Happy Birthday Amber

I just can't believe that my firstborn is already five. It makes me feel old. She is growing so fast and is too smart for her own good. I swear that she is more like a 15-16 year old an a 5 year old. She keeps me on my toes, that's for sure. She really is a great helper around the house and keeps me laughing. She has a big chunk of my heart. I love you Amber. Happy Birthday, babes.

Here is a picture from every month this last year. The first is from her birthday last year and the last is from about 2 weeks ago. It is so fun to see her grow right in front of our eyes. It's amazing how much she has grown and changed in just a year. Enjoy.

Looking back

Lately I have been looking at my three little people and am almost stunned how fast they are growing. It doesn't seem at all possible that Amber is almost five. I was looking at pictures with her the other day during nap time of her when she was a newborn. Wasn't it just yesterday!? Then we looked at some of Elle as well.

Shortly after that Nathan woke up from his nap and I looked at him and couldn't believe how big he looked (probably because we had just looked at tiny baby pictures). Wasn't he supposed to be my baby still? After looking at him, he really isn't really a baby anymore, he is growing up too. It got me thinking about him as a newborn and all the months till now and how it just was all too fast.

Then I came back to the present and looked around and decided I need to stop trying to live in the past and enjoy the present. It seems like I have been spending too much time lately either thinking about the past or wishing time away. When I sat and thought about all the time during the week I am just hoping for it to be this day or this time so we can do whatever it is kinda sad. I am wishing time away and then looking back wishing I could have it back. Does that make sense? Anyway I am really going to try and work on enjoying the present and making fun memories instead of wishing time away or trying to go back in time. My kids will keep growing regardless of what frame of mind I am in. It already seems to be going too fast and so I better make the memories now so I can look back on them someday when they are all grown up and think of all the fun things we did. Here is to hoping time slows down and that I can enjoy all of it. Here are some pictures of the little people that I so love and adore.

Dress up fun

Jazz hands

Nathan hard at work

Amber and her little friend Jagger at Creative Minds

Nathan's new favorite pass time

Big girl in papa's hat

tummy craves and camera fun

This morning I walked in on Elle sitting on the bar stool grunting and growling. I couldn't see what she was doing from my angle so I ask her what she is doing. She shows me her candy that she is working very hard at getting opened, which explains all the grunting and growling. I told her that we aren't having candy right now and to put it down so we can have it after lunch. Then she tells me, "But my tummy wants this." I couldn't help myself, I busted up laughing. She didn't want it—her tummy did. I think I am going to use that excuse when I want some goodie or treat that I really shouldn't eat. I will just have to eat it because it is what my tummy wants.

If you look close you can see the corner where she was nibbling away.

Here are a couple of pictures that I took of Elle the other day because she wanted her picture taken. I didn't ask for poses this is just what she wanted to do one right after the other.

Amber has been interested in taking pictures with the camera. The other day during nap time (she doesn't nap anymore) she was taking lots and lots of pictures of anything and everything. Toward the end of her picture taking she decided to try and take some of herself. Here is what she got.

This one cracked me up.

Nathan 1st Birthday

I just can't believe that my baby boy is already 1. This year has come and gone way too fast. I am not ready for him to be so big. Here are a few of the things he is doing right now.

• he waves goodbye
• blows kisses
• gives open mouth kisses
• crawls speedy fast
• gets into everything
• says: papa, mama, cracker, this
• loves to find his sisters and get into their stuff
• loves to eat shoes
• walk along things and walks with chairs or whatever he can
• follows me everywhere and whines at my leg until I pick him up
• claps
• screeches loud when he wants something (we are trying to break him of this)
• climbs on whatever he can

He is definitely a lot busier than either of the girls were at his age. He is like a tornado of destruction some days, and it always surprises me how quickly he can do it. He doesn't sit around and enjoy the mess that he has created but moves on to cause more. We sure do love him though. Here is a picture for every month (except the first two are from the day he was born and the last two are from today).

Snow

On Monday it snowed a couple of inches here. It was a bit of a surprise and since we don't get snow that often we all bundled up in what we had to go play in it.

Amber and Elle dressed and ready to go play.

Happy sisters playing in the snow.

Amber

Elle showing me the snow.

Nathan really didn't know what to do except sit there. He wasn't too excited about his first snow. I think he didn't know what to do with the mittens on his hands. He did try to taste it a few minutes later. To see his reaction check out the video below.