A Taste of Spring

It was in the sixties and sunny on Sunday, so we took full advantage of the spring-like weather and headed to the arboretum after church. Gigi was here for a visit and we picked up sandwiches and had a picnic lunch. It was fantastic to be outside again! After a blistery winter, we are so ready to welcome spring!

Valentine's Day

We enjoyed another Valentine's Day with the children this year. Like last year, I planned a Valentine's Day party for the children. I brought out the decorations, we made homemade valentines, did other Valentine's Day crafts (heart penguins, dot art hearts, heart headbands), ate pink cupcakes……it was a day full of love!

Snow Days!

This past week we got a very good amount of snow. It's been awhile since it snowed so much and it was so much fun now that the children are a bit older. I believe we got up to 8-9 inches. It was a winter wonderland! We took full advantage of the snow with several activities including: making snow cream, attempting to build a snowman, having snow ball fights, and sledding. The sledding was the best part. We took the children after dinner one night and it is up there in my "favorite memories with our children" list. So much fun. We went down a couple hills in our neighborhood. I was so surprised how Everett, Hampton, and even Ellie took to it. They would just jump on the sled and away they flew! Eric and I participated too. Pure fun.

Our view from the living room.

 The back deck. Our turtle sandbox is almost completely covered!

 Eleanor snow gazing. She had to wear her snowgirl shirt for the occasion.

 What our front entryway looked like after sledding. Six people+ winter gear=lots of stuff!

 The next day we went sledding in our backyard. 

 Away they go! 

We had so much fun enjoying the snow, but I think I'm now ready for Spring!

Oh, Ellie

There are many words to describe Eleanor Jane. Here are just a few:

You are silly. Such a silly girl. Almost goofy really.

You are sweet. You know which buttons to push (the good kind) with your Daddy.

You are busy. Oh so busy. You never stop moving.

You are tough. This is probably due to always being on the defense with those brothers of yours.

You are musical. You love to sing and we often hear you singing from your crib. Your favorite-Jesus Loves Me.

You are loud. You have to be in this house!

You are giggly. It is a squeaky kind of giggle. We love it.

You are OURS!!!

Thatcher Reid

He is the sweetest baby ever! And he follows me around everywhere. And he claps-all the time. And he says "mama" as he nuzzles into my shoulder. Have I mentioned how sweet this baby boy is?!

Hampton Writes His Name

So proud of our almost 4 year old for writing his name!

Thatcher Reid is One!

Our sweet Thatcher Reid. I've said it from the day he was born, 1 year ago…..I just LOVE this baby. He is the true baby of the family and he suits this role perfectly. We had a wonderful time celebrating him on Saturday beginning with pancakes. We don't go out to eat much, so any time is a special treat. We decided on IHOP and the children loved their chocolate chip pancakes. And Eric and I loved our coffee! Following breakfast we headed to the arboretum for a family hike, since the weather was nice. My sister and her boyfriend joined us and it was so wonderful to get some fresh air. That afternoon we had taco spaghetti for dinner followed by chocolate cake! And Thatcher joined the rest of the boys with their love for sweets (Ellie Jane does not like dessert!). Thatcher received some gifts-a yellow submarine for the bath, a shape sorter, a new puzzle, a few books. We had a great day celebrating his first year of life. Here are some things I want to remember about my sweet boy:

1.) You are mama's boy through and through. You are very attached to mama and I love it. Love it.

2.) You are social! You smile and babble to strangers. You try to get others' attention. You hold out your hand to say hello.

3.) You love to climb the stairs!

4.) You clap and it is the cutest thing ever.

5.) You are still nursing every 3 hours, but you are also liking whole milk.

6.) You sleep pretty well, however some days you are a VERY early riser and there are a few nights here and there you wake up in the middle of the night to nurse. You still take a morning and afternoon nap.

7.) You like to eat, especially if you can feed yourself. Yogurt is one of your favorites and you are back to liking bananas. 

8.) Your brothers and sister make you laugh. 

9.) You have a very sensitive soul and get your feelings hurt easily.

10.) You aren't walking yet, but can crawl very fast and cruise the furniture.

11.) You can say: mama, dada, bubba, bye bye, hey

12.) You weigh about 23 pounds and are in the 50th percentile for height/weight and in the 85th percentile for your head circumference. 

13.) You have the best laugh.

14.) You are the sweetest, most snuggly baby I know. 

You are our Thatcher Reid.