6 Month Jett

He's already half a year old!  Goodness! 

At 6 months, he's rolling over both ways with ease, but prefers to be on his tummy.  

He pushes himself up with his arms, and tries with all his might to scoot!  When I put him up on his hands and knees, he'll rock back and forth for a couple of seconds before he lunges forward back onto his tummy. 

He's got the cutest voice...and you can tell he's a boy just by listening to him babble.   His voice is very manly :)

He loves when his sisters play with him and talk to him!  He just laughs and laughs at them...it's the cutest thing!

He's still sleeping in his straight jacket wrap.  I honestly don't know how we're gonna break him from this, and just the thought of it gives me an anxiety attack.  He may love that thing more than he loves food.  And that's sayin' something, because...

The kid LOVES! to eat!!!!!  So far, his faves are peas, squash, sweet potatoes, and bananas.  He also nurses alot too.  I don't know where all that food is going, because he's not a fat baby...  Well, I can say that when he has a stinky diaper, he gives it all he's got and goes all out!  =)

He loves to bounce in his jumperoo!  The first time I put him in it, we were outside, and he jumped in that thing for about an hour and a half straight.  That's probably where all the food is going!  He's working it all off by bouncing!  When I hold him on my lap, he stands himself up and starts bouncing...Jumpin' Jett can't get enough!

He's still Mr. Personality!  He smiles and laughs at anyone, and you don't even have to be doing anything funny.   Just look at the child, and he'll start smiling!

He's filled my heart to the brim with love, and these last 6 months with him here have been wonderful!  I love that little guy so much!


Before you were conceived
I wanted you
Before you were born
I loved you
Before you were here an hour
I would give my life for you
This is the miracle of life.


~ Maureen Hawkins

We love family and boys are stinky.

This post is gonna be a little bit random, so just hang with me.

This past week and weekend, we were able to spend some time with Mike's parents and his younger sister, Sheri.  We love seeing them whenever we can!   The kids LOVE their Ma-Maw and Pa-Pa and their Aunt Sheri!  The day they were coming in, the boys sat on the couch and looked out the window all day, asking every minute (or so it seemed) where they were.  We only have to do this long-distance thing for a little while longer, because they are moving about an hour away in a year or two!  Yay!

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I've found that having 2 little boys who are potty trained lead to very stinky bathrooms!  No matter how much I scrub, that smell will not go away!  And if it miraculously does, it only lasts until the next potty break.  Somtimes while cleaning, I'll come across a dirty spot that would be impossible to hit, unless you were aiming for it.  And um, when I see them coming out of the bathroom together, laughing, and both pulling up their pants, I know it can't be good.  (and we still have another boy to add to the excitement) Oh, and the fun it is to pee outside knows no bounds.  I have found my boys with their pants down, facing the street, just firing away.  I knew it would happen...this gave me fair warning...and yes, there was traffic. 

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Now that you have that wonderful image in your mind, I'll leave you with some cute pictures to take it out. :)

Somebody's sleepy

 

I just can't get enough of that smile!

Playing outside in his jumperoo

 

Have a good week everyone!

Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.

~Ashley Smith

Take me out to the ballgame

We were able to go to the Royals game last Friday, after my mom gave us 4 tickets she won at work.  Since there were only 4, we needed to decide which 2 kids would go.  Chloe immediately said she wanted to go, and Laney was okay with staying at grandma's house with her cousin Bailey.  Elijah and Isaac went back and forth about which one they wanted to do...go to the game or stay at grandma's...until about an hour before the game. :)  We ended up taking Elijah, since he's older, and we figured Isaac wouldn't sit for that long.  After purchasing our hot dogs and cokes, we settled into our awesome seats...right behind the dugout.  Granted, it was the vistior's dugout, so we were surrounded by Red Sox fans, but they were good seats nonetheless.  Especially after the Royals won. :)

Right around the 2nd inning, Elijah saw it.  The thing of nightmares. Oh the horror. 

 It was none other than

 SLUGGER.

He didn't actually see him in person...he saw him on the big screen, and started freaking out.  Screaming and crying so hard that I was afraid he would hold his breath. He kept saying he wanted to go home.  After a few minutes of sheer terror from this little 4 year old boy, I finally got him calmed down by telling him that Slugger was no where near us, and he wasn't going to get him.  oy.  Disneyworld should be fun.

He still wasn't into the game all that much until around the 7th inning.  Right around the time the game started getting really exciting, Elijah started getting really into it!

Chloe, on the other hand, was into it the whole time.  She was asking all kinds of questions.  About half way into the game, she really got the idea of what was going on, and started cheering every time one of the Royals players would get up to bat, or when we would strike out a Red Sox player.  She loved it! :)

  In fact, everyone around us was getting a kick out of how enthusiastic about it she was.  After the Royals won, one of the guys behind us gave her a high five.  She really liked that.  =)  We just might have to put her in T-Ball!

Every Friday night, they have fireworks after the game, which was actually the main reason Chloe wanted to go.  Little did she know how much she would actually love the game. :)

We had such a fun time!  Laney is really wanting to go to one now, so we're planning on taking her sometime this season. 

A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz. ~Humphrey Bogart

Young Love and Young Motherhood

I've heard it time and time again...
"They're way too young."  "They aren't ready for marriage."  "Look at what they're giving up."  "They haven't experienced enough." 

Sure, there are some truths in those statements about some couples, but not all.   My husband and I were married when I was 19 and he was 21.  I believe it was the right thing for Mike and I to do.  I believe God brought us together, and has blessed our marriage. No, I don't think getting married that young is for everyone.  I would probably even say that it's probably not for most.  But it was for us.  I love the fact that I'm 29 and already I've been with my honey for 1/3 of my life.  :)  And it's only going to get better...I just know it!  We have been married almost 10 years, and I've never...not for a second...regretted getting married at such a young age. I suppose if I were one of those business woman types I would probably be regretting it, because I don't have a college degree, or any kind of experience in the career world.  But I'm not one of those types.  not even close.  The thought of having a career right now makes me a little bit queasy.  It's just not me.  I love being at home with my kids.  Love. It.  It's what I've always wanted to do.  That's not to say that I think if someone else is, in fact, one of those types, it's wrong.  I have great respect for working moms...I really think they are some of the hardest working people out there! 

Let me also say that, yes, I've mentioned going back to school and getting my nursing degree.  But it's not because I really want to have a career...it's just so I can be with women when they give birth...and be around all those babies. Childbirth is like my thing. :)  I do plan on this happening sometime in my future, but if it never happens, I won't feel like I'm not complete.  I won't feel like I'm missing out on something.  I feel complete, first of all because of Christ, but also, my dream has always been to be a wife and a mom.  And it's coming true before my eyes!  It's amazing!  I don't know why God has blessed me so much.  I certainly don't deserve it...not even one tiny itty bitty bit!  But I'm thankful every day of my life!

I've also heard people say that they regret having kids so young.  HELLO??  Are you kidding me?!?  Not only do I get to enjoy them when I have the energy to, but I also get more time with them.  Think about it...Lord willing, if we all live full, 80 to 90 year lives, I will get some 60-70 years with my kids.  People who wait till they're 30 or 40 to start having kids will get 10-20 years less than that! (of course, I realize that God could call any or all of us home at any time.) Yeah, these are the kinds of weird things I think about.  I know that maybe we don't have as much money as people who have been in their careers for a while have, but really, is it about that?  My kids have clothes on their backs and food in their bellies.  Most importantly though, they have all of Mommy and Daddy's love!!!  We've been able to take our kids to Disney Land and to Disney World.  And we're going back to Disney World next year. (that's the plan as of now, at least)  So it's not like our kids are missing out.  And if we were never able to do any of that?  So what.  They still wouldn't be missing out. I just enjoy being with my kids.  Plain and simple. 

If God ever called one of them home earlier than I would like, I'm just so happy and thankful He's given us this time with them.  I really try to not take my motherhood for granted.  I understand that there are women out there who would love to be mommies, and are having a hard time getting there.  I would never ever pretend to know what they're going through, or what they're feeling.  I can't imagine it.  And I think it does them an injustice if I would take the fact that I am able to get pregnant and have babies for granted. 

Anyway...
I recently came across some people online talking about how young marriage is nothing short of a disaster, and it got me thinking.  That's my opinion on the matter, my brain vomit, if you will.  Take it or leave it.  ;)

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

~Dr. Seuss

This kid...

  really

should have

come

with a warning label.

That read:

 "Too cute for his own good"

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.

~Franklin P. Jones

4 down. 1 to go.

Isaac is potty trained!!!


My kids are so awesome when it comes to potty training! I'm not kidding. Laney was trained in 1 day. Literally, 1 day. I took her diaper off one morning, put big girl underwear on her (none of that silly pull-up stuff) and she never had an accident. She was even sleeping in underwear from day 1, and never wet the bed. I'm totally serious. Chloe was the most difficult one (there goes the theory that girls are easier)...but she still learned pretty quickly. I think it took her about 3 or 4 days to fully get it. Elijah learned in about 1 day, and now Isaac. To be honest, I thought he would be the toughest. At first, when I would ask him if he wanted to pee-pee in the potty, he would give me a definite "NO!" But once he realized that it was fun to be rewarded with Toy Story stickers and M&M's, he was down with it. Since Monday, he has only had about 3 accidents, and those were when he got to the potty a little too late. He's almost a full year younger than Elijah was when he was potty trained, but he talks way better than Elijah did, and I knew he would understand it.


Aaaahhhh.... It's so nice to think that we have 4 down and only 1 to go! I can't believe we've potty trained 4 kids! It's probably the thing that parents of toddlers dread the most, and my kids have made it so easy on me!


If there is one piece of advice I would give to parents when it comes to potty training, it would be to never ever use pull-ups. I don't get why so many people like them. I mean, I get that they are obviously not as messy as regular underwear, but it feels like a diaper! How is your kid going to realize they're going in their pants when it feels like a diaper?!?


I tried them with Elijah, thinking that maybe I was overlooking something good about them when I didn't use them with the girls, but no. They didn't work for him. Underwear works the best...every time!


Also, I would suggest not starting until you are sure they are ready. If they're not ready, it's just going to frustrate you and them, and it will just make it that much harder.


Anyway, what kind of mother would I be if I didn't have pictures to commemorate this occasion? What, a normal one? ;)

Baby legs work great! Especially if it's cold and you don't want to put pants on them.

I'm so proud of how well he's doing! He's a big boy now!



“A child can go only so far in life without potty training. It is not mere coincidence that six of the last seven presidents were potty trained, not to mention nearly half of the nation's state legislators.”
~Dave Barry