First Steps!

Lilah has taken her first steps!  Last night,she took 2 steps. Then tonight, she took 2 steps several times.  Once, she even took 3 steps!!  My baby is only 10 1/2 months and she is already taking steps....holy cow!  She is also standing for longer periods and playing with us more.  Such a big girl!

Glow Sticks

After baths, we let the kids get out their glow sticks.  We turned out the lights in Gavin's room and the kids had so much fun.  They played with them the rest of the night!

Mama, Mama

Macie now calls me "Mama" instead of "Mommy" because of her love of Berenstain Bears.  On that show there is a Mama Bear.  I think it is cute and sweet!

Lilah has also started saying Mama!!  It is her first real word.  Usually, "dada" comes first, so I am so happy that she says my name!  The other night at dinner, I walked away and she started crying, "mama".  Macie said, "She just said your name!"  I thought it may have just been a fluke, but she's done it several times since. Lilah is a mama's girl that is for sure, and since she is my last baby, I'll take all of the cuddles I can get!

Milk!

Last night, Lilah had some whole milk for the first time.  Dr. V said that we could start introducing her to it because she is losing interest in her bottle.  I always like to give the kids some time to learn to like it.  Not only is the taste different, but it is also cold.  All three of my kids loved their bottles HOT!  I also put Lilah's dinner all on her tray.  I put a variety of foods and let her go at it.  I can't believe how big she is getting!  We only bought a few jars of baby food at the store last time and plan to not buy anymore.  She'd rather have the big food anyway!  While it is a relief to be almost done with baby food and formula for good, it is also bittersweet!  We've spent the majority of the last 4 years buying that stuff and we are finally moving on!

Trick-or-Treating 2012

We went trick-or-treating on Sunday.  Brian has to work late on Halloween and we only go to friends and family.  I called everyone ahead and it all ended up working out.  We had 5 stops: Aunt Allie's, Aunt Julie and Uncle Alan, Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Gary, Maurers, and Grandpa and Grandma's.  The kids had fun at each stop and were spoiled rotten.  They did such a great job saying, "Trick-or-Treat!", "Thank You!", and Macie even spread fairy dust.  They were super excited and it was so fun to watch them!  My parents' house was the last stop and they had dinner for us.  Another wonderful day of trick-or-treating!

Brian put in Lilah's new carseat, so it was her first time in it!

 Lilah's First Halloween Goodies

All of the treats!

Halloween Lunch

We started our Halloween celebrations yesterday at lunch.  Aunt Beth, Parker, Grammie, and Aunt Katie came over.  We had sandwiches, chips, kiwi, and cookies.  We spent some time together, exchanged Halloween treats, and watched the kids play.  At noon, the girls left to go help Katie pick out a wedding dress.  Brian stayed home with all 4 kids!  He said it was crazy, but he did get them all to sleep at the same time.  He did say that it reinforced the fact that we can't handle anymore kids! 

Katie did find a dress and she looks amazing in it!  After the appointment, we had to hurry home so that we could take the kids trick-or-treating.  When we got home, the kids were bouncing off the walls and raring to go.  Macie had a minor wardrobe malfunction, but Grammie came to the rescue!



Tinkerbell Macie, Ladybug Lilah, Woody Gavin

Parker was a lion!



We got Parker some bubbles, army men, policemen, firemen, a candy bar, and peanut butter rice crispy treats!

No Tricks, Just Treats!

I decided it would be a good idea to make treats for our neighbors and family for Halloween.  The kids are very blessed with lots of people who love and spoil them.  I want them to be grateful and to bless others the way we've been blessed.  I made cards on the computer and the kids colored them.  Then, I added some candy or peanut butter rice crispy treats.  I think that people were pleasantly surprised and thankful for the goodies!

WW Update

I've been doing Weight Watchers for about 8 weeks now.  As of this morning, I've lost 22 pounds and 6 inches in my waist!  I'd call that a success!  I still have a ways to go, but I'm thrilled with my progress.  Even though I've been tempted from time to time, it hasn't really been that hard.  Brian is my inspiration! He has been on this journey for a while now.  I know that together, we can do this and maintain a healthier lifestyle for us and our kids!

Bank Field Trip

While we are far from being perfect parents, Brian and I have a lot of values and lessons we want to instill in our children.  One of them has to do with money.  We want them to manage, value, respect, and understand money.  We talk about it often and Macie even likes watching The Suze Orman show with me!  The other day, I came home from the store with some new socks for Gavin.  He asked me how much the socks cost!  Then he asked me how much the food cost.  I answered him and assured him that I stayed in my budget!  We also tell the kids that they don't have anything to worry about.  We will always provide them with food, shelter, clothing, and all of the necessities.  Sometimes we can't do all of the extras, but that's life! 

Last week, we helped the kids clean out their piggy banks.  We kept some special coins out, but we bagged everything else up to take to the bank.  Instead of us taking it without them, we took the whole family on a field trip.  Macie and Gavin were able to help me put all of the change in the counter and help Daddy give the dollars to the teller.  They even got a sucker!  I had prepared them ahead of time that we weren't taking their money away.  Instead, the bank was saving it for them and even paying them!  This is just one of many lessons I hope to teach them.