Merry Christmas!

Everyday life

Another Ava photo special.

Pre-tooth

It looks like he's crawling, but he can't actually really move yet. Love that cloth diaper bum, huh?

Thanks Heather!

Gingerbread men, the girls loved them :)

Yummers

The cutest thing ever. You and I both know it.







North loved the cereal when mixed with my milk, but not so much just with water. When it was mixed with my milk he just wanted to drink it, grabbing the bowl and putting it to his mouth. Surprisingly I'm not really sad he's eating already. He's still my baby, and still my little man. I'm more excited he's experiencing more joy in life and I can't wait to discover more about this little spirit we have been entrusted with! We also discovered he will drink out of a bottle! Never tried it before, but what the heck, he's almost 6 months, why not give it a try?

First Tooth

I am having major computer issues, so much so that I can't find it worthwhile to even want to start up my computer. It inevitably will overheat and turn off within 10 minutes. So no pictures again, sorry!

North got his first small little tooth at 5 1/2 mo. It's caused major sleep disruptions. He cries almost every hour through the night. I think the girls tolerated pain much better than him. Could it be that girls have a higher pain tolerance than boys? His crying has been giving me a huge stress headache.

I am trying to get everything ready for the holidays. Last minute orders have been placed, now I just need to receive them and ship them off to their destinations! We are staying in Mi for the holidays which I am thankful for, but I can see how people get tired of toting their kids around to all their family each holiday. It is serious work, nothing relaxing about it. It has also been snowing a little, which is nice.

Ava and Violet are doing very well. Ava read her first words this week, which was very exciting! Violet is still really resistant to learning, so I'm being patient with her. All 3 of us girls have had colds so we're still trying to recover.

I really will try to post more often. My life just feels so chaotic right now!!

Thankfulness

I don't have any pictures to share right now. Unfortunately I left both my phone and my camera in Vermont over thanksgiving. It should arrive by mail in a day or so, then all you can call me!

This Thanksgiving we are thankful for many things. On our 14 hour drive Tyler and I came up with a few things:
-North
-A couple job options
-Good health
-A reliable, great ol' van that totes us across the country
-A natural birth like I wanted
-Going on a good vacations
-That the girls are growing up to be so kind and just plain wonderful
-For families that love us dearly
-For opportunities to grow and become better people
-For funny TV shows

This past year was wonderful, we were blessed with so many opportunities!

North is now doing "pushups" and practicing putting his legs underneath him, and I dare say crawling. He's not quite there yet, but it is the cutest thing. Of course everything he does is the cutest thing, and I just want to squeeze and love on him all day. I love this kid too much. He's got it so made. In bed with mom, eating all night with mom, being carried all day by mom. Constantly being played with by sisters. Spoiled rotten. I love it.

We just put the Christmas decorations up. I am happy that I can put out some of my breakable stuff (Snowbaby collection) without it getting destroyed. Unfortunately next year I have the feeling I will have to put it away again so North doesn't decide to play with them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving in Vermont at my step brother's house with his family.

The kids and dad chillin'. See North and his borrowed Sophie the Giraffe? He loved it!


The only picture of Alisa I had. Obviously the girls took it.

North trying to get to Sophie again.

Maida, Lily, me and North. Lily is a couple months older than North.

"Giraffe! In. My. Mouth. Now!"

On the way there we stayed in NY because it was a 14 hour drive. The kids had fun watching Care Bears and playing in the pool.

The girls also had fun making cookies with LOTS of frosting.

Tuesday's Cuties

I could have done it easy and just posted 5 pictures.. but went crazy and posted more.

Funniest Costume Pic

K- so someone in our ward is related to the "husband" in this picture... But I thought the costume idea was hilarious! Especially for a group of girlfriends who are Mormon. No, we are not polygamists, and no, practicing Mormons do not wear clothes like this (except on Halloween apparently!)

Happy Halloween! & North's 4 month B-day

Since Halloween was on a Sunday, our festivities primarily happened on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, however, we did carve pumpkins and pass out candy. The girls were busily picking out pumpkin seeds.

A little chilly outside. Violet wanted a scary face and Ava wanted a happy face.

Keep getting those seeds!

We had two fairies...

And a gnome! I had to think of something that went with fairies, even if Aunt Natalie is afraid of gnomes.



The costume fit quite well, even though it was a 12-24 mo costume!

Happy 4 month birthday North!! At 4 months he does not sleep through the night, loves to roll around, and try to chew on his hands.



The girls had their Joy School Halloween party. The cutest part was their little parade.

This is when the costumes made their first debut. We've been babysitting a bit. Four kids is a lot, but definitely manageable. This is Ethan in our Dalmation costume.

Violet's first trip to the dentist

Get ready for the cutest picture ever......

Wait for it....






Wait for it....














Bam! Here it is.





She did great!! She is such a big girl. AND no cavities! Thankfully Grandma Michelle came to help watch North so Ava, Violet and I could all get our teeth clean. Ava only had one cavity, which I consider a completely successful dentist appt. for her. Poor thing has inherited terrible teeth genes. Looks like Violet won in that department.