Birthdays and Halloween

A few times a year we try to get all the cousins together at grandparents house for fun and, lets be real... chaos. While the husbands were enjoying a football weekend, Heather and I took the kids to Auburn for some fun. Getting them to sit down for pictures is a task that is only getting more difficult...

Im not sure if Emily is picking her nose here!? If so Im sure she learned it from Mason who thinks that is the coolest thing in the world.

Melt my heart...


Mason was so excited to see his cousins not once but TWICE this month. They turned 3 years old and had a party at the park. What better place for toddlers!?

Side note: I just realized that I didn't get any pictures of the girls on their birthday. My picture taken has taken a big hit after having another child. Gotta get better!

I think I have said before but Halloween is just not one of my favorite holidays. I guess I need to make more of an effort since it is a big deal for kids these days. That being said, I waited way too long to order Mason a costume, so I resorted to making one (or I should say, I called on my mom to make it.. she always made our costumes growing up). The whole thing cost 20$... much cheaper than Pottery Barn's costume that sell for 50$. And I must say... I think it was super cute.

This was Mason while we (mom) worked on painting. (Ignore the wooden poles in the background)

The final product turned out really cute and proved to be quite durable. He wore it 3 times (church Trunk or Treat, school Halloween day, and of course Trick or Treating) and only managed to lose a few wheels that we had to reglue.

 Our friends Greg and Annie had a neighborhood party, so all the kiddos were able to show off their cute costumes beforehand.

 Camden wasn't a big trick or treater, but Kyle was a sport and carried him along for a short time. And no, I didn't dress the baby up. I did buy him a hat but that was all. I didn't want to spend money on Mason a costume, much less a baby who was there for about 20 minutes.

 Cutest Thomas the Train!

 Attempting another photo....Mason with his best buds, Will, Myles and Foster.

Happy Halloween!

C at 4 months

I remember now how much I enjoy this stage... the laughing and babbling. They are awake enough to be "fun" but still sleep a good portion of the day. Best of both worlds! I wish I could say we had a consistent schedule like I did with Mason at this point, but that would be far from true. We aim for 2-3 naps a day, but that doesn't always happen. I aim to feed him every 3 hours, but yet again that isn't always consistent either. Stats at 4 months:

~Wt: 13 lb 1 oz (6%)
~Ht: 24 in (37%)
~Sleeps 12 hrs (but wakes up anywhere from 1-3 times a night)

The fact that our boys are SO different in size makes me believe that size has nothing to do with genetics, nor does it have to do with what I ate when I was pregnant because I ate like a cow this go round. Comparison:


Camden at 4 months:



 

Mason at 4 months:

 

 



Right?! I knew Mason was big but MY GOODNESS! What a chunk he was!

At this age, Camden is staying awake about 1-2 hours at a time and napping for 1-3 hours. He has great head control, so we have started to introduce the Bumbo and the bouncer (we stuff towels around him just in case). He loves to stand up and talk to us and he is extremely ticklish which makes for lots of laughs. He always prefers being held, but when he isn't being held he likes his playmat. He reaches for toys and brings everything to his mouth (only to be disappointed when it doesn't supply milk). There are times it seems he is teething, but the pediatrician assures me this probably isn't the case. Just in case, I give him cold compresses for his gums.

4 mo checkup

Our biggest challenge with him is his sleep routine at night. It is inconsistent and often frustrating. 80% of this is my fault as I haven't trained him as well as I did Mason. Letting him cry at night wakes Mason up, and that just makes for a TERRIBLE night. It is much easier to get up with C for 20 min then to risk waking up M for 2 hours. This past week we started moving his bedtime up to 7 pm, and just as BabyWise says, this has made him sleep better. He wakes up between 12-2 to nurse, then goes back to sleep until around 8 (although sometimes wakes up between 4-5am to nurse yet again). My goal for this month is to eliminate that 12-2 feeding...ahh how life will be so much better with sleep! Of course, we still have Mason to deal with.

This month marks the first time C has taken a bottle! PRAISE JESUS for this accomplishment. We don't give him one often, but it is so nice to know that I can get away for more than 2 hours if I need to. Thank you to the sweet lady at church who finally cracked the code: it has to be SUPER hot for him to take it. Whatever does the trick.

Poor baby has had his spells with sickness already. A cold, croup, ear infection, and the flu (yes, its true... made for a terrible week)... his immune system should be rock solid by this winter. I blame it on his 2 year old brother that probably carries every germ imaginable... but I may have started taking him to the church and gym nurseries too early. Note to self: wait a few more weeks on the next baby. He has been a rockstar despite it all (much better than his dad who handles illness like a real baby should). He is still on his antibiotic for ear infection and has gotten pretty used to his morning dose...maybe he even likes the taste?!

I feel blessed every single day to have such amazing boys. Despite the lack of sleep Kyle and I are getting, they are healthy, happy, energetic boys. My favorite time of day is putting him down at night, after he has fallen asleep and I am left with a smiling, peaceful baby that I am rocking. It is in those moments where I see the beauty of God and the perfection he has given me. I asked myself the other night if I will ever see them as anything less than perfect, and I'm pretty sure the answer is NO. And to think that God loves us even MORE than I love these boys is unimaginable! Thank you God!

Happy Fall Y'all!

HALLELUJAH for fall weather! The outdoors can once again be enjoyable! I love being able to sit outside with a cup of coffee and read (although those moments don't happen much anymore). We can go on family walks without having to take a shower as soon as we walk in the door. And what is better than everything pumpkin... pumpkin bread (although I cant eat it... see my blog on oursevenjourney), pumpkin coffee (see previous quote), pumpkin candles, pumpkin decorating... and on and on.

We met Laura and her kiddos at Cheekwood for a fun day of scarecrows and picking pumpkins. The pumpkins were cheap and Mason always loves getting to play with Ben and Bella. Side note: don't really know what kind of scarecrow this is supposed to be, but Mason seemed to really like it.

 

 



I'm so glad that our neighborhood has a playground... we can take afternoon strolls and burn up lots of energy before bed.

Mason is still enjoying baseball. In the future, I will probably hold Camden off until he is 3 to start "organized" sports (as organized as it can possibly be when talking about 2 year olds). Realistically it is more work for me and we can just go in the backyard and hit the ball. However, Mason enjoys it and it is teaching him good listening skills!

 



Really exciting news: the zoo FINALLY got the kangaroos! Mason was perfectly fine just looking at them from a distance instead of touching them. Less germs for me to worry about!

M has become a HUGE helper for me. He is a pro at laundry... loves moving the clothes from the washer to dryer and pressing the buttons that make it start. I started a daily chore chart for him that includes helping mommy with laundry, so I think he knows he gets a special treat if he helps out. He also helps me at the grocery store. Another reason to shop at Whole Foods: they have toddler buggies (some Publix locations do as well, but not the one we shop at). Helping with groceries is also on the chore chart, but I think he would enjoy this one regardless. I find little goodies every single time I check out that he has managed to sneak in his buggie (of course, it is ALWAYS cookies or some sort of cracker concoction).

I wish I could say that our nights were as enjoyable as our days, but that would be a total lie. We are still struggling with staying in bed at night. We have figured out what scares him (the dark, his door being closed) and made adjustments which have helped, but it is still terrible. I remind myself multiple times a day something that my granddad would always say to me, "This too shall pass". Please, Lord, I pray this getting out of bed all hours of the night phase passes soon!

note the time... why are you wide awake at 1 in the morning?!

Camden is doing great. He is so laid back and calm. He has his 4 month checkup later this week so I can give updated stats then. He has great head control, which means that he is getting to enjoy the Bumbo and Bouncer (a nice change from just his play mat...which he still loves!).

watching football... learning early!

hates tummy time. he can roll over onto his belly, which means he cries until I come turn him back over

his favorite: snuggle time with dad. probably kyles favorite time too since it gives him a reason to sleep

I will update on C more in the next blog. I will leave with fun pictures from a rainy day:

check out C's smile... LOVE!

Dear Mason,

Why, oh why, CANT you stay in your bed?? It's not that hard... just close your eyes, hold on to your lovie, and go to sleep. One day you are going to miss these days of required sleep, and I will remind  you that you had the opportunity and turned it down every day and every night.

Regardless, I love you.

Love,
Your tired mom.

C newborn pictures

In the past I've posted about the stress of taking family pictures...how the pictures always turn out great but the experience is miserable. Taking newborn/family pictures this go round was SO different. We found an AMAZING photographer (Mandy Johnson photography... if anyone is searching I highly recommend her) who made us love family pictures again. The session was less than 2 hours and all the boys (I am including Kyle in this) remained happy and cooperative. I wish I could post all of them, but as I sit here Mason and Camden are "playing" on the floor and the quiet is bound to end soon.