Friday, December 27, 2013

Christmas Programs

This December has been so busy with fun Christmas activities.  We had lots of school parties and programs, Ward Christmas parties, parties with friends and Ethan's birthday.  It felt like a lot of baking and running around but it was loads of fun.
  Pictures from the Hawaiian themed ward Christmas party.


My favorite is watching the kids perform in their Christmas programs and sing in sacrament.  And again they didn't disappoint.  Ethan had three performances where they did a Charlie Brown Christmas program and sang some songs in English and Spanish.  As much as he doesn't like to sing he was belting it out with the best of them.


 Taylor's class had a performance based on the Christmas story and she was one of the angels.  She was giving it her best and, as usual, giving the evil eye to anyone that got out of line.  She looked just beautiful in her costume.


Ethan also had his first piano recital after starting piano in the Fall.  He had been practicing Jolly Ole Saint Nicholas since he started piano so he was beyond confident in his ability to play it.  I always love how confident he is.  He had been playing the song for so long that after awhile he started playing it with his eyes closed and then crossing his hands over each other to make it more challenging.  He told his teacher that he was going to play it that way for the recital.  He cracks me up.  When we went to get in the car to go to the recital he didn't have his book with him.  I suggested he bring it but he was sure he didn't need it.  I brought it anyway, just in case, since that is how I am.  It was funny to see Taylor, my "mini me" so concerned about him not having the book.  She held it on her lap and kept saying "Don't you think he should have it just in case?"  She is my child.  Even without the book he did a good job and we were so proud of him.  But he will never be my perfectionist.  He doesn't have any desire to play a song until he gets it perfect and is just always ready to move on to the next song.  They often remind me that no matter what they are their own person and I can't change that.


Ethan has been begging for a birthday party with his friends from school so we finally gave in this year. As we were deciding who to invite I started to realize that we were going to have to invite 44 kids since he wanted to invite kids from both of the two classes he interacts with and if you invite one kid you have to invite them all.  I made sure to ask for an RSVP by a certain date and I was thrilled when only about 6 kids could come by the RSVP deadline.  So we started planning what we would do and decided on a food theme where we would make homemade individual pizzas and decorate cookies and play games all involving food.  Ethan was so excited about it.  I started to get nervous as a few additional people called to RSVP after the deadline but I didn't start to panic until I was at his school and some other parents made some vague comments about how they were "probably" going to come.  Maybe I'm missing something these days but I thought asking for an RSVP would force people to decide if they were coming or not.  So I was really worried that all 44 kids could possible show up and I wouldn't have enough food for everyone.  And in my family that is a crime.  By the time it was all said and done with had 14 kids at the house and it was crazy!  They had fun but I was running around so much that I didn't have a chance to snap one picture of the kids having fun.  I was so appreciative of great friends who were willing to help me out and a great husband to help things run smoothly.  I am definitely ready to wait another 7 years before we try that again but Taylor is already making requests for her party in February.  We will see.

Conversations from the Backseat

I haven't been good about trying to keep up with all the amusing things the kids say.  But they do keep us entertained, especially when talking to each other in the backseat of the car.  They both have big career aspirations that they talk about often.  Ethan, always the logical one, plans on being an engineer and owning his own engineering firm.  He is looking forward to having regular hours (unlike his dad) and plans to hire people to do most of the work so he can have lots of time off.  He has offered Taylor a job at his company but he was very clear that it won't be a job where she would just sit around because she is his sister but that she would really have to work.

Taylor on the other hand is putting all her hopes into becoming a famous singer.  She is great at memorizing songs on the radio but, as any who has sat by us in church knows, we are all bad singers.  But she will sit back in her seat and hear a song she likes on the radio and say "I'm totally going to sing that at one of my concerts."  She will negotiate with Ethan how many concerts he will come to each week (and with Ethan's great schedule and nights off he is sure to make it to quite a few).  Taylor did mention that she can not guarantee us front row seats every time because it wouldn't be fair.  Ethan plans to make signs that say "That's my sister" to hold up at the concerts.  I just love to hear all the details that go into these plans.  As much as they fight it is also nice that they plan on hanging out together when they get older.

They love to make plans about me coming to visit them at their houses and all the things that they will do as adults on their own.  Taylor can't wait to grow up and thinks that we have way too many rules at our house.  She is 4 going on 16 with all the things she thinks are unfair and how she doesn't like us making all the decisions.  She is going to push me over the edge with her strong opinions about fashion (which is in direct opposition to my strong opinions about little girls fashions).  I think she should look like a little girl and she is pushing for shoes with heels, short skirts, and as many sequins as she can get.  Getting dressed is always fun in the morning.  At least she has finally admitted that the brown cowboy boots she has been wearing for months are too small.

My favorite backseat conversation took place a few weeks ago.  Ethan was asking about having a lemonade stand over the weekend and I was explaining how it wasn't going to happy because we had a busy weekend planned. Here is how the conversation went from there:
E: It doesn't have to be every day, just Saturday would be fine.
M: Nope, sorry.  There just won't be time on Saturday.
T: But Mom we will give you some of the money we make.
E: (in a quieter voice to Taylor) Taylor, no we won't.
T: Yes we can, Mom doesn't have any money.
E: No we can't. Don't you know we have to buy supplies. Lemons aren't free ya know.  And Mom does too have money.
T:  No she doesn't. Don't you remember she quit her job.
E:  Remember, she gets money from Dad.  And what does he give us? Nothing!

Nothing??? Really?? Holy cow that kid has no idea how much we do for him.  I just love Taylor's willingness to give me money.  She is so generous with her money and Ethan takes advantage of that all the time.  He will charge her to play games with him or make some rule that if she loses she has to pay him money.  And she is always more than willing.  Thank goodness she can't reach her piggy bank without help so I usually know when Ethan has weaseled money out of her.  And he just smiles when he gets caught.

For Ethan's birthday he bought a building set that you can use to build forts without having to pull out all the chairs from the kitchen.  I thought he would love it since he loves to build things.  I was kind of surprised to find that Abe was doing most of the building and Ethan was just hanging out waiting for it to be built.  I told Ethan "I thought you wanted to be an engineer.  Why aren't you building something?"  He didn't  miss a beat and said "Uh, Mom, engineers don't do the building.  I designed it and Dad is my builder."  What can I say to that?  He has a good point.  So I just let him go back to directing Abe around.

Today I heard them discussing how Abe wants to get a truck.  Ethan tells Taylor that we should just get one.

Taylor: "Oh no we won't".   
Ethan: "Yes we should." 
Taylor: "Not unless Mom approves it."
Ethan: "Why does Mom need to approve it? Its Dad's truck"
Taylor: "Because Mom is older."
Ethan:  "No, Dad is older."
Taylor: "Then because Mom makes all the rules."
And Ethan couldn't argue with that.

I love those two kids.  I have a feeling it is going to get crazy once Brooklyn starts talking too.  There is already not enough time for everyone to get in their two cents and from the way Brooklyn has started squealing very loudly, she has a lot to say too.  Christmas day Brooklyn decided to roll over for the first time from her front to her back.  She is just getting too big.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Brooklyn is 2 months old!

I can't believe how fast the last two months have gone by.  Brooklyn is growing and changing like crazy.  She has started to turn her head to find us when we talk to her and she loves to smile and laugh at silly sounds people make.  She loves her big brother and sister so much and lights up when she seems them.  She can be a high maintenance little girl who still likes to move around all the time and is happiest when she is snuggled tight and bounced.  She slept through the night for the first time this week and I was SO excited.  Just like all my children she hates tummy time but can already move some as she kicks those little feet while she cries.

For her eight week check up she weighed 12 pounds 10 ounces, which puts her in the 93% in weight, and 85% in height.  So she is a healthy girl who is growing just like she should.  I love the little rolls on her legs and arms and her adorably chubby cheeks.  She is just such a joy and we can't wait to see even more of her little personality come out.

We had such a fun time taking pictures of Brooklyn for her announcement.  She was such a sweetheart and so cooperative. 


Brooklyn is 3 months!


It has been so fun to see how much Brooklyn has changed over the last 3 months.  I can't believe how much she has grown.  She is now a smiling, laughing, observant little girl who always seems to be soaking in everything around her.  The other day I was watching her in her carseat as she was concentrating so hard to get her pacifier.  She leaned forward in the seat, lifting her head and chest up a little bit and finally got a hold of it.  Then she even got it into her mouth.  She is constantly grabbing at anything she can find and getting it to her mouth.  She loves to suck on her fingers and tries to get as many in her mouth as she can.  But it is never her thumb.  She loves people, especially her brother and sister, and just lights up when she sees them.  She is a very ticklish baby and will laugh and snort when Abe tickles her.  She is my first baby that sometimes just wants to be put down when she is fussy.  I always assume fussy babies want to be held but sometimes she is happiest in her bouncer with me sitting right beside her talking to her. 


 We are constantly asks if she looks like Ethan or Taylor so I'm always trying to decide myself.  Here is a picture of Taylor at 4 months (left) and Brooklyn at 3 months (right).  Brooklyn definitely has her beat on size.  I see a lot of similarities, like they both have very expressive eyebrows but Taylor definitely got the brown skin and her square jaw.   But they are both so cute in their own way.  I just love both these little (and not so little girls).

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Brooklyn's Blessing

It was so wonderful for Abe's parents and my dad to come into town to bless Brooklyn on October 27th.  We had such a wonderful weekend and the kids were thrilled to have plenty of grandparents to go around.
On Saturday we took a hike at Enchanted Rock.  On the way we had a great bbq lunch in Fredricksburg.  The weather couldn't have been nicer.  We hit some rain on the way there but luckily this is Texas so five miles down the road it was clear and sunny.  Even Taylor made it to the top on her own this time and Brooklyn slept through most of it.



Ethan helped lead the way as we headed down so everyone took the hard path.  There is nothing like crawling down rocks on your butt with a newborn in a carrier to give you a real workout.  Good thing I had been working out before I had the baby because after 6 weeks of not doing anything this hike might have killed me otherwise.  Hopefully everyone had as much fun as the kids and I did.  Taylor didn't want to let go of her Grandpa Singletary's hand the whole way down.  And Ethan wanted to hear about everything his Grandpa Fish pointed out to him along the trail.
Here is Miss Brooklyn after her first hike.  The poor thing got so sweaty in that carrier.
On Sunday we rushed around to get a picture of everyone before church and I was pretty amazed when we got one of everyone looking at the camera with the timer.  Brooklyn has been trying to ruin her blessing dress since the first time she put it on.  I tried it on her a few weeks ago to make sure it would fit since we blessed Taylor when she was a little younger and Brooklyn is a little bigger than Taylor.  Even though she had not eaten in FOREVER she still managed to spit up on the dress during the 5 minutes she had it on.  I made sure on Sunday to wait until the last minute to get her dressed and sure enough she spit up a A LOT all over me after I fed her.  I about needed a new outfit it was so bad.  So we put her in the dress just before the picture and while Taylor was holding her Taylor said "She is poopy."  Taylor has a very sensitive nose to these things so I thought she was just exaggerating.  So we drive the 2 minutes to church and once we get into the chapel I realize that she has pooped and it has leaked out onto her dress in the back.  Thankfully such a poofy dress has a lot of folds to hide it but there is nothing like knowing your beautiful baby has on a poopy dress.  Brooklyn was very fussy when we sat down at church but luckily Abe was able to get her to calm down and she was a perfect angel for the blessing.  It is such a sweet time to see the wonderful men in her life circle around her and give her a blessing.  She is one lucky girl.
Taylor had to wear her white dress (although slightly too small) to match her sister.
Granny and Papa Fish
Grandpa Singletary
My talented mother-in-law always makes two beautiful quilts for each of the grandchildren.  These are the two that she made for Brooklyn and they are ADORABLE.  The patterns and colors are just gorgeous.  We love them!  We had such a wonderful weekend with lots of walks, good food, and wonderful company.  We can't wait to see everyone back again.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Great Wolf Lodge Round 2

 Abe was able to move around his schedule to take his paternity leave over a weekend when the kids had off school on Monday so we decided we had to do something fun.  We decided we weren't brave enough to take a one month old camping so we decided to go to Dallas and enjoy the Great Wolf Lodge.  It was also a great excuse to visit our wonderful family up in Dallas.  The kids loved the last trip we had to the Great Wolf Lodge with all their cousins so they were a little disappointed that all the cousins couldn't come this time too.
We didn't know that they do lots of Halloween events at the Great Wolf Lodge during October but luckily we read about it before we left and made sure to bring the costumes along.  Batman and Batgirl were a big hit.  Oh how Taylor loves to hold Brooklyn.  She is getting a little better at it all the time and Brooklyn rarely makes this face any more.

 Brooklyn got to wear her bathing suit for the first time (even though she never got in the water).  It was really hot just hanging out watching the kids so she was happy to have it on.
I wish I had gotten some pictures when we went to see Leah and Zeb and their family.  All the girls were so sweet holding Brooklyn.  It was so great to have a little visit with them and the kids enjoyed playing with them all so much.  We can't wait to get to go up again soon.

It's Corn Maze Season Again

Once again we were able to make it out to the Corn Maze for their free military weekend and take some great friends with us.  Even though it never feels like fall it is a fun fall tradition.  And of course we had to left Brooklyn enjoy her first fall (although she didn't make it into any of the pictures). This year they had some pig races that the kids enjoyed watching.



Maybe we just paid more attention this year but the maze seemed a little easier.
 
 Taylor loved to pose throughout the farm for her picture to be taken.
 What kid doesn't like a hayride.
 The kids got these lovely pig noses from the pig races and couldn't wait to show them off.
I can't wait to see if where we move to next has some real pumpkin patches and real fall weather.  After 3 years we are really starting to miss those fall colors.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Family Photo Shoot

Taylor has dreamed of having a matching outfit with her sister since she found out she was having a sister so while my mom was here we went and found some adorable navy dresses that Carter's had in Taylor and Brooklyn sizes.  And since we had an extra set of hands here we tried to take a few family photos.  Of course the morning we picked to do it was the first cool morning we have had this fall and the wind was blowing like crazy but everyone, except Brooklyn, had a great attitude about it.  I think it was nearly impossible to get all 5 of us looking in the same direction with some sort of a smile on our faces but we did the best we could.  Ethan and Taylor both fought over who could hold Brooklyn and did such a great job (which you may not believe when you see how mad Brooklyn was).  I sure do love these cute kids. 

Brooklyn is about a week old in these pictures and I can't believe how much she has already grown.  By her two week check up she was 9 pounds 14 ounces and now she is almost 4 weeks old and is continuing to grow like a champ.  There is another baby in our ward that is 2.5 months old and Brooklyn is bigger than her.  She is a healthy girl!








Saturday, October 5, 2013

Brooklyn Kathleen is here!



We have all been enjoying the first few weeks of Brooklyn being home with us.  It seems like forever that we have been waiting for her and now we already can't imagine our family without here.  Brooklyn was born on Thursday, September 12th at 11:33 PM.  It was just 30 minutes before her actual due date and she seemed to be in quite a hurry to get out once she had made up her mind.  With both Ethan and Taylor I was induced but nowadays they don't do inductions, unless there is a medical reason, before 41 weeks so I was starting to wonder if she was going to come on her own or if I was going to have to wait until past 41 weeks for an induction.  At my 39 week appointment the doctor said she didn't think I would make it to my due date so that gave me the idea that she would come early and made for a long week of waiting and wondering.  I started to wonder if I would even know what going into labor felt like since I had always "gone into labor" in the hospital and there was no doubts.  On that Thursday night Abe had gone to a work function and I had warned him about not staying out too late just in case.  Thankfully he listened and came home around 8pm and around 8:40 I felt the first contraction and I was pretty sure this was the beginning of the end.  But they were probably 10 minutes apart so we didn't feel sure they were going to last.  Since the doctor had told us to wait at home until the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart for an hour we didn't feel in any hurry to head to the hospital.  We did start the process of getting ready to go and told my mom not to expect us to be there in the morning.  But still we were in no hurry.  I went to finish packing my bag and get a shower.  I started to realize that the contractions were coming closer and closer together but I hadn't looked at the clock.  Finally Abe came up and started counting them again and we realized they were only 2 minutes apart and then we realized we better get moving.  By the time we got to the hospital they were 1-2 minutes apart and it was around 10:20.  Thankfully the nursing staff decided quickly that I was really in labor and didn't make us wait in triage so we went straight to the delivery room.  They started the million questions that they have to ask and got me all hooked up to monitors and all.  There is nothing more annoying than people peppering you with questions during contractions at the final stage of labor.  I had finally made it through all the basic workup and the nurse finally told me that I could move around and find a more comfortable position.  I had sort of decided to not have an epidural again but I was really regretting that decision (like I always do) while laying there and had almost made up my mind (in my head) that if I didn't feel better once I moved around that I was getting the epidural.  But the nurse wanted to check me once more before I got up and quickly decided that I was not getting out of the bed and she was going to get the doctor to deliver this baby.  And when I say "the doctor" I really mean get the 12 people that they felt they needed to have around. Oh the joys of delivering at a teaching hospital.  There was the OB staff, the resident, the intern, and the medical student and then because of some issues that Brooklyn had they had a full pediatric team with the staff, resident, intern and medical student.  Even the nurse had her own trainee in there.  Oh and did I mention that there were some other people restocking the room during the whole process too.  Thankfully the delivery was just as quick as the labor and after a few pushes she was out.  Unfortunately we couldn't hold her immediately because they wanted her checked out completely but we could hear her loud screams and knew she was just fine.  No one could believe what a big baby she was.  The doctor had guessed earlier that week that she would be 7.5 or 8 pounds. So when a chubby 9 pound 4 ounce baby came out they were all shocked.  She looked so much like Taylor with her chubby cheeks and dark hair.  It felt like an eternity while they stitched me up and I waited to hold that sweet little girl.  It was a long night as we waited in recovery until 4a.m. and then we finally got to "sleep", if anyone really sleeps with all the monitors and nurses coming through. 






We have been trying to decide who Brooklyn looks most like.  I think in these early pictures she looks like Taylor's twin.  But as she has gotten a little bigger she looks more like Ethan. i guess we will have to wait and see.