Half Birthdays

In January, we celebrate all the kids' half birthdays. We have decided to steal a tradition from our friends, the Miller clan, and celebrate half birthdays with doughnuts.  We're not sure whether or not the kids had ever had doughnuts before or not, but I think it's pretty safe to say that they thoroughly enjoyed them.  And Mommy enjoyed having her own creme filled chocolate iced doughnut.  I just wouldn't want to miss out on the celebration, ya know.

Vivienne enjoyed her doughnut like it was a pie eating contest or something.  Look, Ma!  No hands!  (Notice that her doughnut matches her fingernails.)

I start to wonder if these really are my children if they are so easily distracted from their doughnuts by a toy that is found in nearly every doctor's office waiting room.

There were lots of big grins as they dove into their sugary treats.  Both kids decided to basically eat the tops off of their doughnuts.

And our gorgeous baby girl enjoyed her half birthday by sharing her beautiful smile with us - such a sweetie.  I can't wait to celebrate their whole birthdays this coming July!

Baby Sister

Miles and Viv are so gentle and patient with their little sister. It is not uncommon to see them lying in the floor chatting with her. They also love to play Peek-a-boo and make her laugh and squeal. It's such a delight to watch my children interacting. I am surprised that I have rarely had to ask them to be more gentle with her. They just seem to sort of naturally understand that they have to be careful around her. I'm hopeful that they stay protective and nurturing with her for a while. Of course, now that I say that, I will discover that they have decided to try to change her diaper themselves or piled all their dirty clothes on her or something.

I just love this shot because you can see the true color of Vivienne's eyes.  My beautiful big girl - such a great big sister!

Puddle Jumpers

I am so thankful that Miles has a friend that he can jump in puddles with.  And I'm thankful that his mom is cool enough to let him get wet and muddy with Miles.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

One of our friends had a playdate where her father came dressed as Santa Claus. It was fun to see the kids respond to him (with wonder, fear, delight and uncertainty all in quick succession). Vivienne sat on his lap, but Miles was too busy playing with trucks to stop and talk to Santa. Evelyn really appreciated that Santa wore an outfit that matched hers.

First Pony Ride

December saw all the kids' first pony rides. A local nursery had an event where Mrs. Claus read The Night Before Christmas and the kids could ride ponies. The entry fee was a donated book. Our awesome neighbor, Miss Stephanie, donated some books on our behalf so that we could attend.

Vivienne snuggled up with Miss Stephanie for the story time.

Miles didn't let Mrs. Claus keep him from finishing his mid-morning snack.

While we waited on the ponies, the kids played outside in the playground area.  They loved the motorized boat that would rock along while they steered.

A big thanks to Miss Stephanie for our "tickets to ride"!

Like father, like son.

Chloe also joined us in the festivities!

The kids really enjoyed the ponies, and Evelyn really enjoyed the snuggles from Mommy, Grandma and Miss Stephanie with her bear trapper hat to keep her warm.  It was a fun way to spend a December morning.

Baby Will

In mid-December, my sweet friend, Pam, came over to visit us and brought her little bundle of cuteness, Will. He is only about 6 weeks or so ahead of Evelyn.  It is fun to watch him learn new things, like sitting up and crawling... knowing that Evelyn is only a few steps behind him.

And look at how sweet these eyes are:

Watch out, Vivienne!  It looks like he may be making a move to steal "B" (her lovey)!

Evelyn is 5 Months!

I am so far behind on this one, but Evelyn turned 5 months old just before Christmas.  She has changed so much in these past few weeks.

Evelyn's personality has really blossomed recently.  She loves to smile and laugh and interact with us.  She will give us this huge, gummy smile and rock her head back and forth as a means of "flirting", so to speak.  She loves to blow raspberries and squeal and giggle.  She is the most mild mannered baby, and hardly ever fusses.  She really just "complains" a little bit when she is hungry or tired, but this is remedied quickly and easily and then she is a very happy baby again.

Evie has also gained a lot of physical strength, most notably in her legs.  At her 4 month appointment, the pediatrician couldn't get her to try to put any weight on her legs whatsoever.  Now, she will stand with us holding her hands.  She really enjoys spending time in her exersaucer.  (Miles and Vivienne also like spending time in her jumperoo, but they don't exactly fit into it well anymore.  And they get stuck in it and call out, "Mommy!  Mommmmmmmmy!!!!" for me to come get them because they can't get out.)  We will probably also buy Evelyn a jumperoo, but we haven't gotten around to it yet.  I'm sure she will like bouncing.

She also rolls both ways now.  We're not really sure when that started happening.  Sometimes when she is napping (or not napping?), she will start wailing and I will find her on her tummy.  I think she thinks she is stuck on her tummy, but I have seen her roll from her tummy to her back a million times.  I think she will hopefully learn to remember this very soon.

Her sleeping is going ok, but not great.  Over the past month, she has started night waking much more frequently.  I feel like these times gravitate around her having a growth spurt or learning a new skill, but it is hard to tell.  We had nights in this past week where she woke up 3 times and we had nights where she only woke up once.  Hopefully, we start leaning back toward the single-waking nights again.  I guess I got spoiled with a baby who only woke up once for her first 4 months of life.

Evelyn's sweet, soft brown hair continues to grow.  She still has a bald spot on the very back, but it seems to be getting smaller.  She still has these huge, sweet brown eyes that narrow into little almonds when she grins with her chubby cheeks.  She has rolls that don't stop on her legs... adorable.

We love our chubby, sweet little girl.  I can't wait to hear her little voice someday and watch those pudgy toes run down the hallway.  On the other hand, I want her to stay my little baby forever.