Family Weekend

We headed to the valley this weekend for our first trip away as a family of 5!  There was a lot of screaming in the car most times of the trip by at least one of the kids--but it was worth it to see family and friends.  We started the trip seeing Eric's team beat USF.  Go Aggies!  Then we headed up to see Adam and Anna and their new baby Eleni and their new house for the afternoon.  Then we were in Fair Oaks on Sunday for Cal's 5th Birthday!  Monday and Tuesday we spent in Colusa and soaked up the 70 degree weather! 

Joey and my Dad almost got to play hit for prizes at the Davis match but Eric shut it down right before they got to go :(  Can't you bend the rules for family??  :)

Giants colors for these Giants fans :)

Watching the #1 Court--it was a close one and UCD won!

Mandy brought a bunch of bikes, big wheels and scooters for the kids to play with there!

So much fun!

And when they weren't playing on the stuff she brought they were happy running around the open courts!

Abby meeting Eleni for the first time!  Two weeks apart!  Not pictured is her parents making us a yummy dinner and us also getting to see their house for the first time!

Happy 5th Birthday Cal!

JUMP HOUSE!!!!!

Taking a break for some pizza with cousins

So much yummy food to choose from!  We went for the taco bar after we had pizza.  :)

Super bowl Sunday AND Cal's birthday!  What a day!

Joey getting in on the jump house fun!

When you get tired of jumping come play in the playroom!

Then off to Colusa for some fresh squeezed OJ, park time and homemade cookies!

More fun at the park!

Dinner at Clay's house!

Owen got to get in on volleys at Tennis in the Park!

My dad has kept tennis in the park going since 2001 when I started it for my senior project!  16th year!!  Owen is in line with the big kids!

Both Boys Skiing on Their Own

Joey treated me with another quiet day yesterday and took the boys skiing.  Everyone wins because they have a great time and I get refreshed and ready to take on those two boys again!  I couldn't believe that Levi was skiing on his own already!  When I see them skiing I forget they are only 4 and 2 years old.  And already braver and better than me for sure!  :)

Joey's Garage Projects

Joey took ten days off to be with Abigail for her first days, and to help me out after the csection.  This was a big change for us since we had Owen when Joey was still in medical school and had Levi during his residency, so for both boys he got the day of the birth off only and then was back to the old grind.  This was such a fun change!  The only problem was it was harder to say goodbye to him when he finally did have to go to work...  

During his "time off" he got so many projects done!  Two things on his list were to make a rack for his skis and a work bench table for his corner of the garage to do projects at.  He got them both done--and they turned out so great!  Our garage is getting more and more organized and I love it!

The new ski rack!

Joey's "Murphy Bed" table all folded up

Here comes the instant work table!

And strong enough to hold him!

The whole thing clips up to the wall with a carabiner--pretty slick!  :)

Grandma Kathy Comes to Visit (and Help!)

Grandma Kathy came to town for Abby's second week!  It was so nice to have her here!  I have a mother in law that comes from the same breed as my own mom--super over the top helpful, so great with the boys, and fun to hang out with too!  I don't know what I would have done without them.  Well, Kathy left today--so I guess I am going to find out!  Here are some pictures from our week with Kathy here:

Joey's office when he came back to work :)  He has the best nurses!

This new hat from Aunt Erin and Uncle Luke made me laugh!  How fun will it always be to dress up a little girl? 

The boys were spoiled to get to help both of their patient grandmas cook!  Here they are on Kathy's first morning here helping make the scrambled eggs.

And then that night using the "knife-es" which they don't normally get to use, and helping grandma with dinner.

Kathy makes the best lattes!  I had a couple of these a day!  :)

They loved helping with the enchiladas!

Picnic breakfast with Grandma!

Making my favorite thing that Kathy makes--scones!

Making meatballs--or should I say playing with meat playdough?

Caught you making an airplane out of the meat instead of meatballs!

Owen was so proud that he knew how to make a ball and kept trying to teach Levi how to roll them.  :)

Kathy's visit was also a sewing 101 class for me.  Joey got me a new sewing machine for Christmas and she taught me how to use it and do all the different seams and stitches while working on a pair of pajama pants. 

We made our own pattern out of a pair of sweatpants. 

We both DIED laughing when I tried my pajamas on midway through and realized that we had made the pattern wrong.  My sewing skills were not to blame here although I'm sure they didn't add!  haha  I literally thought I was going to bust open my stitches I was laughing so hard when I put these on for the first time. 

Final product!  hahaha  Nothing makes a postpartum body feel better about itself than these PJs!  :/  If nothing else this project was good for a great laugh!  And even though they didn't turn out to be anything I would ever wear--I learned a lot making them!  Watch out at the next white elephant--these awesome pajama pants might be wrapped up for you!

Jenga with Grandma!  Levi learned how to say "phew!" when they "sneak-did" a piece out without breaking the whole thing.

We've never done a birth announcement but the hospital gave us the paperwork and we filled it out and here you go!  It is fun to be famous!  :)

Abigail also made the church bulletin!  :)

Trust me--I ate the whole loaf.

Carmel rolls anyone?  I ate at least half of this tray.  I need the energy for breastfeeding right?!  They go REALLY good with coffee.  Or just by themselves.  In the middle of the night.  When no one is looking.

Sewing project number two--boppy cover!

Sewing 202: learning to do a zipper.  Let me tell you--don't do it.  It is too much work!

Pretty good for my first cover made with my own pattern!  And not pictured--an almost perfect zipper!

Abigail Lynn

Abigail Lynn Schad was born on January 14, 2016 at 7:39 AM.  She weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. 

The night before our scheduled csection my mom came up to spend the week.  I went to bed that night around midnight and woke up bright eyed at 3:30 AM—let’s do this!  But what do I do for the next 2 hours?  We didn’t need to be there until 5:30 AM.  And I couldn’t eat or drink.  It’s hard to kill time when you can’t eat or drink!  So I showered, blow dried my hair, curled my hair—I mean—have I EVER IN MY LIFE spent two hours getting ready??

Finally we left for the hospital at 5:15.  I was scared to have another csection because my first csection left me nauseous, anxious and out of it for the first few hours of Owen’s life.  But this csection was so unique!  Having worked at the hospital I not only knew everyone in the OR on a first name basis, my doctor is one of my closest friends in Quincy.  It was so fun that she was the one who announced “it’s a girl!”  The whole experience was so positive and actually fun! 

I still can’t believe we have a girl!

The day before the big day...coffee date with my "baby" for the last time.  He moved on to big brother status the next day!

Our nurse anesthetist took a bunch of pictures for us during the procedure.  She's over on the warmer for a minute to be sure all is alright before she comes over to me. 

My doctor advocated for me to have skin to skin immediately after the c-section, which isn't normal practice at our hospital.  It was such an amazing experience!  What a difference from my first c-section where Joey and Owen left immediately after he came out. 

First moments with our tiny girl!

Welcome to the world squishy face!

Abigail got to go out and meet Grandma while they finished with my stitches.  She worked her lungs for almost the whole first day of her life.  They were strong and healthy!  :)  She is cute even when she cries!

Our sweet tiny girl.

The newest addition to our family--we are so blessed to get to have this girl in our lives!

Meeting Katie and Sean for the first time!

Katie and Sean brought us a bottle of champagne to celebrate!

Tiny little foot!

Sweet Abby

Not loving that first bath!  :)

We couldn't wait for the boys to meet Abby!

Hi little sister!  Owen LOVED meeting her and couldn't wait to hold her when she came home!

Levi immediately looks beyond Abby and says--what's that??  It was two balloons.  And he was done with his sister and ready to move on to bigger and better things--balloons.

Owen LOVES his little sister!

Getting ready to head home.  All calm resting with Daddy. 

Owen and Levi made all of our names out of Jello!

Helping Grandma make popovers for Abby's first morning home.

Owen wakes up wanting to hold his baby sister!  He loves her so much and is so proud to be big enough to hold her.

Daddy's girl...

Grandma and Abby--watching the Australian Open.  When I had Levi we watched a lot of the French Open, and now Abby is an Australian Open baby.  :)

Banana splits to celebrate their baby sister!

We heard the boys playing in their room but since they were so excited to have their sister home we decided to let them play and figured they would eventually fall asleep.  When Joey and I went in to turn the light off this is what we found.  Both of them asleep in the same bed!  haha!

It took him a while to care, but sometimes even Levi wants to hold "baby Abby"

I couldn't wait to have our baby because I wanted to play with my camera and do a "newborn photo shoot" with her.  Oh my gosh--every picture turned out horrible!  This is my best shot--haha!  She wasn't having it and I had no idea how to photograph a newborn.  More practice and pictures to come...:)

Another photo I couldn't wait to capture--Abby with her brothers...haha!  Out of focus, screaming baby, concerned brothers.  I think I got it!