Grace and Faith

My beautiful baby sleeping in the sunlight



She is such a wonderful, precious, baby.  There is so much sweetness and love from such a happy little girl.  I can't get enough of her but it is good when she sleeps too.

Faith has now mastered the 3 binky smile.



She now too insists on a cup of coffee in the morning as well.



Four kids are coffee drinker along with me.  It might be kinda crazy and now most morning I am making 2 pots.  But I love our morning coffee routine and the time to drink it with the kids.

First Steps

Again back tracking to before the kids were out of school but I do not want to lose these moments.

June 4th I took the tiny team to the boys school for a picnic.  The babies love to go their and have lunch with their brothers.  Their school thankfully has  times constantly we can go and join them for lunch.  But this lunch was special.  It was after the moving up ceremony.  In Montessori you stay with your class and teachers for 3 years at a time.  This year Gregory was moving up from lower el to upper el.  But something I did not know is one of his main teachers is moving up with him.  Yes a teachers he has grown with and learned so much with for the last three year will now be one of his teachers for the next 3 years!!!  I love it!  She knows him, his learning styles, his quarks, God is so good and has provided him such a great person to continually help him grow.

I did not get to many or really any pictures of the boys.  I spent most my time chasing the girls.



As well as a friend of mine, his daughter was also more interested in playing than watching her brothers.  They are all great friends and his 3 fall in the missing ages of mine.  They love to play.

But I did get one of them and Evan's ostrich.



He worked hard on the ostrich report.

I laughed at this one.



This was the boys motorcycle.  From when they were the same age as baby cakes.  We gave it to the school years ago and lo and behold here is Gracie riding it 10 years later!  maybe it is not the same one, but it looks just like it.

It was such a nice day the weather was perfect, not hot, not cool, not windy like it often is at these picnics just wonderful.  And babycakes wanted to take advantage of the warm weather and soft grass to take a few first steps!

Yes she is the youngest one I have had start to walk.  She was 10 months then.





She had no need to be nervous because she had the tiny team ready to catch her if she would fall.





Pretty Faith



And her pretty butterfly dress.  She is in a butterfly stage now she love them.  I wonder if we could be moving on from Dora?  I don't think so.  She knows the Spanish word for butterfly, mariposa, thanks to Dora and me.

Oh sweet Gracie, she got the hang of it but since then has not really "walked" much.  Steps here and there.



All my kids started walking at a year or just after.  Ironically all at Massanutten and we will be going there again in 19 days for her 1st birthday.  It's hard to believe she is almost 1.  It however will be harder to keep up with her once she is off and running.

Sister Dance

In 4 short days my princess will be 2.  Already!!! 2 She looks 2, she has had the abilities of a 2 year old for sometime now, she is an amazing big sister , a beautiful princess, my perfect companion, my mini me.

I had started this a bit ago but never edited the photos nor finished writing.  Life got busy can you imagine?  We have been moving crazy fast but that is still no reason I should not take the time to stop and record our memories.

I took these pictures of Faith and the rest of the tiny team snuck in too, back in March.  There is a lot of pictures I will warn you.  But I love looking at the and my pretty girls.



She was having a ball doing some dancing in front of the camera.  I just love it.  She is such a happy girl!.  And guess what I found a dance studio not to far away that will take her now!  She can start dance at 2!!  As soon as I figure out some schedules I am getting her in.  I can not wait, she will be So thrilled!!

From pretty ballerina to a monkey, that is Faith :)



I love EVERYTHING about her!!



Her silly self



She has a contagious laugh and smile.  She drops her head back and makes everyone happy.



She was meant for a catwalk.  I always wanted to enter her in beauty pageants but have you seen the prices for them!  I do have a friend from my high school whose daughter competes and was featured on Toddlers and Tiaras!  Yay for them.  I have not dismissed the idea  I just need to make more money.



Pink lights for her custom pink and green hearts Lilly outfit.  Another friend of mine who makes these and sells them for babies for nearly $200 a piece at select boutiques, gave one to Faith saying there is not another little girl who should have it more.  That was such a special treat.  My girls Lilly Pulitzer wardrobe easily 8x larger than mine.  Okay I am a tiny bit jealous   She got a new Lilly dress today too!  Beautiful dress!!  Bad story that accompanies it, I will tell it another time.



Why is my sister invading my photo shoot?



Okay she can be here.
After all they are the best of friends and so amazing together. And such a pretty pair.



I don't know what to say



When I start seeing those faces I know my time is limited.  Plus I am SO NOT crazy about the back drop (Muslin).  I got the whole workings for Christmas.  Stands, lights, 3 muslins, green screen screns, runner, I was over the moon.  But this one, the white one, sucks.  It is light weight and I ironed it before hand and it still looks like this!  UHG  I will be buying more soon, once I stop buying the girls more Lilly outfits.



Of course being baby though she eats the lights.



And then laughs about it, oh how much we love her too!



Oh but wait... is that a bow you are wearing to baby?  My old bow??



I think not!  MOM!!

SISTERS!! :)



The tiny team



Smiley did not want to be left out either



Gracie started to become interested in the camera



And when you have had enough, you are done.




LOVE LOVE LOVE my pretty princess

Chef Faith

Faithy made breakfast for her sister.



I love her you gotta be kidding me look.  Her faces are priceless.

Really mom, what am I supposed to do?



Dig in?





What an adventure they are.

a quick nap

Gracie is the biggest snuggler.  She has been since we brought her home.She loves to cudle in tight.  I laugh when people ask me where do we put all these kids because truthfully the answer is my bed.  Each and everyone of them has their own bed but not their own room.  It does not matter anyways because they sleep with me in my room.  Most nights Smiley and Grace sleep with me.  Although lately Faith has not been cooperative   Every night she screams, cries and runs around till I let her sleep with me in a certain spot in my bed.  You you put her anywhere but that spot she will arch her back and continue her fit.  It is funny when it is not 3 AM.  The Big boys love to sleep with me two and on the rare occasions the tiny team except for Grace, she ALWAYS sleeps with me, are sleeping in there own beds they ask Mommy (yes they pull out the full Mommy) can I please sleep with you?  I always say yes.  It is so awesome they still want to, and I love to be with them too.  But Grace is just a bit different she has to be close to someone.  She has moved through the bed to find me or Smiley since she was born and will snuggle in then sleep.  She loves her hand held while sleeping it settles her right down.  She has not spent one night in her bed.  She wakes up screaming every time she is placed in there.  She could be dead tried sound asleep lay her in her crib and she is unhappily awake.

The other day she took a nap with Dad.



He loved it.  He is so smitten by her. Even holding her hand.

The bigger bow

What are you doing wearing the biggest bow?  After all I am the big sister.  Give it to me!





NOPE!

Feeding Grace

When you have 5 kids people feel free to express their unwanted opinions.  I have heard it all, and trust me 99% of the time it is not kind.  The most common one ...

1) Don't you know how that happens?
                                    I hate this and it is usually from older people so I can't say something I truly feel                        back.  But it is probably just their way of breaking the ice, I try to keep that in mind.  However the 1% that say something nice will say instead we had 5, 6 , 7, 10 and they were the best and fastest years of my life, THANK YOU.

2) You aren't planning on having anymore are you?
                                   Humm, why yes and I plan to repopulate the planet with a superior race sorry about your luck.

3)Are you trying to be like the Duggars? (A large conservative Christian family with 19 children)
                                    By that do you mean family and bible based?  Or the fact they rely on NO government funding and provide for their large family and support them off their own income?  Or that they are able to take this large family and travel all around the world exposing their children to many different cultures including ones that are far from their own.  No we are not trying to replicate their size.  I am so happy with 5 and feel it is the best fit for us.  But as far as their beliefs I have very much been wanting to attended an ATI conference and just have not been able to build up the funds to do so.  Not to mention my daughter gets terrible car sick and that trip would...suck.

http://ati.iblp.org/ati/

I am not the only one who faces these comments.  My husband fends them off too.  I love his answer to this one, although I should be mad but it was all made in good humor, especially if you knew him.

A lady who came to his work: Aren't you the guy with the 5 kids?

Him: Yes, always looking for someone to have the 6th...

Lady: Oh No, aught ah honey you have too much baggage.  That is not for Miss. ######, I'm staying away from you.

me: HAHAHA yeah try to find that greener grass! 5 kids!  And we live in an alimony state!! The epitome of the definition it is cheaper to keep her.

But the most common one I hear is...

4)Wow you got your hands full.
                                   This is not always in a bad context but is often meant as you must be overwhelmed.

But truthfully no.  I have no problem with 5 kids.  It is what I know, they are great, they can be challenging, but the love that is present overseas all struggles.

Children mimic their parents and if you do it right it can make your life so much easier   And don't we all know that is what moms truly want.  Teach them well and its like a vacation. (not really, but it can be a good laugh)

The tiny team decided to feed Grace this afternoon.









She is not hurt or cut.  Her sister decided to do both of their make up again.





They are awesome little mamas.








This video makes me laugh.  Smiley is her biggest admirer and the language he use s with her is too cute.  They are the best of friends and brother and sister.

My second PRINCESS

She is every bit as much a princess as her big sister.  She loves her big sister, even if she is scared of her sometimes.  She mimic her and especially me.  She makes the same goofy faces I make at her right back.  She is so cute and such a darling.

We all love her but Evan does not really pay much attention to the girls.  The are just there to him.  When Faith was little he made her a heart sigh for her crib, that came out of nowhere.  That is sorta the same thing that happened here.  He made Gracie a Princess crown out of nowhere, just because.

Maybe he thinks about them more than I give him credit for.  We had fun having her wear it..





He even snapped the pictures of us to show it off.  I love them all so much, my princesses and my sweet wonderful boy.