11 Months Old

He turned 11 months old on Father's Day. In just weeks he'll be one! I don't know where his first year went. Though he will always be MY baby, he really isn't A baby anymore. 

He started walking at 10 months and by now he's pretty quick on his feet. 

His only word is "Bau" for Ball- he loves them- any size, any sport, any color!

He has the cutest little "Ooooo!" whenever he sees food or something he's excited about. 

He is hungry all the time. Loves smoothies, avacados, graham crackers, any fruits, peas, brocolli, Cheerios, pancakes, and whatever anyone else might be eating at that moment!

We have to keep all the doors shut- especially in the bathroom. He loves the toilets... 

He's loved having his big brothers home from school this summer- so much to laugh at and so much to watch and learn from! 

He has a cute little wave- you can see it in the last picture on the bottom- turned toward himself and squeezing tightly! 

He is finally napping and sleeping much better. Still an early riser, but falling asleep on his own much of the time and not night waking much anymore- thank goodness for that!

Still loves to suck his thumb.

He is a really snuggly baby who is also very outgoing, will let most people hold him and explores and ventures out without needing me right there. 

His funny side is starting to shine through. He likes to make silly noises and have us copy him. He remembers things we thought were funny the day before and tries it out the next day- just to make sure we still think he's funny. He has a great memory!

It has been amazing to me how quickly he's grown and changed. When the bigger boys were little, it seemed like they'd be little forever. But, slowly and surely, they have grown and changed and it was so easy to forget what life was like with a little one around. It isn't all fun and it isn't all cute and easy, but it is so precious. He has been such a blessing to us and a reminder to slow down and enjoy because in just a few fleeting moments you forget what it was like. I wish there was a way to get it all on video or picture or in writing- but life isn't like that. As much as I look forward to seeing what God has in store for this little guy (and the big boys too!) I wish there was a way to slow it down a bit- to memorize what this day is like and who they are right now!

Happy 4th!

 We woke up not quite knowing how to spend our holiday yesterday. Usually, we go to the town parade and the kids ride their decorated bikes and gather up bags of candy. This year, I didn't get organized enough to gather decorations and we read their would be no candy at the parade. They had even cancelled our fireworks show because of the high fire danger. Sounded like a bummer!

So, after a little research on the ipad- I found a hiking place we'd never known- St. Mary's Glacier. It was about an hour-ish away. 3/4 mile hike up- not too bad- but we made it. It had some spectacular views. That water was cold!!! People were actually swimming in it- yikes! There were people actually skiing on the ice- in their swimming clothes!

I feel so blessed to live in a state with such amazing beauty at our doorstep. It's fun to explore and show the kids the creations God's left us to enjoy!

Who can say they played in snow on July 4th?

Before...

After!

We headed a bit further west and had some yummy treats at Dairy King! The littlest man finally is loving his ice cream. The first time he tried it (back in March) he was in tears- maybe too cold! Now, he couldn't get enough!

After a long drive home and resting up for the night, we headed to a nearby town to watch their fireworks show. I have a cute photo- but it is still stuck on the hubby's phone!!!

If you think my blog has cobwebs, you should see my house!

My good friend keeps encouraging me to catch up my blog. So, here goes! 

Let me start by being totally honest- this past year has kicked my rear. Having three kids is such a blessing, but not an easy blessing. Combine the transition to 3 kids with Kevin's 10 month period of unemployment and you can imagine that our little world we "created" was rocked this past year. My last post was from Easter. I have photos to prove life was in full swing around here, but it might take some time to get that proof on here! So, let me recap the past few months....

This past semester I was tutoring close to 20 kids in chemistry. What a blessing it was to have an income during the long months of unemployment. But, as you can imagine it felt like a lot on my plate. I was so thankful when finals were done in May and I could actually breathe. Kevin started his new job in May. It's been good to finally get back to a "normal" routine around here- but it has taken me a lot of time to get used to being solely in charge of 3 all day. You see, he was here all year long picking up the slack when I couldn't! I had so much help getting the kids to school and home. I could actually leave the baby home and run to the gym or grocery store by myself every once in a while. While it's good to have life settling back into normal, it's been a transition and I'm still learning how to manage the day to day on my own.

The boys are off of school for the summer, preparing for 3rd grade and kindergarten! Lots of fun, and lots of time to fill each day! We have been busy with baseball/t-ball, swimming, weekly spanish classes at the library and trying to burn off all the extra energy. This all while juggling 2 naps a day for the Little Man. 

Speaking of the little guy, he's been a busy one. Walking by 10 months old, into everything, climbing (and falling) on stairs, and such a love bug. He loves having his big brothers home for the summer, there is always lots of noise and activity. Just like his big brothers, he's always hungry! He is just weeks away from his first birthday- I'm not exactly sure where the time went!

So, I'm back to my feeble attempts to stay on top of memory making once again. It's a hard choice each day- clean a bathroom or work on photos? I know which I'd rather do, but sometime it just isn't in the cards. 

For now, here's a photo from crazy hair day at VBS a few weeks back!

That boy will melt your heart

Daddy has been traveling most of this week. He hasn't traveled much at all since the Littlest Man was born and since he's been looking for a job, he's home to help me most of the time. This week has been a real test to show me what the reality of 3 is really like. Let me tell you- it's been really exhausting!

We ventured out this morning in the middle of a crazy cold and windy snow storm to the Easter Celebration at church. I wasn't too excited about doing it on my own (especially in the snow), but it's a special time every year and we couldn't miss it for such a lame excuse. It was a great time and though a bit sketchy at times for me (trying to keep it all together!) we had a good time. We ended the morning writing something we are thankful for. When I read what Biggest Brother wrote I choked up a bit.

There are so many times I question how I am doing as the boys' mom. But, so often, God reminds me in the simplest of ways that His hand is in our home and He's making up for what I am lacking. And I am so grateful.

Spring Break

To celebrate the first night of Spring Break, we did something a little extra fun for movie night. First, we had a little Skype time with Granny and dinner "in bed."

Despite a snowy and cold start this weekend, we're hoping for a nice relaxing Spring Break ahead.

More Milestones

Little Man had his first haircut at the beginning of March. It was getting a bit shaggy. We get our haircut at a woman's house. She's great with the kids and super fast, so it's a big a plus in my book. We found out Little Man is terrified of dogs though. She has a lab and a golden retriever. They are sweet and gentle, but my little guy was so scared. Other than that trauma, all was well! The boys wanted him to have a mohawk and so it was!

Check out his chubby little wrists- gotta love em! I am currently working towards weaning him. We aren't getting there too quickly, but that's okay!

On St. Patrick's Day we had his Dedication service at church. A few of our friends came. We chose the verse Colossians 2:7 for his life verse. "Plant your roots in Christ and let Him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful."

This was the same pastor that did Big Brother's dedication too!

And just proof that we haven't forsaken the other boys- here's Biggest Brother after being awarded his basketball medal for this latest season of winter Basketball! They were the Neon Gators (hence the shorts and socks up there!)

8 Months Old

Little Man just turned 8 months old. I finally took time out to get some photos of him this morning. He crawled under our dining room table and I got these really sweet photos! Who knew the lighting was so good under there?!

He's getting so big- so fast! He started crawling about a week ago. He started slow and shaky, but now I turn my back and I can't find him when I turn back around! He's into everything and everything he's into gets put in his mouth. I will only say that the worst thing we found so far is a toenail clipping. (I'll wait while you try to get that thought out of your head!) He loves his food and especially loves these little cereal puffs I found at Sprouts. He shoves his whole hand in his mouth to put it in!

He spits when we spit and he gets a real kick out of that!

He loves when his brothers are home from school. He starts to get louder and louder and those little arms start to flail. He's loving plain whole milk yogurt (we add fruits). His most recent favorite is yogurt, avacado and blueberries (a little concoction I made up for him!). He still is my little thumb sucker and just a sweet little boy. He's entered that dreaded separation anxiety phase and naps and sleeping aren't great most days, but we're working on that!

He can pull up to standing, so we dropped down the crib mattress. This is how I find him sometimes after naps or in the morning. He has one of the cutest pouty lips I've seen!

Happy Weekend!

Also in February...

My sister came to visit Early in February. Despite her kids all getting sick and being stuck in the house most of the weekend, we did get out to have some cousin fun!

We are always so thankful for time with cousins and family. It's hard to travel and be out of your regular routine, but the memories made are so sweet! Can't wait to do it again soon!

February - 7 months old

We had some fun in February. Little Man was 7 months old, learned to clap, eating his food, swinging at the park and just being cute! He started to say "Mama", though I don't know if it was about me or just a fun new noise! He was rocking on those hands and knees just waiting to crawl after all those Legos left on the floor. 

The big boys enjoyed Valentine's Day and some fun sledding in the park. One night, while Daddy was in charge as I tutored, the boys decided to sled down our slope in the backyard. However, the only thing to stop them was the back fence. Big Brother's face slammed in and we called him "Fence Face" until he was healed up. You'd have thought that would teach him a lesson, but 2 nights later I caught them doing the same thing. Ugh!