Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Easter Sunday!

The Easter Bunny came Sunday morning delivering baskets with a giant chocolate egg with a surprise inside, marshmallows, juice boxes, candy chickens, and of course gummy candies and little chocolate eggs. Word of the baskets on the table immediately cleared away the cranky wake-up that started to happen. :)
Breakfast of Champions
 Stella, I don't think really knew what it was at first. Only that it was shiny.

"Can I get one of these weekly?"
 We allowed the kids to go to town eating marshmallows and anything they could open to have for their breakfast while we got ready for mass. Leon was at the vigil at the NAC the night before while I stayed home. We then had a very quiet latin mass in the downstairs chapel with 5 other people. Our little family inspired the whole homily. In sum, it was thanking us for being a real family and living inside a seminary where the seminarians have no other connection to real life. Oh and thanks for being so cute. (You had to read between the lines for that one.)

But we are pretty cute, don'tcha think?

Easter 2014
 Especially the floppy-headed guy in the front. Way to take in life and live it to the fullest little guy!

After mass, we came home and did our Easter Photo Shoot to capture the kids in the height of the liturgical year.

Emma.
Boss Supreme.

Sisters.
Very Sneaky.

Smiles: The ultimate parental weapon.

Saying Cheese!

Hugs.

Professional models use that look all the time.
 Then we went in and started cooking our feast. And the kids started the massive chocolate challenge. They each picked up their egg. For a minute, Emma just looked at and didn't know where to begin. Stella, with no hesitation, shoved as much as she could into her mouth and started gnawing on it.

That's my girl!
 She was the first to break through. I had to eventually help with the chocolate consumption and the egg proved to be far superior that what we expected. It was milk chocolate lined with white chocolate on the inside. So good!

Success!
 What Emma may have lacked in speed compared to her sister, she made up in enthusiasm.

MY egg!
 Keep it up little chocolate monster!

Must...reach...toy!
This sort of event takes a lot of concentration, as you can see here.
Or is that a sugar coma? I can't quite tell...
I don't know my name, but I know I like chocolate :)
 We realized after the fact we didn't photo any of our feast, but we had over one seminarian, one girl Leon knew from CUA who happened to be at the NAC, and a couple from Seattle whom we met here in Rome.

Our meal? Greek stuffed chicken breasts, pigs in a blanket with Italian sausage, roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions, steamed broccoli, a green salad, fruit salad, and for dessert a home-made carrot cake and an Italian cake in the shape of a chick.

Both, clearly,  professionally decorated.
*Ahem*
We had a fantastic time and the guests didn't go home until after 10pm. Buona Pasqua a tutti!

Dietrich's 1st Week Photo Shoot

WELCOME DIETRICH!!


We did our first week photo shoot with Dieter (I think at day 4 or 5) and he was a stellar model.  Not much more to explain, so sit back and enjoy his handsome little face. And feet.





















Don't you want one?
~~~

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Waiting for Baby

We were so happy to have Gramama back in Rome to help with baby Dietrich's arrival. I was expecting to be near or on my due date again, just as I was with the girls. However, this wasn't the case. We had a bit of waiting to do. Fortunately for the girls, their anticipation was broken up a bit with the gifts from Gramama, one of which was an inflatable swimming pool. 

Modern Roman Baths
 It doubled as a good washing, given they had been getting pretty dirty for while.
Personal Bathing Assistant: Daddy

Bubbles!
 Since we had the hose hooked up to fill up the birthing tub, it was really easy to pull it through their window and fill up their pool. As a side note, our birthing tub got filled every few days when the smallest signs of labor appeared. One of those times, the tub was left filling and flooded our apartment. That ended up being the day before labor actually started. Good spring cleaning!


Meanwhile, I was trying everything I could to help labor along. Including stuffing myself with over-sized donuts.
Note the symbolism in the background: The tree of life and a big, fat, round sun. 

"Mom, don't you think you could share
 just a little bit of those donuts with us?"
 Aside from eating and swiming, there was also fairy crowns being made and fairy houses being found on campus grounds.
Fairy sighting
In the week before I gave birth, Stella hit nuclear melt down. She was so extremely emotional that anything you said could sent her into a screaming tantrum, including the dreaded question, "Do you want some candy?"

I just need a hug (x1000)
 Again, enter Gramama who is always ready with a hug. And secrets, if you need them.
psh-psh-psh
 She must of just sensed the excitement. Because really, they had no clue what was coming to them!
Right now, her big sister is still her biggest challenge.

So unsuspecting

 Then, BAM! 11 days late, on April 3rd at 12:02pm Dietrich made his big entrance. Labor was (relatively speaking) a breeze despite the fact that he was 10 lbs 4 oz. Easiest of all the kids so far! And biggest!

Totally chill.
If not a little blue.

Meeting the little man...again.
 He was a hit to say the least.
Mom and kids
 We all agreed that he has cute enough to keep.
The whole Griesbach family

Gramama with grandchild #7, and grandson #3
Two very lucky numbers

 and so it begins...

just enjoy the pictures...







Here was a picture of Leon in the background of Dietrich as baby.

Father and son,
about 30 years apart

End.