Busy, Busy, Busy

Is it really the middle of February already?  I don’t want to believe it because that means my babies will be turning 1 and 3 in a few short months.  Sigh.  They really are growing up so fast.  Avery is tall and skinny now, looking more like she should be in pre-k.  Asher is so close to standing independently.  I know he has the balance to do it but he gets scared and grabs on.  I’m sure the confidence will come soon and after that he’ll be running around the house in a blink of the eye. 

We’ve been really busy the past few weekends which makes the time go by even faster.  I always complain about the weather in Texas but I have to admit it’s been nice to sit outside on the weekends and not bundle the kids up in 10 layers every time we go out. 

A few weekends back we went to Kennedy’s 3^rd birthday party.  This is the first time Asher’s really gotten to play at a birthday party and he had a blast.  

They both did :)

Yes, that is my husband crawling up the jungle gym to make sure two curious 10-month-olds didn't get trampled by their siblings :)

Avery got to drive the truck down the street (to the cul-d-sac and back).  She loves driving!

One morning she told me her babies were crying and needed to go to sleep.  Obviously the closet is the perfect place for them to slumber ;)  (ignore the trash bags, I'm trying organize her old clothes and donate/sell a bunch of stuff)

She brought everyone in, grabbed her books, sat down, and started going through our whole bedtime routine.  Asher had to check in and see what she was up to. 

After he face-planted into the baby bed he was kicked out and I was told to close the door, babies are tired. 

So, she sat in there and read while Asher and I played.

This little stinker has figured out how to crawl into her bed.  He.loves.it.  He body slammes himself into the pillows and dolls and then looks at me like "what, this is awesome!"

I really didn’t care about the superbowl this year… I’m still sad that my Broncos didn’t make it.  Matt and I both wore Broncos shirts to the superbowl party to show our support J

I probably saw about 10 minutes of the game because I was busy talking, feeding my face, and watching two busy little people.  It was fun to see some friends and catch up with a few people we hadn’t seen in awhile!

Avery and Harper might have consumed a whole watermelon and I think Avery drank 3 CapriSuns.  Which resulted in Avery having two accidents so she’s not allowed to have juicy stuff at parties anymore! :(

Emily’s 10^th birthday was last weekend so we met all of Matt’s family at the Waco Zoo to celebrate!  We had so much fun! Avery was so excited to see the animals.  She specifically wanted to see lions, zebras and giraffes (I think she’s watched Madagascar one too many times!).  

One last picture of this little heart breaker .. Matt sent me a text with this picture a few days ago.

"What... we weren't doing anything... I promise!"

10 Months {Asher James}

AJ –

You are 10 months old!  Even as I type this, I can’t believe it’s true.  You are so much more like a wild, energetic toddler than the sleepy baby we brought home from the hospital last spring.  You are into everything – crawling into your sister’s bed, exploring the backyard, trying to eat Cash’s dog food.  Yes, little man, I have to keep a constant eye on you because you are full of curiosity and determination.   You have a big personality and love to “talk”.  Your facial expressions are hilarious and you still love to eat my nose.  You love to clap your hands and are so close to standing independently.   You wrap your little arms around my neck so tight and try to bring my face closer to yours (usually so you can give me slobbery kisses and try to bite my nose or cheek).  You are becoming more independent and have started crawling off to other rooms – I usually find you in Avery’s room.  I think you end up there after checking to see if you can get in the bathroom.  We always keep the bathroom door closed because you are very interested in the toilet and we learned during bath time last week that you can fling your body into the tub all on your own.  Yes, you are a wild one. 

At ten months you:

Still a great sleeper.  You normally fall asleep between 7-7:30 and sleep for 12 hours. 

Naptime has gotten a little better.  You almost always take a one-hour nap at day care and will usually take two one-hour naps on the weekends (10 &2)

Eating is still a struggle.  You are still drinking 5-6 6 oz. bottles.  You also eat three jars of baby food.  I’m trying so hard to get you to eat table food but you still spit everything out.  You will suck on it for a few seconds but then it comes right back out. We’ve tried bananas, avocados, strawberries, cheese, turkey, pasta, bread.  If it isn’t pureed, you won’t eat it.

You are still constipated (I know you’ll love me for sharing this one day) and have a bottle of apple juice or prunes every day.  It usually helps but you were very uncomfortable last weekend. 

You weigh around 20 pounds and I’m not sure how tall you are but everyone says you are so long!

You wear 12-18 or 18 month clothing and size 3 diapers

Getting a good picture was a real challenge this month.  You outgrew your 12 month white onesies so I guess we're done with that look.  Oh and you wouldn't sit still for anything.  Luckily for me you love to smile so I was able to get one quick shot (with daddy's help of course).

Love you so much little man!

Living for the Weekends

Weekends are so incredibly precious to me.  Monday-Friday are just days I get through in order to have quality weekend time with my fam.  I know that sounds harsh but during the week I leave for work before the kids are up and by the time I get home it’s make dinner, clean up dinner, take baths, get the kids ready for bed, collapse on the couch. There just isn’t much time left for playing. 

January has been a “no spend” month for us, meaning unless its food, gas, bills, or essentials, it isn’t happening this month.  No eating out, no buying new clothes, no spending money on frivolous things. When January started I was kind of bummed but really, it has been great for us.  I’ve spent the past two weekends at home.  No shopping, no going out to dinner, and I feel like we’ve had so much quality time together.  Time to play babies on the floor and snuggle in mommy and daddy’s bed, time to play outside.  It has been wonderful.

Matt went to Arkansas a couple weekends ago with some of his buddies and besides a quick trip to Target for food, we didn’t leave the house once.  And it was great. 

These two provided plenty of entertainment and I finally got my sewing machine out and started working on projects I’ve had planned for months.

Avery loves to paint and color... she usually just makes a huge mess but she loves every minute of it!

 This table toy has been such a big hit with both of them! Asher bangs on it until it plays a song and then Avery dances 

I was trying to clean up in our room so I stuck Asher in the clothes basket, thinking he'd be entertained for a few minutes. 

 I had barely turned around and he was already out... He wasn't impressed with my attempt to contain his curiosity.

 Meet Dr. Avery! She has been practicing giving all her babies medicine

 Of course she couldn't leave Asher out.  Cash looks very concerned.

Such a fun weekend! 

Last weekend the weather was beautiful and Matt decided it was perfect fence reconstruction weather. Our fence blew down the weekend before Christmas and since we love our neighbors so much we haven’t really worried about fixing it. Cash has loved having two families but we decided we better put it back up.  So Matt and Jason got to work and all the girls insisted on “helping”.

Asher crawled around outside for the first time and wasn't so sure about the grass.  He likes to bear crawl, cracks me up! 

Avery loves her “sisters” so much.  She tells me Harper is her best friend and I know she loves following the big girls around.  It makes my heart so happy that she has four “sisters”.  And of course they all love spoiling Asher and he loves the attention. 

Of course Matt had to use his truck during the fence project... such a boy! 

 

 We all grilled together Sunday evening and had a mini bonfire with the old fence posts

And just a random note I want to remember… my main goal for 2013 is to be more organized.  My first attempt at this is menu planning.  I usually plan a weekly menu when I’m writing down my grocery list but we still end up with nights where I forgot to set out the chicken to thaw or I was just lacking inspiration.  SO, I decided to write out a monthly menu. 

I created a menu template and went through my cookbooks, pinterest, etc. and came up with 30 meals.  (okay, we did eat out once this month).  It’s the 23rd and I’m happy to say we’ve stuck to it and it has been so incredibly helpful.  I have it displayed on the refrigerator which helps me remember to pull meat out of the freezer and makes my weekly grocery shopping list a breeze.  It also helps me to plan in advance and buy food when it’s on sale instead of just buying what I need for the week. 

I’m loving this and will definitely keep it up in the coming months! 

Life Lately

Just another catch up post of pictures from New Years that I wanted to store on my blog ;)

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Thankful to be spending another year with this wonderful man. 

 And for sweet friends who know how to party!

And little friends who always have so much fun together

 And my little firecracker who makes my life so bright

And a champagne toast with my hubby in bed to kick off the new year! 

We spent New Years day playing with fun new presents 

Nine Months {Asher James}

You have changed so much in the past month! You have mastered crawling and can get from one side of the house to the other with amazing speed.  Your daddy and I laugh when we have to play “where’s Asher” because you will crawl away so fast! Good thing we always know where you’re headed…. The bathtub.  Yes, you really, really do love bath time.  I can’t tell you how many times a day I've followed you into the bathroom and watched you pull yourself up on the tub and try to heave your little body in.  It’s quite comical. I try to keep the door closed but your sister insists on opening it. 

We drove to Colorado for Christmas and little guy, I've been more than a little worried about how you’d do strapped in your car seat for 14 hours.  Well, you proved me wrong.  Big time.  You were an angel.   I think you cried for about 2 minutes.  Total.   Christmas was rough because you were sick all week with a nasty cold and mild pinkeye.  Thankfully you still found moments to smile and be your goofy self. 

You are pulling up on everything and starting to cruise around the coffee table.  I have a feeling you will be an early walker.  You pull your little hands away from mine when you’re standing, in hopes you’ll find your balance.  So far, no luck but I know it won’t be long.

You've started clapping and it is so cute! You get the biggest grin on your face and are so proud of yourself. Oh, and your new way of smiling is to open your mouth as wide as possible.  

You usually go to bed around 7:00 and daddy wakes you up around 7:30 am.  You are a great sleeper and happily play in your crib if you wake up early.

You are 30.75 inches tall (98th%) and weigh 20 lbs (50th%).  Still long and lean! You wear 12-18 month clothing but I think I need to find a belt for you because your pants are always falling off!

Nap time still varies.  You usually take one morning nap around 10:00 and an afternoon nap around 2:00.  

You normally drink six 6 ounce bottles and eat 2-3 meals of fruits and veggies.  You’re doing a lot better with baby food but still seem to dislike certain textures.  If it isn’t completely blended to a puree you spit it out.  I’m hoping to start trying some finger foods this month! Hopefully we can get you over your texture issue.

You love to babble and laugh.  I need to get a video of you laughing… it is so funny! You are such a ham and have so much personality! I love this age so much and cherish every minute with you! You are full of energy and curiosity but still love to snuggle and will fall asleep in my arms some nights.  Asher, we love you to the moon and back little man!

Farewell 2012

I keep seeing this cute idea on Pinterest to write down the things you are thankful for throughout the year and keep them in a jar to read and look back on at the end of the year. I love the idea of this but realistically, I'd make it a month or two and then I'd probably forget about it and my little jar wouldn't be very full.  BUT... I am great (borderline obsessed) with taking pictures so I thought I'd put together a collage of my favorite moments and favorite pictures from the last year.  Nothing makes my heart happier or serves as a better reminder of the abundant blessings in my life than pictures.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!

It is such a good reminder of all the fun things we've been through this past year and all the memories we created!