July 4th festivities

July 4th this past year was exciting in that Garyn was ready to make an event out of it! I think since he has started school, he is much more aware of the holidays. He started telling me what all he wanted to do for July 4th, making lists and such. I just love this excitement!

We went to the Pops in the Park event on July 3rd. I was glad because I had to work the 4th. The kids enjoyed the fireworks. Layne wasn't crying but was very focused on the fireworks in order to figure out where the noise was coming from. We had just gotten ice cream and he was refusing to eat it!

Garyn had been watching food network some and saw the different recipes for July 4th. He wanted to make a red, white and blue fruit dessert. He also wanted to have family over to the house and had called Nana and Poppa to invite them. He invited Gamama and Grandpa

The "dessert" we made. He loves fruit! 

Gamama and Grandpa came over for a bit.

Also remembered that Tyler took the kids to see the Soddy fireworks on the 4th while I worked.

Philip was working at a firework stand so Poppa and Garyn went and got some fireworks. We did them the 5th out in our yard with Nana and Poppa. 

The fireworks they got were so fun and really good! I'll never forget us laughing so hard at Tyler and Poppa trying to run away before the works started. Ansley and Garyn loved watching the fireworks, too. We just really enjoyed the 4th this year! For a few years in a row, we had July 4th celebration at the beach. So this year we may have started some new traditions.

Boys' Birthday!

So this past July, our boys turned one and seven years old. It was obviously a fun and busy time! Being the first birthday for us to have both boys to celebrate at the same time, I felt a little overwhelmed trying to watch both with their friends and their gifts. I did enjoy just one party to plan and get ready for though! However, I wanted to talk a little about each one and where they are right now.

Layne is our little scooter. That's what we call him, literally, "scooter". He is learning so much everyday. Books are one of his new favorite toys. He brings them to you and then very cutely turns to sit in your lap. His favorites are ones with animals. Which brings me to his next new favorite, visiting the horses across the street. We go about everyday to pet them. He starts jumping and kicking. He points his finger and tries to say horse, it doesn't sound much like horse though. :) Now they are gone and he will look up that way for them. I just love watching him soak new things in. You can see it in his eyes, the amazement.

Him in same outfit Garyn wore at his first birthday. 

At his first hair cut, he was 13 months old. He had a second one about a month ago.

Scooter loves to climb on everything right now! He gets on the bar stools, train table, chairs, desk and dining table. We can't keep him off things. He is saying more now and just today I realized he could tell me what the farm animals say. I love hearing those little words and trying to decipher them. He loves his brother and sister and all their toys. We are now constantly refereeing him and Ansley, mainly. And he likes to put up a good fight, too!

His favorite birthday present.

Layne loves to eat. He definitely eats more than Ansley! He is starting to use a fork and spoon, but is still very messy with that. We love how he starts working his lips and mouth when he sees food or drinks in anticipation of them. It just cracks me up cause I can always tell when he is about to go for someones food. He is a little mooch! He doesn't fall asleep as often in the high chair, now! He still eats veggies pretty good but has gotten a lot more picky and demanding about what he wants. He weighed 24 lbs at 12 mos and is now up to around 27 lbs.. He was 30 1/2 inches long and is now 31. He has quickly grown out of 12 mos clothes and is in 18-24 mos clothes. I had been looking at Garyn's clothes from that age thinking they were so big but Layne is catching up to Garyn's size. Garyn was 25 lbs at a year and 31 inches.

We had water toys at the party. I had used this exact slip n' slide at Garyn's 1st party.

 It was all very nostalgic for me and believe it or not, unplanned!

He is finally sleeping though the night! He went through a phase a month or two ago were he was waking around 5:30! Oh, I was so tired everyday. We would try to keep him awake at night but he usually would just fall out around 8 no matter what we did. Thankfully, he has now grown out of that and is sleeping from 8:30-9 ish til 6;30ish. He naps twice most days but can do with just one. We are still having no problem putting him down. He loves his blanket and paci and will just basically let us know when he is tired. He hasn't tried to climb out of his bed yet but has gotten stuck putting his legs up on the headboard part.

He absolutely loved digging into his cake. He started throwing it everywhere!

Now for Garyn, our sweet big boy! He is still so tender hearted and wants to do everything right. School is easier for him this year as far as the teacher and schedule goes. He complains a lot less, at least! He has been doing very well, too, learning addition and subtraction. He taught himself some multiplication and shocked us all. One example was right around his birthday he asked how many months old he was since I'm always talking about Layne's age. I said well 7 years times 12 for each month in the year. Within a minute he said, "84?"  He still loves the WiiU and mostly plays Skylanders. He chose a sports theme for their birthday party because he liked watching the World Cup this summer and playing baseball. We are about to start Upward basketball for the first time. Most of all, he still loves his swords. He doesn't like to go without them for long. As soon as he gets home from school he takes a couple outside and plays as long as I'll let him!

This was the chalkboard I did for him. He has already grown since then!

Playing with his MarioKart toys from his birthday presents.

This summer he lost his first tooth and since has lost his second one. We had to pull the first one because his adult tooth was coming in behind the baby. The second fell out but also had the adult tooth already in. I say this because he never really looked like he was missing a tooth with both of the permanent teeth already in. He is getting so tall, too! He is 4' 5 1/2 " and 68 pounds (He was only 63 at his birthday). I'm gonna be looking straight at him before long. He is also getting big feet. This fall we quickly realized he could no longer wear 3's and needed 4 1/2's!

After losing his first tooth.

Garyn also loves playing board games and card games. He likes for their to be as many players as possible. This leads to him planning game nights. Some times they come to fruition and others he just schemes. He also went through a phase of watching Food Network competition shows. We did a lot of "Chopped" competitions this summer. I will never forget our summer list either. He had a lot of things he wanted to do while he was out of school so we made a list. I loved the items like Creative Discovery Museum and Coolidge Park. Things we did when he was younger and at home all the time. He is still in that phase were he loves to do fun preschool like activities but looks like a 10 year old at the same time. We are trying to get him to do some things on his own but he is always a little slow at it and needs guidance. He takes showers now on his own, finally! He is also a big help around the house and with his brother and sister. I can have him do light chores and he gets some money in exchange. He plays well with Layne, he and Ansley fight a lot. Its hard to have patience with her sometimes, even for me! We are having a lot of good life lessons with Garyn more and more. He is understanding more about how people and things work and likes to ponder on them.

Planning one of his games for us to play.

Every age has its own new discoveries, from the 1 year old to 7 year old, we are enjoying these days with them!

Month to Month: Layne is 11 months!

Sheesh.....I decided I needed to post before the end of the week when he is 1 year old!! Yikes!

(Finally in the 11th month I got his nursery bedding hung on wall)

Our biggest accomplishment this month, is total walking! He no longer crawls when he falls. He has the cutest little waddle, too! I keep saying he looks like he just got off a horse with a big beer gut. He cracks us up trying to maintain balance.

Layne is getting a little more demanding in his 11th month, as well. I am waiting for a tooth to pop out because he frequently just wants to be held and when down he wants to go where he wants. He doesn't like for me to guide him certain ways. When "expressing himself" a.k.a. pitching a fit, he does the typical limp motion as if he no longer has a backbone. And he adds whining, too. I can remember his sibilings doing the same thing, but man it seems too early for pitching fits! :)

However, he is still an easy going baby! I can tote him around to do whatever his brother and sister want to do without much complaint. He loves to play with them. I have started having to remind them (mainly Ansley) that even though he wants to play and is walking; he is still little and can't "wrestle" around with them. He also loves to play with any type of steering wheel. He goes straight for them when he eyes it, grunting and reaching the whole way. Just yesterday he figured out how to make the power wheel go while sitting on it. It scared me a bit because he was off before I knew what happened.

Layne has fallen a lot, obviously, since walking. And he had his first black eye a couple weeks ago. It was nothing serious, but I recalled both Garyn and Ansley getting their first one at that age. Another first, fourth of July fireworks. He wasn't so sure about them. He stared, leeched onto me, and fussed some but never cried. During the first ones, I had ice cream and he could've cared less he was so worried about those fireworks.

Pops in the Park fireworks

Sleeping wise, he has been waking up around 4-5 am some nights, which is another reason I think a tooth is coming. He naps around 10 and 3 or 4 for about an hour or two each. Depending on if we have to wake him to leave or if he got up really early. Wake up time can range from 6-7, so on 6 o'clock mornings, he usually sleeps a couple hours for nap. Layne will still fall asleep anywhere if tired enough. I have a couple pics displaying that...

In the stroller while playing mini golf. Guess we weren't entertaining enough

On the beach

My scale shows he is 23 lbs now. He is still wearing size 4 diapers and 12 month clothes. I am putting shoes on him more and he tolerates them ok. He can walk in them now that he has gotten used to them. The boy loves to eat whatever we are eating and eats a good portion. I usually always share with Ansley rather than ordering her a plate because she doesn't eat enough. Now, I have to take into consideration I'll be sharing with her and Layne. I am getting less and less of my own food.....hahaha.

Spaghetti boy

Layne is getting a little mischevious as well. He likes to climb on things and get into cabinets. He still loves to go up the steps and us to come behind him. He thinks its a race! And he loves the toilet and all things pertaining to it. The toilet paper, toilet brush, lid and seat are all toys to him! Why is it so fascinating to them?!

Loves swimming

His hair has gotten long and we are ready for his first haircut soon. He still has his crazy eyebrows! We get compliments on them all the time. Other than his blonde hair, he looks like daddy and Garyn still. We are wondering if he is going to have Garyn's personality. He shows some of the stranger anxiety that Garyn always had. He does better with unfamiliar people if they don't pay him attention. For instance, at church, its better for me to sit him in his room with a toy than for the nursery worker to take him and try to start talking to distract him. He looks up at people with a stare and then starts crying. Garyn used to do the same thing and as he got a little older he would shy away until he scoped out his surroundings and the people in it.

Climbing out of the pool with his paci

Layne still loves his paci and now holds onto blankets more often when he is tired.

   We just love our little scooter!

Month to Month: Layne is 10 months

For 5 more days, Layne will be 10 months. And starting just this week, he has taken many steps on his own. In the back of my head, I wonder how I can keep him a baby for just a little bit longer. The excitement of walking is so fun, though. I would dare say its the biggest milestone for them. Everyone of our children has started walking before their first birthday. We "practice" with them as soon as they start pulling up. Let me rephrase, Nana practices with them. :) Its been cute to see Ansley and Garyn practicing and helping him. He loves to hold your hands and walk around.

I love this constant smiles and giggles age. He is still a little rolly polly, too. When we are holding him, he always wants to climb you and wiggle. He also wants to direct where you go; reaching for things while you are holding him. He loves to be tickled, thinks his siblings are hilarious and likes for his mommy and daddy to come into the room. We also get lots of loving from him when we pick him up after first seeing him from being gone. Those little neck nuzzles just make my day!

Layne is consistently taking a morning and afternoon nap. He has still been waking us up by 7 am so he gets tired by 9:30ish and naps for maybe an hour. Then after lunch around 1 or 2, he naps for longer. Whats great though, the naps can easily change depending on our day. He never protests and just sleeps wherever he can if tired. As you know already!

Layne has started eating table food well. He loves most veggies that are cooked plain. He does well with really tender meat and soft fruits. After scarfing down a mixture of those, he will still eat a jar of baby food! I have also been giving him cow's milk in a sippy. He will drink a couple ounces when I do. Then he still nurses 3 times a day; morning, afternoon, and night.

Size wise, he was 22 lbs 14 oz at his last doctor's appt. ( He had croup like cough recently) He has grown into some of Garyn's old clothes better that were too big in the late spring. His hair is getting so long lately. The heat makes it a sweaty mess but also brings out some curls. His fourth tooth is completely in now, so he has two top and two bottom. He is starting to play bite. He bit Garyn one day on his arm and I catch him all the time about to bite me. Its hard to scold him, and I'm not sure he understands even, but we are having to say a firm no and pull him away. My other two never had this many teeth at a young age so its new to me.

While I do think he is a lot like Garyn in his calm laid back attitude, I also think he is going to be a little more michevious. He loves to crawl up the steps when we happened to forget the gate. When we go to get him he starts going faster and laughing as we come behind him. He also is a dare devil about climbing on toys. He stands on the seat of ride-ons and climbs into the wagon. Those are the parts that remind me of Ansley. Guess, he's a mix of all of us.

We just love our little scooter (his new nickname) and can't believe he is growing into a toddler before I can blink!

What a difference 10 months make!

Month to month: Layne is 9 months!

We are officially 10 months now but lets just pretend he is just 9 months still....one less month closer to a year!

Layne is having more and more of a personality here lately. Still a happy boy until he encounters someone he doesn't know or has something taken from him. He will play on his own well but tends to get into things he shouldn't. For instance, he loves to try to climb the steps; he loves the bathroom and all things around the toilet; and he likes the broom and mop. Of course, its the end of the world when I stop him from doing these things. The bucking and screaming have begun. As well, he notices whether or not he knows someone and if we walk off he tends to cry for us.

He also wants to eat everything he sees and gets impatient now when it isn't coming fast enough. He still isn't too keen on peaches or sweet peas. I attempt things they are mixed in and he still notices. Otherwise, he likes anything. We have been giving him mashed potatoes, green beans, banana, and lots of bread-type foods. He is also nursing less often. He can go about 5 hours now in between.

Sleeping wise, we are officially sleeping through the night!! Whoop Whoop! I didn't really have to break him of it either. He did it some on his own and then a couple of times I had to not go in when he stirred. During the day, though, he has gotten a little worse about napping. If he is sleepy enough, he will fall asleep anywhere. But if he snoozed some in the car and woke up too early; he won't go down for a nap easily. I used to could lay him down easily but now he wakes up quickly and won't go back to sleep. So I have been working on a system so to speak so that when I work I can get a nap.

His third tooth has popped through on the top left. Another reason he hasn't been sleeping well during the day, I think. The one next to it is visible but not through. He is getting long hair. We are contemplating cutting the top that gets in his eyes. The cow lick is still there causing it to lay funny. His hair is definitely getting blonder. Daddy has lost out again on the black hair. Otherwise, daddy gave him everything else!

Two other milestones we had this month were going to the beach for the first time and his baby dedication at church. Layne was our third baby to be dedicated at Red Bank Baptist and they are always a special day for us to commit to be a Christian influence on him. We know God blessed us with him and his siblings so that's the least we can do in return. The beach was a special time, too, with family. Layne seemed to like the beach so hopefully he will like Ansley does.

Layne weighed 21.5 lbs and was 29 inches long. Still growing great but has definitely fallen behind Garyn in weight. Garyn was 24 lbs! I am amazed at how big he was and we didn't even realize it. Layne is wearing 9-12 mos clothes and size 4 diapers.

Words/noises Layne has started to say: Uh-oh and Ba-Ba. Still randomly says mama and dada. Now, none of these words are said as words or even at appropriate times. We are trying to get him to wave but he hasn't yet. He loves to clap though!

Well, maybe I can get month 10 posted before its over. I just love this little guy and can't believe how big he has gotten!

Ansley's 3!!

Our baby girl is now 3!

 April 25th of 2011 was a wonderful day for our family. We gained a sweet girl with lots of character and spunk. She is a beauty, too, if you ask me. Smiles constantly; brightening up any one's day!

Just born :)

Being the princess, she wanted to have a Disney princess birthday party, of course. We invited family and friends to the park and had a celebration! Ansley loves all things girly right now. She likes to grab a bag and fill it up with all her "stuff" as her purse. She wants to dress up in dresses/skirts and high heels or "slippers" as she calls them. While she is usually constantly moving around, she will sit still for you to paint her toe and finger nails, which she wants to do daily.

Her with Princess Rapunzel in Disney World

Wearing her Princess Sophia dress in Disney

Her daily goal is focusing on acting like a momma! She still plays with her babies, toting them around with her purse and their gear. She also has acquired some imaginary kids that she scolds and takes to the bathroom frequently. Their names are always some of her favorite friends. Usually though, its Brenna, Brinkley, Emma or Bryson. I hear her telling them the same things I say to her. And of course she wants to treat Layne like her baby. She picks him up; moves him away from things; wants to feed him; and such. Then she tries to scold Garyn some. He hates it and always tells her she's not the momma! Which she quickly and most assuredly replies "Yes, I am!" Always cracks me up!

The real Brenna

Trying to wrap up Layne with his blanket.

Ansley has faced some major hurdles in the last few months and has jumped over them much better than I expected! She is now pretty well potty trained. We started back in the fall and just hit a stand still until I spent a few days at home with no pull-ups and a lot of bribery! She still has accidents that come in spurts when she just doesn't want to stop playing to go potty. At night and nap she wears a pull-up so we haven't jumped that hurdle yet. However, most of the time she goes to the potty and stays dry! When we moved in January, she started sleeping in a twin bed. I was very worried about her getting out of bed constantly and the fact that her room is right at the top of steps. However, she didn't sneak out nearly as much as I remembered Garyn had. She stayed in her room at bedtime, crying some for us, but that was typical even in her baby bed. In the early morning is when she would come out and get in our bed. I sometimes would take her back and others wouldn't wake up enough to do it. Occasionally, she will still do this, but its more rare now.

First night in twin bed (with brother's old sheet, too)

She likes to sleep with Garyn on the weekends (notice the paci again...)

And the last hurdle was the PACI! The paci fairy came to visit her the night of her birthday and left her a new Princess Sophia blanket. Ansley has done really well considering what we were expecting! She loved her paci and had to have it at nap and bedtime to go to sleep. Plus, she would want it other times throughout the day but normally I wouldn't let her have it. The first week or two without it she did cry a lot at nap and bedtime but wouldn't continuously say she wanted her paci. She might would say it once and then the rest of the time she would just whine or ask for us to lay down with her. I have been pleased with the fact that she still naps. Like I said, she cries/fusses more when we leave the room but she does eventually go to sleep without us or her paci!

On the way home from beach, last road trip with paci!

Other quirky things-

• She loves to do puzzles now, and can complete a 48 pc by herself!
• She swallowed a Barbie shoe and successfully passed it :)
• Everything happens on Saturday, according to Ansley.
• She calls Garyn "brother" and Layne "baby brother" sometimes saying it with a "d" in place of "th"
• She sings Old McDonald with a "E-I-E-I- NO "
• She rides a tricycle well, like the second time she got on it she pedaled on her own
• She has only had one haircut so far and it was just a trim
• She is doing gymnastics still and loves it!
• She likes to ask a million questions about every stranger we see!
  
  
  
  
  Doing puzzles.

Ansley is now 32 lbs and 38" wearing 3T clothes. She can still wear some 2T because of her waist and shoulder width but those are usually shorts or long dress/shirts. She has just started wearing a size 9 in shoes and has as many shoes as me, I think! Although she still favors Tyler and the boys, she looks like me more so than her brothers. Her eyes have started looking green but still look blue depending on what she wears. This is also like mine. 

She wanted to see what her makeup looked like in the picture.

She and daddy

Garyn, Ansley and I 

We love our cute little 3 year old and all her spunk. She is constantly surprises us with her attitude and wit!

I know she will grow up to be a strong, beautiful woman!