Beautiful Baby Blue

 I took these this morning right after our weekly photo shoot. I have no saturation point when it comes to these squishy soft baby cheeks, his divine smell, and the sweet little noises he makes all day long. Please, oh please, let the next six months just drip along nd not race by like the first six have.

Filled to the Brim

That's how this lead up to the end of the year feels. I'm throwing this mish mash up while Freddy brushes his teeth and Seb tears apart a magazine. Mooj is strumming away on the guitar, and Zita is sprawled out after a packed day.
I hope I never forget the details of these ordinary days.
If I can get on the computer tomorrow, I'll get captions on these photos.

Okay- Seb is all squared way playing with Zita on the floor.
The kids tennis coach couldn't make it last week, so Mooj came fresh off the beach and hit balls with them. They are starting to reach the point where they will accept some of Moojie's pointers, and Moojie is scaling back the criticism helpful hints just enough to make a rally feasible.

Freddy snapped this of me just before we got Sebby down for the night. 

Zita has been to the dentist twice in the past week. The first time for a cleaning/flouride and sealants, and the second time to fill cavities.  We had gone in see about braces and came out with lots of brushing samples and instructions. Thankfully they were so small that it was easy and fast to fix them. What one can't see in this picture, is that the view from the dental chair is nothing but palms trees and the ocean. 

I'm how many years into motherhood and still without a birthday party gift cupboard? Too many. This is Zita on the way home from yet another birthday party where they had a crazy hair station. The green spray actually makes her green eyes pop. 

Half a bottle of conditioner and a lot of tugging with a thick comb got her back to normal. 

24 Weeks

On the heels of 25 weeks, I'm finally getting around to posting 24 weeks. My statement that Sebby is getting better in the car was essentially crazy talk after a one-off quieter car trip. Seb screaming in the car continues to be the biggest obstacle in my path to peaceful motherhood. Nothing will make that Seb happy in the car. He's also pretty grumpy when I try to use the desktop computer because I don't let him grab the keyboard and throw it to the floor:) Apart from those two circumstances, Seb is just joy squared.

He has discovered that feet double as fun toys and now regularly grabs them and brings them up to his mouth. Those poor toes have been covered by thick socks until recently and this warm weather has finally set them free.

 Eyes still don't show any signs of going green and/or brown, but it's still too early to call.

Favorite Toy

is a wipes bag, of course. Is there a baby on earth that doesn't love wipes?

Warm Weather Rituals

The time to get beach and pool season ready is upon us.

I went through and organized all of our swim suits, gathered up the goggles, and stacked the beach towels.  I was inhaling the signature smells of sun block and chlorine as I pulled each one out and held it up to decide if it would still fit any of the children.  My favorite find is Moojie's suit that we got him on his first trip to Portugal at 11 months.

It will be perfect for Seb to paddle around the pool this Summer. Happy,  sunny, sandy, water baby days are here again.

Driving the "Brrrrmm Brrrrmm"

This red car was Zita's first birthday present, so with Seb's birthday fast-approaching, we cleaned it up and had him take it for a spin. The horn still works ten years later and Seb loved it!

 Freddy quite sternly told Pai to be careful with Seb's feet when he pushed the car. I love that Freddy thinks it's necessary to give Pai a pointer or two in baby-care.

 Freddy decided that playing peek-a-boo  in a huge bucket would be a great game.

Seb agreed. We bought this bucket for garden clippings, but I think it's going to be repurposed until Seb no longer fits inside.

Zita has done an amazing job on Halloween decorations thanks to a care package from my mom. I'll get some photos up before tomorrow. 

A Laugh on a Busy Day

Two blogs I enjoy:

http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/

http://www.stfuparentsblog.com/

Night Night Sweet Sebby

Good Morning Seb

The kids never go down for breakfast anymore without first waking up a bit and coming to cuddle Seb. As a first child, Moojie must have been so bored without a line-up of siblings around.

Zita Rehearsing

Easter

I never did get around to sharing the five Easter pictures I took. Maybe that's because Easter was bordering on a non-event for us this year. The day was mostly focused on getting ready for Sebby's baptism the next day. We didn't make the bunny cake this year, but we might still make it under the re-branded title of Spring Bunny Cake. 

 I was very pleased with myself for coordinating the pink egg in the pink tea cup, and the green egg behind the green plate, but these details went unnoticed by the kids. Sadly, Mooj was too old to hunt, and too old for the pageantry of Easter basket opening :( He wasn't too old to eat the candy though.

Next year I'll really have to go all out because the past two years have been a complete bare bones version of what should be a festive, gluttonous holiday. 

Flash Back Friday

We've been looking at a lot of old photos lately and it has motivated me to get back on the photobook bandwagon.

Freddy was 4 months in these pictures, and Moojie had just turned 8.

Small Dose of Happiness

I can't get enough of these baby fingers

23 Weeks

Good Morning from Seb

First Family Photo Since Christmas

Any photo is a good photo when the following criteria are met:

a) I am not in bed wearing pajamas
b) everyone is looking at the camera smiling

I finally got my hands on Sebby's baptism photos and there are quite a few framers in there that I can't wait to order.

My Go-To Basic Stir Fry

Whenever I make a stir fry, I use the same ingrdients as a base, and then add to it depending on what I have on hand.

pantry staples:

Sesame oil
Soy
Teriyaki
Vinegar
Fish sauce (not pictured)

fresh:
garlic
onion
lime
ginger
pepper
cilantro

on this particular day, I made it a veggie stir fry by adding green beans and broccoli.

With warm weather upon us, I am going to be making a lot more veggie and salad dinners. Sorry boys!