Squeaky Clean

We threw the kiddos in the bathtub together for the first time tonight. Eli loved it, and Layla has never disliked a bath in all her days, so I'm guessing she enjoyed it too! I'd say that I can't wait for her to be out of the baby bathtub, but I really can, because I don't want her to grow any faster than she already is!

 This is Eli saying, "Ewww sister! Don't pick your nose, you JUST had a bath." He thinks everytime her hand is in her mouth (which is always), that she's picking her nose. Ha!

 My handsome boy got a new summer haircut tonight too!

 It'll take some getting use to that's for sure. We hardly even recognize him without that mop on his head!



I never want to forget how sweet, loving & kind he is to his 'sister girl' as he calls her. I know that they'll have their days, but I hope he will continue to love and protect her always. It's crazy how much becoming a big brother has taught him.

Everyday

I have never been so content just being at home. I've always been one that loves always having something to do or somewhere to go, but not so much here lately. I'm loving my days at home with my two little ones. I'm really just trying to enjoy every single second of Layla's baby days, because I know in the blink of an eye, she'll be older and we'll be back to our crazy schedules. Thankfully, Layla is still really easy to take out places, but I tend to only do big outings when daddy is with us. We went to a festival in Bluffton this weekend, and Layla was perfectly content in the Baby Bjorn for over two hours. She slept some, and then did plenty of people watching :). This has made outings SO much easier, and we've yet to really need a double stroller.

In other news, I'm hesitant to speak the words, but very hopeful that Layla is back to her normal night time sleep again :). Everytime she hits a growth spurt it messes her up for a week or so, and really throws me for a loop! But the past two nights she's slept 11 consecutive hours without waking to eat! She blessed me with this new trend on Mother's Day...sweet sweet girl :).

I want to do a better job of documenting our everyday life here on the blog, and not just special occasions. So here's a little bit of what's been going on...

Lots of jumping! She is so funny in her jumper! Can't wait to see what she's like in a few months in this thing.

 Lots of playing! This is one of her favorite toys! She will start to fuss if her brother leaves long enough for the music and lights to turn off. I'm so glad that they are playing together already!

Lots of eating! Layla got her first taste of cereal this week! It was really more like mommy's milk on a spoon, but she's been getting some practice, and is getting better everyday.

 Love that messy faced girl, and her big blue eyes!

 I try to put Layla in her crib for some playtime at least once per day. She loves her mobile and seems to be happy as can be in there.

 She also LOVES her snuggie! I'm so glad, because Eli never really got attached to his. She loves having something to hold on to, so I'm hoping that she'll get attached early.

 I love finding Eli in his bed like this. He got some new books for his birthday, and he's spent hours reading them! There's nothing better than some voluntary quiet time during the day :).

My sweet sleepy baby! This is her during her last feeding before bed. She sleeps through the entire bottle and burping process. Danny and I get a laugh everynight at what she'll sleep through.

And though this is definitely not an everyday thing, my sweet husband surprised me with flowers last week! It was a sweet Mother's Day/surviving another baseball season bouquet :).

4 Months!

Layla Grace,
 You are 4 months old today! You are getting sweeter by the day, and I already thought you were the sweetest thing ever! You are still a really easy baby. You only fuss when you’re hungry or sleepy, or when mommy makes you ride in the car when you’re one of those two J. You are very easy to read, and just tend to go with the flow.

You had your 4 month well visit today, and here are you stats.
Weight: 12lbs 11oz. 29th%
Height: 23 1/2 in. 23%
We think you are such a little butter ball, but you are certainly still a petite little gal! Those rolls are deceiving :).

*You sleep SO great at night, that I feel bad when I complain about your cat naps during the day. Some days you just prefer to take multiple 45 minute to an hour naps. Other days you cat nap in the morning, and then sleep all afternoon.
*Last night you slept for 12 hours straight without waking to eat!
*You rolled over for the first time yesterday morning in your crib! Your brother and I made such a big deal about it and you thought it was so exciting that we were excited J.
*You still love tummy time. Probably because you have your brother to entertain you the whole time.

*We put you in the doorway jumper this week for the first time, and you LOVE it! I could hear your little feet just going to town on the floor.

*You are taking a bottle of breast milk like a pro now! We give you a bottle before bed every night and it helps to keep you satisfied longer.
*You drool like a crazy woman and have at least one hand in your mouth at all times.

*You wear a size 2 diaper, and size 3-6 month clothes.
*You talk, talk, talk all day long and we love it!
*You are constantly moving. You kick and move your arms out of excitement all the time!
*If we are out and about, you are happiest in the backpack, and usually go right to sleep.

 Your daddy calls you sweet baby ray for a reason. You are our sweet little ray of sunshine, and we just love you to death!

Eli's 3rd Birthday

I love that Eli has a Spring birthday. It always falls at just the perfect time. Baseball season is usually ending, and family always wants to come in town to enjoy the nice weather. This year Mimi and Papa Tom planned their trip to be here for Eli's birthday, and also for Layla's baptism. It worked out great to have everything in one weekend, but it was a little bit crazy at the same time. I couldn't have pulled it all off without the help of my mom.

We started off with a little friend birthday party on Thursday. We did it at lunch time, and tried to keep it simple. The kids had lots of fun. Eli requested a dump truck/construction party months ago. It was nice and easy, and we were able to use his toys for decorations. This was the first year that I didn't go all out for his party, so I had to control myself!

 My favorite part was definitely his dump truck dirt cake! I think Eli would say the same too. So easy, and so fun for the kids!

I don't think I realized how messy this cake would be! It was like his 1st birthday all over again.

We had more family coming in town for the weekend, so we decided to have a little family party on Saturday afternoon. Eli was thrilled to have his cousins Chase, Jacob and Luke here! 

 That morning we gave Eli his present from us...a scooter! All of his neighborhood friends have them, and he was so excited to finally join the club!

 He's done really well on it so far, and hasn't even wiped out yet! I'm thankful that he's somewhat cautious when it comes to things like this.

 We had pizza and cookie cake that night with family.

LOVE watching these sweet cousins together. 

 We were able to spend some time outside after the party. The weather was just perfect all week.

 Layla caught a nap on Aunt Katie for the second time that day. She's got the touch!

We were so glad to have Mimi and Papa Tom here for the week! I think that was one of the best birthday presents to Eli! He got lots of love and made many sweet memories. He sure is one loved little boy!