Little Man on Skates

Check out Grant on skates!

My Worst Enemy

Laundry. Always piling up. Always lurking. Always needing to be washed...dried...folded...put away...and that's the hardest part...putting it away. Always a basket full somewhere. It is amazing how many clothes my family of five goes through in one day. I purposely don't wash my clothes as much because everyone else in the family thinks it funny to wear sometimes two (or more) outfits a day. Laundry...I hate it. I loathe it.

Skating Out Back

Here are some more pics from skating on the pond out back. It was nice to have a sunny day to enjoy being outside. Unfortunately the next few days were a little too warm and the pond was a bit slushy. But I think we are getting back to it being completely frozen.


Daddy with Charley and Grant


Yeah that's safe...


Molly pulling Charley


And she loves it...she just lays there smiling and looking up at the sky.


Mols and I


Happy Girl


Daddy and Binks

Change of Color

I went in nearly blonde...I came out very brown...and a little red. Yikes!

Hair Gone Wild

Molly's hair...love it...hate it. When she is just out of the bath, it is curly ringlets and so super cute and bouncy, love it. When she gets up in the morning, hate it:




I am not kidding when I say it is like this every morning. I am not sure what she does in her sleep, but this is getting to be a real pain. She does not care for me brushing it out every morning, and getting it wet again, but how can I not.



Thinking of cutting it, but not sure that will help any, since the rat's nest is usually in the front on top. :)

Out on the Town

It was so great to have our great friends Ben and Carrie up for a night out downtown. Usually we have all of our kids, and just hang out at the house and talk, and stay up late. And it's great. But we decided it was time for us to take a night out on the town as adults. They did bring Lauren, which I was so excited about, because she is a doll baby, and super adorable. We actually went out, remembered how to be adults, rather than just mommies and daddies, had a yummy dinner, yummy drinks, and had a great time...still talking a lot and staying up too late. We had to get them out on the ice rink though when we got back to the house. Hope we didn't wake our neighbors up with a quick game of boot hockey. Super fun and super cold. So much fun to hang out!


All bundled up


The guys


Little ladies


Doll baby

Scratchy Ny-Ny

Molly has a Ny-Ny...it is a green fuzzy frog mini-blanket. She has had it since she was a baby and sleeps with it EVERY night. She sucks two fingers and holds it up to her nose. I try to keep it contained to the crib, but that doesn't seem to go so well. Somewhere along the way, I purchased three more ny-nys, in case we misplaced ny-ny somewhere along the way...then we'd have backups. For a while she didn't seem to notice that original ny-ny had different colored eyes than the other three, and I would rotate all of them. I'm not sure when it happened, but all of the sudden she started to prefer the original one over the other three. I thought it was the eyes. A couple of months of ago, she kept saying "no...not that ny-ny...scratchy ny-ny"...which I soon figured out was the original one. It took me a while to figure out why this is now 'scratchy ny-ny' and not just ny-ny. Yep, it's so gross and dirty and stained all the time, that it has become scratchy ny-ny. It is such a task to get it away from her to get it into the laundry. I had successfully snuck it into the washer, but she wanted it while it was still wet, so taking pictures was the only that it would work this time around to get it into the dryer. Take a look:


Scratchy ny-ny going in...


I can do this...


I think...


Now I'm sad...


Ahhh...all better now.

PS - Charley has a pink bunny too, and she thinks its hilarious to steal Molly's from her when she is not looking.

Ice Skating!

Charley all bundled up to head outside


View from our back deck of the lighted rink

In the commons area behind our house, there is a pond that is now frozen over. Matt and the neighbors have been flooding and shoveling, and flooding, and snowblowing, and flooding it to get it to the perfect smoothness for ice skating. In the fall, Grant took a Learn to Skate class, and it has proven to be very useful this winter. He rips around on the ice and has a great time with his dad, who also rips around out there. Matt purchased some lights, so we can also enjoy night skating. Although, this also means that I've been spending a lot of time alone or with the girls. I do take the girls out from time to time and pull them around on the sled. They love it. The guys have enjoyed a rowdy game of hockey and kids from all over the neighborhood come to skate. Hoping this warmer weather, doesn't start the flooding process all over again...

Hope to get some pictures from outside soon!

Charley ~ 9 Months!

Charley was nine months old on December 20th. And with the season being so busy with birthdays and Christmas and New Years, I'm just now getting to her post. She is growing up so fast. I really can't believe in three months she will be a year. Why can't nine months go this fast when you are pregnant? She is still the most happy baby that I have had, and she is always smiling. She really is a joy. Here's what she's up to:

Cruises everywhere. I think she may be another early walker. She can stand alone for a second or two, but then will fall to her butt. She will bend down to get things while barely holding on. She can walk while holding one of my hands, but usually better with two. Otherwise she crawls everywhere.

She really is starting to dance to music, which is adorable to me.

At the moment, she has four teeth, two on top and two on the bottom. I think two more on top are coming through...the only time she is unhappy.

Her hair is starting to grow into a baby mullet, ew, and it might almost be time for a trim...Rachel? Its kind of strange color, and unfortunately will probably turn out to be like mine, a mousy gray/brown. So sorry for that one sweety.

She LOVES to eat. And sometimes doesn't want to stop. I feel like she is getting tired of the mushy baby food and wants to move on to the real thing, as she just seems to blow raspberries through anything that is not solid. Still so much easier to get vegetables down this way though, so we may keep trying.

I am done nursing. :( I just quit this past week. It makes me very sad. I really wish I could have gone longer but when the well dries up, what can you do. She is doing fine with the bottles, but I really miss her snuggling up to me, since she doesn't really snuggle otherwise. She woke up in the middle of the night a few weeks back, which is a rarity, and I was THRILLED. I jumped out of bed knowing that once I calmed her down she would probably fall asleep in my arms, which she did, and it was wonderful. She won't be a baby much longer. I can't believe it.

She is 28 7/8 inches tall, and 18 pounds 1 ounce. The nurse forgot to put the percentages down, so I don't know exactly, but I know that they are not worried about her weight at all now, and think it was close to 30%, and her height was 90% I think. Tall girls. Got me.

She is stinker and always goes to the things she isn't supposed to, like the gate at the stairs, the stairs going upstairs (and climbed one or two...and fell), the cords, the DVDs...you know all the things she is not supposed to. And I tell her no or ah-ah, and she just smiles and laughs. Funny.

We call her Charley, Binks, Binksy Cat, Monkey Girl, and whatever else comes to mind. Matt sometimes calls her Charles or Chuck and it drives me crazy. I have been trying to call her Charlotte from time to time too, as that is her real name and I do like it. I can't seem to get her middle name down though. I keep calling her Charley Lynn or Charley Ann...Weird huh. Those were other possibilities.

She is a SCREAMER...at the top of her lungs screamer...whenever she wants something or just wants your attention. It is very frustrating and VERY loud. I don't know how to get her to stop. I keep trying to get her to sign, but we are not there yet. She does babble some sounds and is very good at HI, Da or Dad and sometimes Hi Da together, something that kind of sounds like All Done...Al-Dah, Ba sound, La Sound.

If you ask her for a kiss she will make the kissy noise, and still gives high fives, and now waves bye-bye on command.

I think she will be a very positive person, very outgoing and quite laid back. But we'll see when TWO comes around. At the moment, she is the sweetest thing with the most contagious smile and bright blue eyes.

So sorry to bore you, but this was more for me than you.

Nona and Papa Christmas

Watch out...Grant has a Nerf Gun


Rachel and Mini Rachel, otherwise known as Sofia


Still smiling


Blowin on Papa's Trumpet (I have a picture of me doing this same thing, at about this same age...awww, how sweet right?)


Princess Stella


Mags


And Papa in a Box

After our Christmas Morning celebration, we headed over to my parents house for the Sheldon family Christmas. With eight cousins running around, we have a blast. We are so thankful to be able to all get together and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior! Presents, white elephant, leg massagers (don't ask), yummy food and drink, trumpet playing, reminiscing, and of course poker! Great time as always!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve


The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...


Christmas Morning...waiting on the steps


Zhu Zhu Pets (Matt scored these cheap, but huge toys of the year, at CVS...good work hon!)




Charley's Gift from Santa...and where she happily stayed while the other two opened presents

Christmas at Grammie and Grandpas

Lily


Evy


Molly and Uncle Wade


Matt and I


Santa Matt and Grant


Who's next?


Molly Girl


Princess Molly


Happy Birthday to Jesus!

We spent Christmas Eve at Matt's parents for Christmas this year. Their home is so warm and inviting at Christmas time. Matt's mom has a definite talent in decorating, especially for the holidays. The kids had a great time, waiting for Santa Matt to tell them who was next to open a present. We had a wonderful meal and a great time together. Happy Birthday to Jesus cake and all!

My Baby Boy

Not so much a baby boy anymore...Grant turned SIX today! I cannot believe that it has been six whole years since we came home on that Christmas Day with our new baby boy, our firstborn, our best Christmas present ever. I still remember driving home from the hospital with him on Christmas morning, through the snow...pulling off into Walgreens parking lot to get some pain medication...sneaking a quick peek in the backseat to make sure that our baby boy was doing okay...only to see his poor little head completely slumped over into his chest!!! I screeched and jumped back there make sure he was still alive! Obviously he was fine, but I'll tell you this, I thought I was to be the worst mother ever, not even able to keep my new baby safe just on the way home from the hospital!! I rode in the backseat from then on. :) It has been a whirlwind of changes. He is growing up so fast, enjoying kindergarten and tormenting his sister. He'll make you smile and laugh and in an instance make you want to scream. He is a charmer, a joy...and challenge. He loves to build things and make things work, and says he wants to be an artist when he grows up. He's never short of 'I love yous' and gives really good hugs.

Happy Birthday Grantster! We thank God for the gift of you!

Opening gifts at Nona and Papas house


Celebrating all the December birthdays (Dad, Peter, Drew, Ryan, Grant and Stella)


Celebrating at Grammie and Grandpa's House...(Grant and Grammie share the same birthday!)


And one more time at our house...


The birthday boy!