Jude - Feb

I am very delayed in this post, but better late than never!

- One night Jude had been asleep for a few hours when we heard knocking coming from his wall.  We looked on his monitor to see that he was definitely knocking, so I went upstairs to see if he had been awake that whole time. He was dead asleep, so I gently asked him if he was ok and why he was knocking and he said, "because I was asleep." Ok, then!
-Jude's newest obsessions are swords and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Sam has shown him a few of the episodes from the 80's and he has decided that he is Leonardo!
-The only "juice" that we give Jude is some water with emerg-c vitamins sprinkled in for some flavor. He calls this his "golden juice" and says he wants it "spicy" (aka: he wants a lot of it in there)!
-We were over at his friend Riley's house one evening and she asked him if he was getting ready for Easter.  Jude replied, "No, I'm just getting ready for soccer!" Well at least we know what's on his mind!
-One day when it had been raining a lot we were driving in the car and I splashed through a puddle.  He asked me what that was and I told him that it was just water.  He sat there thinking for a bit and then said, "I sure wish I could jump in that puddle!"
- One evening Sam was late getting home because he got stuck in traffic.  Now any time there are a few cars around Jude says that we are "in traffic"and gets super concerned.

Valentine's party at MDO

#hunk

Taking treats to a nursing home with friends

We do a lot of this, riding his bike, and strolling a lot these days

Having fun at the "glasses store"

Playing swords

Trampoline fun 

Jude's class presenting the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 at MDO

(he is the far right)

First kite experience 

Not much wind, but he was at least getting it in the air 

Sister loving brother pushing her 

Grass, grass, and more grass

Where's Jude????

Visiting the horses with Ethan 

When mom's away, the boys will play (or eat sugary donuts!)

Quinn - 10 Months

My sweet sweet sweet baby girl is 10 months!!!  This CAN NOT be possible; that means 2 months until her first birthday and I can't even comprehend that thought.  In saying all of that though, I am completely loving this stage! She is moving and exploring all of the time; we like to say that she is quietly mischievous! If you aren't watching her closely she will put ANYTHING into her mouth.  She finds every single itty-bitty tiny thing on the floor and puts it into her mouth! She loves to crawl under the kitchen table to look for crumbs and to play.  I could just sit there and watch her and listen to her adorable little girl sounds as she plays.  If she sees something that she wants she makes the cutest little squeal that brings me such joy.  She has started to pull up on things (although takes a lot of work) and has even walked along a few things to get to the other side.  She is also waving hi, gives mommy the best open mouth kisses, and talking more.  She now will say hi, da-da, bub-ba, yet still not ma-ma!!! I can't walk 2 steps from her without her freaking out, yet she still won't say my name (although I think I might have heard it the other day or maybe just wishful thinking).  Her top two teeth are making their way down which made for a few harder weeks where she was fussy, but fussy for Quinn is still pretty tame! I could hold and cuddle this girl all day long though, so I'll take it.  I have decided that my kids have a conspiracy against me and only cry or get upset at the same time!  I mean, really???? This little girl is enamored with her brother and thinks he is hilarious.  It is so fun watching them really begin to bond and play with each other.  He is such a good big brother and super protective of her.  He is always making sure that she is safe, isn't putting something in her mouth, ensures she has a toy to play with (yet, not one that he wants to play with), and always runs to comfort her if she is sad that we have all left her sight! Every day is not perfect, but I feel so blessed by this little girl and the joy that she brings!

9 Month appointment 

(just a bit late; all is well!)

Taking a stroll is brother's car

ADORBS

Party in Quinn's crib!

She loves playing with Jude's fishing pole

 

Its beginning!!  Shorty can barely reach the top though!!

Sweet Mia loves Quinn so much! 

Looking forward to the day when she can babysit!!!

Sweet Valentine's Baby

-Weight: 17 pounds 13 oz (40%), Height: 26.6 inches (15%), Head 44 cm (50%)
-She is an amazing eater and loves pretty much anything! She is doing so well feeding herself finger foods, but when she is done she starts slamming her hand down and smashing everything that is left! She is also starting to use her sign language to communicate to us while eating.
-We dropped her crib a few weeks ago, which makes her look like such a big girl.  She wasn't trying to get out, but was starting to make us nervous. When she wakes up she just quietly lays there or sits up and sucks her paci.  She was starting to sit a bit too close and we knew the day was coming that she would grab and try to pull up!
-This girl is such a kicker! In the bath, you better watch out or you might get pretty wet with all that kicking! When you pick her up when she is super excited, you better hold on tight because she might kick right out of your arms (esp when you get her out of bed).  You also know she wants more food when the feet start going!
-Her favorite toys are my keys, her walker, cords, tupper ware, brother's instruments, and anything that she can drop on the floor to make sounds!
-Still just has her two bottom teeth, although the top ones are coming.
-Is wearing 6-9 months and 9 month clothes.
-Her hair is long and dark brown in the front and short and blonde/strawberry in the back????

Jude - January

I'm not sure if Jude just said a lot more things that stuck out to us this month or if I just took really good notes (only way I can remember these things), but I have many that I want to remember from this past month!
- We are still in full Christmas mode here, so I was singing Joy to the World to Jude as I laid him down for a nap.  He looked up and said, "Mommy, you sing that song the best."
-One evening daddy asked Jude not to do something.  Jude proceeded to tell him that Mommy actually let him do it earlier that day (which was true), but Sam said that he would still like for him to not do it anymore.  Jude said, "Ok, I'll just do it with mommy when you're not here." And so it begins!
-He has been saying "I'm so excited" all the time lately when we are going to do something fun.  We went to take his best bud Ethan a birthday treat and he said, "oh I'm so excited" and I asked what he was excited about and he said, "I'm so excited for Ethan!" Maybe we're finally reaching the age where not everything is about him????
-It seems that someone either at school or church has taught Jude the art of the pouty lip and crossing his arms when he doesn't want to do something.  Its so drawn out and dramatic that it just makes me laugh every time.
-On our drive home from Amarillo during Christmas there were some big storms all around us including some tornadoes.  Jude kept saying, "When you see a tornado, you see one. EEEEW that's scawry!"
-We'll ask Jude not to do something (usually not hit something) and he'll stop and say, "I'm just pretending." Um yes, you're "just pretending" now that you got in trouble!
-We unfortunately have had more than our fair share of opportunities to teach Jude about consequences lately.  I'll ask him if he knows what consequences are and why we have to have them and he'll say, "consequences are bad, and we don't like them." Then he always says that consequences are from heaven.  Not sure where that one came from!
-One Monday after a long weekend of having Daddy home Jude was sad that he had to go to work.  So throughout the morning he started playing with pretend Daddy.  It was so cute, yet sad.  He even wanted me to make pretend daddy some breakfast!
-Jude likes to talk about where he lives and will yell "Texas" any time he sees one.  I've been trying to teach him about what city he lives in and one day he said, "lightsaber Flower Mound." hummm, sounds like a fun place!
-It was one of those days in the car where Jude was talking up a storm about anything and everything.  You can just tell his little mind is going 90 mph in a million different ways.  I believe he saw some dog poo-poo on the ground and proceeds to say, "Don't eat poop because it will turn your stomach into bad buys with swords!" Well in a round about way, I guess he is right!
-Sam has introduced Jude to the Beatles lately after finally getting some records for his record player.  Jude can now recognize many Beatles songs, often times who is singing, and can name each of them and what they play.  Seems we may have another fan and that his name fits him rather well!
-I asked Jude for a kiss one day and he gave me one and then quickly turned away and pretended to spit, and said that he had to spit the germs out! He then proceeded to create what he likes to call a licky kiss.  (not my favorite game) Speaking of his tongue, not sure I have ever written about how long and skinny it is and that he can touch his nose with his tongue!! ha!!
-I asked Jude if he needed to go potty before leaving the house one day and he responded, "No, I ran out of peepee."
-I can't seem to remember how this came up, but one day he asked if we could have a fancy drink party after seeing something that reminded him of it.  I asked what he meant and he described all of the little cups with juice at church on Christmas Eve.  So it seems that communion for Jude = fancy drink party!!!
-I told Jude he couldn't do something because he was too little/young and he said, "I'm not young anymore because I turned three." He also always uses the phrase, "when I was a younger boy" like he is an old grandpa remembering back to his childhood!
-This guy is 100% into swords, sticks, shields, arrows, etc.  I think at this time even more than sports.  I've said it before, and I'll probably say it a million times...this kid is ALL BOY!!!

My baby forever!! 

He loves to go "workout" with mommy

Muscles!!

They got to bring their favorite friend to MDO - Jude of course choose George 

3 year well check in his cute little gown

Post shots - mommy said he could pick out anything he wanted.  It was like torture to me watching him eat this ENTIRE bag!

Handsome boy

Grocery day at MDO - top middle

Having fun painting 

Parents Day at church.  So cool to see them worship and have fun

Donuts with Dad

Checking sisters heart 

Love that they are beginning to really enjoy each other 

Time to make a cake!

Buds 

Jude filled up his Fruit of the Spirit jar, so he got to go to our favorite popcorn store! 

Quinn - 9 months

Our precious little girl has now been with us for as long as my pregnancy, and I just can't seem to wrap my mind around this!  I can hardly even remember life without her, yet I can already see her first birthday in the near future! She is really beginning to become a big girl in so many ways.  She is now crawling forwards and will go after anything that catches her eye.  You just better hope you get to whatever it is first or its going straight into the mouth! She has also started to talk more with sounds that we can make out, and in the last few days she started saying "da-da"!!  How can this little girl that is attached to my hip not say ma-ma first???  Daddy got both kids first!  Either way, just hearing her talk and getting so excited is absolutely the best.  Her little voice is so sweet.  Her and Jude have really started to interact this month also.  The other day Jude was hiding under his blanket and she would go find him.  They were both laughing so hard and hugging and kissing each other.  Then it dawned on me, this was the first time that they have really "played" together and tears started coming to my eyes.  My prayer is that they would always enjoy each other in this way and form an unshakable bond.  I realize they will always have the typical brother and sister issues, but hope they can always be best friends. She is still eating like a champ and always wants more! I think her top teeth are trying to make their way out, which has made her slightly irritable.  But irritable for Quinn is pretty mild.  She really just wants to be held more and I'll take that!

We love lazy Saturday mornings

Here is go!

Swinging with brother

Trying to "walk"

Sunday morning smiles in her pretty dress Grancy made her

"Do I have something on my face?"

Bedhead 

Swinging like a big girl at the park 

Playing with Da-Da

-Height, weight, head - TBD
-Loves to eat paper.  Even the other night we were eating at a restaurant and we look over and she was tearing the table cloth and eating away!
-Doing great with eating solids and still hasn't refused anything.  She is even getting interested in feeding herself with the spoon.  She has started to find it funny to blow raspberries when she has food in her mouth.  Jude laughing isn't helping the situation either; I guess I better start wearing a bib myself!
-She has such a mild temperament.  If she doesn't want something (food, bottle, paci) she will simply get your hands and move them out of the way.  It always shocks me that she doesn't really show any emotion, but you clearly know she is not interested.
-She had a love-hate relationship with her paci this month.  At the beginning she had a cold and at the end teething, so she can't seem to decide if she really wants it or not.
-Mommy and Daddy are no longer having to get up at night to give her the paci and she is sleeping even later!  We'll take it!
-She hasn't really found a toy that she always wants or always goes to.  She loves things that make noise and things that she can shake.  She also loves to bounce in her bouncer!!
-Wearing 6-9 month and some 9  month clothes.  Just switched to size 4 diapers.
-Has two bottom teeth and still tones of hair!!