Our smiler

 Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

I have never known a baby to smile this much. Every day I get to bask in a smiles-fest from you my little angel. Oh how I love it. I hope you are always this happy!

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)

:)