my maysa

this little girl had a birthday.

And she's now a 4 year old.

I'm not gonna lie - I'm a little depressed about it.

I wish she could just be frozen at this age forever.

there's something about this kid that makes me want

10 more of her.

She goes to preschool next year, and I seriously have toyed with the thought of not sending her,

just so I can have her all to myself for 1 more year.

But I know she'll love it and she is SOO excited and ready.

we've been kind of attached at the hip these last 4 years, 

so it's gonna be an adjustment.

For me, not her.

so what can I say about my Maysa.

She is hu-lar-i-ous!! 

She keeps me laughing all day long.

I am NOT a morning person, but for some reason,

the second I see her in the morning, 

my mood completely changes.

And I kinda crave her when I'm not with her.

I know, I know, cut the umbilical cord already.

I just can't help it, she has this effect on me.

It's funny how when my older 3 were this age, 

I was so excited for them to reach the next stage and get older.

But now, I just want time to stop, 

and keep them this age forever.

I'm not gonna be a very happy empty nester, I'm guessing.

This little girl taught herself how to ride a 2-wheeler about 

a month ago. 

She just got on a bike and rode it. 

And that is pretty much all she does now, every day all day.

She is such a farm girl and LOVES to go to work with her daddy.

Her favorite toys are probably her toy horses,

which she has to take everywhere she goes.

She is such a sweetie and I can't seem to get enough of her hugs and kisses.

She LOVES babies.

I think her baby brother is gonna get mauled.

It's so fun to see the 3 olders with Maysa.

They completely ADORE her.

all the kids on maysa's birthday.

(Yes, I'm well aware of the fact that Gracie looks homeless.

She's not quite into her looks yet).

So happy birthday my sweet Maysa,

WE LOVE YOU TO PEICES!!

lovin' this face!

look who got his picture taken today

For some reason I can't stop looking at this picture today.

It is so crazy how much he looks like my babies -

mostly ryder and maysa.

And he's a big boy.

Just look at those cheeks.

They said he weighs 4lb 13oz already

and he still has 8 weeks of baking left.

That might explain why I'm so big.

He's also breech.

Awesome.

Yah, I'm pretty much crazy about this little guy already.

easter

 So here's the Easter post. 

It's only a few weeks late.

maysa with her basket. It was a little sunny.

ryder's loot

so this was the best group shot I could get.

Maysa was not impressed and Gracie just looks weird.

Hence the reason why I don't have many pics

of all my children together.

On to painting easter eggs...

mayse and her favorite boy/cousin Brody. She LOVES him!

sadie and halle - these 2 are connected at the hip.

maysa thought it was the greatest thing 

to throw her eggs down the hill

until...

she ran out of eggs. Then the pout came out.

 a truck full of trouble!!

ryder was in 7th heaven huckin' eggs at his cousins

and especially uncle josh. 

Only a few tears were shed.

Take note of ryder's amazingly straight 2 front

ADULT teeth for a moment...

because later on that day they looked like this:

the kid took a hockey stick to the teeth in

a game of mini sticks. 

He thought he looked pretty cool - 

just like a real hockey player, 

until I explained to him that now he would have to get 

dental work done.

Then he cried.

I swear this kid is so accident prone.

It's a good thing I got a spare coming in a few months

(my brother always says you need an heir and a spare).

But anyways we got him all fixed up the next day, 

and his teeth were as good as new. 

Almost.

Except he's already chipped them again.

Ahhh - looks like we'll be living at the dentist's office.

28 weeks

So here's the ginormous belly at 28 weeks. Yah, I'm big. I keep reminding myself that it's because this is baby #5 or maybe because it's a boy. Everyone keeps telling me that baby #5 does this to you. I hope that is the reason and it's not due to the constant chocolate cravings I've had (I believe in eating excessive amounts of chocolate while pregnant to get the baby use to it so I don't have to avoid it when I'm nursing - works like a charm!)haha. Otherwise I'm producing a 12 pounder. But then again, I think that with every pregnancy and I've never had a baby over 8 pounds. 
I had my first "how much longer" question the other day. The guy at home depot asked me how much longer I have left (I'm sure he expected that I would say 1-2 weeks), but when I said 12 weeks, he looked super surprised. I quickly told him that it was my 5th baby and then I think he understood. I've gotten to the point where, for my sanity, I don't look at the scale when I get weighed anymore. So I have no clue how much I've gained. It's probably better that way. Anyways, all that matters I guess is that this little guy inside me is healthy and growing. 

So the pregnancy is going good, although I'm definately starting to feel it. Bending over is no longer pleasant, and either is sleeping. I have discovered the body pillow though which is heaven sent! I have surprised myself this pregnancy, that I haven't had to stop running on the treadmill. I didn't think I could last this long, so it's more of an experiment at this point to see how long I can run for. So needless to say, the running isn't pretty, nor will I be winning any awards any time soon. Sadie asked me the other day after I ran how I can still run with my huge belly. Thanks sades. I told her it's because I'm amazing. 


I'm getting really excited to meet this little babe. Because of the awesome weather that we have had this spring so far (totally being sarcastic of course), my projects have gotten pushed back so the next 2 months will be very full of projects to get ready for the baby. The kids also start soccer, baseball, and softball next week so life will be crazy. You'd think that by baby #5, that it wouldn't be as exciting, but I think it seriously gets more exciting with each kid. Maybe it's because I kind of know what to expect, and maybe also because I'm so excited to see the older kids with the new baby, after all it's been 4 years since we've had one in our house. Maysa is gonna be in heaven!! 

birthdays!!

I thought I'd better do the token birthday posts before it's too late. Sadie and Ryder's birthdays are 4 days apart so it's always a pretty crazy week of birthday celebrations. 


First I'll start with my 10 year old. Little miss Sadie Layne.

Sadie has been planning her birthday party for about 6 months, so how could I say she couldn't have one (especially since she didn't have a friend party last year). She kind of drove me nutty with her constant questions about her party so I have to say it was kind of nice when it was finally over.

the crew of giggly party girls

so what can I say about my Sades?


- she is insanely crafty. She puts me to shame. Seriously, she can make pretty much anything out of nothing. I see a little Martha in the making. She got a sewing machine for christmas and is getting so good at making things. 
- she is miss independant and has to choose her clothes and do her own hair. And the funny thing is is that she is pretty stinkin' good at it too. She is getting so good at doing her hair and comes up with all sorts of creations that I would never think of. She can do a pretty mean french braid. And her clothes combinations are actually pretty decent. One less girl I to have to get ready in the morning sounds good to me!

- she can be so shy and still has a hard time talking to adults. I was hoping that gene (obviously from me) would pass over my kids but no, she was the lucky recipient of that blessed shy gene. Darn it.
- she is my little fashion consultant and I go to Sadie to ask if an outfit looks ok. I must say, the kid has good taste.
- she does not like to read and it's like pulling teeth to get her to do it. I was also hoping that lovely gene (obviously from her dad) would pass over my kids as well, but poor sades got it. She's a pretty good reader though, just doesn't like to do it.

- she is super neat and organized.
- she loves to tease.
- she loves to cook and is my little sidekick when I'm making dinner. Her specialty is ceasar salad.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweet SADIE! We sure love ya!!

Now onto my little dude, RYDER. He is now officially an 8 year old. No friend party this year, just a partay at grandma's. He is super excited for his baptism that will be at the end of May. 

So here's a few Ryder facts:


- the kid will NOT keep his shirt on. The minute he walks into the house from school, his shirt is off. Even on the -30 degree winter days. I have no idea why he does it. I find his shirts all over the house. Now he just has to get some meat on those scrawny little arms of his.
- He is such a boy and is obsessed with anything hockey, football, or basketball. He has seriously had a hard time with hockey being over. Me on the other hand, not so much!

- he is a great helper at home and usually will do what I ask the first time I ask.
- he is VERY excited to finally get some boy company in our family of girls. He thinks we need to name the baby Crosby, after his favorite hockey player. Don't think that will happen though.

- he loves playing with his buddies and that usually involves hockey games in the bonus room or arcade hoops in the basement.
- he is a hard worker

- he is a GREAT singer and can always be heard above everyone else that is singing. And he usually knows every single word. Where he got that from, I do not know. 

Ryder is such a sweetheart and our family would not be the same without him! 
               happy birthday buddy!

it's FINALLY over!

my little hockey man

What seemed like the longest hockey season EVER is finally over. 6 months for a sport season is too long for me (especially if it is hockey!). I have to admit though, what a fun season it was. The team was great, the parents great, and the kids ended up winning the banner in playoffs. Great ending to a LONG season!

I never thought I'd have a kid wearing a RAYMOND jersey, but ya do what ya gotta do, right?

the team, what a bunch of ragmuffins!

I was so mad because at the final game last night, my camera was having issues, so I ended up getting NO pics of the kids and the banner. SO SAD! Oh well, I know how fun hockey pictures are to look at right?

So now I'm very happy to hang up the skates and say goodbye to hockey, at least for a few months. Oh yah, and can I tell you how happy I am to wash all that nasty hockey gear - seriously, is there a more awful smell?

And of course I have to throw in a few pics of the little munchkin that keeps me company all day every day.

maysa and her best friend/cousin, Claire. I caught them watching a movie like this.