owen's kindergarten gradution

posted by owen

i had my kindergarten graduation ceremony on may 18 at my homeschool options program. my whole family came and loved our program of singing songs and receiving awards. i even had a special tea party afterwards and was able to invite one special guest. i invited mommy's cousin, kristi. it was a very special day. now it's onto 1st grade!

my kindergarten class. i got to stand next to my good friend,
ryann (in the purple!)

waiting as everyone receives their awards. my teacher gave each of us
a certificate, fun book, and bubbles!

me and my teacher, mrs. merkling

my family

me and kristi, my special guest for the tea party

ryann and me

happy mother's day 2016

posted by daddy

happy mother's day to the worlds greatest wife and mommy. time has flown by as we have watched our kiddos grow. i look forward to watching them with you as we witness what God has planned for them.

eloise: one year update

posted by mommy

1. nursing - nursing during the day happens 3-4 times. at night, she sleeps through about half the time, and sometimes nurses once.
2. eating - bananas have finally made it into the mix, but only if she is given a whole piece and can take bites herself! other than that, avocados are still a no go, but everything else is a-ok.
3. growth - she definitely feels like she's getting bigger, and losing some of her babyness :(
4. development - eloise crawls now almost exclusively on hands and knees! yeah! and loves to pull up on everything she can! she has also recently begun cruising around furniture and loves walking while having her hands held. she's still pretty wobbly so no independent steps anytime soon, but it'll come! she has also figured out how to climb up stairs. getting down is another matter!
5. sleeping - we are still at two daytime naps. at night, she sleeps all night about half the time.
6. overall demeanor - eloise continues to be a true joy and generally very chill and happy. mornings are usually the hardest as the boys and i are used to taking our time getting ready and getting downstairs for breakfast. she ends up being pretty fussy and likes to scream if i don't get food to her chair fast enough!
7. favorite things - pink zebra lovie still tops the charts! eloise also loves opening and closing doors, pulling out the cabinet drawer and all the CD's inside, coloring in the water wow books, and standing up and cruising around anything she can.

stylin' for summer

posted by owen

i've started to really get into dressing in style. i found a hat i really liked and decided to go with fancy sandals over regular flip flops. i'm looking forward to stylin' in the warmer weather this summer.

happy one year birthday eloise!

posted by mommy and daddy

to our dear sweet baby girl,
as i sit her writing this to you, i am in awe thinking back on the past year and just how fast it has gone. you have truly been a joy in our lives and a beautiful addition to our family. your smile is larger than life, and your excitement for playing with your brothers has astounded us. you have been loved on more than you will ever know in this whirlwind of your first year. we couldn't have prayed for a more content, happy, and "easy" baby to bring fullness to our family. true, we've had our hard moments - like when you cut five teeth in two months and had a very hard time sleeping! but all in all, you have been, and continue to be, a true delight each day. we get so excited when we see on the monitor that you are awake...so ready to be infected with your gorgeous, big smile to start our day. owen and everett fell completely in love with you before you were even born and have been amazing, protective, and playful big brothers. we know God has so many wonderful things in store for your life as you continue to grow and learn and become the young girl He wants you to be. you are a light in our lives and we pray that you shine that same light each day to everyone who meets you. we love you so so much. in the words of owen when you were still so little, "{we} just can't stop loving you."

a posing pretty one year old

my, how you've grown...