6 Years Old

On Monday Lillian and Claire turned 6 years old. They have been so excited for the birthday for months. Lillian even complained that it has been 100 years since their last birthday and why does everyone else get a birthday before them. Their day finally arrived and my baby girls are now 6 years old!
We made it a fun filled family day for them. The day started with them running out of their room with a door way covered in streamers, the hall was decorated in streams and they also hung all over the living room. The living room had balloons and their gifts were sitting out waiting to be opened. After opening gifts we made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and spent the morning lounging watching cartoons and making birthday cakes while Josh and I took turns getting ready for the day and Henry took a nap. For lunch they requested McDonald's. They asked a few days prior if we could go to the bowling alley so they could play the arcade games, we de decided to take them to Chuck E Cheese for the first time to play games. They loved it! We bought a ton of tokens and spent hours playing games. They especially loved the bumper cars. After all of their hard work winning tickets, they both left with a silly straw, Laffy Taffy and a box of Nerds.
When we arrived home they had a Nerf war with Josh playing with their new crossbows. We had Grandma Pattie, Grandpa Jim and Aunt Maggie over for pizza, cake and more presents.
Every night at dinner we discuss our highs and lows of the day. They both declared the entire day was their high and they didn't have a low. I would call that a birthday success.

Henry is 6 Months Old

Henry turned 6 months old on Sunday. I can't believe he is already halfway through his first year of life! Where has the time gone? He is an amazing little guy and has the most infectious smile. Seriously, this guy flashes that grin and shows his dimples, you can't help but smile right back at him.

 

At 6 months:

 

Nurses every 3-4 hours

Squeals with excitement when he sees food coming his way.

Loves apples and pears, does not like green beans.

Sleep is still all over the place, but most nights will only wake once if at all.

Naps are starting to get longer and fall on a more regular schedule.

Has his first tooth (came in on Sunday as well)

Wants to sleep on his tummy

Reaches out when wanting someone

Grabs at everything!

Loves bath time and his big blue fluffy towel (thanks Warner family!)

He is a bouncing bean in his jumper.

Sits unassisted, but doesn't last more than a minute tops.

Tried to put everything in his mouth and gets angry if something won't fit.

 

Height - 28 3/4 inches

Weight - 18 lb 15oz

 

 

Without a doubt, he is the best!

Kindergarten School Pictures

School pictures. Oh, how I strongly dislike posed and fake smiled school pictures. By the time the girls sit on the stool in front of an ugly back drop, their hair is wild and the photographers have apparently lost their tricks to get the kids to give a real smile. Another reason I strongly dislike school pictures, they make you select your overpriced photo package before the pictures are even taken. We debated whether or not to order photos, but decided to purchase the CD and the class picture. If there was an option for just the class picture we probably would have done that, but with the CD at least we can print photos in the sizes we want at a much better rate than what the photo company charges.  All that being said, here are Lillian and Claire's fall school pictures with their wild hair and fake smiles. We had an option to retake, but let's face it, they would end up looking exactly the same, just with dinner outfits. 

 

Two Princesses and a Dino

Lillian had decided months ago that she wanted to be Elsa for Halloween this year. Claire was unsure for the longest time and then finally decided on a fairy. Well, the fairy quickly changed to an ice princess when she saw all of the sparkly and shiny materials we bought to make Lillian's costume. Then she wanted to be Pinkalicious when I told her she could still have sparkle and pink. We were at the store picking out all of her pink for a Pinkalicious dress when she decided to be a pink princess. Well, the day before Halloween she decided she no longer wanted to wear the pink  dress I had made for her and she wanted to wear her Power Rangers costume again. This is only because the little boy she sits next to at school was going to be the Red Ranger and she thought it would be cool to be Power Rangers together. Not wanting to get into a fight the morning of Halloween before school, we made a deal, she could wear her Power Ranger costume to school, but if she wanted to go trick or treating, she would have to wear her dress I made. Deal.

Here are a few pictures before we went trick or treating on Halloween. It was so cold, but we walked a few blocks as it went from light to dark. The girls loved pointing on the houses of the kids on the bus and running into friends from their class and their bus. It is so fun seeing them interact and build relationships with other children. Henry was bundled up under his dinosaur costume and a blanket on top, he was so cozy he ended up falling asleep as we walked.

 

 

It was difficult to get really good pictures of their dresses I made since it was so cold and they were shrugging to keep warm. Henry also had an adorable tale on his costume.

5 Months Old

This post is about a week late, but Henry is now 5 months old. He is growing leaps and bounds and so full of personality. Seriously, this little man cracks us up. Henry will start laughing while we are driving in the car or sitting in his high chair. He is a huge flirt and loves smiling at the ladies. 

At 5 months old:

Nurses every 3 hours
Started rice cereal at breakfast and dinner
Sleep is all over the place, some nights sleeps 7+ hour stretches, other nights will not sleep unless he is being held.
Smiles and giggles often
Rolls from back to belly, but gets angry after being on his belly for more than a few minutes
Loves being outside and will calm him down when upset
Tries to sit up on his own
He drools constantly, but no teeth yet.
Reaches and grabs for items
Everything goes in his mouth
Enjoys bath time
Likes playing in his exasaucer and jumpers

Henry is pretty amazing and gets cuter each day. His hair is growing thicker and growing in a lighter brown than his hair he had at birth.

 

 

Henry had little interest in getting his picture taken and Claire jumped in for snuggles.

Reading and Writing

I am amazed every day when Lillian and Claire step off the school bus and share with me what they are learning at school. They started the year already knowing all of their letters and most of their sounds, but now they are taking it a step further. Now they are mastering their sight words and using "kindergarten" writing to write notes, lists and stories. They come home singing songs with the days of the week and months of the year. Claire loves reading and does an amazing job sounding out the words she isn't sure of. Lillian is our artist and is creating daily. She is always coloring in her coloring books of free drawing some beautiful pictures.
Next week we will attend their first quarter parent teacher conferences and I have no doubt we will hear many positive things.
I have some super cute pictures I wanted to add to this post, but the blogger app is acting up, so those will have to wait.

LOVE

We are so incredibly blessed to have these three amazing kiddos. I love them so much!

 

Henry's Dedication

On September 21, 2014 we had Henry dedicated at church. Here are a few pictures from during the service. The second one is my favorite. Our Pastor just finished making a cross on Henry's forehead and smiled at him, Henry gave the biggest grin in return that the entire congregation was able to see from the stage. He is such a ham! I am thankful Josh's parents were able to join us, my mom and Billy attended and we also had many friends who were able to join us for service. Henry, Lillian and Claire all were fantastic being on stage in front of everyone and very well behaved.

 

Henry is 4 Months

Henry is 4 months old and growing like a weed! Seriously, he is growing so fast it is unreal.

 

Height: 27 inches - 97%

Weight: 17 pounds 5 ounces - 89%

 

He is only about 1 pound less and 1 inch less than what Lillian and Claire measured at 1 year old. He is long and lean, he really doesn't have that much chunk on him.

 

At 4 months:

 

His sleep is inconsistent, some nights he sleeps 7+ hours solid and others he wakes every few hours

He smiles all the time

Huge flirt with the ladies

Giggles more and more, especially when you give raspberries or kiss his neck

Eyes are officially brown

Hair is starting to lighten up

Nurses every 3 hours

Naps are becoming shorter and not as consistent

He loves being outside in the yard or walking to the bus stop with the girls

He has rolled from his back to his belly a few times, but never when anyone is watching

He rolls from his belly to his back

Loves being upright

Takes a pacifier!!!

Takes a bottle for Josh on those rare occasions I am out of the house with pumped breast milk

Wears 6 month clothes, but probably not for much longer

Swaddled for night time, but no longer for day time naps

Starting to take interest to the tv when it is turned on, mostly to cartoons Lillian and Claire watch

Bath time is still hit and miss, some days better than others

Smiles and giggles when we sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" & "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

Enjoys being snuggled in my Ergo carrier (I think we both like this one, I love kissing his head!)

 



 

We love this little guy to bits!

Always Smiling

"Always smiling." Those words were among some of the many wonderful words Lillian and Claire's kindergarten teacher spoke to me in a voicemail. Their teacher called me and left me a message yesterday while we were walking back from the bus stop, she said they are so well behaved, raise their hands, actively participates, always come in smiling, cleans up their messes, and are a joy to be around.
She did admit she is still trying to learn their differences and sometimes mixes them up and they correct her. However, I am thankful she is working on learning those differences, they have had a preschool teacher in the past who always clumped them as one and didn't care about learning them as individuals.
Lillian and Claire come home from school and, with a little encouragement, will share some of their highs and lows for the day about school. They seem to love kindergarten and it was wonderful heari that they are being respectful and kind while there.

Henry is 3 Months

Our little man is 3 months old and such a joy in our lives. Henry has such a contagious smile, you can't help but smile back at him when his face lights up and he gives a big gummy grin.

 

At 3 months:

 

Sleeps a solid 7 hours most nights

Smiles all the time

Started giggling at Josh at 12 weeks old

Wears 6 month clothes

Wiggles and will fully rotate while in bed

Usually takes 4 or 5 naps a day (lucky guy)

Loves the fresh air outside and looks around at everything

Had his first hotel stay and did awesome!

Bath time is more enjoyable some days that others

Starting to reach and grasp for items

Enjoys sucking on his fist

Nurses every 2 - 3 hours depending on the day



 

First Day of Kindergarten

August 20th was Lillian and Claire's first day of kindergarten. They have been excited to start all summer, but as the day grew closer, their excitement grew stronger. The night before they were starting to get a little nervous and so was I. Thankfully, Josh was able to go into work late the morning of their first day so we could share in this experience together as a family.

We had a bit of a melt down with Claire. She didn't want to wear the outfit that was set aside for the first day, the skirt she begged to buy in July and refused to wear it for a month so it would stay nice for the first day of school. She said it was "too much pink." If you know Claire even the slightest bit, you will know there is no such thing as too much pink for this girl, she will wear head to toe pink every single day if allowed. Once we got over that hurdle, the rest of the morning before school went smoothly. They were excited to wait for the bus and walked right up to it and climbed on as soon as it pulled up. After the bus took them, Josh, Henry and myself loaded into the car and drove up to school to meet them getting off the bus. We could have walked them into school, but I knew I would become a fountain of tears and I also think it would have been more difficult for Lillian and Claire to say goodbye. We gave them a hug and kiss and they walked into school holding hands. Melts my heart. 

 

 

 

They were very happy girls getting off the bus at the end of the school day. They told us they had so much fun and "school is awesome!" They told us about some of their friends in their class, but of course had no idea what their names are. They were excited to see some of their friends from church and pre-k on the playground during recess. I loved hearing everything they had to share and their love for school.

August 20th is also Josh and my wedding anniversary. I love how full and wonderful our lives have become in the 9 years since our wedding day. 

Work

Monday was scheduled to be my first day back to work from maternity leave, but that didn't happen.
About a week ago I sat on the couch with Henry in my arms on night and I was ready to start crying at the thought of leaving my baby boy with someone else and not be able to spend my days with him. I wish I could say that this decision was an easy one, but it wasn't. Financially we cannot afford for me to stay home without some sort of income. However, it also doesn't make sense for me to return to my previous job when most of my paycheck would be spent on full time child care for Henry plus before and after school care for Lillian and Claire.
I can't say for sure what the future will hold for our family,  but I thought that same thing this time last year and it is amazing how our story is being written.
A year ago I was hired at Xceligent. A month later we found out our family was growing. I met some pretty great people at work and built more relationships at church. We have had a tough year with many ups and downs, but we have also been blessed in more ways I can count this past year.
Tonight there is still a lot on unknowns for our family, but I am confident that something wonderful is in the works for our family.

Henry is 2 Months

Every parent says it and every parent means it, I can't believe my baby is (fill in the blank) old. Where has the past two months gone? Our little nugget, Henry, is now two months old and it has been an amazing two months learning about our little man, watching him grow and learn and watching everyone fall more in love with each other every day.

At two months Henry:

Smiles and squishes up his entire face
Talks with coos and gurgles
Nurses every 2.5 - 3 hours
Most nights will sleep a 6 hour stretch
Looks around watching Lillian and Claire and other movements
Wears 3 month clothes, but they are starting to get snug.
Wiggles constantly, but when it is time to sleep, he loves to be swaddled tight with his left arm out.
Sucks on his hand and arm for comfort

Weight: 14 lb 7 oz    96%
Height: 24.5 inches  94%