Just Playing

I love, love, love days that are filled with just play. Nowhere to go and plenty of time to laugh and be silly. Those are the days that I feel like I get to see my children's personalities come out the most. While some days feel years long, I wouldn't trade in a single one of them for any other kind of day. 

My daughter, the gypsy 

Snugly morning baby 

A little "brother" entertainment

Savannah showing us Olaf

Big kids ready for church 

Little roly poly baby 

A bubble bath because mama ran out of ways to entertain indoors and everyone ends up clean (except for the floor!)

Porter and Ocean racing through the yard (they stopped for a photo op)

Savannah in her happy place

And Sullivan's first time in the swing. He loved it and couldn't quit giggling!

Porter trying to smooth talk Sissy out of a couple jelly beans 

The princess and the cowboys

I know all moms think their children are the cutest things they've ever seen. I am no exception. I firmly believe these three people are some of the cutest, most precious things I've ever seen. Ever. Ok, you get it ;)

After church on Sunday, we sent Porter to his room to change out of his church clothes. He came back in an undershirt, soccer shorts, and Halloween socks. Hey, he followed directions!  

And since he got a new hat at the rodeo, he decided it was time to pass down his old one to his "best buddy Sullivan". I've always had a thing for cowboys (yes, I just publicly admitted that), but this one takes the cake! 

And for the consignment store win, I found these princess jammies for $5 and she is in love! She called them "her baby clothes" and they had to be washed/worn immediately! The only bad part...she looks 14, or at least 4! My heart can't take how independent and grown up she is becoming! 

My Favorite Things Right Now

I frequently realize just how fast these "baby years" are fleeting and I so often wish that I could remember each and every thing about each child. But the thing is, I won't keep every memory and that's ok because I know that each stage will be as wonderful as the last, in different ways. But right now, these are some of my favorite things about each child. 

Porter: he loves horses as much as he did when he was 2, apples, watermelon and blueberries are his favorite foods, his favorite color switches between red, blue and orange, he is very scared of the dark, he asks every morning who is coming over (he loves visitors), he is very nervous about being away from mommy and daddy, he puts on "shows" every day, he loves tv shows and would watch way too much if he could, he is very quickly mastering his letters and is so proud of himself, his best friends are "Sullivan and daddy", he is getting much better at dressing himself, he is quite a bottomless pit and is constantly asking for snacks, he loves to snuggle, he asks constantly what things are made of (what's inside our hands?, what's inside of a door?, what's inside of a house?, etc.), his favorite part of the night is having mommy or daddy lay in his bed. 

Savannah: she calls herself "mommy daddy's princess", she constantly has on jewelry and a tiara, she wears one purple dress up shoe and one pink dress up shoe at the same time, she picks up rocks in every parking lot we go through and brings them home, she is a much better eater than her brother, she is having a terrible time weaning from her paci "pati", she has the craziest run I've ever seen, she is beyond terrified of bugs and worms, macaroni and yogurt are her favorite foods, she loves anything princess, she would still be a baby if she could and loves any chance to be held and snuggled, she is full of sunshine for sure!

Sullivan: he loves to be tickled, he gets extremely excited when he sees me getting his food ready, he loves rolling over but hates getting stuck, he is just now sleeping without being swaddled, he is adjusting well to bottles, he likes the car pretty well, he loves stroller walks, he loves his paci, he gives the sweetest baby snuggles!

Two Brothers and a Princess

The boys around here are as sweet and cuddly as they come. The girl, well she's as sassy and independent as they come. I wouldn't change any one of them. And they couldn't be any more different! Being their mama is my greatest joy! 

Watching Curious George together: 

Driving away: 

How she came to breakfast (and promptly sat in her daddy's seat):

Going on a pizza run with daddy, she asked to "sit big Porty's seat":

Silly Leprechauns

We love holidays around here! All of them! So a day to wear green, set leprechaun traps, eat green food, and find gold coins? We are all in! 

We started the morning with a note and special treat (Lucky Charms treats) from Lucky, our visiting leprechaun. He left "leprechaun grass" all over the house and we searched everywhere to find him. Emma and Nonni came and enjoyed the day with us. We had a special lunch of spinach wraps, green grapes, honeydew melon, cucumbers and green Gatorade. And bonus, the weather was plenty nice enough for us to enjoy some outside time! 

Sullivan at 6 Months

This week, my tiniest babe turned 6 months old. His huge, contagious smile lights up a room. He is absolutely charming! At 6 months...

~he weighs 16 lbs 10 oz and is 27 inches long

~he is now enjoying car rides

~he has loved every fruit and vegetable he has tried, although some don't exactly agree with his belly (broccoli, green beans)

~he has improved in the sleep department, but still wakes up several times a night for various reasons

~he is a mama baby! He looks for me every second that I'm not holding him

~he loves stroller walks 

~he loves watching his silly brother and sister

~he isn't overly friendly with strangers 

~he definitely knows familiar faces and lights up when he sees them

~he is our chubbiest baby and I adore his rolls 

~he loves, loves bath time, but hates the lotion afterwards 

~he is wearing 9 months clothes and size 3 diapers 

A Week at Home

Last week, we spent the better part of the week at home recovering from colds. However, days at home still mean all kinds of adventures around here! 

Like snuggling with the sweetest baby around...

And having some "girl-time"...

Chasing giraffes...

Making popcorn...

 

Watching the "wild animals" (aka, brother and sister)...

Loving on your brother...

Hunting for acorns...

Trying on Spring clothes...

And taking snoozes...

A Day With Papa and Nonni

As a special birthday treat, Porter got to spend a day with Papa and Nonni doing a couple special things. He chose Cracker Barrel for lunch, he went to look for cowboy clothes, he went to the Carl Sandburg home to see goats, and stopped for a donut before coming home. 

He has talked about the goats non-stop and can't wait to go back after the mama goats have had their babies. His memory and the things he can recall simple amaze me! 

First Injury

For the sake of documentation, and because all boys think "battle wounds" are awesome, this post is dedicated to our first childhood injury. Our first trip to the ER. Two weeks ago, we got carpet put in downstairs. Ironically enough, we got it to keep the kids from getting hurt. Well the first night "trying it out", someone got hurt. Porter had a slight fall, more of a trip, when coming off of the slide and twisted his arm. He was insistent that it was really hurting and we weren't sure how to tell if it was a break, a sprain, etc., so we headed to the ER, because, of course, all urgent cares were closed by that point. The ER staff did X-rays and were sure it wasn't a break, but weren't sure what it was. Three days later, we went and saw a pediatric orthopedic dr, who ruled it was an injury referred to as "Nurse Maid's Elbow". It's apparently fairly common in children Porters age and she was able to "reset" the bone and he was back to normal almost immediately. Thank The Lord, it was nothing severe and was easily fixed! Regardless, he got his share of special treatment ;) 

(He talked the ER nurses into a Popsicle and a sprite)

(He was experimenting with how far he could move with the splint)

(His face a couple minutes after the reset)

(He loved this contraption at the dr's office)

(And after all that, he most definitely deserved ice cream. However, he requested "frozen yogurt with no ice cream because it makes his candy all messy". So basically, he just chose the most expensive candy stop ever!)