Everyday life...

Could I have made this post any longer? Yes. But I had to stop somewhere. 36 37 photos. I could have posted 60... but I didn't (lucky for you ;)). For March our 12 for 2012 theme is Everyday Life... The technique (or style) is Documentary.  I am SOOO glad I did this project. I am even happier that I have these photos. This is our day (in a nutshell... I may have left out some crying... some tantrums... teasing... fighting... but it's kinda hard to take pictures of such times). The pictures aren't perfect, but this is us. Our day. What we do. 

Now I am thinking of all the things I could add to this. Evan's school day, driving in the car, going to the park, playing volleyball, doing art projects, playing with legos... just some of the things we do throughout the day. I am so glad I took this challenge! I love that I will have these photos to remember these times.

Finally, some 4 month photos.

I finally got some photos of Daphne wearing this cute beanie. She didn't get to use it as long as I thought... since it's like summertime around here, rather than your typical March. At least she got to use it for awhile, and I am glad I took these photos before she grew out of it.

It seems that everyone I talk too tells me that Daphne looks like Makiah. But today a friend told me that she doesn't think she looks like Makiah did as a baby. I totally agree. Her eyes are the only thing that remind me of Makiah. She is soooo much like Evan was. I will have to post some pictures to compare sometime. 

Daphne loves to be on her belly now, and she can roll from her back to her belly. She can push up on her arms and look around. She also found her toes and she likes to chew on them when she is laying on her back (I love it when babies do that). I was just telling my mom that Daphne is in a fun stage right now. She loves smiling at everyone and she isn't scared of new people. I wish we were close to family so they could enjoy this fun time with her.

P.S. It's crazy hot here (for March). Yesterday we turned on the AC and today I let the kids run through the sprinklers. Fun stuff. The trees are blooming and it feels like June. Crazy, but I love it.

One of those catch up posts, because I haven't posted in forever...

So, a quick catch up.

I don't take enough pictures. It's starting to bother me, so maybe I will change that.

We were super sick two weeks back and I still feel like we are finally getting back in the swing of things. It's amazing how long it takes to get everyone feeling better. Forever.

I am hitting that time of year that I feel sooooo homesick. It's been about 4 months since I've seen family and I still have 4 months until I get to visit family in Utah. That halfway point is HARD. Luckily, Dallas' sister is coming to see us soon. Yeay for visitors!!

March is going by FAST. But I will not complain, because it is usually slow. Also, the weather (minus the wind) is fabulous right now. Today was the best day yet, in the seventies. Flip flops, t-shirts... and really, I should have pulled out the shorts and capris. Soooo nice.

I keep telling myself that I need to take Daphne's 4 month pictures, but it hasn't really happened yet. But I took these the other day and I like them. :) I'll have to do some that are more posed later. For now, here is something cute to look at...

This past month Daphne can:

Roll from belly to back... on occasion, but not a lot. 

Reach and bat at toys

Grasp toys (she gets so excited when we put toys in front of her)

Giggle

Fall asleep on her own (only crying for 5 minutes or so)

Follow or turn towards our voices

Sit in her bumbo seat

Sometimes she tries to roll to her belly, but she hasn't figured that one out yet

At the beginning of the month when Daphne had a nasty cold, it threw off her whole schedule. She went from sleeping through the night, every night, to waking up once or twice. I got a taste of the sleep deprivation that I should have had during her 2nd and 3rd months. Lucky for me she was a great sleeper, but unfortunately that didn't last long. Now that she is feeling better she is starting to get her routine back.... but every other night or so she will wake up to eat and sometimes have a hard time going back to sleep. That or she wakes up really early.

Daphne is still her sweet little self, even though she wakes me up at night. Her sweet personality amazes me. I love how happy she is. The kids just love her to pieces, and so do Dallas and I.

Story about Evan: He is obsessed about calendars and time, as you may know. Last Monday after school Evan was really upset. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that the class calendar was wrong. March started on Wednesday when it was supposed to start on Thursday. He was practically in tears. I calmed him down and left before he made a scene. Later he told Dallas about this and he said that he told the teacher about the mistake, but the teacher told him that the calendar was right. He went on to explain that it was March 5th that day and not March 6th as they told him. They continued to tell him that it was March 6th. Oh Evan. He is so silly and likes things to be just right. No wonder he was sad when I picked him up. I wonder what the teachers thought when they realized that a five year old had been right and had noticed the silly mistake. To think that a five year old would even care :)

Story about Makiah: We got new neighbors and they have kids. My kids saw them outside in the back and wanted to play with them. Makiah was not afraid to ask them if they wanted to play, but was really confused when they said no. She came in the house so sad and explained what happened. I think it is so funny that my kids are not shy at all, when they have two very quiet and shy parents. I had to explain to her that it was ok if the kids didn't want to play, and that they might be shy. The next day she tried again to get the kids to play with her, but they said no again. Poor girl. Maybe one day they will come play with her :)

As for Dallas and I... Same old. I did get a new haircut though, that I really like. Dallas is just enjoying work. But we are both getting excited (more myself than him) for our new van that we'll be getting by the end of the week. Super excited!

Love is...

February just flew by. Really, it did. I hardly got a chance to think about this month's 12 for 2012 challenge. I could make up a few excuses.... but really, I just should have been more on top of it. To make up for it, I am really excited for March's challenge, and I plan to get a head start. I will NOT procrastinate this time ;)

Lucky for me, I had some photos that I took this month that kinda fit for this month's challenge. Well for the theme at least... but not the technique. In that area I failed. The technique was: creative angles... and this is definitely not a photo with a creative angle. Though the cuteness of it makes up for that.

Anyway, February's theme: Love is...

As I sat and thought, on the last day of the month, about what I should post (I am sooo on top of things, I know...) I stopped and thought about these two. The love they have for each other was something I decided that would be perfect for this theme. And then I remembered the photos that I used for this project. The photos show their love so well. It's a fun, sweet, caring love that I just adore. They are best friends. I can't imagine one without the other. They are so lucky to have each other, and I am so lucky to have them.

today.

Today is movie day, lay down and relax day, sit and read a book day... whatever you want to call it. We are taking it easy because Evan is sick. Ugh. He was coughing up a storm at church yesterday, so we left early. Now he is running a fever and skipping school. Oh well, it's nice to have a day at home. It is kind of giving me a chance to catch up on here since I haven't blogged in awhile. Here is what's going on....

Daphne is now rolling over from her belly to her back. She has done it a handful of times, but not a lot or even everyday. But she is learning!

Daphne decided that sleeping though the night isn't the popular thing to do, only being 3 months old and all. She figures she should conform to what all the other babies are doing during the night... waking up their mom!

I got a new camera :) Though you would never know by how many photos I've been posting on here. I'll have to take some more, and start posting more often too.

I've been reading the Tiger's Curse books. I like them more and more as I read them. The first book was good, but it reminded me so much of Twilight that I wasn't sure how much I'd like the rest of the books (I like the Twilight books... I guess I just didn't like the idea of a book that was so similar). But I am finding that they really are unique and not so much like Twilight as I thought. I really liked the second book and I am excited to find out what happens in the third.

We have been looking for a van, finally. Stuffing three car seats into a sedan isn't very fun and we are SO excited to have something bigger.

Everyday when I wake up I think, today I am going to clean up this place! It hasn't really happened yet. Oh well. I did get rid of my "junk drawer" in my kitchen today. Hopefully that will eliminate some clutter.

I am incredibly excited for spring, and even more so for summer. Maybe then I will have more interesting things to post about.

Here is a movie of Daphne, I thought grandma's and grandpa's might enjoy :) Please ignore my "talking to a baby" voice...

Goodbye

Fish. 

Fun right?

Ummmm.

I got kinda sick of them. Yeah, I know... I am no fun.

I told Dallas that I wouldn't be cleaning out the bowl... that's his job.

So every time it got dirty... I threatened to dump them out in the pond. Yeah, I know... I am no fun.

After a year of threatening to dump them into the pond, I asked the kids if we could give them away and they said yes!

So I gave them away. 

And Makiah cried.

We are over it now. 

I think. 

They were good little fish. 

Dallas and the kids will miss them... and I probably won't. 

But that is ok.

If I had my choice in a pet, it would not be anything in a tank. I think I would choose a bird :) A love bird to be exact. Maybe I will get my way next time...

Daph

Then...

Now...

Big girl, huh? Babies change SO fast, it's crazy. I can't believe she was so tiny.

According to Makiah, she and Daph are the same "old" (age). They are both 3. Which is kinda true. Daphne is 3 months old now.

The name Daph is officially stuck. Dallas is the only one who doesn't call her that around here. Before she was born I specifically told Dallas that I didn't want her to be called Daffy or Daph. Then I let it slip once or twice and the kids caught on and call her Daph. Oh well, I kinda like it now. But no Daffy. Nope.

Daphne got her first cough this week, and she sounds awful. I hope it goes away soon.

Daphne is holding her head up really well now. When she lays on her belly she can hold up her head and look around. She likes to sit in her high chair, even though she doesn't eat solids yet. She likes to be up high with the family during dinner.

Daphne still isn't laughing, but sometimes she lets out a small giggle. She isn't really ticklish and so we are trying to find other ways to get her to laugh :)

She started sleeping through the night at 2 months (my other babies didn't sleep through the night at that age... this is wonderful!!), and now she is starting to get to bed a little bit earlier. The past two nights she has been down at 8:30 (usually 10) and she sleeps till 7 or 8. Ahhh. I love this girl :)

I was really scared that during the first two months, I was just really lucky. I thought for sure after that after two months Daphne would get harder and everything would change. But that hasn't happened yet (knock on wood), She is still calm, content, and really... such an angel. She has such a good temperament. But believe me, it's not perfect around here. We have our days, and Daphne has her days too. Some are great and others are hard. Some evenings she cries from about 6-9 or even 10 if she is not held. Evenings are the hardest for her. But if she keeps up this 8:30 bedtime that would be great.

I really don't know what I would have done if Daphne would have been a harder baby. I probably would've gone crazy. My dear little Makiah has been quite the challenge lately. I am up with her during the night almost every night, instead of the baby. She cries over almost everything, and thinks she can always have her way. Whenever she cries, she has an accident. So I try everything I can to keep her from crying... that or I stick her on the potty :) Almost every evening during dinner she throws a fit, and ends up in her bed while the rest of us *try* to eat our dinner in peace. I love the girl, but at the same time I hope this is just a stage.

Because of sweet Daphne, I try not to complain. I am blessed to have her. I really am grateful to have such great kids. This too shall pass... right? Some days are better than others.