Holiday pics

No matter how busy we are, no matter how long my to-do list is, I will ALWAYS find time to stop and capture these beauties on camera!


"5 years old!"


I especially love this one of Abigail. I think she looks so old! Plus, I love her little smirk :)




Santa, baby :)

These were so fun (and easy!) to do. It started with me just wanting to get some good up-close face pics of the girls for Grandparent gifts. I took Audrey's first. She, always having helpful suggestions and ideas, asked if she could wear the Santa hat. They came out so great that I knew I had to give it a try with Abigail and Anne. I was so worried about Abby- she's the typical 2 year old who won't sit still for pictures. But WOW. She loved having her picture taken (and it REALLY helped that my camera has the burst function!) I think I may have to do this every year!

Anne Elizabeth is 2 months old!

I read something on Pinterest a few weeks ago that really touched me. It's kind of corny, but I love it..."Babies smile in their sleep because they're listening to the whispers of angels." LOVE!! She has the most beautiful smile. In the past week she has started smiling more often when she sees us. I live for those! Also, she grins when you put her in front of a mirror. Talk about cuteness overload!



Her sweet face...it's almost TOO MUCH!!! I kiss and squeeze those soft cheeks 100x a day. Yum.

Abigail at 2 months:


Audrey at 2 months:


Month 2 was rough. Inconsistent sleep and growth spurts made for a very tired momma.

At around 6 weeks she had pretty bad acne (red bumps AND yellow flakes on her eyebrows and ears.) She also had redness in both eyes. The pediatrician gave us cortisone and eye ointment..she was cleared up within 2 days. At that appointment she weighed 10 lbs 1 ounce. At her 2 month wellness check she weighed 11 lbs 2 ounces and was 22 inches tall. She's wearing size 0-3 clothes and size 1 diapers.

She's sleeping in her crib at night. Chris does her late feeding (10-11 pm) and she sleeps until 1-2 am. I put her back in bed when she falls asleep. She wakes again around 4-5 to eat and I just sleep with her on the couch until she's ready to eat again between 7-8. I really wish she'd drop a feeding soon!!

She's found her fist and I always find her sucking on it when she wakes from her naps (slurp, slurp!) She still spits up a lot and so the pedi prescribed Zantac which she takes 3x a day. She's so alert and will turn to follow people/objects as they go by. She has great head control and I just love watching her as she looks around :)




I hang out on my Boppy lounger a lot!


I really love being in Mom's arms :)


Abigail is an awesome sister! When I cry she is the first to give me a paci, bounce me in the bouncer, or get a toy. She loves me so much!


Mom gets jealous that I get to catch up on my sleep during the day! But she loves to cuddle with me anyways!



Both of my sisters think I'm sooo funny and interesting!

They like to get all up in my business!


2 month check up


Annie is getting so big, so quickly. She's reminded me of why having a newborn is so hard, yet so amazing at the same time. I am so thankful that she is a thriving, beautiful little lady!

Things I Don't Want to Forget

Yesterday I was especially grateful to be a SAHM:

On a whim, around 10:00, I finished feeding Annie. Abigail said she was hungry so I decided to make pancakes (even though they'd already had breakfast a couple hours earlier.)

I put Annie in her bouncer so I could keep an eye on her in the kitchen. The older girls followed us and wanted to help. So Audrey poured the water and oil, Abigail poured the egg.

My favorite part of the morning? I blasted Christmas music and as I flipped pancakes, Audrey and Abigail sang and danced circles around Annie. She just sat and watched them until she dozed off. We ate pancakes in our PJs, sang and danced. It was fun to watch Audrey as she recognized songs from last year and to watch Abigail enjoy songs that she was too young to remember.

I'll never take things moments this for granted.

Abigail Mae is 2 1/2!

Abigail continues to be a typical 2 year old! Testing the waters and asserting her independence. Chris and I often find ourselves reprimanding her while trying hard not to laugh, lol. She's so sassy and full of personality that she seems so much older than two!

She speaks very well and we're able to avoid a lot of meltdowns by just talking things out. She loves to learn and is so smart! She knows a lot of her letters already, says her ABCs, and counts past 10. She knows her shapes and colors.

She really loves to do everything herself, from emptying her froggy potty to putting on her own socks. She wants to do everything Audrey does....for example, she still uses toddler toothpaste (no water) but because Audrey rinses and spits when she brushes her teeth, Abigail has to "spit" too. So I give her a bit of water (which she actually swallows) then she spits into the sink. It makes her so happy :)

I am still amazed at how she's adjusted to having baby Annie here. She tries to cuddle with her and will say things like, "Awww, don't you cry, baby Annie!" She loves her so much and I tell her often that she's a terrific big sister!

Likes: doing everything by herself, dancing, cuddling with dad, gushing over "cuuuute" baby Annie, taking baths, the playground at Chic-fil-a, talking in a "monster" voice, running and playing tag with Audrey, playing pretend, going to Grandma's house

Dislikes: naps

Funny things she says: "That's impossible!" "Oh my GOODNESS!" "Pretty, pretty please??" "This is ridiculous!" "That's disgusting!"

Abigail is incredible in every way. She challenges us and makes us SO proud. We adore that darling girl!

Best of Times, Worst of Times

That is how I refer to this point and time in our lives.

Worst: No schedule! I'm definitely having to prioritize all.the.time. The girls obviously come first- once they're happy and settled I can focus on myself and the house. But there's such a small window of time it seems! So, do I eat first or shower? Fold a load of laundry or get started on dinner? Pick up the toys or clean the kitchen? I miss having a more structured routine sometimes.

Best: No schedule, haha! I don't have to rush to be out the door by 6:30 am or worry about scheduling things around work.

Worst: Pumping, storage containers, freezing milk, and endless bottles. I will be so happy when I can pack away my pump. I don't *hate* pumping, but it is time consuming. I definitely hate the discomfort...the fullness and engorgement that goes along with breastfeeding and/or exclusively pumping...ugh! I am looking forward to the day I'm done with all that.

Best: I've lost almost all of the 40 pounds I packed on! 20 of it was gone after the first week!

Worst: I hear "MOM!" about 50,000 times a day. I can't decide if it's better, worse, or equally annoying as hearing "MRS. BURNS!" 50,000 times a day :)

Best: I'm the one who gets to be there for everything...the good and the bad.

Worst: Annie is adorable, but kind of boring :) She's on the verge of smiling (I can tell!!) But she mostly just stares and yawns and looks around taking everything in.

Best: I am so excited that I'll get to be home for so many of her firsts...smiling, sitting up, crawling, eating real food.

I think that once Miss Anne is on a schedule, I will feel more at peace, less anxious. And then I'll LOVE staying at home and won't want to go back to school...go figure!

Anne Elizabeth is 1 month old!

Stats: 9 lbs 5 oz...21 inches long...cute as all get out!!

Annie's first month of life has been a whirlwind. 4 weeks of not being on a schedule makes me a little crazy. I am torn between enjoying these sweet, cuddly newborn days and longing for a schedule where I know exactly when she's going to nap, eat, etc. Knowing that this is our last baby has really put me in the mindset of just enjoying her as she is now.

She has great head control and turns from side to side. She focuses on on my face and I love talking to her and looking at her sweet face! Poor lovey has a bad case of baby acne :( It looks very dry and I'm hoping it clears up soon.

She is taking 3 ounces every 2-3 hours. At night she's going a bit longer. She sleeps in her little bassinet/rocker next to our bed and I'm kind of anxious to get her into her own room. During the day she can be found in her swing, bouncer, or in my arms. We started tummy time earlier this week and the kid is already rolling over! WHAT WHAT!?!?

My body thinks it's feeding multiples! I've started spacing out my pumping sessions 4-6 hours but I still get crazy amounts of milk. I started skipping my 11:30 pm session so I get a better stretch of sleep from about 8:30 until about 1:00 am or later. I plan to wean in the summer so that when I go back to school I don't have to pump and she'll have freezer milk to get her through 1+ year. I hope I can stick it out that long! I'd love to get down to just 3-4 pumping sessions eventually!

She loves to be held. Lately it feels like I can only put her down if she's ready to fall asleep. That can be frustrating, especially if we're trying to get ready to go somewhere. Sometimes she just has to cry for a couple minutes here and there while I dress the older girls, brush their hair, etc. I really hope this passes soon!

She is a lovely little baby and we're all so in love with her!