Alissa's 2nd Tooth

Once their teeth start falling out - life changes.  They get big.  That's how it seems anyway.  Their big teeth come through and they just look older.  Only a couple weeks apart from her first tooth her second came out and check out this giant hole now.  I think she likes it.  :)

Her dad accidentally dumped the cup of water with the tooth inside down the drain before bed.  The Tooth Fairy still found her though and left her 4 quarters under her pillow.

Spring Break - Island Park

We spent the week of Spring Break (March 20-26) at a cabin in Island Park with our Wheeler family.   Of course one of the kids favorite things to do is to sit in the hot tub and run around in the snow in their swim suits.  Grandpa is pretty patient to supervise time and time again. 

A cabin full of 7 little girls and 3 little boys can get a little crazy after a day or two.  Good thing for some entertainment. 

The 3- 4 year old trouble makers in their red lipstick. 

Look out world!  These girls are spitfire!  

On Sunday our little family decided maybe we should go for a drive and look around.  Dustin found a little route that would take us past multiple lakes so that's what we did.  This is by Hebgen Lake which is where Dustin and his brothers usually go ice fishing during Christmas Break.

The girls found crawdad legs and quickly gathered a little collection. 

Our next stop was Quake Lake which is where we decided to have a little picnic.  There was a perfect table looking rock that we set up lunch on.  Everybody loved it. 

At this lake we happened to find a bunch of little shells.  I quickly found another plastic bag they could gather their new treasures in.   This is why I just LOVE getting out.  The kids just have so much fun exploring and discovering new things. 

Love being their mama!

Grandma brought a little Easter craft for the kids to do.  Big girls got to do foam Easter egg houses.

 

And little girls did foam crowns. 

The big girls were great babysitters for these 3 baby boys. 

We spent about 6 days up there which was a little long to be all together in my opinion, but we all had a great time and the kids made some good memories.  So thankful for family and the friendships we share.

Lincolns First Birthday!!

Oh my baby is already 1!  The year flew by even faster than any other year.  I suppose it's because I get busier and busier with each year and the days start to just blur together.  It's taken me almost a month just to get around to writing this post.

For Lincoln's birthday we were up at the cabin in Island Park so we just let him open a few gifts and ate some cake.  That night we came home so Dustin could go back to work the next day and take Alissa to the doctor because she somehow had got strep throat.

Grandma and grandpa Bateman gave him one of his most favorite presents.  He can't figure out how to ride it yet but he pushes it and knows the seat lifts up and certainly knows it plays music.

As much as his dad wants him to be a daddy's boy - he is through and through mommy's boy.  I think this has been the case with all my kids though and I am sure it's because #1 I am home with them all day and #2 I have nursed them all.  Lincoln just weaned this week (April 15th) so he was almost 13 months and the hardest of all the kids to wean.  He still woke up through the night to nurse so that was the hardest time to cut off.  He still loves his binki and I am not willing to take that away from him yet.

He is a snuggler!  He loves to snuggle and wants me to hold him as much as I will.  He is good with dad holding him or Ella holding him too.   He follows me around and grabs my pants and tries to get in front of me so I will pick him up.  I like this picture Ella caught of him doing just that.

He acts shy all the time.  If people talk to him he smiles and turns his head.  If we all look over at him he will act embarrassed and put his head down and sometimes even cry.

He wants to be outside all the time.  He hears a door open and he makes a run for it.  He will even tolerate Molly and Alissa handling him all over the place if it means he can be outside.  I love these picture of him watching the garbage truck out front.

He says: mama, dada, Ella and di gu which we figured means peek a boo.  He also claps when you say yay and imitates quite a few other things you do like clicking your tongue and squealing (like his sisters).

We tease that he has a crush on Alissa.  She makes him laugh harder than anybody else and loves to play nice with him.  He just loves her.  Ella is super good at babysitting him and holding him and Molly loves him to pieces but is still just a little too rough for him.

He's a pretty lucky boy.  I'm sure it won't be long until Molly is his favorite since he loves to eat and she does too.  She hooks him up with things like chocolate pudding and Cheetos.

He way outgrew his infant car seat and his legs were hanging out all over the place not to mention he was a lug to carry.  So he gets to sit in the super great forward facing car seat that each of the other kids got to sit in.  I know he's happy about that.

He learned to walk the week he turned one and it was instant trouble and happiness in one big bundle.  He's into all the cabinets, drawers, toilet paper, toilet, whatever..  He likes to go in rooms and shut the door and pull cords and lick stuff he shouldn't.  Such is the joy of a toddler!

He got a black eye the week he turned one due to his shaky walking.  He crashed right into our back window ledge and got a bruise which eventually went under his eye.  He's a pretty tough boy though from all the craziness of his sisters.

This boy is an absolute joy!  We all love him so much and feel so blessed that he came to our family.  He just makes life that much better.  

At Lincoln's well visit he 

weighed: 22lbs 9 oz    67%

height:  32"    98%

head circumference 19"  37%

Mischievous Molly

It has a been a week of mischievousness for little Molly.  

Within about 2 days she had peed on my bed twice, pooped in the tub, wiped pudding into the carpet in my room,

 tried making chocolate milk INSIDE the chocolate milk container because it was much too complicated to put it in the mug, 

drew on Lincoln's face with a marker and cut her hair.

  I try to be patient with this girl, but seriously sometimes I wonder why the tactics I know aren't working with this child.

I stayed home from church yet again with a sick child and got this text from Dustin.

Oh my goodness it makes me laugh and go crazy all at the same time.

Then there are other times when she is just so tender.  

She asked Dustin during FHE the other night, "Daddy when are YOU going to be the Prophet?"

On days when I actually get dressed and all ready for the day she is quick to say, "Mom, you look beautiful."

As we were having FHE a few weeks ago we were talking about the Holy Ghost warning you of danger and she said, "Ya, those people follow Saman."  We all giggled because this is a common name for her to use for Satan however I heard her quietly say right after that, "And Semuel."  I had to laugh because she is getting Satan's name mixed up with Laman and Lemuel because they weren't making good choices either.  :)

Sure love this girl.  I am so thankful we got to have her join our family and the excitement she brings to it.