Three Weeks!

A little after 5pm today, you will turn 3 weeks old. I know that's not a long time, but I have a hard time remembering what life was like before you were here! Every day, Paprika asks me if we can keep you forever. I want that more than anything - you have been the sweetest gift to our family, and I can't imagine the world without you in it.



As far as what you are up to now, you are awake sometimes, and you sleep sometimes. You like to be held a lot. Which is a-okay, because you are hard to put down. You love being held mostly by your mama, but daddy is turning out to be okay sometimes, too!

You are starting to hold your head up on your own. You started that about a week ago, and you are getting so strong! You are so aware and curious about everything going on around you. I wonder what you are thinking...I think you love it here, too.

You are adored by your big sisters. When I walk into the room with you, they smother you with kisses and beg to hold you. You are a very loved little baby.



You like to "talk" to us in your baby language - lots of coos, oohs, and gurgles. You are a sweet, happy baby and you fit right in to our family. I am thankful for every moment with you. You make being a mommy very gratifying, and I am so excited to watch you grow.



My favorite thing in the whole world is holding you close. And thankfully, I have gotten to do that a lot lately. You are the best Christmas gift I ever could get, and my heart is so full this year. I love you, little one, and I am so thankful for you.

Love,
Mom

An Artful Sunday!

Paprika was off school all last week, and all she wanted to do on her vacation was go to an Art Museum. By Sunday, we were feeling up to it, so we went to the Getty Villa in Malibu.

Well, actually I wasn't feeling so up for it after our hike on Saturday. But, we had already told Paprika about it, and she was so excited that she only slept for 4 hours on Saturday night. Paprika came into our bedroom at 5am on Sunday morning (after not falling asleep until 1am) - and said, "Is it time for the Art Museum to open yet?"

So, I knew that there was just no way I could cancel. So, I rallied and we all went to the Art Museum on Sunday. I am so glad we did!



Paprika has been to a bunch of art museums in her five years of life...but we hadn't been to this one...the Getty Villa...since almost two years ago, so it was high time. ;-) Here is a link, if you want to remember with me way back when:

Getty Villa 2009

At two weeks old, this was Pavenzia's first trip to an art museum of any kind...and she slept through the whole thing!



The girls loved the galleries, but most of all they loved being outside...



And running through the gardens!



Paprika got really scared by the mummy exhibit they have at the museum. She made me promise to never take her to see a mummy exhibit again. Noted!



The big hit of the day was the children's room. The girls got to draw on pottery with dry erase markers.



Paprika especially loved the shadow exhibit, where kids could make art out of their own shadows. Ginger was terrified of it, but Paprika told her that maybe when she's five years old, she'll like it better. We shall see!



Here are some pictures of Paprika's shadows that she made:











All in all, it was an awesome trip to the museum. I'm so glad all three girls had a wonderful time, even if Pavenzia slept through almost all of it! :-) Until next time...

First Outing!

On Saturday, we had our first family outing with Pavenzia. It was the first time she and I had left the house since we got home from the hospital- well, except for her one week pediatrician visit.

First, we went to the Wilderness Park near our house. It is still really hard for me to walk, so I took it slowly...one step at a time. Pavezia napped in the Baby Bjorn...here she is under the nursing cover. I don't think she even realized we left the house. Ha!



The big girls had a great time exploring. This is one of Paprika's favorite parts of the park. She calls it "the iguana" - she named it that about a year ago (the first time we came here). She loves to come and talk to it and pretend it's a giant iguana- and even though we haven't been to this park in a long time, she still remembered her iguana.



After a few hours at the park, I was having a hard time walking back to the car. I knew I needed to rest a bit, so Mr. M and the big girls dropped me and the baby off at home, and then they headed to the beach!



They splashed around in the water and made sandcastles on the beach. Then they went to the little Aquarium on the pier. And finally, stopped at the ice cream parlour on the way home.



It's amazing how when you have one child, the newborn phase seems so overwhelming...and then by the time you have three kids to take care of, it seems like a piece of cake to just be relaxing at home with the newborn! Ha!

By the way, this is what Paprika looks like when you tell her to "smile" for the camera. ;-)



Just a few months ago, these two seemed like such a handful, and now an outing with just them seems so much more manageable. Perspective!



It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Even here at the beach!

Thanksgiving!

I know I said we were "skipping" Thanksgiving this year...but you can't really skip Thanksgiving when you're feeling thankful, so instead I guess I should have said that we had a quiet time at home and celebrated in our own quirky way.

On Saturday and Sunday, we had big adventures (blog post to follow), but on Thursday and Friday, we stayed home and just enjoyed each other's company. We spent a lot of time in our jammies, and only half-bothered to brush our hair. Relaxation to the max! ;-)

Paprika spent time holding her new baby sister. Love!



Pavenzia napped and then napped some more. ;-)



Mr. M bonded with the newest princess...



The big girls painted a bunch...



And played Legos with daddy. These are Mr. M's legos from when he was a kid. He had thousands of Legos, and so now the girls have inherited them. How cool is that?



For Thanksgiving dinner, we had turkey burgers, fresh green beans, stuffing, and then pumpkin pie for dessert (store-bought). Our oven wasn't working, so everything had to be cooked on the stove-top. It was a no-fuss meal that took about 15 minutes to make, and was delicious (Mr. M cooked, thank goodness)! The two littlest girls were napping while we ate. Paprika painted her masterpieces at the table while we had dinner. Mr. M and I had a chance to actually have a conversation over our Thanksgiving meal. I have to say, it was pretty perfect (for us!)



On Friday night, we had a bonfire in the backyard. Don't think for a second that Paprika actually ate those marshallows! But she had fun roasting them! Ha!



Even Daisy had fun. Isn't she getting so big?!!!



We discovered that while Paprika loves campfires, Ginger does not! She hid out in the tent while the fire was roaring. A few minutes later she came inside with me and we got out the boardgames. :-)



So, that was the start of our Thanksgiving weekend. I didn't step foot inside a store the whole weekend. I joked that I should have run to Target at midnight on Black Friday for something silly like toilet paper and asked everyone what the heck they were doing out at that hour. I didn't buy anything because it turns out we have everything we need right here. :-) I am getting excited for Christmas this year. I know it will be magical because we are all together. I am ready to deck the halls...soon!

The End.

Vacation!

I don't think anyone was excited as me for last night's season finale of DWTS. I have to admit, I was sooooo sad when Mr. M went back to work a mere 48 hours after the baby was born. It was so great having my dad and Nancy here that first week, and Grandma Pat this last week. I think if they hadn't been here, I would have literally lost my mind!

But, there is something so great about having Mr. M home now. He has promised me to take this whole month of December off work, and I am holding him to it! ;-) I am so excited for him to get to spend some time with Pavenzia, especially.



We usually go to the finale and wrap party of DWTS, but last night we just stayed home and ordered pizza. I was not going to leave my 13 day old baby at home...just not my style! (Not judging others who do). It was a low-key evening and just what I needed.



Today we had big plans to go to the Botanical Gardens, but when we thought about the holiday traffic, we decided to stay closer to home! Paprika has swimming today, and we are also doing errands like picking up dog treats and food, and maybe giving Daisy (the dog) a bath. Exciting, right?! Haha!

Mostly, I am just thankful to have Mr. M home, and I know the girls are, too. Pavenzia is doing great - so sweet, and getting to be a bit of a chunk-a-lunk (which is a good thing). She really only wants to be held by me (and will scream if anyone else holds her)...so that is my numero uno job lately. Can't say that I mind one bit! :-) Happy Thanksgiving!

Brown-Eyed Girls!

The girls are loving their baby sister, and want nothing more than to play mommy to her. They have been great about showering her with their toys, presents, and lots of love.



Every day they ask me questions like:

When will she be big enough to play with us?

When will she be big enough to go to school?

When will she eat at the table?

Where are her teeth?

When will she talk?



I think they were expecting her to pop out three years old, and the fact that she's so teeny tiny is a little bit of a shock, especially to Paprika. But they are getting used to it!



Ginger has been sick, so I have been doing my best to keep her separate from the baby. Easier said than done, right?! Especially when she wants so badly to love on her baby sister, kiss her, hug her, and play with her! So, we've been doing our best...that's the best we can do, right?



As I said, it is hard to keep these girls from their baby sister. I forsee many years of this little one being smothered in kisses. :-) She doesn't know how good she's got it! Ha!