Elena's 5th Birthday Party

Elena is such a special little girl. She's compassionate and has a tender heart. She's silly, sweet, cuddly, smart, and just full of love. She cares so much for other people. Not long ago we had to take Samuel to get his immunizations, and Elena cried with him after the injections because it was so hard for her to see him in pain. And she's appropriately known in our family as "Sweetheart."

We had a small birthday party with her friends to celebrate her turning 5. The party was the week before her birthday, then on her birthday she had a playdate, we had cupcakes, and we went out for ice cream. And we still have our family get together coming up to celebrate with them. So she's had a lot of celebrations. Here are some pictures from her party.

Life with Baby

Days have been busy, even though they may not look that way to an outsider. It's a juggling act, but the transition from 2 to 3 kids has been going pretty smoothly. Going from 1 to 2 kids was pretty hard for me, but this time it just seems more manageable. Jorge took off a whole month from work, which was awesome. He took Elena and Samuel to all of their activities, and they just loved all of the quality time. I think the hardest adjustment out of all of this is Elena getting used to Jorge being back at work. The kids do an art class together, Samuel does soccer, and Elena does swim lessons and gymnastics. Also, last week Elena had Vacation Bible School every day. Many days I just stayed in with the baby while Jorge took the kids out to their activities or for ice cream. Some days I'm in my pajamas all day. I'm looking forward to not being so busy from having really frequent feedings, diaper changes, and responding to all of the other needs of a newborn and two toddlers, but I'm glad to be able to have relaxing days at home, and I'm incredibly thankful that I'm able to stay home with them. 

Here are some pictures from the last month, since Adelina joined our family.

Nana came for a visit.

 I just love baby feet and have to take pictures of them.

 

Jorge has become a good juggler, too, and he's really enjoyed all of his time with the kiddos.

 

 

These kids love books! And Elena is actually an awesome reader already. She reads a book every day with me. 

 

Here are some pictures of me and my littlest one.

 

Elena actually took these three pictures. 

 

 

 And more pictures of little Adelina.

I can't put into words how much the kids love having a baby around. It's the sweetest thing to see.

Elena and Samuel stay pretty busy playing. They play together really well. And as you can imagine, a lot of their play has been about babies. Samuel now calls his bear a baby. He told me he was feeding it one day and held it to his chest. And today we had to put a doll diaper on it and dress it in a onesie. Pretty much daily they play that they're putting their babies to sleep. 

 

 

Here they're playing with their marble run.

 

Adelina's 1 Month Old!

This little one is a month old! (a few days ago actually, but life is busy these days)

She's doing great. She loves to be held and snuggled, and she's starting to see more at a distance. We know this because when I'm holding her, she always finds Jorge and follows him with her eyes. 

She's gaining weight! She was 6 pounds 6 ounces at birth, and now she's 8 pounds, 11 ounces.

She likes to be talked to and rocked, and she enjoys our baby swing.