Enjoying Spring

Spring just may be here to stay. We have had some "warmer" days and maybe one or two with a little snow. I will take it as I have been able to get out with the kids.

Two weekends ago we took a trip to sleepy hollow. We were hoping to see some geese. There were not too many yet but the kids had a lot of fun. Ari ate the sand and tried desperately to crawl in the water. He has no fear. Eli and Lilliana dug and made holes in the sand. We also flew the kite. It was wonderful to get out and get some fresh air. 

 

When we got home they were a dirty mess so of course they had baths and then "helped" Anthony and I fold laundry. What I really mean is they got in the baskets and pushed each other around. They did help put away. 

 

For my birthday we went to get Ice Cream. It was a nice low key day. I thought Anthony was going to have to work but his job was canceled so it was nice to see him. I asked him to take a picture with the kids. That is always interesting. It went as expected and the horse photobombing in the back just adds to it.

 

These photos went as well as this one that I tried to get quick when we were out exploring the other day. Lilliana and Eli were happy to oblige....Ari just wanted to get away which meant a face plant all the way down the stairs if we would have let him. He is trouble as you can see! 

 

Now and update on each child............

I was making lunch and looked over to see this.........

 

Yes, that is Eli tall enough to reach the microwave. I don't know when he grew up but he has!! He has gotten so tall and just so grown up. It makes me sad and glad at the same time. 

He has been sleeping with his toys lately. I walked in to check on them to make sure they were asleep during naptime and found Cranky the Crane had joined him. 

   

He is doing so well with school and is beginning to sound words out. He sounded out "Pepsi" last night from Anthony's pop can with some help. He loves it and is doing well.  He is a sponge and for that I love him but sometimes it drives me crazy as he remembers things I do not and insists they happened. Regardless he is getting so big!! I just can't believe how fast he is growing up.

 

Lilliana is so sweet. She is a clown and she loves "performing" for us. Her latest phrase is, "watch this guys." Where she dances, jumps, or is just silly!!! She colored all over herself yesterday and then proceeded to try to erase herself. It was sooo funny. 

She is sweet as can be and for that we are grateful. 

 

She is also doing really well  with learning too. She can sing her abc's and count to 10. We are working on going to 20. She also working on colors. She has absorbed a lot of what I teach Eli during school time as she sits and colors while we do school. 

 

Ari is well how shall I put this.....TROUBLE!! I am at a point of lack of sleep and just being tired and can't honestly cope with him screaming or crying so admittedly I probably baby him way too much! He is a more emotionally needy child and always has been. That is just his personality. Regardless he gets carried a lot. He knows he is cute and plays that to his advantage. I am working more on dealing with his issues but some days I just don't have the patience or energy. 

Milestones he is crawling so fast. He has no interest in trying to walk because he is so fast crawling. He does stand up to everything and loves looking out the windows. He has began to say words. Now they are not the clearest but you know what he wants. These words include, "done, more, dogs, and outside." He loves to be outside and makes a beeline for the door any time he can. He reminds me so much of Eli at this age. He also has a lot of teeth trying to pop through. It has made for some crazy nights and rough days.

Regardless of all him being spoiled he is a cuddly, sweet, happy child. He loves his brother and sister and wants to be around them all the time. He can entertain himself which is really nice. As needy as he is I am sure I will miss it when he decides to be more independant!

 

Anthony has had some weird schedules lately so we are tired from that. I have had 4 newborns in the past week and a half so I have been busy with editing and sessions. I am thrilled though. My last newborn was the best to date and I can't wait to edit those photos. 

I did hire a babysitter/nanny for Tuesdays to help with the kids and they LOVE her. She does a great job with them. It has helped me keep work time to a specific time and then enjoy just being mom and wife the rest of the time. I have also cut down my hours at the diaper store. At this point I fill in if somebody needs me to and I can. Business is picking up so I would rather focus my time there. All in all we are doing well and I can't wait for summer! It is supposed to be nice this week so we will be outside a lot.

Zoo Trip

This year for Eli and Lilliana's birthday my parents bought them zoo passes. It was actually a year of passes for all of us. It was very reasonable and pretty much pays for itself after one trip. On Tuesday I decided we would go Wednesday. I figured if we went in the afternoon it would be the warmest and we could get in early naps. The kids were so excited and went down for naps well. I knew it was going to storm after 5:00 p.m. so I figured if we left at 3:00 we would have plenty of time. As we are driving in it starts raining. I looked at Eli's face in the back and knew he would be so disappointed if I decided to come home. He insisted he could use his hat and umbrella, so we continued on. 

When we got to the Zoo it actually had slowed down and we did not get wet at all. We even made it back to the car before the storm really hit. We had so much fun and the kids were tired. So here are the pictures from our day. I promise Ari was there in the stroller:) 

It is finally getting warm

Spring seems to have not gotten the message this year. It has been an interesting one for weather. One day we have snow and the next it is almost 60 degrees. Regardless it is finally warming up and we are getting a lot of rain which is very normal for a Michigan spring. 

Last week the kids were still very sick. They ended up with a trip to urgent care. Anthony was home from work due to the rain so his job getting canceled. God seems to work in such situations because I don't know how I would have been able to handle the lack of sleep on my own. 

The had such a hard time sleeping at night due to coughing that during the day they made up for it. Ari slept in his car seat because it was the only way I could get him to sleep.

Sister still has those cheeks...........

 

Lilliana has begun to really enjoy her dolls. I find her playing more by herself with dolls instead of with the boys. It is sweet. I love that she is playing with the same dolls I did as a little girl. This baby was given to me by my Grandma Gloria. 

 

 It also has been nice so we have made a couple trips to the park. Eli walks and the other two ride in the stroller. They all love going. The swings have been the favorite this week. 

 

Eli has even been a wonderful big brother and pushed Ari. He loves to do it. 

 

 

Poor Lilliana was trying to get Ari and he knocked her over. 

 

On the way home Lilliana wanted out to walk with Eli. Their conversation was just what children do. It melted my heart as I remember saying the same things as a kid. They were trying not to walk on the cracks and jumping over them. There were also a lot of dried worms on the sidewalk and they were examining them. 

 

Then we had the night of Eli crafting. This kid is beyond belief. He is so responsible and such a good boy 95% of the time. He helps with chores, his brother and his sister, and basically with whatever I ask.

Well I woke up to him saying he needed a baindaid. He had got into my craft cupboard and cut up fabric, newborn props, his pajamas and his hair. He also had gotten the step stool and gotten into the freezer to eat ice cream and cookies. I was up at 2:30 and he was asleep. I came down to the mess at 3:10. So he was fast. He also got out my sewing machine. I can only guess I had been crafting that day and he had watched and helped. I had been cutting up old clothes and making new things with them. Needless to say his head is now shaved and we got an alert for his door. If he leaves it will go off. He loves scissors and always wants to cut things. At school he asks to do cutting projects all the time and loves to make different shapes. I really don't know how to stop this but this is what happens. I laugh now because truly he looks ridiculous but it is not that funny. He also is mad I shaved his head. He liked his hair this way and wanted to keep it. Regardless I do feel like an awful mom but what is done is done and I know many of kids who have cut their hair and each others. Hopefully he grows out of this phase soon. 

 

Oh life is interesting with children. That much is for sure. We are off to the zoo today. Have a wonderful Wednesday.