"Hats" and haircuts

I got the girls new buckets to play with, since their last one broke. But they promptly put them to good use as hats rather than buckets. Annie's head is small enough that it fits completely over her head, and she loves walking around not being able to see anything. No injuries to report quite yet....

 

In the spirit of head coverings, Rachel made a mask out of the paper bag that held our Thai take-out.

Sunday Rachel was sitting next to me talking, and Ryan was sitting on my lap facing outward, but once he saw Rachel was there he did his best to twist his whole body around to get a good look at her and her silly faces that he loves to look at.

This up-closer picture is probably the best picture of the little guy's new haircut:

Last Saturday I decided to finally do what I'd been contemplating for a couple of weeks and give Ryan a haircut. Two months old seems ridiculously young for a haircut, but it was getting shaggy around the ears (as shaggy as newborn hair can be). Of course when I think of doing these kinds of things I don't use common sense and wait until I have help. Jake was gone on a campout with the scouts and Annie was sick that morning (though sleeping at the time), so I pulled out the clippers and did it mostly one handed, holding him in one arm and the clippers in the other hand. I meant to only trim his little mohawk a tiny bit, but lacked some control being one-handed and all, so he ended up getting it cut down to one inch, since the #8 guard was on (the biggest one we had). He looks like a handsome little man, and his cowlicks in the back still create a mini mohawk, but not quite as pronounced as it used to be.

As Jake was packing to abandon us go on a business trip for the week, Ryan was in a very happy mood, laying on our bed cooing at me and making some fun faces.

I love how wide his eyes are in this next one. I think it was blowing raspberries, or maybe just sticking my tongue out at him that was the cause of such amazement.

 

He's such a happy kid. :)

 

And we are (kind of) surviving Jacob being gone. I've decided that working hours have evolved to what they are because the most critical hours of the day to have help with the kids is from 5pm to bedtime. Something I didn't really appreciate until I've had to juggle (sometimes literally, it feels like) a baby who needs help falling asleep, or won't stay asleep anywhere but my arms, a toddler who needs a diaper change, or help getting into or out of her highchair, and a 4-year-old who needs a bedtime snack or some milk poured to have with dinner, or whatever the situation may be. 

Someone commented to me recently that it would be so nice if every time we gave birth, we also grew another arm. So true!! But I suppose Heavenly Father's solution to the need for extra arms was a husband. And a good solution it was. I so appreciate Jacob and all his help in the daddy department. And with his absence I am realizing more and more how much I rely on him to keep me sane and functioning. I'm grateful for friends and my parents helping out to make it manageable, but still, I am glad it's only a 4 day trip, and then I'll have my extra hands back to help juggle the children.