Halloween 2013

This year was fun!  We don't currently have a front door, so there was a nice excuse to take the evening and spend it trick-or-treating with the kids.  I felt a bit guilty not handing candy out this year, but it was fun to all go out as a family.  Usually Johnny and I take turns with the kids, so this was a nice treat.

Shaylah wore a costume made by my grandma is the early 80's.  My mom kept everything from when I was a kid, and this is one of the things I am glad that I still have.  It was so awesome and Shaylah was just as excited as I was.

Shaylah the clown.

 

This is the first year in Ashlyn's life that she hasn't wanted to be a princess.  This is just another sign that my kids are getting too big!

Ashlyn the hippie flower child.

Caelan was not only a pirate, but a ninja pirate.  He has some pretty good ninja moves, so watch out if you ever see him in a back alley somewhere.  Definitely run the other way!  :)

 

Micah was my sweet little pumpkin.  He only trick-or-treated at 2 houses this year, but he thought it was pretty fun.  He is almost impossible to take a picture of these days because he doesn't sit still for a second.  I should have dressed him up as a monkey!!  Notice my little helpers in the background trying to hold him in place for me.

 

Caelan's, Shaylah's and Ashlyn's pumpkins.

 



The tooth Fairy makes another visit

Caelan lost 2 teeth this month, about 2 weeks apart.  His teeth have been "wiggly" for quite a while, but he was reluctant to "help" them fall out.  Thankfully, the first one fell out while brushing his teeth one night and the second one soon followed.  Here is his new look!

First tooth - Spetember 18, 2013.

Second tooth - October 4, 2013

Congratulations buddy!

Pumpkin Patch

We decided to try a new pumpkin patch this year and I am glad we did.  We always go to the Laity patch in Maple Ridge, but this year we went to Richmond instead.  It is pricier, but it is closer to home and so great!

We were serenaded by a lovely lady on our hay ride to the patch.

Trying to get all four kids in a picture is almost impossible.  This was my best shot!

Loving the shoulder ride.

"This pumpkin is heavy!"

Pretty in pink.  Love her joyfulness.

 

"I found the perfect pumpkin!"

My little pumpkin. 

First haircut

I finally gave his to his long locks and got his hair cut.  I miss his long hair already!

BEFORE

 

Starting the cut

 

Almost done!

Finished product.  Just as this Mama expected (and was trying to avoid)...He looks so grown-up!

14 months

Micah is 14 months old!  He is definitely in the toddler stage and has me running.  I can no longer sit down and watch him play.  We are on the move constantly, but I love it.

We have been doing some sleep training this month and it has been so successful.  A month ago, I had him in our bed and was still feeding him through the night every 1-2 hours.  It was exhausting.  He is now officially sleeping in his own bed and has slept 10 hours straight for 2 nights in a row.  Oh wow, I never thought we would get here.  I realized very quickly that his problem was attachment.  I now know that if I stay and pat his back until he falls asleep, he feels loved and is not afraid to be in his own bed.  It only took him about 4 nights to start sleeping a good chunk of time.  I slept on the floor beside him and comforted him each time he woke up, but he fell back asleep pretty quickly once he realized I wasn't taking him to my room or feeding him.  We are now all sleeping much better!

 

His language is quite a bit slower to develop than I thought it would be.  We are stuck at only a few words, but I am thankful to say that one of those words is finally "Mama"!  I love hearing that.

He continues to be such an easy-going baby.  He loves to play hide-and-seek, he loves playing at the playground with the big kids (especially digging in the dirt), he is obsessed with eating grapes and he has the best giggle.  We all love him so much!

A day to celebrate

Their birthday was actually on August 29th, so this is really late.  Sorry my little ones!  The twins turned 6 this year and they have come so far in this world.  It is hard for me to look back at the day they were born.  It was such a traumatic day for me and is a day that took a long time for me to recover from and learn to celebrate.  They were not healthy, fat babies when they were born.  They were very sick and almost didn't make it.  The fact that they are healthy and thriving today is such a miracle and we are so grateful it turned out the way it did.  I can finally say that August 29th is a day of great happiness when I get to celebrate these amazing children!

(Ashlyn on her birthday - 2 pounds, 1 ounce)

 

(Caelan on his birthday - 2 pounds, 2 ounces)

 

We had a home party this year and I actually made the cakes (first time for me!).  Caelan's was double chocolate and Ashlyn chose my grandmother's famous white cake with lemon filling and coconut icing.  Mmmm.

 

 

They played games, had a pinata and danced with their friends.  It was quite fun.  We always do "no present" birthdays, but there is always one person who doesn't think we are serious and brings a gift anyway.  The kids LOVE it when that happens.  :)

 



 

Here is an update on each of the kids.

 

 

Caelan:  All he wanted for his birthday was Lego Chima and a wallet.  He got both of those and he was quite happy.  Caelan wants to be a police officer when he grows up so that he can help people.  He enjoys crafts, playing the piano and has become quite a good reader in the past few months.  He is sweet and kind and I am always told how polite he is when he is out in the community.  Caelan loves to talk and he is the first kid up every morning...just so he can talk to Daddy before he goes to work.  Caelan plays soccer, but it is not his favorite sport.  He has a lot of anxiety when he is asked to perform in a group setting and playing on a team highlights this for him.  He much prefers doing activities that are one-to-one.

 

 

Ashlyn:  All she wanted for her birthday was to get her ears pierced.  She was so brave that she didn't even make a sound when she got it done!  Ashlyn wants to be a zoo keeper when she is older.  She is practicing by collecting as many stuffed animals as she can fit on her bed.  It is amazing that she still has room to sleep.  Ashlyn is more out-going than her brother and she is the one that makes friends easily at school.  She is a bit of a perfectionist and won't try new things unless she knows she can do it already, so it is hard to convince her to explore new things.  She has a natural talent for playing the piano and I hope she keeps at it.  After watching from the sidelines for the past 2 years, she decided she wanted to play soccer this year and she is loving it so far.  She is often goofy, she giggles a lot and she loves to dance and swim.

 

 

These are two amazing kids and we love them so much!

  



 





13 months old

Our little man is 13 and a half months old now.  He has changed a lot in the past month and has moved past the baby stage (so sad for his Mama!).  He walks everywhere now and is getting much more confident on his feet.  I love watching new walkers figure things out...it is so cute!  He is quite the climber too.  Micah has learned how to climb the ladder up onto his big sister's loft bed already.  He is fast at it too. 

On a recent camping trip, Micah discovered how much fun it was to sleep with his Mommy and Daddy.  Since then, he has decided that he would like to sleep with us permanently.  Oh boy!  He will sleep in his own bed until about 1am and then he is in bed with us the rest of the night.  I have taken the path of least resistance, against my own better judgement, but it is working for now.  I keep saying that I will put Shaylah in our bed for a few nights while I try to break this habit, but it hasn't happened yet.  We will see.  He does sleep well once he is with us though.  :)

Micah has recently gained 4 new molars, for a total of 12 teeth.  I will be so glad once teething is finished.  Micah's eye has finally healed, after many months of drops and check-ups.  We are still putting drops in once a day, but the eye doctor is happy with the healing and does not think there will be any long term damage.  So thankful!

Micah was recently weighed at the doctor's office at 20 pounds.  I was surprised at how small he is, considering that he is quite tall for his age.  His height continues to be above the 90th percentile, while his weight is between the 10th-25th percentile.  His doctor assures me he is growing well though, so not to worry.  He currently wears size 18 month clothes, size 4 shoes and size 4 diapers.  He desperately needs a haircut, but this Mama is putting it off as long as possible.  Babies always look so old after their first haircut and I am in total denial that he is growing up.

Micah loves soccer balls, remote control cars, shape sorters and bath time.  He does not love being put his car seat, being without his Mommy and sleeping in his own bed.  He loves to eat noodles, fruit and cheese.  He will not eat meat.  He continues to be so easy going and full of joy and we love him so much!