Best Buds!

We have always wanted to have kids close in age because we wanted them to grow up close and be best friends. Connor and Mya are 2 1/2 years (almost to the day) and I can't even believe how well they get along at this point. Obviously I know things will change several times over the next few years, I am just so grateful for the relationship they have right now. I have friends and family member who have kids close in age and the oldest has been jealous from day one. I won't lie, I was slightly petrified that Connor was going to HATE this baby. I stay home and it had been just the two of us (during the day) up until Mya came along. I thought for sure he would act out and want nothing to do with her.

 

I couldn't have been more wrong! He absolutely loves his little sister - sometimes to a fault. :/ He talks to her in the sweetest voice saying this like "Hi, baby girl." "Hi, princess." "Such a pretty girl." He loves to hug her and love on her (again, sometimes to a fault...he can definitely overwhelm her with his loves). He really is just an amazing brother.

 

And she loves him just as much -- as long as he isn't talking to her a half an inch from her face. He can sit there and just look at her without saying anything and she lights up like a Christmas tree. She likes to play with his hands and just seems to adore him.
    

I know things could and probably will change, but I feel so grateful for the way they adore each other right now. If I could, I would bottle it up and keep it this way forever.

 

Almost Party Time!

I cannot believe Connor is just weeks away from being 3.  I know it's been said by every mother everywhere in the world, but it still amazes me at how fast times flies when you have kids.

Anyway, about the party. I am so excited this year!  We are doing a circus theme and I'm going all out (not sure why though...3 isn't exactly a milestone birthday, but whatever). We are renting a popcorn machine, hot dog roaster, and a nacho machine for food (plus I think we'll order some sandwiches and do a few salads). Instead of goody bags, I decided to do a candy buffet this year where kids (and adults ;) can fill a popcorn box with candy. I decided to do cupcakes and cookies instead of cake as well.  Cake is such a hassle! Then we are going to have a bounce house for the bigger kids and a ball pit for the babies.  I think most of the kids are still a little young for games so we just going to do the bouncy house ad ball pit. I'm pretty excited though and I can't wait to share pictures!

I'm super excited about his invites too. Especially since I made them myself. ;) I found one I like on Etsy but I didn't want to pay for them, so I made my own version and I am pretty happy with how they turned out.


How cute is that picture by the way?! He is looking SO much like a little boy these days. It's heartbreaking, but I love it. :)

4 Months Old!

This post is actually crazy late but these pictures are from the day she turned 4 months (the 9th). We left for our cruise on the 11th, got home on the 18th, and I have been too lazy since then. ;) The cruise was a ton of fun by the way (Caribbean stopping in Grand Turk, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas) but I am SO bummed I didn't take my good camera. I was afraid to check it at the airport and our carry-ons were just too full. Plus, I was worried about taking it on the beach and at ports. Now I am totally kicking myself for not making sure to pack it. ::Sigh:: Maybe next time?

Anyway, back to Mya. 4 months already? It seems like she should still be a newborn. I know it all FLEW by with Connor but I feel like it moving even faster with her.

Her 4 month appointment isn't until the 26th so I don't have stats yet but she is definitely chunking up. I'm just not sure how! She is such a terrible eater! She does 5 oz bottles but she only finishes them about 70% of the time. The rest of the time she'll take 2 oz here and 2 oz there. She is still not on ANY type of schedule...AT ALL. She isn't consistent with eating or sleeping. By this time, Connor was on an extremely regular schedule (which he mainly did on his own) and it was amazing! I just don't know how to push it with her if she's not ready. I plan to talk to her pedi next week and see what he suggests...

4 Month Facts:

Wearing mostly size 3 months

Still in a size 1 diaper

5 oz bottles

We have started oatmeal with a little bit of mixed in fruit.

Still very little interest in the pacifier

No regular routine

Up 2-3 times at night and she only goes back to sleep if she eats (usually only 1 5 oz bottle throughout the night, she just takes a little at a time)

VERY smiley! Especially when you tell her how pretty she is. :)

She has started to become a little clingy. She doesn't like to be held by anyone she doesn't know.

Connor still absolutely ADORES her. <3

She is cooing and giggling.

She rolls back to belly and belly to back but she is better with back to belly (should be the other way around? ;)

She was really good about playing on her play mat before we left for vacation but since we came back, she has been a little clinglier and wants to be held all the time.

She is JUST starting to put herself to sleep once in a while.

I know she is a total drool bucket here but she has been doing the raspberry spitting so there is almost always drool/slobber on her face. Is it weird that I find it cute?!

Pretty much, she is a tiny, chubby, ball of adorableness and I feel like squeezing her all day long. ;)

Happy Easter (a day late)!!

The older Connor gets, the more fun holidays become. And then Mya experiencing all of her "first" holidays is just icing on the cake. We normally do pretty simple Easter baskets for Connor, but this year he got a bike too. We have had such warm weather here lately and anytime we are in Target or Walmart, he says, "Wet's go wook at the bikes!" He has wanted one forever. We were planning on waiting until his birthday (2 months for yesterday, AHH) but Pat caved and decided to get it for Easter. Just as long as he doesn't expect one every year. ;) Other than that, he got cars (he is obssessed), finger paints, a movie, and some candy.

Watching his bike come around the corner.

Major hand chop issues but he's still cute as a button. ;)

Mya's basket was pretty simple. A few toys and puffs/yogurt melts.

I forgot she got a mobile for over her crib too.

So sleepy. She wasn't quite ready to get up. ;)

We did eggs last week too. Connor loved it! Next year I think we'll do more than just a dozen. It seems like the whole dying process took about 10 minutes. He looked so disappointed when I told him we were done!

Took a bunny ear picture of Mya just for fun yesterday. :)

In un-Easter related news, Mya started cereal! She is still a little unsure of it, but she makes the worlds cutest puckered face with every bite. Her cuteness rocks my socks!

And one more of each kiddo just for fun. :)

PS. Mya turned 4 months old today!!! I will do her 4 month post in the next fews days...

Funny Boy

I know I'm a little bias, but Connor really is one of the funniest kids I know. At least once a day he says something that catches me off guard and cracks me up. People always say that kids are like sponges and they hear everything you say. It just amazes me how they can take what they are hearing and use it correctly. It's not even always something Pat or I say, sometimes he hears things on the TV shows he watches and then uses those phrases appropriately and it's hilarious/adorable. I have been wanting to do this for a while so I'm finally doing it. I want to share a few of the funny things he's said and some of the things he says all the time. It will be fun to look back on later. :)

• "Shh. Don't talk. You going to wake up my sister."
• "You don't say no a me!" - STINKER! He usually gets in trouble for this one but it sounds so cute sometimes, I grin to myself.
• "I just wuv you so much." - Always said while wrapping his arms around your neck. ::swoon::
• "I hungwy. My tummy's rumbwin" <3
• "I wannnt....grilled cheese....and apples....annnd..a sammich." - anytime you ask him what he wants to eat.
• "It's not me, it's my socks!" - When I told him to stop jumping the other day.
• "Damnit!...I don't say dat, dats a bad word. I sorry. I no meana say dat." Ha he let it slip and then called himself out immediately.
• Not something he says, but I love that every time he goes to the bathroom, he comes out and his shirt is tucked into his pants/underwear. ;)
• He currently knows most of the words to "Baby" by Justin Bieber, "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO (he knows the easy parts, not the raps), "One More Drinkin' Song" - Jerrod Neimann (haha, not proud but he LOVED it the first time he heard it on the radio and has referred to it as "my drinkin' song" every since..sigh), 2 other Bieber songs, "We Own the Night" by Lady Antibellum.....when he wants to hear one he'll say, "Wanna hear the baby song? C'mon, wet's hear it!"
• "OH NO! It's a STINGY BEE!!!"
• "We don't wike spiders....day not nice. Daddy needs to squish them with his fwip fwop."

Pat and I are always quoting him. He just has this adorable voice and says things in the cutest ways. At certain times, I wish I could freeze this stage and just stay here forever. Other times, I want to lock him in a closet! Hahah, I kid, I kid! He is my little love bug...attitude or not. ;)

A Day at the Zoo

We have been experiencing some pretty awesome weather here for March lately. I remember plenty of nasty snow storms in March in the past and I can even remember a few 30 degree Sox home openers in April. But today is March 20th and we have a high of 83 today! Say what?! It has been pretty awesome, I must admit. :)

Last Tuesday, Patrick had a meeting in Indianapolis in the morning so I got the kids loaded up and ready and we met him down there when he was done to go to the Indianapolis Zoo.

It's pretty cheap right now since it's technically off season. I'll tell ya though, it felt a lot more like a hot summer day in June than a day in March. We were actually hot! Crazy! Connor LOVED the zoo when we took him at the end of the summer last year. He loved seeing all of the animals and had a blast playing at the splash park they have there. This time around, he was a lot more skiddish. He is going through a phase where he is afraid of e.v.e.r.y.t.h..i.n.g! At the beginning of the month, both kids went with my brother and sister in law up to Chicago for World of Wheels. I think it's like a big car show? Connor has always loved cars and my brother in law fixes up and races cars on the weekend so we thought he would love it. Apparently all we were doing was traumatizing him! Ever since he got home, he is petrified of loud noises, especially those coming from cars, trucks, and motorcycles. He has been playing outside a lot and I have just been leaving the patio door open for a little extra breeze (no screen door..boo!). Anytime a loud truck or motorcycle drive by, he runs just inside the house, waits for it to pass, and then goes back outside. I feel so bad because he is genuinely scared. Poor kid. :(

Got a little sidetracked there, back to the zoo. Mya was actually awake almost the whole time we were there. She was happy and smiley for a while and then she wanted to be held but she was really good. Connor hadn't napped so he was a tiny bit cranky combined with being scared of everything so I don't think he had as great of a time as I was hoping he would.

He LOVES elephants and they're quiet so he liked seeing those. He had no interest in getting close enough to see most other animals though. He stayed a good 30 feet away from the lions and tigers, no interest in the monkeys (his favorite the last time we visited), no interest in fish, he gave the giraffes a quick moment of his attention and then he was done again. I'm hoping the next time we go, he eases up a little bit and has a little more fun.

Swoon!

I am busy editing tonight but I thought I would hop on and post a quick picture from Mya's 3 month session we did today. Have you ever seen a more beautiful baby girl. She melts my heart. :)