Our baby

Meet baby Will. He is our new baby boy who we are all completely and totally and madly in love with.

William Edward James LeBaron arrived September 21, 2010. This is also the first day of fall (my favorite time of year) and the International Day of Peace. There is something so special about that.

And here is a link to the video of the kids meeting him for the first time. We are all being really quiet but you can get the emotion for sure!!!

Labor was about 4 1/2 hrs and assisted by all three godmothers of my children. Stephanie is Lucas', Calyn is Charlotte's and Johanna is Will's.

Here is our wonderful midwife Catherine. She did a superb job coaching me along and making labor and delivery as beautiful and safe as they could possibly be. We love home birth!!!!

This is the cutest little stork contraption that weighs the baby.

     

And this is me saying "WHAT? 8 Lbs???"

8 lbs. 4 oz to be exact. And 21 inches! Helllloooo baby!!!

1st Day of School

Oh happy day. School has begun!

You were both mui excited to return to school. Luke - of course - you are the only child making odd faces. Just keeping it real dude. So proud of you. I can't believe you are starting 2nd grade.

Look at you Char, such a big 1st grade girl!!! Love you!

That's a whole lotta cute in on picture. This is Char with her friend Anna.

This is the whole school. I love the small class sizes. And how individual they each are. Char & Anna are the only ones representing pink. Go girls!

This needs a little back story. Back to school shopping is a big deal for Charlotte. She loves shoes. Like really, really, really loves shoes. Like if she could just have 50 pairs of new shoes for Christmas (and maybe one stuffed animal) this would make her the happiest 5 year old around. So at our annual back to school shopping trip she took no less than 17 minutes to pick out a pair of shoes. Luke took 2. 17 minutes of angst and worry as to the right kind of shoe. Oh and nagging. Lots of nagging directed toward me because I would not allow her to buy high heeled shoes for school. Apparently I am in the minority as far as that decision goes (read "it's not fair mom, other girls have them"). So after all this ensues she finally picks these babies.

No, I am not kidding. These are the shoes she picks out of the several pairs of really cute, really girly flats. She picks THESE!!!! I had to laugh. And inwardly cringe. Luckily everyone at the school "gets" Charlotte. This is just the way she rolls. And yes, she insisted that tag must stay on all day.

                                                              And she loves these shoes.
                                                                    What can I do?

Dudes

The conversation that just happened while flossing our teeth.

Luke: Do you know what dudes do to say hello? They do a high five.

Me: So what are dudes?

Luke: I don't know. Mean people that do crazy stuff, they punch people and try and hurt people.

Charlotte: Dudes are boys

hehehe You guys are cute

The way of the world

We we were driving in the car a few days ago we were having a conversation about child bearing, labor and delivery, babies, pregnancy, etc. This is very common these days. Here's about how it went.

Char: Mama, I'm not going to have kids because it's hurts.

Me: Well you could go to the hospital if you want and get drugs to take away the pain. That way you can still have a baby if the pain is the only thing stopping you.

Char: But I am not getting married though.

Luke: I thought you were marrying Randall.

Char: If he wants to marry me, I'll marry him. Maybe Joe would want to marry me.

Me: You might marry Joe?

Char: No, but he might want to marry me.


Char: Mom do you decide to have a baby or just have one?

Me:  You decide, and then you have to make the baby.

Char: Oh I thought you just had one when you were married.

Me: Nope. It's a decision and an action.

Luke: But anyway Charlotte the Mom decides those things. She's kind of in charge.

Char: Ohhhh (very happy now)

:)

Compassion

      So we had a bit of a roller coaster ride tonight with Charlotte. Chores must be done if bedtime stories are to be read. And you my friend worked really hard on yours. Your sister, not so much. As a result her bedtime story did not get read and boy was she unhappy. You stayed in her room with her and tried and tried to get her to do it right away and after a while succeeded and walked her through each task she needed to do.
    But alas, that is not my deal. My deal is chores done the first time it is asked. So I had to stick to my guns (even though I REALLY wanted to just read the darn story). And you couldn't hold it in any longer. Luke, you quietly cried on my bed and when I guessed what was happening, I guessed right. You were sad because Charlotte makes the wrong choices sometimes, and this makes you so sad because you try SO HARD to help her and she still makes the wrong choices. You try so hard to be good and sometimes it seems she doesn't.
    I tried to point out that she is getting so much better and that it isn't up to us to make her choices for her. I also tried to explain that by sticking to my decision I was helping her to learn an important life lesson. But you and I both really wanted to just read her the darn story so she would stop crying.

    Son, I am so privileged to me your mom and to spend my life with you. You are sweet, kind, smart and most of all incredibly compassionate. I may wish huge financial success for you, really high IQ scores, and a rewarding career & family of your own - but ultimately I wish for you to be good. It sounds plain but that is my goal if I had to use only one word. For my kids to be good.
    
    And you are so very good.

Star Child

I love these kids. Charlotte is so lucky to have such great and wacky friends. Three cheers for Charlotte, Randall and Joe!

Pippy

You didn't hear?? Pippy Long Stocking is back!!! From the homemade arm band, down to the brown and pink striped socks. She is soooo back!

My bro

I love my brother a lot. And I don't get to see him very often. But when I do it's always so much fun. He is freaking hysterical.

Setting up for baby

We have (ok mostly me) been in super duper baby set up mode. I have been vacuuming ceilings, buying furniture, researching cloth diapers, and in general trying to handle any little to-do list item before baby comes. John and the kids are so excited too and have been pitching in like mad.

Here my lovely lady and hubby are assembling Will's changing table. Char loves her some power tools :)

And Luke too. There is something about mini-sized power tools that is just the best. No one is immune to that giddy feeling. I dare you.

Here my peeps are staining a desk for me. Well... for them actually. This is the kids' future computer table.

John is schooling Luke in the ways of the samurai...I mean carpenter. And teaching him how to drill a proper hole.

And once in a while you need a Starbucks break. Thanks daddy for keeping us going!

 Go Char go!!! She love drilling holes as much as Luke loves legos. I love the wrinkly nose. My darling, you are your father's daughter. And your grandfather's granddaughter. :) You descend from a family of hard-working, tool slinging contractors :) But just wait until your Nana teaches you to shoot a gun. Lordy we have fun times ahead.

When I say "pose men!" this is what I get.

This is the adorable bassinet all my babies have/are going to sleep in. I love traditions.

This is where baby Will is going to sleep when he grows up a bit. Luke is adamant about sharing a room.

I love this picture. I am a freak, I know. There is just something about old fashioned baby stuff that's adorable.

This picture is really special to me. In it I see my friends. I see Kat Martell and her handmade yummy blankets, I see my god mother Sherri and the super soft blanket she found, I see Alexis and Cecila Ash and their thoughtful "beela" they got so Will can be like Charlotte, I see John's friend Trish and her handmade blue beauty that was Luke's and now is passed on, I see John's sister in Arizona who made us a blanket and just had TWINS of her own, I see Cereza & Jessica and the butter-soft blankee they picked out. Thank you to all my loving friends and family.

And here we have our finished product. The changing table of my dreams,  found at Walmart (woohooo!!!) and bought by my mama. All it awaits are the cloth diapers. Yay for happy endings.

Made of sunshine

I know a little girl

and she's oh so yummy

and she's made of sunshine.

And she's my niece