Friday, April 5, 2013

Madeleine - 11 years

Madeleine turned 11 in February and I finally got around to taking her out to get her "birthday" photos.  The thought of taking them in February was cold, snowy/wet and not easy with a newborn.  Now that the weather is improving, and colors are out  - the timing of spring break meant I didn't need to rush a photo shoot. 

We spent Wednesday afternoon downtown at Liberty Park & then dinner with Bryson at work.  After that, Madeleine changed and we drove down to Temple Square to walk around and take photos.  The sun was just beginning to set and it cast a gorgeous glow on the grounds.  Madeleine has always been photogenic, and usually a great model willing to let me take her pictures.  Tonight was a fun evening & I won't be able to wait a full year when she turns 12 to do another photo shoot!

Madeleine's 'Singin' in the Rain' pose - she went to see the play at Olympus High School with Nana, Grammy & Becca last week.  She thought it was wonderful & when she saw the light post she wanted to reenact part of the play!
 This action shot makes me smile - I love her feet skipping along the bricks!...such a happy picture :)
 Jumping for joy that spring is here!
  Such a great big sister to Emilia!  This little gal had just woken up & had a little grumpy face.  Madeleine cuddled and held her close, until we got a few smiles out of her.

A little interview of Madeleine at age 11 ~

My favorite food: lasagna  
My favorite thing to do: read and write  
The greatest person in the world (universe): Heavenly Father
My best subjects in school: language arts, writing, and history

I'm really great at: school and music

If I could change my name, I would choose: Emma or Amy

My favorite color: green
When I grow up I want to be: an artist, teacher, or fashion designer
My parents are too strict about: rules  
My favorite song: 'That's What Makes You Beautiful' (One Direction) & Twenty-Two (Taylor Swift)  
My favorite book: any book by Shannon Hale (Princess Academy)
Words that describe me: talented, lovable, full of smiles  
When I was little: I used to act like a princess
My favorite scripture story is: when Jesus was born and crucified  

My favorite primary song is: Heavenly Father Loves Me 
My favorite seasons are: spring and fall
My favorite snack is: graham crackers & milk
The food I don't like: salad
My best friends are: Rebecca Hinckley, Ella Larson, and Emma Marchant
If I had one wish it would be: that I could move from house to house freely - because I want to live in different places
The best thing that has happened to me this year is: my sister Emilia was born & that I could go skiing with Trieste & Lilly
One thing I want to learn to do this year is: how to surf (when we're in Hawaii)  
The most important lesson I've learned this year is: spending time with someone else is more fun that spending time by yourself


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Lucky Four!

Miss Emilia is 4 months old today!  It's a lucky day of 4's for this little gal - 4 months on 4/4 and she's our fourth little one!  

We were downtown yesterday and I had a wonderful time getting pictures of my two photogenic girls!
pictures on 4.3.13

At four months this is what we know about YOU!:

*You are covered in kisses!  A. LOT!  If it's not mama's kisses than you are getting loved by your siblings!  Last week at the RS Birthday dinner one of the ladies in the ward told me that she loved to watch me with you as I am always kissing your cheeks, forehead - whatever!  She said it was so cute to see me love you like you were the first child - even though you are the fourth and I've experienced how amazing a baby is.  True is that...I could cover your cuteness in kisses all day long!

* You drool.  A. LOT! I need to find more bibs!  We go through a few outfits a day between drool and spit-up, although you aren't spitting up as much, but that's a relative term on some days :)

* You love your hands!  You have found them to look at, but now you know how to use your hands to soothe you.  When you were born, you put your thumb into your mouth almost immediately, but it's taken awhile for you to find your hands again and recognize what they are.  Now, you pull your hands up to suck on them during your playtime, and you find your two fingers to soothe you when you sleep, or a few times you've had your thumb in your mouth.  You absolutely love your hands!
picture on 4.4.13 @ 4 months old! 

*You are the cutest little baby girl!  We are all so much in love with you!  That love keeps growing with each day...we are so blessed to have you in our family!  Your sister, Madeleine, would have you attached to her hip or in her arms permanently if there was a way!  Your brothers love to get you to smile, coo and hear your little laugh!  They are all amazing to help watch you when we are in the car and you are in your car seat - which is the one and only place you do not like to be!  Every so often we get a good ride where you aren't fussing - but usually you cry.  A lot.  And loudly too...it breaks all of our hearts, and your 3 siblings try to do everything they can to soothe you, but there are times where you just want out of that crazy seat!

Your dad thinks you are probably the awesomest kiddo we have right now - this is especially true when we have over-tired older kids that aren't really listening to us!  It's so nice to have a baby that is just cute and that smiles at us nonstop!  I've tried to start sending more pictures of you during the day to dad at work - this was last week when you were wearing your I love daddy shirt.  He thought that was perfect!
picture 3.27.13

*You are a very peaceful baby.  I was reminded the other day how far we've come from the first weeks of your life when you were so mixed up with nights & days, and there would be hours when I couldn't console you except to nurse you.  I had told a friend that I thought we might have a colicky baby - and when I saw her again recently and she asked me if you were still colicky, I told her I had completely forgotten about that stage!  I told her you were the best baby - all smiles and happiness when you wake up!  In fact the last week, when you wake up you lay in your crib and coo and talk until I come to pick you up.  It's not every time, but it's most of the time - and even in the middle of the night which has helped me get up to get you as I get to lay in bed and try to wake up for a few minutes before I know that I need to come in for your 2am or 3 am feeding!
This past month you have really solidified your schedule - you wake up and eat (unless I'm super busy with the kiddos and then I can put off feeding you for a bit, which is not ideal - but it helps me realize what a patient baby you are!) - and then after eating we get about a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes of awake time where you want to kick, smile, coo and play.  When you are in your bouncer you like to kick and get the seat bouncing a bit & you like to bat at the two hanging toys over the bouncer - you have learned how to reach out and touch things, but still working to grab and really hold onto them.  You have discovered your reflection in the mirror & although "they" (whoever they are?) say you don't know it is actually you - you do love to see yourself in the mirror & give huge smiles to the reflection.

You have found your tongue and every so often I catch you making funny faces while rolling your tongue around in your mouth or pushing it in and out of your mouth ~ comme un petit serpent!

You have also figured out how to hold onto your knees like in this picture - sounds like something so little, but I think it's the cutest little pose!

Another discovery - your feet...you like to look down and see your toes move around and stare at them...I think you have figured out how to tell yourself to move them and get a kick out of it (literally!)
pictures 3.25.13

During the morning I give you your bath during your first wake time, and you LOVE to kick in the water....you get your little legs kicking so fast that sometimes there is water that splashes up to your face and surprises you with a fun face as result!

bath pictures 3.29.13

You love to be wrapped up/swaddled into your soft pink blanket and have a pacifier in your mouth to go to sleep.  I think that this must be our little ritual as Grandma Joy was watching you this afternoon so that I could take Madeleine & Bryson skiing and Grandma said you cried going to sleep, had two big burps and then finally fell asleep on her shoulder.  Bummer that it may not be as easy for others to put you to sleep, because it's super easy for me and it's one of my sweetest times to hold you and watch you drift into la-la land.
3.18.13

It's been a busy month for you - growing up and of course it's happening too fast!  We are excited to see what another month will bring with what you discover, and to continue with the excitement and love that you bring to this life and our family.





 pictures 3.10.13

 blessing day ~ 3.17.13
 
 You are one great blessing in our life Emilia!  

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

nothing better than cream & butter

We were at the doctor's to see if Bryson Jr. had strep throat & I decided to put the little Miss on the scale.  
Besides the result of being practically perfect in every way (corny but truthfully how I feel about her!), she weighs in at 13 lbs. of pureness - sweet creamy skin & delicious buttery cheeks and thighs!  

No wonder I can't get enough kisses onto her sweet cheeks - I love kissing those squishy cheeks!

And her sparkly eyes with her long eyelashes - I just love to spend time with this darling babe!

She is babbling up a storm and jibber-jabbers during her waking time...I love hearing her little voice!  And she is quite the kicker --- now I know why I was so uncomfortable those last months, she loves to kick those feet back and forth like she is hitting a prize button that dispenses milk :) {she's even gabbing and kicking in this picture!}

 I love this sweet face - again look at those amazing lashes!


 Oh - I just love all 13 lbs. of this sweet, soft and creamy skin....baby skin is one of the most wonderful things on this earth!  I just love my fresh cream and butter girl!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Cam-WOW!

Madeleine found out about a cam-wow app last fall & each time the kids can get ahold of my phone & take some pictures the laughter starts....and goes and goes!

They are really funny pictures - I prefer the real deal but these do make us all giggle at the outcome!

Meow kitty

I went over to use the treadmill at Nana & Gpa's house on Monday - and these two cute cousins had their kitty jammies on. Emilia is actually wearing the jammies that Olivia wore at this age :). Olivia loves her kitties & kept petting Emilia and saying something like 'She's a meow kitty! I meow kitty!'.

Cute kitty cousins!