Four Months Old!

Four months old, Dawson baby.  You have grown so big, and I feel like everyday I learn something new about your sweet personality.  Dawson, you love to smile and laugh at your brother and sister.  I love this stage, you stare at your hands as if amazed at the ability to manipulate and control them.  You are starting to use your hands to grab your toys and my hair (which is not appreciated.)  You are gaining more strength in your trunk and are able to spend longer and longer periods on your tummy and in the bumbo seat.  You are even starting to do little baby push ups on your tummy!  This past month we have visited your Grandparents, a five hour drive away.  I must say, you earned the best baby award for your first long car trip.  I love you my sweet little boy!  We are so lucky to have you! 

Smile!

Hooray!  It's Friday.

I'm smiling because.......it's going to get warmer this weekend.  I love this picture of post-bath Dawson.  The two big kids are sleeping and I'm enjoying baby snuggles.  My house is semi-clean right now, at least as clean as its been all week.  I love Glee, it makes me laugh and sing along.  And did I mention it's friday?  Hooray for the weekends!

Enjoy yours.

Birthday Plans

Have you heard?

This girl is about to turn two soon.

(t was not warm enough for her to wear this outfit today.  She found it on the floor and had to wear the "bug dress."  Eventually I layered it with sweat pants and a long sleeve onesie and she went about her merry way.)

Back to her birthday.  I've been talking to her about her birthday and trying to see what she would like for her family birthday party.  So far this is what I got: she would like tacos, chocolate milk, cake, and a santa tree.  

Yup, she asked for a santa tree.

So, it sounds like we are going to have a taco bar and cake of course.  But does it make me crazy for considering getting one of our small trees out of the garage and decorating it with pink beads and feathers for her birthday?  Yes, Mike and I do in fact have three artificial christmas trees.  Exactly zero out of three have made it back into the attic.

Blue Seersucker suit in size 5 T for three bucks?  I'll take it.  I love this little suit.  If you remember we also have a very similar suit in size 12 months that Carter wore for his 6 months pictures.  I can't wait to dress the kids up for Easter!

(Notice the red spots on his chin and forehead?  Yup, he still won't stop picking at them.  Band-aids and liquid skin don't let in air so they won't heal.  But when they aren't covered he picks at them.  That dog cone is looking better by the second.)

Littlest guy has started batting at the bunny on the papasan seat. 

Mike is upstairs with a migraine, I hope he feels better soon.

That wraps it up for now!

In a Funk

Boy, oh boy am I tired of winter/sicknesses.

It seems that everyone in the family is coming down with a cold right now.  Mike and I woke up with sore throats, Carter is coughing incessantly, Ava has a runny nose and Dawson sounds congested.  We just got over all this junk last week!  Sorry, but I needed to have a little pity party for myself.  Sicknesses makes the kids grumpy and prone to temper tantrums, which in turn makes me grumpy and prone to temper tantrums.  (Not really, but you know what I mean.)  But in two more days it will be April, so hopefully we will be leaving all this behind. 

Poor Guy, he wasn't feeling good.  Plus those cheeks are to die for.

So instead of having fun adventures this week, we stayed at home today.  Probably tomorrow as well.  Although looking on the bright side, I get to go to the grocery store tonight!

Hopefully we will all be feeling well soon.

Tidbits

I'm ready for the fish fry!

Here are the latest little tidbits from our family:

• The kids went to their first fish fry last friday.  Carter tried the fish, but Ava did not.  Luckily cheese pizza was also on the menu. 
• In the restroom at the fish fry Carter was telling Mike about the "spots" on his face.  (The spots are the three seperate scabs that he picks at incessently.)  He told Mike "look at my spots.  They're my leprechauns.  Don't wash off my leprechauns!  The leprechauns don't like that."  Apparently he had the men laughing pretty hard in the restroom.
• Ava is such a little instigator and is getting smarter by the minute.  She blew a great big raspberry (and a lot of spit) right into Carter's face.  Mike told her "We don't spit in people's faces.  Please don't do that again."  So she looked at him and walked over to Carter and did a great big fake sneeze right into his face.  Boy, are we ever in for it when she gets older.
• Mike and I had a wonderful night out at Jay's Seafood and The Dayton Philharmonic.  Thank you so much for the great night Mom and Dad!  I was able to have two of my absolute favorites:  King Crab legs and peanut butter pie!  Also a huge thank you to Aunt Margie for watching all the kids:  Brendan 8, Riley 5, Carter 3, Avery 1 and Dawson 3 months.  I think she earns the golden Auntie Award!

It was such a busy weekend, we were all exhausted on Sunday.  We are looking forward to the upcoming quiet restful weekend.  Carter is on spring break this week from preschool, so we are looking forward to some adventures this week including the Cincinnati Art Museum for Wee Wednesdays.  Wish me lots of luck!

Murphy's Law for Moms

Everyone knows Murphy's Law; whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.  I'm finding out that it also heavily applies to motherhood.  Here are some current scenarios that demonstrates this:

• If there is going to be a big loud thunderstorm with loud driving rain and hail, it will occur during naptime, as soon as you get all three children sleeping.  Why thank you so much universe, I really wanted to spend my only quiet time of the day comforting three crying scared children! 
• Your preschooler will pick the WORST possible times to have to use the restroom, especially when you are lugging an infant in a car seat carrier, a handful of library books, a diaper bag and a toddler out of the library.
• If you are out to dinner at a restaurant, all THREE children will choose this time of day for their daily constitutional.  There's nothing more fun than changing two poopy diapers in a dirty restaurant bathroom!  Really helps you work up an appetite.
• The minute you tell someone that your baby is sleeping wonderfully they will wake up every hour on the hour. 
• If you as a mother of a three month old baby decide to put on a half way decent shirt (as in not a t-shirt borrowed from your husband that he has worn since college) your baby will spit up on you, even if it has been two hours since their last feeding.  And it will go through the burp cloth, down your shirt, jeans and onto your socks.  Take that Mom!

I'm sure there are a hundred more examples, but these are my most recent experiences.  Life with a bunch is never dull, that's for sure!

A post about Nothing

What have we been up to?

A whole lot of nothing, but yet enjoying every second.

All three kids have been on steroids and antibiotics, and baby Dawson is still on them.  The weather has been gorgeous, so we have been outside soaking up every second.  We visited with the Grandma, Bo, Jay and Tiff on Saturday.  We visited Meme, Grandpap, Nana, and cousins Brendan and Riley on Sunday.

Today we are recovering from the weekend, and as soon as the kids are up from nap we are going to go spend lots of time outside.  I even broke out a short sleeve shirt and my flip flops.  Oh, how I have missed my flip flops!

(All these pictures were taken on St Patty's Day)

This girl loves her some baby Dawson.

Carter loves riding his bike, a christmas present.  Would someone please convince him he no longer needs to wear mittens outside?

Fresh air and sunshine for littlest one too!

I'm so happy that spring is beginning to make an appearance.