old man

the only thing homemade in daddy's birthday celebration were the cards. the kids (especially blake) LOVE singing happy birthday. they could care less about the cake + ice cream. i think blowing out the candles comes in at a close second. so much love for their daddy! happy birthday honey! 

how can you not have a happy birthday with those little ones. even if one of them is about to start screaming. :)

the boys.

i honestly thought mark and i would have three girls when we started on our journey into parenthood. i couldn't be more wrong and i couldn't love these boys anymore. i am so thankful to have my mama's boys! this is back when will was 2 weeks old. buddies from the beginning.

one month old.

our little nugget is already one month old. at one month he is doing everything he is suppose to. he eats, he sleeps, he poops, + cries. he is such a cuddle bug. he loves to be held and would prefer to sleep on someones chest all day long. he doesn't sleep very long stretches at night and one three hour stretch gives me a lot of excitement. but, for the most part it's about an hour to an hour and a half at night. i've been very blessed with wonderful + healthy children. but, i've never been blessed with a good sleeper. :) his eyes are looking like they are turning blue but time will tell. he still looks more like avery than blake and is the chunkiest of them all! he's wearing three month clothes and has already been to target more times than i can count. :) i have always seen those cute photos with the babies wearing the monthly stickers and decided to jump on the bandwagon. i seriously have no idea how people get good pictures. after he spit up on his onesie twice (which by the way, was way too small and barely snapped) i decided to just strip him down. i also started in one room away from the kids but of course they found me and wanted in on the action. :)

11 lbs 11 oz - 88%

22 inches - 63%

it was so exhausting.









here come the crazies!

he was trying to turn and see what they were doing and have me a great shot of all his rolls! :)



since they were on the bed :)

the big sister.

this girl doesn't get enough credit most days. today she was a rockstar. she listened all morning and was beyond helpful. when i asked for a diaper she ran and got one. when will spit up she promptly grabbed a blanket to wipe his mouth off. she probably acted beyond what most people expect from a four year old. most days i forget she is only four. being the oldest is hard. i feel for her at the end of the day. we have always expected more from her at each stage than we have from her brother and she has handled every new situation she has had thrown at her great. she transitioned to school great. she has started soccer and despite being the youngest and smallest she runs just as hard if not harder than the other kids. i need to give myself a constant daily reminder that she is only four and she should be able to act like a four year old. i also need to realize she is a girl and perhaps a bit more dramatic. ;)

i have been blessed to meet some incredible friends who also happen to be photographers. kendra came to see us when william was one week old. bless her heart our big kids were crazy!  but, by some miracle she captured some wonderful family pictures that we will cherish forever. those first weeks are always a blur when you haven't slept and you are trying to adjust. i am so thankful to have these and be in the pictures with my sweet will. 

i'm not sure what i love more here. his smile or avery getting the ball in the background. 

first day of school!

i think we were officially the last people to start school! but, it was finally our turn! blake shocked me at how well he did. he walked into the classroom and went straight to the blocks to start making a tower.

gigi came with us for this big day!

blake got dropped off first!

he went straight for the blocks!

but, technically you are suppose to wash your hands first. :) 

avery was next. she's the big girl and was ready to go find her class!

but, never too big to hold daddy's hand.

naturally, i had to go back and peak on blake. he was pushing the baby in the stroller.

well, upon picking them up it turns out blake a little sad most of the day! i sure hope he adjusts quickly!