Jellybean Fling!

Yesterday we went to our first Egg Hunt of the season... the Junior League Jellybean Fling. It was so nice... Pictures with the Easter Bunny, egg hunts (divided up by age), Radio Disney music, great food, and perfect weather!


Me and my three sweet bunnies!

Kirsten... posing and hunting for eggs... such a multi-tasker!


The boys grasped the concept of the egg hunt VERY quickly!



On Halloween Brian and I joked that the boys liked to eat each piece of candy as they received it. It is no different with eggs! It was as if they had been challenged to empty each egg before putting it in their baskets. Notice the other kids running around in the background while my boys are eating their candy!



Can you tell that Kirsten is holding eggs under her chin because her bucket is full? Oh! The basket/bucket situation was pretty funny too. Kirsten chose to bring her "bunny basket" that Aunt Maureen and Ryan brought her last year. I picked up some sand pails for the boys to use because I figured they'd get to use them again. Kirsten switched her bunny for a pail in the first two minutes of the hunt because the bunny wasn't "big enough for all the eggs!". That's my girl!

Here is Kirsten with two of the quad-ru-pa-lets. My friend Jenna has the SWEETEST quads you can imagine. Kirsten talks about them all the time and it is so sweet because she slows the word down into a million syllables.

My friends Nicole and Charlotte were at the hunt with their kiddos too. I was disappointed that we didn't get to visit with them much. We were very busy with our little ones in the beginning and then the boys hit the "no nap/sugar high wall". This is what that looks like.

Overall it was still a great day! We should have our bunny picture soon... I'll update when it comes!

April Beach Wedding: Take One!

Last weekend my cousin Allison was married on Clearwater Beach. This is the exact same venue that Brian's brother Greg will be married at on April 26! Brian and I had a wonderful time eating, dancing, drinking (maybe a little too much... oops!), and hangin' out with the Ward family.

This is our Ward family photo from the big day!


We laughed with Brian's family that this would be a "trial run" for Greg's wedding... It was also a trial run for my dress :) This dress will be making quite a few appearances this April!


...And here is a picture of Allison and Eric (aka Mr. and Mrs. Galley).

Beautiful Beach Day

Last week I packed up the kids and met my friend Tiffany and her two little cuties at the beach. The water is still very cold but we had perfect weather and a beautiful day!


Here is Matt, Isaac, and Danny... my boys will find SOMETHING to climb on no matter where we are! Isaac turned 1 last month but is the same size as Matt and Danny. (He even outweighs them by 2 or three pounds). We were asked if the boys were triplets... can you imagine?

Here is Tiffany and Isaac. Isn't this a great picture?

Here is Kirsten and Dylan. These two have had a lot of practice posing. Can you tell?


Here is Happy Matty. Matt LOVED the water. He was so happy and splashed in the freezing cold water the whole morning. It was really stressing Danny out. Danny did NOT like the cold water and was so upset that Matt wouldn't get out.

This little puddle was Danny's fun water experience for the day :)

Kirsten and Dylan had a lot of fun running around playing with dump trucks in the sand.

Chubby Isaac enjoying his snack. I LOVE his chubby little rolls. It makes me so sad that he is thinning out. Tiffany keep feeding that boy!!!

This is our entire crew. It's really hard to believe they are all ours! We had a great time and can't wait to go back again!

Better Him Then Me!

Last night I ran out to the store after all the kids were in bed. When I came home Brian was laughing telling me I wouldn't believe what had happened. Both boys went to sleep nicely. After about 30 minutes Danny started crying really hard. Brian went down to see what was wrong. His diaper was dry and he didn't want a drink or his blanket. He was very upset and couldn't be consoled. Brian went to Matt's crib to check on him and HE WASN'T THERE.

So Brian starts to look for him and can't find him. This is apparently why Danny was so upset. The boys cannot open the door to their room. (The knob is too high AND the door sticks.) So, Brian said he wasn't worried... just confused. I would have been screaming like a maniac. I know I would have been hysterical.

After a few (long) moments Brian found him snuggled down between these two giant puppies in the corner of the room.
The puppies fill up a corner of their room and are very close together... He was pretty much under the puppies sound asleep. Danny went to sleep as soon as he saw Matt was okay. I'm REALLY glad that Brian was the one who had to experience this... now if it happens again I'll know where to look and (maybe) won't start screaming right away.

The Best Sister AND the Best Cousin

Kirsten is beyond excited to have a new baby cousin. Last Saturday morning Maureen called to tell us she was at the hospital and Luke was on the way. I squealed on the phone and then turned to Kirsten to tell her the good news. I continued to talk to my sister for a few minutes. When I hung up I called to Kirsten (in her room) to see what she was doing. She was getting dressed and putting on her shoes to "go see the baby!". So sweet. She was VERY disappointed when I told her: 1.) It would still be several hours until Luke arrived 2.) Children weren't allowed in the hospital 3.) I would be taking her to Orlando later in the week. Poor girl... talk about a let down!

Well, Thursday I got to keep my promise and take Kirsten to meet her new cousin. Kirsten, Grammy, and I took a "girl's day" and drove to Orlando to visit Maureen, Ryan, and Luke. Ironically, both my mom and I only slept for 2 hours on Wednesday night. Under any other circumstances that would have set us up for a terrible day... but there is way too much joy around this little guy's arrival for a little sleep deprivation to get in the way!

Kirsten is TOTALLY in love with her new cousin!

Kirsten and Luke posing for their pictures. (Take note of his chubby little arms... is there anything cuter??)

Kirsten feeding Luke (I have to give credit to Maureen and Ryan for being very relaxed first time parents. They called while we were still in the car to figure out our arrival time so they could schedule Kirsten for one of Luke's feedings.)

Kirsten and Luke with sleepy smiles... Sure at only 5 days old I'm sure you'll say it's just gas making him smile... but I think it's Kirsten's great snuggle!

At about 7:00 Kirsten and Luke were both worn out. They snuggled up together and called it a night!

...Earlier in the day I did a little photo shoot with Luke. My friend Tiffany does monthly pictures with her boys. She has pictures of her "little" Issac on the same blanket every month for his first year. I just don't know why I didn't do more of that kind of stuff with my boys! I'm kicking myself now... so I'll do it with Little Luke! Here are his April Pictures... 5 days old (Next month I'll take a straight picture... sorry Maureen!)

This little peanut is the most precious thing I've ever seen. He is SO perfect. No wonder Kirsten is so in love... such an angel!

My Daniel,

You, my sweetness, are a very determined little boy! I think this will be a wonderful character attribute 99% of the time. The 1% of the time it is not quite as positive has been very evident this month :) "NO!" is your favorite new word. You say it about 500 times a day. Sometimes it is very cute when I ask you a question and you answer with such assurance ("Danny are you ready for a diaper?" "No."). It's not as cute when you repeat it at the top of your lungs when I'm trying to talk to you. You will only eat a banana offered to you in the peel and you refuse to eat raisins that are not given to you in your own little box.

You have come up with quite a few really funny things this month. You are CRAZY for cheese. You say "Cheese Please!" at least a dozen times a day... and it's never enough! Last week you found a yellow Post-It pad. You squealed with delight and declared "CHEESE!". You carried it around with you for the rest of the day pretending to eat it. So cute!

As I've mentioned before, you and your brother are quite the climbers. I saw shirts recently that say "I have my own stunt double" that I need to buy for you two! When you are getting ready to flip or jump you say (in a very excited voice) "Five... Six... GO!!!!" and then proceed to do something very dangerous that you are not allowed to do.

We've began "prepping" for potty training. This mostly involves a lot of "potty talk". You are terrified of sitting on the potty and REFUSE to get up there... but you love to cheer for anyone else who uses the bathroom. You'll come running across the house screaming "YEA!!!! Pee Pee!" if you hear the toilet flush.

Your language skills are just amazing. You are speaking very clearly recently and using lots of 3 word sentences. You are starting to pretend and you really seem to enjoy antagonizing your brother. You love slides, birds, and shoes. You still pull your left eyelid (very hard) when you are sleepy. You are smart and sweet and I love you with all my heart.

I love you always,
Mommy

Dear Matt,

My sweet, silly boy. You are so expressive. I find it so funny that such a tiny little person can have such strong feelings about things! You've had the "charming" look down for quite awhile now. You can flash your dimples and million dollar smile and melt hearts in an instant (and you seem to know it too!). This month you introduced your "disappointed" and "hurt feelings" expressions. Your little eyebrows furrow down so low and your little lip sticks out so far! You hang your head and cross your arms (and you still melt hearts... just in a different way). Luckily you are happy most of the time. Your biggest frustration these days is when we don't understand what you are trying to say. You either get very, very sad or throw a HUGE tantrum. This is as frustrating for me as I'm sure it is for you!

One area where you don't have any frustration (but I still have quite a bit!) is your motor development. You are so strong, so fast, and a freakishly good climber. There is nothing you can't climb. Seriously. I've yet to see you "stumped" by any piece of playground equipment or furniture. You are able to climb up and down stairs now. You've been climbing out of your crib for quite some time. This month you mastered climbing back in (not that you choose to do that very often...) Recently I put you and Danny down in your cribs and you were both MAD. You were both screaming and crying (very overtired). In the middle of your tantrum you stopped and said "bye" to Danny as you jumped out and ran across the room crying again. Daddy and I watched this on the video monitor in amazement. Danny was NOT amused. Now you climb out of your crib and go knock on the door when you want me to come get you... cute at 7 am... not as cute at 4 am.

You like to play ball but have a very hard time with the concept of "catch". You like to play fetch by yourself. You throw the ball, then run after it... repeat. You like the idea of playing with someone, but you don't ever trust that you'll actually get the ball back... so you won't let anyone else touch the ball.

We were at the park about 2 weeks ago and you and Danny were having a great time on the slide. There was a boy there who was about 3 years old who sat right in front of the slide you were using. You and Danny both tried to get around him but he would not move. After a moment I asked him to move and he refused, standing up and putting out his arms to completely block the slide. Danny tried to get past again and the boy growled at him. Without missing a beat you rushed forward and stuck your little finger in his face and yelled "YOU! NICE! NICE!" The boys mother (finally) came over laughing and said, "That's right, listen to that baby and be nice." The boy was at least a foot taller than you and easily doubled your weight. I loved the way you weren't the least bit intimidated. It was awesome!

You love to look at pictures and name everyone you see, you are OBSESSED with Elmo, and you love to tickle your brother and sister. You know all your body parts and enjoy nursery rhymes. You laugh at me when I look mad and hug me when I look sad. You are growing and changing everyday. I love you so much!
Love,
Mommy

Dear Kirsten,

Well, my sweet girl, you lost another tooth this month. You were thrilled and I want to laugh each time I look at your "jack 'o lantern smile". This month you have been very busy with Brownies, gymnastics, and violin lessons.

You are still the best big sister around. You love to teach the boys things and you are so proud when they copy you. Danny has perfected his somersaults and is your little gymnast in training. Your brothers have been experimenting with temper tantrums lately and it is killing you! A couple of weeks ago the boys threw all their Cheerios on the floor. I showed them how to pick them up but they refused. I wouldn't allow them to do anything else until they cleaned up and they had HUGE tantrums. First you tried to show them what to do, then you tried to give them incentives and cheer them on. After twenty minutes of screaming and crying you asked me "Can't I please just do it for them??". It was so hard for you to watch them upset and not be able to "fix" it. When they finally cleaned up you clapped and cheered SO LOUD.

You are doing great in school and get "greens" almost everyday. It's still hard for you to stay calm in the early evenings but you're working on it. I recently told you you needed to come help me with something and you told me "I just want to be a big girl and make my own decisions. I don't mean decisions like 'eat candy everyday' just decisions like 'keep reading and not go help you right now'... cuz I AM a big girl you know!" ...It was VERY hard not to laugh but you were very serious. Another moment I don't want to forget occurred at the beginning of March. You tripped on something in the twins' room and were looking for some sympathy. You were limping around and telling me (with fake tears) that your leg was "broken". A few minutes later I opened the back door to let the boys go out to play... you ran past me and I caught you saying "oh no... not if your leg is broken sweetie". You gave me QUITE the look and declared "That is just an expression! Of course my leg is not really broken!".

You wrote your teacher, Mrs. Booker, a letter last week. I REALLY wanted to make a copy of it... but you had it sealed up long before I had a chance. I wish I could remember how you spelled each word.. it was SO cute. The letter read:
Dear Mrs. Booker,
You are the best teacher in the world because you clean up our whole classroom everyday when the kids go home. That is so nice of you! It's like when my mom has to stay up until 9:30 because my brothers mess up our whole house. Did your kids do that when they were 1 or 2?
Love,
Your Favorite Student Kirsten Taylor

A couple of months ago you asked, very seriously, when you brothers were going to "learn English". As they've been learning to talk I do a lot of interpreting for you (i.e "Did you hear him say 'Sissy'?" "He said 'Thank you'!"). It was as if you thought their poor articulation was actually Chinese. (SO CUTE!) This month you finally agree that is "sounds like they are starting to learn English".

I think you may be the most joyful person I've ever met. You take true delight in the simplest things. You went to an ice skating birthday party this month. There were little metal "guides" for the children to use to help you get the feel of the ice and keep from falling down. You went around the rink twice to get used to it. I expected you to dump the guide after that... boy was I wrong! You figured out that you could skate VERY VERY fast when you didn't have to worry about falling. You started racing around the rink and then began doing tricks as if you were in the Olympics. It was hysterical! You still can't keep a secret (it's just TOO exciting for you!) and you gave the birthday girl half a dozen "hints" about her gift in the first five minutes of the party :) You sing in the shower, wear VERY sparkly shoes everywhere you go, and never stop moving!

I love you more everyday. I truly do love you with all my heart, sweet girl.
Love,
Mommy