Zonked

By the end of the day we all felt like this. We probably didn't look as cute though. After a delicious supper of sweet potato soup and spinach salad we rest our weary heads and await the Easter Bunny. Happy Easter. We love you all. PS. Don't be jealous that we had such a great day. Your day will come. I promise.

Let's go fly a kite.

We rounded out our day today at nearby Mcdougal Middle School's field. As I prepared the Easter goodies Steve took the children for a walk and noticed that the wind had changed. You all know that this means Mary Poppins had to leave but it also meant that we all went and flew a kite. The kids had a terrific time feeling the force of the wind through the string and trying to keep the kite in the air. Delia was especially invigorated by the whole experience. The only reason we retreated to our digs was that her epidermis was quickly roasting. She's a fair child...and I don't mean Morgan. Behold the many moments at Mcdougal.

Where's Elo? Is she sleeping outside? Where's Elo? Has she gone for a ride?

I hope you all sang that to the extremely persistent melody of "Where's Jeff?" by the Wiggles. Eloise is the baby in tow. She actually does sleep outside and she actually has gone for many rides. So while we are doing most of our activities you can see her in the background chillin'. Here she is watching me make dinner in her little bumbo seat.

The Rocking Chair Store

Delia and Milo have discovered the neighborhood gang. They play basket ball in the breezeway and climb the tree by our porch with all the other kids in the complex. After an all out playing session this afternoon we treated them and the missionaries to an icecream at Maple View Farm...aka...The Rocking Chair Store.

MUSTARD!...No lemon, that's differenter.

Our day began with an exceptionally hot picnic on the porch, on an exceptionally small picnic table. I love it when a normal day becomes a special day because you just happen to have a can of baked beans in the cupboard. This particular little fete had the giddy tension of Alice's strange tea with the Mad Hatter.

Weekend Update

In the news, we are all still alive. To prove it here are a few pics of our recent activities. You may notice that for the most part we are all in the same clothes in every picture. That is because these were all taken on the same day...or maybe I never do laundry...both are plausible explanations. Actually these were mostly taken today because we had an unusually great day. Here are some highlights.

So far so good

This is Eloise's last picture before her outbreak of baby acne. She's been here for 20 days, and thanks to both sets of grandparents, the transition has been smooth. We are getting enough sleep and taking it a day at a time. Steve and I both feel that we have been blessed during this post partum period and all its attendant viscissitudes. We have felt lifted up through the spirit and feel so much hope for the future of our family.

Just hold me.

Delia will hold Eloise for as long as you will let her. Milo will hold her for a grand total of three seconds and then announce, "I'm done."

Ready for my closeup Mr. DeMille

Here's Eloise at 2 days old in one of her first photo shoots with Babajuje and Kelly.

Oh, brother...

After asking about the birth and the baby, the next question people inevitably ask is, "How are the kids adjusting?" I should probably just carry this picture around and show it to them. Delia has embraced the role of caretaker and is quite taken with Eloise. She says some version of, "She is so cute I could just eat her" every time she gets near her. My favorite so far was, "She is so cute I could just poke her eye." Milo, as you can see, has some doubts about the whole situation. But he seems to be coming around.

After the storm

On the night of January 5th it started to drizzle. I had minor contractions through the night and by morning the downpour had begun. After my water broke at 6am we called all of the backup to come be with the kids. By 8:30 we arrived at the birthcenter and at 12:08 Eloise Jane Vaisey made her debut. She weighed in at 8lbs 15oz, but seeing as she peed right after birth I contend she was a 9lb baby. By 5pm that night Steve's brother Jeff and his wife Kelly, along with Delia and Milo, welcomed us home. Eloise and I are pictured here just moments after her birth.