The Bayleaves

The Bayleaves

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Happy 31!

We celebrated Teag's 31st birthday on Monday! This year we kept things kind of low-key, and it was actually really nice. Teag had nowhere he had to be that day, so we got to hang out and do whatever he wanted.

The Friday before the two of us had gone out for a special dinner and night on the town, so we decided to hang out with the whole family the day of. I made him one of his favorite breakfasts that morning, pumpkin muffins, and for lunch we picked up what has come to be one of his birthday traditions, a big Grove Market sandwich. For any of you who don't know what that is, these sandwiches are seriously huge. One of them will feed both of us, and I usually can't finish my portion. But they're very tasty :). When Maisie got home from  school, and the other girls woke up from naps, Teag opened up all his presents.


You can tell he had a lot of help. I think with Maisie, Dany, and Teag's birthday's so close together, poor little Rory keeps waiting for when it's going to be her turn. But she's been a pretty good sport about it, as long as you make sure she gets some cake.

After Teag's birthday dinner of choice of broccoli and beef, we lit up the candles, and he made his birthday wish.
There is something to be said for having such a laid back day, especially given the fact that he's been gone on his birthday before. It was really nice to be able to spend some good, quality time together. Happy Birthday Beagle! You are truly one of the best men I know, and I am sincerely grateful to be married to you!

February Catch Up

I've neglected doing my blog posting for most of February, so I figured March was as good a time as any to catch up :). First off, Valentine's Day. I've heard a couple of people talk about how, rather than celebrating it solely with their spouse, they use it as an opportunity to show their whole family some love. I thought this was such a fantastic idea, and decided to do it for our family. I spent a few hours the night before making some heart-shaped garlands, and hung them from the fan in the kitchen before the girls woke up the next morning. They were instantly noticed, and commented on, as well as Teag's heart-shaped box of chocolates, and Valentine note he left for each of them. That night, I made a special dinner for everyone, and decorated the table all fancy.

The girls loved the candles and drinking sparkling cider out of champagne flutes. Part of me had really questioned how worth it it was really going to be, but their reactions were wholly gratifying. I think this will be the start of a really fun tradition.

Next up, Rory officially turned 2 1/2 on the 20th of this month, and I thought I'd post a few of her funny recent moments. It's amazing to me how her little mind works when she's left to her own devices to play. The Dora figures that she got for Christmas have been an endless source of entertainment for her, and us by extension. The other day she set out all the shapes from her sorter in a line, topped each one with a character, and made a train.
This kid loves trains, and is always making train noises. I thought it was quite creative of her. Another of her favorite past-times is dressing up. Whether it's actual dress up clothes, or whatever she manages to improvise, she's always trying something on. In this pic, it just happens to be Dad's shoes.
She clomped around the entire house in those things, and you could tell she thought it was the funniest thing ever. Lastly, she's really showed us how intelligent she is with her use of technology. I had downloaded an app on my iPad for her that had shape guessing games, and not only did she figure out how to use that quickly, she figured out my whole iPad. She knows how to turn it on, how to navigate the screens to find which game she wants, and then how to play the games themselves.
And she's so nonchalant about it, check out the leg crossed over the knee :). Her vocabulary has improved drastically in just the past few months as well, she speaks in full sentences, and very easily makes herself understood. There are a few words that still need a little work though, like musegik (music), fixk it (fix it), or bressest (breakfast). Still, I love all her versions. It almost makes me sad when she starts pronouncing it right, as that means she's growing up.

Last but not least, I hit my 26 week mark and wanted to post a picture for posterity.
I'm starting to really believe what people say about carrying your babies differently, based on gender. Where is this kid hiding?

All in all, we had a pretty mellow February. I have to say, sometimes those are the best kind of months :).

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Mischief Maker

No, that's not the Joker. It's Rory, covered in marker and nail polish. Yep, nail polish. Where would she get nail polish from I wonder? Certainly her mother wouldn't leave it out where a toddler could reach it! No, of course she wouldn't. But her older sister might leave it out, with the cap off, you know, just because.

And just because it makes me laugh, here's a video of our two favorite Rory-words right now. Ahh, the twos.

Getting Dunked

Last Saturday, the 4th, Maisie got baptized!
We had so many friends and family there with us to celebrate, and it was a great day for our little family.
It was amazing to see just how serious she took the whole process, and how many questions she asked us about what to expect. We're sincerely very proud of her, and her decision. I wish we'd taken some more pictures with everyone, but one grumpy toddler, and a few unexpected events left us in a bit of a hurry to get through the luncheon afterwards. But we did manage to get this picture of Maisie in her new after-baptism dress.
 Congratulations Maisie!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Dany is Five!

Today we celebrated Dany's fifth birthday! We started out with a breakfast of pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, then she got ready for school and headed out the door with a package full of Valentine cookies to share with her class. After Pre-K, she got to have a long play date with her very best friend, Tressa, who gave her some cheerleader pompoms, and a set of princess gloves. Here she is decked out, with said pompoms, and the crown Grandma McKinley sent her for her birthday.
After that, we all went to Chuck-a-Rama for dinner, as Maisie had talked it up so much after going their with Grandma and Grandpa Rogers that Dany just had to give it a try. We heard multiple exclamations about how it was the best place ever, since she could keep going back and getting more of whatever she wanted, including fried chicken and banana slurpees.

Once we got home, Grandma  and Grandpa Rogers joined us for some cake and presents. She requested a pink cake with red hearts on it, and was very happy to get just that.
She was equally excited about all the cool stuff she got, including a new dress, a jewelry box craft, an art set, and a Tangled Wii game.


We had a bit of a wild child on our hands throughout the day - having her sisters birthday less than a week prior really gets her wound up for her own - but it was obvious she was having a fantastic day, and we were happy to be able to celebrate with her doing all the things she wanted. Happy #5 Little Groundhog, we love you!