Karate Kid Earns His Orange Belt

Eli isn't letting his young age or small size hold him back. He continues to move through the karate ranks earning his orange belt last weekend.

 

Group hug!

Sensei Morris (a 9th degree black belt!!!) seems to love our boy and offered to take him home....as long as he likes M and M's with milk for breakfast. Haha! Eli plans to continue to train over the summer and work to increase his strength.

So proud of you and your orange belt, Eli! 

Month 3 in Pictures

Jonah continues to thrive and rock our world....all at the same time.  He is beyond precious and seems to complete our family. I may never have my act "together" again, but it is all good.

Sweet Jonah has gained another pound and half this month...up to about 14 pounds. The leg rolls are forming nicely and the belly is rounding out well.

He is in a size 2 diaper and transitioning into 3-6 month clothing.

He is happiest eating or being held... specifically while the person holding him is walking around, of course.

He is getting stronger and even rolled over: tummy to back a couple of times this month, but not consistently enough to make it official.

He is sleeping well with a 6-8 hour stretch to start the night, waking once, and then again between 6 and 8 for the day. This month, he has moved out of our make-shift co-sleeper and into his cradle.

A pattern for eating and napping is also beginning to develop. So far, he is the best eater {by far!!} and sleeper {fingers' crossed!!}

He loves to watch his brothers....or any fun action going on around him. He doesn't want to miss a thing!

He has started to play a little bit this month. His favorites are Mommy's fingers or a burp cloth.

He will sometimes take a paci when tired, but not usually. He does a good job finding him thumb, but can't keep it there too long. Self-soothing may not be too far off.

He is beginning to giggle a bit and......that dimple.  To die for! I hope it is for real cause I kinda love it. Too cute!

Such a delightful little one. Yup, we are smitten and in love. We are doing our best to truly savor each moment and love him as much as we can. The house is a wreck, but the baby is being cuddled. An easy trade off, if you ask me.

Facial hair already??....A sign that time is flying. It is.

Brothers

Ya think?

Eli                                                                       Jude                                                                             and Jonah

So far, Jonah is looking a little more like Jude, but I see a resemblance in them all...especially that nose and chin!

My guess is that Jonah is going to have Eli's hair and Jude's eyes.
We'll see!

Weekends in May

....are busy! Thankfully it is the kind of busy that we like. Lots of stuff we want to do and not a lot of stuff we have to do. The weather has taken its time warming up which has created an extra long spring this year. No complaints here. Usually it is already disgusting hot, but we have had more perfect days than I can count.

The first weekend in May had us starting off Saturday in Star Wars gear for May the 4th. (....get it....May the Force....May the 4th?....) Toys R Us was hosting a special Star Wars Lego giveaway. You had us at Legos.

And we ended the day at a Kentucky Derby party at Aunt Kristi and Uncle Steve's. We had to get all spiffed up for that.

The next weekend kicked off a little early with a Mother's Day Tea for Eli and me at his school. Daddy kept the other two boys home, so it was a special time for just the two of us. He seemed to like having me there, and of course I loved it too.

We were treated to all kinds of handmade goodies, a performance, and treats. As is common in schools, the children answered all kinds of questions about Mom. This was my favorite page:

Check out my height! I love how he is clueless about my weight but was surprised he didn't know my eyes are green. ...And I guess I need to wear a make up more often if it makes me look good. Other pages talked about how I like it when he cleans up his clothes, and how he likes it when we go to the theater, ride bikes, or get ice cream. Such a precious little gift...I love his handwriting and invented spellings!

Saturday morning, we got everyone up and dressed to get out to a local Touch-A-Truck event. It was a perfect outing for our boys. Once Jude got over the loud motors running, he liked climbing in and out of the vehicles there. Eli was more into wondering how things work and really enjoyed driving the sewer robot used by the city. Awesome.

Dad got some pictures of the boys in SWAT gear and Eli got to hold some of the weapons. Eek! I hope this is the one and only time I ever have to see my boys in the back of a police vehicle. Haha!

A highlight for sure was the helicopter landing. I don't think I've ever been that close to one before. Pretty incredible. Both boys loved climbing in and taking a look around....

....almost as much as the tasty treats that were much needed to cool us down after a warm morning in the sun.

That evening was "Date Knight" at Chik-Fil-A for mothers and sons. It was a cute night and a fun little outing for me to do with the two older boys.

And of course, Sunday was Mother's Day. The boys spoiled me with giant cinnamon rolls and tasty coffee for breakfast. The gifts are nice, but the time and handmade cards are always the best. We had brunch at my parents' so we could celebrate my awesome Mommy too. Overall, it was a really  nice day.

But Mother's Day is always a little bittersweet too. My amazing mother-in-law's absence is felt deeply on this day. She was precious to us all and is missed dearly...on Mother's Day and everyday.

I'm a blessed Mama! It is a tough job...harder some days than others, but I love it and know that I am lucky.

Though it is the toughest job I've ever had, it is the best one. I'm paid daily with kisses, smiles, giggles, "I love you's", and "Thank you's." I love my boys.

Kicking Off Beach Season with Family

Beach Season has begun. We got off to a slow start this year, and I blame Jonah. But thankfully he is a super cute and snuggly, so we can't be mad at him. 

And what better way to kick things off than with a visit from the Aunt Theresa, Aunt Susanna, Will, and cousins Asher and Davis. My boys were just a wee bit excited to get to see their cousins (and aunts!) again....and to spend time with them at the beach. Little kid heaven!

Our family headed down early Saturday morning with the rest of the crew coming down as their flights arrived later that night. Eli and Jude got in a good beach day with the Miqueli's who were down for the day. We did a great job wearing them out and getting all of their crazies out as we waited for the others to arrive.

Daddy and Eli had matching outfits! Blue shirts and camo shorts.

We had the boys all ready for bed, but let them stay up to greet Aunt T and their cousins. Asher was so cute loving on his newest cousin, Jonah for the first time. 

It was a big sleepover party for the cousins each night...which of course meant they were up late every night and up early every morning. Who needs sleep when there are memories to make!?!

We definitely didn't notice a lack of sleep when it came to the amount of energy the boys had, so we ran them on the beach. No complaints from them. They had a blast, and overall....played really, really well together.

Though the littlest cousins didn't spend too much time in the sand, they still had fun and got lots of lovin'. Jonah had lots of arms to cuddle him. He loved meeting so many family members (....even though he felt the need to give us the finger...hilarious!)

Davis has grown up so much since the last time we saw him....he's 9 months old already! And what a cutie pie!! Such a happy baby who loves to play and loves his momma.

When not on the beach, the big boys were usually playing Legos or cars inside.

Since it isn't everyday that your family flies across the country to spend time at the beach, we decided to let Eli play hooky from school Monday and Tuesday. So worth it....even if we saw some sassy attitudes and a meltdown or two from each of the boys. Most of the time, it was heaven. You can't beat cousin fun.

Eli and Davis had a little love fest going on. E really does love little ones (....before they are big enough to bug him!)

As usual, the beach makes for the best naps. The harder they play....the better they nap. 

Cousin time is truly priceless. Wish we could have it more often.

But we will cherish it while we do have it. 

Thank you Aunt T, for flying solo across the country with your boys to come and play with us and to meet baby Jonah.

And though I know the boys loved playing together, the grown ups did too! Thank you, Aunt Susanna and Will, for making an even longer trip. It was so fun having so many of us at the beach together. Glad it worked out! I can't believe that we had 4 sisters together at the beach and didn't get a picture. That just means that Aunt Susanna and Aunt Theresa need to plan to come back soon....and bring Aunt Lindsey with you too. We are in desperate need of quality sissy time. 

An amazing way to kick off the beach season.

Thanks again for coming!! We miss you all terribly already! LUB!