How can it be, Ezra is three!

Dear Ezza,
  Some how, in my mind, I thought you would stay a baby forever. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that you talked late.. only saying just a few words at a time this time last year. Maybe it was because we hadn't yet had another baby to steal the role. Maybe it was because you are so stinking sweet and cuddly.
  But here we are. And you are growing.. and feeling so grown lately. Your little three year old sass is just about more than I can handle-- but strangely not in a bad way. It makes me laugh because you are just so contradictory to yourself. "I don't want pants on! I do want pants on! I don't want to eat that! That is my favorite!" Ahhhh three.
  You bring light to our lives. You have a little magic about you. You think anything is possible. You are physically very strong. You love hard and are always touching someone. You get giddy if you see a persons bare arms or legs because you like to touch them. You are smart. I'm teaching Judah the months of the year, and you know almost all of them just from overhearing. You know almost all of the ABC's by sight. You are excellent on your scooter. You love cooking and crafts, you are a creator. You are so very special to us, even when you are being a stinker. We have you say marshmellow "marsh-marsho" over and over because it makes us laugh and you say it every time we ask. I ask you what song you want at night and you say, "Pooshy." so I sing a song with the word pooshy in it. Then you say, "Boppy" and I sing one with boppy in it. And it goes on and on with made up words till I get sick of it and sing you Jesus love you as a grand finale. You are a classic kid.. into everything and in love with everything.

Showing us 3!

In your birthday crown

To celebrate you we had a party with some friends and family. It was planned for your actual birthday, but.. mama and Jude got sick. How can it be that 2 out of your 3 birthdays had to be rescheduled due to sickness?! You kept asking me on your birthday, "but where is my cake?" with your little hands held out.

(mom and Judah were couch buddies watching videos all day)

(G and G A. brought you, daddy, hope, and hazel out to dinner and then got you a little cake from the store)

So this was your night: Pizza, fruit salad, veggie straws, grilled peppers stuffed with cheese and pepperoni, pickles and olives, juice. Ate outside in the beauty of a 60+ degree day. With the ones that love you and that you love. Chocolate cake with raspberries on it. Opening presents in the sun. Chalk, bubbles, puzzles, books, a fishing pole and a water balloon blower-upper. (last two from mom and dad). Kids on the trampoline, popping bubble wrap that grandpa brought over, later riding on the bubble wrap around the yard, eating and drinking and talking. I think you had a pretty fun day to celebrate YOU! We love you so much!

 

Lately life

We are currently trying to de-thaw from winter. The snow has mostly melted, the boys are running around outside without shoes. (and have the cuts/bandaids to prove it) Judah is begging me to buy him "both crocs AND sandals that fit!" We have taken a few long walks and haven't had to bundle up and don't need to drink tons of hot chocolate when we get in the house.

Basically, it feels like we can breathe again.

We keep meaning to go out for icecream as a family on the first warm night when we are all together. The kids have been asking me almost daily if we can take a walk to the closest icecream shop. I keep saying, "No, Daddy has to be with us for the first time!" Yesterday while running errands, Judah started talking about when we went to Fuzzy Peach frozen yogurt. (few weeks ago, grand opening-- it was free) He kept saying "Yesterday" and I said, "No, Jude, that was a few weeks ago". Then he started to talk about when he got peanut butter icecream, and it suddenly dawned on me that DADDY TOOK THE KIDS WITHOUT ME. After all the chatting with them about going together on a walk when it gets warmer. He totally owes me some frozen yogurt.

I cannot even keep track of the hilarious things the kids have been saying lately. Ezra told me the other day (while I was in maternity underware and a nursing tank top) "You are soooo preeeeetttttty!" He also snatched a dollar from my room tonight and hid behind the couch while laughing hysterically.

This week is spring break-- Hope has off from school. John took off work Saturday so we can have a family day. Hopefully getting some house projects done, and then out for a fun evening to get dinner and maybe our "first family icecream of the year". Hah!

                                                              She has my heart

Ezra building a creation. Probably a zoo.

Judah outside on one of the first nice days of spring

Auntie Becca holding Haze

Can you even TELL what a stinker he is? Not only because of the headbands (which he loves to play with) but look at that smirk!

Things I hope they remember: Daddy or Mama popping them popcorn on the stove, putting it in the metal bowl. The kid in the middle gets to hold the bowl. They make rules on how many you can grab at a time. They like to either watch America's Funniest Videos (Sunday nights) or listen to Little House on the Prairie books. Currently: Farmer Boy. Judah especially loves to read about "Manzo" (as Ezra calls him).

Two months Hazel

March 29, 2014

Dear Hazey,

  You are two months! We cannot even believe it—they have gone so fast. You are getting some chunky thighs and are turning into a baby, not just a newborn. You are awake for longer periods of time now. Your schedule goes something like this: wake up around 7a or so to nurse, (mama goes back to bed and daddy takes you for a while if he is home—which he is most mornings). You then nap in your swing or in daddy’s arms till you need to nurse around 9:30a or 10. You then are awake for a while and then take a little nap and wake up around 1230p or 1p and then nurse. We then take a good afternoon nap. You have been a GREAT afternoon napper! The other day, you slept from around 1:30p to 4:30p! Then you nurse, are awake, then nap, and nurse again at 6:30p. Then in the evening you like to be awake (and also are quite fussy…) so you might be awake till you nurse again around 9:30p or 10p. I was nursing you again at 11p, but for the past few nights, I haven’t been able to wake you to nurse before we head to bed. You then wake up in the middle of the night sometime to nurse, and are awake again in the morning anytime between 6a and 7a. It’s a pretty good schedule and I can’t complain. I am getting a little weary from your fussy times, I just hope it passes soon.

Here is what you are up to:

*You are starting to smile more! You started around 5 weeks, and now do it pretty frequently. You also coo when I talk to you and you “talk” back to me.

*Size 1 diaper

*size 0-3 or 3 month clothing

*You like your paci

*We think you are dairy intolerant. You had a diaper rash from around 6-8 weeks. It looked pretty sore and we felt so bad for you. We are pretty sure it is due to dairy but are not positive.

*You like to be held and be where your people are. You seem to be pretty social  J

*You have fluffy hair that curls after you take a bath.

*You do not mind taking a bath. You kind of float and just kick around in the water. You do not like to be naked and cold, so when I take you out of your outfit to get you in the tub, you pitch a fit until you are in the water.

*Hope did her first diaper change on you the other day J

*Ezra LOVES to touch you and poke your face. Judah will hold you, but doesn’t like it when you cry if he is holding you.

*You do not mind your car seat.

*You sleep in bed with daddy and me. I prop a pillow behind your back and you sleep on your side. We also wrap you in a swaddle blanket.

*You roll from your belly to your back so much now, that it’s hard to have you do tummy-time. I will put you on your tummy, and walk back in and you will be right on your back. (Started to roll around 4 or 5 weeks) When you are on your tummy, you do a great job and are starting to hold your head pretty high!

You are so sweet and we love you so much! Love, Mama

Sleeping by Daddy on the couch

First smile Mama caught on camera

                                                                         Sleeping in her swing

One month Hazel

March 3, 2014

Dear Hazel,

  You are one month! This past month has been a cold, busy, tiring, fun, joyful month. The weather has been interesting. We have had a few “polar vortex” that are cold (negative temps) and have had so much snow. It has been a good month to have a lot of snow I guess—if you are going to be stuck inside with a newborn, might as well get the cold weather over with while you are snuggling a baby!!

  At one month old, you are now wearing size 1 diapers (a little big still, but newborn size is too small). You are in size 0-3month clothing now.

   You are a sweet little girl.. but do have times of fussiness in the evening. Some nights you sleep pretty well, but other nights it takes awhile to get you to settle back down. Your schedule is pretty consistent—you nurse about every 3 hours or so. Sometimes in the evening it’s every 2 hours.

We love you so much! Love, Mama

So many firsts

Our sweet baby Hazel Lynden decided to join us on Jan. 27, 2014... exactly three weeks early. I want to write a little recap of her birth for my memory's sake, but this evening is not the time-- this evening is about remembering the firsts.
*The first time I held my daughter, so surreal. I didn't even know what to say or do and it did not seem real.
*The first time I changed her diaper, I almost laughed.. everything looks so different after changing little boy diapers for almost 5 years now.
*Hazel had her first trip to a friends house-- to our friends Z and R for the Superbowl!
*Her first outing was to Target-- and I'm almost 100% positive both of the boys first outings were to Target as well :)
*Her bellybutton fell off on day 8-- Feb 4.
*I gave her a "real" bath today for the first time. They are so slippery at this age! She did not like it when I took her clothes off, but once she was in the water, she settled right down and just was looking around-- at her brothers that were standing over the tub looking over her.

*Her first dress! She wore this cute outfit home from the hospital.

*First snowstorm... she was born in the middle of a stretch of about a week of tons of snow and cold weather. Hope had off school Friday, Monday,Tuesday, and Wednesday. (Hazel was born on the Monday.) We had to put her down in the snow to show how much snow came while she was born!

 

We love all the first that we are (and she is) experiencing!

33 weeks pregnant with Hazel

Well, I am now 33 weeks pregnant with our little miss. We now have the crib up, a new carseat/stroller (the old one is expired and got very yucky while hanging out in our basement!), clothes mostly washed and in drawers. We obviously hope she hangs out in there a little longer, but I am giddy when I think about holding her.

At this point in pregnancy:
*I have sciatic pain which is worse when sitting for a long time or laying.
*My belly is huge and I make the kids pick up stuff off the floor for me!
*Hazel moves quite a bit but her movements are not hard or painful like both of the boys were. She is more of a roller and just likes to let us know she is in there.
*I have gained 25lbs
*No problems at all at this point, which is a huge relief since I was on bedrest in August. My doctor continues to be a little concerned that I might have Hazel early because of the issue I was having before, but she is staying snug for now!
*I am not quite sure how to juggle 4 kids and just pray that Hazel is even more laid back as a baby than Ezra was!
*I do not sleep well at all. Some nights I see every hour on the clock. Most nights I'm "only" awake 3-4 times.
*My maternity jeans do not stay up well. I am always pulling them into place. The only shirts that fit well are true maternity shirts.
*We are sick of being inside from the cold/snow/ice, and I hope a newborn helps with that : )
*I have been trying to clean and nest like crazy but it's hard to do when the kids are running around. I have a huge trash bag of things ready to go to goodwill, though!
*I have not made any freezer meals and need to get on it!
*I have, however, stocked up on newborn and size 1 diapers! Hoping we are good for at least a few weeks!
*The kids like to feel her move, and get excited if she kicks them. Ezra likes to lay his head on my stomach and likes to pat her and smooch her.

New Years Eve- AB style!

For New Years Eve, we met up with 2 of our closest couple friends/cousins. The 5 little boys (and one baby girl) there made for a loud, crazy time. We are loving that they are actually starting to play and interact more with each other. We got there around 530p, ordered some pizza, put jammies on, watched Planes, ate popcorn, and got the kids in bed. They slept in one bedroom on 3 mattresses pushed together. They finally fell asleep at 10pm, and were awake by 5a!! The daddies took one for the team and laid by/watched the kids till the mamas got up.

 

 

The next morning, we had a yummy breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, and juice. It was nice just hanging out and waking up together. Hope got to sleep over at grandpa and grandmas-- we asked if she would rather come with us or go to their house, and she said a sleep over with them!

 

                     A bit different to not be dressing up and going out on NYE, but still a great night!