He Turns Two Today

Our Baby turns two today.

Does that mean I have to stop calling him my baby? I hope not.

He is our baby and always will be. I am sure there will be many times he doesn't like that fact, but there will also be more times he more than benefits from it.

This Little Man of ours is delightful. He is cuteness, happiness, smartness, and squeezableness all in one pint-sized little package.

He is our only blue-eyed boy.

He is so many things and amazes us every day. We are biased we know, but we think he is awesome.

He talks so very well. He is constantly carrying on conversations with us and everyone he is around. He is so observant and learns things really quickly. He is always on the go. From the minute he wakes up (very, very early I might add) he is chatting, running, and pointing things out.

He loves all things sports. He especially loves football. We are going to have to train him to be a running back, since speed and not size is probably going to be his asset. 

He eats almost anything. He may not eat much, but he will gladly eat almost anything. He especially loves vegetables. Broccoli is his very favorite. 

He loves to climb on anything. He is super strong and has monkey-like grip with his hands. With his love of climbing comes a host of battle wounds. Hence the both the scare and bruise in this picture. I am sure this is just the first for our rough and tumble on the move little man.

I can't get over this boy of ours. He lights up every single day. "The Brothers" as he likes to call them, love and adore him. I am in awe of how they cater to and care about him. They are patient and loving and he loves and trusts them because of it.

This Little Man that was a surprised addition to our family has brought so much joy and completeness to us. He is truly a blessing.

Today he turns two. TWO! Time goes by too quickly. Today I will try to freeze time and enjoy this toddler of ours. We will party football style of course.

There will be cake.
There will be presents.
There will be laughing.
There will be squeezing.

There will be loving on you Little Mister Bean.

Happy Birthday, we love you!

First Birthday Fiesta

Ole'!

Happy Birthday Bean...er I mean Feliz Cupleanos!

We had a First Birthday Fiesta in celebration of Bean turning one...er I mean uno.

It was quite the fiesta with friends and family.

There are a lot few pictures. It is rumored that I have a tendency to take too many pictures. I just love sharing all the little details. So I will try to be brief with the wordage and descriptions of Bean's Fiesta.

There are rustic touches with tons and tons of colors.

Occasionally there were cacti thrown into the mix...did you like how I used the proper plural of cactus?

There were also plenty of pinata details (I will have a little how-to on these Pinata Letters tomorrow).

While the decorations are fun, the best part of a Mexican Fiesta is of course the food.

I have several recipes to share with you on Recipe Thursday and Slow Cooker Saturday.

Good Food. Good Friends. Sweet Treats.

And one sweet Birthday Boy.

Sweet even though he was the recipient of four shots and a heel prick earlier that day. No, I had not planned that. Some unfortunate scheduling on my part.

There were plenty of people to love and hug on him whilst he enjoyed his fiesta. At least while he enjoyed most of it. Not so much the cupcake.

My very last first birthday done.

I know I went a little overboard, but it sure was fun to put everything together and it was fun to celebrate a very special Little Man.

CLOSED
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11 Months Old

I love how I post these monthly updates halfway to the next month. He is so close to one, I am dying.

On the day he turned 11 months, I didn't even realize it until someone asked me the date. I told them and then was like huh, that date seems familiar...do I have something???

Duh, only the monthly anniversary of your tiniest son's birth.

Bean is so much fun to have around. He is so mobile. He is also very animated.

One of my favorite things is how he will "talk to you". He carries on full baby conversations with you and it is just about the sweetest thing.

One of the other things that makes us laugh happens when he crawls around. He is still so tiny that we have a hard time find pants that fit him. If we get them to fit the length then they don't fit his waist.

Because of this, when he crawls he often loses his pants. He leaves them in the dust and just darts around with only a diapered bum.

So cute.

Only a few weeks and he will be one. Ack.

Besides the sleeping thing (and really I mean who needs sleep...oh right, me) he is the most delightful baby. Hopefully he will continue to be the most delightful toddler.

I am planning his Turning One Fiesta...I am pretty excited and I can't wait to show it to you.

Happy Monday!

10 Months Old

We are now in February, but right around the end of January our sweetest ever little Bean hit the 10 month mark. Almost over night  he went from pretty containable to all over the place.

I spend my day following him around or searching for him and watching the trouble he has currently gotten into. I just listen for the springy sound of the door stops. I am on constant floor patrol. The gate is up on the stairs and the older boys are just as vigilant at keeping it up.

Bean is a very protected and taken care of...well unless Little feels like tackling him or taking his pacifier away. Middle feels quite accomplished that he can pick him up and carry him around.

One of my favorite things is how he waves. He doesn't just open and close his hand or wave it back and forth. He lifts up his whole arm with his cute little palm in the air, like he is just giving you a little, "Hey, how is is going?"

It might be the cutest thing ever.

He isn't much bigger in size, but he is more coordinated and is starting to look "bigger" aka, older.

He continues to be the sweetest baby and a complete joy. He may not sleep consistently at night, but during the day he is delightful.

I can't believe he is almost 1. Time really does fly. We just love him so stinkin' much.

9 Months Old

Just before Christmas Bean turned 9 months. Practically overnight he seems older...not much bigger mind you...but older. He is our little jumping bean. He is the most active baby we have ever had. He is quite determined to get into everything.

If there is something teeny tiny on the ground, he will find it. We have to be very vigilant about keeping things off the floor. The gate on the stairs in now a permanent fixture because he is one speedy little weasel.

He is practically perfect. The only hiccup in his perfection is the fact that he is still not sleeping through the night. Ugh. We have truly tried to train him to sleep. Unfortunately, the cute little bean keeps wetting through his diapers. So we have to get up.

Enough of his one imperfection...

He is happy. He is active. He is so much fun.

On Hold for Croup

Our getting-ready-for-the-holidays-schedule has been put on hold due to a not so welcome bout of croup traveling through our house.

Oldest had it at the beginning of the week. Since he is eight, life was able to go pretty much as scheduled. Then when Middle got it, at least it was Saturday night and Sunday because Hubby was home to split the duties. 

Then when I had to leave church on Sunday because Bean very quickly went from seemingly well to croupy in 30 minutes, life went on hold. Poor little babies just can't hold illness as well. The symptoms came on quickly and our happiest of happy babies was lethargic and miserable. It was rather heartbreaking.

We took both Middle and Bean in to see the doctor yesterday. Middle has croup and strep. Bean has croup and an ear infection. They both got some meds. At the doctors Bean had a little bit of an episode that had the doctor saying if the medicine didn't work I would probably have to take him to the ER. 

Not what these Momma ears wanted to hear.

She also said that I basically had to watch him all night.

She also reminded us that with croup, if he is having an episode we needed to bundle him up, take him outside, and let him breath in the cold air. We were aware of this remedy thanks to all of the breathing problems Oldest has had.

So last night he had a couple of trips outside. He slept in my arms for a bit and in his swing next to my bed for a bit. He needs lots of love and attention. So that is what he is getting.

So our life might be on hold for a couple of days while he gets better. 

I hope your home is germ free and that you are able to enjoy all the holiday festivities around you.

I will announce the winner of the Cutting Edge Giveaway tomorrow!!

8 Months (and 7 months)

Awww 2 months can go by so swiftly. Swiftly enough that before you know it is no longer your child's seventh month, but in fact his eighth...okay in fact half-way to his ninth.

Oops.

I had such high hopes of staying on top of these monthly updates. I guess I can count it as some kind of victory that I only have missed one (ehem...so far).

Bean is just delightful. His adorableness and sweetness far outweigh the few things (mostly those which get in the way of me sleeping) that get in the way of him being the most perfect baby ever.

I tend to think that I have pretty cute kids (I mean what mother is not going to think that). I will be honest with ya, I think he is my prettiest baby. His sweet little head and those pretty phenomenal blue eyes tend to melt our hearts.

He is starting to express more and more of his own little personality. He already holds his own with his older brothers. He goes from one spot in the room to another clear across the same room within no time. I have to work a lot harder to keep him off the kitchen floor.

Or I guess I could work harder at mopping the floor and not stressing about the baby touching the filth and foul...

He is a floor ninja.

He is tallish and skinny.

He puts up with being squeezed, kissed, patted, sat-on (that one thanks to Little), tickled, zerberted (yeah I think I just made that word up).

He, as I alluded to earlier, still does not sleep through the night. We don't have to feed him until early morning, but alas he still gets up 1-2 times before that. Sometimes a simple binkie pop in will fix it. Other times I am falling asleep while rocking him to a calm enough state to put down. This Momma could use a solid 8 hours.

The biggest road block to him sleeping through the night...

He, two times out of three, has leaked through his diaper. UGGGGGHHH!

We have tried several brands of diapers but nothing works 100% yet.

So for now I will just try to cherish my middle of the night cuddle time.

I do enjoy a good Bean cuddle.

We can't believe he is 8 months. He is just starting to enter the really fun exploring stage. We are excited to watch him process the world around him.

6 Months

Nothing like being a couple of weeks late.

Life gets hectic busy with my house full of Little Men.

Before I know it another 30 days has gone by and it is time to document another month of Bean's life.

He is still a happy, happy baby. He is stronger and in more control of his wee little body. He is growing, but he is still the smallest baby we have had. He is in the 4th % for weight and the 5th% for height.

The big shocker is that his head is in the 64th%. Normally long before this age my boys are like cute little  bobble heads, with heads in the 95th%. I am amazed at how the size of his head allows him to hold it up SO much better!

We continue to love, love, love him. He is a joy and delight. I know I say it every month, but I just have to tell it like it is.

I also thought it would be fun to take a stroll down memory lane and see all the changes our Bean has gone through.

Thanks for reading friends!

5 Months

I am about a week late posting about our blue-eyed happy baby turning 5 months old.

I know every month I blather on about how time is flying and how I can't believe how old he is...

So this time I won't blather on...

But know, I am thinking all that blather in my head.

Besides getting a little...and I stress a little...bigger, the most noticeable changes in Bean is his control. He is much more in control of his little body. You can see him starting to want to call the shots, and his teeny body is close to listening to his plans. 

He is still the happiest baby we have had. One of the first things that almost everyone will notice about him is how much he smiles. 

He really does bring all of us so much joy.

He is getting more hair. His eyes are still shockingly blue. He is better than any of our other kids at being happy on his belly. That is unless he has decided he is through and has forgotten how to roll back over.

However, most of the time he is still happy chilling on his belly.

Here are some happy belly time pictures for you.

I hope you enjoyed that sweet teeny mug. We sure do.

In a Nutshell: Bean and the Lack of Pictures

This week we have done a lot. The week was a weird mix of trying to enjoy the last bits of Summer and being tired of Summer and trying to get back some normalcy before school starts. 

We played outside. We went to the pool. We got more stuff for school. We cleaned. The boys had a couple of late nights. I sewed. I canned green beans. I organized a bit.

None of this was photographically documented. Nope. None of it.

Another area of photography that I feel I am slacking in, is capturing all of the sweet moments we are having with Bean.

With Oldest, every, and I mean EV-AH-REE thing was captured on film. 

Capturing the kiddos has digressed with each new Little Man.

So my sweet Bean hardly has any proof of his baby existence.

Which is such a terrible, terrible shame. 

He is lovely and sweet. Smiley and giggles abound from him. 

From now on I have every intention of  just snapping photos like a crazy woman...well crazier woman...

I am going to not care if the shot is inside or at night with no natural light. I am not going to care if the moment can't be captured all professional photog like. After all, not every photo can be uber great, and I am tired of missing parts of their lives because it won't make a awe-inspiring photo.

So Bean's photo files on the computer should be bustin' soon. I might even share some with you.

For now, here is a little video of my unbelievably cute Bean. Enjoy Grandmas and Grandpas, this is for you. Notice the Little Men noise in the background!

VIDEO fixed...SORRY EVERYONE.

So cute.

4 Months

I think we are getting the hang of this being a family of 6 thing.

Four months in and no casualties. Victory.

Of course it helps that Bean is a pretty good baby. AND of course it helps the the other Little Men are only marginally crazy.

Yes, we are hanging in there. Bean is pretty special to all of us and we are grateful he is part of our family.

He laughs and smiles more than any of the other boys. He also seems to be a little more active, if that is possible to know at this point. We think he might be starting the teething process already. We love staring into his ultra baby blue eyes. We have determined that he truly does look like Middle. We will see if that continues.

He knows to sleep if it is dark outside, so I kind of can't wait until fall and winter when it starts getting darker sooner...shock...did I really just wish Summer away? Why, yes, yes I did.

These monthly updates have been fun to do. They let me see what stays the same and what changes each month. I wonder what will happen this next month?

3 Months Old

Bean is 3 months old and so stinking cute.

He is growing and getting more baby and less newborn. His little personality is sweet and a little spoiled stubborn. He is starting to let us know of his likes and dislikes. He has started being more attached to Momma and not many people can calm him down the same. He does love seeing Daddy and brother's faces, but he doesn't always want to be held by them.

He is growing weary of his bouncy chair but still LOVES his swing.

The carseat and him...well they don't get along...most of the time anyway. Looks like we are not taking a road trip any time soon.

He still needs to be swaddled to sleep. If I let his arms out then he ends up spastically punching himself in the face and then wakes up.

He sleeps great at night. Less great during the day.

He looks like Middle but has the coloring of his Daddy.

In the last several weeks he really has become this happy and smiley baby. I am not sure we have ever had a baby who smiles this much.

He went from a slight turn up smile...you know the is that just gas? kind of smile, to a full blown all encompassing smile. The kind of smile that makes everyone around also smile.

Gosh, we sure love him.

Sometimes I still get overwhelmed by the thought that I have four, count them FOUR Little Men. However, most of the time I just look back and forth between this littlest one and my other Little Men and I am wondering how I got so lucky.

My Handsomes on Easter

I am a little behind in the posting department.

Oops. I don't know why? Hahaha.

Look at those handsome mugs...you already forgive me my tardiness don't you?

I know I am biased, but seriously aren't they just about the most handsome boys?

Can you also believe that besides Oldest's outfit, the Easter Sunday outfit ensemble is the same as it was 3 years ago?

I was really excited to reuse all the Easter outfits from the year Littlest was born. When I went to find a picture of them that Easter, I couldn't believe the difference in how they look. They have grown up SO much.

Then...

Now...

Those previously floppy haired little boys are now full fledged Little Men.

That teeny tiny baby is now a stinkin' cute toddler.

And now we have added this precious itty bitty little man to our handsome crew.

I just had to add another picture of his super sweet face.

Handsome, right?

Here is another one of my Handsomes...

We are pretty happy and blessed parents.

It was an absolutely lovely day. Thanks for letting me share our Easter bests with you a little late!

Life Around These Parts

Around these parts there is a lot of snuggling this teeny one.

He has adjusted pretty well to our crazy life. He sleeps pretty well. He eats pretty well. He puts up with us pretty well.

You know who is not adjusting...

The Momma...Oh well I guess it was to be expected right.

This is how my laundry pile looks...at least it is clean.

The boys have enjoyed some Jammie Days. They look like they hate it, right? Hahaha.

Even though it has only been a little bit, I have not done well with not being able to be active...even though most days I am not sure where I would find the energy. I still miss exercising.

So today I decided to lace up my shoes and give it a go...a very mild go, but a go none the less.

Eh...it went okay. Let's just say I am not running or doing anything too vigorous soon. Which also means that my extra flub probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Sigh.

This is when I look back at the first picture and remind myself just how cute that kid is and how worth it he is.

Laundry will get done and get dirty again. The boys will probably have another Jammie Day or two. I might not be able to bust out my hour work outs just yet.And, hey it is all good.

I am just going to hold Bean and love it every second.