We all just love baby Beanix so much!

I'm starting off this blog post with the most adorable photo ever of the newest love of the family. Baby Beanix as she is lovingly called because KJ can't quite get the sound of her name down right yet. I kinda hope the name sticks if I'm being honest :)  

So for those that maybe didn't see my posts on FB, this special little lady is my new niece Phoenix Summer Reimer, born on June 6 to my middle brother Ben and his wonderful girlfriend Tracy. In just 4 short weeks I have fallen in love with her just like I have all of my nieces and nephews! The only thing that makes this baby different is that I truly never thought that I would get a niece or nephew out of that brother of mine! When Ben was in his late 20/s//early 30's he spent 10 years raising twin boys that were from a previous relationship. I watched him parent those boys from the age of 8-18 and I think he did a great job with the situation he was in. He loves those boys and his grandson Kaleb too (yes he became a Papa when he was in his mid 30's too!) 

I always hoped that he would have a biological child of his own, but as his 40th birthday approached I realized my dreams for that might not happen. For the 6-7 or so years before he met Tracy he was very FIRMLY of the mind that he was too old to have babies of his own. I was sad for him as in those years I was having my 2nd and 3rd babies and was so hopeful that maybe we would be in the same stage of our lives together at the same time, raising cousins together. I also realized he was probably right though and never in a million years did I think that he would change his mind!

Fast forward a few years and his mind had changed and he was ready to take that huge step into parenting his own child. I am so excited to watch this little lady grow up in a home filled with love and understanding and two parents that are going to take such good care of her. I know they are going to take her on so many cool only child adventures and teach her so many incredible life lessons. Both Ben and Tracy are extremely intelligent and fun loving people so I know that Phoenix has a wonderful life ahead of her and I can't wait to be a part of it! Now to share some photos of this beautiful little magical creature!

This is going back to when she was just 3 days old and I snuck away to the city for a few days for snuggles and to meet the newest little love of my life. Aaaawwww....I love these photos of us.

I think she looks so much like Ben here! 

This one she looks so Newton!

The two nights I was there I stayed up and did the night shift with a pumped bottle while her Mama tried to get a few hours of sleep. It wasn't so long ago that I had a newborn that I remember how hard those first days/weeks really are! Those nights were amazing and I created memories with Ben and Tracy that I will truly cherish forever. 

I was the bathing coach/photographer in this moment! Helping, encouraging and capturing baby's first bath at home! 

This is my not happy to leave and go home face. I wasn't ready to come back to my crazy 3 kid life after loving on this tiny little lady!

Oh this was an exciting day...and one my kids had been waiting 3 weeks for. They were so bummed that because of Covid they weren't allowed to come with me when she was first born so when they found out she was coming to PR to visit they were all so excited to finally meet her! 

I think me and KJ were the most excited out of everyone that Beanix ended up being a baby GIRL! I cannot wait to see these two grow up together and play together and chat on Facetime together! 

He's so good with little ones and just wanted to snuggle every chance that he could!

Her looks are changing more and more everyday and I can't wait to see who she ends up looking more like as she grows up!

Yeah, I may be a bit of a baby hog....but I really don't care!

Kennedy is fascinated by babies! 

Untle Men with his favorite girls

Yeah I've got her again

But I did share with Jordie so he could snuggle her too

Aaaawwww baby thumb suckers are so cute!

Auntie has the magic touch!

Eyes wide open looking at her Nana

I snuck away from my kids and spent the night at Nana's house to help with the middle of the night feedings. Best snuggles ever!

Last day snuggle time before they leave to head home.

Oh baby Beanix....always know how much Auntie loves you and I'm here for you ALWAYS! Ben and Tracy ~ I'm here for you guys too, don't forget that I'm always just one Facetime call away :) 

Thankful Thursday - Mama edition

I have the best mom and dad in the whole world. They are always there for our family and are always willing to help out whenever and wherever they can. I KNOW how fortunate I am and please don't ever question whether I appreciate them, because I do, and I try very hard to make sure that I tell them that all the time so they know that I do, and I hope they never feel like I take advantage of them. I have seen friends over the years struggle to find the kind of support that I have always had since even before I had my kids.

I have always felt and known that they were literally just a phone call and 4 blocks down the road and many times I've leaned on them hard. They have come to my rescue in the middle of the night when I had the flu and Jim was away working, they've driven me to the hospital during more than one Crohn's attack, they've come to comfort me and Jordie after a really scary fall in the bathtub, they've helped me clean up barf from a really sick baby James when I was scared and alone, they've held my hand and comforted me through multiple hospital stays, an appendectomy, bowel resection surgery, bowel perforation complication from a colonoscopy, 2 regular c-sections and then the scariest of all, my c-section/hysterectomy last year with baby K. They have literally come to pick up my kids when I was at my absolute wits end and just needed a break. They have saved me from killing each of them at least once in their lives :)

A few weeks back I was feeling very overwhelmed and emotionally just spent and I showed up in their driveway at 9am with a grumpy Kennedy and just broke down into tears. I had a to-do list a mile long and desperately had errands to run. I knew I could get them all done, but also knew it would take me twice (or three) times as long to do them with Kennedy. I don't know if other people do this, but the moment I saw my mom and she hugged me I just started to sob. She is and always has been my safe place in life, when everything else is going to shit, I know my Mama is always there to listen and give her opinion about something. She encourages me to reach out when I need it and always just lets me know she's there. I don't think anyone could ask for anything more than that.

Today was another errand running morning and I called up Nana on my way to taking Jordie to school and she thankfully let me drop Kennedy with her for an hour while I ran to 4 stores for stuff I needed for Jordie's party. She also then went and picked up Jordie from preschool an hour later while Kennedy was napping. And then this weekend she's watching K during the party so we don't have to worry about a crazy little toddler running around the bowling alley!

If you've read this and you haven't told your mom lately how much you love and appreciate her...go and do it!

So apparently the only picture I can find on my phone right now is of these two goofballs on the night before their garage sale wearing some of the boys old hats! 

Hahahahahahaha...what an awesome photo! 

I miss my Mama

I'm a total Mama's girl and I know it so you don't have to say it :)

I left home almost 19 years ago (how is that possible already?) and in all those years I bet there have been only a handful of days that I haven't talked to my mom. The longest I've ever gone without talking to her was maybe 10 days, tops.

My parents left here almost 3 weeks ago and man am I ever missing my Mama! I miss Dad too but differently. I talk to my Mom most mornings and sometimes in the evenings too. It's usually a race between me and Uncle Ron to see who will call her first and we always laugh when she is on the other line with the other one and we get booted until later. I've spent 3 years of the past 8 on maternity leaves and much of those days I've spent either talking to her or spending time with her.

They've gone on long vacations before but usually when they have traveled to Europe or back east they've still had access to wifi or phones in order to stay in touch. This time on the cruise they made it very clear they were not paying huge amounts of money just to check in with me :) I did get a short text from her last week saying they were in Guatemala and were sending hugs but that's been it since April 13 when I last talked to them in Florida the night before they got on the ship.

Anyways, I hope they have had the best trip ever and I hope they missed us as much as we missed them! We're off on a couples trip this weekend and I'm sad that I won't be here when they get back to see how happy and excited the kids are to see them. I already can't wait to see them and give them great big hugs and hear all about the wonderful adventures they got up to on their trip!

My two favorite pictures of me and my Mama - 

this one was from James's first birthday party 7 years ago

And this one was from our recent family photo shoot in December!

I look at these pictures and my eyes fill with tears and all I can hope is that Kennedy loves me when she's an adult like I love my mom.