Kate's new look...

Kate has decided that wearing clothes isn't that exciting...so she now wears either her swimsuit OR her dance clothes all day long. I don't mind when we're home, im just not looking forward to her wanting to leave the house in these outfits in the dead of winter!

Ben ~ 4 months

I really can't believe that our baby is 4 months old.  We can't enough of Benny!  All of the children gravitate towards him whenever he is around, and I just love it so much!  I know that Noah, Leah, and Isaac are really going to remember having a baby around, which is so great!  I want them to remember and cherish these moments!

At 4 months, Ben...

...is so so strong.  He has the strongest neck muscles of any of my babes.  He always has his head up and looking around when he is on our shoulder or on his belly.  It's so cute to watch.

...is so observant and is so interested in everything that is going on around him.  Good thing he has good neck muscles to look around, because he always wants to know what we are all doing.  And I love that he will focus on one thing and you can see in his eyes how interested he is.

...is still such a great little sleeper.  Takes great naps and sleep through the night, but there are those occasional nights that he does wake up.  At least it's not all of the time!

...is a good sleeper, but it's really hard to get him to go to sleep sometimes.  He seems to be a pretty light sleeper, so I'm always telling the other kids to be really quiet when Ben's asleep.  There are times when it takes Doug and I a good hour to get him to sleep.  But once he's out, he's out!

...spits up all of the time...still!  I'm amazed at how many burp clothes I go through on a daily basis.  My laundry has seriously doubled because of this!  Ben and I both change our clothes a few times every day because he always spits up all over us.  Oh the joy!

...cries every time that we put him in his carseat.  I'm totally ready for him to  grow out of this, but I think it'll be a while.

...has started holding on to toys and really enjoys shaking them around and playing with them.  It's so great to watch him focus so hard on the toy that he has in his hands.  This is definitely a fun milestone for him...and me too :).

...is wearing 6-9 month clothes now.  He is my little string bean...long and skinny.

...loves to stand up whenever we are holding him.  I just started to put him in the Exersaucer and he just loves standing and playing with the toys.  I'm not ready for this milestone...he's just growing up way too fast.

...does not like to be left alone.  He cries the moment that I leave the room, and then is as happy as can be the moment that I walk back in.  He definitely prefers to have someone with him all of the time.  He's so spoiled!

...prefers if we stand with him when he is in our arms.  There are times that he'll let us sit with him, but he loves to stand up!  Sometimes I wonder why babies love to have us stand with them instead of sit down...sitting is just so much easier ;).

...loves to suck on his two fingers when he is relaxing or going to sleep.  And he makes the cutest little sucking sound when he does it...so cute.

...will not take a binky...at all!  Sometimes I wish that he would, but no...he spits it out the moment that I put it in his mouth.

...loves to snuggle...and we all love it too!

...is still completely adored and loved by the other children.  They are known to fight over who gets to hold Ben next...I think that they know that he is growing up fast and won't be able to be held for too much longer.

Word can't express our love for Ben...he is such a blessing in our home!  We love him more and more every day and is the perfect fit in our family!  Love you sweet little babe :).

A little scare...

We had a little scare with Benjamin a few weeks ago. It was almost 9:00 in the morning and I was holding him on his back in my arms while I was getting Noah and Leah off to school. All of a sudden I felt him go limp in my arms...I looked down and his face went from peachy to white and his lips went from red to blue!!  I started to panic and tried to calm myself down to see if he was breathing...he was, but it was very little. I started to do anything to try and wake him up...rubbing him, screaming his name. About 30 seconds later he woke up and was sobbing!!!  I was so scared and couldn't think straight. I then called our pediatrician and told them I was coming in. I changed my clothes and put isaac, kate, and ben in the car at lightening speed and drive safely to the doctor. After an evaluation, our doctor said that he had ALTE {Apparent Life Threatening Experience}. He didn't know at the time what had caused this, so he told us that he wanted him to be monitored at the hospital for 24 hours. We then went straight to the hospital, to get Ben all situated. At this point I had called Doug and my mom and they were on their way down to help. They arrived and my mom took Isaac and Kate home while Doug stayed with Ben and I. They took his blood, which, thankfully, was not as bad as I had imagined it to be. Then we were told to just sit and relax with our babe. I held him almost the entire time and just snuggled him. I was so scared it was going to happen again, yet I was so relieved to be at the hospital in case it did!  I went home after the kids were home from school to see them and get some stuff so I could stay the night with Ben. They were all so so so concerned about baby brother...Leah even shed some tears. Then back I went to the hospital to be with Ben and Doug.  Ben was so good and was smiling so much...he was acting lien nothing had happened at all!  Doug left around 7:30, leaving Ben and I to spend the night at the hospital...which I was not thrilled about!  Steffanie came to visit, which was so nice. After she left, I headed to bed and had Ben sleep on my chest the entire night. There was no way I was going to let him lay by himself...even if he was hooked up to monitors!!  I needed peace of mind and needed to he him close. Our night went alright, and I was so thankful when morning came. Our pediatrician came in around 9:00 and looked Ben over. He said that he thinks that Ben coughed up some acid and it puddled in his throat. His little body didn't know what to do to get rid of it, so he just passed out!  I was told to keep a very close eye on him and to call if anything else happens. The we were discharged and went home!

This experience is definitely one that I wish didn't happen, although I learned so much!!  Life is just so precious, especially with these little ones. Being in the moment with my kids has become so much more important to me!  My family is  world and being with them is what matters most!!

Here's some shots of Ben at the hospital.

priorities

Oh how I love spending my mornings with Kate when the older three are at school. I've learned to truly cherish these moments and put aside everything else. The laundry and dishes can wait...snugglin with this girlie, and my sweet babe on my shoulder, is definitely priority!

books, books, books

Isaac and Kate absolutely love books...they always have. Isaac requested to read to Ben, so I laid him down on the bed so that he could read him a story. Kate just wants to read the same book over and over...she definitely has Pajama Time memorized. 

Toys

Ben has discovered the joy of holding toys this week. It's so cute watching him grab a toy and hold it in front of him so that he can focus so hard on it. These little milestones are so fun :).

Halloween ~ 2014

I think Halloween is our second favorite holiday!  All if the children were so excited his year to dress up and get loads of candy. I, of course, waited until the last minute to get costumes ready, but I did it!  It was a relief when they were all done. It's crazy how much work goes into getting FIVE kids ready for Halloween!  But I sure do love it.

Here's Noah and Leah headed off for a super fun day at school!  The parade was so fun and I was able to help in Leah's  class. 

Noah as a Nerd!!  His costume was super easy, and I think it turned out so awesome!!!  He knew exactly what he wanted to be this year and be pulled it off well!

Leah as Anna from Frozen!!  Leah was initially going to be a Utah Cheerleader, but then I found this dress for a great dr and it was too pretty to pass up!!  Leah was so excited and insisted we do her hair accordingly!  I did my best, and she was happy :).

Isaac as a Cowboy!!  This boy...he is so easy to please!  I told him I had this costume from when Noah was a cowboy at his age, and he was set on it. Isaac loves to dress up, so he had a grand time  this Halloween and played the part perfectly!

Kate as a Kitty!  This was the only costume that I made this year. I made the  skirt from tulle {and Kate's obsessed with it} and I made the ears out of felt and some fuzzy fabric. It turned out so so cute!!

Ben as a Dragon!!  Cutest little dragon ever!

Our friends came and helped us carve out pumpkins this year and they turned out great. The kids loved them.

It was definitely a fun night!  We got too much candy, but that's what it's all about!!  Love this little crew of mine!!

Ben's Blessing

Ben was blessed at the beginning of October, and it was so wonderful.  Baby blessings are such a wonderful moment in our lives, and I was so looking forward to Ben's.  Mostly because this is our last baby, and I really wanted to take in every moment.  

We woke up super early {we have 9:00 church} and got everyone ready for church.  I woke Benjamin up last and fed him and got him ready in his blessing outfit.  The same outfit that Noah and Isaac wore on their blessing days.  I'll always remember putting it on him and being taken back to when Noah and Isaac were blessed...such a special time in our lives!  

We were so lucky to have Doug's family come to the blessing, as well as some of my family.  When the time came, Doug went up to the front of the congregation, along with Paul, John, Raul, Spencer, and my uncle Mike.  Ben was surrounded by such a great group of men that I know truly love him.  Doug's blessing was so perfect.  It was so sweet and I'll always cherish that moment...the spirit was so strong in my heart and I knew that this babe was sent to our family for our gracious Heavenly Father. I will always try my best to raise him in the way that the Lord wants me to.  I love when the spirit manifests to me the truth of the gospel...I'm so happy to know the truth and know that the gospel really is true.  And I want my children to know this too!  I know that the blessing that Doug gave Ben was so special in that Doug was inspired by Heavenly Father with what he was to say.  Such a special moment!

Once the blessing was over, Doug came and sat down and my Grandma Fowler, who was sitting next to me, grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her and said "You made the right choice!".  I know what she meant when she said that...she meant that I made the right choice when becoming a member of the church.  I am so glad that she reminded me of that.  I, of course, was prompted to bear my testimony, so I went up and shared what my Grandma had just said to me.  And, of course, I was balling my eyes out all the while.  I can't bear my testimony without crying...it's just the way it is.  The spirit overcomes me and I can't help but shed tears of joy.  I'm so thankful that I was able to bear my testimony with so much family there.  To let them know how grateful I am to be a part of this great work and that I know it to be true.  

Ben has blessed our lives immensely in the time that he has been here on earth.  He is a piece of heaven right in our house, and I just love it so much.  We all love him so much!  

It was a great day!  A day that I will always remember! 

My forever family!  Love this family of mine more than words!

Ben ~ 3 months

Three months old and as cute as can be!!  We are smitten with Benjamin and he has each of us wrapped around his little finger!

At 3 months, Ben...

...weighs in at 12 lbs!  He's starting to really fill out and has the cutest little leg rolls.

...has graduated to 6 month clothes.  He is a long little guy and his 0-3 month clothes were getting way too short on him.  It was a little sad when I boxed up his first set of clothes.

...has started smiling so so much!  He pretty much smiles whenever we talk to him, which is just the sweetest thing ever.

...has discovered his hands and loves looking at them.  He's constantly staring at them and moving them around.  So cute.

...absolutely hates his carseat!  He screams his head off each and every time that we put him in it.  It's so frustrating because it's the only option when we go somewhere.  Hopefully he'll grow out of it soon.

...does not like it when I burp him, yet it's a necessary thing!

...spits up all of the time!  It's crazy how much he spits up!  He goes through about 3 outfits a day...and I do too!  We definitely do a lot of laundry around here because of it.

...loves to be held all of the time...and I don't mind!

...prefers to take naps in my arms.  As soon as he's asleep, he snuggles into my chest or neck, and it's just the best!  I'll hold him during his naps as long as he wants :).

...sleeps so so well at night.  Thank goodness for that!

...rolled over for the first time at the beginning of the month, which was SO exciting!!  ALL of us witnessed it and we all started to cheer as soon as he did it.

We love our sweet little caboose so so so much!!!  He's the perfect baby to compete our family!  Love him!!