All about Blade!

Our sweet Blade turned THREE at the end of October! This boy (for the most part) is at such a fun age. His vocabulary is huge and his perception of the world at this age is adorable...yet trying at times.  He's "big nuff" to do it all and has no idea he's the youngest of the bunch. To think that the quads were this age when he was born is insane. I felt like we had a decent age gap between the four and Blade but now, sometimes I look at Blade and can't imagine having FOUR his age and about to welcome a fifth...he's just a baby himself!

The summer and fall brought some big things for our little guy. You probably remember the quads' beaming with pride when they encouraged and successfully coached Blade in climbing out of his crib a while back. We ended up dropping his mattress to the floor after that and finally transitioned him to an actual toddler bed when his siblings got their new beds over the summer.

Another huge success was....POTTY TRAINING! I did the three day method with Blade, just like we did with the quads and he was a total rock star. Having just one toddler to train, we altered our approach a bit this time. We didn't quite put our entire lives on hold like we did last time (who can with four other kids?) and we didn't feel the need to tarp the entire house like before! A potty, a sticker chart and some skittles was all he needed and before we knew it, we were diaper free and never looked back. Like his siblings, Blade didn't night train at the same time, but did on his own within a few months.

The girls were sick at the time, but here are all three boys enjoying some bowling at a friend's birthday party...

Blade's three year stats:

Weight: 33lbs (70th percentile)

Height: 40 inches (95th percentile)

He passed his hearing and vision with flying colors and is one healthy little dude, which we won't take for granted ;)

Another first for our lil dude was the movie theatre! We saw Inside Out... it was the best nap he ever did have ;)

To celebrate his big number 3, we rented several bounce house/obstacle course things and invited friends over to play. He still LOVES "Mouse" (not Mickey Mouse, it's just "Mouse") and so that's the theme we went with. He loved seeing all the balloons, piñata and party loot just for him!

Some of Blade's favorite things:
-His little pink blankets (yes) also known as his "mimis". He is attached and can't be without one at all times.
-He eats just about anything...with the exception of tomatoes.
-Like his siblings, he loves rain boots, being outside, anything that goes and playing in the creek.
-Like mentioned above, Mouse. The dude would watch Mickey Mouse 24/7 if I allowed him.
-He has a slight obsession with smelling things (like his blankets, for example) and he encourages others to use their sense of smell as well. He is constantly asking people to "nose it" when he wants them to smell something.

At three, I'm thankful he's still a faithful napper. Due to the quads being in school, he's up by 7am and takes a 2 hour nap or so after lunch and goes back down around 7pm. I'm SO thankful God gave me some good sleepers :)

Blade and Korbin

Love this sweet boy!

Now if time could just slow down a bit, that would be great!

Christmas Tree Farm {2014}

We went back to the Ivanhoe Christmas Tree Farm with Chris and Bethany in search of this year’s Christmas tree and had a great time!

If you are local and haven’t been, GO! They have a great selection of beautiful trees at great prices! We walked out of there with an 11+ foot tall tree for $63! Here’s Kylee pointing out the one she wanted to take home!

 Baxlyn & Kylee. They’ve grown to love each other more and more over the last few weeks. Their room is filled with giggles and they’re full of “sister pride” lately. Just this afternoon they were trying to out-do each other with kindness. “I want Baxlyn  to pick the movie, Mom!” Kylee would say and then Baxlyn would be sure that Kylee saw she drew EXTRA hearts around Kylee’s name as they colored on the white board. If only it were this way 24/7 ;)

Brody & Baxlyn with a “tree” she carried around for a while before realizing we were serious when we said it was not coming home with us… This picture. Melt Me. Seriously, it is so so hard to get them to cooperate these days. A few certain ones who we won’t name (ahem, K & K) sport some pretty feisty attitudes from time to time. I was so thankful when they all put on smiles for this picture that turned out to be one I’ll cherish forever!

Korbin collecting pinecones. Does he not look like a young man in this picture? So handsome and so big!

Chris & Bethany find their 2014 Christmas Tree and seal the agreement with a kiss ;)

While the other three collect as many pinecones as their wee arms could hold, Brody helped Uncle Chris cut down their tree. Blade had been doing his best to keep up with everybody, falling every 10 feet or so due to the uneven ground. He noticed Chris and Brody laying down so came over and plopped right down next to them. So cute!

 Our family picture in front of the tree we chose!    Each year, Bret lets the kids help cut down our tree. This was Blade’s first year to get to help. His little face says it all…

Precious Baby <3

     My little Quadlings: Brody, Korbin, Baxlyn & Kylee

Our final product!

 

Now to get the rest of the house decorated before our BIG week ahead of us :/ Stay Tuned!

 

Quads first Homecoming Game {2014}

Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin attended their first football game (outside the belly!) a couple of weeks ago and it happened to be Homecoming! Nana & Aunt Beth took Blade for the night and Chris & Bethany came along to help us wrangle the quads. It was a fun night FULL of new experiences and lots and lots and lotssss of questions.

Before we left the house - Cardinal Pride all the way! It’s not often these days they give me a good picture but when they do…wow!

They weren’t quite sure what to expect of a “real” game. The only games they’ve ever been to are Daddy’s softball games and their own t-ball games. Quite a different atmosphere being here at a TEXAS high school football game!

Here they are with the one and only, Coach Deel. Coach Deel coached both Bret and I when we were in school. No doubt the most well known man in the school district and has worn many many hats over the years. We were over the moon when we learned he was still so involved when the quads started in the district last year!

I love how Brody threw his arm around him and leaned right in as if they’ve been BFFs for ages…hilarious!

I was a cheerleader in high school and spirit gear is a must, especialllly for Homecoming! I whipped these little bad boys up while the quads were at school the day of the game. Back in the day we cheerleaders made all kinds of loot using paint stirrers (as seen here) toilet paper rolls, ribbons and bells…etc. Brody, B, Kylee & Korb were thrilled to have their own little sign to take to the game…

Before the game we watched the ceremony where the Homecoming Queen was crowned. Again… lots of questions from curious 5 year olds! They watched in awe as the band played and the girls were escorted by their daddies down the field.

A look back at my Homecoming with my sweeeeet boyyyfriend…. aweeeee! Never could we have imagined where we would be a decade later :)

(On a side note, our town was so small back then that we didn’t have a high school. We had to go to the next town over, hence the purple.)

The quads know that the Cardinal or “Birdie” is our school mascot but were thrown for a loop when I told them that the “Tigers” were about to run through their tunnel. Little hands gripped my arm and their eyes widened as Brody asked “TIGERS?” Huge sigh of relief when they realized there were no real animals ;)

Baxlyn caught a “blanket” the cheerleaders threw into the stands before the game started!

Brody cheering his lil heart out and waving his signs…

The band during half time. They preformed their UIL competition routine. Very Awesome!

Of course the main attraction was Birdie!

To my surprise, they lasted about half way through the 4th quarter before tiring out. The six of us before heading back home..

As hard as it is sometimes to watch them grow up, I do look forward to being able to enjoy more moments like these as a family! Our next stop? The Dallas Cowboys Stadium….eeeeek! Stayed tuned!

Pride

Since becoming a mother 5 years ago, there have been countless times that I’ve been so overcome with pride for my babies. I remember going in to see them the day after they were born. Hardly able to even stand at their isolettes, I remember gazing at their tiny bodies and truly realizing for the first time that these little beings that laid lifelessly in front me were some of the strongest I’d ever see. True miracles that had already overcome so much since the day they were conceived.

I watched my sweet boy change the doctors words from “he has us backed into a corner and there’s nothing else we can do” to “…we don’t know what happened but he’s turned a corner and is improving by the minute” within a matter of just a few hours. I watched that same little boy start to finally pull himself forward on the floor towards a bottle of baby lotion at 12 months old. I watched him take his first steps at nearly 18months old and finally learn to jump, two feet off the ground, at 4 years old. Moments I’ll never forget.

I’ve witnessed these babies, at risk for well, just about everything, defy the odds and thrive more than we ever imagined they would. Pride is watching your sweet little girl pray over each meal being sure to ask that God keep “evweybuddy in the world safe”. It’s watching your babies sing, dance and rejoice while praising Jesus in church. It’s hearing their little conversations at night when they think nobody is listening. It’s watching their first tee-ball practice and fighting back tears because they’re the slowest and least-coordinated on the team but they try their hardest to keep up with the rest of their teammates…all with huge smiles on their faces. It’s hearing your little girl insist on telling her dog “I love you” each time she leaves the house.

This morning I watched my precious four walk into Kindergarten. I watched their nervous smiles greet their new teacher as they looked back at me for reassurance. This morning, I watched their wings spread a little wider as I was forced to let them go just a little bit more than I ever have before. Pride. Immeasurable Pride.

Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin, I love you so much and am SO incredibly PROUD of each and every one of you. Never forget that, sweet babies. –Love, Mommy

 

This just happened…

So I’m getting things ready for our fun night out with Daddy tonight. A little dinner, a little school shoe shopping (OMG KINDERGARTEN!!) a nice evening out with our little people. While jamming to my oldies and doing my thing I start hearing a choir of cheering…

“GO BLADE GO! GO BLADE GO! YOU CAN DO IT BLADE! GO BLADE GOOOO! YOU ALMOST GOT IT BABYYY!!!”.

I was a little nervous as to what I would find as I followed the screeches of laughter and excitement. I turn the corner to find Blade being highly encouraged by his entourage of siblings to CLIMB OUT of his crib. Rather than try to stop the action, I ran quickly for my phone.  Let’s face it, Blade KNEW what he was about to do, there was no getting back him being blissfully unaware he could get out his crib if he so desired. I might as well capture the moment on film, right??

Although I am disappointed in the quads I will say I’m glad they at least put down a bean bag chair in the event their lil’ bro took a hard fall. Umm, thanks guys.

Brody & Baxlyn quickly moved out of the way and Blade made his landing safely on the bean bag chair as planned. Victory was theirs and I all of a sudden found myself left in a desperate search of a crib tent. That would be no, I am NOT ready to transition to a toddler bed ;)

I made my entrance into the room of my proud, giddy, over-the-moon excited children and they all shouted at once “Mom, LOOK!… Blade got out of his crib ALL BY HIMSELF!… He is SO big! Look what he did Mom!….He did it, he DID it, HE DID IIITTTT!” Perhaps they don’t remember what happened when each of them escaped (seen here here and here). All I know is Blade was just beaming with pride. Super cute but worries me that this will be an ongoing occurrence since he was so successful the first time! Grr.

Here’s to us embracing toddlerhood and all it’s goodness once again!  Yipeeeeeeee!!!