Little Man

Look who's three(!) months old today...

Time is flying...and we're having SO much fun.

Ryan gave us his first laugh last Sunday. Nathan got it out of him. It's happened a few more times this week, but I have yet to get it on the video camera. We have plenty of smiles though. He's not stingy with those!

Ryan also loves to hear us sing to him...his current favorite is 'The Wheels on the Bus.' He lights up when we start the arm movements with him. Very cute.

I hear all of that time that he looks like a little man. It's true! He has such distinct features for a baby. When Scott is holding him I think they look so much alike. I love Ry-Ry's little dimples on the sides of his mouth when he smiles. Aimee got one, and he got two....luckies!

Everyday I pinch myself...we really get another baby to love! We are so lucky. Ryan has brought so much happiness to our family in the three short months he's been here. This is one child that will never wonder if he's loved. I think he holds a special place in all of our hearts because of the sacrifice all of us made getting him here. It was definitely a family effort!

Love you, little Ryan....Happy three-month birthday!

My Sweet Aimee

Today is a big day for this little girl...

...today she is EIGHT years old!

I can't believe how time flies...

and I also can't believe what a sweet, beautiful young lady she is becoming.

Aimee is eight years old....

going on twenty!


Eight things I LOVE about my Aimee-doo:


1. She is so generous. Aimee loves to share what she has to make someone else happy.
2. Aimee is very thoughtful and concerned about other people and their feelings.
3. This little girl is one of the most productive people I know. She can accomplish more in one day than most adults!
4. Aimee is an amazing sister. Her little brothers adore her, and she is Anna's best friend.
5. She is an awesome blogger. Last time I checked, she was keeping up four of them!
6. Aimee is very smart. Sometimes a little too smart...
7. She is hilarious. Aimee is always making up the funniest words or phrases (shubbs; S.O.F., S.O.F...) that we all catch on to. She definitely keeps us laughing.
8. Aimee loves to do "grown-up" things and is extremely ambitious. She wants to be a mom, a photographer, a teacher, a chef, and a hair-stylist. I honestly believe she could do them all if she decided to.

Love you, Aimers! Happy Birthday!

Sneak Peek

The kids in their costumes before the big Trunk-or-Treat:

Ryan dressed up as the puppy the kids have always wanted. I told them they got a baby brother instead, which really was okay with all of them. Baby brother dressed up like a puppy was even better...

He was so snuggly and cute....we didn't put him down all evening!

We always have to get a "crazy" picture of Nathan...


And the girls were so cute in their "50's" costumes. (I love their glasses!)

We can't wait to do this all again on Halloween!

Two Months

Sweet little Ryan is two months old today. Isn't he cute??? :) Two months has flown by, but we've enjoyed having this little guy here every second of it. He gives us lots of smiles and is starting to have 'conversations' with me, cooing when I talk to him. I never want these babies to grow up, but how can I complain when they get more cute and fun by the day?

I ran across a picture of me when I was pregnant, and it seemed like so long ago. (Funny how that is....some days I honestly thought it would never end...) I love to sit and just take this baby in. I can't believe he's mine. He seems so familiar to me, like I've known him forever. Maybe it's because he looks a little like each of my other babies, but I wonder also if it's because I spent so many hours laying in bed thinking about him. I imagined how he'd look (more like Daddy than Mommy), his personality (sweet and happy), that he'd love to snuggle (especially with me!), and of course how much I'd love him. He's just how I imagined him to be. So handsome, so sweet, so snuggly, and I just can't get enough of him. What a lucky mommy I am...

Happy two-month birthday, Ryan...

Flu Shots and Other Fun Stuff

Last week we took advantage of Ryan's well check and took the whole family to the doctor's office for Flu Shots. Fun stuff, let me tell you! The girls knew what was in store and were dreading the whole ordeal, but Nathan woke up that morning SO excited to go get his shots (he had to get a couple more because we missed his 4-year well check...oops!) The nurse took them oldest to youngest, but she probably should've started with Nathan. Anna wasn't too bad...she's our quiet one. But when the nurse stuck that needle in Aimee's arm, she let out an "Ouch!" and her eyes teared up immediately. We tried to downplay it since Nathan was sitting there waiting for his turn. His excitement was starting to fade a little. Aimee got up and came over to where I was standing and said "That really hurt!" I gave her one of 'those' looks and she corrected herself. "That was cool!" she said, looking over at Nathan. I think at this point he may have been doubting her sincerity. Anyway, he got his three shots, and then three suckers (one for each!) and he was a happy camper. Now I wonder how I'm going to get him back in for those Kindergarten shots in April! Lucky little Ryan got to go last with his shots. Poor little guy. He really wasn't happy about that. He was 22-1/2 inches and weighed 10 lbs. exactly....a pretty big growth spurt from 6 lbs. just six weeks earlier. Here we are, showing off our "Badges of Courage" (our band-aids...)

I love Nathan's face in this one:

Now on to happier things....little Ryan has been giving smiles out like crazy lately. I got my first real smile out of him at about five weeks (September 25 at 10:14 am, to be exact!). I was talking to him and he just looked up and gave me a huge smile...it was the sweetest thing. We had a few more over the next couple of weeks, but at seven weeks he started smiling all over the place. This little boy is way too cute. Here he is getting ready for his first bike ride. We love to go on rides as a family and have had this trailer since the girls were little! It's gotten a lot of use. Now it's Ryan's turn. He slept most of the time, but I'm sure he loved the parts he was awake for...

Here is one of those great smiles:

and another...

isn't he the sweetest?

The kids were so excited to take him out for his first ride...

We also had to record his height on the family chart....22-1/2 inches already!

He thought he was hot stuff getting measured like his big sisters and brother...

We love you, little Ry-Ry....just don't grow up on us too fast! :)

Brothers

I can't tell you how much Nathan loves being a big brother. He is so sweet with Ryan, always giving him kisses, telling him he loves him, and trying to make him feel better when he cries. Today Scott was holding Ryan and Nathan said "Daddy, aren't you SO glad we have baby Ry-Ry?" Too sweet. A little later we were all having some M&M's, and he wondered if we could give Ryan "a teeny, tiny" piece so he wouldn't be left out. Here he is, so proud that he got Ryan to sleep with the binkie:

and my boys looking too handsome in their "Sunday Best"

I have the feeling these two will be great friends...

Change is in the air...

Ahhh.....a new blog address calls for a new background, don't you think? The girls couldn't believe I didn't have a "cute" background for this blog, so they hooked me up. (Honestly, I tried to put one on a year ago and couldn't figure out how. It took a seven-year-old, who figured it out herself, to show me how.) We'll try it out....although I'm kind of partial to my old plain white one. I do love fall though, so I might as well be a little festive, right?