4 months old!

Mady is four months old now which means it's Exersaucer time! It was a major event in our household hauling it up from the basement (it's about as exciting as it gets around here - so exciting in fact that Dylan and Ella insisted on getting in on the action). At her check-up she was 14 lbs., 10 oz. and 23 1/2 inches long. Mady still has the sweetest cheeks and the cutest little coo's. We just can't seem to get enough of this baby girl :)

spring is in the air

I love spring as much as the next girl. HOWEVER, three fall babies in the past six years = morning sickness during three of the past springs. These first few whiffs of spring are making me feel positively ill. I have to keep reminding myself, "You're not pregnant, you're not pregnant." Phew.

Go Eagles!

Matt's little sister's team (Hudsonville) made it to the competitive cheer state finals this year. I'm a former cheerleader and former coach and this is a big deal! They ended up getting 3rd place and it was a terrific end to a great season for her and her teammates. I know there are a few former cheerleaders out there who might enjoy this (and others who can't help themselves but watch!)

[Cara is the petite dark-haired girl mostly on the left side in the 2nd and 3rd cheers. And I have no idea who that is in the background singing/rapping :) ]

Enjoy!

same hat, different baby

Chinese New Year

We celebrated Chinese New Year with my dad's side of the family last Saturday. One of these girls is 100% Chinese and one is one quarter Chinese. Can you tell which one is which??

the winter blahs

It's winter in Michigan in case you haven't noticed. (I'm realizing winter was more fun before I had three little ones to drag through the slush every time I need a gallon of milk.) To keep busy, there has been a lot of fort building, Curious George watching, and Mom yelling, um I mean politely stating, "PLEASE. STOP. RUNNING. INSIDE."

I will say this winter is moving along better than last winter - two out of three kids being able to put on shoes and coats by themselves is wonderful. (Almost as good as the day the baby learns to go up and down the steps by herself and you can finally take the baby gate down. Such freedom.) I also am able to toss the two big ones out in the snow every day around 4pm when the neighbor kids get off the bus. It really is the simple things that get me through the day.

Here are a few pictures of the kids. Mady and Dylan enjoying a morning snuggle in our bed - it's starting to become a morning ritual to have kids coming and going through our room in the morning as we all try to get ready for the day. It's so cute how Mady lights up when she sees her big brother.
Crazy little Ella. She's becoming quite the diva. She found my sunglasses and jewelry the other day and she was ready to accessorize. It seems like we shake our heads in wonder at her many times through out the day. She is such a little wonder.
Sisters - I think they were watching figure skating with me (I DVR the Olympics and catch up during the day). Have I mentioned how much I love having little girls??
Fort building at its finest.
Precious little Mady, all clean after a bath following The Great Poop of 2010.
I hope you are all surviving winter too. Just remember, it's almost March, it's almost March, it's almost March. Only three more months of snow and five more months before the temperature hits 70!

Kidding.

I hope.

3 months old!

People always talk about how the third child doesn't have as many pictures as the first two or doesn't have pictures of herself alone, but we seem to have the opposite problem here. In the last couple of months I've mostly been taking pictures of Mady but not the other two (we call them "the big ones" - I think I like that she is a non-moving, cooperative subject :)

Our baby girl turns 3 months tomorrow! Most of her 0-3 month clothes are already packed away (next friend to have a baby girl wins a Hand Me Down Jackpot!) and she has lost a lot of her newborn qualities. She is much more aware of what's going on around her, smiling a lot, and settling into a routine during the day (precious little girl started sleeping 8-9 hours stretches around 2 months, bless her little heart). She is our little peanut and the grand finale to our little family - we love our Mady Mae!

we love our baby!

I got out the baby gym this week. I thought Mady might enjoy "playing" with it now that she's getting a little older. I left the room and came back to find out that she had other plans!


Mady also discovered her hands this week and for our after dinner entertainment, we like to watch her try to maneuver them into her mouth :) We are also taking votes on whether her eyes are going to turn out blue or brown (they look blue to us right now but it doesn't seem possible to end up with two blue eyed girls!)