Kate ~ 9 Months

To think that this baby is going to be one in 3 months is just crazy!  She is growing and learning so fast as of late and her little personality is really starting to shine.  This past month, Kate...

...has started to move, and she is everywhere.  She's not officially crawling yet, but she does the cutest little army crawl and it totally gets her to where she wants to be.  And she's fast!  I'll turn my head for a second, and she's off!  There have been a few times where I have to go and look for her, and when I find her behind the ottoman, she starts squealing and and giggling so hard!  It's her new game...Hide From Mommy!  

...has really got a hang of grabbing food and putting it in her mouth.  It's nice to be able to set her down in her highchair with some puffs while I cook dinner or get something done that requires two hands.  

...still loves to be held most of the time.  I think she's nervous to be on the ground with her three siblings running everywhere.  I don't really blame her :).  And I honestly don't mind holding her.  I know that this time will soon pass, so I'm taking full advantage of keeping her close.

...she loves to eat!  Her little body still doesn't like oatmeal or cereal, but she loves pretty much anything else.  

...is a really messy little eater!  As soon as I put food in her mouth, she'll put her hand in her mouth and smear it everywhere!  And I mean everywhere...her face, hair, clothes, high chair, floor.  

...is still such an amazing sleeper.  She does tend to wake up around 11-12 at night to eat, so I just go in and feed her before I go to bed so she doesn't wake me up :).  So far, so good.

...has been SO sick this past month!  She was sick at Christmas with the flu, and has been sick again this past week.  It's been so hard for all of us to have her feel so sick.  All of us just want to love on her and get her feeling better.  I took her in for her 9 month well check this past Friday, and she has RSV, an ear infection, AND a yeast infection!  Seriously...why my baby?!?  The RSV is pretty mild, so we have been able to handle everything at home, and she is doing so much better.  Just today she started smiling more, which is so great.  This winter has been hard on us in terms of being sick, especially with Kate.  I really, *really*, hope that this is the last of it!

...is very little!  At her 9 month appointment, she weighted in at 14.9 lbs!  She only gained a few ounces since her 6 month appointment!  I'm baffled because she really does eat a lot.  She also is a mover, so I attribute it a little to that.  I want to give her some more milk/formula if she needs it, but the problem is that she will NOT take a bottle.  Like at all!  She will throw in it on the ground if she gets her hands on it...she will refuse to open her mouth to try it...she doesn't want anything to do with it!  I'm going to have to work on it with her this week, because we really need to get her weight up.  Wish me luck.

...is so, SO, stubborn!  The example with the bottle is just one.  If she doesn't want something, there is no way we can persuade her otherwise.  She's just like Noah...seriously!  Noah can be so stubborn and I am beginning to notice that Kate acts just like him when he was little.  Heaven help me!  Strong willed children are not my specialty!

...loves books!  She'll play with her toys, but she's most interested in books.  Yay!  I love reading to my kids, and I especially love it when they want to sit on my lap and read with me!  She's just like Isaac in this respect.  Leah loves to get on the floor and read with her...it's so cute to see them bond like this!

...does not like having her diaper changed and will do anything and everything to get away from me the moment that I lay her down to change her.  Stinker. 

...is so sensitive.  This is where she is turning out to be like Leah!  So...she's stubborn and sensitive.  Great!

...gets so excited so easily.  If I leave and then come back in the room, she will start freaking out with excitement.  She'll start kicking her legs, waving her hands, giggling...it's SO cute!

...is still a total mommy's girl.  She'll go to Doug too when he's around, but if it's just me, she'll just want me.  I'm ok with that :).

She's a little gem, and we love watching her bloom into such an amazing and beautiful little angel!  We love you baby, to the moon and back!

Painting

Leah absolutely *loves* to do anything artsy. She especially loves to paint and spent a good hour today making me some darling little masterpieces. I cherish all of her little creations.

Isaac's Morning

This is how Isaac sits every morning while he's eating breakfast and watching cartoons. I'm constantly telling him to be careful as he moves forward and back on the barstool...he refuses to sit at the table. I can't help but smile every morning when I see him like this :).

The Dentist

I took Noah, Leah, and Isaac to the dentist yesterday, and it was a success! They were all SO good...even I was surprised at how well they behaved. I was especially proud of Isaac! This was his second time going, and I was prepared for him to refuse everything...boy was I wrong! The only thing he was sad about is that he had to wait his turn to lay down, since Noah and Leah were first. When it was his turn, he very willingly jumped up and laid down to get his teeth cleaned. And I'm proud to report that we have no cavities! Yay! The kids have not had any cavities yet...I hope we can keep it that way!

Isaac ~ 2 1/2 Years

Isaac is 2 1/2 years old, and he really is such an amazing little boy!  He is so different when compared to Noah and Leah at this age, and it's definitely worth documenting his precious little personality.  Isaac is *such* a joy and I do not ever want to forget how he is now...

~ He is such a great little talker.  I am amazed at how well he speaks!  It was just one year ago that Isaac was saying his first words, and now he is speaking in complete sentences with words that, I think, are way too advanced for a 2 year old.  He uses words like except, unless, though, etc...  It really is so cute to hear him use these words, and properly!  He also loves to explain things to us in great detail.  He loves to go up to Doug when he walks in the door, and tell him all that he did that day.  He does not need any help in speaking to him, and Doug understands everything that he says.  I am so glad that he can communicate with us so well...it definitely makes things a little easier around here :).

~ He is still totally and completely obsessed with anything related to sports.  He loves to shoot hoops, kick the soccer ball around, throw his football with Doug, etc...  And, the thing is, is that he's good!  I already look forward to him playing sports with other kids!

~ He is incredibly obedient.  He is great at following any directions that I give him, all with a smile on his face!  He is especially obedient when I am putting Kate down for a nap.  If I ask him to sit an play quietly while I put Kate down, he'll do it...no questions asked.  I'm very thankful for this great trait in Isaac.

~ He is incredibly easy to reason with.  He is definitely a classic 2 year old and can throw some crazy tantrums.  But, the thing with Isaac is that when he's throwing these tantrums, I can get down on his level and really talk to him about it, and he, in turn, wants to talk to me.  As soon as I start talking to him, he calms down and is totally open to finding a solution to his problem.  It's awesome!

~ He is an amazing sleeper...sleeps great at night and takes such great naps during the day.  He is also so good about going down for naps/bed.  

~ He loves to play, and he'll play with pretty much anything!  He is also so good at playing by himself, which is so nice.  I, also, have so much fun playing with him...he has such a wonderful little imagination.  He loves to pretend that he's talking to people on the phone and have these lengthy conversations...it's adorable to listen to him "talk" to Shea, or Grandma.  Love it!  He's also a good little sport and will let Leah dress him up in her dresses...cracks me up!

~ He is SO funny and has a great sense of humor.  He loves to make us smile, and will go to great lengths to do so.  Oh, the things that this kid comes up with...I always look forward to what he will do next.  Especially when it involves running around in a dress and singing Christmas songs {in January}. I need to get a video to share!

~ He is almost completely potty trained!  Yay!  I honestly can't remember when he last had an accident.    He is completely trained at home, and I am able to take him out and about without a pull-up.  He is great at letting me know when he has to go, which is so nice.  Now I just need him to sleep through the night and stay dry.  He's actually had a few nights when he has woken up dry, but it's not very consistent.  We're working on it...baby steps :).

~ He's not a very picky eater, but he doesn't like to eat a lot at his meals.  I've noticed that he likes to snack a lot during the day, so I'm trying to limit his snacking so he will eat better at his big meals.  He also LOVES milk, especially chocolate milk.  He takes after his daddy and prefers it over any other treat.  

~ He is such a curious little guy.  Every morning, he asks me what we're doing that day.  He's always is asking me if we're going somewhere, and he gets very excited if it's somewhere he really wants to go...like a cousin's house.  He also is constantly asking where people are during the day...you would think he would realize that Doug is at work every day, and Noah is at school, but I guess he doesn't, cause he's always asking where they are.

~ He is such a great little helper and is always wanting to help when I am cleaning up.  I don't mind one bit!
~ He absolutely loves to read, which is something that I am very thankful for.  With Noah learning to read, I have him read to Isaac often, and he just loves it!  It's so sweet to watch them together.

~ He loves watching listening to music, just like the rest of us.  He also likes to dance around, which is the most darling thing ever!

~ He is such a great brother to Noah, Leah, and Kate.  He loves to spend time with each of them and loves to laugh and have fun.  He is especially great with Leah...those two just get each other and love spending time together.  He also plays well with Noah, especially when it involves playing sports.  He is also so precious with Kate and is so gentle with her...I can already tell that they will get along very well.

~ He is such a lovable little guy.  He is always showering us with hugs and kisses, and each one is straight from his heart.  We sure do love him too...he is quite the amazing little boy :).

Here's some sweet pics of Isaac from the past few months...we sure do love this little guy.  To the moon and back!

9 years

Doug and I celebrated our ninth anniversary last week, on January 2. It was freezing cold the day that we got married, much like that day this year! I had major flashbacks to our special day and the cold really didn't even phase me...I just remember being so happy to call Doug my husband! We dated for 3 years and we knew each other so well and I knew with all of my heart that he was "the one". He really is my perfect match and I love him SO much! He's the best husband to me and the most wonderful daddy to our four precious babes! He's a keeper and I love him more every day!

Happy Anniversary, babe! Love you more than you'll ever know!

Here's a pic of us from a party this past year, as well as us with our *cute* nieces and nephews from our wedding day! They have all grown so much in 9 years...it's crazy.

Too cold...

Sometimes I wonder if the cold weather even phases my kids. The idea of going out in the cold and playing is so not appealing to me...but Noah and Leah love it! I guess I did too when I was young. Now I'm smart an prefer being nice and warm in my house :). These two had a blast playing outside today...that was until they had a snowball fight and both came in crying about having snow thrown in their faces. It was fun while it lasted.

Hard Life

I guess the days of posing Kate for a picture are long gone...well, for now at least.  I don't take any pics of Kate crying, for obvious reasons.  What kind of mom would I be if I did *that*!  ;)  Well, the girl is way sensitive lately and will hardly ever let me put her down.  The other day I wanted to attempt to get a picture of her wearing an outfit that Leah wore at the same age.  I looked at Kate in that outfit and I was having total flashbacks to when Leah was little {click here to see the picture of Leah...they really look so much a like}.  SO...I tried to get a picture that matched one that I have of Leah, and this was what I got...

I mean, really...she looks like she is in pain! She was seriously laughing at me moments before I set her down. I picked her up as soon as I took these pics, and she was right back to her happy little self...in my arms, of course.

This girl owns me!

I guess I'll try again next time.

Isaac's Hair

Noah has always had such nice thick hair.  When he was younger, we grew it out and it was so cute!  Well, I have always attempted to grow out Isaac's hair, but it's not ever going to happen!  His hair is so weird and grows in all different directions!   He is just not meant to have longer hair.  When he woke up from his nap today, I was done with trying to style his hair...so off it went!  I think he looks so much better with it shorter.  Plus it's SO much easier to handle...one less thing to worry about :).

Notice the strange callick in the front...he has those all over his head!

She must be growing...

Leah has always been a great little napper, that was until this past summer when she finally gave up her naps! It stinks when your kids give up their naps...it just does. Well, Leah must be growing, because this past month she has reverted back to her old ways of taking great naps during the day. And I'm not complaining about it at all! I'll be the first to admit that it's so nice to have a little chunk of time during the day to get something done without little ones pulling on your leg. I don't know how long it'll last, but I'll take advantage of the peace and quiet while I can :).

And I obviously think that Leah is cute when she sleeps, as I have taken way too many pics of her napping. So sweet.

And she's obviously getting some teeth in, as she fell asleep chewing on her finger!  Ha!

Leah slept in until 9:00 the other morning {which is pretty unheard of for any of the kids}, and she proceeded to jump in bed with me and fall back asleep until 11:00!  THEN she took a 2 hour nap that day!  Seriously, she has to be growing...or something!