R & E

After the family left Rich and Erin stayed here with us for two weeks. It was so nice to have them around and so nice to have the help. We miss them! Not living near any of  my siblings makes me sad but made me appreciate getting to spend time with these guys for a while. It was great having them around. While they were here it was Richie's birthday so we had a cake and sung happy birthday like 5 times because the girls just wanted to blow the candles out again and again, and Livy covered the cake in spit as she blew each time!

That night we went out to eat and then went to drive the go karts for some b-day fun! The girls had a blast even though this first picture of Livy doesn't look like it! She was a little scared at first.

Rachel loved every minute it seemed!

The next weekend Rich and Erin took the girls up to Austin to visit Erin's brother and sister in law and their two boys. They ended up having a great time and staying for three nights! I was kind of sad to see them go but it was a nice break and they seemed to have a great time! Thanks Brad, Holly, Chase and Tyson for letting them stay with you!

The kids had a great time and Erin came back relaxed still but I think their antics were a little much for Richie! He was glad to be home and have their mother take back the madness! Thanks Rich and Erin! I know it wasn't easy but it was very much appreciated! We hung out the rest of the time they were here. We didn't get much sequence playing in because I was always tired but it was fun just hanging out.

Colt got lots of snuggle time too which he loved! With lots of baby practice now these two headed off to Oklahoma City for the next few months so Rich could attend the FAA training center to prepare for a job as an air traffic controller! I hope they don't freeze to death up there! We miss you guys and hope to see you soon! Good luck with school and thanks so much for being a great brother and sister. Love you!

By Ourselves

Just wanted to write some stuff real quick so I don't forget since this is all the journaling I do. It has really been good since everyone has left. (Rich and Erin stayed with us for two weeks after Christmas.) I was quite scared to do all three by myself but it has gone great. Not bad at all. I'm tired of course but who isn't? And it is not even on the same playing field as how tired I was with the girls so it is totally doable. Colt is crying more than he used to but it's still minimal I would say compared to Rachel as an infant. The girls love their baby brother and so do I! I love all of them so much and I am just happy to be here with them. We don't get much done everyday but that's OK. Eventually we will.

A few things I am thinking now a days: I am so happy to have a baby and definitely want more. I am dreading getting into a bathing suit in a few months and don't think I will ever loose this weight. And I am afraid we will never have these girls potty trained. Still a disaster and I am think they will wear pull ups to kindergarten.

Words and deeds from the girls on Colt:

Livy: Calls him baby brother or baby Colt all the time

Loves to check what he is doing and ask if he is ok

If he is crying, she screams back to him, "It's ok baby brother, it's ok." Very loudly.

If not that she screams back, "Quiet baby brother, I can't here the TV."

He was crying in the swing the other day and she went over and laid her head on him and kept rocking the swing. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "rocking him, he's sad." Such a sweetie! She loves him so much and always asks to hold him.

She says that he is magic. When I ask why she says, "his head is magic because we can't touch it." Shorty their elf was "magic" and they weren't allowed to touch it. When they girls were sick I told them don't touch his head and now she thinks he is magic because of it! I love their imaginations!

Rachel: Calls him "that guy or that boy." It's pretty funny. "What are you doing with that guy, or that boy wants to eat"

Kisses his head every time she comes near him. Sweet big sister.

Always asks to hold him and knows how to be gentle with him. Livy is a little rougher with him.

Always plays mommy and baby with Livy now. When they call mommy I always answer but she will say, "not you, Livy mommy." And they take turns feeding each other as the baby and mommy.

Finally a Family Picture, kind of

We finally got a few pictures of us as a family. It was really rushed as Eric and I were out the door to a kid free dinner, courtsey of Rich and Erin babysitting! So we were rushed and the girls didn't feel like cooperating so we barely got any with smiles but here are some that I liked.

Thanks Erin for taking the pics! April I still want to come get pictures of him with you. I waited too long because we had so many people in town and now he has bad baby acne but it seems to be getting a little better so hopefully soon if your up for it still!

One Month Old!

It has been the fastest month of my life. I honestly can't believe that he is already a month old! He is so precious and such a good good baby. He is getting into crying a little bit more but that is still barely anything. He doesn't let me sleep much at night because he doesn't like to sleep on his back and grunts and makes lots of noise all night. He is such an angel and I really am so in love with this little man. He has stolen my heart for sure!

I forgot how much I love having a baby. Besides the not sleeping much at night it is great. I love having this tiny person who loves to cuddle.

I love how when he is finishing eating and is full and sleepy he gets this big smile on his face. I love the baby stretches and how his arms barely make it to the top of his head.

For now he is a light brown/dirty blond blue eyed little boy.

He started smiling in response to you at 4 weeks! It was so exciting. Of course not all the time but you could get it sometimes. I have yet to get one on camera!

I forgot how cute the first sounds they make are.

I think he is absolutely adorable and so handsome! But I'm not biased or anything!

Whoops, didn't turn this one!

Crying face.

I love this one!

Sleepy with mom. We don't have many of us two so I snapped this one morning.

Starting to like the mat and the girls love when he is on it so they lay there and play with him on it.

These girls love their little brother. This is one of the best parts of being a parent, watching them love one another. They want to hold him all the time now and always want to know where he is and what he is doing.

Thrilled to be big sisters!

Best friends for ever and always. How awesome to have such a special relationship and closeness. They really love each other so much and I couldn't be happier watching them with one another.

Little man bundled in his winter hat! Too cute! Just wanted to write it down so I remember how great it is to have a baby, this baby. He is a doll and I love this cute little guy so much. It is not easy with three now but it is great. Seeing them and how they all interact and care for one another is amazing. I really am enjoying this time and trying to savor everyday before he gets too big!

Family Gathering.....Very Late

The day after Christmas my family came to town. This is from the rest of those four days. I already wrote about the blessing so here are some others from that trip.

This is an excerpt from Erin's blog since I was too lazy to write about the night but it was really funny so I want to remember it. And she did such an awesome job writing about it there was no point for me to redo it! Thanks Erin! The pictures that goes with the description are below but in no particular order.

"Later that night we had our gift exchange. And man was it a good one! Each couple was supposed to bring one good gift and one crappy/funny gift. We all picked numbers and then opened in that order. #1 picked first, then #2 could either pick a new gift to unwrap, or steal #1's gift, and so one. It made it pretty fun. I got a game of Gestures and no one stole it from me, which I was happy about because I like that game.
And Richie ended up with some cheese graters. Keep reading to know why we are laughing so hard.
When Charlie's turn came he opened a gift to find a bunch of lotto tickets. This was the best gift he could have imagined getting!!
He and Michelle were pretty stoked about it and the possibility of hitting the jackpot
Michelle's already dreaming of those vacations with the winnings...
But it didn't last long. Of course the very next person stole them from him. I think they got passed around about 6 times. So Charlie had to pick another gift when his got stolen. He grabbed this gift bag, anxious to see what he had chosen and.....He went from the having the best gift to having the most worthless gift.
If you've seen Seinfeld, you know what this is about. George gave these cards out as gifts to his co-workers so he didn't have to buy anything. He made up a charity called the Human Fund. It was pretty hilarious. And the best part was that at first Charlie thought it was real and felt good about it. He thought a donation had actually been made. We were all cracking up for a good 10 minutes. Nice job Eric!!
and Michelle ended up with this lovely gift (pretend poop as Livy says), haha...Poor Charlie and Michelle!
This was the gag gift (Twilight poster) Richie and I bought and of course Eric ended up with it. We told him we would get it framed for him to hang above his bed :)
It was a fun night and a great gift exchange. It was great being all together again and enjoying each others company. Thanks for hosting us all Jess and Eric!!"

Colt enjoying all the snuggle time he got these 4 days!

Eric's prize!

Just opened his "donation"!

Dreaming of $$$$!

Hannah gave the girls makeup for Christmas so Rachel had to do hers and Gramby's. They started calling my mom Gramby and my dad Poppy. Don't know where they came from but that's their names now!

Gingerbread house. Messy, falling over, took 6 adults to make it stand up gingerbread house! Livy loved to decorate it. She gets so focuses and intent on what she is doing.

Poppy and Colt. Colt always had someone holding him and cuddling. Good practice for everyone and hopefully enjoyable enough to get everyone else on the baby train!

Rachel in her glass slippers! Two different sized jelly shoes that she wanted to wear every where. She was practically limping from the one that was too tight but said it was OK because only one foot hurt!

We all had so much fun together and I had so much help it was great. I got naps everyday and the girls were totally entertained and I don't even think they knew I was there! But I don't know who Rachel's favorite was. She always attaches to one of my brothers or my dad but this time she was all over. I don't know if she had picked one favorite this time. She loved playing with all of them and they each were dragged by her to play something! So glad we could all get together. Thanks mom and dad for a great time. Love you all can't wait to see you again!