Graham is Growing

  Graham at 9 months, is crawling all over the place and putting everything in his mouth. He is eating baby food and enjoying most of it. Sweet potatoes is an all time favorite. He loves playing with toys and likes playing close to where is brothers and sister are playing. It is the sweetest thing to see all four of them together, happily playing:) I can see a look in his eye when the others are running around, that he can't wait 'til he is running around with them. He's progressing everyday. He pulls himself up to standing position next to any furniture. Walks along while holding on for support.  It's cute to see his squishy legs up right. Graham has his 2 bottom middle teeth and the 2 top, middle teeth are close to coming through.  Teething has affected his sleep a little but all in all, he's a good sleeper. We love his smiles and he loves to cuddle, be tickled, wrestle with daddy, swing outside, and be adored by his family. He is just a joy to be around and we are blessed to have him as part of our family. 

Graham's 9 month stats:

Height: 29.25 in. (85th percentile)

Weight: 19 lb 8 oz (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 46 cm

Graham is definitely smaller than his brothers as a baby, so it will be interesting to see how he grows. All I know is, he is a whole lot of cuteness!

Pictures say a thousand words and just looking at these I see so much of his sweet disposition I can't even describe. Enjoy:)

 Love you, Graham:)

Emmett's 2nd Birthday

2 years have come and gone. Emmett has always been big and has only gotten bigger. Look at those thighs, he's just so cute and fluffy from head to toe. His ultra fair skin, super blonde hair and blue eyes, not to mention his ear to ear smile makes you want to just look at him. And I do! When I get the chance to hold him, I just gaze at his features and think how beautiful he is. He has a personality to match. He has this mischievous side to him but is mostly sweet. I enjoy his cuddles when they come but he is mostly a busy boy ready to have fun. He ends up doing most of the chasing rather than being chased, which is funny because he seems slow compared to the others, yet they always act scared when he runs after them. His favorite past-times are throwing things, picking up more things and throwing them. Mixed with a little of actually sitting and playing. He will still cuddle, but not as often. He's starting to talk more and more to where I can actually understand what he is saying. I'm not sure anyone outside the family can but who cares. Some of our favorite Emmett words are 'Bah' for mom, 'Chow' for Calvin. The other day I over heard Calvin trying to teach Emmett how to say Calvin. Emmett said 'Chow' and Calvin said no Emmett, it's Calvin. Say Calvin, and Emmett said 'Chowvin'. I think Calvin gave up after that. It's especially sweet to hear him talk when he says his prayers. He says thanks for each one of us and then says wuv you, name, Christ, Men. He's always very proud of himself after he does anything. He will run and then come tell me 'Bah, I fast', then speed away, laughing. 

He's become more dramatic and will throw himself down on the ground and burry his face when he is upset. Or he will ask 'why' in a whiny voice. I'm not sure why I explain after he asks why because it only follows another whiny 'why'? Emmett is better able to play with Lila and Calvin and it's fun to see the 3 of them playing together especially when they are getting along. Emmett has also paid more attention to Graham. For awhile their Graham was just another obstacle to run around but now, He is someone Emmett asks about. Where's 'B'? Hi 'B'! Here 'B'. Emmett is a good helper when he wants to be. Sometimes it takes a lot of encouragement to get going but when he gets to working, he doesn't stop 'til the job is finished. 

We love our Emmett and have enjoyed watching him grow these last 2 years. Can't wait to see what he'll do in the future.

Here's pics from his day:

Listen to This

I love hearing my kids sing. Their voices are so sweet and their lyrics are hilarious to me. 

Here's a video of Lila:

She is just so cute and sweet and I love her mispronunciations. Lila loves to sing and I often over-hear her singing. She'll sing while she's playing, going potty, eating, cleaning up, or while riding in the car. One day in the car I heard her bust out "this girl is on fire". She is full of surprises for sure:)

Here's a video of Calvin:

This boy loves to sing too. I heard him sing a lot while playing outside and he would often ask me to sing with him. I've been writing down the lyrics he sings so I can remember them. He has a future in lyric writing if he wants one, that's for sure.

"Jingle Bells"

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Always in the way

All I have 

Is to ride 

a broken horse in a sleigh

"Roar"

Roooooow

Cause there's a lion 

Dancing to the fire, fire

Dancing to the fire, fire

And there's a lion

Dancing to the fire, fire

"I am a child of God"

I am a child of God 

And He be sent me hear 

(Lila sings that the same way, He can be a copy cat)

Teach me, slide me

walk with me

all the way home

"Frosty the Snowman"

Frosty the snowman

is a joey soul

poked his eye

and blew his nose

and he stayed out in the cold

I've tried to record Emmett singing the intro to Gummie Bears but he runs anytime I point the camera in his general direction. He sings along to the tune but only ever says bears at the appropriate times. Our favorite part is at the end, he adds a little more umph to the final 'bears', then laughs at himself.

Girls Beach Trip to Jekyll Island

A much needed day at the beach is what I wanted. I got so much more because it included girl time with my mom, sister and one of my sister-in-laws plus my fun loving daughter and nieces. We laid out on the beach, played in the sand, swam a little, talked a lot, and ate some good food. That was just one day. After seeing some fishermen catch a shark we were done with the water. That night Lizz brought supplies for us to have pedicures. Sunday we went to church and then lunch before saying our goodbyes. It was a quick trip but relaxing and a lot of fun. Hope to be able to do it again and with the missing sister in laws.

Here's pics from the trip:

Imagine

Chris and I went to check on Emmett during nap time one day and we found this

and this

then this.

Oh, and we also noticed how hot it was and the space heater in his room read 83 degrees! Did I mention it was the month of August?

My thoughts went from these dressers are no longer safe in here. Then, where's my baby? Wow, it's hot in here. That space heater is not safe in here either. 

Before we rearranged furniture, we admired our big baby and took these pics to remember his crazy days. Crazy and cute days:)

Graham's 4 & 6 Month Stats

Graham is a great baby. That sounds funny to say because all babies are great, right? But he really is a GREAT baby. He sleeps well, like 11-12 hours a night, well. His naps are long too. He's so smiley. Almost every time I look at him, he's smiling. He's so quiet, he rarely makes any sounds, crying included. He's content rolling around on the ground, snuggling in my lap or watching his brothers and sister play. He really enjoys when they take the time to play with him too. Graham also lights up when he sees his daddy. Chris loves to lay on the ground next to Graham and play with him. They both like it actually:) He's just such a lovable and easy going baby. Being in his company soothes my soul. He makes me feel like I'm getting the hang of this mothering thing. I love that when he is upset, he calms down quickly when I pick him up. Also, when he lays his head down and snuggles into my neck. I can hear him breathing and it makes me smile. Lila and Calvin love to play with Graham and are proficient at soothing him and making him laugh. Lila sings to him and he becomes still and stares at her with a smile on his face. Calvin loves to get really close to Graham's face or tickle his tummy. Both result in Graham laughing. It's joyous to see my kids playing and enjoying each others' company. I can see their love for each other by the way they spend time together and how they talk about each other. Life is just perfect right now:)

Graham has his two bottom teeth coming in together. You can see them when he smiles big. He's been rolling over since 3 1/2 months and is now rolling all over the place. He has even started scooting a little. He has also started eating rice cereal. He didn't seem to like it at first but now is fine eating it. He also plays with some toys. His development has been exciting to watch.

Here's a video from when Graham first started rolling over. He was between 3 and 4 months.

Here's a video of Graham eating rice cereal for the first time.

4 month stats:

Height- 24 3/4 inches (55th %) 

Weight- 15 lb 2 oz (42nd %)

Head Circumference- 41.5 cm (84th %)

6 month stats:

Height- 27 inches (66th %)

Weight- 17 lb 11 oz (54th %)

Head Circumference- 44 cm (71st %)

We love our Graham more and more each day. He has added so much love to our family and we would not be the same without him. I would not be the same without any of my children. I'm so grateful to be their mom. I feel blessed to stay home with them and spend my time with them. They have brought so much joy into my life. They give me unconditional love, forgive my shortcomings, help me to be better. We laugh together, cry together, eat together, play together, work together, learn together, and relax together. This is what life is all about and I love it!

Here's pics of sweet Graham:

Emmett"s Basketball Skills

I sat watching him make shot after shot, so I decided to record his skills. Performing under pressure is tough, but he handles it well. He's just so cute too:)