Just Doing Our Thing

We started our week with some happy little girls.  Tierney was up to her usual antics...

Monday mid-morning, all three girls were eager to go outside and pick up sticks with our neighbor Mr. Barney when they noticed him out there working alone.  They scrambled to get their coats and boots and then ran out to ask if they could help.  Of course, he agreed, and for a while they happily helped him until the job was done.

 I love their helping hearts!  It was a nicer day, so Daddy was doing some of his work outside, and this drew the attention of our junior engineer, who was curious about what Daddy was up to.

 Meanwhile, our little dreamer was busy creating something all her own with what she could find around.

Elam and I hung around and watched the goings on too.  He was happy to be snuggled in his little winter suit and soon fell fast asleep.

Monday night was 4H.  Ezri decided she wanted to volunteer to hold the flag for pledges, this time she wanted to hold the American flag.  Her little hand shot up when they asked for volunteers and she was thrilled to have been picked! 

 Alora ended up not feeling well for a couple of days earlier in the week, and spent those days laying around a lot.  She wanted to gravitate toward baby brother if he was playing on his mat, and I caught her snuggling sweetly with him.

 

Little Man is doing great, growing quickly.  He is staying awake longer and finding lots to keep his attention.  When it comes to sleep, he wants to be swaddled or he wakes easily.  Our nights are now taking on a new rhythm as he sometimes is awake after the girls go to bed, and then he loves to coo and smile and soak up the undivided attention.

 Friday, with a near 70 degree day, the girls and I decided it was time to put the trampoline back together.  They were so excited to get started!

 

The entire process took a few hours, but once they could finally get on, they were thrilled.

 Tierney decided she wanted to stick with me for the afternoon while the older girls jumped and played with neighbor kids, so we tackled the task of cleaning and vacuuming the truck and van.  Tierney acted as my chauffeur for a while.

 Saturday afternoon, we went roller skating in Holland for a fundraiser with our friends. Tierney got to wear her princess skates and gear from home.  She didn't skate much, but had some fun trying it out.  She also took some turns in the stroller on the floor with Becci.

Unfortunately, she started to not feel well and opted to spend most of the time laying on the bench or in some one's arms while we waited for the Tylenol to kick in and help her feel better.  

 Alora and Ezri skated around most of the time, and had a great time!

 Ezri bounced back and forth between using a trainer and not.  She even tried to do a race and the limbo!

 Elam and I watched from the side.  He was wide eyed at all of the lights and sound.

 Unfortunately, we ended the weekend with Tierney not feeling well and waking several nights with a fever, and then Ezri picked it up on Sunday morning, which meant a day at home.  However, it wasn't so bad as we spent the day resting and watching movies and just having a quiet day together.  Here's hoping the coming week is much healthier!

Life As Usual

We are finally finding a rhythm here and discovering our new normal.  While that is settling in, life has continued to bring us some fun little pleasures.

Ezri had Alex and I very amused and impressed this last week as she had drawn up plans for assembling her own little train.  Once the plans were complete, she then made her little train.  Perhaps she has a bit of her Daddy's drive for the engineering side of life?

The girls had some fun at Grandpa and Grandma's house on Tuesday evening for a few hours while Daddy and I took care of some last minute business in Holland.  They talked Grandma into a bubble bath and had quite a time!

 We got a little bit of snow later in the week and the girls were so anxious to get outside and play in it.  I was glad to have them get some fresh air and get outside for a while, so we all won!

 Meanwhile, little man has been steadily growing and blessing out lives and hearts.

 A weekend of fun with friends had the kids up later than usual.  Friday night, while the older kids watched a movie and crashed in the girls' room and the adults played a game, Tierney fell fast asleep on the couch, even with the noise!

 Saturday morning, feeling a little brave, or maybe crazy, I decided to trek to the mall with all of the kids and meet Grandma for a little help so I could shop for shoes for the girls.  They girls helped me pick out some new dress shirts for Daddy and Ezri insisted we get a tie too!  We got him something so he could coordinate with Elam's Easter outfit, which coordinates with their dresses.  So, then this Mommy found herself looking for a new outfit as well, which we found just in time.  Too much shopping!!!  The girls did enjoy a carousel ride while at the mall, though

 Elam's first carousel ride, he slept through the whole thing.

 As the weekend ended, the girls built a fantastic track for their trains with their friends Travis and Emmett.  Ezri was the master builder and designer behind the project (no surprise there!) and quite proud of her creation of how she interpreted the Island of Sodor.

 Since the girls had matching Sister pajamas and Elam happens to have a Little Brother outfit in this current size, We got in a picture (with much coaxing to get everyone to look).

 And then each of the girls wanted a chance to hold their baby brother, especially since Ezri got to hold him for the big picture, which had already started a fuss.  Elam participated willingly :)

Life is truly blessed in our home.

Little Mommies

It's been a baby centered week here.  Tierney has really taken to being a little Mommy herself with her doll, whom she has named Baby Barba.  She has been found many times nursing her little doll just like Mommy does with Elam, often doing so along with me.

Tierney also wanted to have a wrap like Mommy's so she could wear her baby too.  And when Alora saw that Tierney had one, she wanted one as well...

 Elam got a new exciting toy this week.  We pulled the play mat back out for a fourth time, and just as before, it has been a big hit - not only with Elam, but with the big sisters as well!

Baby brother is becoming more animated and expressive each day, and changing time seems to be his favorite.  It is there, on the changing table, where he smiles constantly and tries to talk the most.

Loving this life!

A Month Flies By

Time marches on here, and already we have gone forward a month!

 

Hard to believe little man is a month old already!!!
After so much birthday and new baby excitement, we've finally had a few moments to slow down and take a breath before the next birthday comes around in April.  This past week was our usual chaos and busy, with school and normal life happening.  We snuck in naps where possible...

 Enjoyed the ever increasing awake state of Elam, complete with more smiles and baby talk...

 And just tried to adjust and catch up.
On Saturday, we got to go to a birthday party for the girls' friend Emmett, who turned 6.  So, I guess we still had birthday stuff going on, but at least it wasn't mine to plan this time!  We were invited to a  few hours of laser tag, mini golf and arcade fun at the Lost City in Holland.  While Elam and I did not get to participate in the laser tag fun, the girls did with Daddy and had a blast!  Even Tierney got to play.  She wore her little vest, or rather drown in it, proudly and enjoyed playing along with everyone else.

  Ezri and Alora had so much fun, they have asked many times if we can go back again soon!

The indoor mini golf offered some more fun.  Tierney and Ezri each got holes-in-one, which was very exciting!

 Elam napped while I observed the fun and enjoyed the excitement too!  A few arcade games earned the girls tickets to redeem for candy or little toys (Alora opted for army men in lieu of candy!).

After we wrapped up our afternoon of fun, we enjoyed a late lunch at Pizza Hut where the girls got to use their Book It coupons, then we ended the day with cake and ice cream at our house, enjoying the company of good friends.