Little Chairs

 A friend of mine gave me two matching little wooden chairs.

Sweet!

When I got them, the first thing I thought was these are going to be great props for taking pictures.

And I had to test them out.

Isn't this little man looking so much older?

I can't believe he's going to be 5 months old on Saturday.

Man, time needs to slow down. I'm not going to have a baby anymore soon.

FYI, Eli is wearing 18 month clothes in these pictures.

And this onesie isn't gonna fit him much longer!

I bought this outfit on clearance last year. 

It's size 12-18 months.

I had dreams of Eli wearing it standing next to a barn or in a field.

But they may never happen because he's just growing so fast.

Dressing Eli up is making me already excited for Halloween.

The shadow from the flash in these pictures are driving me nuts but you get the idea.

I'm gonna take some fun pictures with these chairs.

I have visions of painting them fun colors.

Should they match?

What colors should I paint them?

I can see my girls sitting in them in a random field somewhere this summer.

Flashback Friday - First Oreo

 I recently changed the desktop background on our computer to a slide show of pictures. 

The girls and I probably spend 10 minutes each day just looking at the pictures.

It's so fun to see old pictures.

My sister-in-law, Val, started doing Flashback Friday on her blog.

And I'm jumping on the band wagon.

...

Here are pictures of my girls when they tried Oreo's for the first time.

These pictures of Lexi were taken back in March 2010 when Lexi was 20 months old.

These pictures of Avery were taken in October 2011 when Avery was 18 months old.

I can't wait to get pictures of Eli eating his first Oreo next year.

Photo Dump

 Here are some pictures I taken recently.

Last month all three of my kids got sick with RSV.

They had disgusting deep coughs, crazy runny noses and had a hard time sleeping.

When I found out that Eli had RSV I was scared but he got over it quickly and was such a trooper.

And Avery had it the worse. She was lifeless for days.

The girls just love sitting with Eli and laying with him and just being by him.

Eli is really starting to enjoy being with them.

The girls get Eli to laugh harder than anyone.

The girls love taking Sean's hats and wearing them or putting them on Eli.

I just love Eli's face in this next picture.

 

Lexi made this Dragon in preschool.

She loves all the crafts and art projects she does in preschool.

 

Eli still doesn't really like tummy time.

I try to make him do it everyday still.

 

Lexi just has her own sense of style. That's for sure.

 

Lexi use to wear my bra's all the time.

Avery just discovered the fun of wearing them too.

 

It's started to warm up around here.

So I've let the girls go out on our tiny deck a few times.

We've also gone on a few walks around our complex since it's warmed up.

 

Eli seems to like the stroller but isn't really sure about the wind.

The girls have loved going out to the playground again.

Lexi loves to do crafts or color ever night after Avery goes to bed.

She likes to look at Pinterest to get ideas.

This is Lexi's favorite outfit. 

It's a summer outfit so she has to wear leggings and a long sleeve shirt with it right now.

(Behind Lexi is the girls' new dressers. They match their bunk bed that they got in December.)

Eli is just such a happy baby. 

He loves just looking at his sister while were in the van.

 

Avery loves taking her sheep pillow pet with her everywhere. 

 

Lexi modeling her new flip flops.

I love that she's wearing socks too.

In the past week, Lexi has asked me if she could clean several times.

She's volunteered to use the dust buster and to dust and clean the windows.

Eli looking at the bears on his swing.

Potty Training

A week ago, Avery decided that she wanted to wear underwear.

(I have been planning on potty training Avery for a while now 

but our lives just have been craziness lately and I just haven't made it a priority. 

It's just been easier to let her keep wearing diapers.)

So we decided that we should just potty train her now since she's excited about it and willing.

It's been a week filled with lots of accidents and few successes 

but I'm trying to just stay calm and be patient.

I've been reading this book and it's helping me to put things into perspective. 

It's not about when you start potty training it's about when you finish.

It usually takes 3-12 months for kids to have toilet independence.

So I've told myself that I should expect her to be potty trained 

until my birthday which is 4 months from now.

And even that may not be realistic.

But for now it's helping me keep this in the right perspective.

Wish us luck!

P.P.I.'s and Date Nights

 Sean and I have always thought it is important for our kids to get individual time with us.

So we have started some new traditions at our house.

...

For a few months now Sean has been doing what we call "P.P.I's" (Personal Parent Interviews).

The first Sunday of every month Sean spends time with each of our girls individually 

and just talks with them and shares a treat with them.

And our girls love it. 

They are both talkers and love getting undivided attention, especially from their dad.

...

We have started having monthly dates planned for the girls and Sean.

Their date night is on the day of their birth. 

So Avery's is on the 28th of each month and Lexi's is on the 6th of each month.

The girls each decided to go get ice cream last time.

The had a great time and I could tell they felt so special.

The Joys of Having Two Big Sisters

  My girls just love Eli. 

They always want to be with him and are always giving him things 

that they think he will want or needs. 

And Eli is just a great sport.

Avery absoluletly loves her princess Little People, especially her Aurora.

She won't share it with anyone but Eli.

That's real love.

Avery is always putting toys in Eli's carseat when it's time for us to go anywhere.

She must want him to be entertained.

Avery is also laying on Eli and he never seems to mind.

It's a good thing that he is so big so that he can handle her love.

 

Whenever Avery puts this hat on Eli she calls him a "Cowboy."

She has no idea that this is NOT a cowboy hat.

Eli Then and Now