3 Months

Mr. Eli Owen turned 3 months old on Sunday.  What a big boy we have on our hands!

Eli at three months is such a good baby.  He loves his mommy and is pretty content as long as I am the one holding him.  He gives the best smiles and will talk to almost anyone after his tummy is full and he has play time.

Eli eats just about on a 3 hour schedule during the day, but at night...Oh, how we love our little Eli at night.  I can feed him and put him to bed at 7 with Avery and he will sleep a glorious 7 or 8 hours until 2 or 3 in the morning.   He then eats quickly and goes back down until another "night" feeding around 5 or 6 and then sleeps until 7 when he wakes up for the day.  Can I just say what a relief this is?  I am still getting up with Avery, Noah and even sometimes Gage!

This boy is really strong and loves to try and stand when you hold him.  He also loves the football hold.  When placed on his tummy for tummy time he starts moving!  I can't believe it, but I think he will be a very fast crawler.

Eli's personality is so far so easy going.  As long as he isn't hungry..or being mauled lovingly by his sister.  He totally just rolls with the punches.

This morning Gage and Noah were talking to him about different things.  I over heard part of their conversation and it went something like this:
Scene:  Avery wildly run by
Gage: "Eli, that is our sister Avery"
Noah "Yes, and we have to love her, even when she is wild.  You will get used to her."

Happy 3 Months little Eli.  You are now one quarter of a year old!

thankful:6

You might think I'm silly, but one thing I've been thinking about lately is how thankful I am for good deals!  Let me tell you - a family of 6, 2 in diapers, I am always looking and trying got learn new ways of saving us money.  If Resident Dr's got paid for the HOURS that they worked, not salary, I might not have to worry about this so much.  But that only happens in my dreams. So...on to the deals I am thankful for:

Really - you can't beat this kind of mark down, now can you?  My mom and I found these pre-lit Christmas trees last year and bought them.  They brought mine (and theirs) up for decorations at our church's Super Saturday this weekend.  Since it was already out of the box - we have it up.  Not decorated...unless you count the kids army men and lego's, but it's up.  The boys love it.  Even the color lights (I would have preferred white) provide a fun ambiance.  Decorations will be coming on Friday.  I can't wait!

Seriously good deal though, right?


Good deal #2.  My friend Julie posted it about it on her blog.  Shutterfly is giving away up to 50 free holiday cards if you BLOG about them!  That's it.

I LOVE Shutterfly, and I'm not just saying that because of this blog.  Out of all my photo books, almost all are Shutterfly and the other ones, well, they just aren't as good quality.  I have one of Avery's first year, one of Eli's birth story.  I have some of beach trips we've gone on.  I've really got into the photo book options since my scrapbooking time has diminished lately.

You can find the deal here (link).

As far as holiday cards, these are the two that I like.

I also make a calendar each year for my MIL.  I used to make real paper scrapbook ones, then I switched to digital.  They are so much easier.  I think they have some really cute options this year.

But the hardest part of this whole holiday card situation?  Getting Wade to take family pictures with us. Between his work schedule, call, studying for national boards and his "allergy" to family photo's, I am almost tempted to take them and then just draw him in. Anyone have suggestions?

(And happy snow day!  We all stayed at home, because they don't clear roads here and we couldn't get up the hill to take Gage to school Fun Day!)

thankful:5

Today after church we got the best surprise, snow!

You might have to look close to even see it.

But trust us, it's there.  And this little dusting is just enough to make us very very excited about it!

And perhaps we even miss those good huge Iowa snow storms.  Just for a moment.

So tonight I am thankful for this nature, and the beauty of this world we live in. 

 It's such a wonderful place to be!

thankful:4

Today I am thankful for our families. I am thankful for family history and the stories we get to tell and re-tell our children many times.  Wade and I have lost all 4 of our Grandparents, some of them we got to know, some of them we didn't, but the stories we remember we like to share.

The other night while eating breakfast for dinner. Wade finished off the last of the homemade raspberry jam (thanks Uncle Ted!) and proceeded to tell the boys a story about something he used to do with his Grandpa.

After finishing a quart of their homemade jam, Grandmpa Marlin would then fill the jar with milk and he and Wade would shake. Then together they would share a "raspeberry shake."

The boys loved this fun story, but most of all they loved shaking up the quart jar and drinking it (straight from the jar) with their Dad.  A memory that I don't think they will forget.

thankful:3

Today I am most thankful for: Health.  Mine (it's been almost two months that I've been sick, but I know someday, soon I will feel better!).  Wade's health.  Our kids health.

Avery had a cardiologist appointment today.  When she visited the Dr. after her last febrile seizure and the Dr. heard a heart murmur that we wanted to get checked out (heart murmurs become more prominent during fevers).  Not only was she the best behaved little girl ever today, but her heart checked out fine.  She does in fact have a murmur but it is innocent.

I am thankful for my parents.  They are awesome.  They drove all over Washington today, and one of the stops on their trip was helping me set up for a Super Saturday (think big craft day if you don't know what that is) I'm in charge of tomorrow at church.  Not only did they help me, but then they helped me with the very tired and hungry kids when we all got home and are coming back up tomorrow to help me again.  I am so thankful that we are allowed this opportunity to live by family.  We haven't always, and it is very nice.  The kids always cheer when they hear Grandma and Grandpa are coming for a visit.


And tomorrow...gasp....I hope to post with pictures.

thankful:2

This week I have been thankful for our home.  For electricity.  For heat and running water.  For all our appliances working right.

We had a big wind storm this week  (oh yeah - and an earthquake?!) and some of our friends lost power for over 16 hours.  We had them over for play time and dinner on the end tail of their experience.  I am so grateful for our fun friendship and that I know I could call on her anytime for anything I need as well.

I'm grateful for emergency preparedness and as little as we have, that we do have some sort of plan.

thankful:1

I really wanted to do a blog thankful list this year.  I've done it before but I wasn't sure I couldn't keep up with a daily blog post this year.  What I can do though is a week, with or without pictures, and most posts will include more than one item I am thankful for.  So here we go.

One thing I am thankful for is one-on-one time.  

Sunday afternoon I laid on the floor with Avery and played pour and scoop for over and hour.  

Let me back up:  Saturday I had an early church meeting and then I came home with plans to grab the kids and leave for my parents house so we could stay out of Wade's hair while he studied for his National Boards.  Things didn't go as planned.  Within 30 minute of being home I was so sick I couldn't even walk.  I spent  the next 6 hours on the floor of my room by the heater (or crawling to the bathroom) and being intermittently entertained by my phone apps.  Darn flu.  Gage and I are the only ones that didn't get our shots this year and he come home from school Friday with a "headache" and a very mild fever.  Perhaps I got it from him, I just wish I only had his exact symptoms.


From this experience I also want to list a huge thing I am thankful for:  my husband.  He put us first and put up with Eli, who screamed all day long.  If you only knew how stressed out about this test he is you would know how much it meant to me that he stayed home.  Most of the time there  is only one night he is home with us each week, and every Saturday this month I have had something planned, and he doesn't study on Sunday.  This doesn't leave him much extra time to study.  This Saturday was his day.  And he sacrificed it for me.  There is no possible way I could have taken care of the kids.  He also manged to play Dr. to me at the same time.  I love him.  He is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Back to my first original thankful item, one-on-one time.  Sunday I skipped church and kept Avery and Eli at home with me.  Eli took a nice long nap, Avery took about half the time.  But when she woke up we got to spend a good amount of time playing.  Just she and I.  I try to at least steal a handful of one-on-one time with each kid every day.  But when I do we both relish it.  I absolutely love their different spirits and personalities.  They are all so different, but have such similarities it's amazing!

And while there are days I love sitting back and watching them all interact together....even Avery interacting with Eli...when it's the nice way (her new favorite game to play is trying to sling shot him out of his bouncy seat.)  I am also most grateful for one-on-one time.  Learning and watching them grow leaves me in awe. They are amazing spirits to me.  And I am privileged to be their mom.

Fax

Wade was in a hurry the other day at work and asked the nurse to help him load paper in the fax machine.

Today he went to work today and found this:

I thought we had a few nurse friends who might appreciate it!

Avery's Paradise

Sunday night after dinner Wade and I were sitting chatting on the couch when it got a little quiet upstairs. Always a bad sign...right? After a few minutes Gage came down and told us we HAD to see what they made. After following him upstairs we found this.

He explained that they dumped out every single toy, blanket and stuffed animal in Avery's room.  She then giggled and rolled around in it.  

Gage called it Avery's Paradise.

Noah 4

It's hard to believe that my funny Noah is 4.  

Hard to believe, but it's true.

(4)

Favorites according to Noah: (even I learned something new!!)
Color: Orange
Animal: Cheetahs, sharks and birds
Movie:  ET (So I'm pretty sure he's never seen it, he just likes looking at the movie case a lot!)
Show: Tom & Jerry
Song: I hope they call me on a mission
Toy: My fast yellow motorcycle and track
Person: Daddy
Best Friend: Gage
Number: 9 (I would have guessed 4, but whatever floats his boat!)
Thing to do: play with my hot wheel shark toy
Food: scrambled eggs
Drink: orange juice

(3)

My funny Noah.  You are such a great boy in our family. You have always been easy going, even as a baby.  I hardly ever got baby smiles from Gage, but you gave me baby smiles and hope.  You were such a chubby baby.  You loved to eat and still do.  You have been talking every since I can remember.  It feels like that anyway.  You are confident with your brother by your side.  He is your best friend.  When he is at school you tend to be more shy.

(2)

You learn entirely differently than Gage.  As a pre-schooler Gage loved story times, big activities, group parties.  You don't like big groups, you don't like loud noises.  You love to sit and learn with mommy quietly and one on one.  Honestly, I think you learn the most from watching Gage.  You would love to go to school with him every day.

There is one activity that you live for every week.  Each night when you go to bed you ask if it's church day the next day.  Mostly because 1.  You don't like having to wear church pants and 2.  You hope it's not church day, but playgroup at the church day.  Taking your bike to playgroup makes your week worthwhile.  Actually, I am not sure you really care that other kids are there.  You ask me each week if Mommy's friend Courtney to be there and you always make sure that I take your bike.

You still love to cuddle and hug.  But you will not accept kisses.  You went through a phase a few months ago when you wouldn't even leave my side.  You never wanted to go to babysitters or even leave me for Primary at church.  You spent a few weeks in Relief Society sitting quietly next to mom.  I'm glad you outgrew that phase, but I'm glad you still like to be with me.  I know you don't like to fall asleep for naps anymore, but I'm glad you still ask me if we can lay down and read books together for nap time each day.

Noah, you are excellent with Lego's, Where's Waldo and finding books.  You like hot wheel cars.  You love to learn about sharks.

(1st year)

Noah.  You and pants - you just don't get along.  I think your aversion to pants started around age 2.  Probably about the time you learned you could take them off yourself.  You still LOVE to come in the door and take off your shoes, socks and pants.  It really makes us laugh.  Jeans are your worst enemy.  You say you cannot play in them.  Good thing I have found you a lot of track pants.  You groan and growl a lot when I tell you they are all dirty and you have to wear jeans.

(newborn)

I love that every day when we come home you make me stop at the corner and let you get out so you can "race" me and the car home.  You love to stand there on the side walk and yell..Ready...Set...Go!

We love you Mr. Twister Noah and your entusiamsim for life.  You make us all smile.  I'm glad you had a fantastic super 4th birthday!

Halloween

For Halloween this year we started out with some Ninjas:

It was Gage's second year as a ninja.  I think he just likes it that I buy swords to go with his costume.

Ninja Noah.  Now he was pretty excited to be a ninja and super excited that Grandma Bullard could make an orange ninja costume, but two days before Halloween he decided he wanted to be a pirate again.  (At least it wasn't his first costume idea... to be an orange butterfly,??) His costume from last year didn't fit anymore so he got stuck being a ninja.  He was grumpy with me because he couldn't take his bike to ride at the trunk or treat either.  Then I told him that we would be eating bake potatoes and chili at church before we got candy...  Poor Sad Noah.  However, once he got some candy in his basket his worries were forgotten.

Princess Avery Ann.  She got to be a fairy princess.  Or at least that is what I put together for her.  I'll let her model all her costume changes over the weekend:

Fairy Princess:

Fairy Princess Diva:

Her she is in fine form as a Fairy Princess mad that her legs don't fit in the baby puppy costume.  She wore it around the house every night last week on her head and arms.

Nice Fairy princess at the church trunk or treat:

And one of my personal favorites, the evil ninja fairy princess.  

And last, but not least:  Little Puppy Eli.  He was so super cute.  It only took me 4 kids to finally break down and BUY a Halloween costume, but I must say the cute-ness was worth the half price deal I got!

Happy Halloween!