Halloween 2013

Jack decided last minute he wanted to be a Super Hero. We had the cape and mask, so I just had to come up with the rest of the outfit with less than 24 hours notice. It worked.
First, he asked me to take a picture like this:

Then, he wanted one like this (his Super Hero face, I think.):

Then, I told him to put up his cuffs (which I had just stapled felt around his wrists.):

And, we also had a little Kangaroo on our hands..

We met some friends in Fairhaven to Trick or Treat...

3 Mommas and 8 kiddos equals total chaos. But fun chaos. Next year, we'll meet for drinks afterwards.

I don't know who decided to go Trick or Treating for a second time, but we went over to friends and did it AGAIN! It was a perfect night and we were with good friends, so it was awesome. Jack came running down from every driveway yelling "Super Jack!" And Maelle had too much fun and passed out on my shoulder. So fun! But we were all totally worn out (me especially!)

Maelle turns 1!

Maelle turned 1 last week! I honestly cannot believe how quickly this last year has flown by. Adding another kiddo to the mix has 1) made time go by even faster and 2) made my brain a little fuller...making me late all the time and pretty forgetful. So far, I haven't forgotten either of the kids so I guess I'm doing something right. ;)

 Once this girl got the crawling thing down, she's been pretty much unstoppable. Soon after, she discovered the stairs and thankfully mastered them quickly. She is a total climber and climbs on anything and everything. Up the kids' small chairs,

stools and table, the dishwasher,

the fireplace, Jack's garage,

 into and out of the bathtub. She hasn't always figured out how to get down from these things so I do have to keep my eye on her.

Or else she screams for me. Yup, our girl is a screamer! When she gets something taken away from her or something frustrates her or she gets stuck on the top of the stool in the kitchen. She now calls for me from the top of the stairs instead of coming down herself (which she knows how to do.) She's turned into a little princess. But her cute smile is really hard to say no to.

Just last week, the week of her birthday, Maelle really started to get more confidence walking. She had been taking steps off and on pretty consistently for several weeks before that, but I could see her actually starting to try more and more. Then this last week, she is walking everywhere! She still falls over a lot and will crawl if she wants to get somewhere quickly, but it's amazing to see how quickly she's learned this new skill. It makes her seem so much more grown up!

It is so interesting to now be raising a girl. She is into clothes and shoes. She tries to put everything on...Jack's clothes, Daddy's socks, sometimes she goes through an entire laundry basket. It keeps her entertained for quite a while.

Maelle also loves babies and animals (real and stuffed!) and will take them and cuddle them and pat them. She got her first baby and stroller and hugs her baby (Jack has named it Lily), puts it in the stroller and then tries to crawl in with it or on it. And forget about it when she sees a real animal. She goes nuts. Even over the deer meandering behind our house.

She loves to be tickled and to play peek-a-boo. Last week, when we were driving Jack to school, I noticed her in the backseat with her blanket over her head, waiting for somebody to notice. I have no idea how long she was like that, but it made me laugh.

She also loves to read books. She will pull books out of her bookshelf and sit and flip through them forever. She makes noises while she's looking at her books like she is actually reading them. I love it. And sometimes she will actually sit and let me read to her, but she likes to have control of the pages. She also really loves music. She'll start bouncing and waving her arms anytime she hears a song.

She's really into sorting things and picking things up and putting them "away." In and out of her bins and baskets and ottomans. Another great source of entertainment for her, and it actually helps me out...sometimes. She is into EVERYTHING. Cabinets, drawers, closets...which is why she ended up dropping something on her toe and getting a bruise under her toenail. Ouch. She's a tough little cookie, though.

Maelle is really starting to understand things now. She points to anything and everything she things is interesting and will point to stuff we ask her. "Where's Rosie?" "Where's Jack?" "Where are your books?" She signs more, but we're still working on some others. We try to get her to do all done, but she either pushes her tray off, sweeps all of her food off of her tray or drops things onto the floor. All with a grin on her face. Stinker. And she likes to get into things she knows she's not supposed to. She'll come straight to the computer if it's accessible and bang on it, grab the mouse, push all the buttons. All while looking at us to see if we notice her.

And she really does still adore her big brother. She lights up when she sees him. And now she follows him around and wants to play with whatever he's playing with. Sometimes, they'll actually be playing quietly in his room. I think when she can understand and play a bit more, they're really going to enjoy each other. Right now, she just drives Jack crazy.

I love my sweet, happy, busy, curious, independent, noisy, beautiful baby girl! Now, stop growing so fast!

First Day of Pre-K

Jack had his first full week of Preschool last week. Actually, he makes sure everyone knows it's not Preschool, it's Pre-K. This year is so different than last year. The kids in his class all seem so much bigger and more mature. They sit quietly and do what they're supposed to. And, Jack barely even says good-bye to me this year. I'm so glad he's thriving, but I guess he doesn't need his Mama as much anymore. Sniff. In fact, he counts down the days until his next school day. I try not to take it personally. ;)

On the Move

She figured out the whole crawling thing about a week ago and gets more and more confident every day! I was working on my swim schedule and all of the sudden she was next to me. When I tried to get her to do it for Daddy and Jack, she wouldn't do it. But the next day, she was all over the place. Time to baby proof! Although I'm guessing she'll still find things to get into! I'm glad that, for now, I am still faster than her.

Eight Months

My sweet girl is 8 months old!!! I thought I'd be prepared the second time for how quickly time flies, but it seems to be going by even faster! Probably because I have two to keep up with now. Which is why my blogs are currently few and far between.

Maelle is a pretty happy, laid back baby. She has been sitting up for over two months now. At first, I'd prop her up and she'd occasionally fall over. Now, she won't stay in one spot for long! She wants to move so badly, but can't quite figure out the coordination to crawl yet. Instead, she stretches, reaches, rolls, twists, wiggles, gets on all fours, and just recently tries to pull herself up on whatever she can get herself to (including at one point, the toilet!) Sometimes, she lays there on her tummy and kicks and flaps her arms up and down trying so hard to get to me. She looks like she's trying to swim and it makes me laugh. And she's starting rocking back and forth, almost like she's going to through a temper tantrum,when she gets happy or excited about something.

Maelle is a total Mama's Girl (I love it!), but she does tolerate Daddy and is getting better at being with other people. She absolutely LOVES her brother. Adores him. She lights up when she sees him and will just squeal and laugh at any attention he gives her. And Jack can really make her laugh. Like nobody else. She thinks he is the funniest thing. I can't wait to see how their relationship develops.

She's eating all sorts of new things. She has gotten really good at feeding herself, and prefers whatever it is we're eating. Her favorite right now is blueberries. Anybody with blueberries is her friend. And she makes sure not a one goes to waste.

And she's still a noisy girl. She loves to talk and shriek and laugh and squeal. She has to add her two cents in. She's so helpful. And she has this look she likes to give us. Kind of like she's smiling with her mouth closed. Like we're sharing an inside joke. So cute.

She is definitely MY child and LOVES the water. She's so happy when she's in the pool, bath or shower. She splashes and shrieks and is just in her happy place. She'll be swimming before we know it!

She's a pretty good sleeper too. Neither of my kids have been great nappers, but she does go down usually for a long stretch at night. The other day she slept until 6 in the morning! (I, of course, kept waking up to check on her.) I'm pretty laid back with her being my second, so I just let her sleep when she sleeps, be it in the car, the stroller or my arms (love it when it happens!)

I'm still waiting for some teeth to come in...and she'll be figuring out the crawling thing any day, now...my babies just keep learning and growing...love them!

FOUR Year Interview

An honest interview with our 4-year-old. I added my own input in parenthesis.
Nicknames: J-Man, Jack Jack, Bubs, Little Man, Bubbie
How old are you? Three! I mean, Four!
What is your favorite color? Pink, blue, a little light green
What is your favorite animal? Pigs. Do we eat pigs?
What is your favorite book? Dingo, Richard Scary's Favorite Storybook Ever (Trucktown Books)
What is your favorite TV show? Justin Time, The Wonderful World of Richard Scary (Busytown Mysteries, Jack and the Neverland Pirates, Handy Manny)
What is your favorite movie? Lightning McQueen (not sure if he's seen it all the way through)
What is your favorite song? We Are Young (Paradise, Rumor Has It)
What is your favorite food? Bacon and ham (?) (Chicken Nuggets, Pizza)
What is your favorite drink? Chocolate Milk (Loves Orange Soda if we'd let him have it)
What is your favorite breakfast food? Oatmeal and Cinnamon Bread
What is your favorite snack? Every snack (fishy crackers, yogurt, applesauce, squeezers)
What is your favorite outfit? Excavator Shirt
What is your favorite game? Busytown and Zingo (Find the Man, Memory, Uno)
What is your favorite toy? Cars and trucks (legos)
Who is your best friend? Everyone that is my friend
What is your favorite thing to do? Play (knock down the ramp); arts and crafts (play on the bed with Daddy, pretend to cook, play games, watch shows, play games on our phones)
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play at the basketball court with Daddy
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Everyone-dinosaur, elephant, baby and Larry
Where's your favorite place to go? My friend's houses
What is your favorite restaurant? Cascade Pizza (Red Robin, McDonald's)
Where do you want to go on vacation? Hawaii
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Daddy
What did you do on your birthday? Followed a map to a bike, got a smores dougnut, played at the basketball court with Daddy, got Little Caesar's and crazy bread, went to Menchies. Had a swimming party!

Four Months

Our sweet baby has hit the four month bench mark. Maelle is 13 lbs 3.5 oz and 24 1/4 inches long. She is such a joy. She is a total Mama's Girl right now, hardly tolerating even Daddy for too long. She lights up when she sees me, which just melts my heart. She loves to "talk" and shrieks and coos. We've gotten her to giggle a lot lately, too. She loves to be surprised or to be tickled. I was playing peek-a-boo with her today and would jump out from around the corner. She'd startle and then just laugh away.

She loves her hands and fingers right now and they are always in her mouth. She also sucks her bottom lip at times. When she gets tired, she sucks on two or three of her middle fingers and sometimes is able to find them to comfort her when she's sleeping. She's just starting to discover her toes. She loves to play with her bare feet and tries to get them into her mouth. Everything she can grab goes to her mouth. My hair, my shirt, our fingers, her toys. Jack has learned the hard way...he gets in her space and she'll get a good grip on his hair. He thinks it's pretty funny..for now!

She's not sleeping quite as good as she had been. She is now aware when her mama's not holding her, so she doesn't sleep as soundly. We started two nights ago to put her in her crib at night to see if she'll sleep better, but it hasn't made too much of a difference yet. I'm still hopeful! When she wakes up, she scratches the blankets or the sheet, like she's feeling the texture of things. I think she really likes to make noise and feel things for herself. And many times when she wakes up from her naps, she'll just coo away happily until I go to get her.

She is so entertained by Jack and has big smiles always for him. And he sure loves to entertain her! He's so helpful when it comes to getting her toys or throwing away diapers or getting a burp rag. He's just been awesome with her. Of course, we do have our smart, verbal, opinionated almost four year old, so it's not all fun and games.

But just look at those adorable faces! Love my kiddos!