The baby + the doggy door = trouble!

Bentley and Eden were outside on the trampoline with the Harding boys, and poor Olivia was standing at the door yelling to go out there.  She wanted to be out there with the kids so bad and it was really frustrating her!  I just happened to be watching her when I saw her notice the doggie door and I swear, based on the look on her face I could totally see that light bulb turning on above her head.  She promptly sat down and started pushing on that door. First her hands, then her arms, and then she went for it.

Right about the time I took this picture, she was starting to yell a little because she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do and she was getting stuck!  I wanted to reach over and help her, but it was also so adorable watching her figure this out so I had my video camera on and just let her go.  

She got stuck a couple times, and would start hollering, but pretty quickly she made her way completely out and she was giggling and so proud of herself as she booked it towards the trampoline.

I proceeded to follow her out and watched as she then tried to figure out the ladder, but fortunately for me, she wasn't quite so lucky there.

She is so adorable and she is growing up so fast!

I absolutely LOVE watching my kids learn new things and I get so inspired by their persistence and determination.  Being a parent is the best.

Cousins!!

I love that we live near family and that my kids can have such fun memories growing up with their cousins.  We just don't get together often enough! 

London and Olivia enjoying the conjoined swings. :)

I love NM winters when we can enjoy some beautiful weather at the park.

Eden and Lincoln are such cute little buddies.  He takes care of her.

Bentley was a good helper when it came to pushing.  Olivia thought it was so funny.

Who knows what kind of game they were playing, but it looks intriguing.

Kally's boys were out of school for the day so we met up at Hoot's.  Unfortunately Eden did have school so she missed out. 

Olivia was NOT a fan of the slide.  It totally terrified her.

Baby Olivia and Baby London.

Happy meals all around! Except for Jaxon who made sure we knew first thing that he needed to order off the adult menu - a #2 with two cheeseburgers.  ha ha

You know Brad has found the perfect video game when he gets to play the whole time and all the kids are completely entertained just watching.

Olivia - 10 months old!

Oh baby Olive, you are such a joy.  You've always been so happy and funny, but lately you have really shown another side of yourself! In the last month, your personality has really come out like crazy!  You know what you want, and you will usually slap my face and yell when I'm not moving fast enough. You know what I mean when I say soft because sometimes you will follow up by being soft, but most times you disregard that request and slap away. Then you get really mad if I put you down.  Also, if one of your siblings take something from you, you will furiously crawl after them yelling. You don't talk yet, but you are very good at communicating when you're feeling playful, tired, hungry, or frustrated. You make me laugh constantly.  I love you to pieces.

If anyone lays down on the floor, it's an instant target for Olivia.  She loves to go on the attack and giggles like crazy as she crawls all over you.

She is extremely curious and very much into learning about cause and effect.  She makes messes wherever she goes, but her wheels are constantly spinning and she is learning fast!

This completely caught me off guard.  This girl can't even walk, but I guess she can crawl onto a chair in order to reach Eden's art project, which scared the heck out of me when I come walking around the corner!

She loves to walk around the house with this thing but she gets so frustrated and yells when she gets stuck on something and can't move forward anymore.

She LOVES water!

She is so cuddly and precious.  The snuggles never last very long, but they happen frequently and melt my heart every time.

Some more random things about Olivia:

• she knows how to take the lids off of markers which is a very dangerous thing 
• she still has 8 teeth and eats like a champ (regular people food, NOT pureed baby food)
• she says, "mom" "dada" "uh oh"
• she hums while sucking her fingers and relaxing, it's adorable
• she is busy! Church is tricky because she refuses to sit on my lap.  She must be constantly moving and exploring
• she discovered that she can reach the light switch while standing in her crib.  I had to move the crib out from the wall a bit because it was way too distracting.
• she cruises along furniture or if we are holding her hands.  She can stand for a second at a time by herself but only when she doesn't realize she is doing it.

I love you Olive!  You really add so much joy and spice into each and every day.

Another Snow Day!

Eden had a two hour delay for school so we had a very fun morning playing in the snow.  Even Bentley stayed out there for quite a while which was a first!  He usually isn't fond of the cold and doesn't last for longer than 10 minutes at a time.  This time though, they both had a blast and spent a good part of the morning together outside.  It was very cute to watch them laugh and play.

And the best part is - it all melted by the next day and we were playing at the park.  I love NM winters!  :)

Lots of pictures!

This cute boy really loves all his superhero guys.  He has the best sound affects as he plays. 

I love snuggling up with my precious girl.

Somebody at work snapped this picture right as Brad was winning his prize - he was obviously very surprised about where the wheel was stopping! ha ha

Everybody plays Uno in sunglasses, right?

Olivia has a very hard time making it through church without at least taking a little catnap but for some reason she refuses to fall asleep on me, but not on Brad!  His calling keeps him very busy during all of church, but sometimes he can step away just long enough to get her to sleep and bring her back to me.  It's adorable.

Most days Bentley wants to take his nap on Eden's pillow and with her blanket.  He has really missed her since she started kindergarten.

One would assume he was taking that slide on head first - but no.  He still wants me to stand at the bottom and catch him as he goes down on his bum.  :)

These two love playing together through the glass. They both pound the glass and laugh hysterically.

I love that his mouth is the best indicator of how hard he is concentrating.  :)