Big Brother Stuff

Being a big brother is hard work.  But I have to say, this little one is pretty good at it.  He loves his little sisters: he helps me when I have my hands full, he shares his toys, and he loves to give the twins hugs and kisses.  He giggles when they smile or reach our for him.  And he is the only one that can make them laugh so hard that their giggles turn into belly laughs.

"I'm Laying On Her!!!!!"

 In just a few days this little one is going to start preschool, and I am so excited for him!  He's going to start learning like "big kids," and have time to play with kids his own age.  This summer he has really grown up a lot, his vocabulary has exploded, and he's FUNNY! I love this age and playing with my little boy because he is SO much fun!

Looking Older Than He Is

One of my favorite things to do is walk down the street with him right before bedtime.  The sun is setting, the street is getting quiet, the scent of dinner cooked on the grill still fills the air, and the bugs are finding a home for the night.  It's just my little boy and me filling the silence of the street. 

Barrett likes to stop and look at the bugs.  He asks me what they're doing, or makes up stories about them.  He tells me that the letters on the stop sign are "T-S-R-O." He asks each time a dog barks, "Mommy?  Did you hear that doggy?' while looking up at me with those big blue eyes.  He runs ahead of me and turns around to ask, "Are you coming Mommy?" or "Mommy, what this is?"   And sometimes he rides his bike:

We sometimes make it to story time at the library.  He begs and pleads me to go, and then this face looks like this when we get there:

Sitting Back and Taking it All In

Being Silly with Caroline

We try to find lots of time to play outside:

Look Mommy!  There is a Football in My Shirt!

Walking to the Park

Blowing Bubbles

I just can't believe how old he is and how grown up he seems:

He's So Tall!

Looking Like a Big Boy!

And then we always find time to be silly:

Selfie Face

Mommy.  I'm going on a hunt today!!!!  

Oh you are?  What kind of hunt?

I'm hunting cars.    No!   I'm hunting RABBITS!

Taking. A. Break!

Having three tiny people by myself in the house all day is can be exhausting.  And when Matt comes home from work, I will find anything to do so I can have 5 minutes to take a deep breath and have a thought that doesn't have anything to do with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baby food, feeding times, how to keep a toddler entertained, diaper changes, potty training, or nap times.  I could probably crawl in bed before dinner and sleep soundly until the next morning.
BUT I know that I have bedtime with Barrett every night.  After the craziness and crying and the toddler negotiations concerning bedtime, these very last moments of the day are perhaps the sweetest.  Barrett and I spend some time, just the two of us, in his room.  We talk about his favorite part of his day,  (which is usually "my daddy," and sometimes, "my daddy and my sisters,"), silly breakfasts, how we can help others, and what he will dream about.  And then we read a story, pray, and sing songs ... that part of the routine as been the same since he was a baby.  Even when he was a baby, I loved this time with him, and I'm going to hold on to it for as long as he will let me. Because ..

I End Each Day With This View

And everything just melts away:  My tiredness.  The nap time cries of the day.  My "mommy worries." The deep breaths I forgot to take.  The temper tantrums and time out episodes.  The accidents when somebody forgets to use the potty.  The three kids that like to use Mommy as a jungle gym. 

In this quiet moment in between stories and songs, we pray.  And with our eyes close and our heads bowed,  I thank God for each of my sweet children and for this little boy being such a great big brother to "Barrett's Bay-bies."

Twins are 7 Months!

This month brought a LOT of firsts!  First airplane ride, first vacation, first wedding, first REAL solid foods, first family cold; you name it ... we did it! And it went by FAST!



The girls are still being amazing sleepers! A bad night is if they wake up before 6 a.m. for a little snack.  For the most part, we are all up and eating, or playing, anywhere between 8:30 and 9:30 each day. I definitely can't complain.

Both girls wake up for the day in a happy mood MOST of the time.  Not being a morning person myself, I don't understand how they can be so happy in the mornings.  I usually go to Parker's crib first to turn on the lamp, and she squints and then smiles at me while kicking her legs.  Nonstop.  Sweet girl is just happy to see her Mommy.  Then I look over to Payton's crib, and she is excitedly rocking and smiling (and drooling) .  Again, she is just happy to see her Mommy.  In that moment, it doesn't matter how hard it was for me to pull myself out of bed ... It's the sweetest moment.  And it doesn't matter how tired I am ... I look forward to that first moment with my girls everyday.

Barrett LOVES his sisters. The more they learn to play and interact, the more fun he seems to have. Every single bottle they drink, he is sitting right by their heads cuddling, snuggling, and talking to them. I'm not really sure what we did all day here by ourselves before the twins were born!

He also likes to help me do things around the house to help with "Barrett's BAYE-bies."


Good Morning Sisters!
He went in their room, turned on the lamp, and told them both "Mommy is coming. She's making bottles."


Making Bottles


Watching Payton For Mommy


"Mommy, I read sisters story during storytime. I read to my babies"

I keep trying to take pictures of both girls at the same time.  Which is hysterical because they all turn out like this:


Huh? What's Happening?


Look! My Tongue!


Cuddles


Sillies!

And sometimes you have to pause in the middle of all the crazy to capture the moment.

Totally Got This Under Control!

I finally figured out how to trick them into sitting up:

Step 1: Distract Them With My Phone


Step 2: Sing Silly Song to Make Them Look Up

Just in the past week, both of the girls are getting so much better at balancing themselves while sitting up.  They aren't stable enough for me to walk away while they are sitting, but we're getting there! Payton can even sit up by herself!  We haven't actually seen her do it, but behind our backs she transfers from her tummy to sitting position.  Once one of us looks at her, she stops and smiles and wants us to pick her up.  Going to catch her one of these days!

I've tried a few times to take all the kids to the playground by myself so Barrett can play.  We don't last very long because the girls don't really know what to do with themselves, but big brother LOVES showing his sisters how "big boys play."


Just the Girls


"Sisters Watch Me Slide!"


C'Mon Mommy ... I'm Trying to Play

Since we love being outside to much, we tried to have a picnic outside while big brother played.  We didn't last very long, but it was definitely worth it to get some sunshine and fresh air!

It's Bright Out Here!

I sent Barrett inside to get his sisters' hats from their room.  He came back with 3 hats from his room: "One for Payton, one for Parker, and one for Barrett"

Big Girl in Brother's Hat ... Covered in Sweet Potatoes

Is There Something on My Head?

We Got This ... Go Play Mommy

More Random Pics From This Month:

Parker and Her Doppleganger; Aunt Kelley


Girl Loves Her Mirror

Bathtime

Getting Ready to Crawl




Full and Happy
Still working with Parker to hold her on bottle.  But Payton seems to have it under control. Parks pretty much eats with her hands up like that.  She has no interest in holding her bottle herself.  However, both girls try to grab the spoon from me when I feed them solids.

Playing With Brother

Parker in Her "Superman" Position
She hasn't found her way to her hands and knees yet, but she seems quite happy in this position.  She plays with her toys like this for a while, and when she gets distracted, or hears my voice, she lifts up her ribcage and arms and legs at the same time. She gets so excited that she usually ends up hitting her face on the floor, but it's pretty cute watching her get so excited.


Park Day With Friends
Taking advantage of the unusually cool Texas summer days!


Seeesters


Playing With Mommy

Things We Don't Want to Forget:

• the only person that can make them laugh and giggle without tickles ... Barrett
• Parker's giggles when Daddy tickles her
• the huge smile on their faces when they see Mommy/Daddy walk in the room
• when they both laugh, smile, or look the same direction at the same time 
• how they have started smiling and giggling at each other: twinning it!
• Parker's little "huh-huh huh-huh" chuckle under her breath before she laughs (or when she looks at her foot)
• how Mommy makes everything ok
• Payton's determination to crawl
• Payton's fuzzball hair ... I looooove it!
• Parker's cuddles and Payton wanting to see and and explore everything

7 Month Picture Outtakes: 

You Want Me to What Now?

Got Better Things to Do

Sister, See Daddy?  Smile at Him So We Can Get Out of This Chair and Play With Toys

How's This?
Can We Go Now?

Mommy, You're Dancing Isn't Impressing Us.  At. All

Entertaining Myself

Getting Up.  I'm Done Here

So we gave in and let them play with their toys again:

Sweet girls, time is really starting to move quickly!  I'm trying to absorb as much of this "baby time" with you as I can possibly get.  But I'm also so excited about watching you grow and learn and finding out more about your little personalities; which I don't actually think are going to be so "little"