February, Continued

Another couple weeks of winter under our belts means another couple weeks of random ways to kill time. Somehow having these chairs made watching television a little more fun. Brooke asked me to take the picture below. We had gone to Target (of course) and she got to pick out a small toy as a reward for making a good choice a couple of weeks before. She chose the little white dog for Isabelle. She was sooo excited to "tell" Isabelle what she'd gotten her when we got home. That same trip, Brooke brought her own money ($1 of which she'd earned from my bribing her to watch a movie in St. Louis) and picked something from the dollar section. She chose the Frozen coloring sheet. And it was marked down to $.30! I'm not sure who was more excited: me, because of how much she'd saved, or her, because she got 4 coins back as change from the 2 quarters she gave the cashier. On the way home she said, "I can't believe that something so big cost such little monies!"

We got to see Grandma Audie again yesterday, and Miles was being a pill when we wanted to take a picture.

So I cropped him out. That'll teach him. (Love this picture of her and the girls, btw!)

He acts like a pill, but then he takes a picture like this and makes a card that he's SO proud of for us for Valentine's day, and how can you be mad?

Aunt Jamie got Brooke and Isabelle matching jammies and Brooke has worn them most nights since.

Here are the kids with their Valentine's Day card from Grammie Deb and Grandpa Brian. This was when Miles was sick with the virus that Paige had a few days before. Needless to say, the last couple weeks haven't been the most sleep-filled.

Brooke has moved on to showering, but Paige has graduated from the baby tub. She and Miles are pretty cute in there together.

Brooke's friend, Olivia, was in a performance of "Shrek" last weekend and we were both excited to see her. The show was great! I kind of hope Brooke wants to do something like this in the future.

Zach and Katie came with us and the two of them were cute and funny, as always.

Have a great last week of February!

Paige is 10 Months!

Paige was ten months old last Thursday. She remains our most easy-going baby. Except that she still wakes up once or twice per night. At some point she's going to have to cry it out, but I haven't reached my limit yet, so she still gets attention when she cries.

She's eating three solid meals a day and also enjoys cheerios and puffs. She's almost exclusively on formula now (3, 6-or-8 ounce bottles). She'll nurse once or twice a day/night, depending on our schedule, but our days are numbered for that. I have mixed feelings about being done. I'm looking forward to the freedom, but sad for the chapter that will be closing. Welcome to motherhood, right?

She's still mermaid-kicking on her back or sometimes rolling to get around on the floor, but generally she's pretty content to stay where she's left. She's become a bit more of a mama's girl and we're seeing some stranger anxiety when dropping her in the nursery at church. She's said "Dada" when looking at Matt, although that's not 100% consistent. She's also clapping and waving inconsistently. She loves babies...and boys, apparently. Here she is with her buddy(/future husband?) Hudson. She was all over him.

She also loves her Lukey. These two are sweet to watch together.

She takes a minute or two to warm up, and tends to look people over before offering a smile in approval. My dad has dubbed this the "stink eye." It's pretty fitting. Overall, she's a happy, giggly, cuddly girl and we're so happy she's ours. Happy ten months, Paige!

P.S. I'll try to get some better solo shots of you for your 11 month update.

Aunt Esther

Every time that we went down to St. Louis, we'd make sure to stop by my great-Aunt Esther's to visit, and she'd make sure to have candy (and usually other treats) for the kids. Anytime we were on our way to her apartment, Miles or Brooke would ask, "Will Auntie have candy for us?"

We were thankful to be able to see Auntie one last time before she passed away last week. We're going to miss her immensely but are so thankful that she's no longer in pain and is in a better place.  

(She hated having her picture taken so she'd probably be mad at me for posting this. I'm thankful that I have these memories on record for my kids, though.)

Party at Gigi and Grandpa Charlie's

When they heard we were coming in town, my Grandma and Grandpa said they wanted to have a Valentine's Day party for the kids at their house. And they certainly delivered. They bought some new toys for the kids to play with, as well as feeding them lunch and baking heart-shaped cupcakes for the kids to decorate.

The girls lasted a little longer than the boys at the decorating, but once again, the kids all had a great time.

These sweeties were along for the ride.

After the decorating, Gigi and Grandpa Charlie got their snuggles in with the babies.

They worked their magic and got both babies to sleep. Thanks for the fun morning! We're lucky to have you!

Romantic St. Louis Weekend

We went to St. Louis last weekend and despite it not being our best visit for a variety of reasons, we were still able to pack in lots of fun. The kids watched some movies together. This picture may or may not have been the time I bribed them all that I would pay them $1 if they watched the whole movie and could tell me three things about it. It turns out that sometimes peace and quiet has a cost, and this time, it was $4.

Lexi read them a bedtime story that she had written.

We got to snuggle a little with this cutie, although not as much as we'd have liked since Paige was sick most of the visit.

We took her to urgent care where they gave her a chest x-ray and tested her for RSV, only to determine that it was a virus. The poor baby looked like this for most of Saturday and Sunday.

Before Paige took a turn for the worse, we spent Valentine's Day morning at the City Museum. It's a pretty awesome place. There was so much exploring to do that we could have stayed all day. All the kids had a great time.

Grandma came along and kept the babies company while we chased the older kids.

Miles made a friend. I think he reminded him of his dad.

After visiting my Aunt Esther on Saturday night, we went out to dinner. My dad spent the entire time at the table with the kids, and they loved it.

On Sunday, we made a quick trip to the mall, complete with a stop at the "playground." They happily played here for 15 minutes or so. I think we're all getting stir crazy.

On Monday, we were planning to leave around lunchtime, but got a little nervous based on the reports of a "winter storm." I know I sound like a cynical Chicagoan, but this snow was the result of that "winter storm."

Storm or not, the kids had a great time playing in the snow. I'm happy to report that Miles declared himself no longer afraid of sledding. He actually couldn't get enough. It's always so fun to watch them play together, bickering and all.

I took a lot of pictures because I'm not sure when/if I'll get to take more out in the snow this year.

As a bonus, Paige woke up that day feeling much better and seemed to enjoy watching the big kids, as well.

They also had some fun in the backyard.

Until next time, St. Louis!