Guess Who We Met This Weekend!

Uncle Marc, Aunt April, sweet baby Mason and Charlie came to town this weekend!  We were able to spend lots of time on Friday morning and Saturday night with them.  There are even more pictures to share from the weekend, but this one is just precious! Mason seems pretty interested in whatever Wyatt was doing!

Rainbow Cupcakes!

I was looking for a fun cupcake to make for Wyatt's class for his birthday this week and I came across this recipe for rainbow cupcakes!  Wyatt and I decided to "test out" the recipe before we sent them to school tomorrow.  So here is what we did....

1.  Made the white cake according to the box, and then split the dough between these six bowls.  (For the record, you don't have to color code the bowls.  But I figured it would be a fun way to use my Fiesta Ware.)

 2.  Follow the suggestions on the recipe to mix the colors.  I had an issue with making Reese purple cupcakes in the past - I guess I should have googled it!  It was spot on with the number of drops to make each color!

 3.  Pour the dough into the cupcake liners, layering by color.  You know, ROY G. BIV.  Be careful.  I overfilled my cupcakes.  They turned out kind of huge!

 4.  Frost (we chose orange - I think we'll go with green tomorrow) and give to happy children.

 5.  The less enthused children (or child) can also have a cupcake - she didn't want frosting.  The horror!

7.  Take a picture of what it looks like once you take a bite!  Way fun (and yummy)!



Brothers

Precious and smiley...

Wyatt at 3 and a half months - July 2007

Hudson at 4 and a half months - March 2011

And silly too!

Reese's Pieces

So Reese is our little comedienne.  She constantly says things out of the blue that make us laugh so hard.  One thing that she has been doing lately that drives me crazy is constantly saying "doo doo."  Now, she doesn't say it because she knows what it's slang for.  Because we have never once referred to anything as "doo doo" in this house.  She just thinks it's a funny word.  And she says it over and over and over again. I'm ignoring it in hopes that it goes away.

Anyway, this morning we were cleaning windows together because this house is a disaster.  We were barely  home this weekend and the house, well, it suffered because of it.  So I gave Reese a paper towel to "help" me clean the windows and she said, "This is hard, Mom.  Cleaning takes practice. You need to practice cleaning more, Mom."  And she had the most serious look on her face. 

Anyway, I have to go practice cleaning.  I think I'm going to make her practice with me.

Hudson's Four Month Check Up!

Look at this little chunky monkey!  His 4 month appointment was this morning, and he loved having Daddy (and Mommy) all to himself!  While he and I were in the waiting room there was a 16 month old boy running around and his name was Hudson too.  His mom and I talked for a bit because she has two little ones 16 months apart.  I thought about asking if she wanted to form a support group!  Ha!

Hudson and I made it to the exam room and then I heard, "Which one are you here for today?  Hudson?" Brian saw the doctor before Hudson and I did! It's nice to know that my pediatrician recognizes us and can make the connection to our kids.  I mean, he should since we've seen him practically every three months since 2007, but it's still a nice feeling.

Here are Hudson's stats at 4 months:

15 pounds, 6 ounces (47th percentile)

24 inches (9th percentile)

16.5 head circumference (29th percentile)

And here are Wyatt and Reese's stats

He had a great check up and was smiley and happy for the entire exam.  Dr. Jones did say that at 15 pounds my little Tig should be able to sleep through the night - so I think we're going to start giving that a try.  It might break my heart, but I need sleep.  And it's motivation to actually put Hudson's crib together. 
 
He started crying while we were waiting for the nurse to come in and give him his two shots.  I felt so bad for him.  I had gotten him to sleep and he was so peaceful, and then I had to see the look on his face when he got he shots.  I mean, I saw it from 2 feet away because Brian does the shots, but it was so sad.  He's been pretty cranky since we got home, so I gave him some Tylenol and he seems to be okay.  I don't think he's going to start crying it out tonight.  I feel bad for him!

Hanging Out!

This little guy is getting so big!  He is really starting to enjoy his exersaucer in short periods of time and is doing a great job holding himself up.

He has been teething like CRAZY this week, and constantly felt the need to gnaw on my fingers.  I have read really great things about Sophie the giraffe, so I ordered one for Hudson this week when I ordered Wyatt's birthday presents from Amazon.  He is in love.  Her legs and even her neck are so easy for him to grip.  When I give it to him he happily chomps on it.  He even likes the squeaking (which reminds me more of a dog toy!).

His hair is also turning redder by the day.  At this point he almost has auburn highlights throughout his head.  Basically, this little boy has the hair and eyelashes that most women want - ha!  He also happens to have a pretty adorable smile if I do say so myself!

Wyatt's Very First T Ball Game!

We signed Wyatt up just under the wire for t ball this year.  He is absolutely loving it!  At his first practice he was all over the place, but he's gotten so much better about paying attention.  He is by far the youngest kid on his team - the cut off for the league is just a few days after his birthday, so he's actually the only kid there who's still 3 years old.  Fortunately his coach is really patient and understands what it's like to have little ones (he actually has three who are just as close in age as ours).

Wyatt's first scrimmage was on Tuesday.  We were a little anxious because Wyatt missed his last practice  because of a stomach bug, but he got there ready to play! (Warning - this is totally picture heavy.)

Sitting on the bench.  A few minutes later he actually fell off the bench.  Silly kid.

He was basically a roving infielder during the game.  That wasn't what he was assigned to do, but he chased the ball everywhere, every play.  He was positioned between first and second, and at one point he actually ran into left field to get the ball.

Heading up to his first at bat.

His first at bat.

He hit the ball up the middle and made it to first....

And second....

And third....he's running home.

And he scored!

After two "innings" in the infield his coach moved him to pitcher.  The chest thing is to protect him from a line drive.



Guess he was trying to get comfortable on his "mound."

 

When he was on deck he practiced hitting this ball on the pole.

He did a really great job hustling and stopping the ball and attempting to make plays (there was a throwing mishap at one point), and he went 3 for 3.  At the end of the game the coach gathered the team around and told them that after every game they were going to award the game ball to the player that hustled and tried really hard - and he gave the ball to Wyatt!  We were so proud of our little guy for doing such a great job in his first ever baseball game!

We are also extremely proud of his progress at school over the last few weeks, he's been doing an amazing job and progressing very well and we are so happy!

So Proud!

Here's a hint!

.....More about the hat tomorrow!

The Many Faces of Reese

Reese wanted to "make faces" last week and she wanted me to photograph each one.

Surprise

 

Happy

 

Silly



Sad (Yeah, not convincing)



Thinking



Not so much a "face" but playing with her little brother.



Hudson's First Play Date

On Friday my friend Carolyn came over with Brooke and Joshua.  Joshua was born in January.  Brooke is only two and a half months older than Reese and Hudson is that much older than Joshua - weird huh?  At this age the boys don't really do any playing together (and Reese and Brooke didn't really either that day).  Part of the reason that I don't always like having play dates at home is because kids get distracted by toys.  If kids come here then they get distracted playing with our kids' toys and no one plays together.  And if I take my kids somewhere the same thing usually happens.  Going to the park or zoo or aquarium gets them more interaction with each other.  I think it just depends on the situation.

Anyway, Hudson and Joshua just hung out together for a little bit!  They are coming back to town at the end of the month so I'm hoping we can get together for a little bit, but I know it's such a hassle for them because they live so far away and both families are here.  I don't even know how they manage to split their time between everything they want to do while they're home!

My Birthday Weekend

I had a really great birthday weekend!  On Friday my mom came over to watch the kids so Brian and I could go out to eat.  She even got here an hour early so that I could get ready without having children run in and out of the bathroom and brought me a new shirt and sweater!  She and my dad also got me two new charms for my Pandora bracelet (my dad is probably finding out that he got me the charms as he reads this blog post).  I got Wyatt's (and also my) birthstone and Reese's birthstone.  I'm still constantly hunting for a discontinued lion that all the girls in my family have (except me).

Brian and I went to Outback and the meal was excellent.  I started off the meal with a margarita with Malibu - amazing (so amazing that I drank two).  We also got an ahi tuna appetizer that was delicious, and a strawberry waffle dessert that was amazing.  My sirloin was a little overcooked, but the crab cakes and salad that came with it were great.  I love that place.  Brian loves their 23 ounce Miller Lite drafts.  He swears Outback beer tastes much better than anyone else's!

My actual birthday was Saturday, and I got to sleep in!  I actually got to sleep through the night!  Brian stayed on the couch with Hudson in his swing and woke up with him in the middle of the night.  I don't even know when the last time that happened was!  I slept from 11:00 to 5:00 and then woke up on my own.  I managed to fall back asleep until the late hour of 7:45.  Crazy I know!  Brian also went to get me a Key Lime pie that afternoon.  It was so good!

After doing my sister's make up for ring dance we came home to drop the kids off with Brian's parents so we could go see The Adjustment Bureau. It was pretty good.  The ending sucked.  Brian and I wanted it to end  the exact opposite of the way it did.

We ended my birthday weekend with an absolutely nasty day of running errands - Dick's to buy Wyatt a new baseball glove and tee and then Target for "essentials."  We were able to cut into my birthday cake last night after we watched the Imagination Movers concert on Disney.  My kids are seriously obsessed with that show.  This morning they were playing in Wyatt's room and I heard the following conversation:

Wyatt: "Reesie, do you want to put this puzzle together?"
Reese: "No Wyatt, I can't by myself."
Wyatt: "Reesie, you can't put a puzzle together?  This isn't a problem, it's an..."
Together: "IDEA EMERGENCY!"
Wyatt: "We need to help Reese figure out how to put a puzzle together.  LET'S BRAINSTORM!"

And then they started to sing the Brainstorm song together.  They crack me up!

Hudson is Four Months Old!!

I can't believe this little guy is 4 months old!

(for the record, I also can't believe that I am 29 today - no really.  I know people "say" they're 29, but I really am.  It's the last year I'm discussing my age.)

Here is what Hudson is up to this month:

• I'm pretty sure that he's around 15 pounds. He feels huge when I hold him!
• Wears size 2 diapers.
• He is wearing 3 month sleepers and 3-6 month onesies and pants.  His little chubby feet are in 6-12 month socks!
• Still exclusively breast fed. He probably eats 7 or 8 times a day (and one or two of those are in the middle of the night). He still gets bottles but sometimes feeding him myself is just easier!
• He still sleeps swaddled, but he definitely wants to be out of it more now. He breaks his arms free at some point in the night and ends up with a hand (or both) next to his face.  This sometimes wreaks havoc on his dry skin.  No matter how much lotion I put on him or how often I clip his nails, he definitely scratches around his face and even in his ears!
• I am really struggling with finding the right routine for this little guy.  He cat naps in the mornings and takes a long nap when Reese does in the afternoon.  The only problem is that if he wakes up at 3:30 or 4 he's ready for bed at night at 6:30.  It's surprisingly difficult to get him on a nap schedule with two other kids who I have to schedule around too. I'd like for him to nap from 10-12 and then 2-4:30, but that gets complicated by pre school pick ups and errands!
• He is doing a pretty good job sleeping in his bassinet at night.  I'm looking forward to getting him napping in his crib soon!
• His coos and smiles are adroable. He and I have conversations and it is just so sweet!
• He rolled from tummy to back and back to tummy this week!
• He is in LOVE with his Daddy.  Brian's work schedule is just crazy right now (long, long days), and Hudson just lights up every time he sees him.  They love to stick their tongues out at each other, and Hudson loves when Daddy holds him and makes silly faces.
• He is having a lot more fun playing on his play mat and in his Bumbo and exersaucer and is gripping his toys pretty well. 
• He loves to look at books with bright reds and yellows and oranges.
• Drooling is in full effect.  Hopefully this doesn't mean teeth will be popping out any time soon.
• Bath time is probably his favorite time of day.  He loves to kick and splash around, and he's also the only one of my children who doesn't mind having water poured on their hair.
• This month he had his first trip to the zoo, and his first days playing outside and his first play date with his friend Joshua!  I am really looking forward to warm weather so we can get out more and start going more places!

Hudson loves his big brother and sister.  Wyatt is definitely more gentle with him than Reesie, but they are both really sweet to him (usually).  Reese is really into books and flipping through them and making up stories (and some of them have been read to her so many times that she actually knows what is on each page), and yesterday she sat down right next to Hudson and started reading him this Wonder Pets book. I love how she's reading and he's actually looking at the book.
 

Hudson at Three Months

Hudson at Two Months

Hudson at Six Weeks/One Month

My Hands...

and my heart are definitely full!

Yes, I am definitely holding Reese while wearing Hudson.  Don't they both look thrilled?

Wisdom from Wyatt

We keep Wyatt's school mornings as routine as possible.  He wakes up (when it's still dark out - ugh)and then watches TV or plays quietly while we try to get a little more sleep.  Around 7 he eats breakfast and starts getting ready for the day.  We try to turn off the TV or turn it to Mike and Mike so he doesn't get distracted and instead focuses on what he needs to do to get out the door.  The last step in his morning is taking one last trip to the bathroom to use the restroom and brush his teeth.

This morning I sent him to the bathroom to do both of those things.  In the mornings I usually let him brush his own teeth and then we take turns at night before bed  He came out of the bathroom and said he was so happy that his breath smelled "apple-y."  I corrected him and told him that his toothpaste actually smells like strawberries. He said, "No mom.  It smells like apples.  I used the soap on the counter instead because I like how it smells!"  He then pointed to his toothbrush where I could see the remnants of Bath & Body Works' Farm Fresh Apple soap.  Awesome.

He has also decided that naps are for little kids.  Or something like that.  He doesn't take them anymore.  We've negotiated at 2 hour quiet time in his room in lieu of the nap (because I would probably lose my mind if he didn't), but I still don't feel like he gets enough sleep.  We've kept his bedtime routine since he was a baby (switched it a little bit, but still the same thing every night), so I don't know what to do.  Brian and I are not okay with TV's in their rooms (and we would still have to get up to turn it on even if we were), so we can't just tell him to stay in there until we're up.  And honestly, I really don't feel like he's getting enough sleep at all.  He sleeps about and or two less than Reese does at night and he doesn't take a nap - while she usually sleeps for and hour and a half or two hours.  So some days he ends up getting 4 hours less sleep than his sister who's only 16 months younger.  Yikes. Any tips on this would be appreciated!

He's already signed up for T ball and we're waiting to hear back about that and we're probably also signing him up for soccer.  This kid is going to need sleep this spring!

Speaking of which a few other little things he's said lately:
While we were driving around the ball fields where he'll be playing we saw a softball team.  Wyatt's reaction? "Hey!  What are those girls doing here?  Girls DON'T play baseball!  Tell them to get off the field!"

When he came home with his Cat in the Hat hat broken (it's Dr. Seuss month at school): "Mom, Ethan butted me and made my hat break!"