theo daisy turns FOUR.

post by casey.

i should have written this post a few weeks ago, when Theo actually turned 4. Not this morning...when she so clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed. There's never been such a wrong side. 

She's been kicking toys around. I've threatened to take her back to bed several times. She put a piece of toast in the toaster and then when I offered to butter it she freaked out cause "I don't WANT TOAST!!". Obviously, I read those signals wrong;).

The rest of the kids are still sleeping and so she's trying to be loud enough to wake them up...

she's trying to drag me down with her. I refuse. BUT I may have thrown my hands up and said: "SURE! FINE! BE THAT WAY! Kill bunnies and teach your friends how to spell the FWORD! GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR LIFE!!!!".

suddenly, she's all smiles and comes to tell me that she just "tooted in the kitchen" and would also like to cuddle. Can she be trusted?!?!;)

Theo Daisy is 4:)

i remember when contractions began - check-out her birth story HERE and HERE. I remember knowing that she was a little chunk, compared to her older brother, the minute she arrived (she was 8lbs12oz and Homer was 7lbs4oz:). I remember that we went in with 2 names and Theo was the underdog. Neither of us really thought we'd end up using it. BUT once she was in my arms and they asked us what her name was...I looked at Jacob and said...Theo! He even asked me if I was sure because we had been so set on the other name! - I'm withholding that other name because it's still in our top 2 baby girl names and you just never know;).

theo is named after her Great Grandfather. My mom's dad. Alden Theodore Bieze. 

i remember Jacob, Homer and I had just moved into our current home and we were pregnant with Theo. While we were painting the bathroom, late one night, I muttered on for 30min about a potential middle name to go with Theo and Jacob finally had to tell me to just spit it out! I was almost embarrassed to suggest Daisy because I thought Jacob would think I was nuts. 

"what about Theo Daisy?"....

Jacob: "........I like it!".

i've got a long history with daisies and they're my favorite flower and so here we are:).

although, I will admit that after she was born we somehow misplaced her little stamped feet and so we took her back in a few days later to get that redone. When they were filling it out they asked us what her middle name was and both Jacob and I looked at each other, both kinda embarrassed to admit that we'd given our baby girl the middle name Daisy!;). That being said...we said it out loud that day and we've never felt anything but pride since!

theo has been such a blast! She's so full of personality!! She's much less sassy than her older brother but that doesn't mean she doesn't have her days;). 

she's such a good helper. We 'clean-up' every day after Rocky goes down for his nap. She loves to help with Ike and soothe him if he's upset. She likes to wake Rocky up after nap time or in the mornings. 

she's so good at playing by herself! She loves figurines right now! Anything "Horsey or Unicorn"! She's obsessed! She lines them up. She plays house with them. As I'm typing this up, she's playing alone and telling stories and playing pretend...although, it seems that one horsey has died and one is in jail and the other horsey's sisters are helping him get out of jail...?!?!?!

we took Theo and WillB out to dinner for their birthdays:).

Theo was born on 3/30/14 and Will on 4/2/14.

as much as I'd love to have another baby girl...I really can't imagine Theo ever having to share her space in this family with another girl. I guess we shall see:)

Happy Birthday Theo Daisy!!!!

You are absolutely one of a kind!:)

theo daisy: 3-1/2 years and rocky peyton: month 21 and 22 andddd 23.

post by Casey.

*this was drafted while I was 38+WKS pregnant...I still feel the same about them, since I typed this up...in love and mildly annoyed...at.all.times.;)*

these last few months have been flying by! I'm already 38+WKS pregnant and even though I didn't think that took up a significant amount of brain-space...apparently, it does cause I've basically left my other children on the sidelines to fend for themselves;)...at least when it's come to their 'chair' photos:). And sometimes supper...cause who's got time for that?!??!!;)

so here's to playing catch-up: cheerssssss!

and here's to husbands bringing supper home at 627PM cause you're just too.tired to deal: CHEERS!

first up...our 2nd born: Theo Daisy:)

What has Theo been up to!??! Well, she's been bitten by the story-telling bug and if it takes her repeating: "Mom, mom, mom, MOM, mommmmm, mom, MOMMMMMM..." an endless amount of times to get my attention - which, she most always has and then I have to cut her off and say: "THEO! I'm listening...just.talk!".

Like her mom...I think she appreciates constant eye contact while telling a good story;).

Good grief;).

she's starting to buck nap-time a bit but we'll get back to that once the baby is here and especially, once she starts PreK next fall...she'll absolutely be getting a solid amount of 'quiet time' in the middle of the day.

she's a whipper-snapper and her facial expressions can't hide any of her feelings and also make a long and winding toddler story a million times more interesting;).

her hair is quite crazy, again! She chopped a chunk out of the side of it and so now...I've been putting off doing anything about it?!

Theo Daisy is 3-1/2 and a punk. She still sucks her fingers and she's perfect and hilarious in a million and one ways:).

* and she already looks so much older than these photos! My baby girl is growing taller and losing her baby chub and the idea of her being 4 - in 5 months - has me all sorts of emotional:(. I forget, most days, that she's our 'only' girl and I'm not sure it'll always be that way but it feels awfully special right now:).

well, Rocky Peyton. Hmmmm. His perfectionism may have ran its course but he's still one-of-a-kind! He's testing boundaries and barking orders in a language none of us quite understand and he loves yogurt and he's a great sleeper but he's also been bucking nap-time?! That really is a terrible thing to do to your mom at 38+WKS pregnant:/.

he likes to run and that's quite hilarious looking:). He has a pretty good vocabulary, that includes: Hotdog and Horsey and Hi and NO...:).

he's showing some interest in using the potty, which is fine and wasn't encouraged and honestly, I'm not quite ready to invest any time in helping him with that...seeing as, since I drafted this, we've added a BABY!!!:):)
But when he wants to use the potty...we get his ass on the potty:)!

he spills something every day. He NEVER.STOPS.DOING.SOMETHING.DUMB...like climbing on the counters or tables or taking my coffee out of the microwave or dipping his toys in the toilet or trying to lift the babyyyyyyyy:/ or taking his diaper off or throwing ALL of his clothes and blankets and sheets out of his crib...

but he has a stuffed zebra that he carries around like his own little baby and he's so gentle with it and he's so gentle with his new baby brother:). And he just wants to give out hugs and he says the sweetest goodbyes and I'm mildly obsessed with him!

photos by: Courtney Smith Photography

i have to say...I love these cats. Man, I do. It's helpful to know that we're no different than any other parent out there - the ones doing their best and starting over every day and recognizing that they can do better and losing their shit and sometimes yelling and sometimes swearing and a lot of times feeling like they're failing. I GET IT. 
I sometimes feel like I might complain a little too much about their behavior - and this is being written at 1105PM...they're ALL sounds asleep...a newborn snoozing next to me...Homer's passed out in a Superman Costume (SO.FREAKING.CUTE!!)...Jacob just got home from work and I just finished a pint of Ben&Jerry's...so I'm in a very happy mental state;) - But these kids are so good:). I don't think I say enough about how much they try and how far they come...even in the span of one day. 

today was a very nice day and we all had our moments but I saw so much good in it and them and me and it was really just what I needed:).

theo daisy: 36 months and rocky peyton: 17 months

post by casey.


digging deep here today. I've got a saying hanging in the living-room: These Are The Days. Trying to stay 'in the moment'...but I've also got 6 kids at the house. There's nothing wrong with having 6 kids in the house - a lot of times I'd like to have 6 kids in the house - MY OWN 6 kids. Anyone ever watch Louis C.K.'s Other People's Kids...even just the first 1-1/2MIN.?! Worth a watch, if you have a semi-dark sense of humor;).

so yeah. 6 kids. 1/2 of which are not mine. 1/2 of which cry at the same.damn.time;). My hats off to anyone in a profession of caring for other people's children. 

okay, I feel better now that I got that off my chest anddddd since the crying has stopped;)

so here are 2 of my 3 children! And starting in August/September, I'll be home alone with just the 2 of them! Homer will be in school and I feel like our entire lives will change in those few short weeks before the baby comes in October:)

theo daisy is 3YRS and almost 2MO:) She still thinks screaming/shrieking/whining will get her somewhere in life. Her and Homer wake up fighting. I wonder if they fight in their sleep - they share a room...which has actually gone really well!. She's sassy and adorable and full of questions and wonder and the obsession with her parts seems to be here to stay for a while. And that's been disgusting for everyone;). 

if you spend any time with her at all, you'll be fooled into thinking you want to take her home with you;) Baby girl, you are a disgusting riot:)

rockyP. Rocky is so random! He's quiet as a mouse, except for when he isn't:) He's got such a quiet but quirky personality! Lately, he's been stuck to mom like glue. Teething or sensing a new baby coming, maybe a little of both, but I'll take the cuddles:) He's not really a talker but it's obvious he's playing us for fools cause he knows what he's doing;)

he's learning to hold his own with the older 2 punks and he still loves milk above anything else. He's handsome and a good sleeper, we've got him sleeping through the night - for the most part:). He likes to play catch and turn the pages when we read books.

i'm having a hard time coming up with other things that he actuallyyyyyy does and not that I just tell the Doctor he does so that they don't want to enroll him in some sort of ridiculous program for 18MO olds who don't speak in full sentences yet - *EYE ROLL*. 

rockyP, you're a cool cat:)

including his 18MO photos here, as well...we're behind. SHOCKING:)

My babies are old and I'll be happy to bring back that 'new baby smell' in October:):)

all photos courtesy of Courtney Smith Photography:)