Decorating for Christmas!

Well, I'm a little late posting, but we started preparing for Christmas, last Sunday. We went and picked out a Christmas Tree (we will always have a real tree b/c Mark LOVES them) and set up the Dicken's Village from Dept 56. The Dicken's Village is Mark's baby and he loves to have it all set up. It was my family's tradition, but it's a good thing that he likes it or I probably wouldn't set it up every year. The tree is one of the nicest trees we've ever had. As of today, it is still soft and super green. We'll see what it's like in a month! I bought the kids all matching outfits from Gap Outlet, and we put them on for the occasion. Enjoy!

Michael at 8 months....a week late!

Well, Michael has made some big changes in a month. At 8 months of age he:

• is fully mobile in the crawling position, but it won't be long until he figures out how to walk



• is loving cheerios and any other cereal type food that he can feed himself



• has 2 teeth on the bottom that are growing in nicely!



• is just the sweetest little guy (unless he is alone in bed) - see below



• is happy moving from toy to toy on the main level and LOVES to climb stairs



• is living in a gated community (most of the time) unless we choose to watch him climb the stairs



• is not happy being laid down to go to sleep and usually cries with seperation



• loves his siblings but especially his sister because she sings and entertains as needed

I'll add a few photos from our outing on Sunday to purchase the tree and during the village set up. He was so happy!

a few photos from sunday after church

I really don't blog much these days. I am tooooooo busy with working two 10-12 hour shifts every Monday and Thursday and keeping up with 4 children. We've been a little extra busy with church activities, and the construction in the basement of the train layout. I don't know what to think of the added stress of the holidays.....I actually think that it may just be similiar to our normal life pace. We'll see. I'm going to add a few photos from after church a week and a half ago.

halloween 2008

Well, we really had a variety of costumes going on, this Halloween. We also had a last minute change by Matthew (back to a frog, like last year). Here they are..

photos for Uncle Mikey!

Here are some photos of your lovely nephews and niece. They were having a hard time staying focused on the camera because they were ready to go to a bday party.

Michael at 7 months

This is going to be brief because this mommy is SUPER tired from work and not sleeping at night (thanks to the little guy). At 7 months, Michael is:

• crawling all over the house



• attempting to stand up when possible



• eating baby food and looking at anything that he might possibly feed himself (but not usually putting it in his mouth)



• loving all of his musical toys



• not sleeping well at night.....he really likes to wake up around 4 am (if anyone wants him, he's yours until he sleeps later



• giving wet juicy kisses



• rubbing his nose all over your shirt (not sure why)

That's the short list!

Michael at 6 months

Well, it's yet another month that Michael has been with us! In honor of his 6 month bday, I am going to give yet another funfilled list of what the big boy is doing + add a couple recent photos





At 6 months, Michael is:

• sitting unassisted (YEAH!)


• creeping along in the living room


• rolling anywhere he wants to go


• eating baby cereals + other various pureed fruits and veggies


• smiling all of the time!


• making gutteral (sp?) sounds


• playing with toys and squealing in delight


• attempting to catch anyone and everyones attention


• sleeping more regularly for 1-2 hours in the morning and afternoon


• sleeping until 4 am or later MOST days
• he's a BIG guy, 19 + pounds

organization fun

So, I woke up with a great desire to get out Fall clothing and put away most of the Summer stuff. I am just tired of looking at shorts and shirts! I did put a number of summer dresses and outfits in the closet for those warm Fall days. I am most proud of Abby's armoire, so here is a photo of my morning clothing switch & organization + a photo of Abby holding Michael (by her request). Enjoy!

a new group shot!

We were invited to a church members house after church, so the kiddos stayed in their church clothes during late service (we go early). As they were playing, I had them all lean against the wall and grab the baby, and this is the latest group shot! Everyone matched EXCEPT Michael because he was already on outfit #2 or possibly #3. Have a great rest of Labor Day!

The dynamic duo have made Pre-K....WOOO HOOO!

Matthew and Abby have wanted to go to Timothy's school for Pre-K since their evaluation, last March, and I had been wondering if and when they would make it off of the waiting list. Well, a few days ago, I got a call for the PALS club leader- 2 days a week for 2 hours, and I was thrilled. Then, today, I got a call from the director of the Pre-K in Marion, and there are 2 openings for Pre-K at Longfellow (Timothy's school) in the afternoon. I know you can all feel my JOY! They will go and meet the teacher on Tuesday, and they are SOOOOO excited. We'll see how it goes! Here are some photos taken today.....they wanted photos for some reason and Elmo had to be in the photos! :) And yes, Abby is much taller than Matthew!

Michael turns 5 months tomorrow!

Well, as I sit here writing, I am both happy and sad. I am soooooo happy that Michael is now a happy baby with an occasional unhappy moment. He LOVES his brothers and sister, and they can usually keep him entertained. I am sad (a little) because I see his baby days racing past, and it's harder to enjoy them with 3 bigger kids here. So, I will add to Michael's list of accomplisments from 4 months:

• He is rolling and rolling and rolling


• He pushes up and checks EVERYTHING out


• He is still trying to get in his bottom teeth....you can see them and he's chewing and drooling


• He is able to focus on small objects


• He is grabbing at anything in front of him


• He squeals in delight at all 3 siblings and any favorite toys


• He spends 30+ minutes at a time in his exersaucer


• He will happily take a bottle....actually he only wants the instant gratification of a bottle unless it's the middle of the night!


• He doesn't like any baby food...we tried and I gave up!


• He still needs Prevacid 60mg to keep from fussing with bottles


• He's got one of the best smiles, but it's hard to get it when I'm taking photos

Back to school

Well, Timothy started 2nd grade, yesterday, and Matthew & Abby returned to Mother's Day Out (AKA school for them). They all were terribly excited, but Timothy was a bit nervous, as well. Here they are!

Timothy's fighting the brightness!

More photos from our vacation

So, we made a second stop along the way at Uncle Matthew and Tante Amy's new house in Morristown, IN. The house is beautiful and the kids love to run both in and outside. They have a total of 14 acres and half or more is wooded. That is great for everyone....especially for Timothy who always wants an adventure. I got some good shots of 5 of the 7 kids playing their own kicking game on the dirt hill + the little kids table + some quiet time (reading) !

for those interested

I almost forgot to add this to my blog. One week boutique is coming up in September in Champaign, Il. If you are interested, go to oneweekboutique.com

Vacation 2008

We are back from our first family vacation as a family of 6. We had a great time visiting family and friends over the last week. The kids were GREAT travelers and made it with minimal whining and crying. I think this may be our hardest vacation, but everyone enjoyed the trip. Here are some photos from our lake stop.

4 months old!

So, this is now becoming Michael's milestone blog. As it says in the title, Michael is 4 months, tomorrow. I didn't realize that the last photos had him in the same outfit...even though he's #4, he does have a few outfits. :) Anyway, here is what Michael's doing at 4 months:

• He is now sitting up in his little seat for 15-20 minute intervals....it's quite a bit of work for a little guy.


• He rolls from stomach to back regularly but has only rolled from back to stomach 1 time!


• He will drink from a bottle (he even takes 6 ounces of formula at bedtime.


• He's starting to take a morning and afternoon nap.


• He sleeps until 4 am (we're ready for all night)!


• He smiles and coos all of the time


• He is drooling all of the time....I think 2 small teeth on the bottom will come in this month


• He LOVES to watch his brothers and sister play around him...he's ready to join in!

I'm sure there is so much more, but that's all I can think of at this moment.

In other news, Timothy and Grandma B flew out to Portland to visit Uncle Mikey on Tuesday, and so far, everyone is having a great time! Timothy has not been on a plane since he was 3 1/2, but he did great with his flights. He gets to go out to the coast, see Mt Hood and so much more! It's great for a 7 year old with 3 small siblings. We were suppose to go to Indiana to spend time with our friends, the O'Connors & Papa & Grandma Surburg, but Matthew and Abby picked up a virus at VBS. With 102 degree fevers, we made the decision to stay home and get them healthy! With the change in plans, we are trying to do as much as possible around the house!

Swamp Fox 2008

Timothy had a great 1st year with Swamp Fox Track program. He finished 1st place in 8 of 9 events at the meets. He placed 1st at all 3 meets in the 50 meter and long jump and had a 1st place at one meet in the shotput and a 1st place at the 2nd meet in the 100 meter (his only 2nd was in the shotput at the last meet). He REALLY loves to run, and he's super fast. He did shotput at 2 of the 3 meets, but I don't see shotput in his future! :) Marion is so fortunate to have a great track program for kids 6 and up. Timothy will join again next summer!

Miss Sassy..maybe I needed 4 boys!

Here is Abby and her curls! She is terribly sassy and whiney these days...she is challenging her mother's patience! :)

Michael at 3 months

Well, Michael hit 3 months a few days ago, so I thought I'd share some photos of him on his favorite mat! The object hanging down at the top is his favorite star that lights up and plays music. On the whole, he is much better with Prevacid 60mg everyday, but I think he just wants to be up and moving with his brothers and sister! :)

Michael at 11 1/2 weeks

Here are some of the latest photos of Michael. He is a little chubber! He is smiling more and more and cooing all of the time. I'm ready for sitting up, but I'll never be ready to have #4 mobile :)!

Photo Shoot

Well, I shared my favorite photo with you in the last post (and it's the last in this post), but I am going to share a few of the funny ones with you! Again, thank you to Uncle Mikey for the cute matching stripes!