Evelyn is 10 months!

10 months old and getting harder to photograph.  Flipping through the 30 something photos, I took today nearly all but 2 of them are a blur.  I tried.

Exciting bits from this last month...

1. We now have TWO teeth!

2. She is no longer crawling "Army" style and crawls up on her knees now.  In fact, she got bumped up to the "crawler" room from the nursery at church now.  (AND she pulls up too.)

3.  She sleeps in her own crib now!  .... And in fact, until 2 nights this week, she was also sleeping through the night too.  (Not sure what's happening this week though.)  

^^ She doesn't stop moving often.  She's got big brothers to keep up with! 

She's still rocking size 12 months clothes for now, and her stats at the pediatrician's office were mostly average.  A big change from "beast mode baby Joel" that I had gotten used to.  Evelyn weighs in at 17 pounds, 4 ounces and is 27.5 inches long.  

I would say that it's really hard to believe that it's time to start planning a first birthday party.... BUT I feel like you guys know me well enough to know that the planning for it has already begun! HAHA!  What can I say? I love a birthday party, especially when it's for one of my own!  

Evelyn is 9 months!

9 months yesterday to be exact!

And getting harder to photograph. 

With all of the sewing that I've been doing for our little lady, the thread just made sense for this month's photos.

Exciting news for this month is that she is FINALLY getting her very first tooth!  (And taking it like a champ might I add.)

Her current weight is 17 pounds, 8 ounces and she is 26.5 inches long.  We just bumped her up to size 12 months clothing and she's holding strong in a size 3 diaper.

Still mostly nursing, and eating some purees.  She pretty much has no interest in actual solid table food.  And no interest in a bottle or a sippy cup still.  She gets to be our little date night tagalong for a little while longer.

She can wave "bye bye" now.  And while she is still only crawling "Army style", she can already pull up to her feet.  (Though the balance isn't quite there yet.)

She still wakes in the night to nurse once or twice.  

And this month she got bumped up to a "big girl car seat." (Rear facing convertible.)

We are so thankful for Evelyn.  She is such a joy!  She reminds me to slow down, and see things from a child's view once in a while.  It's so hard to believe that we are 3/4 of the way to her first birthday already.  

Leeland's 8th birthday!

The one who made us parents for the very first time turned 8 years old yesterday.  Someone kindly reminded me that we will likely be buying him a car in another 8 years.... YIKES!  How are we half way to driving already?  And where did the time go?

Last night we celebrated with family and as in all other years, the kiddo got to choose how he wanted the party.  He chose to go with an "Army" theme.  He loves anything Army and military lately including learning about war and military tactics in History and of course military toys like army men, GI Joes and tanks.  He was the primary reason that we took a field trip to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum back in February.  (Of course there was some hands on history learning too.)  .... And there are talks and plans in action to go on a field trip to the Tank Museum next.  

Here's the invitation that we sent out to our family purchased on Etsy from "nowanorris."

We used a picture from Halloween since he was an Army soldier for Halloween this past year.  

The kiddo also decorated his own cake this year and was quite proud of it!  I had plans to make a larger cake with some buttercream camouflage, but then one night as I was browsing "Pinterest" (of course), I ran across cakes with simple plastic Army men on them set up in battle.  I asked Leeland what his preference was, and he said he wanted to do the Army men and already had lots of ideas of exactly how he would set them up.  We had some cupcakes too just to make sure there was plenty for everyone. 

The decor was kept pretty simple.  I found camouflage plates and napkins at Hobby Lobby along with the flag table runner, mini flags, and pretend "dog tags."  The giant Army men came from the Dollar Tree along with the flag balloons. 

We set up a simple obstacle course in the backyard for the kids to run through and pretend like they were in bootcamp.  Of course I got absolutely no pictures of outside, because I just wasn't on the ball.... but they had to hop through "big tires" (foam rings), jump in a "minefield", (the trampoline), crawl under obstructions, do a "parachute drop" (the play set slide), and do some target practice with Nerf guns.  

The menu screamed "Merica" (haha!) with burgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and chips.  And we sent all of our guests home with some "camo cookies" as a thank you for coming to celebrate with us. 

So the biggest kid is 8!  Despite my best efforts and pleading that he just stay little, he keeps growing.  

Our Leeland makes us so proud!  He's smart, passionate, kind, and goofy.  His inquisitive spirit not only inspires me to keep growing and learning but also holds me accountable.  As the oldest of four, he is very responsible and takes his big brother role seriously.  He's such a blessing to our family, and we couldn't be more thankful for him. Thrilled to watch him grow.

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY LEELAND!

Evelyn is 8 months!

Our sweet babe is 8 months old and I'm a couple days behind.  Girlfriend is getting less and less cooperative with these monthly photos.

Baby girl is still "army crawling" and not using her knees, but don't mistake that for not moving.  She can get to where she wants quick.  She can also go from laying on her belly to sitting up on her own now.  

Still no teeth!  Late teeth has been totally the norm for all of my kiddos though so I'm not concerned.  She's eating and enjoying baby food on occasion as long as it isn't anything green.  But still mostly nursing around the clock.  

At 8 months, Evelyn currently weighs 16 pounds 6 ounces and is 27 inches long.  She is wearing size 6-9 month clothing and size 3 diapers.  

I am especially enjoying dressing a little lady and it's quite a change.  Evelyn is the perfect little model for dresses and clothes that I can sew.  This particular dress was sewn for her biggest brother's "Army" themed birthday party this weekend.  Camouflage was a family affair and Evelyn rocks it well!

This month Evelyn celebrated her first Easter and was spoiled by both us and her Grandma.  She also got to put her toes in the sand at the beach and absolutely LOVED it.  She dug in the sand, soaked up the sun, squealed, smiled from ear to ear, and took a little nap.  

She brings us absolute joy!  

7 Months Young!

The princess of the bunch is officially 7 months old today! 

She is currently 16 pounds, 4 ounces and approximately 26 inches in length.  Wearing size 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers.  

Surprisingly not crawling just yet.  But she barrel rolls and spins like a champ, so she still gets wherever she would like to go.  Only a matter of time before she takes off!

Also... NO teeth just yet!  This is not unusual for my kids.  All of them have been late bloomers in the teeth department.  And so far with the older ones, it has translated to losing their baby teeth later than many of their friends too.  But I have no doubt that they are coming soon.  Our typically happy happy baby has had some nights of frustration, and just look at her gnaw on that spoon below.  

This month she has begun to grasp the whole eating with a spoon thing.  She has tried sweet potatoes, apples, and bananas so far.

She also traveled like a champ on our trip to Williamsburg!  We sure are blessed with this easy going girl.  We have another trip in the works for Spring, so I'm definitely thankful for a baby that can keep up with us so to speak.

Also, in the above pictures, she's sporting the first outfit I sewed for her!  This particular pattern is the Kate pattern (baby top version) and ruffle shorts from Violette Field Threads.  Little girls are so much easier to sew for, and I've loved making things for her.  They aren't perfect, but it sure is fun! 

Happy 7 months little love!