Father's Day 2010

We took Ada Grace to church for the first time on Sunday - for Father's Day!

Later that day, we (my parents, sister, and our family) had steak, potatoes, and salad for our father's day dinner. It was YUMMY! Craig grills the best steaks! We buy filets at Leonard's and Craig marinates them for a few hours, then grills them. We would rather cook our own than go out to a restaurant for steaks. Plus, it's a lot cheaper!

For Father's day this year, I tried to get a little creative. I have a hard time coming up with meaningful gifts for Craig so I came up with this idea to send he and our kids on little "adventures" this summer. The idea is for each child to have a day adventure with Craig - just he and one kid per activity. I thought this would be pretty cool because we usually always go places as a family and this way he would be able to have one-on-one time with each of the kids.

I am so excited about this because I think he and the kids will really enjoy spending a day together! So, I made up these cards (one from each child) "inviting" him to go somewhere. I had given the kids each a list of places that I thought they would like to go and let them choose where to "take Daddy".

Tate chose to go to the Medieval Times and Tournament dinner/show at Discover Mills. They will also spend some time at Bass Pro Shop and the Skate Park at Discover Mills when they go to the show.

Ben chose the Georgia Aquarium followed by some playtime at the water fountains at Centenniel Olympic Park.

Cora chose the Frances Meadows Aquatic Center in Gainesville which has pools and water slides and water fountains/attractions for toddlers and kids.

Ada gave him a subscription to a camping magazine and the whole family will go on a small camping trip in the fall.

With a little help from Craig planning the best days to attend these events, we have already lined up when they are going. Cora's trip is going to be next week, then Ben's is the next, and Tate's will be the following week. I can't wait! I know that they are really going to enjoy their one-on-one time with their Daddy. I'm excited just to get to hear all about it when they come home!

Lolly

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddies out there!

A Style of her Own

Lolly

7lbs 6 oz

Yay!!!

She is gaining weight!!!!

Today, Ada Grace weighs a whopping 7 lbs, 6 oz. She has gained 7 ounces in a week which is EXACTLY the amount she needs to have gained. We are so pleased!!!

Here are a few pics from this week...

This is Ada's new bed. I LOVE, LOVE

LOVE IT!!!

It is actually a pack'n'play but it has this thing on top that acts as a bassinett - kind of. One side is open and you put that up next to the bed (but there is a ledge type thing that separates it from the bed). Anyway, my description is not very good, but this is great for me because I put it next to my bed and can see her and touch her and be next to her during the night without actually having her in the bed with us. And, if she gets fussy or loses her pacy, I can easily reach in and pat her or get the pacy. I'm LOVING it! We just bought it yesterday and I am so glad that we did!

Here is Ada, once again, asleep! This time she is in a bouncy seat. And, yes, that is Ben in the background, leaning in for a kiss. If you want to know where Ben is, all you have to do if find Ada. He ADORES her! He can not hold her enough or kiss her enough! It's quite adorable....except when he is driving us crazy asking for more holding time, more kissing time, etc. (His kisses consist of multiple kisses at a time...one just won't do.)

Here is Ada Grace in a different bouncy. And, yes, the picture is sideways. It's not just your computer. I tried to switch it to an upright picture multiple times and succeeded. But, I could not get it to upload the right way so I gave up. So, I suggest turning your head to the right as you view this picture. I also want to add that it appears that I have placed stuffed flowers/butterflies on her face...but I have not. They are hanging from her bouncy seat and actually DO NOT touch her face but from the angle I was taking the picture, it appears that they do. How cute is this picture???

Lolly

Eating, pooping, and sleeping

When you have a baby, the top 3 things that you talk about, worry about, and your life revolves around is the baby's eating, pooping, and sleeping habits.

Think about it. What is important in the life of a newborn?

Eating.

Pooping.

Sleeping.


We are fairly OCD about all of those things when it comes to our newborns. In fact, I think we become more obsessed with those things with each child. We have this "form" that we made to record when the baby eats, how much she eats, if she pees or poops, etc. We even took it to the hospital with us this time. The nurses even told one another about it. We would get a new nurse and she would say..."Oh, you are the ones with the form."

Yes, that would be us. The OCD parents. (I will add that the nurses actually liked it...they just had to look at it to find out the info that they needed to record on their form).

We have very good reason to use this form.

1. We can't always remember when we fed the baby, or if he/she has gone potty.
2. We had issues with Ben gaining weight and this form was INVALUABLE to us in determining if he were eating enough.
3. Great tool to take to the pediatrician b/c they can see what is going on at home and it usually answers all of their questions.


Again, it seems some of the most important questions revolves around eating and pooping.

Which brings me to the main reason for this post. When Cora was a baby she always "warned" us when she was about to have a stinky diaper. She made this little, high pitched sound - sometimes quietly, but mostly quite loud. It was HILARIOUS! I distinctly remember her giving this "warning" during a church service (not at Pine Crest) that we were attending. We were sitting behind one of the members of Pine Crest (Kristy) who happened to know about Cora's peculiar "warning" cry. She knew immediately what was happening!

Well, guess what? Ada Grace has started doing the SAME thing! Except she does it when she is completely finished. It is SO funny! I know, I know, TMI! But, that's what you get reading this blog. At least, I didn't include pictures...

Lolly

Kids say the funniest things...

In the past two weeks since having Ada Grace, the other kids have said some of the funniest things. I thought I'd share a few of our recent conversations.

Ben (to me): "Does Ada have a brain?"

Me: "Yes, Ben. We all have brains, even Ada."

Tate (when I was changing one of Ada's diapers): "Whoa! She has got a really small butt crack."

Me: "Why, yes, Tate I suppose she does."

Ben: "Mommy, why didn't you die when they cut you open to get Ada out?"

Me: "Because the doctors know what they are doing and they have machines hooked to me to let them know if I am doing ok."

Later that night, I overheard him telling someone: "Mommy didn't die when they cut her open because she was hooked up to a machine that told her not to die. The machine either says die or don't die and you do what it says. "

Ben (to Craig): "We can't teach Ada all the bad words that we know."

Ben (to Craig): "Ada has blood. We all have blood."

Ben (to all of us, numerous times per day): "Everybody who loves Ada, raise your hand."

All of the kids ( to me and Craig, multiple times per day): "Can I kiss her? Can I hold her? Can I be first?"

The kids have been great to help me out with household chores, too. In fact, the boys have been helping me with the laundry (carrying the baskets, putting the clothes in the washer/dryer, folding, and putting away clothes) as well as other little chores around the house. I told them they could earn money if they helped me keep the house clean, did chores, etc. So, another thing I am hearing A LOT lately from them is "Can I get a dollar for that?" or "Can I get a dollar or two or three for that?".

What's funny is that they ask for a dollar for EVERYTHING that they do.

I will say, "Can you pick up your shoes and put them away?"

And they reply, "Do I get a dollar for that?"

And I say, "Ummm, NO! You don't get a dollar for the stuff that you are suppose to do anyway. You only get dollars for the EXTRA stuff that you are doing."

Ahhh....Kids.........you gotta love'em!

Lolly

Sweet Ada Grace

Introducing the newest addition to the Richard household .....

(taken about an hour after she was born)

Ada Grace Richard

June 7, 2010

9:05 a.m.

6 lbs, 15 oz

19 1/2 in.

This is her "Popeye" look....

We have truly been blessed with yet another beautiful, healthy baby. We adore her, the kids adore her, she is one loved little baby girl .... our sweet Ada Grace.

Ada was born on a Monday and we had the kids brought over to visit on Tuesday. It was such a wonderful visit! They all had a chance to hold her, and kiss her, and feed her, and kiss her some more. As the oldest, Tate is an old pro at holding a new baby. Look at that grin on his face! He LOVES babies! (He also happened to inform me right here that I still had a big belly! Gee...thanks!)

Ben was a little bit timid at first but quickly warmed up to holding the baby. Now, he can not get enough of her. He is CONSTANTLY kissing her, asking to kiss her, wanting to hold her, etc. The first night we came home, we had set the bassinett next to our bed. Ben promptly made himself comfy on the bed next to her bassinett. When we let him know that was mommy's "spot" and that he had to sleep where he normally does (the couch...that's a whole other story), he was so HEARTBROKEN. I have never seen him so disappointed. So, I smoothed it over with the promise that he would be the first one to hold her the next morning and he would get to help feed her.

And big sister, Cora Beth, was thrilled with our addition as well. She held her and talked to her in this sweet, little baby talking voice. She has done very well giving up her position as the "baby" in the family. She kisses on her, asks to hold her, and feed her as much as the boys do. She typically tires of holding her quicker than the boys but is constantly "checking" on the baby. She has also done really well trying to understand why I can't pick her up and that she has to be careful with me and my "boo-boo".

Our first full family picture. You can't really see everybody that well but at least it captured the moment. I can't wait until we have a "real" family picture taken! I can only imagine the chaos that will be!!!

She is such a GOOD baby. All babies are good....but sometimes you get a really good baby. And, well, I think she is one of those babies.

Here we are getting ready to leave the hospital (Thursday, June 10th).

She did really well in her car seat and didn't even cry when we put her in it. She actually fell asleep and slept the entire way home. It was so good to be back home!

We have since settled into somewhat of a routine. I love that it is summer and the kids are here and Craig is here. The kids love to be around her, and she is very tolerant of them! She sleeps through the chaos - I think she actually sleeps better with more noise than with quiet!

(I had Craig snap this picture really quickly because she found her thumb and started sucking it! Oh, no, you don't! I would much rather it be a paci because they are easier to take away!)

We are all so happy to have sweet Ada Grace here with us! We have been blessed with four wonderful, beautiful, healthy children and are just overwhelmed sometimes with how great God has been to us!

Our cup runneth over!

Lolly

"Egg" stravaganza

Earlier this week, we went to Coal Mtn. Ballpark to play on our favorite playground. I had this crazy idea to take the kids by myself one day. I thought we'd be the only ones there like the last time we went over Spring Break. I thought the kids would be really good and have a fun time. I thought we'd take a few snacks, lunch, drinks, and all would be good.

I thought wrong.

First, there were more folks there than I anticipated. Not crowded, mind you, but quite a few kids, parents, grandparents, etc. And, they were little kids. Most younger than Cora. And, though the playground says ages 2 - 12, I kinda got the impression that my bringing my older kids was raining on everyone's parade. And, most of these kids were there by themselves (other than the parent). And, did I mention that most of these kids were quiet and docile?

And, did I mention that my 3 kids went RUNNING and SCREAMING onto the playground? This was before I realized the situation. I felt the looks and stares immediately. I felt the burning question of " what in the world is this woman with 3 wild kids doing here and look she's about to have another!".

So, I quickly assessed the situation. I reined my children in and nicely told them "No running on the playground, no playing tag, no chasing each other, no screaming, no making loud noises, no climbing on top of the things you should not be on top of. Now go have fun!"

Which sounded absolutely ridiculuous. Even to me. We were at a playground, for goodness sakes. No running? No screaming? No climbing on top of stuff you shouldn't be on top of? What fun is any of that?

But, alas, I could not be the parent with the "unruly" children", could I? Turns out, I could, because the kids didn't exactly follow all my instructions. I had to rein them in a few times. I wanted them to have fun, really, I did. But, I also wanted them to be respectful of the other folks there. Plus, I didn't want them to hurt the other kids ( a valid reason not to run on the equipment, play chase, or scream). At the same time, I really wanted them to be able to just "go wild" and have fun on the playground. What's a parent to do? ( I have decided we should just stay home and play! )

I think we may have ran a few folks off. They went to the picnic tables to eat. So, I "let" them eat in peace. I think a few may have left. (This may have just been all in my imagination but it seemed that way...I really don't think my kids were that loud or rowdy but compared to the crowd that was already there, we stood out like a sour thumb.) We played awhile and as they began to return from eating, I had had enough. We went over to the picnic tables to eat. Some of us ate, some of us cried (Cora DID NOT want to stop playing on the playground). Afterwards, I herded them to the car with the possibility of going to another playground where we would be less conspicious and hopefully there would other normally loud kids there.

As we were leaving, I spotted it. The "egg". You see, I have had this idea since Easter. Brace yourself. It's a little weird and odd but nonetheless, I will share it with. You can thank me later.

(Bear with me because I have to give the background on all of this...)

Ever since, the decorative "eggs" have been popping up all over town, Craig and I have pondered over them. Why do we have these eggs? Who paints them? Who pays for them? How much are these things costing? Who decides where they go? Again, why do we have them?

Let me just be honest here while I am at it. We kind of had made fun of them. It just seemed so random to us. One on the square in town. One at a bank. One at a school. One at a funeral home. No rhyme or reason to the placement of them (at least in our very limited knowledge of these eggs.)

Then, around Easter, I had this brilliant idea. We should go on a "Giant Easter egg hunt" and "hunt" down all of these "Easter" eggs, and take our kids pictures with them. Genius, right? I know, I know, it's a little weird, but what can I say?

So, now, everytime, I see one, I'm like, there's another one, we really need to start stopping nd taking pictures with these eggs. I'm not sure Craig is completely with me on this but I think I can convince him otherwise.

Anyway, back to the Coal Mtn. Ballpark story. As we are exiting the parking lot, I spot "it". An "egg". So, I tell the kids, let's get out and take a picture with this egg. And, then, I sweeten the deal. If you get out, do what I tell you, get a good picture with this egg, I will take you SWIMMING. That's all it took. We got out, took a few pics (not that great of ones but I was using my IPHONE, the sun was glaring in my face, and we were tired.)

And, so now I have begun our journey. The hunt has begun. This summer we are going to find every "GIANT EASTER EGG" and take our picture with it. And, you, my faithful friends and followers will get to enjoy each and every picture here on this blog. Your welcome.

Lolly

Three Days

Three more days to go and our family of five will be a family of six. How will this change our lives? For starters,

1. No one else will be able to ride with us in our car. We are officially "FULL". (Unless, you want to squeeze between the two booster seats that are occupied by Tate and Ben, and only a select few would want to do that. And, if you are able to fit, I'm not sure how you'd get back there because it is kind of tricky to get by the two carseats in the middle of the car.)

2. We can't have anyone over for dinner anymore because our table only seats six. But, technically, as it is, we could only have one other person over to sit at our table anyway and we seldom only invite just ONE person.

I guess that's about it. No more changes other than that. Yeah, right. No sweat.

Lolly

Church

Last Wednesday ( a week ago), Tate was saved in his room before he went to school. He didn't say a word about it until he got to school then told Craig. Then, they called and told me. Of course, we were a bit overwhelmed and maybe even shocked at the way it all occurred, but equally as excited and elated with the news. Basically, it boils down to the fact that Tate has/had the faith of a child - he felt bad, knew he needed to pray, prayed, got saved, and that was that. Easy as pie. No questions asked. No need to get anybody. He just knew what to do and took care of it.



This past Sunday, he joined Pine Crest Baptist Church and will be baptized this summer after revival. How cool is that?? He is pretty excited about it and frequently asks how many days until baptizing. He is also pumped about the wine and bread in September and is counting down the days until we have communion again.



After he was saved, he and I talked about being baptized and joining a church. When I asked him was this something he wanted to do, he said yes. I asked him what church he wanted to join. He replied "our church" (which to him is Pine Crest). Then, he asked me where I was baptized, where Craig was baptized, etc., etc. I told him we were all baptized at Harmony Grove and that is where our membership is. He thought a minute, then asked the question that I knew would come...."can I join and be baptized at any church?"



So, I told him, "Well, sure. But, normally you join a church that you go to or that your family goes to - one that you feel like is your "home". And, I don't know why but years ago, I had thought this would happen. "This" being that one of the kids, after being saved, would think of all the churches we had been to and randomly try to pick one to join. So, I was not surprised when Tate then began to think and randomly picks out a church that we helped in during revival last summer.



He says, " I think I'll join Jon's church - you know the one we went to for a week last summer".



So, I say, " Well, that's fine, but normally, you would want to pick a church where you go to on a regular basis or where you would be able to go to on a normal basis, somewhere where you feel like you should be going. Or, sometimes, it may be where the rest of your family goes." And, I told him that he didn't have to decide right away and that it was completely up to him.



He replied, " I want to be baptized at our church." Ok. Now that we have that settled, I began to think.



This whole scenario made me think about all the names that the kids have for the different churches we have been to or helped at in revivals. Alot of times, the name is associated with either the pastor at the time or someone who goes there. Let me share a few....



1. Jon's church - Mt. Pisgah (Jon is the pastor's son)



2. Donny's church - Salem (he was the pastor there when we helped)



3. the eating church - this can be a variety of churches - any of which we may have eaten at.

This name was given first to Second Baptist in Cumming.



4. Grandma Cantrell's church or the church where Grandma Cantrell "died" (she is buried there) - Harmony Grove



5. the drum church or Matthew's church: Oak Grove (Matthew is the son of the former pastor)

They have a set of drums that the boys were quite taken with the week we were there for revivial, hence, the name "the drum church".



6. And, last but not least, "Our church" - which refers to Pine Crest, which is where, one day very soon, we will get to see Tate baptized. I, for one, can't wait!



Lolly