Update

Our baby boy is 4 months old.

We had his appointment last week with Dr. Miller.  He's a BIG boy :)

Weight: 15 pounds 6 ounces 50th percentile
Length: 25.5 inches 75th percentile
Head: 16.75 75th percentile

Severan is the sweetest, most lovable, happiest, most cuddly, amazing baby!  He is joy and laughter and goodness wrapped up in pure adorableness :)  And he is on track with everything developmentally

He is rolling over - back to front and front to back.
He is grabbing for toys and shaking them, quite violently I might add :)
He is laughing, a lot!  And of course still smiling a lot.
He listens to us and 'talks' back.
He is extremely vocal in the morning when he first wakes up.
He loves watching his brother and sister talk to him and do their thing.
He looks for us when we talk to him.
He is sleeping 8-9 hours at night and is on a pretty regular eat/sleep schedule during the day.
He loves his Mama :)

We have a good time together during the day.  I usually sit by him on the floor while I work on my computer and we both love the time together.  He talks and rolls over, talks and rolls over and makes me smile.  Love this little dude!

My big sweethearts are growing up too.  This is Blaine's last week of Kindergarten which we are all in denial about - even Blaine - because we love his teacher so much.  He gets teary eyed when he talks about leaving Mrs. Vogt and not having her as a teacher next year.  Sigh :(  What an amazing year our Mister has had though!  He has grown leaps and bounds and we're so proud of him.

Isn't he beautiful?  After an entire year of not missing a
day of school, poor guy had to miss two due to
a nasty virus he and his sister got. :(  Here he is sleeping
in the middle of the day!

Field Day 2014!

Dear Blaine's Future Wife: I'm doing my best to
raise him right.  Here he is cleaning!

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  I think we've found a winner people! :)

And then who do we have here?  The independent, fiesty, beautiful, funny one.

At swim lessons.

About to eat at Cracker Barrel.

Annie Oakley meets Beauty Queen.

Hannah has developed quite the attitude in the last 4 months.  I don't know where it came from but it has hit us like a freight train.  Girlfriend still loves pink, pink, dresses, and pink!

Severan's surgery is just about 5 weeks away.  I'm looking forward to getting on the other side of that surgery ASAP.

I can barely keep my eyes open (a common theme around here now) so I'd better get to bed.  G/night!

3 Months Old (Almost)

Oh, how much he has grown!

This amazing little dude will be 3 months old on Sunday and I just can't get enough of him!  This is what my little Mister is doing right now:

* laughing
* "talking" to us with the sweetest coos
* grabbing for toys
* sucking on his fingers (he also stared at his hand the other day for about a minute.  So funny!)
* Smiling at anyone that talks to him or at toys hanging above him (he's a happy baby.)
* Sleeping through the night and has been for almost a month now
* One long nap and two shorter naps during the day
* Making his Mama's heart explode with joy everyday!!

And the big kids are doing well too.  HG is only wearing dresses and skirts these days so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with her closet full of shirts and pants.

We went to Cabelas today and Blaine arrived at the fish tank just in time to feed them.  Score!

Last but not least, Big Papa arrived on Tuesday for a surprise visit (for the kids.) They were so excited when they saw him - Blaine's eyes even welled up with tears.  At school on Wednesday he wrote a story about Papa.  It's the sweetest story: "My Papa Came to Visit: Yesterday my Papa came from Michigan to Colorodoe.  First he watched me play Mario.  Then he wrestled with me.  Then he took a nap.  Then it was time for bed.  It was the best present ever.  The end!"

Here they are making fishing lures together.  Two peas in a pod, I say.

I'm going into my 6th week of P90X3 and clean eating plan (yay!) but plan to press pause on this workout so I can start Focus T25 in a new Challenge group.  It is going to kick. my. buns.  I'm hopeful it will kick my buns OFF! :)

Have a great weekend!

Give Me A Break...

We're rocking spring break!  Our mornings are filled with chores, a little TV and my workouts (which by the way totally kicked my buns yesterday!)  Then we venture out in the afternoon for fun activities.  Yesterday we painted pottery, today we went to the park and did some Easter crafts at home, and I have some secret fun planned for the next few days :)  Before I know it, school will be back in session and I'll need a vacation.

We had some fun taking some pictures today too:  Seriously, I have beautiful kids!

HG was making Handsome Boy laugh today.

Those eyes.  Sorry Ladies, he only has eyes
for a special girl in Austin.

Doesn't Sev looked shocked that I am letting HG hold him?  If you
haven't been around a three year old lately let me just sum it up by
saying she should be a wrestler.

Still shocked and such a pretty girl.

Blaine and HG are actually SMILING while touching one another.
\It's a miracle.

I'll cherish these forver.

Those are some BIG hands around a little dude.

I must end this post with a funny moment from HG.

Blaine was really upset in the car on the way home from the pool tonight.  As soon as he started getting upset HG says this little gem:

"Oh come on... Give me a break with the crying, BLAINE!"

She's 3.  And hilarious.

A Day Trip

This is a few weekends late but we had a fun day trip to Morrison, CO at the beginning of the month.  The weather is really warming up here so we are all getting anxious for summer and more outdoor exploration.

This is HG in the parking lot of the dino museum.  She was pouting
because David wasn't carrying her in.

Once inside, the pouting continued.

Silly David being eaten by T-Rex.

Pouting is over!  HG being eaten by T-Rex.

Mule deer at the park we found.

We had a lot of fun and this was only a short 30 minutes from our house.  Smiles all around ;)

Blaine is SIX! OMG.

Well, your birthday has arrived.  Blaine Miller, you are six.  SIX!  Excuse me while grab a box of tissue and sit down.

I love to look at pictures of when you were a baby.  I remember it like it was yesterday.

And then you were the cutest toddler.  With your beautiful curly hair.

And then sometime between then and now you grew up!  

This is too much for a Mama to handle. Oh, how I love you BML.  Your birth thrust me into the world of motherhood and God couldn't have done any better, blessing us with you on this day in February all those years ago.

Your Kindergarten year has been nothing short of spectacular.  I am not just saying this because I'm your mom - but you are a brilliant one.  On every standardized test they have given you, you have blown past the benchmark and are months, if not a year+, ahead of your peers.  Your school recently held mid-year conferences and Mrs.Vogt decided to have her class do a student-led format rather than the typical parent-teacher format.  You did AWESOME!

Here you are setting everything up.

Here you are presenting your reading progress.  You're almost
reading at an end-of-first-grade level.

You had to wait patiently for a friend to finish reading this
information before you could start.  You whispered
to me, "Mom, it won't take me that long.  I know this."

Afterwards you told me you were nervous to do this with me, but you really nailed it Buddy!  You did everything in the order it was supposed to be done, explained your work to me in great detail and I was very proud to be in that room with you.  I remember on the first day of school you brought home a blank sheet of paper which was supposed to have a picture on it and then a sentence to describe what you did last summer.  Though you knew what we did last summer you couldn't quite get it out on paper.  Well, Writer's Workshop is a whole new experience for you now.  You're writing books about "How to Make a Snowman" and this gem of a writing sample on the Statue of Liberty is one you should be proud of:

"The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of our country America.
You..."

"...can go to the top of the Statue of Liberty's crown and
look out of it.  The Statue of Liberty is green because it is
made of copper."

You continue to take an interest in science and math related activities but will willingly (and creatively) work on a craft or art project.  Soccer is your main sport interest right now and you're always willing to workout with me so I can (and I do quote) "get my fat gone" and get rid of my "mushy butt."  (Did I mention that you're a brutally honest one too! :)

You've matured a lot in the last year.  You're more willing to help with household chores, which is a big help to Mama and Daddy, and since Severan's arrival you jump at every opportunity to help care for him.  You have also shown a tremendous amount of empathy when he's upset and you take great delight in making him smile.  Let's hope this is the case when you're both teenagers!

You made your brother smile on your birthday.
What a gift you have!

When picking out your birthday cake it was
important to you that half be pink and half
be blue because "Hannah would like that."

And boy did she LOVE it!   You're so thoughtful, Mister.

You didn't think it was too bad either :)

King for the day!  You played video games, watched a movie,
ate dinner at Cracker Barrel and told us that really the only
thing you wanted was to spend it with your friend, Siri...
Or go to Hawaii!  Sorry we couldn't come through for you
with those gifts.  There is always next year :)

At your 6 year check-up Dr. Miller said you were in perfect health, though he wishes you would have gained a few more pounds over the last year.  You were 45 pounds and 44 inches tall.  

You are a remarkable young man, Blaine.  I love your curious, thoughtful and insightful ways.  You are a superb student, talented athlete, and a sensitive soul.  Truth is: you're a handful but you're my handful and I love you to pieces.

Happy 6th Birthday Mister!