Sibling Bonding

Having three kids is a wonderful, busy and often exhausting experience.  I get so much love from these three babies of mine.  It seems like Kayda and Dillon are getting so mature now. 

Kayda is totally ready for kindergarten.  I'm so exciting for going in to work in her class and walking her to the school bus and back home at the end of the day.  She is back into her dress kick again, maybe I need to take pictures of her in her many, many dresses.  She doesn't want to wear anything else...ever.  I'm not sure how I ended up with a girl that loves to dress up so much but she looks so goregous I can't help but encourage her.  She is working on reading, she picks it up very quickly and can count to 100, we're working on adding and subtracting now.

Dillon is getting so smart!  Grandma G and I went in to work in the preschool for a center day where each person runs a station.  I was running a station where the kids were given a worksheet, they were supposed to read the number and color that many of a certain picture.  For instance, there might be the number three with four cows next to it.  They had to leave on of those cows blank.  Dillon was one of two "bumblees" (kids who turned 4 this school year) that could do this without help.  He's writing his letters and is such a good student.  I am so glad that both of my children follow directions and focus when a task is presented to them.  We are constantly being told how wonderful they are.  (We have parent conferences Tuesday for Kayda, SO excited!) 

Carson is on fast forward, he's as big as Kayda and Dillon were at a year,keep in mind he's 7 months old.  He's doing his little army crawl, cruising the couches, getting himself from stomach to sitting, pulling himself up to standing on just about everything, crawling up a step from the family room to the kitchen at Grandma and Papa G's, and he mimicks how you play with things (we were playing a drum and he proceeded to play the drum right after us).  He is back to loving baby food, though he is much more interested in our food.  He loves to go upside down an d "fly", he smiles at pretty much everyone, he is fascinated by animals and his big brother and sister. 

 Kayda and Dillon can get Carson to smile even if he's mid cry. He wants to be playing with them all the time. A favorite play place of theirs is Uncle Justin's couch. They love all the pillows. Don't worry Uncle Justin, we're being careful with it.

 Here's Carson sleeping on me, he is SO cute!

 Carson wants to play trains too!

 But that doesn't mean big brother and sister always want him to...

 Well hello beautiful blue eyes!

He wants to stand up ALL the time!

Look what I can do!

Carson is quite the little sitter.  He loved sitting and playing with this activity table today, he played with it for about 10 minutes which in infant time is FOREVER.   There are two times he'll fall over now, if he gets startled, and if he decides he wants to get something.  He is starting to get closer and closer to crawling, he kind of shoves himself around on the floor now. 

I wish you could see his dimples but whenever he smiles he dips his head down and I just can't seem to get them! 

Happy Halloween!

Halloween felt a little chaotic again this year.  We ended up getting their costumes a week before hand (they had their preschol party on Thursday so there wasn't much choice).  Then we got the pumpkins and carved the pumpkins on Sunday (the day before).  I can say I'm looking forward to NOT having a trip in the middle of October so we can take our time and do the pumpkin patch and such.  Anyways, on to the important stuff!  Pictures! 

From when they were very little Kayda thought the gooey insides of a pumpkin were interesting, Dillon wanted nothing to do with them!  This continues...

 Daddy was trying to make pumpkin goo "fun", Dillon didn't buy it!

After we were done carving pumpkins we HAD to take them outside and we HAD to get candles in them and we HAD to light them RIGHT THEN.  It cracked me up that Kayda and Dillon were so adamant about it.

Halloween was a busy day, Kayda and Dillon had preschool, we went straight to Grandma G's in an attempt to minimize car time.  Kayda and I went to speech, she went in completely alone for the first time.  She told me she wanted to do it "on her own".  So she made me wait by the main office while she walked down to speech all by herself.  When she was done Mrs. Schultz brought Kayda to me so she could fill me in on what they worked on.  Kayda thought it was just great so I guess we'll be doing that every Monday now.  She is growing up WAY too fast. 

Back to Halloween... After speech I finished getting kids in costumes, got a picture and we were off!

We headed down to Daddy's work to see Daddy, Grandpa H, Uncle Pat and some of the other people there.  Daddy had fun walking around with the kids and showing them off.  Of course everyone thought they were adorable, they were especially impressed with Carson, that's just the way babies work! 

Then it was off to see Grandma H!  We caught her shortly after she got home from work.  We took a short break at her house to feed Carson and take some extra pictures.

 We loaded into the car again and went to see Baba!

Back in the car and back to the house.  Poor Kayda ended up in the car for over an hour and a half! Around 6:30 the kids were bundled up and ready for trick or treating.  It was a long, busy day but the kids had fun and that's what counts!

And here's a random picture of our smiley Carson. when Kayda and Dillon were babies we had to work for their smiles but Carson hands them out so easily!  All you have to do is smile at him!

Carson's Smile!!!

I got it!!! Kind of.  Considering I couldn't look through the camera because I was next to it smiling at Carson and talking to him I think I did pretty darn good!  Isn't he SO adorable!  I LOVE it!

Just to document

Carson is turning into such a smiley baby!  The last few days he has been smiling a LOT.  He was smiling at Daddy and we were trying desperately to catch it but he wasn't cooperating.  He's cute even when he's not smiling though so it's ok!

He likes to nap in the high chair.  If you look close he was on the tail end of a sleepy smile!  He still sleeps most of the day and he is starting to do well at night.  He'll go 5-6 hours between eating the first portion (though he only really sleeps about 4 of that), then he'll go another 3-4 between and then he'll sleep until I wake him up to start the day!  He is also getting really good at controlling his head, he can turn it when he's tracking something, he loves to stand up (with help of course) and he LOVES baths and showers.  He falls asleep whenever he is in the front carrier, more easily than when he's in the car even (Kayda and Dillon fell asleep very easily in the car so I thought that was interesting). 

Dillon has a tendency to wink at people when we ask him to smile so this time I just asked him to wink.  I think he should be a pirate for halloween.  Argh!

Kayda wasn't much in the mood to have her picture taken but I wanted to get a picture of her ringlets!  Any time her hair gets wet and isn't brushed afterward these beautiful curls form.  I don't know how long that will happen so I HAD to get it while I was thinking about it. 

From what I can tell the kids are enjoying preschool.  They come home and sing the songs they're learning and dance.  Kayda has also been reciting her September poem. 

"It's September for a while, after a while crocodile, down the chicken soupy nile, paddle once, paddle twice, paddle chicken soup with rice." 

No it doesn't make sense to me either, but apparently there is a "chicken soup" poem for each month that they will be learning.

Carson smiled!!!

Carson is 5 weeks 1 day old, and today he smiled at me on purpose!  I was talking with him and as usual had a huge stupid grin on my face.  He flashed a smile at me and of course I went nuts and then he really started wroking.  He got his left side into a smile, and held it there for a few seconds and then low and behold he got the right side up too!  I'm not expecting them to be a regular thing yet but...he SMILED at me on PURPOSE!  This is so exciting to me!  I LOVE their little baby smiles!

So Incredible...

Yesterday Kayda, Dillon and Daddy were sitting on the couch. Kayda was sitting on one end on her own while Dillon was sitting next to Daddy. She decided, for reasons unknown to us, that she wanted Dillon to sit by her. She also decided that she was going to do it herself. Poor little Dillon was dragged across the couch by his big sister. Of course he thought it was hilarious. Good thing they love each other so much!

I have been swaddling Kayda's baby doll for her the last few days before we lay it in its "bassinet". Kayda decided today that she wanted to be swaddled too. At first she was trying to have me do it with her favorite baby blanket but of course she has grown considerably and it just isn't sufficient for the job any longer. So I got a big purple blanket we have and swaddled her. Once she was swaddled she decided that she wanted to hold her baby, of course her arms are tucked in so that meant the her baby got tucked in as well. She didn't want to be held by either Daddy or Mommy and she didn't want to lay on the floor or in the bean bag chair so I set her in her Dora chair. Well, being the determined little girl that she is she decided that she didn't want to be there any more so she got on the floor and actually managed to stand up and "walk" around in her blanket! I think she is going to be a professional potato sack racer!

Kayda has developed a fake smile. It cracks me up because it is most definitely NOTHING like her real smiles!

Dillon is becoming more and more independent. He is still very attached to me but he's starting to crawl around after things and explore. I was down on the floor trying to take pictures of him crawling and he decided he was interested in the camera so I got a VERY close one but I think it's cute. He's getting really FAST now it's amazing! Today we were going to have a barbecue/cake thing for Daddy's birthday but he wasn't feeling well. He's got a cold that knocked him out for an extra couple of hours this morning and left him feeling dizzy whenever he stood up the rest of the day. I got this shirt for Dillon and thought it was appropriate for "celebrating" Daddy. It says "If you think I'm cool you should see my dad". Notice Dillon is standing up with the assistance of Kayda's push car. Well, I let him keep holding on to it and he started walking around it. He ended up tipping it over. Just before this he was "superman" on the side of the car, I thought he was going to be stuck but he managed to get up. Like I said he's getting REALLY mobile and is crawling everywhere and pulling himself to standing on anything he can get a hold of.

Catching up

Been a while since I've put up more pictures. But don't worry they're still beautiful and sweet. Kayda still adores her little brother. The other day she sat in his car seat and then motioned for me to put him in her lap so I did. I picked him back up again after a few seconds and then she wanted me to do it again. Brian and I got a kick out of it and Dillon enjoyed it.

She also decided to help me with Dillon. I put him in the swing and she turned it on for me. Then she proceeded to turn on the music and change the speed several times but Dillon enjoyed watching her so it was fine.

Her fine motor skills amaze me. She pushes buttons, does puzzles and even plugs in Daddy's headphones for him. She is such a great little helper.

While she continues to surprise us little Dillon is starting to get people's attention. He's quite the smiler and talker. He'll grin at you and talk to you for as long as you'll pay attention. He LOVES to chew on his little hands. He gets pretty mad when he wants them and wiggles too much to keep them in his mouth. He's also figuring out how to hold onto things; his favorite things are towels or bibs. He really likes to swing the fabric around.

Today was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day. It was a little on the hot side but we enjoyed it none the less. We spent half of the day outside in the sunshine. Dillon in his diaper, trying to keep him covered in sunscreen and in the shade as much as possible. Here he is sleeping on the couch his little rolls are my favorite!


Kayda spent the day in her swim suit running between the pool, the sandbox, the swing set and the ladder Daddy was trying to use to do yard work. She wore herself out enough that the couple of pictures I managed to take while Dillon was sleeping were all either of her yawning or rubbing her eyes.

So many fun times

This last week has been entertaining to say the least. Of course I have to include my usual "how much Kayda loves her little brother" picture.

Kayda has been especially fun to watch this week. Here are a few of the things she has been doing. She decided that her dolls' baby stroller was really meant for her.

She also made an executive decision that the spoons belong lined up on the counter, NOT in the drawer.
And of course we took her swimming she is SUCH a water baby. I'm hiding behind her so nobody has to see me in a swimsuit :).

When I talk about one of my babies I simply MUST talk about both. Our sweet, cheerful little Dillon. He talks up a storm whenever anyone talks to him and he would smile non-stop if he never got hungry or tired. He is such a little joy.

I also had to share this picture of him sleeping while I was attempting to burp him.

Spring Break

This break has been great. I'm getting to experience being a full-time stay at home mom, for a limited time of course, and I love it. We have been having a GREAT time! Granted, little to nothing was getting done. I've discovered that Dillon only really likes the swing for very short periods of time, unless he's asleep in it.  He also only likes the bouncy seat for very short periods of time.  He isn't quite strong enough to play in the exersaucer without me being close by. Well I finally thought "the high chair reclines, hmmmm" and tada! He loves to sit in the highchair. He sat there and watched me do dishes, put groceries away and cook dinner today. His eyes never leave me, he just wants to be able to see what I am doing. He even sat at the table with Kayda and I while I fed her lunch (that's where we were when I took the picture). Unfortunately, the high chair is still Kayda's preferred seating for food and other mischevious things. She wasn't very happy that he was occupying it so we may be getting him his own highchair. I haven't really decided yet, she might just have to learn to like a booster seat. Kayda, smart little Kayda, was helping me reorganize the pantry when she got a little sidetracked. She discovered she could open the stovetop container and that she enjoyed the taste of the dried bread crumbs inside. The coat she's wearing, by the way, is actually Dillon's 3 to 6 month coat but it happens to be made of her favorite material and she has officailly added it to the list of things that she is "borrowing" from Dillon. Also on this list are his two blankets (the same extra soft cuddly material) his teddy bear and a few of his toys.

They're SO much fun!

Well, today is a first I am putting a picture of one of the parents on here. I absolutely love this picture.  Dillon adores his daddy! I know the picture will show up kind of small but Dillon has the biggest grin on his face. He was having so much fun talking to his daddy.

There has been all kinds of things going on the last couple of days. One BIG thing is that Dillon is starting to hold on to toys. He's not entirely sure what he's doing yet but he was having a good time with the pooh bear rattle. He was trying to eat it for a while. It's amazing to me how quickly they can figure stuff out.

While he was on the floor playing with me and his toys Kayda decided to join him. She laid down next to him and for a while kept giving him kisses. She finally decided to give him a break and watch tv, this is just after she stopped paying attention to him it's almost like he's saying "hey sis come back, I'm over here!".

I am enjoying having them so close, I never would have planned it this way but it has been a ton of fun and they are so sweet. Dillon doesn't just watch her every move anymore, now whenever Kayda is around he smiles and smiles. She is trying to teach him things too. I've been spinning his arms (like in pat-a-cake when you roll it) and saying "chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga choo choo train" and she has decided she wants to do that for him so she'll come over and grab his hands and try to spin them the way I do. Of course she's not just fun to watch with him. She went to a birthday party last saturday and got a balloon. On Sunday most of the hellium was gone but there was just enough to make the balloon float down VERY slowly. She was tossing it above her head and she would just wait for it to come all the way down. She just laughed and laughed and then she would do it again. Kids are just fascinating. I could watch mine forever, course I'd probably get bored watching any one else's but that's the beauty of being a parent, you just can't get enough of your own babies! Fortunately that's also the way grandparents feel about their grandbabies so we always have other people to talk to about them.