Three Kids 5 and Under...

Today is November 1st, 2011.  From time to time I will talk to those of you from afar (Memphis, India, etc.) and you comment about keeping up with our blog.  I always think to myself, "Well at least you don't have to try too hard as I rarely write any new blogs, especially these days!"  For those parents of one or two kids out there, wait until you have three, if you choose to have three.  I had no idea how much more full our life could be, and in more ways than one!  Did I say full?  Hmmm... perhaps I meant challenging?!

In the last two months the Basye family has...

• Fought two separate rounds of colds
• Currently Elijah and Ellie are on the mend, however, now I'm sick and Aida's has turned into her first ear infection... those are always fun
• Had a combined tally of 13 vomits from Elijah and Ellie 
• Did I mention that one of those times Ellie threw up in my eye?  No joke, it really happened
• Changed approximately 500 diapers
• Yeah, it is time to potty train Ellie... thanks for trying Grandma JuJu
• This is funny... Aida wears a size 3 (she is not even 6 months old); Ellie wears a size 4 (and she is 2 1/2!)
• Driven Elijah to or from school approximately 40 times
• Had perhaps only one week of out eight of uninterrupted sleep in the middle of the night
• The other night, while Shelly was out of town, I clocked 2, maybe 3, hours of sleep as each kid was up at least once in the middle of the night
• Swept the floor (to clean up crumbs below the island where we eat breakfast and lunch) over 100 times
• My wife and the Houlihan's might say this is because I am a bit OC... maybe they're right!

I could go on but you get the point.  As crazy as it is, Shelly and I try to keep these two things in mind: 1) it is a season (it is hard to believe that Aida is already 6 months in a few days and that Elijah is 5); and 2) children really are a blessing.  Life is crazy, full, demands the sacrifice of our desires and wants, but how worth it they are.  Would I rather be out fishing or hanging with my kids?  I'll choose the kids.  Besides, what can be more memorable and comical than your kid throwing up in your eye?

Quick briefing...

• Elijah is currently attending a half-day kindergarten program and loving it.  He is fascinated with anything along the lines of being a super hero - Batman, Spiderman, it doesn't really matter.
• Ellie is asking to go to kindergarten (while she carries her backpack full of toys on her back) but we have insisted that she can't go anywhere until she uses that potty!  As independent as she is, leaving behind the diaper is one things she is not eager to do.  Kudos to JuJu who was able to get her to go once on the potty while the kids were at her house.
• Aida is full of smiles and laughter, but she can also turn on a dime to the loudest screaming you have ever heard.  She is a spitting image of Elijah, or should I say Buddha?  She loves the chaos of the house and the other two do a great job of entertaining her.
• Shelly is back to work after spending a week in San Francisco for a conference (I was able to join her for three days!).  Those of you who know Shelly well will not be surprised by this - she is already planning our next trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in June.
• And me?  I'm currently trying to figure out how to squeeze in a couple of mornings to go shoot a deer... we do live in Montana after all!

Painted Toes and Knives

Ansley & Aida

Yeah, it is official, it is only in our capacity to make Buddha babies!  Aida is now 4 months and is keeping pace with Elijah when he was an infant.  She weighed 15lbs 12oz. (90%) and was 25.25 inches long (90%.).  While we were at the doctors I put Ellie on the scale... fortunately she still has a solid 10lbs on her sister!  Aida has taken a turn for the better these last couple of months.  Not to say that she can't be difficult, but she is a great baby, sleeps through the night and absolutely loves watching all of the activity at our house.

As hard as it is to believe, Elijah turned 5 this month and started kindergarten.  Shelly has grown to have a real love for making special cakes for the kids.  As their birthday approaches she asked them what they would like to have.  For whatever reason, Elijah's "thing" as of late are pirates, so naturally he asked for a pirate cake.  I've got to say, it turned out pretty darn well!  Well done babe!

Being that Elijah's birthday is days before the school cut off, technically he could have started public school kindergarten.  However, thinking that we will hold him back one more year we enrolled him into a kindergarten at a Christian school as his school day is half day as opposed to all day.  So far he loves it and has really been doing well.

One night of the week Shelly and I try to spend special time with one of the kids after the other two have gone to bed.  Last night we spent time with Ellie, and of course, she wanted to paint her nails!  Ellie is truly a girly-girl and loves dress up, purses, lip gloss, and painted nails.  However, it was really important to Ellie that not only mommy paint her nails, but daddy too.  What is a guy to do?  Of course I painted my nails (blue with sparkles) and it is still on!  I have no shame. :)

If it makes any different, with painted nails and all, I took down a man last night with a knife trying to attack my neighbor.

My last bit of big news... Shelly chopped her hair today!  Yep, she couldn't take it any longer.  She told me that as soon as she got back in shape from having Aida that she was going to the salon.  Well, Shelly is looking great (did she really just have a baby?) so the phone call on Friday to set up a hair appointment for today didn't surprise me at all.  The whole family gathered as her hair was chopped and donated for a wig.

Just a few more pics for fun...

We might look alike

Blue eyes

Crazy eyes and cuppy-cake

Oh Canada...

Tonight we are cell phone free, in another country, surrounded by monstrous mountains and we can hear a folk concert outside our window as we enjoy an evening in a quaint condo.  Oh Canada, how much we do enjoy thee!  This is Shelly's last week of freedom before going back to work (that is, if you can call it "freedom" to have been a stay-at-home mom of a 4 year old, 2 year old and newborn infant).  What better way to end this time than drive 10 hours to enjoy the Rocky Mountains of Banff/Canmore, Canada?  Well, this is our first night here but from what I've seen so far, WOW!

The family is functionally embracing life with three small children at home under the age of 5.  I say functionally as I am the one lagging behind (Shelly has been a real trooper).  I had imagined in my mind that going from two to three kids wouldn't be all that different.  Well, at least from our account, boy was I wrong! Perhaps it is going from man to zone defense, or maybe the odd looks you get as you push one in the stroller, carry the baby in the Bjorn and practically drag along the four-year old.  Whatever it is, it is BUSY, that is all I know.  Kudos to all of you parents out there with more than three children.  But by the grace of God, Aida is growing, she is becoming more of a baby and less of an newborn, thus, she is a bit more predictable and easier to appease... or something like that.  I think God is continually trying to teach me something we all know I don't have - patience.  It is a good thing that babies are so cute because they certainly are worth all of the trouble.  First, it is that sheer dependence they have upon you; there is something comforting about this.  And then they get to the point where they actually begin to smile, coo and maybe even laugh.  And in no time it seems like they are Elijah and Ellie's age, full of life, energy, curiosity and so much fun to be around.  Yep, it isn't always easy, but good things rarely are.  At the end of a long ragged day, I'll take being a parent of three any day (as would Shelly, I am sure).

The DIRTY DASH in Billings, MT.  This past weekend we were fortunate to see some good friends that drove up from Boise, ID - Kevin and Nicole.  Kevin was one of my best friends growing up and continues to be a true friend as we weather life together, though living in different cities.  It is especially fun to meet up with his family as his son is just a few days older than Elijah and their daughter is just three months younger than Ellie.

While they were visiting we ran a 5k mud run, more or less, called the Dirty Dash with the Houlihan's.  Though I have never done boot camp, I imagine it was something like what we did - running, obstacles, jumping, diving, and let me not forget, mud, and lots of it!  We had a great time minus the wound I suffered from my coconut bra (yep, you read that right) and Kevin losing his ring in the mud bath (from what I hear he wasn't the only one).

Alright, hopefully I will be better about this going forth.  Enjoy... and I've got to throw in one more pic just because it is too cute to not include!

And Rhea Does It Again...

Great pics, Rhea.  Wow... truly amazing!

CLICK HERE

Aida is doing well, getting bigger for sure.  Elijah and Ellie are also doing well and love their little sister.  Mom and Dad... we are well but confess that 3 is harder than 2!

Great Pics Rhea!

A friend of a friend took these pictures the other day!  Wow, they are excellent.  Everyone is doing very well. Aida is sleeping through the night (for real, at less than 2 weeks) and is gaining both weight and length.  She is a real champ and a great baby.  Both Ellie and Elijah LOVE their little "Aida" and are very helpful with her (in changing diapers, putting dirty diapers in trash, the pacifier back in her mouth, etc.).  Shelly is doing well and looking great, though she is ready to have some nice sunshine and get outside here soon!  Come on summer...

Hope you all are well.

Welcome Baby Basye...

Yesterday Shelly gave birth to the newest Basye family addition, Aida Shalom Basye.  She was born May 4th, 2011 @ 4:11pm.  Though she was born early at 37 weeks, due to Shelly's odd liver complication (which should resolve now that she has given birth), Aida is strong and healthy!  She was 7lbs on the dot and 19.25 inches and came out screaming!  Initially Aida looks a lot like Elijah, thus, a lot like Shelly (and the Ummel family).  As Shelly says, "I guess your genes didn't win out again."  Oh well, this is probably for the best!  Aida doesn't have much hair, but what she does have is very light and blond... our red-headed grandmas argue that it is strawberry blond.  Time will tell. :)

Shelly is also doing well and we have hopes of leaving the hospital tonight, once the 24-hour window is complete.  Shelly was induced at 9am yesterday and went into labor about 3:30 or so.  Good thing that labor went fast as the epidural didn't work!  Not sure why, but she felt EVERYTHING.  I feel sorry for all moms out there as birth looks incredibly difficult.  But praise God that the end result was worth it, a beautiful little girl.  Soon those memories of the pain will be long forgotten!

Both Mimi and JuJu (both grandmas) came to help out with the kids and welcome their newest granddaughter.  Ellie and Elijah are having a great time and were very excited to see their new sister.  Ellie loves to hold and kiss her while Elijah likes to take pictures of her with his camera.

Praise God for a healthy baby and mom!

Minutes after giving birth

Aida making a sad face

And We've Got Some Baby News...

Technically Shelly is not due until May 24th.  However, for the past number of days she has had a constant and terrible "itch" all over her body.  No joke!  Sure enough, we’ve learned that she has something called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.  In laymen's terms: the baby's got to come out early!  After going to the doctor today for a checkup, both the baby and Shelly are fine, other than this odd liver deal.  However, the doctor wants to induce Shelly early so as to reduce complications with the pregnancy.  On Sunday, May 8th we'll be going to the hospital to meet the newest addition to the Basye clan.  Happy Mother's Day Shelly... give birth to child number three!  We’ll keep you all posted.