Back on Track

It has taken 2 weeks, but I am finally caught up! Birthdays and Milestones have gotten me behind, but now we are back on track. If you are just now checking in, make sure you go all the way back to the end of April to see all that has been updated.

Addy @ Five Months

Addy Kay, you are five months old!

You are officially crawling and sitting up!

You wear a white edge prefold and medium covers. You wear a size 3 disposable at night because I cannot find anything that you will not leak through! (suggestions,  please?) You mainly wear size 6-9 month clothes, some 3-6 month and some 12 month, basically whatever is clean and will fit! Your size two shoes are almost too small. 

According to the bathroom scales you weigh around 17 pounds. You are still sleeping in your crib, but not as well. I think you are getting a tooth and want to nurse for comfort but we may try cereal soon. You are supposed to take a nap when your brothers do school, but so far you have different plans. I hope it is just the tooth disrupting your schedule, because you used to be a great sleeper. 

You laugh out loud a lot. You love to try and eat paper, you like to sit in your high chair and chew on a spoon during meals. You are not a fan of the bottle. You will take a bottle, but continue to cry and insist on nursing when you are through so it is not really worth it. You hum to yourself when you are sleepy and nursing. You chew on your toes and anything you can get in your mouth. When you get really excited you open your mouth wide and crinkle your nose! You are pretty good at playing in the floor and entertaining yourself, but if I walk by, you remember I am not holding you and you cry while crawling after me. You like to be held from 7:00 pm until bedtime, no one else can substitute, it has to be Mommy. I enjoy holding you on my hip as we finish our night time routine, but you are starting to get really heavy! You are such a blessing and we love you so much!

One o'clo-o-o-ck and all is well!

Okay, so it is one o'clock and all IS well, I'm just very behind on our blogging. But today we finally got back on track! We started school and I feel "back to normal" so maybe now I can devote some time to getting caught up. I'm going to be posting a lot about the past few months, I'm sure this is old news to most, but this is my journal/baby book/scrapbook and I don't want to leave anything out. Please be patient with me while I get caught up! :)

First Day of School

My Mom always took pictures of me on my first day of school, so why not carry on the tradition? The plan is to start the first full week after Austen's birthday, but we were a week behind this year. By starting our school in July, we miss out on all the really hot weather, and get out in April for the really nice weather.

Ava

Ava takes her nap during school, but of course Sissy was going to have her picture made too!

Aiden-2nd grade

Can't you tell he is super excited about U.S. History? Actually he was very excited, but he would never want anyone to know!

Austen- Pre-K 

Now that's the kind of enthusiasm I like to see, or is that fear?

2011-2012 Class of Mashburn University ;-)

  Enough with the photo shoot, now let's get to work!

Sweet Dreams

The day of Bryan's party, we spent the whole day with him. Errands, movies, lunch, grocery store, home, hair cuts, then back to Nanny's that night. We were all sooo tired.

This boy just couldn't make it anymore! That night, we walked in the door, took off of our shoes and were headed to the boys' room. Aus only made it to the kitchen and found the softest spot he could to land on.

Poor boy, wish I could sleep that sound. Sweet dreams!

Basic Training

Nanny invited the Burks' family over for taco salad and cake to celebrate Bryan's 19th birthday and send him off with our best wishes for Basic Training.

YOU ARE SPECIAL BRYAN!

Especially with your tuxedo tee!

He really enjoyed posing for these pics!

Wait! We missed you blowing out the candles, re-light them, take two!

This picture is so funny to me, they use the same hair dresser and apparently she can only do one hair style! Quick, someone get that girl a bow!

So Bryan left the next morning for Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It will be another long 16 weeks before we see him again. Hopefully he will make it home by Thanksgiving! If you read this Bryan, we love you, miss you and are so proud of you!

Austen @ Four Years

Austen Lee, you are four years old!

Birthday Boy

Wow, it seems like just yesterday we were holding you in the hospital and now you are 4! You are a BIG boy! I can no longer refer to you as a "little." You weigh 39 pounds and are 44 inches tall. You wear size 5 clothes and are in a size 11 shoe.

2 years

You are always too busy for pictures, so most of them are of the top of your head or a sideways glance or are just blurry!

3 years

You are our "ham." You love to cuddle, rub ears, and just be rocked. We love it when you are sleepy and say, "can somebody just please rock me?" Before we know it you will be too big for these moments.

You love being a big brother. You spend most of your time playing with Aiden, but you also like to play with your sisters. You never want anyone to be in trouble, and you have been known to take the blame even when innocent to keep others out of trouble. You are very sensitive to everyone's needs and work hard at trying to cheer up your family members if they are sad.

Your new movie

You are your father's child, you love the outdoors, you are very mechanically minded. You are a very happy boy, you hardly ever cry unless your feelings are hurt. When you get physically hurt or are sick, you don't complain you just keep on going.

You smile all of the time, at other people, at books, toys and just to be smiling. You are so loving  and cuddly. You favorite book is Farmer Will. You love to play with cars. You will be doing "school" this year with your brother and you seem genuinely excited about it.

We can't imagine how dull our lives would be without you! Happy 4th Birthday to our baby boy! We love you Austen Lee!

Sweet

A sweet girl...

 

trying a taste of her first sweet treat...

 

from her sweet big brother...

who very sweetly rocked her to sleep...

SWEET

Mobile

Not crawling just yet, but Addy can definitely get around!

She got herself stuck under our bed, she didn't seem to mind too much!

She is getting up on all fours but can't seem to figure out how to crawl, but she can scoot backward and "army crawl" just about anywhere she wants to go.

So proud of herself!

First Hair Cut

I warned you, we just couldn't take the comments anymore!

Look at all of that long hair!

Before

Aus had a similar hair-do and it never fell out completely. He was still sporting a mo-hawk at 11 months when he got his first hair cut. Might could pass for cute on a boy, but not so much on a little girl!

The after. 

All I did was thin it out really good, I left it thicker in the back because I couldn't make her completely bald. Now I have decided she looks like Charlie Brown! Oh well, it will grow back, hopefully?

Momma ran for a bow as soon as we were finished, it really did change her looks. I cried a little, but now we are glad we did it. I am sure she will thank us one day when looking back at her baby pictures!

The Boys' Party

Aiden and Austen's birthdays are 10 days apart, we split the difference and have a family party on the Fourth of July. They still think the fireworks at the end of the day are just for them!

Addy provided the entertainment, she was so funny jumping around!

Two peas in a pod, they both like to talk to their food.

Daddy fired up the grill and we had Nanny, Papa, Nana, Poppa Kenneth and Mimi over for lunch, cake and homemade ice cream. YUM! Poppa Gary couldn't make it because he had to work. But we met up with him later for fireworks.

Aiden and Poppa Kenneth, I am sure they discussing a hunting/fishing story.

The weather was actually not too hot, we started around 11:00.

Since we were on the porch, we put the ice chest under her feet so she could touch. She would walk to the edge and hold on with her little monkey toes. It was pretty comical.

The boys holding up their new shirts Mimi made for them.

The boys were very excited, (obvious by the looks on their faces) they received clothes, books, fishing poles and of course toys!

The dragon cake. 

Nana gave me the instructions on how to fix this, it turned out pretty cute. I told if it did not turn out well, it would be all of her fault ;-) Next time I will do things a little differently. I am by no means a cake decorator, and have no desire to be one, in fact this was my first attempt. Talk about stressful!

My brave knights! 

I know swords, shields, helmets, bad idea!?! So far no bloody noses or broken bones. These swords are used to reenact Chronicles of Narnia on a daily basis. This was a gift from Nana, not Momma and Daddy. We opted for a safer gift, bikes! We had a great day with family and enjoyed celebrating our boys!

Hanging Out

I picked this thing up at a yard sale before Addy was born. I thought it would be a life saver during school. We tried it out on the back porch...

and she LOVED IT!

She tends to lean to one side and get stuck! Then she gets distracted and starts trying to eat it!

Her thinning hair blowing in the wind! We love this baby girl so much!

Bryan's Graduation

Bryan attended a Youth Challenge program that lasted for 22 weeks. This program was designed for at risk teens, who might need a little help getting their GED. Some kids are court ordered, others go voluntarily. Bryan was in the middle of his Senior year when he realized he was not going to be able to graduate in May. He thought this program would help him in reaching his goal of getting his GED. It was similar to a boot camp program, pretty rough, but he excelled at the program! We attended his graduation and we were so proud of his accomplishments!

Out of 200 kids, Bryan received the Outstanding Cadet Award, or Best Overall, not sure of the exact title, but he was the BEST! He didn't know and we were surprised too!

He gave an awesome speech, I am pretty sure that guy is wiping tears, I know I was! (A little background info, six weeks into the program, right before Addy was born, Bryan's mom passed away. He could have quit, no one would have been mad, but he was home for three days and went back. He could only write to us and he could make 2 minute phone calls once a week. We grieved with him and for him. We know his Momma would be so proud.) Of course he discussed all of this in his speech, (hints all of the crying!)

The Most Outstanding Cadet

(at least in my book)

Bryan did so well, they talked him into joining the Guard. I'm not so thrilled about that, only because we will miss him a lot, but I know he will do well. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Aiden @ Seven Years

Aiden Thomas, you are seven years old!

Birthday Boy

It is very hard for Momma to write this post, so hard I have been procrastinating for a while! We cannot believe you are seven! It seems like just yesterday you were Addy's age and now you are so big! You weigh 49 pounds, for months now you have been trying to make it to fifty! You are 49 inches tall. You are in size 7 clothes, all of your pants have to have an adjustable waist and you wear a size 13 shoe.

 5 years

You are very loving, although you don't like anyone to know. You think you are getting too big for hugs and kisses from Momma. Every now and then, I will be busy in the kitchen and for a brief moment I will feel your arms around my waist, by the time I hug back, you are done and back to being a big boy. These moments are becoming more infrequent but I sure do enjoy them while I have them.

 6 years

You are my BIG helper. Most days I would not make it without you! Four years ago you became a big brother and you have always taken your job very seriously. You look after your siblings' best interest all the time, and most of the time put their needs before your own. I know you will make an excellent father one day. You help out wherever I need you, and don't complain even if it is a "girl's job." You  like to teach your siblings how to help out too. You are very patient and kind to them. Your favorite subjects in school are reading, science and you love drawing. You are about to start second grade and it amazes me how much you have already learned.

7 years

You are your mother's child, you like things clean, neat and in order. You have shown these characteristics from a very young age. You can be a little bossy, but for the most part your advice is accurate and welcome. You tend to be shy, but once you get warmed up, watch out! You enjoy Bible time and are very knowledgeable when it comes to Bible stories. We are so proud of the boy you are and look forward to watching you grow into a young man (just please take your time). We love you more than you will ever know! Happy Birthday to our oldest son! WE LOVE YOU AIDEN!

Chattering Children-Aiden

We were out to eat and a mom and kids struck up a conversation with us. They asked all of the kids' names and picked up on the theme pretty quickly. The girl said, "Hey, they are kinda like the Duggars' except they use an 'A' instead of a 'J'.

We enjoyed a nice talk and they were called to their table.

Aiden: Mom, do they know the Duggars?

Me: Honey, I'm sure they don't know them they have just heard of them.

Aiden: Oh, so they don't know them like we do, they just watch them on T.V.?

Me: Aiden, we don't know them either we just watch them.

Aiden: But Mom, we KNOW them, we hung out with them that one time!

In his defense, we did see them at a campaign rally in Little Rock, but by no means, do we know them. Shows how much reality TV does for kids, now they have a whole new set of friends!

Later he was trying to describe the incident to Daddy. He described the boy with the family as "a boy that had a tattoo like Nana's." I asked him what did you say? He repeated, "you know the boy had a tattoo like Nana's." 

Me: Aiden, your Nana does not have a tattoo and I can assure you a 8 year old boy does not have one either.

Aiden: Yes, she does.

Me: Aiden, no she does not.

Aiden: Yes she does, you know that kind that is in her coloring books.

Me: Oh, you mean temporary tattoos! You need to be careful how you say things, it sounded like you were saying Nana had a real tattoo.

Aiden: Okay, next time I will say, the boy who has a tattoo like Nana has.

Chattering Children-Austen

We were eating lunch and Austen announced he was the only smart boy in the house. Of course this sparked a curious conversation:

Austen: I am the only smart boy in this house.

Aiden: Really? If you are so smart, what is 2+2?

Austen: 4

Aiden: Okay then, what is 10+10?

Austen:4

Aiden: NOOOO, it's 20. Because 5+5=10, so 10+10=20....(add lots of rambling comments and mathematical equations)

Austen: Okay, Bub you just need to be quiet cuz your making my head hurt. Fine, you can be a smart boy too!

Chattering Children-Ava

Random cute things Ava is saying:

hobby bobby=Hobby Lobby

monk=milk

raisin friend=Raisin Bran

baby tail=pony tail

happy monk=Happy Meal

bank it=blanket

paciturn=pacifier

bumblebeefs=bumblebees

rock-a-moni=macaroni

singers=fingers

We are working hard on potty training, but she is stubborn. We have explained big girls use the potty, and babies wear diapers. The other day she followed me to the bathroom.

Ava: Momma, you pee-pee on the potty?

Me: Yes, Ava I did.

Ava: Oh, Momma, you such a big girl (clapping) yea, yea, I so proud of you!

Addy @ Four Months

Addy Kay, you are four months old!

You are wearing white edge pre-folds and medium covers. You wear some 3-6 month clothes and some 6-9 month. You are still wearing a size two shoe. Your hair is getting thinner by the day, but is still very long in the back. I get very offended when people refer to your mullet. A hair cut may be in your near future.

You smile a lot, especially at your big brothers.

You can get up on your hands and knees and rock but you haven't quite figured out how to crawl. You love to kick your legs and when you are in the floor it looks like you are trying to swim.

This week we took you in for a doctor's appointment. You weighed 15 pounds and 2 ounces and were 24 inches long, maybe longer but you would not be still!

You helped Momma and Daddy celebrate their anniversary by going out to lunch with us. You helped Daddy celebrate his first Father's Day as a Daddy to four.

You are still sleeping through the night and prefer to sleep in your crib. Every night you get very fussy until you eat and are put in your bed. We jokingly say you turn into a pumpkin every night at 8:00.

We debated for four months on what to do about your immunizations. In the past we have always vaccinated, but we got behind with Ava's shots. She was due for shots in December of 2009, and our area had a major outbreak of the swine flu and the doc advised us to skip shots until the spring. That spring Ava had her febrile seizure and we decided not to get her caught up in case she ran fever with her shots. We did lots of research and decided we were not going to vaccinate. So you only received a Vitamin K shot at birth because you came so fast and had lots of bruising. But after four months, much debate and lots of prayers, we decided it would be better to vaccinate you and your sister to prevent you from getting an illness that would cause a febrile seizure as opposed to the low risk of running fever with shots. We are being picky about which shots we get, some are just not necessary. This week we took both of you in to get caught up and it was no fun. I pre-medicated both of you with Tylenol and gave it around the clock (alternating with Motrin for Ava) for the next 48 hours. Your stomach was not right from the medicine but other than that you handled them much better than your big sis. Next month you will be completely caught up.

You are so happy and loving, but are definitely a Momma's girl. I am enjoying every minute because I know it will go by too fast. We love you Addy!