Birthday Diva

Turning 5 is a very big deal...at least for a certain now 5 year-old at our house.  Rose has been talking about turning 5 for quite some time, so when her birthday finally came around on July 23, only a week after Ella was born, we had to do something special to celebrate.  She said she wanted a barbie/princess birthday and told me everything I needed to do to get ready...she was very specific.  We told her that she could pick one friend to come over and gave her a choice of activities that they could do together.  Of course she chose to go to a nail salon to get their nails painted...just like 'big girls' do.

We invited her best friend, Ally (from our old neighborhood), over and my mom (who was here helping me out) and I took the two girls and Ava to get their nails done.  They loved picking out their nail color and sitting together with their hands under the nail drier.  They even got designs on their nails...with sparkles!  While they were waiting for my mom and I to get our nails done, they watched a movie in a cute kids' pedicure chair  and pretended to give each other pedicures.  I love that it doesn't take much to please a five year old!

 The princess makeover continued at home with make-up, dress-up clothes, jewelry, and tiaras. 

And of course, no birthday party is complete without a pinata!  The girls each took a few wacks at a fairy pinata without much success, so Paul took the liberty of cracking it open.  With one swing, he successfully decapitated the little fairy and candy flew out everywhere.  

After presents, we finished off the party with the birthday girl's choice of food; pizza, juice boxes, apples, and a mermaid barbie cake.

The birthday diva must have had a great day because she said she wished she was turning 6 tomorrow so she could have another birthday!

Hugs!

Introducing...Ella Clare

Friday evening, July 15th, Ken and Joy drove down to Louisville after work to watch the "big" girls while we went to have baby #4.  We got to Norton Suburban hospital (where Ava & Madeline were born) around 11 that night and got checked into a room around 11:30 or so.  Luckily Paul and I were able to get some sleep that night before the labor got more intense.  In the morning, things were still progressing slowly, so the doctor came in  around 7:15am and broke my water to help speed things up.  By 11:30 am, the contractions were much more intense, so I decided it was time to get the epidural.  I am so thankful for anesthesiologists!!!  By 1:30 pm, on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Ella Clare joined the world as the newest Klinker.  What a wonderful day to be born!  Ella weighed a perfect 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19.5 inches long.  What a beautiful little miracle God has blessed us with!

Dr. Wilson and Ella praising the Lord after being born:)

Proud father of 4

Momma snuggling with baby

That evening, after being transferred to our recovery room, Joy and Ken brought big sisters by to meet little Ella.  Right away Madeline said, "I hold it."  She didn't really know what to think.  I think it will be interesting to see how she handles sharing "her Mommy" and "her Daddy" with another little person.  Ava loves babies, so she was anxious to hold Ella and didn't want any help.  She already knows exactly how to hold her and handle her because she practices daily with her own baby dolls.  Rose also held little Ella, but told us we should have named her Grace.  I think she will enjoy having another person younger than her to help with and to tell what to do:)

Madeline is a big sister!

Ava, the little pro:)

Rose holding little Ella

Ella Clare is adjusting beautifully to this new world!  We think she favors Ava as a newborn, but it will be fun to see how she changes week to week.  We can't wait to take her home!

We'll keep you updated with lots of pictures!  Can't wait for all of you to meet her!

Hugs!

VBS - Son Surf Beach Bash

Last year Rose went to our church's VBS and it left quite an impression on her because she talked about it all year long.  So this year I signed up Rose and Ava and I helped with crafts all week.  They had childcare every day for the kids of the parent helpers, so Madeline enjoyed playing everyday with her junior high helper, Juliana.  I made sure Ava was in the same class as her friend, Whitney, to help with her first "school" experience without mom.  She did awesome!!!  She didn't cry all week, but followed directions and enjoyed every minute of it.  She never did learn her teacher's name, but just called her "teacher" all week, which I thought was cute:)  Rose didn't really know any of the kids in her class at first, so towards the end of the first day after she saw me in crafts, she had a little bit of a meltdown, but did great every day after that and of course had many new friends by the end of the week.  And whenever Rose, Ava, or Madeline saw each other in the halls, they would stop and give each other a big hug...it was really very sweet.

All the kids getting ready to sing their VBS songs at the end of the week.

Rose's painted sandy feet along with the Footprints poem.

Each family was given a cd to take home of all the themed songs they learned that week.  We listened to them every day in the car and the girls learned them quite well, even little Madeline.  Here are some videos of their recent performances for Paul and me.

"Jump, Shout, Give a High Five"

"Son Surf Beach Bash"

"Meet Up with Jesus"

They crack us up!!!

Hugs!

4th of July Festivites

When spending time with family, life is always at its best.  Last weekend we went to Carmel and got to meet our newest niece, Julia Grace, and take part in her beautiful baptism.  It was during the 12:30 mass at OLMC, which I had never seen before.  It was a beautiful ceremony and Julia was perfect throughout it all.  Then we got to celebrate with family from the Klinker and McKinney side afterwards.  Ben and Brooke are great parents...Julia is a lucky and precious little girl!

The newest member of the Church!

On Saturday, many of my siblings and I spent the afternoon  making festive 4th of July treats, like rice krispie stars, bald eagle cake balls, Uncle Sam cake balls, and other red, white, and blue snacks.  Rose and Ava even jumped in to help decorate.  Then despite the blazing hot sun, we siblings played some friendly games of volleyball with intermitten breaks in the pool.  We finished off the evening with an All-American cookout and lots of laughs.  It was great to have everyone together...except Nicholas, of course:(

Two out of the four days that we were in Carmel, Rose and Ava lived in my parents' pool.  We had to make them get out each day after spending 3 hours or more in the pool at a time.  They even got the courage to jump off the diving board (without life-jackets) and swim to the ladder by themselves.  They really are little fish this summer!  Even Madeline jumped off the diving board (with her life-jacket) because she had to do what big sisters were doing!:)  She is quite the little daredevil.

Paul and I even got to steal a night away, just the two of us, before the newest Klinker arrives!  We enjoyed dinner out, an Indian's game, then loads of fireworks...which was my favorite part!  After sleeping in until 9am the next morning, we ran a couple errands, then headed to Jersey's Cafe in Carmel, which was featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  Their menu was crazy long, offering loads of different hoagies and cheesesteak options along with loaded baked potatoes and PA Dutch Birch Beer (like root beer).  Paul got a hoagie that was packed with fries, steak, coleslaw, fried egg, Red Hot sauce, and cheese.  How often do you get to eat something that wild?!  Both our sandwiches were delicious, which made the hour wait for our food well worth it.

While we were gone, Rose and Ava got to go to Carmel Fest with some of their aunts and uncles.  They got their faces painted (with unicorns, of course), balloon animals/flowers, and got to see some fireworks.  They are so lucky to have family that wants to spend so much time with them!  Madeline stayed home and put Grandpa to sleep:)

What a fun-filled 4 days!  So thankful to be surrounded by amazing people on the Titus and Klinker side!!!

Hopefully next time I post there will be a new Klinker in the family;)  Keep us in your prayers.

Hugs!

Baby Movements

With all the focus on packing and moving to a new house, I haven't focused on this pregnancy as much as I did with the others.  Every couple weeks, I usually read in my pregnancy book about how the baby is developing at each stage, but I think I have only opened my book twice this pregnancy.  This poor child!  With each pregnancy, however, I am left in utter amazement at God's perfect design of human life.  Throughout the nine months, my baby grows and develops perfectly within me and all I do is carry her and try to eat right.  And at the end of the journey, we are given a tiny human being!  What an incredible gift?!

Our growing baby is making herself known these days as she gets more and more active.  She often has a foot in my ribs or is pushing on my bladder...thank you child!  My favorite time is at night when I am drinking a pop.  She moves like crazy!  The other night her heel or elbow was pushing on my belly and I could see a little ball sticking out of my belly.  Paul thinks it is weird...he says it is like a little alien trying to get out...but I love it!  Her movements let me know that she is ok in there.

I have 8 weeks left (or less hopefully) and I am sure it will go quickly.  Besides feeling large and sometimes pretty tired...which are both normal...I am doing great and the baby is too!  I am sure I will be ready for the baby to come as her due date gets closer, but I am not counting down the days like I was with Madeline.

We can't wait to meet our little one and hold her in our arms.  And I am sure all of you are anxious to find our her name...not too much longer:)  Please continue to pray that the baby is healthy and everything goes smoothly!

Hugs!

Moving Tales

As you all know, we finally moved into our new house!  After a somewhat frustrating process (I think all moving is similar these days) and many months of waiting, St. Joseph interceded on our behalf and everything seemed to fall in place.  We spent most of the day on May 13 closing on the old house, then the new one and finally by about 5:00 pm, the guys (Paul, Ken, neighbor Rob, and two high school boys) started loading the truck.    Joy and I took the girls to the new house where two girls from church met us to help clean before all our stuff arrived.  The guys packed up about about half our things Friday night and went back for the rest on Saturday morning.  By about 5:00 on Saturday everything was unloaded, the truck was returned, and we focused more on unpacking.  Since then, I have been enjoying finding a place for everything...which is not very hard to do...and Paul has been working on house repairs...inside and outside.

A picture of our packing process

We are absolutely loving the new house!  It's location is so convenient in getting just about anywhere, we have so much more space, and all of the neighbors seem great!  It is bittersweet to leave the 173 group in Polo Fields, but I think it will be a good transition for our family.

Front view of our new house

View of the back of the house

Our Polo Fields friends threw us a "Klinker Send-off" last weekend, which was very sweet of them.  (They are always looking for a reason to throw a party:)  It was a great way to say one last good -bye to all those families that we would often see every day.  The girls are really going to miss playing with all the kids they have grown up with...they often ask if we can go back to our old neighborhood to play with our friends:)

Unfortunately a 2 hour rainfall 'dampened' party spirits.  23 kids plus their parents were crammed into Ryan and Jenny's house until things dried up.  However, by then it was 10pm and everyone started to pack up and go home.  It was a little crazy, but I think everyone still had a good time.

The new neighbor kids have been very friendly and often come over to play, even the oldest ones who are 10-15!  Unfortunately, we didn't make a very good first impression with our new neighbors because only a week after we moved in, a neighbor girl fell off our swing and broke her arm!  Luckily her parents didn't blame us and were very understanding, however, it still doesn't look good on our part!

We are looking forward to the summer, getting to know the neighbors better, and spending time at the neighborhood pool. Visitors are welcome anytime!

Hugs!

Busy Little Toddlers Make for Very Busy Momma

I know most people would tell me "it is just the age," but I think Madeline's busyness is far from over because of her adventurous personality.  Her nickname as "Little Destroyer" holds truer today than it did a few months ago.  If I don't watch her 'like a hawk' (which every mom knows is nearly impossible to do if you want to get anything else done around the house) then she gets into some sort of trouble.  Trouble that often consists of playing in the toilet, eating toothpaste, drawing on Paul's desk or the couch, ripping books, 'playing' on the computer, or pushing a chair up to the counter and eating candy...but could easily be any number of things the mind could conjurer up.  She is definitely not one of those children you can tell once not to do something and they never try it again....I have never been blessed with such a child;)  Since she can't open doors yet (thank goodness), we try to keep bathrooms, offices, etc. closed, but if any of them are left open even for 2 seconds, she makes a b-line for the room and begins her destruction.  Our kitchen chairs are constantly left turned on their side to avoid her climbing on the table, but now she is learning to tip them back up and uses them to get things she wants that are normally too high for her.

Madeline sneaking candy on the counter

Maybe I am just getting lazy in my increasingly pregnant state, but that girl wears me out!  One day we were playing on the playground and Rose and Ava both wanted to try the monkey bars.  I helped them both across and turn around to find Madeline on the top rung of the ladder, barely holding on, wanting a turn next.  She does not realize that she is smaller than the other girls and physically just can't do everything they do.  And usually when we tell her 'no' or 'stop' she continues what she is doing more aggressively.  I guess that is most toddlers, though, right?!

Madeline putting on 'lipstick' with a permanent marker
(note: her sweet hair)

I think I might know where Madeline gets her mischievousness....her oldest sister.  Rose finds very creative ways to use her 'quiet time' in the afternoons.  Although she occupies herself very well, mom is not always so thrilled with the results.  The other day I went upstairs to tell her she could get up and this is what I found:

She managed to get every piece of clothing out of every drawer and scatter it around the room!  When asked what she was doing, she said she was just trying things on.  The not very fun part was 'clean-up' time, which of course at this age needs lots of parental supervision and direction.

I guess they say 'they're keeping me young' by keeping me on my feet, right?!  One thing is for certain...life with toddlers is never dull or boring:)  I truly wouldn't have it any other way!!!

Hugs!

Growing Like Weeds

Sometimes I have to take a step back and make sure I am enjoying every moment with my girls because before I know it, my little Rose will be 5!  That just doesn't seem possible!  But truth be told, she is needing Paul and I less and less and is becoming more and more of a help to me.  A couple of weeks ago, we were running late, like usual, and I asked her if she could try to get Madeline dressed for me and she did!  If you give her a task, she is pretty determined to show us that she can do it by herself.  Just recently she learned to ride a two-wheeler and in a matter of two days has become quite the little pro.  She can start, stop, and turn around without any assistance.  All we have to do now is watch and hope she and Ava don't run into each other:)  She can now do cartwheels, handstands, write Mommy and Daddy and many other words, etc.

View a video of Rose's bike riding skills here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17286448/MVI_1170.AVI.wmv

Rose's determination and fearlessness are good examples for Ava.  The naturally more shy and unsure Ava quickly gains confidence when she sees Rose do something, because she wants to be like her big sister.  The girls are taking private swimming lessons together and although Ava had a rough first lesson, she calmed down with the comfort of big sister.  Now she will try to doggie-paddle by herself, go under the water, and whatever else the swim instructor asks of her.  We are so proud...that is a big step for her!  It is amazing to see how comfortable she is in the water after getting over her fears the first lesson.  Hopefully these lessons will make visits to the pool a little less stressful!

Blowing bubbles with Ms. BJ

Many times even my little Madeline acts more like a 3 year old than a 20 month old because she tries to mimic her sisters.  She insists on being included in everything they do.  I especially love when she plays pretend with the big girls.  The other day she had dress-up shoes on, a purse on her shoulder, turned to wave and say, "Bye!"  I asked her if she was going to the store and she said yeah and walked off.  She will also crawl around the floor pretending to be a baby or sometimes an animal.  It cracks me up:)  

Madeline helping ice Easter cookies

I feel very blessed to have 3 wonderful little girls.  I just wish I could freeze some moments with them and make them last forever!

Hugs!

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes

You often hear parents' say, "I hope you have a child just like you when you're a parent!"  Well, it always seem to work out just that way.  Rose acts very much like I did when I was a toddler.  For one, she is VERY picky about what clothes she wears.  She always wants to wear a dress or skirt...and not just any dress or skirt, of course.  We have had our fair share of meltdowns over what she should wear that day.  My mom said when I was her age, she would make me pick out my clothes for the entire week and hang them in my closet accordingly so that I couldn't argue with her every morning...maybe that's not such a bad idea:)

Maybe I shouldn't care so much...my friend Kathy let her 4 year-old wear his polo shirt backwards one day just because he wanted to and I once saw a 4 year old girl carry up the gifts at mass completely decked out in a Cinderella costume and dress up shoes:)  I am getting better about letting them wear whatever they want to go outside and play and I don't even make them get their hair done everytime.  They actually love it when Paul does their hair before they go outside because he lets them stand on the kitchen table and puts it in a ponytail/bun.

Ava is starting to get picky about her clothes too.  I don't know if it's because of Rose's example...Paul says it's because they take after their mother;)  Ava loves dresses too, but her favorite thing to wear lately is her swimsuit.  I think every day for the last month or so, Ava has come down from her nap in a swimsuit and a pair of shoes.  She loves to try on all the shoes in her drawer.  And she comes up with some pretty interesting combinations (see photo below).  Dress-up is a big part of our lives right now!

Luckily Madeline doesn't care what clothes I put on her.  Today she did learn to take her shirt off by herself though.  We were playing outside and she kept pulling her shirt over her head.  No more loose shirts for her!

*Side note: Tonight at dinner Ava asked Rose why she got to have more apples and Rose so humbly replied, "Because I'm awesome!"  I about died laughing.  What would we do without the innocence of children:)

Hugs!