Mmmm....ice cream!

It's been so hot down here lately...and muggy. The ice cream seems to take the edge off and make them happy. Hey, who can be sad eating an ice cream cone? So, I had a little fun with my camera taking some pictures of my cute kiddos out in the backyard.

Luke's Lemon Tree

We just planted this Meyer lemon tree in our yard. Maybe we'll have fresh squeezed lemonade for Luke's first birthday!

I want to be just like you Dad

Jaden has been watching Chris pick up his leg before swinging the bat. He's trying to do it too - he's just lifting the wrong leg! I'm sure Dad will help him work on that. : )

Look at that ball go!

This week in pictures

Luke in the jammies that Anna wore and Jaden too.

Look how long he is getting! I can't believe how he is growing.

Anna donated her hair to "Locks of Love".

She was very excited to have her hair cut and give it to kids who need it.

We are very proud of her!

She had to donate at least 10 inches. It turned out that she gave 12 inches! We think she looks super cute with her new cut. She looks so grown up! "How do these things work?" Luke has been working on focusing his eyes. It's so funny to see him with his little cross-eyes. He's too cute!

This week at Anna's school they were talking about pets. She was asked to bring in a picture of her and her pet. These are some pics of Anna with Leo (and Jaden too!)

The day Anna had to bring her picture with her pet was also "show and brag" day. That morning I found a tiny frog in my bathroom (I have no idea how he/she got there). Chris caught it for Anna to take to school. Jaden was so excited! Unfortunately the little frog didn't make it until lunch time so he could be released. We'll need to learn a little more about frog-care the next time. :(

Playing in the yard in the playhouse.

Anna's friend's birthday party. This was such a great party - they had pony rides and a petting zoo! Anna and the Birthday Girl (Cody Belle) riding the horse.
Anna and Cody Belle.

Swing batta batta swing!

Jumping Jaden

The sweetest, naked-est baby

Luke and his Daddy

Despite Daddy's grumblings he cooperated and we got some very sweet pictures. Chris kept telling me he needed to get a shower. I didn't understand why. (I think he was watching a baseball game and didn't want to be interrupted) So, I asked him how he was going to look different? I mean he didn't have to re-apply makeup. And the picture isn't scratch-n-sniff. As long as there aren't streaks of dirt showing it is okay. I think it just seems proper to get cleaned up to have your picture taken. Well not at my studio!

Little Mama and Big Daddy

The big thing around the Tyree house these days is "who gets to hold the baby?" Wish Luke liked it as much as Anna and Jaden do...

Luke is one month old

It's hard to believe that a whole month has passed by already. Time sure does fly when you are sleep deprived and busy changing diapers, nursing a baby, chasing a toddler, keeping a 5-year-old entertained, doing loads and loads of laundry, running errands... But, the truth be told I wouldn't trade it for the world! I love new baby sounds, smells, and cuddles. Those little squeaks and grunts melt my heart. In my opinion they don't last long enough. Luke went to the doctor today for his check up and he has gained 2.5 pounds and grew 3 inches in just three weeks! See, what I mean? He now weighs 10 pounds 7 ounces (50th-75th percentile) and is 23 inches long (95th percentile). I am tickled that he is doing well. It's always a worry for me - is he getting enough to eat? am I doing a good job taking care of him? I'm sure I'll worry till the day he leaves for college. But in reality it probably won't stop then either. That's just parf of being a parent.

This has been an interesting week. My plan was to spend the week just nursing the baby and getting rest since Chris was off. I tried but the plan has to be adjusted. Jaden came down with a runny nose on Saturday and had a little fever on Sunday. I thought it was just a little bit of allergies and it would clear up but it didn't. His nose just poured yucky stuff for days. He was so miserable despite our best efforts to keep him comfortable with decongestant and ibuprofen. He was like an extra appendage to Chris. Thank goodness he was here to carry him around because I don't know how I would have managed. He just wanted to be held. Plus, Jaden didn't sleep well most nights. Everyone was exhaused! I took him to the doctor on Wednesday to have him checked out. It turned out that he has a bacterial upper respiratory infection and impetigo (which is contagious!). One of us has had to tend to Luke while other tended to Jaden. Anna was good about going back and forth between whoever was free. She was also wonderful at occuping herself with her Barbies, coloring, and working on her handwriting. She has also been doing a good job sounding out words and learning to read. She is working hard. We are very proud of her.

A few more sleeping baby pictures...

Surprise! A few awake baby pictures... there has to be a first time for everything.

(He makes some funny faces but they are precious!)

An afternoon nap & another photo opp.

Luke is 4 weeks old today

I love this picture because he is starting to look "fat". I mean that in a very good way. :)

You may be wondering - "Just how many pictures of a sleeping baby can one Mom take?" To be fair, he doesn't do much else - at least not much I can photograph! He's just so cute and I know that I will blink and he will be all grown up so I want to take as many as I can! It's just easy to take these pictures right now. Although it is getting challenging to think of different things to do. I usually take them by myself so I'm limited. I also don't have that many props and lighting, etc. I am still hoping to get some pictures with Chris this week while he's off but it just hasn't worked out yet. Timing is everything and those moments are harder to come by the more people that you have to factor in. Getting Chris free means Anna needs to be occupied and Jaden asleep then, Luke has to be asleep to or at least cooperative and since I'm not a professional photographer it's got to be a day with good light... You can see what I mean.

This is one of my favorites because it will always remind me of one of Luke's favorite things. Just about from the time we brought him home I've been able to relax him to sleep or comfort him by running my hand over his little head. It's so sweet to watch his eyes softly close and feel his delicate hair. I love these moments.

The blanket in this picture was the same one that I used in Jaden's newborn picture. It was a gift from a friend of Chris' in WV. I like that there are connections I can capture in photographs between my kids.

Tooting my own horn!

I am soo excited to report that I made it through my first week all by myself with all three kids! I've been pretty spoiled the last few weeks. My mom came down a few days before Luke was born and stayed for two weeks. Then, my Aunt and Uncle came down a few days before my mom left and stayed for 10 days. I didn't have to cook or clean or do laundry or change dirty toddler diapers! I am very lucky (and believe me, I realize it!) to have such wonderful family. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!
I was very nervous about going from having so much help and lots of company to being alone with all of the responsibility. I thought it might be a difficult adjustment - especially with a very active toddler and and newborn who gets up all through the night. We all made it through with flying colors. I managed to get myself clean every morning (a major feat for me), get Anna to school on time, keep everyone fed, diapered, and napped, registered Anna for kindergarten (and they even made me come back two days in a row - double the effort!), AND took Jaden to Kindermusic class with Luke in the Baby Bjorn (still had to sit on the floor with Jaden in my lap and carry him when we did things standing up - he shows me no mercy). Somehow I also managed to cook supper a few nights and kept the house in some semblance of an order (don't ask me how). I know that doesn't sound like much but at this time in my life its a really big deal. Now I will be rewarded with the company of my husband for a whole week!!!

Big Sister Anna

I have to say that I am very proud of my little Anna. She has taken to being a 'big sister' pretty well considering how much of a change it's been in her life. Now, that's not saying that she can't be a little stinker at times - especially when it comes to Jaden. She is very aware that she is bigger than him and smarter than him...for now. I have to watch because she is quick to take things she wants from him in the blink of an eye - toys, books, popsicles. Jaden may be little but he sure has a powerful cry/scream. He generally doesn't just roll over when she takes advantage of him - he lets someone know!

As for Luke, she is much more confident in her baby handling skills this time. She tries to pick him up by herself and wants to hold him walking. She actually does very well but I'm still a cautious mother hen. At least this time I've realized that he's much sturdier than I used to think babies were and he can handle it. With that being said, I would not take my chances where Jaden is involved. He's the sweetest little boy but he's a bit of a bull in a china shop. He wants to kiss Luke over and over. I think the kiss ratio is at least 20+:1 for the rest of us. But he's quick to get up and try to jump on the bed if Luke is lying there or try to crawl over him to get to a toy before his sister. Protecting Luke from Jaden is definitely one of my top priorities after nursing and pumping!