Thursday, December 18, 2014

Isaac's Preschool Christmas Program

Isaac had his Christmas Program the week before Christmas, and it was adorable!  Isaac has been practicing the songs all month long...it's been so cute watching him practice when he thinks no one is listening.  Needless to say, he was very excited for the actual performance.  When we got there, he was anxious to get up there and sing.  I was kind of surprised that he was so excited about it...he seems like such a quiet little guy, but he really loves stuff like this.  

The actual performance was so great and Isaac was grinning from ear to ear the entire time.  It was definitely very entertaining to watch and I couldn't stop smiling.  I seriously live for this stuff...it was so great!  And to top it off, his cousin, Shea, and good friend, Drake, were on each side of him.  How lucky is he to go to school with his cuz and best buddy!  It was definitely one of the highlights of the Christmas season :).

Monday, December 8, 2014

Santa ~ 2014

I love the tradition that we have of going to the Riverwoods to see Santa with Doug's family!  The kids were all so excited to go and it really was such a great time!  Plus the weather was decent, so that definitely made the night better.  And what made the night even better is that all of the kids sat on Santa's lap without any tears!  That's always a good thing :).

Leah getting ready to see the big guy...
Noah got right to the point with Santa and asked him for legos and a Penny Board.
Leah was so sweet and asked for a fan and earrings.
Isaac was so adorable and was so excited to ask Santa for Legos!
Kate was so adorable and asked Santa for a pink baby.
And sweet little Ben...just look at him!  Love that boy!

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Ben ~ 5 months


Our sweet baby Ben is 5 months old!  One more month and he'll be 6 months, which is just crazy!  Ate 5 months, Ben...

...is starting to roll both ways.  He struggles a bit still, but he can do it eventually.

...gets frustrated very easily.  If he sees a toy that he wants, he will try as hard as he can to get it, with no success.  Then he'll start sobbing because he can't get what he wants.  Oh boy!

...is a great little eater.  He will willingly take a bottle too, which is so nice when we are out and about.

...loves tubby time so much!  It's definitely the best part of his day.

...wants to be held all of the time!  It's a struggle sometimes because there are times where I have to put him down, to which he will start sobbing!  But the moment that I go to pick him up, he stops crying and just snuggles into my shoulder.  Love that he loves to be held, even if my arm is constantly sore from it.

...does not like to be left alone.  If we leave the room, he, again, will start to cry.

...is really good at crying!  He is a happy baby, but he will let you know if he doesn't like something.  Good thing his cry isn't too annoying.

...still has very blue eyes!  I really really hope that they stay that way!  Only time will tell.

...has blond hair!  Yay!

...loves bouncing around in his jumper!  It's so nice that he can finally support himself, and he is so happy about it!

...has really good hand coordination and can grip most toys.

...puts everything thats in his hands in his mouth.  He chews on his hands like crazy and will chew on any toy that he's holding.  He's really trying to break those teeth through!

...still doesn't like his carseat.  Oh well...sometimes he's just going to have to deal with it because we do have places that we need to go.

...loves his siblings so so much!  He will grin from ear to ear whenever they are around him.  It's awesome to watch.

...has the best smile ever!  His smile makes my heart so happy!  There is seriously something about a little babes smile that makes you feel so good!  Having happy kids is my goal...and he's definitely happy!

...is so ticklish!  He giggles so hard whenever we grab his cute little thighs.  Love it!

...is not a very chunky baby.  He is long and lean...just like Isaac.  Although he does have some really cute rolls on his legs that I can't help but pinch whenever I change his diaper.

...is wearing 9 month clothes!

...is a big mama's boy.  He LOVES it when I hold him, which is pretty much all of the time.  He's starting to cry for me when other people hold him too.  I honestly don't mind at all that he wants to be in my arms.  He knows how to make me happy!

...still spits up SO much!  I'm so sick of it, but know that he'll grow out of it at some point.

...drools all of the time!  I have to put a bib on him or else his clothes will be soaked!

...has found his voice and loves to use it!

Another highlight from this month is that Ben was really sick.  It started on Thanksgiving day and he had a hard time breathing and was so congested.  We ended up taking him to the ER and after a few X-rays, we found out that he had bronchiolitis.  For the following week we had to stay home with him and had to constantly suck the mucus out of his nose and give him lots of steam showers.  It was not fun at all...especially at night.  I'm just glad that we're past that!  Hopefully he doesn't get sick again this season.

We love this precious boy more than words!  He has brought so much love into our family!  Love you to the moon and back baby boy!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Gingerbread House

The kids were very anxious to do our Gingerbread House this year.  They just love doing stuff like this!  It was pretty fun to do and everyone had a great time...with hardly any crying!  That's always a good thing ;).  I loved how everyone took their time and made sure that everything was done the way they wanted it.  It was so fun watching them work together and letting each other take a turn with the icing.  Doing things like this just make me so happy!  Even Ben had a great time watching everyone from his jumper.  And the finished product was perfect!  I loved looking at it over the month of December.  Good times for sure!

Friday, November 28, 2014

Thanksgiving ~ 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We had a wonderful day of giving thanks!  We spent the morning watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade and playing with our cousin, Jacob!  Then we got ready for the day and went to Steff's house for a great dinner with our family. It was so nice to sit and relax with the ones we love most. My mom even made her way up here to have dinner with us!!  It was a good day :). 
Leah *loves* pie and had a few servings :).
Isaac had fun finding new toys to play with. 
Ben did not feel well at all and pretty much spent the evening in mine or Doug's arms. Poor babe. 
Leah reads in her bed every night...but tonight she fell asleep mid-book. I think we wore her out ;). 
I also did a thankful post for each member of my family this year...

I'm SO thankful for Doug!  I'm thankful for his kind heart, his patience, the *wonderful* father that he is to our kids, the *amazing* hubby that he is to me, and the enduring love that he has for his family!  I'm so thankful that he's mine!
I'm beyond thankful for Noah!! I'm thankful for his tender heart, his ability to always care about others, his love of learning, the fact that he always gives me a hug whenever we part, and his will to always want to have fun and smile. I'm thankful that he's the one that made me a mom :). I sure do love this boy to bits! {I snapped this picture this morning when he was cuddling with Kate in my bed...so sweet!}
I'm oh, so thankful for my Leah!  I'm thankful for her loving and tender heart, her creative mind, her thirst for knowledge, and her ability to make everyone around her smile!  I don't know what I'd do without this sweet girl :). 
I'm so thankful for Isaac!! He's such a sweet, loving, kind-hearted, patient, and FUN little boy!  He has my heart! 
I am so so thankful for my sweet baby Kate!  She is so happy, has the best sense of humor, is so gentle, loves to be cuddled, gives the best hugs, and is just a ray of sunshine in our home!  Love this little gal so much!!
I'm so thankful for my Ben!  I'm thankful for his bright smile, his happy demeanor, the fact that he lets me cuddle him all.of.the.time, and all of the love that he has brought into our family in the short time he has been here. We love you, little one!!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Sleeping Babe

Oh, how I *love* this sweet bay of mine!  He's my last baby and I'm taking in as much of his baby-ness as I possibly can. He's so incredibly spoiled and I pretty much hold him for all of his naps lately. Having a baby asleep in your arms is really one of the best things ever.

Reading together...

Noah and Leah are required to read every day for school. I'm pretty strict about them doing this, and lately they've been tryingn to get out of it. My solution was to have them spend half of their 20 minutes of reading with either Isaac or Kate, and it's proven to work great!  They enjoy reading to them, and vice versa!  Win win!


Monday, November 10, 2014

Award of Merit

Leah was very keen on the idea of entering the Reflections contest this year. The theme was "The world would be a better place if...".  When I asked Leah what she thought of the theme, she told me that she wanted to draw a picture about everyone loving one another. She drew a lovely picture and was so eager to enter it.

Last week I received an email from the PTA telling me that Leah would be receiving an "Award of Merit" trophy for her entry. I was also told not to tell her about this so that it would be a surprise at the assembly. Today was the day and Leah was so thrilled when she saw me in the audience. When they called her name, she had the biggest grin on her face. She walked through the crowd and went up on stage to receive her trophy. She was so happy...it was just precious for me to see her up there so happy. Doug and and I are definitely so proud of our girl. So proud :).