2015 has been a great year for our family so far. Lulu celebrated her 11th birthday in February (cannot believe she's 11!!!) and has been baking up quite a storm (it helps that lots of baking supplies go on clearance after Christmas :) ). She's been helping out Ryan a lot by learning to change Little Bit's diapers. It's good experience for her as she's hoping to start baby sitting when she turns 12. With two little brothers and a baby sister to play with, she'll get lots of practice in this next year.
Little Bit is almost 1 and her first year has FLOWN by. She has become a master crawler and expert cruiser. She'll take lots of steps as long as she's holding onto someone for balance and moral support (and laughs the whole time she's walking - so cute!). On March 13, Ryan and I were playing with her in the living room and trying to entice her to take some steps to each of us. After about 5 minutes of us using our hands to help her walk between us, she took her first steps! They were from Ryan to me, and it was SOOO special. She took probably 10 steps that whole weekend and was nervous and excited at the same time. Since then, she's taken a cluster of steps here and there and will stand for longer periods of time, but she's just not yet ready to walk. As soon as she is, she's going to take off and boy, will our lives forever change again!
Doodle Bug is in the full swing of pre-teen emotional roller coasters, but the last few weeks she's seemed to level off a bit. I know it's going to be a rocky road for the next few years for her, but it's really nice to get these breaks and to see glimpses of sweet Doodle Bug again. Makes my mama heart happy. She's advancing through her studies nicely and is really enjoying our church's weekly Middle School worship service as well as my mom's church's youth group. She's a real people person and I wish she had friends she saw more often, it's good for her and allows her to get out a bit more.
Little Man is such a little Daddy to Little Bit. He helps take care of her every day and usually puts her down for her morning nap (so precious!). He's been helping my mom out in the yard more frequently, now that the weather has warmed up and the rains are causing everything to grow like wild fire. He also helped me to prepare my vegetable garden in the back yard. We have two 4x4 plots, one 2x2 plot, and then almost 10 individual pots. We had to weed the plots, add more soil to all of the beds and pots, and fertilize the soil in preparation for our goodies. Right now we are growing various bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, lima beans, and mint. We were about a month behind in our planting (thanks to some nasty sickness experienced during the month of February), but the garden is looking great right now. I just have to learn patience as it will take another month or two before any veggies start to appear.
Buddy Boy is full of adventure and spunk. He really adds a lot of fun into our lives. He got a jump rope after Easter and has had a blast figuring out how many times he can jump before he gets tangled in the rope. Such fun! His reading is progressing nicely and he's building confidence in his abilities. It won't be long before he'll be able to pick almost any book on his shelf and read most of it without assistance. He's growing so quickly! He seems to have his brother's math skills and almost finished his Kindergarten math book in February. We decided to slow it down, just a tad, to make sure he's really understanding everything before moving onto the next level. So far he's on track to finish the book this month and will then start on his 1st grade math book to finish out the school year at the end of June.
Speaking of the end of the school year, I can hardly believe that school is winding down. We have two and a half months left, are finishing up one science unit and only have two remaining, then it's crunch time to make sure we've met all of the individual goals the kids had (and the ones we had for them) as well as to ensure they've understood what they learned this year.
Each school year goes more and more smoothly, and while we've certainly had some hiccups this year (mainly due to health, especially Ryan's), things are going smoothly, and that's very nice. We're going to enjoy it while it lasts.
We are getting ready for a week off of school and work and planning some trips to the beach, hopefully the zoo, and to some local parks and museums. Will be good for us all to kick back and recharge. :) I hope to write a post about our vacation when we return at the end of the month (fingers crossed).
Until then, praying you are all safe and well.
-M
Monday, April 13, 2015
Playing Catch Up
This post was originally supposed to upload in January -- a few months late, but here it is....
I had a goal to update this blog more regularly and honestly, I thought I had - but looking back on here, my last post was in October - not exactly a regular update. :)
I'm going to try to play catch up on all that's happened since October.
First off, my oldest son, Little Man, is not so little anymore. He turned 9 years old and is getting so big! My mama heart is excited and a little bit sad, last year in single digits for him.
16 pounds, 1 ounce
26 inches long...
I had a goal to update this blog more regularly and honestly, I thought I had - but looking back on here, my last post was in October - not exactly a regular update. :)
I'm going to try to play catch up on all that's happened since October.
First off, my oldest son, Little Man, is not so little anymore. He turned 9 years old and is getting so big! My mama heart is excited and a little bit sad, last year in single digits for him.
October was a busy month, birthdays, Halloween - so of course, we had to throw in a bout with the flu to top it all off. Thankfully, nobody was severely ill, but it sure wasn't fun to pass around.
Little Bit was the first to come down with it, fortunately she was also the first to get over it (yay for breastmilk antibodies!). Her stats at 6 months:
16 pounds, 1 ounce
26 inches long...
Likes: bath, shower, shape sorter, playing, hugs, kisses, sitting up, flying (Bitsy Rocket), pears, apples, peach pops, cats, touch and feel books, songs, "talking"
Dislikes: being sick, being tired, falling over while trying to sit up
Then we celebrated Halloween! The kids had a blast getting their costumes ready. Doodle Bug was Cinderella (before the princess gown), Lulu was an ice fairy, Little Man was Michaelangelo, Buddy Boy was a pirate, and Little Bit was Tigger. So cute!! The kids got LOTS of candy and some neighbors even gave a piece or two to Olivia. She couldn't eat it (still can't), but we stowed it away for when she's ready - she's going to love it. The older kids were generous enough to share candy with Ryan and I. They gave me so much candy that I had enough to fill a gallon bag. Yum!
November went by quickly and we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my brother and his wife. We had ham and LOTS of side dishes. I think we had leftovers for a week, it was great! Little Bit turned 7 months old - time is flying by too quickly. Here are her 7 month stats:
Likes: baby food (especially sweet potatoes and peas), chewing on things, sitting up, watching people
...
Little Bit's balance while sitting improved dramatically and she was able to move up to some new baby food flavors. She LOVES squash, peas, custard, and banana orange medley. The medley actually tastes like an Orange Julius smoothy - not gonna lie, it's yummy.
December rolled in nicely and as usual, Ryan had all of the kids presents nailed down. I'm so blessed to have him! Every year, he takes care of presents for the kids and for his brother. All I have to do is grandparent presents and his presents - takes a lot off my plate.
While my mom took the girls to Mississippi, we took a trip to Disney World - ahhh!! It was Little Bit's first time and it was almost like Buddy Boy's first time as well, since the last time we went was in February of 2012 - he was 3 1/2 years old. Amazingly, he remembered some parts of the park. Ryan and the boys had a blast riding roller coasters and having some 'boy time.' While they were being wild, Little Bit and I road on 'The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' - and oh my, she LOVED it! At the end of the first ride, she started rocking back and forth as if she was saying "Let's keep going!" We road it three other times and once with the boys. Our last two rides, she remembered where Tigger popped up in his scenes and would look for him in each location. A smart little cookie!
Just before Christmas, Little Bit turned 8 months old.
Likes: FOOD, Gareth, mama and papa, playing with the girls, staring at Gavin, Disney World
...
Dislikes: being sick, being tired, falling over while trying to sit up
Then we celebrated Halloween! The kids had a blast getting their costumes ready. Doodle Bug was Cinderella (before the princess gown), Lulu was an ice fairy, Little Man was Michaelangelo, Buddy Boy was a pirate, and Little Bit was Tigger. So cute!! The kids got LOTS of candy and some neighbors even gave a piece or two to Olivia. She couldn't eat it (still can't), but we stowed it away for when she's ready - she's going to love it. The older kids were generous enough to share candy with Ryan and I. They gave me so much candy that I had enough to fill a gallon bag. Yum!
November went by quickly and we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my brother and his wife. We had ham and LOTS of side dishes. I think we had leftovers for a week, it was great! Little Bit turned 7 months old - time is flying by too quickly. Here are her 7 month stats:
Likes: baby food (especially sweet potatoes and peas), chewing on things, sitting up, watching people
...
Dislikes: the dark, taking naps, not eating when everyone else is
Little Bit's balance while sitting improved dramatically and she was able to move up to some new baby food flavors. She LOVES squash, peas, custard, and banana orange medley. The medley actually tastes like an Orange Julius smoothy - not gonna lie, it's yummy.
December rolled in nicely and as usual, Ryan had all of the kids presents nailed down. I'm so blessed to have him! Every year, he takes care of presents for the kids and for his brother. All I have to do is grandparent presents and his presents - takes a lot off my plate.
While my mom took the girls to Mississippi, we took a trip to Disney World - ahhh!! It was Little Bit's first time and it was almost like Buddy Boy's first time as well, since the last time we went was in February of 2012 - he was 3 1/2 years old. Amazingly, he remembered some parts of the park. Ryan and the boys had a blast riding roller coasters and having some 'boy time.' While they were being wild, Little Bit and I road on 'The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' - and oh my, she LOVED it! At the end of the first ride, she started rocking back and forth as if she was saying "Let's keep going!" We road it three other times and once with the boys. Our last two rides, she remembered where Tigger popped up in his scenes and would look for him in each location. A smart little cookie!
Just before Christmas, Little Bit turned 8 months old.
Likes: FOOD, Gareth, mama and papa, playing with the girls, staring at Gavin, Disney World
...
Dislikes: sleeping, strangers
She started to pull up on Ryan when they were playing on the bed and is getting more and more brave each day. She tries to pull up on anyone sitting near her and gets so excited that she falls back down. Too cute!!
Christmas was wonderful. We opened presents with my brother and his wife on Christmas Eve. It's always fun to have them over. Then on Christmas morning, Ryan read the Christmas story to the kids before opening presents and stockings. We went over to my in-laws after breakfast and got to see my niece Ky - she's such a sweetheart. Then we headed back home so the kids could enjoy their haul.
Over Christmas break we went to Thomasville's Rose Garden and park. I've never been before, so was looking forward to going somewhere new and really loved what I saw. In the dead of winter it was very well manicured and attended. I can only imagine how beautiful the rose garden is during the spring when it's in full bloom.
We also spent some time at Cascade's Park and many playgrounds around town. Loved having the time off with my kiddos.
A few days before Little Bit turned 9 months old, her first tooth finally erupted!! I thought she was going to take after Lulu and not get a tooth until she's almost 10 months old, but she decided to show her up by one month.
As Little Bit gets stronger, her adventurous spirit is getting stronger as well. She LOVES to 'pull up' on the couch (which is when someone helps her to stand while holding onto the couch). It's given her the confidence to scoot over to the fireplace and pull up on it all by herself (shocked me when I saw her do it). She doesn't crawl like the conventional baby, instead she uses her arms to pull herself while her toes dig into the carpet to push the rest of her body where she wants to go. She's quite efficient. I think she'll be walking before she ever does a true 'crawl.' She'll be the only one of mine to do this - but they're each different!
She started to pull up on Ryan when they were playing on the bed and is getting more and more brave each day. She tries to pull up on anyone sitting near her and gets so excited that she falls back down. Too cute!!
Christmas was wonderful. We opened presents with my brother and his wife on Christmas Eve. It's always fun to have them over. Then on Christmas morning, Ryan read the Christmas story to the kids before opening presents and stockings. We went over to my in-laws after breakfast and got to see my niece Ky - she's such a sweetheart. Then we headed back home so the kids could enjoy their haul.
Over Christmas break we went to Thomasville's Rose Garden and park. I've never been before, so was looking forward to going somewhere new and really loved what I saw. In the dead of winter it was very well manicured and attended. I can only imagine how beautiful the rose garden is during the spring when it's in full bloom.
We also spent some time at Cascade's Park and many playgrounds around town. Loved having the time off with my kiddos.
A few days before Little Bit turned 9 months old, her first tooth finally erupted!! I thought she was going to take after Lulu and not get a tooth until she's almost 10 months old, but she decided to show her up by one month.
As Little Bit gets stronger, her adventurous spirit is getting stronger as well. She LOVES to 'pull up' on the couch (which is when someone helps her to stand while holding onto the couch). It's given her the confidence to scoot over to the fireplace and pull up on it all by herself (shocked me when I saw her do it). She doesn't crawl like the conventional baby, instead she uses her arms to pull herself while her toes dig into the carpet to push the rest of her body where she wants to go. She's quite efficient. I think she'll be walking before she ever does a true 'crawl.' She'll be the only one of mine to do this - but they're each different!
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