Eve is 4?!!!

Wow, my Eve is 4! There is something about that number that kills me. I think, that the age of 3, I still considered moderately baby-ish. But not 4. 4 means full on kid, child, anything but baby. Preschool, extra curricular activities, play dates, etc. I feel like 4 is so grown up compared to 3. At least now when people see all the kids, and ask how old the are, I can say my oldest is 4 and they may not look at me like I'm certifiable...haha, oh well. 

Eve, she is incredible. She is so fun, and so energetic. She is curious, insanely curious. She must ask "why?" To everything. She's never satisfied with an answer, she must keep getting more information, all the time. Even when my answer is "I don't know Eve." She responds with "but WHY don't you know?" I think that hunger for more knowledge and answers will be a blessing. As for now, it keeps me on my toes. A while back she did a "why" phase, but I could respond with things like "oh because the grass is green" or something of that nature, no matter how unrelated it may be. She used to be satisfied with that, no longer is that the case. 

But have no fear, her sass is still here! She has some serious sass about her, she's always been that way, and probably always will be. She is becoming more and more like me, she acts like  me keeps looking more like me, and talks like me. Yikes! You need some serious verbal filters around her. 

She absolutely loves her dance class, she is so into it, and takes it very seriously, it's so adorable to watch. I love to see her being a little mommy t her younger brother and sister. Poor thing, being the oldest, I think too much is expected of her. And lucky for me, she just rises to the occasion. She rushes to give Greta her pacifier anytime she hears her fuss, she's always concerned for Graham's safety (for good reason) and she's always looking out for them. I love to see the nurturing side of her. 

For her real birthday (a few days after her party, we kept it quiet. We had dinner at a friends house, then came home to a few balloons and a special cotton candy cupcake for our special birthday girl. She "finally" got to open up her gifts from us and the family. It was great, she was thrilled, and just as happy as can be. Great day, because of excessive snow fall trains were down and dad got to work from home, and i got off work early. 

She's my Eve, so much like her mama it's scary. Happy birthday little lady!!!

Greta is 5 months

5 months. I guess I blinked, and it happened. She's getting so big so fast, she's fitting into more and more of Eve's clothes and they are looking more and more alike. She's done a lot this past month. She's a huge fan of her excersaucer, and jumper. Still isn't a fan of tummy time, I think she's just a bit on the lazy side. She lifts her head for a minute, then just turns it to the side and looks around, she's got two older siblings doing such interesting things, she's happy to just watch. It's all good though, I'm not ready for her to make any progress towards mobility. I love my stationary baby. 

Loving solids. And not afraid of flavor. In a week or so since she started, she's had green beans, sweet potatoes, and avocado. So far she's not too picky, let's pray she stays that way, I've got enough picky eaters. Still my little gem goes to bed well, occasionally wakes up looking for her pacifier, but other than that she's awesome. Laughs a lot, loves her feet, loves her bottles, loves the bath. Oh how she loves her bath! Her hair is still crazy, but it's getting longer and heavier, so that's a help sometimes. She's a sweet sweet little lady, so mellow and even tempered. She is so patient with Eve and Graham. 

Greta's first solids

Lately I've been wondering when to introduce cereals to Greta. I really have wanted to put it off, simply because I didn't want to take on any new challenges just yet, figured I had until she was 6 months. Well, the 5 month mark is this week, and she has been waking up more at night. She wakes anywhere around 4 times a night. She watches us eat, and follows our forks with her eyes, and throws out a quick grab every once in a while. So I finally decided to try a little cereal with her to see if that helps. I figured it couldn't hurt to try, if she wasn't ready, she'd let me know in her own way. I assumed it would be like her siblings, a big mess with no actual food intake, and lots of fuss. Not the case! She continues to amaze me. She slurped up that cereal so fast, very little mess and very little fuss. The only fuss was that I didn't keep the spoon coming fast enough. We were both very impressed at how well she ate and how much she liked it. Any apprehensions I had about this next step, have been put to rest. She's an all star. 

Miracle

It happens...all 3 kids looking at the camera, pretty much everyone smiling. Nothing short of a miracle! Also, I can't help but love how much all my kids look alike, Graham definitely has more Braden in him, and the girls me, but they all seem to look alike as well. I love it. 

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Lately I've been loving how much the kids are coming together. Eve is much more accepting of Graham and his "destroyer" like qualities. And Graham is so happy to tag along. I love seeing her trot on down to the playroom, and Graham rushing right behind her giggling. They both love to entertain Greta, and she's so patient with them. She even laughs at them now instead of just tolerating it. I know it's only the beginning, but it just warms my heart to see them play together. I try to enjoy it as much as possible before one inevitably is upset shortly after haha. 

3 cheers for a new year! Welcome 2014

2013 was a whirlwind. Last New Year's Eve, as we were preparing for the new year of 2013 we found out we were expecting baby #3. This New Year's Eve was a little less exciting :) we hung out with good friends and ate amazing food. The theme was cheese and bacon, everything had either cheese, bacon, or cream cheese in it. I didn't say it was healthy food, but it was amazing. 

We watched the ball drop from a youtube video with the kids at 8 pm. It was awesome, they got to have all the festivities without the meltdowns that inevitably follow with kids at midnight. It was perfect. 

Greta's blessing

One special part of our trip to Florida, was the blessing of our sweet baby girl. We had the privilege to spend this special day with my family, and have some of the men be in the circle to bless her. The bishop of the ward we were located in came to be with us and participate. He was so sweet to take time away from his family to come over to us, he even brought a sweet little gift for Greta. 

I think baby blessings are so precious, I have so much appreciation for my wonderful husband, my family, and my Heavenly Father. It was a beautiful blessing, and we felt the spirit so strongly. Greta was a real trooper, didn't make a peep! I was a bit worried, as we usually bless our babies when they are much younger, and right now Greta is very vocal. But it was very peaceful. It was a bit unusual to have it at our resort, but with the proper permission we were able to have a great experience with my family present. I am so grateful. 

4 months for Greta

This angel, is just that. An angel. She is such a blessing to have in our family. We all are so in love with her, she can't get a quiet moment alone, there is always someone who wants to look at her, touch her try to make her smile, etc. she is so dang cute. She is the happiest and smiliest baby of all time. 

She likes to fall asleep with my hand on her face, holding in her pacifier. She sleeps 11-12 hours at night with still 3 or more naps during the day. She now loves loves bath time, and enjoys splashing around. She's discovered her hands, always in her mouth, I love those chubby little fingers. 

She is now weighing in at 15 lbs, just over 50th percentile. She is a long girl though, 25.5 inches, putting her between 75-90 percentile! We love our role poly lady, she's so happy and interactive now. Really likes toys, and loves it when her siblings entertain her...most of the time. Oh, and her hair...her hair! I can't tame that mane no matter how hard I try. But it's ok, she's so cute I'm sure no one will notice? 

G man is 18 months

I am absolutely obsessed with this photo. It really just says so much to me, I see the bruises that are constantly all over his face and head due to his exploring and the consequences of his curiosity. He is actually letting me hold him, which is extremely rare. I just love the vulnerable look on his face, he is always so goofy and silly, it's a big change. He loves his mama.  

This kid, he just cracks me up. He is so michevious. He is hilarious to watch as he irritates his sister on purposes it's amazing how quickly the sibling relationship sets in. He just waits for her to put her favorite toys down and then he just swoops in, grabs it, and takes off running with it, his sister's screams only fueling him to run faster. 

He is still my big boy, height is still up here in the charts 90th percentile and weight the 75th. His head is still in the 90-95th percentile. Looking more like his daddy everyday. 

He is very active, always getting into something, usually that he shouldn't. Everything is his "Everest" and must be climbed. He has zero awareness if mess, but I think that's just the boy thing...Eve was never messy, she hated stuff on her shirt, or fingers, or face. But not G, he doesn't care one bit. He would wear the same diaper all day if you let him. I'm continually seeing the differences between girls and boys. 

He is so funny, he is really into the movie Monsters University, and likes to "scare" you now. He runs up and says "roar!" With his hands out. 

Oh the mess! 

His curiosity seems to get him into some interesting situations. 

Floridian Christmas part 4: big kids and Christmas Day

I love my people.  We are all really kids at heart. My best memories are from late night shenanigans and banter with my family. We spent many late nights playing Settlers of Catan ( I know, incredibly nerdy, but so much fun) and also many hours spent playing cards, namely the game scum. See the big chair at the head of the table, that's reserved for who is in the "president" seat. And scum has the footrest with no back support. I think Scott, Braden and mark were the only ones who didn't spend some time in the scum seat....next time boys. These moments for me are priceless. The playful trash talk, with reminicing old times, mom and dad still find out new thing every time we all get together. 

My parents were kind enough to let us be big kids for a day, they watched all 7 grand babies so the adults could do universal studios for a day. Highlight of the trip! 

Driving up to it, on Christmas Eve, we saw the insane amounts of cars lined up to get into the parking. We were debating if we should just turn around and skip it, but the man at the parking boho said it only gets worse after Christmas. So we decided to brave it and try it out. Well, it was crazy packed, but we took a bit of a risk, and purchased the "fast pass" option they have. It's a bit of a sting on the wallet, but it completely changed our experience. We knew we only had one day to do this, so we went for it. With this pass you can skip all lines! We never waited more than 10-15 mins to get on a ride. And some, like the new Harry Potter dragon ride, we were able to ride back to back 4 times! We spent our entire day doing non stop roller coasters and thrilling rides, it really was like being a kid again. 

Although there was one roller coaster, the rock n roll one, (see above) that you literally travel straight in into the air, I genuinely was fearing for my life! I love a thrill, no rides really scare me, but this one I was nearly in tears. No shoulder straps, and the waist bar I must not have had on tight enough, because if felt like I was going to fall out of my seat. My siblings thought the video they display of you afterwards was pretty funny, they've never seen my face like that.

I found this little beauty wearing one of uncle Scott's white elephant gifts. 

This was my parents' work of art. How great that they still had a little Christmas tree, or tree-ish for us? I thought it was brilliant, I should have done it at home, way less work keeping Graham out of it. 

Christmas was magical, the Edeards family made our Christmas breakfast, we all read the story of Christ's birth, and we all had a great morning chatting, and calling the siblings that couldn't make it. 

Our last day before the departure day was spent shopping, out at the pool, and just lounging. It was perfect. It was a sad goodbye, lots of tears as we parted ways. I can't wait until we meet again. 

It was especially hard for Eve to say goodbye to Sophie, these little cousins are so cute together, they are best buddies. They are attached at the hip whenever we get together. 

Floridian Christmas part 3: little helpers

I love my nieces! They were so fun to hang out with, and Eve just idolizes them. These girls are the best helpers, all of them were like little mommies to Greta. And Paisley, she was like a live in babysitter, she was so amazing with the kids. She would help at water parks, help at the pool, all the girls helped keep them occupied while the adults got ready. I really can't sing their praises enough.

These girls, ages ranging from 2-11 were just kindred spirits, and really had such a good time with each other. Graham, poor guy, was always kind of doing his own thing, he's too you and way too much of a boy to play with these ladies. They play pretty picnic, he runs in and steals the snacks when they aren't looking, they all color, he swipes crayons out of their hands, and things like that. It was quite comical to see it. 

It was so great to see them all so maternal, every single one of them were like little mommies, looki out for the babies and each other. I have to really give a top of the hat to my sister, she's done such a fantastic job with her girls. She's got a fine group of ladies. 

Floridian Christmas part 2

We spent 2 days at water parks. Blizzard bay, and typhoon Lagoon, so much fun! Great kids areas, great rides, we really got to be big kids. It was so much fun, and really exhausting for the kids, bonus! 

We left one of the waterparks a little early so we could participate in the Moss Park "light the night" 5k race. It was a great race, it was a mini festival with food trucks, bouncy houses, little local merchants selling their home bakes goods, and of course, Santa. Oh and Santa was on an air boat...only in Florida. 

Anyways, the race was beautiful, it was at night and you race through a park full of different light shows. I walked with Greta in the snuggly, and my parents pushed he stroller with the older 2 kids. Braden and skott were the only 2 actually running. I was in fact the last to cross the finish line, so I decided to go across in style, prancercise style. Have you ever seen prancercise? Hilarious, and she is actually from Florida, so the people there knew exactly what I was doing. 

This guy, isn't he something? This guy got first place in his age division! We couldn't be more proud!!!!

Floridian Christmas part 1

Well, flying with 3 kids under 4years of age...it was about as awesome as you'd expect. But we arrived at the resort about 1:30 am. So the next day we chose to just hang out, and have fun at the pool. We played bingo, had snow cones, and just got to catch up with each other. Did I mention they had a chick-fil-a just down the street from our resort? Yeah, that was awesome. 

 Day 2 we did Epcot center. Such a great place, the least crowded of all Disney parks, mainly because there aren't the most rides, mainly pavilions and gift shops. We had so much fun though, ate the amazing German food at the Biergartens, and took advantage of "rider switch" passes. Having 3 small kids was so awesome for this, we had a big group of 16 people, 12 of which can do most all the rides. So if you take a small kid to the entrance of the ride, they give you a "rider switch" pass. That admits 3 people into the fast lane. So I would go up with Greta, get a pass, Braden took Graham (with just enough time I between so they weren't suspicious of us being the same group) and one of my brothers would take Eve. So one person stayed with the babies, while the others would get to go on the ride together and skip the line. Perfect system. Possibly brushing on a moral grey area, but hey, it's Disney World during Christmas holidays, all bets are off. 

There were a few things for smaller children to do, but looking back, I'm not sure it was he funniest of days for them, they are just too young to really be interested in the different cultures presented at the different pavilions. But we did our best, and tried to keep the kids having a good time. We would play games and bubbles while waiting for others, and ate lots of treats. 

This picture....well, this says so much. See the photo bomber? Yeah, that's my little brother. See the obvious tourists in the background who were oblivious to the fact that we were staging a photo? Yeah, those are my parents. I love my crazy family. 

But the absolute highlight of the day...Meeting Mulan. Eve loves Mulan, she wants to watch it all the time on netflix, and she goes around karate chopping and ninja kicking around the house pretending to be Mulan. She's right up there with Tinkerbell. Anyways, we bought most the characters were done for the day, as it was getting dark. But I heard this shriek "mom! Mulan is here!" And just like that, a little girl's dream came true.