four + five months old

I have fallen behind on my monthly Theo posts, so going for a 2-in-1 update. 

Starting out with Mr. T's 4th month: 

Our sweet Theo-boy is a-growing and a-changing everyday. He is arching his back trying to roll over, grabbing and swatting at toys, sucking his fingers or thumbs...he's not particular.

He's super happy and super sweet. He adores his brothers and loves to be held. He continues to nap well on the go and that is a blessing since we are always rushing to pick someone up, hurrying to drop someone off, or running a quick errand. 

He measured 15 pounds 4 ounces and a little over 24 inches long at his appointment this month. 

Sleep is all over the place! Some nights Theo will sleep a nice 6-8 hour stretch and other nights he is up 2-3 times. Sigh. Mama is super tired, but his smiley face looking up at me when I go to pick him up makes it easy to forgive him.

And Theo's 5th month: 

This month, Theo really found his voice and started to laugh. He became very "talkative" and especially loves to talk with the ladies....a natural born flirt. He joins right in the conversation and has even been known to sing along with his brothers in the car.

Sleep did not change much this month. It is still pretty random. Thankfully, he nurses and goes back down pretty easily. Unfortunately, his naps took a hit this month. Boo. Oh well....such is life with a baby.

Sweet Theo is incredibly affectionate and loves to rub and scratch on you while you hold him. He can't get enough of Mommy's kisses and has started to lean in to get more. 

By the end of his fifth month, Theo began to really roll both back-to-tummy and tummy-to-back. He has it down enough that he can no longer be left unattended on a bed or couch.

Though many days feel insanely long, the months are flying by. We sure do love our sweet Theo-boy. 

She Said "YES!"

Hooray! Hooray! These two ended 2015 engaged! 

Congratulations Susanna and Sean!! 

We could not be happier for you both. 

Looking forward to celebrating ridiculously hard with you. 

Nothing but mad love for the two of you. 

XOXO

New Years and Then Some

The rest of our winter break was not lacking in the entertainment department. Lots and lots of cute going on around our house. Never a dull moment! 

I took the big boys to meet up with some friends at the skating rink one morning. Lots of bumps and bruises, but mostly smiles and laughter.

Matt and I were able to sneak in a date night amidst all the craziness. Dinner and a movie with Theo in tow. I FINALLY got to see the new Star Wars. Loved. It.

We officially rang in the New Year in town with Kristi, Steve, and Kelly Claire, but we made our way to the beach the next morning for a chilly New Year's weekend. 

The boys braved the cold to dig a bit and go on walks for treasure. We skipped shells on the glassy water, collected oyster shells, and even found sea glass. Much of our time was spent staying warm inside. No problem. They was plenty of fun to be had with puzzles, games, reading, Kindles, Legos, and Nerf wars.

 A great kick off to 2016!

Christmas 2015

Christmas was an amazing blur of fun and family time. First thing on the morning of Christmas Eve, we tackled the job of making cookies for Santa. It was a wonderful way to pass the time until it was time to get ready for church and then head over to Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas Eve dinner. 

No shortage of sprinkles here!

The boys cleaned up, delivered plates of cookies to the neighbors, and then it was time to get ready for mass.

Oh my goodness, Jonah's smile! Haha!!

The weather was hot, so we had to nix the sweaters and figure out some last minute outfits. I'd say they turned out quite handsome. 

Susanna and Sean flew in that afternoon, so we were excited to get over to my parents' place to give hugs and celebrate with an amazing beef tenderloin dinner. Wish more sissies were in town for the holiday. We definitely cherish our time together. 

After dinner it was time to head home to get ready for Santa. The boys put out cookies, carrots, reindeer food, and a beer (Santa gets beer at our house!). We got our new Christmas jammies on, read Twas the Night Before Christmas, and tucked in the kiddos so that the elves could get to work. 

The morning came quickly, and the boys were incredibly excited. Since I was juggling a baby and trying to enjoy the madness, I did not take many pictures. I am very OK with that. It was also a little crazy as it was a morning of meltdowns. As hard as Matt and I tried to keep it merry, the boys were just too full of excitement, and it came bubbling out as frustration and grumpies. Despite the tears, there was still plenty of happy squeals and sincere gratitude. The magic of Christmas and the celebration of our Lord's birthday still rang true. 

The day after Christmas, we did our extended family Christmas out at "The Lake." The boys always love to run and play with the cousins in this wonderland for kiddos while the adults enjoy catching up with one another and watching the littles enjoy themselves (a.k.a. not hurt themselves or each other!) It was hot and humid, and poor Jonah got so sweaty that we let him go shirtless. He was a hot mess...literally....but super cute too. 

The holiday flew by and soon it was time to say goodbye to Susanna and Sean. 

Jude quickly attaches to people, and he became very attached to Susanna over Christmas. He had a hard time saying goodbye. So so sweet. Tears were shed. 

As sad as it was to see them leave, the boys were able to find happiness that there was still a lot of winter break left, and the fun had only just begun. 

Eli is 9

Eli's birthday weekend was quite an event. It kicked off going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens first thing on Saturday. No surprise...he loved it.

Then he had some friends come out and meet us for lunch at his favorite lunch spot, Voodoo Dog.

The next morning, he was officially 9 years old. We did church and then went to see Santa. 

Family came over for dinner, presents, and cake. His favorite present, by far, was his Red Ryder. 

It was a very happy birthday for our first baby. Everyday with him is a crazy and fun adventure. 

 

Answers from 2013, 2012, and 2011

About Time...

I think it is about time that I crack down and try to get caught up on the blog. I plan to back date the posts a bit so that they aren't all clumped together here in February and so that I can find what I'm looking for in years to come.

My catching up will mostly be picture dumps with a few words here and there. OK? OK.

I'll just jump right in and start with the 3rd week of Advent. We decorated our tree, 

got treats ready for classmates,

 and had a visit from Pap Pap and Gramma Lil.

We took them to see the lights at Oven Park and celebrated birthdays and Christmas a little early. As always, it was wonderful to see them.