9 months!!!

Someone is 9 months old today!!!! I'll post her full post on Thursday after her doctor's appointment. Don't forget to check out Griffin's 4 1/2 year post too! Happy Monday!!!!

Griffin: 4 1/2 years old

Griffin James, you are FOUR and a HALF years old and I cannot believe you are closer to 5 than 4! What happened to my baby?! P.S. = His posing is a little ... Griffin-like! So, this is normal for him. Ha!

• You weigh (I'm guessing) about 40 pounds and you are 42 inches tall. It's hard to believe you were a chubby baby because you are a string bean now!
• You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE school! There have been a few mornings that you were coughing and I wanted to keep you home from school, but you started crying, so I let you go. Your favorite things at school is playing with toys (go figure - ha)!
• You loved school so much that we moved you up to 3 days a week from 2. Your teachers all love you and tell me how sweet you are every day.
• You really like to do things by yourself, such as put your shoes and coat on and buckle the top clasp of your car seat.
• You are a pretty good eater. Your favorite food is peanut butter and jelly (cut with the special dinosaur cutter), but you also like macaroni/cheese, pancakes, corn dogs, and french toast. You will eat most fruit and you like is corn and carrots.
• Patience is not your strong suit, but you are getting a little bit better.
• You want to be an astronaut as your job when you get older. You also want to be a ninja drummer, but that won't be your job.
• You are a good sleeper. You still don't take a nap at home, but you do sleep for 2 hours at school. When you don't nap, you are ready for bed around 6:30 or 7 and you sleep about 12 hours! When you do nap, you delay bedtime until about 9.
• You got bunk beds after Christmas and you love them! You enjoy spending time in your room watching movies and playing with your toys.
• Your favorite color is red and you INSIST on wearing jeans every day! If you aren't wearing jeans, you are wearing shorts and "tough guy shirt" (aka white tank tops).
• You are a sweet boy most of the time, but you have your moments where you can be ornery and stubborn! Also, you have times where you can get emotional and breakdown. Luckily, this doesn't happen often and you rarely sit in time out.
• You have so many friends and you are not shy about going up to other kids and playing with them. You tell us your best friends are Tyler (from school) and Cooper (your cousin) and Amayah is still your girlfriend.
• You have sort of moved on from Batman, although, you do still play with your train and cave. Now, you are into Pokemon ... cards, figures, movies, etc... You know the names of all the random figures and it's crazy how much you know about the show!
• You have a sensitive side and you get upset when you think Mommy or Daddy are mad at you.
• You love to play outside when the weather is nice. I'm ready for spring/summer because you have so much energy!
• You also like wrestling with Daddy and playing on the iPad/computer.
• Your favorite iPad game is Dragon Vale. You and Daddy play this together and you wake up each day to check your dragons! Most of your dragons are named "Griffin" because that it the only thing you can type.
• You take a computer class at school and you know so much about playing on the computer. We made a tab for "Pokemon toys on ebay" and you check this daily to see all the toys.
• You still like to climb on furniture and you have no fear!
• You know how to write your name and it is getting neater and neater. It's crazy how much you have progressed in the past 6 months!
• You know your ABCs and how to count (he wanted me to mention these things). You also know the sound many of the letters make.
• You are such a great big brother and you love your sister! You are the best helper and you are able to make Harper smile when she is upset. You always want to hold her hand or touch her face while we are riding in the car and you always make sure you tell me what she is up to.
• I asked you what I should write about you and you said, "That I'm awesome and like to watch TV." Ha!

Griffin, you are such a special boy and you have so many people who love you! I feel so blessed every day to be your Mommy!

Valentine Pictures

Last month, I took the kids to get some Valentine's pictures taken. It was pretty stressful! Harper ended up with a bump on her head after falling off a block and Griffin said, "boogers" about 10,000 times. We realized that if he says, "cheese," he gets that forced smile, so we just try to get him to say silly things and "booger" is one of his favorites! The pictures turned out awesome and very REAL ... ha!

What We've Been Up To ...

It's been awhile since I posted! We haven't been up to very much, just spending time together and trying to ride the wave of weather we keep having and trying to not get sick! SO, here is a few things we've been up to lately. This upcoming week, Griffin will be 4 1/2 and Harper will turn 9 months old!!!! Time is flying by!
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Griffin and Harper are now taking joint baths which they both love!Harper's 2 bottom teeth are really visible (and so cute) now!Griffin (and Daddy) have played a lot of Dragon Vale on the iPad! Griffin jumps out of bed every day to check his dragons!Someone scratched herself pretty badly and got 2 scabs.Harper tried to eat all the wipes! Silly little girl!We tried to get a new picture before church ... we tried, we really tried!(clockwise l to r) Harper's Valentine treats from Mommy and Daddy!(clockwise l to r) Griffin's Valentine goodies from Mommy and Daddy to school, I'm not sure he wanted Chapstick - ha! He got more Pokemon toys and some chocolate tools! (clockwise l to r) Griffin took his "You Rock" Valentines to school (Thank you, Pinterest!), I packed him a special lunch, Griff checking out his goodies from his school party, and Griffin's very special Valentine from his girlfriend, Amayah!

You've Come A Long Way, Baby ...

Left: 7 months, 3 weeks
Right: 13 days old

A Look Back ... January/February 2008

I was making a photo book of Griffin's first year the other night and looking back at all the pictures was so fun! Here are a few of my favorites from January and February 2008 ... I cannot believe that was 4 years ago!!!

Project 365: January 2012

I am doing the Project 365 on my iPhone and it's been fun! Hopefully, I can keep this going all year!!!! These are my pictures from January.

1. Harper showing off her new hat.
2. Harper pulled herself up for the 1st time!
3. Griffin had a hot chocolate moustache.
4. Harper looking cute!
5. Griffin was watching a movie in his bunk beds.
6. Harper with her new Learning House.
7. G and H playing together.
8. Me with my feet up and my Skinny Cow caramel Popsicle ... so good!
9. Griffin threw a fit and was hiding from me.
10. Griffin with his snowflake project at preschool.
11. Griffin and Aunt Kathy with her "present" that he wrapped. It was a rubber snakes that he was SO excited to have her open!
12. My stack of papers to grade and a caramel latte from Panera!
13. Griffin loves to take cushions of the couches and this was his mess.
14. Me and my favorite girl waiting at the doctor's office before her flu shot.
15. A smiley girl out to lunch at Quaker Steak.
16. Griffin playing a racing game at Chuck E Cheese on Mommy and Griffin day.
17. Harper playing with the iPad.
18. Griffin eating spaghetti and meatballs.
19. My sweet baby girl!
20. It was a cold morning ... 5 degrees!
21. Harper looking so cute in her Valentine's Day outfit at Aylah's birthday party.
22. Griffin in his sleeping bag and Harper in his backpack!
23. My 2 sleepy babies ... I love how she has her hand on his chest!
24. Griffin being a silly monkey.
25. Harper having fun splashing at bath time.
26. Harper crawled to the landing and was waiting for me.
27. My pretty girl.
28. Griffin and Harper playing together in our closest.
29. The first joint bath!
30. Griffin writing his name (left handed???) on the chalkboard.
31. Me and my 2 babies!!!

Harper: 8 months old

*I lied last month when I said those pictures were the hardest to take! These pictures were taken over an 8 hour period and they were s struggle! Ha! She was everywhere. P.S. - the pictures where she is standing, Jimmy was right on the other side watching her!*

Harper Elizabeth, you are now EIGHT months old!!! I cannot even believe it!!!! I have already started thinking about your first birthday party and it's only a few months away which blows my mind!!!

• You weigh about 24 pounds and I'm guessing you are close to 30 inches tall.
• You wear mostly 12 month tops and leggings. You can wear a few of the longer 9 month sleepers, but you'll be in 12 month sleepers soon.

• You wear a size 3-4 shoe. Your little feet are still so chubby, so you don't wear shoes too often.
• You wear size 3 diapers.
• You eat about every 6 hours during the day. You start to get really whiny when you are hungry, so we know it's time. You hold your own bottle, unless you feel like being lazy and then you just let it fall - ha!
• You do REALLY well with food. As far as baby food, you pretty much eat everything. We cannot get foo into your mouth fast enough because you whine in between bites for more!You still love the puffed cereal bites and yogurt melts! We've also given you some people food, applesauce, banana, whipped cream, mashed potatoes, etc, and you LOVE IT ALL!
• You are a "talker" and you know say, "Dada," "Bubba," "Hi," "Baba," and just this past week, "Mama." "Dada" was your first word and you actually started to say this last month, but I forgot to add it the the 7 month post!
• You now have 2 teeth and I'm pretty sure there are some more coming in. YOu have the 2 bottom, middle teeth and they are sharp! Ha!
• You LOVE pattycake and peek-a-boo!!! You love when people clap with you and you will take your favorite blankie and play peek-a-boo all by yourself! It's so cute!
• You are a good daytime sleeper. You take a nap (@2 hours) about a little after you wake up, and then you take another 1.5-2 hour nap after lunch.
• You are FINALLY sleeping through the night again!!! Woohoo!!! We go upstairs around 6pm and rock with a bottle. You fall asleep close to 6:30pm and sleep until 6:15-6:30am during the week and even 9am a few times on the weekends! You do, occasionally, wake up in the middle of the night, but you hit your seahorse and the music puts you back to sleep.
• You have a nighttime self-soothing ritual of turning your head from side to side until you fall asleep! Also, you get sweaty before you fall asleep just like Griffin always did.
• You are the sweetest (spoiled) little girl who LOVES to be held! Your favorite spot to sleep is in someone's arms. I rock you to sleep every night and we watch Gilmore Girls and relax in the dark. I love it!
• Your big brother still ADORES you!!! You haven't been as rough on him this month, but you have started standing RIGHT BESIDE HIM when he eats. You are our 3rd begging doggie!!! He doesn't seem to mind that much, but you have spilt his water a few times and he didn't like that. He truly is the best big brother!!!
• You really are such a happy baby! Even on little sleep, you still flash your big smile to everyone! You love to be around people and the only time you cry is when people leave you alone in a room, you are hungry, or you poop!
• You are SO nosy! You love to know what is going on around you and what everyone is doing! If you are not in the middle of it all, you make sure we know it!
• You sit will sit for a few minutes and play with your toys, but it doesn't last too long! You will sit longer if your brother is playing with you.
• You are now mobile!!!!! You crawl and walk along the couch! It's crazy how fast you move too. I can put you down on the other side of the room and by the time I am back in my chair, you are under my feet!
• You LOVE to stand up also! There are times you'll take your bottle while standing because you want to be up where everyone else is.
• You are a blondie! Your hair is growing in more and it's getting longer every day!
• Your eyes are mostly blue with a little green/grey tint!
• You get baths in the kitchen sink, but you make a huge mess splashing, so we may have to move back to the tub soon!
• You love sitting in the bigger car seat and you like sitting up a little higher and closer to your brother! When you start to get fussy in the car, Griff and I sing to you and that calms you down.
• You are a smiler and "talker" (aka a yeller). It is so funny to just talk to you and get that response! You have the cutest gummy smile! When we are out, people just gravitate towards you and you smile at them!
• You are a LOUD BABY!!!! When you are left alone in a room, you want people to come back, so you get loud!!! You used to cry when we left, now you crawl and follow us!
• You like to blow bubbles/raspberries with your lips and spit usually flies everywhere!
• You are doing really well going to the babysitter's house during the week. However, you light up when I come to get you and want me to hold you immediately! It makes me so happy to know you missed me!

Harper-girl, you are such a doll! I cannot get over how much we all love you and how special you are to us!

2011 Recap: December

December is always a crazy, busy month and this year was no exception! We had a great holiday season made even better with Harper around!!!

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On the 3rd, Griffin took part in his first Christmas Program!!!! He did a great job singing, dancing, and saying his speaking part.


Harper was super smiley one morning before church!Oh, those cuties!!!!Someone came THIS close to crawling earlier in the month!The kiddos got to visit Santa ... Griffin asked for a Batman train and he said Harper wanted a toy cell phone.Harper showed off her new bib! Ha!We had a wonderful Christmas Eve!We had an amazing Christmas Day!

Harper turned SEVEN months old!!!!

We had some Angry Birds in our house one day!

Griffin got some awesome new bunk beds and he LOVES them!!!!

I took the cutest picture of my kiddos holding hands in the car!!!!

Griffin needed to go to the doctor's office and you'd would never guess he had pneumonia!

The last picture of 2011 went to ... Harper who decided to wake up at 11:30pm!