Zoo, Fun and Milestones

We have been enjoying the zoo recently or what Easton likes to call it "the animal zoo" because apparently there are other types of zoos....like maybe our house?

They had a blast running around and we actually did the whole zoo which is not not normal. They were also so excited to ride the train outside of the zoo all by themselves.

William is such a good sport at the zoo and just chills in the stroller.

We have started going up to phoenix once a month with Grandma and Grandpa Clayton which is awesome because we get to go to the temple. Last month the kids enjoyed looking at trucks after and Easton has asked a few times since when we are going back to look at trucks.

I took the kids to Old Navy a few weeks ago to get some flip flops because here in Az its already hot. You would have thought I took them to a candy store they thought it was so awesome. They especially loved the dog in the front and it took some convincing to get Easton to leave. He was finally content once he pushed the dog right up next to the little boy manikin. I guess he thought the dog was lonely.

I had to take Easton to the doctor to make sure his last ear infection cleared up okay and the kids were coloring. Easton kept saying "I drew you mom! and I drew Dad!" I figured it was just going to be scribbles but he had actually drawn heads and bodies!

We are all upside down but I was impressed and kind of shocked at how grown up he is getting to be.

I took Lydia to Kindergarten Roundup and we had some time between taking Sophie to school before it started so we played at the park. We had to go to two different school roundups since we are out of district. We have a bit of a school rivalry in the house now as Lydia loved Mesquite and Sophie loves Cottonwood. Should be interesting.

I can't believe she will be starting school in July!

William 3 Months

Our little Hawk turned 3 months last week!

He is getting really close to giggling and love to stretch out his legs. He will be sitting up and then move those legs of his and slide down. He definitely wants to go places.

He loves playing on his play mat and has gotten good at grabbing and pulling off the toys. 

Easton is so proud of him and tells everyone he is  "his widdle brother"

He has started sleeping through the night! Which I of course love. He is such a sweet baby and we love him so much!!!

William 2 Months and Blessing Day

Our little Hawk is 2 months old now. At his doctors appointment he was 8lbs 12oz. It is crazy to think that he is still smaller than Easton was when he was born!

He likes to talk and smile more often now and he was gooing at a toy for a while in his swing the other day.

Easton loves him and will proudly announce that William is His baby brother.

On Sunday William was blessed and we had lots of family there. Great Grandma and Grandpa Clayton came down from Idaho!

Thanks to Grandma Miller for making such an adorable blessing outfit! She knitted his little sweater vest and I know there was a lot of time and love put into it!

It was a beautiful blessing and what stood out to me was that he is "the link" in our family. Well we sure do love this little guy!

Sophie's School Fun

Last week Sophie's class celebrated the 100th day of school by dressing up as 100 year olds. Chad took a piece of old pallet and chiseled her a monogram cane the night before. Best dad of the year award right there!

Last week Sophie had brought a book to school and when she got in the car on the way home she told me she had read it to her friends. I just said oh that's nice Sophie good job. Little did I know she read it to the entire class! Apparently everyone is her friend haha. I received a nice email from her teacher Mrs. Malm:

"Hi Rachel!  
I don't know if Sophie told you, but she brought her Gingerbread kid book to school today because she wanted to read it to the class.  She's always been a great reader, but watching her read to the whole class completely confident, no fear or hesitation, with voices, hand motions, facial expressions, etc. was just the CUTEST thing and I was so incredibly proud of her (especially thinking of how young she was way back at the beginning of kinder when I met her!!)!!  Thank you so much for letting me be able to have the joy of having her in class again this year and seeing how much she has learned, grown, and matured!!"

She is definitely her father's daughter as I was always way too shy to do anything like this. She is so lucky to have such an amazing teacher! Mrs. Malm is awesome and she has gotten lucky enough to have her two years in a row. It is going to be sad next year.

Last night we went to the first grade winter play. It was very cute they were snowflakes and snirts (snowflakes with dirt). Sophie did a great job on her part and singing all of the songs.

 

We are so proud of our first grader. She is doing so well and lately does her homework all by herself. It is crazy to think how big and independent she is getting. I feel old. 

A Lot of Random

We have finally renewed our zoo membership after 2 years. We kept thinking we were going to move and so we put it off.......well we are still here so we have been going to the zoo! I felt so bad the first time we went Easton was so excited and thought it was the coolest place ever. He doesn't remember us going all the time since he was just a baby. It made me realize how much we were living in limbo.

Sophie is loving school as always and is quite the perfectionist. She missed one word on her spelling test for the first time ever a few weeks ago and it was a bonus word. She was beside herself and vowed she would do better. Haha I explained to her it was okay and she didn't have to be perfect but she now practices her spelling words more. She has been an awesome helper with William and is always reading him books and holding him so I can make dinner.

Lydia has become a huge helper which I love! She is always asking me what I need help with and jumping to get things for William. She is so good about playing with Easton and doing what he likes to do. She is quite the trooper playing trains until Sophie gets home. She is loving preschool and is excited to start kindergarten next year. Chad keeps reminding me it will just be me and the boys at home next year....what?! That's crazy.

Easton has all the sudden become a big kid. He dresses himself and washes his own hands after dinner. He has even gotten better about listening and actually doing what I ask him to do without me repeating a thousand times. He is always talking about cars especially Eleanors (model A's). He has it in his mind that he is going to have a blue Eleanor and he is going to put it in our garage and move Dad's Eleanor out. Chad told him he has to find his own place and so he decided he would ask Papa Miller so his blue Eleanor can live with papa's truck.

I think we have finally gotten into a routine with William and 4 kids is starting to get well easier. Four kids is hard man.

The kids love William to death and have been so good helping each other while I take care of William.  Easton will hold him sometimes but mostly talks about how William is going to play cars and trains with him when he is bigger. The girls love to read him books and Lydia especially loves to sing to him. She says he only likes Rock-a-bye Baby when she sings it haha.

On Saturday we went downtown to Dillenger Days where they celebrate the capture of a famous bank robber back in 1934. They have Model A's lined up in the street and reenact the capture of Dillenger. The kids loved playing at the Train Depot. They have a real steam engine the kids can climb on  and the kids favorite was an electric Thomas Train next to it that runs back and forth. They chased Thomas up and down the steam engine for a long time and were sad to leave.

They had a little jail to take pictures in. It took a lot of convincing to get the kids in there. Apparently they thought I would lock them in and leave.

William 1 Month

It is crazy to think that our little William is already 1 month old!

He is such a sweet baby and has started to coo and smile when you talk to him.

His siblings of course love him to death and are constantly asking to hold him. I have lots of help.

Poor Sophie wishes she was at home instead of school so she can snuggle him all of the time. He is getting stronger too and has started holding his head up more and is always trying to lean forward.

Lydia is obsessed with doing William's hair. And who can blame her when he has so much! She helped me do his hair into a appropriate hairstyle for the Hawk the other day...

Happy one month William!