They Just Keep Getting Older!

"Baby" Dean turned 3 last Friday! Matt had the day off so we just kind of played at home. We did go see some baby chicks and then play at the park for a few minutes. We opened presents and had cake in the afternoon then the missionaries came for dinner later. Dean loves it when they come so it worked out nicely. Also that evening he got a new baby cousin! Matt's brother Lane and his wife Jessica welcomed a new baby BOY! It was an extra birthday bonus.

His favorite color is pink and I think that's ok because he doesn't know that colors have genders. :) So he really wanted pink frosting on his cake as well as cars so this is what I came up with, The 3 is supposed to be a car track but it doesn't look as cool as the ones you can find on pinterest. :) He sure liked it, though, and that's all that mattered! (even better was that it was WAY easy for me!)

 














He got a lot of good things for his birthday. The things he seemed to like most were some more tracks for their wooden train set from Dad, his animal puzzle from Mom, the dino cups from Grandma Clark and his crayon dry erase board from Grandma Hope. Those are the things he keeps playing with anyway.

We love him SO much! He is shy around other kids, smiles his cute smile for adults, fights (and plays) with Brennen, loves reading stories and laughing at Seth, and he plays with anything you give him. He throws fits like any 3 year old but yet is easy going and much more subdued than Brennen. He is independent in that he likes to pick out his clothes and is totally fine playing all by himself but is still quite attached to me and wants me to hold his hand everywhere we go. He is such a sweetheart.

And Seth is 5 months old! He army crawls and can get anywhere he wants. He often gets himself stuck in places and can't get out. He laughs and likes to play "games" with us. He absolutely loves his brothers, smiles and laughs whenever he sees them. He is finally sleeping a little better at night (still wakes up usually twice, though). He is just a happy little boy and I can't believe how much he is growing! He also started eating solid foods, just rice cereal for now, sometimes with a smidge of applesauce. He just loves it and is way better about it than his brothers were.

And a couple pictures from the park yesterday.

It's the Little Things

Seth's doctor is in Gillette so I have to travel there with all three boys for his appointments. I also take the opportunity to stock up on food and other items at Wal Mart since food is so gosh darn expensive here. It takes just over an hour to get there.

Normally it's a stressful time with fighting or screaming or complaining or crying kids (or all of the above) but today it was awesome! Seth was SO happy at the doc and only cried for about 5 seconds after his shots. Then they were all happy and well behaved for over an hour at the store. I told the older boys several times how much I appreciated how good they were.

Then on the way back I saw 3 bald eagles and I absolutely love those! AND all three boys fell asleep so I was able to sing along to old CD's. It's funny how listening to those songs I used to listen to 10 or more years ago makes me think of certain people and experiences. I was thinking about how everything that I've gone through and all of the people I've been close to so far in my life have been necessary for me to get to where I am now. And where I am now is: very happy!

Seth is 4 months old!
Weight: 12 lb. 13 oz. Only 9%! He's been sick and hasn't been eating quite so much so I think he's actually lost some ounces.
Length: 25 1/4 inches, 48%
Head: 41 3/4 cm, 49%

He is "talking" a TON and smiles and laughs at the drop of a hat. He is such a happy, fun baby. The sounds he makes are unique to him and they're so funny, he practically scream talks. Unfortunately, he is waking up twice or three times a night without fail and his mother is starting to get tired of it! Good thing he's so stinkin' cute.

We've decided to send Brennen to kindergarten next year! He will be 5 in June and is quite ready we think. He can read some already but what I think is really impressive is his math skills. He just really seems to understand numbers. Here is an example of a sheet he did all on his own. He only got two wrong and then fixed them by himself. He has since done one more like it and got 100%. Smarty pants! His dad likes making these for him to do.

And lastly, I came across this picture the other day and it cracked me up! Matt was not amused by my interpretation of it but I laugh every time I look at it now. It was taken 4 days before I had Seth at Old McDonald's farm near Rapid City. In case you can't see it, the sign says "Please do not feed." Coincidence that the sign is next to a huge pregnant woman who has already gained 44 pounds? I think not. Yes, please! Do not feed! hee hee