Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Aaron LOVES Elijah

Aaron doesn't tend to do very many things in part. It's either nothing, or 100%. That includes loving Elijah. He doesn't just love him, he LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES him. Almost terrifyingly intense love. 
If Elijah is around, Aaron is RIGHT THERE.

Sneaking in for a head rub

No peace, even during the monthly photo shoot.

Giant Aaron head in Elijah's face

This looks totally safe...

Snuggling with Mommy AND Elijah??
Best Aaron Day ever!

Water Play

My friend Pohai offered to host swim lessons in her pool this summer. I wasn't sure it would be worth the money or the driving time, but I was wrong! Miss Kate was AMAZING and both kids learned way more than they would have at our usual swim lessons. 


And then it was time to start thinking about our beach trip.
Elijah busted out his sunglasses and his beach bod:

Aunt Kenna made fun of his beach bod.
He was highly offended:

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Church Fun

Our Primary presidency put together a fun game and movie night for the Primary kids to enjoy. The kids had a lovely time (as did the grown ups, who are always happy to have a chance to chat). 

Brie & Tessa love on Elijah

Aaron decided to go to for the "really hot ninja" look that evening.

Elise, Anuhea, Matthew & Aaron playing parachute with Abi.

We weren't up for the late night that the movie-watching would entail, but the Knoxes were kind and let Seth stay to watch:

Seth is almost eleven, at which point he'll move up into Boy Scouts. This Raingutter Regatta was probably his very last activity as a Cub. Crazy how fast that time went!
Seth vs. Catherine

No contest!

Seth vs. Aaron (with assistance from Julia).
Aaron wins!

I'm so grateful for their leaders and all the effort they put into loving and teaching my kids. 

Two Months

Two months of Elijah!

Normally two months is my least favorite month of baby, but you've been a pretty easy kid. Of course, in the week before you hit two months you started taking 45 minute naps and getting more difficult to put to sleep, so maybe month #3 will be the hardest for you!

Here's what you're up to at two months:

-Sleeping at night like a champ! You still go to bed pretty late (between 9:30 and 10:00 pm), but you'll usually sleep until 5 am, nurse, and then sleep again until at least 7 am. I feel very spoiled.

-Of course, the last few hours of sleep (starting at around 3 am) are not restful sleep. You'll squirm, grunt, and occasionally cry out. After several hours of this, you'll finally get it all out (and usually explode out of your diaper). I am always so happy when this stage ends.

-You want to go down for a nap in the morning almost exactly an hour after waking up. But that's about it as far as a schedule goes.

-You will not take a pacifier. At all. This is a first for us. Thankfully you're very mellow, so we've rarely felt like we needed one.

-Nursing is your favorite. You nurse when you wake up and you nurse when you fall asleep. Which is probably why you weighed in at 14 lbs. 12 oz. at your checkup. That's 93%. You were also 24 inches, which is 83%. You're bigger than Seth, who was a chunk, and almost as big as Catherine was at a year old (16.5 lbs).
Adorable Sunday outfit that we shoved you into.
You'll never be able to wear it again.

-Related: you're wearing 3-6 month or 6 month clothing. Size two diapers.

-Grandma Sara informed us while she was here that you were a tummy sleeper. After a couple rough naps, I tried putting you on your belly. You slept for two hours (and I was sure you were going to die the entire time). I'm still not very comfortable with the idea of belly sleeping, but after trying literally everything else and only getting 10 minutes out of you, we're back to belly sleeping for naps.
Please don't die of SIDS...

-At night you sleep in a swing in our room. I think it's odd that you are okay sleeping there at night but REFUSE to nap in there during the day. I bought you a special swaddle that just wraps your arms: it's too hot for the full swaddle. Your typical sleeping setup is a onesie, swaddle and a light blanket over your legs (but not covering your feet--you kick off anything that covers your feet).

My absolute favorite picture of you, courtesy of Catherine.

-I don't have much to complain about, but I do hate that you wake up the second the car stops moving. Most of our kids would stay sleeping in their car seats, but we're lucky if you sleep at all after the car stops moving (including red lights). Guess maybe that's part of the belly sleeping thing?

-There are some rather intense battles over who gets to hold you. Mostly Brie & Emma, but sometimes Bekah, Julia, or some of my friends. You are very adored and rarely spend any time with me during church.
Aaron still loves you INTENSELY. Very intensely.

Catherine made you cookies for your two-month birthday.
She even threw a candle on top.

You also got a beautiful birthday crown.

Ah, the ceiling fan. Every baby's greatest joy.

My friend gave me a wrap to carry you around in.
You were not a fan.

It was only acceptable if you could dangle your head out.
Basically, you're just too big for these things already!

Still the preferred napping spot.


-Your smiles, coos, and (occasional) laughs are the best. We all adore you. Here's hoping you stay this sweet and easy as you grow!

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Summer Fun Begins!

Another summer, another visit to Plumpton Park Zoo!
We decided to swap Elijah out for Brie (at least for this picture).

We decided to join the Aberdeen pool again this summer. It was a chilly weekend when it finally opened, but Catherine insisted that we NEEDED to go. I wasn't looking forward to the pool with a baby, but seeing this chub in a swimsuit brightened me right up:

We even stopped on the way to the pool to buy him a floatie.
He hated it.

A failed deep-end swim test combined with chilly water made for a very unhappy (and cold) Catherine. When we got home it was straight to the tub for some warm soaking in the bubbles. Seth is still disappointed that he's too big to join them.

Catherine is still my little cook. I can't even remember why she wanted to make cookies this day. Quite possibly there was no reason: she just wanted to make cookies. And, as always, she had lots of help from Aaron & Elise.

Sometimes a mom is so desperate for a shower that she brings the baby in with her. And sometimes the three-year-old finds them in the shower, strips down, and joins them. It was a very cozy shower/bath for all of us...

Looking forward to a fun (and hopefully relaxing) summer!

Monday, June 24, 2019

Moments

Just some little things I want to remember:

-When we ask Elise what she's doing (usually suspiciously), she replies, "I'm doing anything!"

-Many times for FHE we play a version of dodgeball in the basement. It's all great fun and everyone enjoys it. But when it's Aaron's turn to throw, things get serious. He'll laugh and smile at everyone as he throws...except Elise. When Elise runs past he clenches his jaw, furrows his brow and throws with all his might.  Thankfully the balls are soft and his aim is not that great, because he's out for vengeance.

-Seth and Catherine have discovered Pig Latin and it's simultaneously adorable and obnoxious.

-During spring almost every day the kids would come inside with small bouquets of flowers for me. Many were wildflowers, but I'd also like to apologize to all the neighbors whose flowerbeds my kids probably raided. 

-Elise loves all things Elsa/princess and will frequently dance "like a princess" while listening to Disney songs.

-Aaron is at the fun phase where he descends into the depths of hysterical despair if he loses a game. He also has extraordinarily bad luck and loses frequently. It's rather hilarious when it's not just obnoxious.

-He has memorized how many zeros are in one septillion (24) and a googleplex (100). He can also quickly calculate all the other big numbers when asked. It's a little freaky. 

-Seth is creating a fantasy game full of various races with different strengths. It's call Mythica. I haven't seen any actual gameplay yet, but there are tons of pictures of the races, and lots of rules, and a chart telling you what each colored die represents. I think he needs to start playing some D&D. 

-Catherine is loving summer break and spends her days happily creating all kinds of art or engaging in imaginative play. She is not at all motivated by electronics, so she generally chooses not to complete her jobs. She only cares about getting them done if she gets to play with a friend in the afternoon.

Happy Birthdays

For my birthday, all I wanted was a nap.
Elijah was happy to enjoy it for me:
It was worth it just to stare at that chubby deliciousness while he slept.

Mom, Dad & I braved taking all five kids to Broom's Bloom for some birthday crab soup and ice cream. I love this picture of my little stairstep lineup of children!

Catherine & my dad made my birthday lemon bars, which were delicious!
It was so nice having my parents around so I didn't have to make my own birthday dessert.
I also saved all my co-op teacher gifts to open, 
so I had some fun birthday presents to look forward to.

Jon also had a birthday, complete with a coconut cream pie. We didn't take any pictures because it was a crazy night (as usual) and we barely got him off his computer long enough to sing to him. Such is the life of busy parents, I suppose! 

Memorial Day

We love our ward Memorial Day breakfast and kayaking tradition. We had perfect weather for it this year: warm, but not too gross and humid yet. I got a break from holding a chubby baby thanks to Brie. She adores him and literally held him the entire time (unless I was feeding him):

After eating too much delicious food, it was off to the kayaks! My mom snapped all these pictures since I was busy making sure Brie's arms didn't fall off from all that huge baby holding.
Catherine LOVES solo time with her daddy.
It's her favorite thing.

Grandpa was on duty with the little ones.
Brave soul, that Grandpa Russell.

A terrifying sight.
Not sure who let Seth, Benjamin & Gabe on a kayak together, but I was impressed they never tipped.
Please note that Gabe is the only one doing any kind of work.

Seth forces Grandpa into a canoe.

Later, forces Mom into a short kayak trip between Elijah feedings.

Another trip with Gabe.
This time he was a little more helpful.

Those who weren't kayaking were enjoying playing on the 'beach'.
We found this little mermaid lounging on the rocks in the sunshine:


We wore ourselves out with all that food and fun.
Good thing Elise let Grandpa borrow Softie Blanket so he could catch a nap before we headed to the Knoxes for some grilling and chatting! A perfect Memorial Day. 

Blessing Day

Blessing day arrived and we prayed Elijah would still fit in the blessing outfit my mom bought for him. Thankfully their 'newborn' size was enormous, so other than some tightness around his amazing thighs, it fit perfectly!
Not impressed with his outfit

"This is hot and scratchy and I hate it!"

Rather Dashing

The Elvis lips

The full ensemble

Of course, if Elijah is around, Aaron will be found nearby.
Very, very nearby.

Aaron would literally do this all day if I let him.

Queen Elsa & Princess Anna made an appearance before the blessing.
I can't remember the last time I saw Catherine in a princess anything...

Despite my fears, Elijah didn't poo-splode in his outfit or scream through his blessing. 
His dad gave him a beautiful blessing.
In the circle were Jon, Timmy, our friend Craig, and both grandpas.

The entire Blood/Mikesell clan
(thanks for doing pictures for us again, Melissa!)
Please note that while Elise wears her sparkly Sunday shoes every other day of the week, 
on Sundays she opts to wear her tennis shoes. It's not worth fighting her. 

The Bloods

Just our Bloods

The menfolk

Elise got to do her own photo shoot with Grandpa.
He clearly has a soft spot for redheaded girls!