a blast from the past - day 7 photo

keeping with the theme of hair - i was digging in a bin of sheets for the kid's beds last night and i found these hair bows. i have no idea how they got in this bin - but they are actually hairbows that i wore in my very own pony tails. i bet putting those ponytails in included a lot of "ouch! ouch! your pulling my hair too tight, mom " :)

i wonder if they make those alligator buttons anymore?

i feed me!

official picture for day 6
......and just like that jillian will not eat mushy baby food from a spoon anymore! my sweet baby girl is growing up...... i really think she wants to be just like her brothers and sister :)

she wants to feed herself now - which means 2 or more outfits per day - but this mama can finally have a (somewhat) warm meal again! yea!!

the spinning ball and day 5 photo

do you ever feel like you are running behind a giant spinning ball?.... some days it's an easy pace and other days it feels like the ball is nipping at your heals.

anyway..... here's my picture for day 5

helen is 3 years old and has NEVER had her hair cut... well - technically for the first year she really didn't have any hair..... but now it's pretty long. lately it's been a struggle for her (and ME) to get her hair combed. (i am sure my mom can remember similar "discussions" with me).

lately it seems as soon as i pick up the brush and walk towards her - she is telling me "no mom, that hurts, your pulling my hair, ouch, ouch, OUCH!!!". so my friend, anne, suggested that i just buy some conditioner for her hair. now why didn't i think of that sooner - sigh.

my 365 pictures project

day 1 - dallas airport (January 1st, 2011).... on our way back to chicago... this is how much stuff we had AFTER checking 5 bags of luggage!

day 2 - schiphol airport (technically january 3... but we lost some "time" in the airplane)

day 3 - unpacking all 10 suitcases after our trip to the USA

day 4 - my sweet jilly is so proud that she can feed herself now :) i, however, am not proud of the mess she makes when she feeds herself :)

a few of my photographer friends have been working on a project that envolves taking a picture every day for 1 year. i'm not sure of the details of their projects but i have decided to tackle my own version.... i'm going to try to take a picture of something in my life each day for 1 year! this could be interesting!!

here's days 1-4

tea party - American Girl style

galleria mall in dallas

jillian dancing to the music in the galleria mall

helen gets her doll all set up at the table (a few days later she said her favorite part of the tea party was having her doll sit next to her)

helen and jillian get ready for the tea party

yum!

ya-ya (grandma) buys helen a special outfit for her doll - a raincoat and boots (perfect atire for Holland)

my mother, sister, and i took the girls to the American Girl Doll store for a tea party and some shopping in Dallas

airport adventures for a family of 6

i love this sign... "recombobulation area" -i sure do feel discombobulated when i go through security with 4 kids and all their stuff!

helen dances while a quartet plays christmas music

graham and daddy waiting for our boarding passes

helen and jayden

ahhhhh... jillian sleeps :)

my sweet helen

travel adventures

helen battles jet lag..... falling asleep while trying to hold her head up! the next day graham, helen, and i went to walmart at 5am because 1. i had a long list of supplies that we needed to take back with us (must not forget my peanut butter!!) and 2. because i did not want them to wake up everyone else in our one bedroom hotel room :) i think we were the ONLY ones shopping in the store! we even watched the sunrise over lake michigan that morning

nothing says welcome to the USA like a trip to the Emergency Room!! on saturday, december 18th we landed at o'hare airport in chicago..... took a bus up to milwaukee..... to pick up our rental car...... then i drove jillian straight to the emergency room in kenosha!

she was very lethargic , not eating, and i thought she was also dehydrated because she cried all the way from the airport to the hospital without a tear in her eyes - so i took her straight to the ER. she ended up getting an IV and 5 hours later we were released. right now as i look back on the situation.... it's a blur... i can remember standing in the hospital - feeling the jet lag setting in! ross took the other kids to dinner and smuggled in some mac and cheese for me to eat while i waited..... hoping that my baby would be ok.