I think he likes it!

Grandma Susie found these space shirts - I think Carter was pretty darn excited about it.  Silly Grandpa asked Carter about that big red one in the middle - I think he heard back something along the lines of - it's the sun! 

Somebody likes pie!

Somebody was eating Grandpa's pie!  I wish you guys could see all the funny faces she was making.  This girl was in heaven for sure.  

 

 

See her standing by herself, today and yesterday she has been doing some free-standing. A little more balance and I think this girl will be  running   attempting to catch her brothers on wobbling legs with hands in the air.  I just love watching first walkers with their little hands in the air.  

She is also  probably growling for more pie!  we might have a tiger on our hands.

Crazy Fog

We were doing Easter eggs at my sister's house yesterday and this fog just rolled in, it got quite a bit heavier than this picture.  It was pretty heavy on our way home, then at about the half way point, we made a right turn and it was clear as could be.  Fog is so strange.

 

 

Happy Easter Y'all

We don't really say that here in Iowa, but something Paula Dean in me came out!  

Can't get enough of these sweet little shoes!

Miss Olivia has been a bit of a dirt bag lately going everywhere barefoot, so I decided we must get this girl wearing shoes!  See I do send her to daycare with socks, but she never has them on when I pick her up.  Which is normally fine unless we have an appointment, then it's my kid cruising around the gross floor without socks or shoes.  So far she doesn't seem to be pulling these ones off.

Olivia's baptism

Olivia was baptized on st. Patrick's day.  My mom still had the dress my sister and i wore when we were baptized and it fit Olivia!  We weren't sure if it would fit since we were baptized as little babies, but 30 years on the elastic and it worked just fine.  I thought Pastor Mike did a very nice job and I enjoyed his special dedication for Olivia.  

 

 

 

 

EEK!  I look super tired in all these pics.  Keith was gone the week before and I had been up late tagging garage sale clothes about every night as well.  I didn't realize how puff my eyes were until looking at these pics.

 

none of these pictures were too great - but I guess this is the new normal of family pics when you have 3 little ones.  Usually lucky to get one good smile.  Carter had a hizzy that morning about wearing his pull-over, add that to his aged to perfection (in his mind) shoes and he was looking fantastic.

 

 

I got this cake from 3 chicks bakery.  I had not even heard of it and saw something on facebook and the  owner lives just a few blocks away.  And I though the cake was pretty darn awesome!  I wish I had some left.  I plan on using her for future events.  

Getting baptized is much work!

 

This looks like trouble!  Dylan was so sweet that morning.  Things got a bit busy for a few minutes that morning.  Keith was shaving and then ironing.  Olivia was not interested in not being held so I had carried up a table while carrying her, then a chair, then a chair and her for the next trip.  Then I was talking to Keith for a minute in our room and I came out to the living room and Dylan had brought up the last chair for me.  So sweet!  Then he brought up this table and these chairs for the kids!

Thanks to everyone who came to the baptism and shared this special day with us!  We really appreciate all your love for Olivia.   

that's what I like to see

 3 men resting.  Or two 6 am or earlier Saturday morning early birds.  Like moving mountains on a schoold day, but come Saturday- it's on!

what's happening

I've been trying to get back with consistently posting, but it seems March has been go go go and now it is about gone.  Keith has been traveling quite a bit this month so that always adds to the chaos - at least it does for me.  Otherwise we have had something going on about every weekend.  I still need to do a post on Olivia's baptism.

Check out my mom's new puppy Mia.  She is a cute little fluff ball just under a couple pounds- just wait until stella meets her, I'm curious to see how she will react.  On a bad note, mom was hanging some curtains this week and lost her footing and when she went to step down the dog was there and to avoid landing on the dog she fell and broke her ankle.  So she is not having the best week or probably the best couple of months.  The good news is so far she does not have to have surgery.  Keep her in your prayers for a quick recovery.  The boys have been making all sorts of notes and pictures for her.  

Olivia was funny with the puppy.  I was a bit surprised by the boys.  I thought they would really go nuts and they weren't all that interested. 

 

Hanging with her daddy!

Dylan and Carter dig these games.  I purposely choose to not learn anything about them so I don't get asked non-stop how to do things on them.
Other Carter and Dylan happenings:
We have been reading some dinosaur books lately - not my favorite, I would much rather read about space and really - what is the deal with these ridiculous names.
Yesterday Carter came inside and told me it was too cold out their for humans - so now they talk about humans all the time.  Must be getting it from that dinosaur book.
One big thing is "save this for me mom".  The teachers at school tell me they do this all the time.
Another is, ok, when you get to our room, you have to knock to come in.  It's like the knocking is some magic password.
Carter likes to say - too bad, so sad!
Yesterday one of them told me the video is taking a really long time to load.  Then I thought, did my 4 year old just tell me that?  Kids these days.  We try to keep ipad time limited.  They are super into watching space videos.  Most are fine, but there is some weird crap out there.
They have been getting really good at building Lego's and can follow the instructions now - which I'm sure any other Lego building moms would totally appreciate this skill!  Plus that is way more fun for them.
We start baseball next week, I hope they like it!

She looks like jail bate in this number.  We keep bringing this daycare shirt back and she keeps showing up in it.  She can clap now- I got excited, then Keith was like, yeah she's been doing that.  Still fun to see her learn new things. 

Here is a downer.  Though I am at my peak 3 kid daycare cost (would just like to make a side-note that 3 kids in Iowa is cheaper than two kids in Minnesota) I have been starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel since the boys will be in school in just a little over a year (something I try not to think about too often).  Anyway, sifting through some old papers to see that before school / after school - $75 a week - that times two, means I may never escape daycare costs.  I'll have like 3 years off and then we will be hit with college.  

 

8 months

Olivia will be 9 months tomorrow, so I thought I better hop to this one!

Look how big our little girl is getting!  And she does not have time to sit around for these silly pictures.  

And this happened, so we had to move to the floor.

 

 

What's happening….

• Miss Olivia loves her food.  She yells when her tray is empty!  I'm trying to give her more and more finger foods now, she is getting less interested in being spoon fed.  Unless she has the spoon!  
• I want to say she has had either a stuffy or runny nose each day of this eight month.  Maybe it will leave us tomorrow?  I was NOT happy the day I walked home to Olivia's good bulb syringe chewed up on the floor.  She did this to one of the boys and I had been good about putting it up, but she saw an opportunity.  Luckily Grandma Susie managed to secure me a new one!  I don't understand why they don't sell those in stores, they don't seem as though they are rocket science to make.  
• Olivia is so funny if she does something her brothers are doing, she thinks she is cool playing with the big kids.  
• She is loving her laugh and learn table and likes to dance, she shakes her butt - pretty darn funny.  She also likes music in general and I swear I am not making this up, but she really seems to get going with the 80's music!
• Her hair has really taken off this month.  There was one little hair that was past her eyebrow.  Still wondering if she will get some curl?  The back is starting to look coarse like mine?  
• Her two bottom teeth are really starting to pop up - and they are sharp too.  I would guess more to come up any day.  
• Every now and then she will stand for a second or two on her own.  Not for long though.
• She is NOT a great sleeper.  Keith has been making her cry it out / break my heart.  She is starting to go down pretty well, but wakes up through the night quite a bit.  She usually gets her morning bottle during the 5:00 hour, which actually works pretty well b/c she will usually fall back asleep in bed with me and would probably sleep in for a while if we didn't all have to get up to go.  Sometimes she is funny b/c I will wake up to her trying to put her pacifier in my mouth. 
• I guess her pacifier is hot stuff at daycare, all the kids try to steal it:) 
• She is so funny at church and clinics and things.  She will sit and eye people until she gets their attention.  One day this week we were at the chiropractor and this trick was not working on this guy so she would take her toy, shake it and throw it down.  Then look at him.  Repeat.  Trying to get attention - funny girl!
• I'm starting to buy her 18 month clothes!  
• She is really starting to jabber a lot.  Says dadda pretty well, says mom, but only seems to be when she is mad.  She really likes to watch your lips and you can tell she is trying to say it too.  
• Loves her baths.
• Have you ever tried to dress a wild alligator - I would imagine that is similar to changing her diaper and dressing her. Once she gets that diaper off she finds a new sense of freedom and BOLTS.
• She is starting to explore and get into things.  Not near as bad as the boys.  When they were this age there was not a cupboard they hadn't explored and they were such climbers.  She's really not like that so far!  Which has been nice!  I remember there was a point with them when I felt like I couldn't leave the room.  Which is pretty much why I think we blocked them in the living room for a few months.  
• One thing that is much harder with her is the little stuff - and it all goes right in her mouth!  With the boys that stuff just wasn't everywhere.  The toys haven't been as bad, but it will be a piece of a wrapper or a crumb on the floor.  
• We sure do love this girl!  She absolutely melts our hearts everyday and we have been so blessed with such a wonderful little girl.  She is just growing up too darn fast!

 

These kisses are starting to turn into a long slow lick!