10 Months...

The Stats:

• Weight (at home) - 21.5 lbs
  
• 12 month oneies are tight... so we're doing mostly 18 month tops
  
• 12 bottoms are still a perfect fit;) Of course 18 month are better with a cloth diaper:)
• Naps in the morning and afternoon
• Bedtime 8:30-9, nurse again 10:30/11 sleeps until 5:30... yes!! Sleeps with us until 7:30ish
  
• Tooth Count: 5 visible another trying to push through... two on the bottom and almost 4 across the top!
  

Favorite Foods:

• Pasta
• Chicken
• LOVES mashed potatoes
  
• Watered down juice
• Starting to eat veggies a little more
• Oatmeal with a touch of cinnamon-sugar

• Really enjoyed his 1st spaghetti w/ sauce meal this week
  

New Tricks:

• While standing alone, he can bend down, pick up a toy and stand back up (amazing balance!)


• Holding our hands he "runs" on his tip-toes
  
• Has let go of holding and taken 3 steps alone... motivation?? sister's cookie:)
• Putting toys in and out of buckets
• Clearing out the tupperware cabinet so he can climb in
• "Ma-ma" and "da-da" or "da-dee" are very common sounds
• Some other maybe words are "anna" and possibly even trying to say "book" (he was holding one when he made the sound)

Favorite Things to Do:

• He's a BIG climber and will attempt to climb on anything!!
• LOves being outside!!! Cries when the kids go out and he can't :(

• Sit in the swing to watch the kids outside (but he doesn't like swinging very high)
• Banging on stuff like drums
• Playing with Chris' trucks... really drawn to a big fire truck Chris has
  

"Bad" Habits:

• Stealing our TV remote
• Playing in the toilet
• Loves the toilet brush and plunger ... yuck!
• Digs through the swept up pile to find Cheerios
• Everything goes into his mouth
  
• Yelling at table when he wants food (or more food)
• Biting my shoulder or leg (whichever he can reach) when he's hungry
• Laying across the bed... usually head on Brian, feet on me.... not really "bad"...LOL!!
• Getting stuck in the smallest of spaces... like under Chris' bed
• Attempting to grab everything he can reach when we get him next to a counter/sink
  

What We're Watching For:

• Still has some rough skin spots on his arms and legs
• Trying to keep him safe... it seems like he bumps his head 100 times a day
• That new tooth about to come "in"
• Keeping stuff out of his mouth since it's soooo HARD to get out.. he clamps those little gums
• Some food is still causing him to spit up??? Just trying to figure out what it is
• Still isn't clapping his hands???
  

Momma's Thoughts


This month we went through almost a week where I really was concerned about Nate being done with breastfeeding.... not that it was the end of the world, but I'd love for him to nurse until he was a year old and could make the transition to "milk". The end of nursing is very emotional, it's a very REAL way that my babies "grow up" and I'm soo not ready for Nate to be at that stage... not yet!

Anyway, it passed... I think he was just trying to cut back on the number of feedings and I was just worried too much:) So now he nurses early morning, 9 am, lunch-ish, 3pm, sometimes 6ish, 9ish and then the before Mommy sleeps... aka a "fill up". So it was like 10 times a day and now we're down to 6-7... very normal!

Nate continues to be a pretty content little kid when he's fed and not sleepy. He wanders to find a toy and he'll play for a bit and then wander to find something else:) What makes him challenging is where he wanders and what he tried to play with:)

Nate also loves his crib:) It's actually really nice that once he's fed and clean and almost ready for a nap I can place him in the crib... he'll play for a bit, fall asleep/nap and then play a little more before he calls out for someone to get him:) And I've got to be more disciplined about doing this.... but after his early morning feeding, he is fine with being placed back into his crib. SOme early mornings, I'm just too tired (or lazy or trying to get extra snuggles) to put him in the crib!

I just LOVE my curious little guy!! I love the stage he is in and his antics/messes can be exhausting, but right now they are sooo cute and I am just so thankful he is a part of our family!!

I wasn't very Wordless but you can find some other picture posts at 5 Minutes for Mom, Go Graham Go, To Be Thode and any other linkys I find !!!

Butterfly Garden with Grammie and Pey

On Friday, the kids and I took off to see my parents, Aunt jaclyn and Hannah! We visited some Butterfly Gardens near my mom and then swam in the pool. I also took some fun pics of Hannah (maybe some coming soon) so I didn't take many pool picks... we have ALL summer:)

Here are the kids and Grammie looking into the chyralises display... it had tons of chyralysasis and some butterflies that had just come out. They liked watching to see if they could see another emerge. I love this pic... can you see Anna trying to hold Christopher up so that he can see?? Sooo Sweet!

Butterflies...


A BIg FAT catepillar Grammie and the kids found!!

Here are the kids listening to a book about caterpilars read to them by the staff.

Lydia actually took this pic... I thought the kids were soo good and interested in the Butterfly Garden!

Pey and Grammie with the bigger munchins:)

Lydia couldn't wait to hold Hannah!!

Lydia kept admiring Hannah's feet. She'd rub them lightly with her fingers and then look up at us and say,"Hannah have cute little feet." Oh, my grown little baby!!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend... we'll see you Monday. Maybe with some Hannah pics??

Neat Painters

This morning, after schooling, we decided to paint!! I had them all set-up outside until ONE huge gust of wind took all our papers and tore down the easel....

After I gathered all my stuff, I had to get over the fact that we might have to paint inside!! Yesterday with just paper, glue and scissors was CRAZY so paint is even nuttier, RIGHT!!!

Well the kids really wanted to do it and I wanted them to enjoy the paints from Grandma and Grandaddy! And I LOVE giving the the opportunities to create:) So I let them have at it... while mantaining order of course:) I couldn't believe how NEAT they were!! I was AMAZED!! I even got to take pictures of them:)

Yes, even Lydia did a great job! See her little fingers.... those were the ONLY fingers with paint on them at the end:)

Who LIVES at YOUR house????

Do you have Shaving Cream Man ?????








Does COUSIN IT jump on your trampoline???


Or does ELMO ride a bike up and down your driveaway???

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

HE he heee... My kids are too cute!

Chris LOVES covering himself in shaving cream when he plays in the bath tub. Anna was jumping soo high in the trampoline... but her hair was EVERY WHERE! And Lydia is learning to peddle the tricycle... it's such a cute stage and I think it looks like the scenes of Elmo peddling... their little legs moving around and around just following the tricycle's lead:)

Snow Cries and Angels

We did finally get outside this morning.... I think each weighted 10 lbs heavier with all the layers of clothing I put on them:) But we didn't stay outside for more than 45 minutes or so just because it was wet, cold and Lydia was super fussy (totally NOT normal for my Buggy)!

They each took turns on the Gator.... although one was NOT happy about sharing.......

Usually we will verbally correct her and then the crying is gone. But today outside she just cried and cried, fussed and fussed!!

She wasn't too happy about me taking her picture, either! LOL


The kids have really loved riding the Gator:)

But today the snow had already begun to melt and so it REALLY, REALLY stuck to the wheels.

Here was Chris' turn to fuss.... he was completely stuck because there was too much snow on the wheels.... and he knew he needed to get to the sidewalk to get all the snow off;) Chris was the 1st one back into the house, which was unusual for him.

I think he got too cold. It was cold (duh, there is SNOW on the ground) but what made it COLD was the wind. And wet gloves and/or clothes plus wind = really cold:)

We tried making a snowman again... but the snow just wouldn't pack for us. Although I did get Brian with a couple of snowballs:) We couldn't be done with our (last??) snow until we made snow angels.....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Fun Weekend Pics:)

Swimming in the bathtub and hanging out with friends.... what else can you ask for during a weekend????

A Super Bowl Game??? LOL

Armed with a Camera

We gave Anna the camera to see the room from her view point and this is what we got:)
Lydia

Mommy

Grandaddy napping:)

Uncle Scott snoozing with Aunt Bea:)

DAddy and Chris hiding under the blanket:) A little camera shy:)

Uncle Larry

The Birthday Girl!! Gran-Grandma!

*** Somehow Anna didn't get a pic of Grandma....

She Likes IT, She LIkes IT

As I've mentioned before, my Lydia is a PICKY eater!! Lately it feels like it's gotten worse, or maybe I'm just noticing more through the different food during the holidays meals. Honestly during most of out holiday meals, Lydia ate bread, biscuits, fruit, some raw carrots and juice.

This week we've been putting the same variety of foods in front of Lydia but this time we're limiting her fruit and bread until she finishes more of her meats and veggies...

I don't like conflict at meals. But I don't want Lydia missing out on all the proteins and vitamins, either.

Two days ago I fixed some yummy sauteed pork chops.... when we "laid down the law" Lydia knew she wasn't going to just to eat the bread we had on the table. A few minutes later she started to eat.... she ate ALL of her pork chops. And then some of the leftovers the next afternoon!!

Last night we fixed spaghetti and meatballs. Usually if our spaghetti has larger pieces of meat (ie, sausage, chicken,etc) Lydia will just eat the spaghetti. In fact we've joked about switching Christopher and Lydia's plates when they stop eating because Lydia usually leaves all her meat and Christoher leaves all his spaghetti!!!

But last night, she LOVED her meatballs! She had two more servings of meatballs... she ate a little more than an adult serving!!



While I doubt this is the end of our "picky little eater" at least she is eating SOMETHING NEW!!!

Here is a fun pic of Christopher and his yummy meal:)

Bye-Bye :(

Well this morning we sent off the final wave of our visiting family. We would have LOVED for Grandma and Grandaddy to stay longer..... but they needed some rest ... ha ha ha

We've had a blitz of family and friends and Christmas activities this year. It seemed a little busier this year but I know in reality it wasn't any more or less busy.... but everything happened at MY house this year:)

So today (and probably tomorrow) will be filled with some tidying up and laundry. I decided just to strip ALL of our beds this morning so we'd start the week off with clean sheets... at least :)

We enjoyed ALL of visitors though and look forward to the next time we get to visit with you :)

Sitting Through Church

For the last month and a half I've been trying out something new for some of our Sunday evening services at church. The kids and I usually would visit a minute and march up to the nursery. In the nursery we'd either have a short devotion, learn a Bible verse, or play whle I tried to listen to the service over a baby monitor (wheich gets harder and harder the older the kids get)!!

But I really felt like I was distant from the church members and the fellowship by spending soo many services in the nursery. And I do have a couple of sweet families who regularly volunteer to take the kids to the nursery, but I always feel bad that they're up there with only MY kids.


Let me totally honest, the kids and I have had some good services and plenty of not-so-good services as we've had to learn what is expected of them during service. I wish I'd set aside time during the week to have them sit for 20 minutes in the church pews when the church was empty. But I didn't...

We've learned through trial and error! And we've learned how to do it all together. I would have preferred to bring one child into service at a time.... ahahhaa... but we just expained to them that they'd stay in service with Mommy and that they could play quietly during service with the items in our "church bag"!!

Sure, there have been plenty of times when I've had to take them outside or up to the nursery..... but they've reallybeen adjusting well.


Since they had been doing so well, I decided yesterday to take them into morning service for the first half..... hmmmm, NOT a good idea. With all the excitement during the weekend and then not giving them much warning, I was just waiting for the hymn time so I could sneak out with all three kids.....

But before I could get out, it was time for my husband - the pastor to introduce his topic and the Bible passage they were going to study during the service. As the kids wiggled and fussed he said, "And this morning we have a Message for Christian Families... [looking down at me with the kids] even loud ones." Thanks sweetie!!

Anyway, even though our morning service was completely chaotic, I decided to continue the torture- oppps, I meant training - during the evening service. I did change some of the activities in the bag (which always helps the situation) and Anna decided to sit with another couple, but the kids were excellent. I barely had to correct them or even speak to them. Brian even said a couple of times that he forgot they were in the service. I was even able to open a Bible (lydia was using mine) and follow along with the study.....

** Sorry about the awkwardness of the picture of Lydia. I was trying to be discreet during service!!

Cool Backgrounds

Andrea is always finding cool places to get some fun backgrounds outside. And being very, very new to "picture-taking" (ahhhaaa... not even going to use the real word b/c I'm soo inexperienced) my camera and I work soo much better together outside in natural light:)

SO I was walking through town with the kids and my camera (hoping to spy out a good place for some family Christmas pics) and I stopped to talk to a friend and found this little spot that had some fun old walls and props....

I thought I'd snap a few shots t see if I liked the spot or not.... it seems like older walls or even this post brings out the brightness of the kids and their clothing:) And I like that contrast....

*** I thought it would be a fun picture to have all the kids walking on the wall at the same time spaced just right..... ummmm... that never happened, they were too busy walking on the wall....imagine that:) So I just kept a picture to remind myself that it would be a fun picture to attempt one day:)

More Sunday Pics

I love taking pictures on Sunday afternoons as we first leave church. The kids are usually still pretty clean, they have a ton of energy and many days the weather has been gorgeous making colors stand out....






.... so today I got ok ones. I quickly realized that while I was in a photographic mood, everyone else was wanting to play, hungry and/or sleepy:) So we went home ate and napped.... all of us:)

And some of my pics might be a little better if I cropped them and messed with them a bit.... maybe tomorrow:)

Girls' Day

The girls and I left early this morning for the doctors.... they had to go for their well checkups (about time). ANyway, I like to put off doctor's visits because in the past they've been really tough to take.... Anna used to cry as we pulled into the parking lot and didn't stop until we were pulling OUT.

Maybe it's because she is 4 now... or because she is experienced or more sensible, but she did a great job. She was a little hestitant and didn't obey doctors and nurses immediately but she complied.... And of course we found out that she growing like a weed... she's in the 70th percentile with height!! She got all the tall genes... and might be taller than both Brian and I! Lyddie Bug is growing quickly too.... and although I think she's a little pudgy, she's right where she needs to be:)

After the doctors we headed to Krogers (to scoop up some sales)with some friends. When we went in it was pouring down rain, when we were coming it out the weather had cleared a bit. But Anna wanted to use her cute little umbrella again. Here's a picture that Andrea snapped:

So that's a pretty good pic of her hair now:)

Our morning was filled with playtime and lunch with friends and then a grocery run to Wally World. A busy but fun morning/ early afternoon!!

When Christopher woke up from his nap, he was soo sweet. I asked him about his morning/early afternoon with Daddy. I asked him about lunch and this is how the conversation went:
Me:"Did you eat hamburgers?"
Chris: "yep"
Me: "Did you eat french fries?"
Chris: "Probably...... and some checkup" (aka ketchup)

Funny kid.... where did he get "probably" from???

YUmmmmm

I found a yummy recipe from one of the Family Circle Magazines my mother-in-love passed down to me. There are always TONS of recipes I'd love to try, but with little picky eaters, sometimes a big picky eater and food allergies, I'm kind of limited!!!!

So here is a new, yummmy, chocolately, allergy-safe (for us) dessert (candy):

Chocolate Breakup

Saltine crackers (salted)
1 stick Light Blue bonnet butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans, or sprinkles for non-nut eaters)

1 Heat oven to 350. Cover 15.5 by 10-inch jelly rool pan with nonstick foil (and I spray it with cooking spray b/c one time it all stuck).

2. Line pan with Saltine crackers to form a single layer, breaking pieces to fit.

3. Bring butter and sugar to boil (on stovetop OR in microwave). Pour mixture evenly over the crackers. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes for until crackers are light brown.

4. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolates over the crackers evenly (I usually stick back in the hot oven for a few minutes to help the chocolate melt and spread). Sprinkle the nuts on top.

5. Freeze for 3 hours. Break up into 2-inch pieces to serve!

Brian is my chocolate critic.... he really doesn't like chocolate desserts, especially semi-sweet chocolate.... but he is a BIG fan of this dessert!! It must be the combination with the salty crackers, sugar and the nuts???