giggle baby

Sometimes Hopie laughs so hard it sounds like she's crying. :) Kind of reminds me of this video from a couple of years ago.

a shopping milestone

Yesterday Hope did something Reesie's asked about since the day we brought her baby sister home from the hospital.

She rode in the front of the shopping cart!  My arm is so grateful not to be lugging the car seat into the store with us.  And big sister was beside herself excited.  She tousled Hopie's hair, patted her head and gave her several headlock hugs from behind.  Little sister laughed and laughed.

If that's not breaking news, I don't know what is. :)

funniest home video

Last night I pulled out Danny's phone to record Baby Sister sitting up.  Like a moth to a flame, Chica saw the camera and had to join the show.  The best part of the video is Hope's face as she reacts to her big sister stealing her thunder.  (Right at 30 seconds.)  Dan and I watched it 14 times in a row and laughed and laughed.  

5 months old!

*Edited to add- I am so sorry about the wonky formatting of this post.  Not sure how to fix it!


I don't know if there's ever been a more pitiful excuse of a blog on the face of the Internet. A whole month has gone by?? Part of my problem is I've been spared from the grandparent harassment. :) Instead of having to get their updates here, they were content loving on the girls face to face over Christmas. But I'm afraid the grace period is up and if I don't post some grand-baby pictures quickly, there may be an uprising.

We're also at that stage in life where the girls nap at different times. So from the time they wake up in the morning until both are tucked in at night, this mama is running around meeting as many needs as I can. Recently "free time" has consisted of falling into bed or changing out our ever growing baby's clothes once again. Speaking of our baby...she is five months old today!

I love this precious baby. She's so sweet. Watching her big sister run around and cracking up as she darts by is her favorite thing to do. She's so close to sitting up for an extended period of time. (Still wobbles and tips over after a bit.) No rolling yet. She wears nine month clothes and size 4 diapers. She's my Sleeping Beauty baby. (8:00-7:00 at night and three naps during the day.) At Christmas people passed her around and around and she was content.

She's starting to teeth. Her hands are often in her mouth. If she's like her sister, this will go on for several more months before a tooth shows up. She likes to growl and talk. Sometimes she laughs so hard it sounds like she's crying. I know the feeling. :) This past month she's been learning how to use her arms and hands to reach out and grab something she wants. It's fascinating to watch her little mind figure it out.

Thanks bloggers, for putting up with my inconsistency and for letting me jot down a few things I'd risk forgetting otherwise.
Have a great weekend!

4 months...

...since I updated the blog. Just kidding. No, it's been four months since we became a family of four. Little Sister is a third of the way to one year and she's got the four month immunizations to prove it. At her check up she was in the 80th percentile for height and 99th percentile for weight. (17 and a half pounds.) Her Daddy's lovingly tagged her "The Refrigerator." She's not yet rolling over but the pediatrician said it's tough to be agile when you're as big as she is. (Hopie, not the pediatrician.)

She wears size three diapers and nine month clothes. Her big sister is her constant, preferred source of entertainment. She makes her laugh more than anyone else. Reesie still gets excited when she makes her smile. When big sister's not around, it's almost as if she doesn't know what to do with herself. This month she's definitely found her voice. She squabbles all day long testing out all kinds of noises.

Friday night we said good-bye to the swaddle and put her in a sleep sack. She didn't miss a beat and slept great. When she wakes up in the morning she yells down the hallway. Not a cry, just a holler to let us know she's ready for breakfast.

When people see her in public they either comment on her size or the color of her eyes. She's quick to smile when spoken to and is the spitting image of her Daddy. I love how she crinkles up her nose when she laughs. She's learning how to operate her hands and will clamp down hard on anything that brushes by. We've all fallen victim to a Hopie hair snatching or two. And if I end up bald, well it will be a small price to pay for getting to be her mama.

We love you Little Sister!!

an interview

I don't know about other children but when our daughter turned three, we had to step up our parenting game big time. Age two was a cake walk compared to this. I wouldn't trade our beautiful, spunky firstborn for anything in the world. (Although I'm not above handing her over to a baby-sitter for a few hours to replenish my mothering stamina.) I feel like the most privileged mama in the world. And she is the greatest gift of sanctification I never knew I needed.
After a long day at church I decided to make her do all the blog work for me. I found these interview questions online and couldn't wait to hear her answers.

1. What's your favorite food?

Cake and cupcakes and ice cream cones.

2. What's your favorite sport to play?

The Missouri game! (football)

3. What's your favorite T.V. show?

Little Einsteins.

4. Who is the coolest person on earth?

Mickey Mouse.

5. What's your favorite part about school?

Getting to be the line leader.

6. What's the thing you do best?

Play games and have fun.

7. If you could change your name what would it be?

Sadie.

8. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?

Wendys or McDonalds.

9. What's your favorite color?

Purple.

10. What's your favorite toy?

My little Barbie.

11. When you grow up what do you want to be?

A mama.

12. What's your favorite movie?

Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

13. What's your favorite song?

Doxology.

14. What's your favorite book?

Our family picture book.

15. What are three words that describe you?

Loving, safe, warm.

16. When you were little what did you do?

I can't remember because it was a long time ago.

17. What's your favorite season?

Fall.

18. What's your favorite snack?

Animal crackers.

19. What's one food you really don't like?

Chicken beans.

20. If you had one wish what would it be?

For everybody to obey me when I'm grown up.

21. What's your best memory?

Playing the Minnie game on the computer in Daddy's office.

turkey song