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!