Easy Going

Instructions for being the 4th child:

• Don't cry very much. Mom & Dad have already been there and done that. Smile instead. This is how you'll really get what you want.

• Let your older sister dress you up. It will bring her pleasure, and it really doesn't hurt anything. Don't worry because you'll get to tease and pester her soon enough.

• Be grateful for all the extra "help". Like when your older brother decides to give you a party in your crib when you're trying to take a nap. It will be extra cozy with 15 extra stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows.

• Let your sisters prop you up on the couch so that you dive off the front and bonk your head. It will scare your mom to death, but then she'll really know how tough you are when you don't cry about it.

• Charm everyone you see with your cuteness and you'll have it made.

Chugga-Chugga

Choo-Choo!


It only took a little over 15 months, but Andrew has finally has his entire Christmas present from 2009.

Andrew got a train table complete with a great track set-up for Christmas before he turned two. We just weren't quite ready to let him have the track until now. I didn't want to clean up assorted pieces day after day, and Daddy didn't really want everything broken immediately.

The table has been put to good use though. It has been: a stage, a dining table, a monster truck rally surface, a bed, a Pony-ville Palace, and many, many other things.

It was about time the table fulfill it's true purpose in life.

Andrew couldn't be more pleased.

Quads

I like to pull out old photos of my older kids and compare them to the youngest baby.

So I did.

You know those comments that drive you crazy as a mother? The ones from people who think that your daughters look exactly the same (when in reality each one takes after a different side of the family completely).

Well, it turns out that those crazy comments may in fact be true about Jared.

If someone said he looks like Sarah, I'd have to agree. I think their eyes are similar.

If they said he looks like Emma... I can't argue with that. There is something in those cheeks.

And even Andrew! I think their foreheads and lips are pretty close.

It's official. Jared fits in just right.

Six Months... already?

Our Baby Jared is six months old today! It is just so exciting to think how much he's grown and changed in the last six months. And, it's really hard to believe the huge changes that will happen in the next six months too.


Jared is such a fun little guy to have around.
He is happy most of the time... when he gets what he wants.
Aren't we all that way?

He eats every 3 hours during the day and sleeps an average of 10 hours at night.

He loves his bottles and oatmeal, and just started exploring new food options like bananas.

After having 3 finger/thumb suckers, Jared is our first "binkie baby".
I may have forced that one a bit... just a bit.

He prefers to sleep in his own bed.
When we're out of town or on the road, Jared no longer naps and sleeps as well.

He has some killer blue eyes.
Those eyes just captivate me, and I'm hooked every time.

Jared still spits up all the time.
All our other kids grew out of this at about a month old, but Jared spits at least a little after every feeding.

He started truly sitting up on his own this week.

His new favorite toy is our "johnny jump up". You know those things that hook on a door casing and hang down for the baby?
Jared not only bounces in that thing, but he really jumps - like feet off the ground.
Maybe he's got a sports career ahead of him with that vertical!

He is loved, loved, loved all day by his sisters and brother.

Princess Forest

You know one of the things that makes me the most happy?


When Dennis comes home after work and says, "Let's go to the park!"


Spring is in full force here, which has given us a few chances to do just that.


We have the traditional playground parks spotting our town, and also a fun little place we've dubbed, "Princess Forest."


Princess Forest has a Swan Lake (a holding pond for storm water) and Dragon Rock. There are trees all around, and it is simply a beautiful place to run around and burn off some energy.


I love that some simple little things like some woods, a pond, and a big jagged rock can spark our kids' imagination and bring smiles to their faces.