January 2015 update

               Our year started off sleeping through the new year.  We were both so exhausted that we decided sleep was better than watching a ball drop, lol.  We did have fun with the kiddos and do an early countdown and gave the kiddos horns to blow in celebration.  We also scheduled Baby E’s c-section arrival and, as long as Baby E cooperates, we will meet him/her on February 24^th around 9am.

                Ben and I enjoyed one last weekend away before we become a family of five.  We initially were planning a trip to Cincinnati, but we stayed in Florence, KY and ended up spending most of our time on the KY side of Cincinnati.  We enjoyed lots of time together, yummy food, laser tag, going to see Mocking Jay in the theaters, went out to eat at a revolving restaurant on the Ohio river, and on our way home we met up with our good friends, the Abshers, for lunch and lots of catching up.  It was a very refreshing weekend, but we were very glad to get back to our kiddos, enjoy snuggles with them, and sleep in our comfy temper-pedic bed.

                The next weekend we had fun in Versailles, KY with my mom’s side of the family celebrating a late Christmas and having fun with family.  It was so much fun to have all the baby cousins playing together and the adults enjoyed lots of great conversation as well as game time.  We were also blessed by my cousin’s wife, Jenny, who took some wonderful maternity photos for us.  We now have some wonderful images to remember our last few months of being a family of 4.

                Thankfully we got a small snow this month that we were actually able to get outside with the kiddos in.  They loved being out in the snow and had a blast throwing snowballs at each other and especially at Daddy.  It wasn’t a ton of snow and most of it was gone by the afternoon, but it was perfect for them.  They were even able to build a tiny snowman to put on the edge of the mailbox.  We also enjoyed some homemade hot cocoa, per Alethea’s request, after playing out in the cold for a little while.

                Ben has been very busy at work trying to make a game plan for the year as well as prepare for being gone a week to be home with Baby E in February.  He has still been working hard on his fitness goals and is excited to be training with friends from work for a mud run later in the year.  He is very excited about what the year has to offer, even if it has him busier right now.

                I have been staying busy nesting and getting things ready for Baby E’s arrival.  Lots of cleaning and organizing has been going on and, once I get started, I can stop, lol.  I also taught my last lesson for our preschool co-op this year.  We worked it out so that I wouldn’t be teaching after Baby E’s arrival.  While it is super nice to know I won’t have that added stress as we adjust to being a family of 5, I will miss teaching the kiddos every couple of weeks.  Thankfully I will have a snuggly newborn before long to keep my mind of that. J I have also been cooking up a storm in prep for Baby E.  My parents have been a blessing and came over with my niece to watch the kiddos while I made a bunch of meals and breakfast goodies to stock our freezer for after Baby E’s arrival.  Hopefully we will be well stocked come baby time!

                The kiddos and I have had some fun outings this month.  We have enjoyed playdates and shopping trips.  A few times we have been a little stir crazy and so we headed out to Chick fil A for some time out.  The kiddos enjoy going out to eat and they especially enjoy the playplace and ice cream that follow.  We also made a special trip out to the science center with my parents and niece.  It happened to be one of the coldest days of the year so it was chilly to and from the car, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.   They were redoing the young kid section, but we found plenty of other fun things to do on the other levels.  I also got to take them to Chuck E. Cheese with my mom while Ben was at a Louisville basketball game with my dad and brother.  The kiddos enjoyed it, but I can’t say that it is my favorite place to take them. (way to crowded!)

                One thing I am continually thankful for is the friendship Alethea and Declan share.  I pray that it will continue to be just as sweet and they will set a wonderful example for their little brother or sister.  It is not uncommon for them to disappear for extended periods to play in their room together.  I love hearing all the giggles and squeals that result!  They started officially sharing their room on January 12^th and it has gone surprisingly well.  We have had some rough nights, but most of the time they are asleep within 20 minutes.  They love to do crafts together and will often sit at the table coloring or painting together just giggling away and creating masterpieces.  One random fun thing they have enjoyed together is using coolers as cars, planes, boats, and more.  I have been using coolers to store groceries when Declan and I go shopping while Alethea is at preschool and they have been taking advantage of them not getting put away in a timely manner.  They also use them as collection baskets for as many toys as they can fit in them, lol.

                Alethea is becoming such a sweet young lady and, despite the fact that she is a bit nosy, I love hearing about her concern for others.  She genuinely cares deeply about others and how they are doing and shows a great awareness of others emotions and circumstances.  She also loves to throw tea parties, especially with Declan and she creates all kinds of scenarios for them going to school, the store, the park, etc. together.  She got her first Disney Barbie dolls for Christmas and that has fed her love for princesses and everything pink and purple.  She has been asking a lot about dancing and taking classes so I have a feeling that is in our near future.  She also still loves sticker and cutting out cards to give to friends and family.  She loves to write her name and anything else she can ask for help on how to spell.  We are working on holding the pencil correctly, but her writing is legible regardless so I am not worried.  She loves preschool and loves learning so much and it is exciting to see all the connections she makes on her own.  I am so proud of the little girl she is becoming and look forward to getting to know her more as she grows.

                Declan is such a happy go lucky little guy.  He is almost always smiling and is great at bringing a smile to our faces.  He still doesn’t say much but he understands so much and communicates with pointing and sounds just great.  He says words like “hah” for hi, “bah” for bye, “mama” gets used for both mommy and Mamaw, but you have to pay attention to his inflection.  I am sure he says more, but those a just a few that we hear more often.  He also really loves to make faces, especially his scrunchy nose face that we all love.  He is very engineering minded and one of the ways that is evidenced is in the fact that he figured out how to unbuckle and buckle his chest clip on his carseat.  As a result we had to swap his out for Alethea’s that was newer and he couldn’t unclip. 

He started officially sleeping in a twin bed when they started sharing a room and we have used pool noodles under the sheets instead of rails which has worked out great so far.  This month, when I cut Ben’s hair, I went ahead and trimmed up Declan’s hair as well so he got his first hair cut.  I am not ready for the top to be cut to I just shaped it all up and trimmed the back and sides so he didn’t have as much to blow in the wind.  It isn’t super evident, but I think he looks more like a little boy now. J  He still loves his blanket and would have it with him everywhere if it were his choice.  He especially loves to shove his face into it while he squeals and giggles.  He also gained all 4 of his one year molars this month finally and thankfully we only really knew because he was chewing his whole hand, lol.  Such a sweet boy and I look forward to hearing all he has to say before long!