Holy Busy Summer!

We haven't really stopped this Summer. We've been busy with visits from Pappy, from Tutu, from Claudia and Brian and in a week or so from Nana and Grandad Eden. Everyday we've been visiting either the library, the High Desert Museum, the Childrens Museum, the bouncy place, the playground or Costco. It's hot and there is so much fun to be had! This past weekend we visited Portland and the coast and had 4 jam-packed days of fun. The kids had a blast.

Oliver is now just over 3 months old, but feels older to me! He lifts his head, smiles, holds his weight on his chubby legs and tonight weighed about 17lbs! He is wearing mostly 9 month clothes, and sometimes 12 month! I need to get some more recent photos of him when I'm not wearing him in the Ergo carrier. Poor kid. That's what you get for being the 3rd.

William is saying hundreds of words. He points to everything and tells you what it is. Everything. I'm pretty sure he said a sentence the other day...'there's a bus on the water'. He also enjoys screaming when he gets excited and whining when he doesn't get what he wants. He's in his terrible 2's full swing.

Pippa is a fully functioning child. Now completely out of diapers she is a big girl! She is super sweet to her brothers and keeps saying she loves Oliver and that we should keep him. Erm, yes!

All-in-all, I have some pretty cute kids. I'm trying to keep them that way.

At Seaside, OR

At the Children's Museum

Oliver a couple of weeks ago. 3 months old.

Oliver discovers his thumb!

Ah, Oliver is a doll. He is one of the sweetest, happiest and calmest 3 babies I have ever known. He usually sleeps for a 4-5 hour block at night (which means I do!), and doesn't really cry but rather makes these little noises that let you know when he's hungry or uncomfortable. As long as he's fed and dry he is a happy boy. He's beginning to smile now too, although it's not that frequent yet and I haven't been able to get any photographic evidence of it. What I do have photographic evidence of is Oliver sucking his thumb. Over the last couple of days he has been doing it a lot, so I'm thinking he may be another Pippa. Here it is:


I also have a video of the thumb-sucking. It's basically a minute of him sucking his thumb, kind of like one of those paintings in Hogwarts where the portraits move and blink and twitch and talk, but essentially it's just like a picture. Whatever. I enjoy watching it!



Also, just for the record, I have lots I want to blog about and even more photos. I also have 3 very small and demanding children who, with the light evenings and excitement of pooping on the potty, won't go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Once I do get some peace I use it to sleep.

Just for a real quick update, we have been busy trying to get out and do some things. I can walk again, I have more energy than I had for the whole of the pregnancy, and the weather is getting good. We have been to playgrounds, out for short hikes, Nick got a bike trailer and has been taking Pippa and William out 'bike trailering', we've been back to the High Desert Museum a couple of times, to Bouncing off the Walls, to the library storytime and of course to Costco and Safeway. Martha Stewart's new Cupcakes book came out at the beginning of June, so we have been testing out some of those recipes (they rock!). Plus, all the kids nap at the same time right after lunch everyday, so I've been getting a LOT of naps. I know that this will not last too much longer though :( I will post photos from the last 7 weeks soon. Hopefully it won't be 7 weeks from now, although I do have a new sewing machine I want to put through its paces...

Welcome New Baby Oliver!

On April 26th, at 10.55pm, little Oliver David Reese was born after a fairly quick and manageable labor. He is perfect and weighed 8lb, 9oz. We are now all home settling in with baby Oliver.

Here are some photos for you...

Mummy just about to go to the hospital

Daddy meeting baby Oliver

Reese family shot!

Reese kids

Happy Birthday Pippa!

Today was little Pippa's 3rd birthday. My baby turned 3. She's getting so big and independent, which I love seeing. We had a lot of fun and spoiled her. We took her out for a special birthday breakfast at the doughnut shop and she chose a fancy doughnut with pink frosting. She ate all of that without it touching her fingers (she's very good with a fork, and hates her fingers getting sticky!), then she ate a couple of doughnut holes, then she ate some of her Daddy's Chocolate Brownie Bear Claw. She was stoked to be there!


Once we got home she opened one of her gifts from us - a super-cool digital camera made especially for very young children - and she loves it! She's been taking pictures all day. Nick took her to the Earth Day Parade downtown and she carried it around and took pictures the whole time. Then she went and got her free ice cream from Baskin Robbins 31, came home, ate lunch and took a super-long nap!






She woke up at around 4.30 and opened her other couple of presents and got her birthday cake. A chocolate cake with pink frosting and pink candles, as requested! She went to bed a very happy and sugared-out 3 year old. She's the best.

ABC's

So we have this Melissa & Doug ABC puzzle. It was a gift for Pippa when she was very small and for a long time it just sat not being used or looked at or played with. Then Pippa began getting interested in letters so she would play with it, then William got to about 16 months and REALLY got interested in letters. Now, it's basically his and everyday he pulls it out and chooses 2 letters to carry around like his life depended on it. At the end of everyday I have to go around and pick up all the scattered pieces.


Whenever he is carrying these letters around we would always tell him what they are, plus he loves to watch WordWorld and Super Why, which are both very letter-heavy. In the last few weeks though, we have been asking him what the letters are, and he gets it right most of the time! The boy barely says any understandable words, but you ask him "what letter is this 'W'" and he'll say "double-u". Sometimes he says the sound they make, like an S. He loves books, just like Pippa and I think those 2 will be reading Harry Potter to themselves in no time. Maybe they can teach New Baby how to read and save me the trouble.

A Summery Spring Day and a Haircut

Today was the loveliest weather day of the year so far, so we made the most of it and spent a lot of time in the garden, just hanging out throwing rocks in a bowl of water, eating, digging in dirt, rolling around and cutting hair. Pippa and William love being outside playing, so I think they enjoyed a change of scenery.

As you can see from the photos, their hair was getting a little unruly, so I got out the scissors and went at it. You don't really notice much difference with Pippa, but a chop at Will's hair makes him look more like a real little boy! I know Will has all those cute curls, but if it got any longer I was going to have to start blow-drying it or braiding it.

Once Daddy got home from work we all went across to the playground and played for a while as the sun began to sink. It was a fun sun-filled day!

Here are some photos for you...

William enjoying the feel of the grass

My little fruit bat

Mummy, take a photo of my stick

The before picture...

...and with a sweet new hairdo

Then it was nap time, evident by the mini-tantrum

William and Pippa both love the slides. William is a champ at climbing all the stairs and finding the longest, scariest looking slide to hurl himself down, and Pippa does the same.

Busy Bees

Since I last posted we've had Grandma Tutu and Nana visit and just been about our usual business, which really isn't much! The kids have been sledding and swimming, to the playground and to the High Desert Museum. I've been growing this baby, which is now due in less than 3 weeks! Here are some photos from the last month for you...

Pippa and William enjoying a ride together

William just wanted his snack and his nap while everyone was sledding

Nana on the snow tube

Tu-tu

Pippa throwing snowballs at Mummy

High Desert Museum

Playground Day

And finally, me at about 35 weeks pregnant with number 3, New Baby!