5 years {Wyatt}

On January 9th, my first baby turned 5!!! How in the world do I have a 5 year old already?! The day Wyatt was born our lives changed forever. Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a Mommy more than anything else. All my prayers, wishes, and dreams as far back as I can remember asked that one day I'd be a Mommy. And this little guy started it all. He has brought more laughs, smiles, and special memories to us than I can count. He's a bundle of sweetness with his caring heart and a ball of fire with his adventurous, fearless personality. There have been many times that Chris and I just look at each other and can't believe that God has blessed us with so much.

I did a birthday interview with Wyatt this. Here is what he told me:

Favorites...
person? Aidan
color? blue, green, red
TV show? Ninja Turtles (I don't let him watch this so of course he told me how he wishes I'd let him watch it because it is his favorite)
movie? Polar Express
outfit? builder dress up (there's a vest and tools in the dress up bin that he loves)
sport? football
song? Planes song (the song that the movie Planes starts with)
friend? Aidan
book? Toy Story
vacation? the beach
memory? beach with Aidan
thing to do with friends? play catch
thing to do with Mommy? play games
thing to do with Daddy? build towers
thing to do with Kenley? ride bikes and ride the police car
thing to do with Reagan? kiss her and be so cute with her
toy? Dusty
food? nuggets and fries
animal? lions, tigers, cheetahs, and deers
fruit? apples and grapes
veggies? carrots
candy? gummies and gummy bears

What do you want to be when you grow up? a race car driver, marry Harper and be Eric (Eric is the prince on The Little Mermaid)
What are you good at? school
What do you wish? for Jesus in our heart
Who is your biggest hero? Aidan, me (himself), Tate (then I explained what a hero is and he said Ninja Turtles)

All about Wyatt:
He has LOTS of energy. Loves to create and come up with new ideas. He loves learning and loves school. His heart belongs to his sisters. He is the best big brother ever. He loves to play, loves his friends, loves to be outside. He loves any form of water. His TV time has to be limited (and what he can watch) because he is so animated that he acts out characters and this can get him into trouble. He needs his sleep. He wants to help and likes to have jobs to do (if it's a job he likes and wants to do at the time). He loves structure and loves to know "what's next." He asks me every night what we are doing the next day? He loves praise and gets a huge smile when he knows you are proud and he is proud, but he tries to hide his smile and it's very cute. He also smiles when he's nervous or in trouble (just like his Mommy). If there's a flower, he always picks it to give to Mommy. If Daddy is on the floor, he wants to roll around and wrestle. If Reagan is close by he wants to kiss her even though he's not supposed to (he can hardly stop himself). He takes care of, teaches, and plays with Kenley all the time. His favorite place to go is Grammy's.

These are a few of the things that make Wyatt, Wyatt. He keeps us on our toes and keeps our hearts full.




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Bathtime

Kenley wanted her hair up like Mommy's after her bath. She sure makes me smile! And simply putting a towel on her head made her day!





And Reagan loves water, too! Now she even likes to grab the toys and try and get them to her mouth. Tea party time in the tub!


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5 Months {Reagan}

I'll say it again, time sure does fly when you're having fun. We've gotten into a pretty good routine over the past month or so and Reagan has been growing so much and learning tons. We stay busy and she goes with the flow really well. She loves to watch the big kids do anything. They can make her laugh instantly. She's been babbling quite a bit and loves to tell us stories.

One of the biggest changes lately is finally getting on Prevacid for acid reflux. I suspected she was having some issues early on and we tried probiotics, which helped, but then she got a cough that wouldn't go away (I didn't realize that was a symptom of reflux at first) and started having pretty miserable afternoons of screaming fits. As soon as we got medicine we noticed HUGE changes the very next day. It was amazing. I felt really bad that she had been hurting but grateful for medicine that helped so quickly.

She started food right at 5 months and did great. We started her off with bananas. I tried some rice cereal before 5 months (I know you aren't supposed to) trying to help whatever was wrong (the reflux) and it was a DISASTER. She screamed worse the rest of that day. Needless, to say I'm too scared to try rice cereal again even if it was just because she was too young. She's loving her fruits and veggies so I think we will stick with that.

We also got her ears pierced at 5 months. Chris is still not a fan of this, but it was easier since Kenley's are done so I'm sure he assumed I'd be doing Reagan's.

She loves her binky and chewing on anything - her blankets, her toys, her fingers, and anything else that she can get to her mouth. As soon as we started the Prevacid she moved to her crib since she would finally lay flat without screaming. And just like Kenley did, she sleeps in a sleep sack blanket and loves it. She knows it's bedtime/naptime when we put that on. She loves to cuddle and be rocked before bed.

Her big brother and sister love her so so so much! If the big kids wake up before Reagan, they always ask about her and can't wait until I say we can go upstairs and get her. They always beat me up there and get in the crib. I call them the Wake-Up Welcoming Crew. And I'm pretty sure Reagan loves this as much as they do. It's super sweet.

Things are busy here and every month I take these pictures a little late. I meant to put a bow on Reagan and got so worried about getting a picture that I totally forgot. But who needs a bow when you've got a smile that'll light up a room like this one, right?!

Oh and that little square pink thing is totally worth mentioning. It was a gift, but some genius out there made a square piece of fabric and put crinkle material in it so it's the perfect size for a baby to hold and it crinkles. Genius! She loves it!














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Gingerbread Village

I got a cute little gingerbread village that came with 4 different houses. It was so cute and perfect because I wanted to do one, too. The kids had a cold that lingered for a few days and we stayed inside away from other people and I kept the big kids (the sickies) away from Reagan, who stayed in my bedroom. The week was rough. The kids didn't feel well, were cranky, and no one got as much attention as normal. I was going back and forth between a gate I had set up to divide Reagan's space and the sick space (even Chris was sick and I made him sleep on the couch). Our gingerbread house party became the perfect activity to spend some one on one time with the big kids and relax and have fun.

This picture cracks me up. I'm pretty sure we are all related and have the same crafting faces. I'm sure crafts come out better with your head tilted a little and this expression. Right?!

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Ice Ice Baby

An ice storm came to Texas and we got "snowed" in for a few days. School was cancelled, lots of places were closed, several people lost power, and things were a little crazy. Luckily, we had power and so we stayed nice and cozy at home... except for all our little adventures.

It was pretty much a skating rink right outside our door and the kids had fun slip-sliding around. Uncle Garrett spent a few nights with us, which was great for Wyatt because they could venture outside more often than when I went out. The boys had a blast playing in the back yard and spent hours kicking icicles and blocks of ice.

 

Here's Kenley the first morning before I dug out her snow clothes. She couldn't wait to get out so I threw a few things on her and let her check it out.

 



This is what Wyatt walked out in at first. I had to send him back in to get more clothes.

We save movies on our DVR and we had to replace it this year and lost all the kids' movies. Wyatt waited and waited for Frosty to come on again this year. He asked me just about every day if it was the day Frosty came on. So we had a hot chocolate, popcorn, and movie night.

When the kids went to bed Chris and I played the new game that Elfie brought us. He won! I'm sure he will want that documented because it doesn't happen often. He won the 2nd night, too. :(

Reagan loved the "snow" days, too.

And so did Cope! Well, maybe not so much, but he made it work.

Our poor trees got so weighted down by the snow. Luckily, we didn't lose any.

We went sledding in our neighborhood where we have a pretty good hill. It was so much fun. Everyone bundled up in snow suits and lots of layers and out we went to play. Reagan was in her snow suit in her carseat covered with blankets and then the carseat was covered with blankets. She was super cozy and slept through all the excitement. (See her in the wagon.)

We also pulled a storage bucket for the kids to ride down the hill in. They loved it until they figured out the cookie sheets were faster and then they stepped it up to those. Chris and I may have had just as much fun as the kids flying down the hill!

By the end of our snow days we were ready to get OUT!!! What better way to kill some energy than to go play at McD's with friends.

And another of my cute snuggle bunny.





The ice melted slowly. Uncle Jeff works for NTTA and they were so busy working overnight shifts for DAYS that I got to keep my sweet niece, Peyton, one day. I took this picture of the kids loaded up in the "bus" so we could take Wyatt to school.



Our chilly little week was full of great memories. Now we've decided we need to buy a real sled and are hoping to get some real snow so we can build a snowman.

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Thanksgiving

I was determined to get pictures on Thanksgiving this year and I still did a horrible job. We get so busy and things get crazy and I never get very many. But we had a wonderful day. We went to Pap and Stacy's house for lunch, family, and football. Everything was amazing and just hanging out was great. Wyatt calls his construction worker vest a fireman vest and so we were well prepared in case the turkey caught on fire. Luckily, our fireman didn't have to put out any fires.

Wyatt ran off to play with Uncle Garrett, Reagan was snoozing in her carseat, and Kenley was hanging out by the food so she is the only one that got Mommy and Daddy pictures. 

We had dinner at my mom and Jerry's. My dad and Michelle didn't get to come this year because they had awesome suite tickets at the Cowboys game (where they were served a whole Thanksgiving dinner and didn't eve have to clean up... score!). We hung out, ate more, and watched more football. Then Chris took the kids home and it was time for the annual Black Friday shopping. Here's the deal... I'm really good at buying things on sale and finding great deals. The week before Thanksgiving I ordered things from Old Navy with free shipping and 50% off the entire order FROM MY COUCH. So Black Friday shopping isn't really about the deals for me. Especially since I'm not throwing myself into any fights over saving any amount of money and my kids aren't wanting any toy that's selling out in 5 minutes. But the last few years it's become a fun little tradition. And the best part is getting to finish my Christmas shopping when my kids are in bed! This year it was just my mom, little Sarah, and me. We should've gotten a picture, but we didn't. We had a blast. We all talked and talked and laughed and laughed. I totally think that for those reasons we will keep this little tradition going.

I am so thankful for all the people in my life and all the blessings we have. I'm thankful for the best times and thankful for all the challenges along the way. God has a wonderful plan and I'm always trying my hardest to trust His plan.
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Catching Up {Kenley}

This sweet little girl has been every bit of 2... cute, mischievous, sweet, and into everything. I really love this age. I love watching the curiosity and learning that's going on in a 2 year olds mind. You can totally watch them and see their little minds working. So, check out what Kenley's been up to...

 

This girl loooooooves makeup. Loves it. If I don't know where she is for 30 seconds she will have mascara (which is now on lock down) all over her face or nail polish (also on lock down) all over her hands. Here is her work from yesterday morning..

 

Wyatt kept explaining to her how much trouble she was in.

Our Elf on the Shelf, Elfie, brought these little mosaic crafts where you put sticky foam squares on the colored squares on the picture. Kenley worked so hard on hers. I even facetimed Chris while he was at work so he could observe the difference between boys and girls. At this age, Wyatt would have gone super fast and just stuck things. Kenley, however, took her time, pulled off ones that weren't done well enough for her, and wanted to put the colors in the right spot. Love my kids' concentration faces.

The kids found a teeny tiny barrel of monkeys I have in my old teaching bucket of prizes. Here Kenley is attaching all the monkeys.

This is my absolute favorite picture of Kenley ever! The girls and I went shopping while Wyatt was in school. At Old Navy Kenley found this headband (for a big girl) and carried it throughout the store. I checked out and then she realized we weren't getting it and was so sad. I decided to let her get it and she was sooooo proud. I told her to smile and show me her new bow and this is what I got...

I got new blush and let Kenley have the old one to play with and here she is all dolled up by herself with blush (pretty sure all over to face), chapstick, and her heels. Boys are born knowing how to make a gun out of anything and girls are born with a passion for makeup and shoes.

Wyatt and Daddy went hunting one weekend (that post is coming soon from Chris). The girls and I hung out all weekend. We rode the carousel and she got 2 more princesses from the Disney store to add to her collection.

 



That same weekend Kaleton was in town and we got to go to dinner with them.

 



Kenley brings me stuff all the time and says "Here you go, Mommy," and it's the sweetest thing ever. She says it so cute and gets so excited. Here she is bringing me her homemade soup.

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