After Hours

We put Max to bed, and he has always been so good at just going to bed when it was time to go to bed. He's never fought us when we do our bedtime routine. He just goes to sleep...until this week. Weird. He still doesn't fight us, we never hear a peep out of his room, but this week, while AZ grandma has been here, and the extra twin bed has been set up in the kid's room, he's had a project after hours. Not sure if he does it as soon as we close the door, or if he does it in his sleep...but here's the routine. Snack time is at 7:30PM, 7:45PM is tubby time, followed by putting on jammies. Max gets to choose his 'high book' (the phrase is stolen from my sister Erin, and denotes the special books that are kept up high so they don't get thrashed...as much...), then he turns on the lamp in mommy's room and sits in our special rocking chair to read. Then he chooses 3 animals to sleep with in his bed, we sing a song while we put his blankies on, he says his prayers, and then mommy says a prayer, we say goodnight...and we shut the door, usually by 8:04PM.

When grandma goes into Max's room to go to sleep, this is where Max is supposed to be. All of his animals are there...and the basket that they live in during the day. But no Max.

Where on earth is Max? This is where Grandma is supposed to sleep, but there's a new resident...
...so, before Jeff and I get in bed, we have to transfer the little narcoleptic sleep walker back into his bed, and all the animals back into their bed. We think it's the funniest thing!
What a crazy boy!

Birthday Card Collector

Cheryl, my MIL, thought ahead and prepared the necessities to make this sooo cute birthday card holder. Of course, we never like the papers/fabrics that other people choose when they make them, but ours are always cuter! It was a fun quick project with mucho cutting involved. Didn't take very long, and that's the way we like it! Here's my finished product...and the link where we learned how to! http://littlenannygoat.blogspot.com/2008/10/craft-tag.html

So fun! Now I just have to write people's names in the correct spot (that stresses me out, because I hate looking at my own handwriting...and what if I mess up?!?) Pencils are nice. and stick my already made cards into the correct envelope. Woo hoo!

I'm Smilin'

Ivy is smilin' like crazy...especially when I'm just about to fall asleep. It's my favorite to watch her do it. She even laughed a little bit the other day. She's a California Girl California Dreamin"

Grandmas and Grandpas are our favorite!

Grandma and Grandpa Mousser


Mar Mar and Paw Paw (Ellsworth)

Tweeks

Translation: 2 Weeks Ivy is 7 lbs, 10 oz at her two week appt.

Our goal was to meet or exceed our birth weight, and she's a champ, beating it out by 3 oz!

Good Job, Girlfriend!

She is in the 25% for weight, and her 20 inches is 75% for length...

tall and skinny woo hoo!

Next Dr's appt. is in two months: that seems a long way away, but I know it'll come sooo fast!

ps...stinkin pampers never called us back..that's OK, we'll still rock the pampers on our booty until we're 3 or so!

Wish us luck!

So fun: one of our neighbors told us about a casting call for a 2-4 week old baby for a Pampers Diapers Ad. I gathered up all of my courage on Monday, and while my dad stayed home with Max, Mom and I took Ivy up to the casting call in Santa Monica... worth a shot, right?

Well, we made it past the first cut, so to speak, because we got called back to go in again tomorrow! Don't know if we'll get the spot, but it's still fun. Wish us luck! If we make it, Ivy and I will be in a TV commercial, as well as on their website, etc... Also... in the weeks to come, check out

http://www.greenasweegrow.com/home.php

Max was asked to be in a photo shoot for this new organic line of clothing. His photo shoot is on April 24th! It's not a paying gig, but he gets a free shirt, and a free 5 x 7 from the shoot. Sweet enough for me! Keep your eyes out for a couple of cute Mousser kids...and keep your fingers crossed for Ivy's call back tomorrow!

Our Easter

We had a busy weekend that absolutely flew by...

Max got to show off his new baby sister. He loves to hold 'him,' as he says, but was occupied the whole weekend with either a grandma, a grandpa or a cousin...he had such a fun time!

We finally dyed easter eggs on Saturday morning, and Maxer did a very good job making non-pastel eggs, just the way mommy wanted... we like bright easter eggs!
Everybody also went to the beach on saturday, minus mommy and Ivy, which was fabulous, and Max and the girls found a big whole to play in... I was happy that Max got to go, and I didn't have to chase him around!Sunday morning, Daddy blessed Ivy in church, the reason that our family was in town. Here's our first family picture!

Ivy and Max's Grandparents After church, the easter bunny came and brought Max sooo many fun things, including Bugs Life... ...and brought Ivy a truck load of jelly beans and The Little Mermaid. This is the blessing skirt I made her...She had the cutest 'go-big-or-go-home' daisy to put in her hair that my sister, Erin made her for her blessing, but it was roughly half the size of her head, and covered one of her eyes. I was sad not to put it on her, but you bet she'll wear it in a month or t wo. (sorry, Er) There's an ancient tradition in the Ellsworth family to crack (only on Easter, mind you) hard-boiled eggs on each others heads...I warned Jeff before I did it, but he wasn't very appreciatve...Max got me... :)
And the girl cousins hid easter eggs for a major hunting adventure, in which Max collected so many eggs...
...that he had to trade-up for a bigger basket!

We had a fun Easter, hope you did, too!

Mousser Girl Power

Our Arizona Mousser Girls got here today to be here for Ivy's blessing on Sunday. (They are pretty much Max's favorite thing!) Each took a turn holding our pretty little girl and Ivy loved it being snuggled and held all night long. She slept for forever....so, the fact is, that if she doesn't sleep tonight, they can't hold her anymore! :)

Katie...

and Aimee...

Julie...

And Max's little partner in crime (thanks, Lex for playing with him all night...he LOVES you!) Lexi

Check out all the cute blondies--sorry, Ives...you're a black sheep like me!

A Nest with MarMar

Mar Mar brought a fun project with her (one of many) for Max to do for Easter. They made a nest. It was an idea she found in Family Fun Magazine--which I love, by the way. First, MarMar collected sticks from the back woods of Sultan, WA...just in case they didn't have sticks here. She and Max found some more when they were collecting sweet gum balls at the park. They formed some Crayola Magic Foam (some kind of modeling clay) into a nest shape and Max painted it blue... Then they poked sticks all around the nest.
...see, here's a stick...So cute, huh?

After you let it dry out (which takes longer than 24 hours, but whatever) Max got to decorate the nest with Easter grass and feathers. We haven't dyed Easter eggs, yet, so we just stuck a hard-boiled egg in there for the time being...but Max promptly ate it, so we're waiting for some colored ones!

Cute little project!

thanks, marmar!

A couple of my favorites!

{Max and Ivy} Max has been sick ever since we came home from the hospital, so we've sort of tried to keep him a little further away fron our sweet girl than we probably would have...but we had her pictures taken today, and tried to get the two of them together, so he got to hold Ivy for the first time. He's sort of not totally convinced that holding a baby is cool, but he's done it twice. So, here are a few of my favorite things...
Max is watching a show, so he won't look at the camera, but here are the updated pictures for today!

Easter Egg-cited

Easter is coming...and I was sad that I didn't have any decorations. So, even though Ivy was born...during my late-night feedings, I've been perusing blogs and scheming some quicker little crafts to keep the crafty little witch in me alive. I found a tutorial to make this wreath and it was sooooo easy...just a lot of hot glue, but it took me about 30 minutes or so to make it...both kids were napping, and I actually wasn't tired! If you want me to re-find the tutorial for the wreath...let me know and I'll post the link. :)Welcome to our barely-decorated-for-Easter home...
...And my friend & neighbor, Crafty Jen taught me how to make these freaking cute easter eggs with fabric...aren't they fun? Jen's look better, but I'll keep practicing...I have 2 more to make!

Aunt Jemima

My friend Becky brought us a goody today...funny thing is, we were seriously going to have pancakes for dinner...(jeff took Maxer to a birthday party AND it's take your daddy to work day, because he also took him to a college baseball game to scout out a hitter...)So the girls are having pancakes for dinner (my favorite) and this is the kind of syrup that is in the cupboard! Becky says that every girl needs an aunt jemima hat! hee hee, she's already changed so much and it's only day 3... I love my little Ivy!

A little bit of Ivy

Ivy Elle Mousser

7 lbs 7 oz

20 inches long

14" head

Black Hair

Newborn Navy Blue Eyes Fresh from the bakery...And a really happy mommy...
The cutest DaddyA visit from our big brother Max...

A serious head of hair...

Getting discharged from the hospital...

Ready for the car ride home...

...And the cutest welcome at our door! Jen and Kristy are sooo fun!

Then and Now

I thought it would be sorta funny to look at the pictures as I was leaving for the hospital to have Max in AZ and compare them to my 'bowl full of' from today. I guess I didn't stop to take a picture of myself just as I was leaving for the hospital...but this was then...(39 weeks with Max)...and this is now (39 weeks with Ivy) Leaving for the hospital in 1 hour... can't wait!

(note, I'm wearing the same pants...I guess these are my birthin' pants)