Tiger Ty

Janie and Blake love to color so there is usually a bin of crayons/markers on the counter.  Ty had been so quiet and I was busy feeding Chet.  I came over to find that he had drawn with pen all over the kitchen wall.  It came off fine.  Then about 10 minutes later he came up to me like this.  "Look Mom, I'm a tiger!"  We talked about where we should color with markers or crayons.  A few days later he had found a pen and drew all over his walls in his room.  That will not come off because it is flat paint.  But eventually it will get painted so it is fine.  Eric took matter into his own hands.  I came in to find a crying Ty with a rag in one hand trying to clean the wall.  Needless to say, Ty hasn't drawn on anything he isn't supposed to.  Good job Eric.  I am too soft.

Lots of Snow

Eric left on Valentines day to go to his Grandpa's funeral in Idaho.  While he was gone we had such bad weather.  I didn't know it was going to be bad so we attempted to go to the museum that Saturday.  It was fine driving there but on the way home it was completely white and I couldn't see.  Come to find it was a blizzard.  Church was cancelled that next day.  Then on Monday there wasn't any school for Presidents Day.  On Thursday and Friday we had snow days.  It was a long week!

First real hair cut

We stayed in pajamas a lot.  Ty asks every morning "Can I just wear my pajamas all day?"  

I love this picture.  And his hand.  And his smiley face.

Stringing fruit loops in a fort.  (Ty calls them Fwoot Yu Yoops.)

We worked on this poster during all the snow.  Blake is the spotlight for school this week.  

Chet - 7 Months

Chet is a great, happy, content, smiley, sweet baby.
He sleeps 11 to 12 hours a night.  Takes 2 naps a day.
He drinks his first bottle around 7 a.m and his last around 7 p.m.
He hasn't mastered sitting but is getting close.  But he can roll all around the room.
He still whips his wrists back and forth.  People think he is waving and they wave back to him.
Sometimes he screams/squeals when he is happy or playing.  And it is really loud.
Love love love him.

Janie's Party

Come dance and twirl with the birthday girl.  Janie said that line many times before her party.  (Keep in mind she still can't say her r sound.)

I kept telling the girls to scrunch together in the middle for the picture but they kept getting lower and lower to the ground. 

My friend happened to have a ballerina puppet.  I wasn't sure how I was going to incorporate it, but I started using it and the kids were enthralled.  It was so funny to see their faces while they watched "LuLu" (with her tutu) talk to them and ask them questions.  At one point they were all raising their hands to tell LuLu something.  It was a hit.  The puppet introduced each game or activity for the party in a high pitched voice. 

After the party was over, Janie had her own ballet performance.  It was one short song but that alone was worth all the money and time spent going to her practices.  It was adorable.  The pink lipstick they put on her was too cute.  She did a great job.  I also loved watching my boys support her in something super girly.  After we got in the car, I made eye contact with Blake telling him to tell her she did a good job.  With his teeth gritted he muttered the words "Good job Janie."  Not sure why I took so much pleasure in that but it is good for them to support her and fun to watch them squirm.

Birthday Girl

The much anticipated day finally came.  Janie turned five.  She has been talking, thinking, and praying, for this day for quite some time.  I love birthdays too so I did everything I could to make her day fun.  

When she woke up she said "I think I am taller."  I remember she said that last year on her birthday.  We started out with chocolate chip pancakes.  She had two friend visitors (Maddie and Ainsley) bring her flowers, balloons, cookies, and a pink pack of skittles.  Wow!  She passed out heart cookies to her class at ballet.  While Ty and Chet napped, we wrote out her valentine cards for her preschool class for next week.  We picked up Blake from school and headed to the carousel to meet up with her friend Maddie.  I had heard that they could play a happy birthday song for the carousel.  I asked and the man said to bring her up for a free ride.  He announced on the microphone that it was Janie's birthday and that she turned five.  He described her and where she was sitting and told everyone to wave to her as she passed.  Then he played the Happy Birthday song as the carousel went.  She was beaming.

We went to meet Eric for Chinese food to get our favorite--sesame chicken.  Eric drove the boys home and Janie and I headed to Dairy Queen to get her free blizzard.  We were singing and dancing in the car as the sun was setting over the lake.  It felt good to be together--just us girls. 

We went home and ate ice cream and she opened presents.  Janie got a shopping cart with food, some clothes, sunglasses, and a barbie lego set.  Janie said that this was the best day ever.  

And to my Janie Janie--As Bruno Mars sang it to us in the car "Girl you're amazing, just the way you are."

Blue Eyed Boy

Chet - 6 Months

Here's our little man.  Chet is more alert, aware, curious, and active these days.  His legs are always kicking.  He does a funny hand flap at the wrist.  He loves to observe his siblings.  Has started waking up too early the past few weeks--it started in the 6's and has worked its way to the 5's.  I'm doing everything I can to tweak his schedule and help him (and myself) sleep in a little more.

He can roll over both ways now, although he mostly goes from back to front.  He still sleeps in our bedroom because I don't want to take Ty out of his crib.  Ty still naps and sleeps great so I have been unwilling to mess with that.  Chet coos and "talks" for the first 20 minutes when he wakes up.  It is pretty cute to listen to even if it is super early.  Then he starts fussing for food.

All the kids love play with him, but Janie does the most.  She always wants to hold him, roll on the floor with him, feed him a puff (and eat one herself), feed him food, feed him a bottle.  She has a real live baby doll.

He still has a clogged tear duct in his left eye.  He loves taking a bath.  He is a trooper to be constantly woken up from naps to get into a freezing car to take or pick up someone from somewhere.