max

It is amazing to me how much this little guy has changed since he came to us. The picture on the left is the day he got here. Then the 2 month picture (with the bear) was 2 weeks after that, and the tuxedo picture was 2 weeks after that... seriously, what a huge change in one month!! We take eating seriously... he is growing and progressing so much. He can push up on his hands, lift his head when in tummy position, he follows objects with his eyes and laughs and eats a lot. I have thoroughly enjoyed this stage. I will admit that I am struggling more than I thought I would. Not with Max. I love him so much, it's amazing. He fits so naturally into our home. I am struggling with being up all night and not getting naps and holding a fussy baby when I am supposed to be cooking or cleaning or doing homework with my kids... then add in guitar lessons, soccer practices and games and school plays and competitions and scouts and activity days and 4 dance classes a week and church and expanding a business.... it is so busy and harder than I thought it would be and I am more exhausted than I remember ever being. I wouldn't change it for the world. This time with Max is so precious. He has this BIG spirit in his tiny little body. He has the worlds biggest grin and he laughs frequently. He lights up whenever we talk to him. He is a super cuddler, which is fine with me, I love to cuddle him. As a matter of fact, instead of cleaning during the day (or doing anything else), I hold him and love him and love every minute of it. I feel like I did not get to bond with him in the womb, so I will bond with him every possible minute that I can. He is amazing. He recognizes and loves the kids. He is happy when the kids give him loves. We are so thankful to have this great little man in our lives. He is making us a better, stronger family. We love you, Max.

Beauty School

My 2 youngest daughter found some scissors last week... found them and quickly hurried up the stairs to the privacy of their own room, and once there, they proceeded to play beauty school. They cut their dolls hair, they cut the barbies hair... and they cut Olivia's HAIR!!! I am proud to say that I did not FREAK OUT (as I did the last time Gloria and Grayson tried this stunt), I didn't cry for an hour and call my friends in tears.... I merely pulled out the pair of scissors and finished the job. I was sad. Really sad. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the job Cami did to Olivia's hair, but I was not THAT put together! So, here is the finished job. My cute little pixie, Olivia.

Last Weekend

Last weekend we had some friends from dental school come for a visit. It was so much fun. We loved having them here and had a great time. I wish we were able to live near them as I feel Ruth could teach me so much about being a good mom. She is amazing!! Well, I am glad that she was able to visit, at least... I think that the babies all enjoyed being around each other, it was fun to see another newborn and ask questions as it seems I have forgotten EVERYTHING about newborns---- weird, I have had four!! We love our friends, thanks for coming out, it meant a lot to us :)

Tub Time!

This was our house at tub time the other night (yes, Olivia wears a swim suit EVERY time she gets in the tub). My kids LOVE water!! Any type of water they can get into, play with or drink- They love it. So, it has been a little stressful that Max absolutely HATES water. We have tried MANY things... including sponge baths, sink baths, and baths with the kids. But to no avail. He doesn't like baths. Poor boy. He doesn't scream as much now or for as long as he did the first few times we gave him a bath. Maybe he will someday come around :)

More Cousins

We really had a good time with our cousins while they were visiting. Besides going to San Francisco, we did some relaxing at home (we thought about heading up to Yosemite, but the weather was yucky and we were TIRED after our trip to San Fran... maybe next time). We had a blast hanging out at home, Aunt Ilesha is so fun. She got some crafting supplies (glitter- not an art supply that I usually allow in my home :) and we did some crafting. I lead the kids in a lego making contest (Gray and Bray won with their replication of the Bay Bridge from San Fran) and it turned into a full day of lego-ing! Taylor did a replica of Alcatraz, it was pretty cool. We made picture frames, painted finger nails, made video's of the kids doing a lip sync and dancing, and relaxed. We had a fabulous time and we loved having them visit!

San Francisco

This week my sister and family came out to visit us in California. We had such a great time. We went to San Francisco. We spent some time in Alcatraz, saw the Golden Gate bridge, went to Ghiradelli Square, China Town and to the aquarium. It was a blast!! San Francisco is fun anytime, but if you add my sister Ilesha in to the mix, it is a PARTY!! We loved the "bush man".. I wish we would have gotten pictures, we stopped and watched him scare people along the sidewalk. The kids thought it was hilarious and probably could have watched for a few hours, if we would have let them!!



Alcatraz was AWESOME!! We had a great time, and my sister rented the movie "Escape from Alcatraz" with Clint Eastwood... it was so cool!! I would recommend it to anyone. It was an experience worth doing and we will likely do it again a few more times. I loved having my sister here. She and her family are so fun and we wish they could move in with us!! San Francisco was PERFECT. The weather was clear and not too cold. Ghiradelli Square was super yummy. We had some really yummy ice cream there, but I have no pictures because Max was a little hungry and so between feeding him and feeding me, I didn't remember to get out the camera. China town was fun, and doable because it was NOT BUSY!! It was 2 really great days to be there because San Francisco was empty (it seemed) and I wasn't nervous about losing kids (I'm always worried about losing kids, but I wasn't worried about losing them in the midst of crowds). The aquarium was a lot of fun, very hands on and we will do that again soon. It wasn't a huge aquarium, but for the price it wasn't bad.

We are glad that the DePasquale's came to visit!!!

Olivia

I was laying next to Livie in bed getting ready for her nap. Here is our converstaion:

Livie: Mom, will I go to heaven when I die?

Me: Of course! We all will be heaven together. Mom and Dad and Gloria and Grayson and Cami and you!!

Olivia: Will it be tomorrow?

Me: Oh no! It won't be for a long, long time. Probably not until after you are a grandma or a great grandma.

Olivia: I will be a grandma?

Me: Someday you will.

Olivia: Then will I be a Grandpa?

Me: No. But you will be married to one.

Olivia: I will?

Me: Yes. But he won't be a grandpa when you get married. He will just be a boy, and you will be a girl.

Olivia: How old will I be.

Me: 25

Olivia: I don't want to marry a boy. I want to marry Santa Clause.

Me: you do?

Olivia: Yes. I am going to ask Santa if he will marry me for Christmas.

Me: Hmmmmm. Sounds like a good plan, but you still have to wait until you are 25 to get married. That is a long time away.

Olivia: I will ask him now if he will marry me when I am 25.

Me: OK.

- I chuckled at this, because I know why she wants to marry Santa, so she can have all the toys she wants!! Smart girl :)