my girl

I figured I needed an "Addelyn these days" post too. So here is what she has been up to. First of all, she has been taking care of Jace. Yes, we are still working on not smothering him! She is getting better about giving him space, most days. She is also helpful- like today- he was fussing while I was trying to get bags packed. Suddenly he was quiet and I walked into her holding in his binkie and comforting him.

She naps. Well, kind of. Most days she has "quiet time" and plays. This day she chose to nap in her toy bin! She was covered by her "Tink" - her favorite blanket and I had to capture a picture.

She colors, draws, writes....she can do this for long periods of time, which is great when I'm nursing Jace. She is a creative little girl.

Baby time- she nurses baby, puts baby to sleep, rocks baby, and more! Something to note- the baby in this picture was mine when I was a little girl!

She is growing up so quickly. Somedays I just stare at her in amazement - as I see this little girl grow up before my eyes! What a sweet little person, well, most days!

Jace these days

Enjoying the days with our almost four month old baby! He is a sweet mannered boy that we love very much!

Baby? YES.

We have all known about Addelyn's baby infatuation. Some thought it would slow down or end once Jace got a bit older- once he wasn't "new." Yeah right!

This girl is obsessed. The obsession has changed a bit now. It now is more of a pretend play that has to do with babies. The things we hear these days:

"I have a baby bump."

"I have a baby in my belly."

"I just had my baby."

"I'm having twins."

"My baby came out."

"I can't eat that/drink that because of my baby."

"I need to pump after dinner."

And many more....let me tell you. Somedays I think she really thinks she has a baby inside of her. It is what she talks about 80% of her day. Dinner time conversation is centered around her baby. Ohhh baby.

joy

Doesn't this picture show the joy of grandparents? Gotta love it. Happy Birthday this week to Papa Marvin!

just hanging out

These last few days of cooler weather have made me bring out: the kiddos fall/winter clothes from storage, sweatshirts, blankets, tea, sleepers for Jace (he has lived in onesies the last three months), and our space heater. Ahh I love fall but really don't like what fall brings....winter!

I do love snuggling up with my little ones (and Mark too!) We have had some great at home time the last few days. Just hanging out! Love it.

stats

I got the kids "sized up" today.

Jace- 3 months, 1 week old
15 lbs 2.2 oz. - 23 5/8 inches= BIG, SHORT BOY

Addelyn- 3 years, 9 months old
31.8 lbs & 38 3/4 inches- puts her right below average in the percentile charts

alike?

Addelyn, age 3 months

Jace, age 3 months

How quickly you can forget what your kids looked like at different stages! I was amazed as I noticed the differences (and similarities!) as I looked through baby pics of Addelyn. I didn't post any of the pics that show her body but she was SOO petite compared to him! What do you think, do they look alike?

susie bob

Susie Bob is our new toad (well, we had him for a night but he has been released back into the wild.) It is funny because having a toad around reminds me of the days of growing up on the farm. My sister and I would catch toads all the time and keep them for days, give them names, etc. I love to watch Addelyn have some of these experiences even though we aren't on a farm. As for where the name Susie Bob came from, we don't know? Susie Bob is also the new name of one of her baby dolls too!
*Just did a few new posts all at once in case you care:)

sweet girl

This is the best picture of this little girl. I need to look at it to be reminded of her sweetness when she has made a mural on our wall with deodorant, or markers, or makeup.......gotta love this three year old and her extracurricular activities this week!

buddies

Carson & Jace

The three little buddies- Myka, Carson, and Jace

I love these pics. I had blogged a pic of all of the preggos in our small group a few months ago. We are down to ONE baby left to be had- and that is hopefully happening soon as that due date is tomorrow! Here are the three babes born this summer from our small group, minus Toby who was born in December and the baby that is coming soon. It is fun to imagine how these little ones will have great times together- probably getting into trouble, having lots of fun, and hopefully becoming great friends and looking out for one another!

3 months

The hands/arms that never stop moving



The love of a sister

So much love....


Love those smiles. So hard to catch them on camera though. He smiles, I pull out the camera and he gives the blank stare.






Jace is such a sweet little guy. Big guy I should say. He is solid. At three months, he is starting to respond much more to us. Smiling, cooing, sometimes on the verge of a laugh! He rolls from his back to his side and from his stomach to his side. The other day at Jess' house he rolled completely over from his stomach to his back. Haven't seen that move again yet but I'm thinking it will be soon!

Jace still eats every 3 hrs during the day and at night he still gets up one to two times. There is no way he is ready to not eat during the night. He is a hungry boy when he wakes up and is growing larger by the day as you can see! He is starting to get longer stretches though so there is a glimmer of hope for good sleep again someday.

I'm still not able to eat dairy- and when I do have even just a little- I notice a big difference so it isn't even worth it. I'm getting used to the new diet. Kind of!

Addelyn still LOVES Jace. So much. So that means we can't really leave her alone long in a room with him- otherwise, she tries to cover him up, change him, pick him up and more. I continually am saying (when I'm in another room for a minute) "Addelyn, what are you doing?"
But I am thankful for the love she has for him! And he sure does give her lots of smiles, as long as she isn't up in his business!

We love our big boy, Jace Joseph! It is so much fun to watch him grow.

first blog for books

I'm finally reviewing my first book. I've moved a little slower the last few months when it comes to reading but I'd like to say I'm back at it again! This is a great program- and you can help me if you'd like by ranking my review at the bottom. The more reviews I receive, the more options of books I have to choose from in the future.

Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley was an easy read. That is one of my favorite things about Andy Stanley is that he writes books that are pretty easy to pick up and read anytime. This one focused on the destructive power of four issues- guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy. I felt like he had some good practical ideas of how to break through some of these issues. He also had good stories that I related to. At one point of the book, he focused a chapter that spoke to the fact that these four issues in adults are often passed onto our children. I appreciated this chapter more than the rest.

There is a small group guide in the back and I will definitely suggest this book to small groups in the future to check out. I'm giving this book 3.5 stars out of 5.