That third birthday

I don't know what it is about the third birthday that makes me feel bittersweet.  I feel like when they are just two, they are still so little, and then three comes along and it just makes them seem that much older.  Like they have to actually be a kid and not a toddler.....

Well, that happened to O on Friday.  He turned three.  He's so big.  O has always been the cuddler.  The kid that will just pass out when he's tired.  When he decides to go to sleep, he's out like a light.  He's a clown. Poop jokes are his favorite.  Strong-mindedness often gets him into trouble, and he'll throw a tantrum and just cry for excessive amounts of time.  He is also the trouble maker.  Instigating fights with his older brother is a daily occurrence.  Pushing buttons is a strong suit.  On the flip side, he's *always* the first person to offer a hug, a super kissy face, pouty, kiss, or to whisper not incredibly softly, "Mommy, I LOVE YOU."

He's impossible *not* to love.  So thankful God has given him to us to keep.  Love you, O!

7 months!

Our little girl is growing up!  She turned seven on months on the 28th.  She's right around 15 1/2 pounds, and 26.5 inches long.

She's *finally* starting to enjoy socializing a little more, and doesn't resort to immediate crying when handed off to someone else.  She's still stuck on mommy (which I love!).  She enjoys eating and drinking from a cup (she gets excited and kind of pants for more!).  Current foods:  Sweet potatoes, squash, pear, puffs, rice mum mums, oatmeal, beans, peas, avocado, banana, and bits and pieces of a lot of what we're already eating. 

She loves laughing at her brothers, giving kisses, playing with her little toys {the boys like to throw her "toy parties."}, reading her peek-flap books, sitting, and grabbing whatever she can find.  No teeth yet, but she's chewing like a maniac on everything (napkins, paper, tablecloths, actual teething toys....). There is no interest in rolling over just for fun.  She's rolled from belly to back only once, and that was a complete accident.  Otherwise, she's just growing like a weed, and enriching our lives on a daily basis.  Happy 7 months, bug!

6 Months

Our littlest family member had her half birthday, exactly one week ago.  I managed to get pictures in the morning, and then boarded a plane for a work convention for most of the week, hence the really late post.

I continue to be amazed at how fleeting the moments are in a baby's first year.  Everything speeds by so quickly.  Last month, E was busy!  She rolled over {once, and only once} finally, she grabs everything with her hands, sticks almost all those same things in her mouth, and she love to sit.  Sit and grab.  Sit and grab.  As a general rule, she's pretty easy-going while we're at home.  She goes down for her naps and bedtime pretty well, but if we are out and about, she *does not* want to miss a thing.  She'll skip a nap for the sheer joy of seeing all that there is to see.  Strangers {or even people she has met before but doesn't see on a regular basis} are not her cup of tea.  Every now and again, you'll catch in a supremely good mood and she surprises us all with her openness to others.  I've had more than one person tell me that her overall demeanor reminds them of me when I was little!  I suppose, I've got to adjust my parenting style so she doesn't turn up *exactly* like me, awesome as I may be. ;-) haha.

About five days before she turned six months, we officially offered her some sweet potatoes, and then a few days later, some oatmeal.  From what I understand, she didn't always finish her mommy's milk while I was away {and she would not drink from a bottle.....which she gave up at the end of May, and we struggled to get her drinking from everything under the sun and she finally settled on a cup}, so the babysitter's made up for it by offering her more of her solid food.  I've been back for just two days, and she is miserably constipated. :(  We're working on clearing that up stat.

It has been a busy month, for sure.  But she's a joy.  She loves giving me hugs and kisses, but she's stingy on them for everyone else.   I'm not complaining.  After all, I'm the one that gets all the love right now.  That'll change in time, so I'm enjoying this little fleeting moment in time while it lasts.  Happy half birthday Ev-bug.  You're the best. :)

Five months as a family of five

And while there are days I really want to pull my hair out, this is FUN! 

Yesterday our little bug turned 5 months old.  She still doesn't roll over (or attempt much, really), but she's working on sitting up like crazy!  Late last week, she discovered her toes, and finds them fun to play with.  She's more into books, loves laughing at the brothers, loves being surprised, and could chew on her crinkle cupcake toy forever.  Funny girl also likes to bury her face in blankets to go to sleep, so we've become huge fans of the breathable muslin swaddles/security blankets!  She also stopped drinking from bottles in the past month.  We try every day and she just shoves nipples to the side with her tongue, so we have since moved on to sippy cups and regular cup drinking. Since we are still happily nursing, it's not the end of the world yet, but I have to be gone for a week this summer for work, and then it might be! 

Her temperament is so different from the boys.  If the boys are upset, she is too.  She's either incredibly sweet and happy, or just reaaalllly mad....and loud.  She'll let you know.  She's warming up more to grandma and grandpa, but is still veeerrry touchy about men who aren't her dad.  I think she doesn't like their deeper voices.  In fact, she doesn't like any loud voices at all, really.  One day, we were cheering one of her brothers on, and she got so upset that we were cheering.  Touchy, touchy.  Still though, you can always count on her for a sweet snuggle (If she knows you). :)  Ha. 

We just love every bit of her to pieces.  Check out her cute pout!

 

Mohawk gone :(

Ever since E was born, she's had a little mohawk on her head. 

Last week, it started going away.  Her hair is long enough that her hair lays down, and I can successfully put little clips in her hair without them slipping out almost immediately.  The bows are cute, but I had become soooo attached to that little mohawk!

Four blissful months

This gorgeous little miss turned 4 months old on this past Tuesday, the 28th.  We have had so much fun with her thus far!  At last check, a couple of weeks ago, she was tipping the scales at just over 13 pounds!  Wowza!

Lately, she has discovered her hands and adores her little crinkle cupcake toy and Sophie the Giraffe. Everything goes into her mouth if she can get it there!  She has absolutely no interest in attempting to roll over, but will try to sit up or stand all day long.  I adore our daily coo-ing conversations, and dancing for naps.  She's starting to become keen on her bamboo blanket, so she might end up like mommy after all!  She already puts herself to sleep at night, which we are so thankful to God for.  Her ease of going to bed at night really helps us keep the balance with the brothers as well.  Speaking of brothers, she thinks her oldest brother is HILARIOUS.  I think she could watch him for hours.  As far as her other big bro - he's still figuring out boundaries.  As long as he gives her some space, she thinks he is pretty awesome too. :)  I'll have to post a video of her laughing.  She's just the best!

Happy four months my little darling girl.

Three months already

Guess who turned three months yesterday? 

She is just the best.  Sweetest, patient, baby.  I don't know if she's just really easy going, or it's the fact that I've had other babies, but I really just think she is so easy to follow.  I understand when she's tired, hungry, dirty, over stimulated, etc. without much effort at all.

Lately, she's been finding her hands.  She will often bring them together and then furrow her brow in concentration on touching her fingers together.  It is adorable!  She loves pulling up on our fingers into the sitting position, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Pat-a-Cake, kicking away in her bouncy chair while talking to her animals, and she especially adores watching Isaac.  She thinks he is so funny.  O, on the other hand: she is not a fan.  Probably because he loves her soooo much that he's always in her face trying to show affection. :)

We love our little Ev-bug.  Our lives are so much richer with her in it.

big day

All kinds of great things happened at our house today.  So happy I am home with my kids to be a part of it!

1.  Potty training kids is not my cup of tea, but today was day 2 of Owen peeing in the toilet. I am so proud!

2.  Isaac continues to impress people with his ocean knowledge.  He has been aided by his sticker dictionary (they are totally awesome), daddy's fish tank, the ninja fishing app, and Disney Junior's show, Octonauts.  Do you know the five layers of the ocean??  Isaac does!  Can you name different species of jellyfish?  Isaac can!  He talks Ocean and Octonauts all day long.  It drives me crazy because it is incessant, but I know I will miss it someday.  Trying to enjoy and count my blessings!

3.  Evelyn's first real belly laughs today.  She loves her up-down game.  So sweet!

Can I please have a do over of today???

Two months

Our little pretty girl is two months old today!  Her brothers helped her celebrate with lots of hugs and kisses and stories this morning.   Her biggest brother is very helpful to us, even at 4 years old, he is great about being gentle with her, grabbing things for us when we need them, entertaining her to help when she's crying, and just relishing in the fact that he is the oldest {and her favorite right now!}.    Don't get me wrong, O is a great big brother too, but he's still learning his ways.  He tries to be "gentle" but doesn't understand that he's leaning on her, tries to be "helpful" but and sometimes is, but usually not.  :)  This is usually Ev's face when O tries to give her hugs on the floor.  Doesn't it just look like she's saying, "Help me!"

How lucky we are though.  She is just the sweetest.  She is so patient especially when I am busy and tries to calm herself down when I tell her it will be "just a second."  Her brothers, especially, are interesting to her.  I love, LOVE, her smiles, especially her morning ones.  Waking up is so much easier with a happy smile!  Her love for bouncing, or dancing, hasn't worn off, and so I will often "dance" with her to sleep.  I love it.  Sleeping babies are so peaceful.  Some nights I find myself thinking that dancing with her is time consuming {because I have something to do or someplace to be}, but I remind myself that these days are precious and numbered.  Always.  And sleep?  Thank goodness, she has officially gone two nights in a row of a 9+ hour stretch.  That makes everyone in this house feel good.  Happy two months to our little Ev-bug.  Our lives are so blessed with you in it!

What gives?

We switched to eating organic/whole foods (throwing in 50% paleo meals) awhile ago and overall, feel so much healthier. We love it!  One thing that gets me though, on the diet change alone (and our exercise of chasing after our toddlers), my husband managed to lose 16 pounds.  Me?  Down about 5, but I'm pretty sure that's because I just had a baby.  Must. Be. Rough.

One month!

Where has all the that time gone?  I'm sure I have said that with each of my little blessings, but it certainly just keeps flying by!

Our sweet little Evelyn {Ev, Ev-bug, Bug, Evie}:  loved by all {smothering-ly so by her big bros}, totally adorable, capturing our hearts moment by moment, and growing oh so quickly.  She is a good baby!  She even gives us up to 7 hours in her first stretch of sleep....too bad that starts at 7 p.m., so we don't get to enjoy much of it!  We are loving have a little girl around, and we are all settling in as a family of five.  These precious days are numbered, so I'm trying to soak it all in.

And then there were FIVE

We welcomed a little GIRL just over a week ago (January 28, 2013).  We named her Evelyn, and we are all just enamored with her.  So far, she is a good little baby, nursing well and tolerating her brothers beautifully!  She was the hairiest and smallest of my three babes so far, weighing in at 7lb 3oz and only 19 inches long with about an inch of hair already on her head.  She's perfect!

We had a really long journey home with weather and stomach flu (norovirus) really complicating everything, but I'm soooo happy to be here!

Story of my life

One of my Facebook friends posted this cartoon a few days ago.  I love it because it truly is the story of my life.  And, it's a very good story!  I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Advent Calendar

Hey Catholic moms!  If you are looking for a fabulous little Advent Calendar, I highly recommend Tony Wolf's Advent Calendar.  Instead of little treats for each day, your "treat" is a mini board book with a Bible story, prayer, or Christmas song.  Our boys are loving picking their book each day.  And, when you are finished with it, the mini board books are also ornaments to hang on your tree each day.  We are having so much fun with it, and I love knowing that I can just put it away at the end of the season and use it again next year.  Fabulous!

The joy in a cardboard box

Since I have been doing most of my Christmas shopping via the internet, we have been receiving our fair share of cardboard boxes.  So, we've been having a little fun with them (when I'm not recycling them as gift boxes!!).

Check out our cardboard box car (a Pinterest inspired idea).  Super easy, and the boys love it - cut cardboard box, also cut out cardboard headlights, paint, add paper plate tires (attach wheels and lights using hot glue gun) and paper plate steering wheel (I added a cardboard horn to ours, and attached to box via a flat bottom screw with a nut so that they can actually turn it) Our cardboard box car has been driven all over our house in the past two days, and it's still holding up!  It was, however, turned into a padiddle late this afternoon..  Looks like it's time to get my hot glue gun out again before we get a ticket!

Happy feet

Get these cute little slippers for your little tikes.  Our 2-year-old refuses to take them off of his feet!

They are well-constructed, and include actual rubber sole patches on the bottom to keep the kiddos from slipping.

God told me so

Ever since day 1, Isaac has insisted he is having a sister.  He even refers to the baby as "she" regularly.  I have been telling him that Bugaboo could be a boy!  I don't want to the poor kid to suffer from gender disappointment!

Tonight, I asked him why he thought Bug was a girl so much.  His response was, "God told me so."

Homeschool

Tomorrow morning, Isaac, Owen, and I get the opportunity to spend some time in the morning with three different home-schooling families.  After much research, thought, and prayer, I really feel like God is tugging my heart in the direction of home school for our kiddos, and that I would be foolish to ignore it completely. 

My biggest worry is that I won't have enough patience to do it.  I love my two little guys more than words can express, but on more occasions than one, their behavior/attitudes have often left me wanting to just be by myself for rest of the day! Most of the moms I know with kids in school get *so much* done throughout the day, because it's less kids to worry about at home.  I'll miss out on that..... I'm not even worried about them "not being around other kids."  That is the FIRST thing people say to me when I mention that I have thought of home school.  My children are already well acquainted with other kids by the nature of my job.  But, outside of that, I plan on giving them plenty of opportunities outside of our home to interact with, and learn to work with, other children, in both individual and team/group settings.  I know that is important!

My biggest reason for feeling tugged in this direction?  I was blessed with my children.  I know that.  No matter how much I may feel like losing my mind one day, my love for them is just unending.  I can be so upset with them at the end of a day, and then be picking up and see a random little set-up they did of their toys....and then I'll remember how excited they were to tell me the "story" of that setup.  These are the moments you can't get back.  Every day, every memory made with them, is a moment that I am shaping their lives in subtle, yet dramatic ways.  I am their *best* teacher.  Look at how far they've come already.  I can only imagine how much more I can teach them, what WE will learn together, and how much more enriched their lives will be to have the freedom to learn on their own terms, at their own pace, and with hands on experiences available to them constantly.  If they get tired of a subject, they don't need to space out until "class" is over...we can take a break.  Our school system has changed dramatically, and I don't want one of my kids to just be swept along by the good fortune of having smart group-mates.  I have teacher friends who worry about some of their students (but can't do much about it, because, after all, the group earned that grade!), and I have had other teacher friends (of the older variety), who have highly encouraged me to home school.  They have seen the dramatic shift, first-hand.

So....with Isaac already eligible for 3 year old preschool, now is the time to get started.  If I decide to send him to school next year, I want to know that sending him to the 4 year old preschool was the right decision because home school just wasn't going to be the perfect fit.  Something I can't shake though, and something that sticks out to me whenever I'm praying about this decision.....there is just something about HOME that doesn't leave my heart.  I guess home really is where the heart is!

Auntie x 4

Congrats to my brother, Brian, and his wife, on the wonderful birth of their little guy, Braden.  What a sweetie!  I love being an Auntie!  I can't wait to give this kid a whole bunch of candy right before nap time. ;-)

One Fine Day

 We took advantage of the small amount of free time we had today to let the boys run some bases.  The weather today was unseasonably warm, and an extra day outside is just what they needed to help us through the winter.  I love days like these with my boys - all three of them!