Playdate

Some girlfriends from high school got together to have a little holiday playdate with the kids. Ages ranged from 3 months to 3 years. It was a fun time and the kids seemed to enjoy it. It's great to get together with other moms and catch up and ask questions. I hope we can do it again soon.

The whole group

Addyson and Paige

Sweet little Clairbones (Reid calls her Clairbones!)

Playing and feeding

Noah, Reed and Anderson

Brooks, Noah, Reed, Anderson, Addyson, Paige

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!

finishing up cookies for Santa

Adios Swaddle!

We have successfully had 2 full weeks of 10-12 hour nights WITHOUT being swaddled! Yes, you are reading right, it has taken us 6 months to work our way out of the swaddle. We started with naps, and then went to nights. Noah now loves to sleep on his side or on his back with his arms sprawled out. I'm not sure where I went wrong or if Noah just really needed to be swaddled that long. I kept thinking we were going to be done with it, so I refused to buy a bigger size in the little swaddle me blankets. So, there we were at 5 and 6 months old with half of his arms sticking out the blanket and the velcro coming undone since it was too small. I remember when the nurse brought him in at the hospital all swaddled perfeclty, I wanted to learn how to do such a great swaddle. Well, I definitely think I got it down! But, goodbye for now, see you again with the next baby (maybe ;)).

Hudson's First Birthday

Hudson turned 1 on Dec. 4, so I am a little late in posting this picture! His party was on Dec. 6, and Niki did a cute Elmo theme! Hudson looked so grown up with his stylish little haircut, I can't believe he is a year. I only got this one picture on my camera before my batteries ran out. Everyone sent me their cute pictures, but I am having trouble copying them onto my computer to upload for the blog. So, I will post the one picture I have (I am missing sweet Brooks in the picture). Hudson was hilarious with his cake. He had no fear and dug right in, leaving red icing ALL OVER his face. It was precious. He is such a blessing and I am so happy him and Noah are close in age and will grow up together. We are in for some fun times ahead with those two, I can't wait!

Santa Pics

Niki and I took Noah and Hudson to get some Santa Pics in the Christmas outfits that Granna made them. Hudson was a little more weary of Santa, but he did great. Noah probably would have stayed there all day, as long as someone held him!

trying out my yummy sucker that Santa gave me

um...I think that belongs to me

Holiday Memories

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. This time of the year is so much fun, so many memories being made!!! Hanging his first ornament

Thanksgiving

Making Noah's Cookies for Santa plate

Pictures

Here are some pictures from Levi's trip

craft time with the kids at the orphanage
soccer in the streets

This is the church in the mountain village where Levi got to preach

Levi and Mirella, she LOVES Levi

Mirella from the last trip

Levi and Chad in Antigua

Good to be home

Levi made it back safely from his trip. We are so glad to have him home. He had an amazing time, coming back with many stories and many new relationships. Noah was excited to see him, so were the dogs! Thank you to everyone that kept him in your thoughts and prayers and supported him on this trip.
This Thanksgiving we are SO Thankful for our family God has blessed us with. We are also Thankful for the opportunities God has given us to love on kids that don't have families or are not in the best family situation. We pray to continue to allow God to direct us and provide us with these opportunities and to be faithful and obedient to his call on our lives.

so happy to see daddy

Keeping warm on a cold day

Sitting up?

I would definitely classify this as sitting up. He is still a bit wobbly and doesn't last for more than a few seconds, but I put it down in his baby book! I can't wait until he can sit up and play with toys around him. I think he is getting tired of looking up at the ceiling and fans!

Update

I got an email from Levi and it sounds like he is having a pretty amazing time. He said he can't wait to share what God has been doing there in the last week. I can't wait to hear about it either, but I know I won't be able to comprehend what he is actually getting to experience. Here are some pictures from the last trip. The kids we got to meet are precious, and I can't wait to see updated pictures when Levi gets back. We will see how many pictures get taken when he is in charge of the camera!!

This little guy wanted to help Levi paint

Getting to meet our Compassion kids (the little girl was my parent's)

5 lbs in 2 months!

Noah had his 6 month appointment this week and he has really started to put on the lbs. When we went in for his 4 month appt., he was under weight and not even on the charts. Since then, we have really focused on putting weight on him. He is now back on the charts and in the 40th percentile for weight. He looks much healthier. I posted some pics from 4 months and also a recent one. You can really see how his little body has filled out, even his face. I didn't even realize how skinny he was until I look at pictures, especially this one!

Look at those skinny legs!!

About to bust out of the pajamas!

Missing Daddy

I know, I know, I'm a dork! These were some pictures we took before Levi left and put them in letters for him to open. I'm not sure which day he was opening these, but I thought I would share them on the blog too. River sort of blends in with the couch, but she does have a head, I promise.

Cute Cousins

Niki and Hudson came up Sunday night to stay with Noah and me. We had a fun evening relaxing and a day of shopping and running around today. Noah and Hudson had a great time playing. Thanks Niki and Hudson for spending time with us!