Stella Malinda

On Monday, 12/23 at 3:02 am our little Miss Stella Malinda made her debut...

at 8 lb 5 oz.

Stella rocks the "How to's of  Nursing".

Sporting her freshly washed hair.

Lots and lots of cuddling.

All six of us made it home for Christmas.

Smiles all around.

Loving the box more than the contents inside the box.

Iver checking out his baby sister.

Taking the holiday outside with Nerf guns at Dahl Park.

The Nerf Crew.

Miss Stella enjoying a holiday snooze.

Our Christmas gang.

Happy New Year!

Snow Day

We woke up this morning to this...

and with a delayed school start (along with an early dismissal, which makes for a very brief school day), we headed out for a bit of fun.

Snowball making.

Snowball kicking.

Snowball hugging.

Snowball sliding.

The slide was extra speedy allowing for dismounts 2 feet from the end of the slide.

A, J, and M had a blast on the slide, while Iver and I cheered on the sidelines.

Our Holiday Season

Halloween fun with Mr. Wizard and Ms. Robot.  An action shot with Mr. W casting a spell on Ms. R.

Ms. R wins the "Most Original Costume" award at a local Halloween Party.  Enjoying celebratory donuts with our friend Scout.

Carving pumpkins.

Iver unsure of what happened to his big brother and sister.

Our Thanksgiving group (minus me taking the picture).

Swing-time on Thanksgiving.

Visiting the Christmas Tree Farm.

Checking out the bordering farm animals.

Still able to zip up my coat at 37 weeks!

Determining the age of our Christmas tree.

Our big guy.

Fireside goodness.

Love and warmth to all this season -- and beyond.

Pumpkins and More

We kicked off the season with a trip to one of the many awesome farms in our area.  The farm we'd been visiting every year for pumpkin picking no longer offered this opportunity, so we headed for a new, unknown one.  And, oh boy, am I happy with the one we picked.  Between the pumpkin slingshot (!), the Living Playground, the 3 Sisters Spiral Maze, the House of Hay, and being one of only two families visiting that day, we had a blast!

G prepped and ready to fire with our "ammo".

J taking a shot.

Utilizing the weight of Baby #4 and a bit of flexibilty, I managed to score the title of "First Person to Hit the Target" and a free pumpkin!  Whoohoo!

G and J working together.

And it's off.

A's one-handed technique.

Another shot.

The five -- plus one -- of us.

Iver looking delicious.

My trio of cuteness -- with two lounging (?) scarecrows.

M enjoying the tractor.

Our One Year Old

On September 8th, Iver turned one!  With sunny skies and a small gathering of friends and family, we partied with our little guy in the backyard.  The "Happy Birthday" singing might just have been his favorite part of the festivities... 

Another first -- Iver's first ferry ride across the sound.

First Graders

Check out my first graders on their first day of school.

Along with their biggest fan.

And, amid a day of firsts, J lost her first tooth while snacking on apples after school.

Eastward Trek

Our trip back East to visit family and friends was a whirlwind of socializing, sun, and fairly drama-free flights with three kids, a 5+ month pregnancy, early morning departures, and late night arrivals.

Utilizing a local fitness circuit to burn off excess sitting-on-an-airplane-for-hours energy.

Both A and J scored in the "Expert" level at the log jump station.

Scootering was popular...

...as well as graham crackers.

A and J racing Garry.

Andrew and Iver checking each other out.

Playing ball with Ben.

Scootering with Rex and Gunnar.

Jorja's requested "action" shot.

The scooter gang -- A, J, Ben, Luke, Rex, and Gunnar.

Watching the scooter gang in a action.

The cousins -- less a napping Iver.

Garry and Linda's bustling clan of grandkids.

The Watzke Five.

Meg, Iver, and my blossoming belly.

Pool time at Missy's.

Viewing the harbor.

Our trio.

Loving the beach.

Exploring the ledge.

Wave running.

A sand mummy -- compliments of A, J, Kyle, Ryan, Jackson, and Clara.

The kiddos at our beach gathering.

Thanks for such a loving visit...