NINE months

"Hmm. I wonder who could have just turned nine months on the 19th. Anyone have any guesses?"

"Hold on. I think I may know!"

"But this carpet looks real interesting at the moment so this may take a bit longer..."

"Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue!"

"Oh! That's RIGHT! It's ME! I turned nine months old!!!" Love, Andrew

The past nine months have been crazy busy but so much fun at the same time. I always say it but Andrew is a really good baby. Always happy, plays well on his own when needed (ie: mom making dinner, etc.), good playmate with his sisters, rarely fussy or cranky, Mama AND Daddy's boy, sleeps through the night (11-12 hours/night), generally curious, self explorer, has fun outside (playground & walks) - really, the list could go on. And it does. In his baby book. So I'll spare you all the other details. :)

He had his nine month well baby visit today. Such a trooper through the 2 shots he received - one being for the flu. He's a very healthy nine month old and is right where he should be with his development. Here are his stats: 18 lbs 12 oz (25th percentile - a little down with the percentage from his 6 month well baby but he's doing fine), 27 1/2 inches (25th percentile) and 46cm - head (75th percentile). Andrew still shows no signs of wanting to crawl. BUT he has been pulling himself up a little bit when he grabs onto our legs and arms while we're sitting near him. So he's becoming a bit more mobile as the days go on. He also loves to clap objects together and get our attention by doing so. He rambles a lot, making more sounds with d and g and a. I'm sure m is in the near future! (ie: mama!) Hey, I can only hope. :) Loves to laugh and make us laugh. Scoots in the bath and loves to splash the water. Plays peek-a-boo with his blanket. Sits really well independently and even stretches way over to the side or down to his feet to reach objects and then resumes to sit. Picks up finger foods from highchair between thumb and finger. For the most part, still only eats #2 baby foods but has branched off and has started to eat cooked peas, noodles and beans. Shy with others he doesn't see everyday. Looking like the two bottom teeth won't be alone too much longer. Some on the top look like they may emerge soon (HELLO top teeth!) - he's also drooling and chewing on everything.

The other day, we were playing blocks together and I noticed how he's looking more like a toddler and less like a baby and that made me kinda sad. I'm happy though that he's growing so well but sad that the baby stage is fading. I love it when they're so small and cuddly and have that cute toothless grin. :) But I know the next stage he goes through will be fun also so I'm really looking forward to more of his milestones and learning more about his cute personality as it blossoms.

Happy Nine Months Andrew! :)

THREE Parties?

Yup. You read that right. Jocelyn had THREE parties this year for her birthday. Whew. What a month it has been! :) It all started when we were back in Oregon on vacation. We thought it would be nice to celebrate her birthday with family while we were visiting so I got all of us together exactly one month early to the day (August 14th) of her real birthday (September 14th) and threw her a party at Red Robin. She had sooo much fun! We did miss those that were unable to join us.

(Warning: You're about to see a LOT of photos. Please view at your own risk as it may take some time to scroll down this post! But that's okay because you only turn THREE once!)

{This girl SERIOUSLY loves balloons!}

{Jocelyn, Aubrey, and Kayla (Aubrey's friend)}

{My Grandparents}

{My step Mom, Dad, and cute little Andrew}

{My Mom & Grandfather - (step Dad sick at home)}

{Myself and John}

{All of us and Red Robin staff singing "Happy Birthday" to Jocelyn}

{My Dad & Andrew}

{My cute little Nephew & my Sister - (Brother-in-law sick at home)}

{Jocelyn & her Mama - reading birthday cards}

After we returned home from our vacation and had a few weeks to recover, we threw her a little party here at home 2 days before her birthday. We invited some friends and close family members to come join in on the fun. And fun it was! I realized after the party was over that we hadn’t invited any girly friends over this year but I honestly can say she didn’t mind it in the slightest. She loves her friends regardless!

{Can we say LOTS of balloons!!! :)}

{"Everyone loves a princess!"}

{Aubrey and our friend's son, Daniel}

{Our friend Marie (Daniel's Mom) and her other son, Preston

{Our good friend Sabine with the kids}

{WEEEEEEEEE....going down the slide on tummy}

{Jocelyn and her friend Preston}

{About to blow out her THREE candles. SO excited!}

{The fam!}

{Yummy cupcakes! Thank you Wegmans for saving an already hectic day!!! :)}

{My cousin, Holli & her sweet 5 week old daughter}

{My Cousin's son, Aidan & Jocelyn}

{The Birthday girl & her Mama}

And finally, her THIRD birthday approached and we had a family dinner party. Just the 5 of us. We always make the kids their favorite dinner and what did she request this year? Pizza. How could I have not known! I say “make” their favorite dinner loosely this time. Aubrey had a late soccer game so we stopped and got Little Caesars Pizza. But that’s okay because there were no complaints! None. And I was pleased with that.

{First, to start off the day, we went to play at the playground behind our house}

{And found that the swing was the only thing dry - after I swiped it with the sleeve of my sweater anyways. But that's okay because the swings are her FAVORITE! Which is a good thing because I was in no way going to dry off the slide!}

{Andrew sat as "patiently" as possible waiting for his sister to get done so we could get out of the 60 degree morning temperatures}

{She was having WAY too much fun to stop!}

{Later in the day after big sis got home from school}

Andrew, Aubrey, Jocelyn

{Mmm...her FAVORITE: pepperoni (or just cheese) pizza}

{Make a wish!}

{And then make a mess!}

{Andrew was SERIOUSLY eyeing the frosting on the cupcakes}

{So I gave him a taste}

{I'm pretty sure this smile indicates that he liked it! And I'm sure he wanted more but he didn't get any. Sorry bud. Just a lick until it's YOUR birthday!}

Mama & Daddy giving the birthday girl smooches!

To Pass The Time & A Thank You!

I've been trying to reflect back on the days I could blog with much ease and wonder why it's almost impossible to do in the present moment. All I could come up with is that I have a baby that requires time and attention during his every waking minute of every single day (and I love making him smile and laugh & watching him explore and learn) and a toddler that requires entertainment as well as help remembering to try and go potty every 30 minutes or so during her every waking minute of every single day (and cuddling together in a chair reading stories & watching movies) and an almost tween that requires getting to and from school, help with homework and being chauffeured to and from sports & recreation events (and helping me in the kitchen & working on crafts and school projects). And all the in between stuff like cooking, cleaning and making sure our family is healthy and happy. I know every mother out there knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Lots to do. But out of love! Needing an extra hour tacked to the day to get more done sounds wishful at times but I enjoy the 24 hours I already have and don't want anymore to do than I already have committed myself to. I love my life as a mom and wife and I wouldn't change it for the world. THEY are my priority. Whenever I feel like I'm mastering balance, it then seems my balance needs to be recreated. This is especially true after having another baby. Things change and you have to move along with it. I had a thought: "As soon as this potty training is mastered, I'll have a little more free time." WHO am I kidding?? When that time rolls around, which will be soon, I'll then have a crawler and a runner. I am only speaking the truth here and surely not complaining in the slightest. This blog is something I created for my family - to document and share our life stories. It's a priority too - at a different level - and not something I need to stress over. In due time, I'll hopefully be caught up.

I'm grateful for those of you that enjoy my posts, stories, pictures, feelings, adventures, etc. Thank you for still holding out hope for me to continue writing. While they may be scarce at times, the posts will still go on. Just when the time is right for me. So until I get more time to type out some more stories, I thought I'd pass on this cute green apple stationary printable note set from Creature Comforts. (Click on the blog name for the download. SOOO cute!) ENJOY! :)

Celebrating Jocelyn

THREE YEARS AGO TODAY, Jocelyn was welcomed into our family. All 6 lbs 7 ounces of pure joy! (Joy that she was finally in our arms just 3 days past my due date and joy that I was no longer on bed rest!!) It hardly feels like it's been three years already. Here's a little walk down memory lane on her BIRTH day:

And here she is TODAY on her 3rd Birthday:

She really is a delight to have around! Always making us laugh and ALWAYS keeping us on our toes. "Happy 3rd Birthday sweetie! We all love you so much and are so glad you are ours!" :)

So I don't forget how much she's grown in the last year, I'm going to "jot down" how her last year has gone:

* Shows interest in wanting to play soccer like her big sis.

* Recently started potty training and doing excellent wearing big girl pull-ups.

* Attached still to her favorite blanket.

* Loves to: read, get dressed by herself, put shoes on by herself, paint, blow bubbles, make us laugh, play with playdoh, play with blocks and legos, dress up, playing with her baby dolls, coloring, get magazines in the mail and "helping" mama find recipes, take pictures with a disposable camera, playing on the playground, help put groceries away and load and unload the washer and dryer (How can I decline HELP?), watch from the window to see if Daddy is home from work, help cook and set the table.

* Foods she enjoys: carrots with ranch dip (has to have dip or you can forget it!), pasta, rice, zucchini, mandarin oranges, peaches, crackers, chicken nuggets, olives, applesauce, chips & hummus, turkey & cheese sandwiches, dried strawberries, waffles & pancakes, eggs, cheese.

* Foods she continues to dislike: milk, tomatoes, lettuce, pineapple, chicken (except for the mentioned chicken nuggets that she loves), mashed potatoes, broccoli - more LIKES than DISLIKES. Thank goodness tables are finally turning. She used to be very picky!

She's THREE Today!

{"It's my Birthday and I'll party like I want to!"}

Jocelyn's THREE! I can't believe my little girl is growing up so quickly. Today we're spending the day: going to the park, achieving more potty training, going to big sis's soccer game, getting yummy ice cream at Coldstone after the game (this is a SURPRISE!), and blowing out her THREE candles after her Birthday dinner. Which by the way I make them their favorite dinner every year on their birthday. Hers right now is....PIZZA! More on her festivities soon. :)

"Happy Birthday sweetheart! Mama loves you!"

M.I.A.

Wonder where I've been? I have a valid excuse. Promise! The memories are all flooding back to me on how time consuming the good old potty training days are. I'm usually a very punctual person. I originally created my own deadline to getting our vacation recap up on here already and I've MISSED the "deadline!" But alas, in the grand scheme of things, potty training is so much more important. Yesterday hit DAY 5 of no diaper changing for Jocelyn. WooHoo! She's also gone 2 whole days with no accidents during the day. We couldn't be prouder!! I'm sure you now understand to a small degree what's been keeping me away from the computer. No doubt my other two have been keeping me running around and busy too. I did say that I would have pictures up soon of our days in August and I do keep my word. So please be patient and know they're coming soon. (As soon as I have a free half day to myself. Or a few minutes here and there atleast.) Anyone want to help me do potty training so I can get caught up? haha Didn't think so! :) Have a great weekend everyone!!

{These stickers represent how many times she's used the potty in the last 5 days!}