't he the cutest baby you ever had?"

--J showing the girls clips of the Royal Wedding and all the questions that came with it: "Is she a real princess?" "Can she talk?" "So...is there a witch?"



--Resting Bennett's head in the crook of my neck while I read or watch a show. He fits so perfectly right now.

--Him falling asleep in about two seconds if I put him in a baby sling and carry him around the house.

--Oh. That face.

--The girls clinging to me just a moment longer than usual when we hug.

--Hayden thinking I feed Bennett through my bicep and insisting she can help out and feed him with her arm as well.

--Overhearing J tell someone why we named him Bennett. According to him, we named him after a sweet old man he used to visit and play checkers with at a nursing home he went to weekly in college. What?!

--Feeling a lot of love from and for my awesome husband. You don't realize how much someone does around the house until you are frantically trying to cover their responsibilities. It's hard for me to see him in pain and it's hard for him to see me...crazy. At the end of the day, we almost simultaneously say, "I'm so sorry, that was a hard day, are you ok?" Man, I love that man.

Just When We Were Figuring It Out

awesome.

When J came home before midnight on his volleyball night, I knew something was up. He plays hard and sometimes playing hard results in a high ankle sprain and an avulsion fracture of the ankle.


so awesome.