9 Months Old

So here I am, a fairly non-girly girl, dressing this Sweetpea in pink with bows.  Ha!  To be fair.....Gloria dressed her today.  Hazel is 9 months old!  Time flies!  She is trying her best to get into a good crawling position, does a lot of rocking back and forth, tries to pull up on things and has a contagious laugh.  Oh....and heaven forbid you try to serve her puréed food these days.  She wants exactly what you are eating.

 

 

Both Rich and I are traveling for work today.  Rich is in NYC and I'm in Denver.  Thanks Boppa Jim for watching after this cutie and her brothers!

SNOW!!!!

Spring is almost here and Chicago finally got the first snow of 2017!  Shoveling isn't a treat but sledding is.  The boys were super excited to try out the sleds that Santa had left for them months ago.  (If winters will be this mild.....Santa may have to deliver sleds for the kids every year!). Rich is traveling for work for most of March and unexpectedly had to leave early for a business trip today.  We were all bummed for him to leave since we have really only seen him for a day in the last week.  That being said, I knew he wanted to take the boys sledding so rather than getting stuck in a rut of our normal weeknight routine I bundled everyone up and we hit the sledding hill before dinner.  So much fun!!!

 

  

And over the weekend our friends from Kansas City came to visit.  We love the Nielands!  And the boys adore each other.  I sure hope Hazel finds her spot with them once she gets a little bigger.

 

8 Months and Counting!

Well, it has been a month since I've posted anything so of course Hazel is now 8 months old!!!  She has two teeth, is quite chatty, and is ready to be on the move.  She hasn't really tried to figure out crawling yet but she certainly reaches as far as she can, bounces quite a bit, and scoots backwards from time to time.  She wants to move enough that her falling over and bonking her head is a fairly regular occurrence these days.  And as you can see from the photos below............she wasn't about to let her 8 month sign just sit in the picture.  She practically destroyed it after I got a couple of shots.

Here is Hazel give it her best to try to move across the kitchen.  Doesn't this look comfy?  I guess she's flexible!  Maybe gymnastics is in her future.

Of course it wouldn't be fair to do this month's post without wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day!  Pucker up!

She's Getting Big!

Hazel is 7 months old today!  Can you believe it?!  She is sitting on her own, clapping her hands, laughing a lot at her brothers and just starting to wave bye bye.  I'm not sure of her stats but at her 6 month check-up she was 19lbs and 29.5in and she seems to get bigger and happier everyday. 

As you can see from our monthly photo, she is full of movement these days.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!!  I hope you all had a great holiday.  We missed seeing our southeast family over Christmas but loved having Nana and Boppa here with us and being able to see Grandma and Boppa as well.  The kids were spoiled of course and Santa was very good to each of them.  I know technically the holiday is over but we still have our tree up and are soaking up every last bit of Christmas cheer. 

Oh...and good news!  Rich started his new job on the 3rd and it is going well for far.  I start a new job on the 16th which should be a good change.  Until then I'm trying to get a few things done and do a few fun things with the kids.  I think I've been busier without a job than I have with one.  Crazy!

I hope everyone's new year is off to a great start!

Guess Who is 6 Months Old Today!

Hazel is!!!

Has it really been 6 months since she arrived?!  Time flies!  She is doing great!  Hazel is sitting up mostly on her own now and rolls over when she feels the need but she isn't a steamroller like the boys where.  I think she just likes her brothers to appease her and get her what she needs.  She will clearly do things in her own way and in her own time.  I'm sure we are in for trouble!

Zach is 6 Years Old!!

Well, we have officially been parents for 6 years now.  Crazy!  I think we have learned a lot but this job still challenges us daily.  How many years of parenting does it take to have all the answers??

Zach is 6!!  He was very excited to turn 6.  The timing of his birthday this year fell during our holiday travels so the celebration was a little tricky and actually lasted a few days.  Who wouldn't want a  birthday weekend though?!

We started our celebration on Friday in Pulaski.  Miss Robin's was a great spot for lunch and we followed it up with ice cream from the Blue Ridge Fudge Lady.  It was just what Zach wanted and I would recommend both!  Zach and I even walked between the two and he thought the railroad tracks and the old cannons were pretty cool.

Next we went to our hotel in Wytheville for a jump in the pool and then pizza, cake and gifts.

On Zach's actual birthday we drove back to Chicago but we managed to celebrate with a couple of friends yesterday at the Choo Choo restaurant followed by a movie.  Grandma and Boppa Jim even joined us for dinner and another birthday cake.

So far I think 6 seems pretty darn fun!