Grace you are 2 years old!!!

Oh man she is almost 2 years and one month old.  Time flies.  Busy summer but fun summer!!  Gracie Lou had a great birthday, I think. Unfortunately with 4 kids it's harder to take her to a fun and special place but we still had a great time.  She got some cute toys.

Oh man I love it when she "smiles" this is her "smile" hehe

Gracie burrito at Bear Lake right after she almost drowned and right before she face planted.  Poor girl had a rough morning that day.

Wearing matching shirts courtesy of her Aunt Carol.  So so cute!!

As you can see in this last pic.  She is headstrong.  She will pose and smile for pics when she darn pleases and she is my first real foray into the terrible two's.  She's got em.  Lizzie and Moses have yet to be naughty kittens.  They are fabulous and so are you Grace.  You teach me new things every day with your fun and hilarious personality.  I love nothing more than to watch you run with your cute little hop step waddle run.  It's like you push off the floor with your feet.  So so cute and I love the way you say "I'm cupe" and the way when you get sad you let me hold you and hold you and put your head right in the crook of my neck just the very best way it feels.  Oh so turns out you are 56% for weight and 74% for height.  You will be 5'9".  Wow!!  So cool.  Tall Lizzie and Grace.  You love to color and you love to share and you love to help me put things away.  I very very much appreciate that and I love you so so much Grace.  Thank you for being my adorable oops baby.

Maxwell you are 6 months old!!!

Hello sweet boy.  Well the doc says you are gonna be a big one!  Wahoo. You are so so dang adorable.

Here are your milestones:

-Your big sis Lizzie adores you and dotes on you and says googoo to you and you love it and you kick your little feet

-28 inches in height - 95% (wow!!)

-16 lbs 12 oz - 24% for weight (oh my let's feed you more.  Doc says it's ok)

-Head circumference 42 cm - 42% (still have no idea what this means)

-You don't really have an interest in sitting up.  That's ok.  

-You love to roll over from back to front and sometimes you figure out how to go the other way.

-You are such a flirty and happy baby

-You despise the gym and the ladies there.  You cry an angry cry if I take you there.  Mom is figuring out alternatives to the gym.

-You are a happy happy boy.

-Not much else, oh you have some acid reflux but the doc says you'll grow out of it.  I think that's all.  I love you soooooo much baby Maxwell.  

A before I forget post....

Something cute Moses said the other day to Paul:

"Moses why are all these grapes scattered around?"

"Becasue I broke my dinosaur dad"

Tee hee.  Makes no sense.  He is so darling.  We recently returned from Bear Lake and Tiffany said she found him in bed clapping and singing "Beauty and the Beast."  Cuuute!  I love you lil Mo.

Maxwell you are 5 months!!

Something isn't "talking" right between my phone and computer so my pics of Maxwell aren't syncing to my computer.  Hmmm.  Probably have to turn it off and on again...  Anyway, so only 1 lovely pic of our sweet baby boy here.

But what a picture no??  I thought Grace and Moses were happy but Maxwell is outta this world happy.  Even when he is sad and fussy he tries to smile through the tears and he does that cute thing when you come in to get him from his nap where he wiggles and pumps his little legs in pure delight.  Pure joy and delight is what this sweetie pie has to offer to me and boy am I lucky and blessed.  The other kids love to dote on him and man I love having 4 kids.  It is so so so hard but so so so worth it!!  Thank you dear Lord.  What's new with him??  He is almost sitting up on his own.  He is almost rolling over.  He is really good at playing with himself but often his siblings come to visit and love on him.  He sleep until about 6:30 these days and wakes up squaking with joyful coos and stuff.  What a great guy!  I love you sweet baby Maxwell.  So so much!!

Mother's Day and Low Expectations

I had probably the best mother's day yet this year!!  And the secret.... is.... low expectations!!  Haha.  I can't figure out if that is good or bad but it's like a new secret sauce I want to tell every newlywed and new mom.  I literally expected nothing but I wasn't bitter about it or anything I am just a sleepy and busy mom and just feel lucky and blessed when everyone is healthy and happy but Paul got me some lovely flowers and a balloon and an awesome card (the kind that opens and music plays) which absolutely made my day!  Lizzie worked hard on a card for me (oh man that girl needs so much more love from me than I have time for.  She has a heart of gold.)  And I got a lot of love and some emergency preparedness from Paul too.  It was just a nice and relaxed day.

Cute things the kids say

Dang it!  They pass through my mind way too quickly but here is one I remember.  A few days ago Moses asked me for a piece of cauliflower I was chopping and so I handed a piece to him.  A few seconds later he came back and said "no thank you mom.  I think it's dusty."  Tee hee.  Cute huh?  He is used to steamed and buttered cauliflower not this raw stuff.  Adorbs.

Well, Lizzie and Moses have pink eye this week.  Egads.  Hopefully it goes away soon.  The drops sting and my mom says apparently they don't really work anymore.  Ooof.

In other news, praying for Ecuador and the people in the earthquake there.

Maxwell you are 4 months!!

Isn't he a cutie!!???  Four months is a good age.  He is sleeping much better these days.  I still need to chill out and relax because I find myself waking up at 5 a.m. in fear that he will wake up too or that he won't breathe or that he will sleep too long and etc etc.  Makes a momma a little crazy.  But he doesn't ever do 2 a.m. anymore.  That's a blessing.  So little Maxwell went to the doc today and here's what's new:

-26 inches (86th%)
-14 lbs 3 oz (23rd%)
-Only 23%??  Yikes I said to the nurse but she says that is totally fine.  That as long as his growth curve is going up he is ok and I shouldn't worry at all.  She said even 5% would be ok as long as his growth curve was going up.  Crazy huh?  So not to worry.  Plus he's got rolls everywhere.  I guess I was just a touch worried because our other kiddos are so roly poly and fat and I LOVE it.  He's our long and skinny one.
-He is giggling a lot these days.  It's simply delightful!!  He loves the old run around with baby and toss him (gently) on the bed and giggles a ton at that.
-He is also quite vocal.  He likes to tell me things and does it more and more now when he is waking up or going to bed.  So so cute!!
-He is a great tummy timer and can push up far.
-His siblings looooove to coo at him and love on him.  So sweet of them.
-Grace likes to push him around.

Um.  I think that's it.  Maxwellito I love you so!  Thank you so much for coming to our little but growing family.  Love, your mom  who loves you so much!!