Christmas Fun with Friends

We've been sharing the Christmas cheer with friends these past few days. This weekend we went to The Heard Museum in McKinney and walked the Trail of Holiday Lights. It was a little chilly, but was nice to get outdoors and stretch our legs with friends. They had live music and a play area at the end of the trail. Last night we shared a meal, decorated cookies and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. It was a nice and relaxing evening!

Frosty Challenge

Before we had closed on our new house, our kids were signed up for gymnastics. Ha! And actually, they had their first class the day after we closed. It is a homeschool class that meets on Friday afternoons, which is nice because it does not take up an evening.

Last month they advertised they would be doing a "Frosty Challenge". I had missed a couple of practices due to a new baby, and I wasn't exactly sure what all the challenge would entail, but we went ahead and signed the kids up. $25 a pop! Ha!

I had also seen that this past week was Polar Express week and to wear your pajamas to class. I was a little confused with the challenge and pajamas, so we wore our pajamas and we brought extra clothes just to be safe. Ended up they were the only kids in pjs, but they looked so cute and rolled with it! Plus Ally had on her Frozen pajamas, so fitting for the Frosty Challenge. To be honest it is about the only pair of pajamas that is not a princess dress!!

The challenge was more of a time for the kids to show their skills to their parents. We were able to go out on the floor and walk around and watch, which was pretty cool. I loved walking on the floor, so bouncy. If I wouldn't have had Mae on me in the wrap, I may have broke out in a floor exercise, complete with cartwheels and dance moves! Hahaha!

Super proud of these kiddos. They both have improved since starting and they also enjoy it. The gym is first class and we love all of the teachers. Only thing is that it is 30 minutes from the house, which isn't terrible, but just wish it was closer. Below are some pictures of the kids in action.

Here are some videos of the kids.

Jase on the pommel horse.

Ally doing a series of exercises.

Jase on the bars.

Ally doing a handstand.

Ally jumping off of the beam by herself, in slow motion.

Jase on floor exercises

Allyson on the beam.

Below is the group of 6 gymnasts that participated in the challenge. Their class is four times this size, but I guess we were the only ones up for the challenge! ha!

Great job Jase and Allyson!!

So this is Brandon, Ally's friend. Every Friday they see each other and it is the cutest thing. The first hour of class is structured and teacher-led. The last 30 minutes is open gym/free time and the kids love it. They get to run around and do whatever they'd like. For the past month and a half Brandon and Ally run around together for the entire 30 minutes. And sometimes they'll even hold hands. It is really sweet and innocent. On our way to class she'll tell me "I can't wait to see my friend, Brandon."

Check-up for Mae

I took Maebry to the doctor today for her 1 month check-up. She was 8 lb 15 oz, which meant that she gained 1/2 a pound in a week. The doctor said that normal weight gain for this age is 1 pound every 2 weeks, so 1/2 a pound in one week is right on track. She is now 22 inches long and her little head is still tiny at 14.5 inches. The doctor thought she looked great; very alert. Praise the Lord!

Our new pediatrician does things a bit different than we are used to in Deer Park. The check-ups for 1 month, 6 months and a year are group appointments. Meaning that she is seen one-on-one by the nurse and doctor and then we {us and other babies Mae's age} meet in a large room to discuss things pertinent to her age. All of the babies are within a week or two of the same age. She goes over items and then opens it up for a Q&A session. It was very casual and informative. And I would imagine I will be seeing the same parents at future group visits. It was different, but I liked it.

 

Here is a pic of Maebry yesterday; trying to stay warm. It was 40 degrees and raining!

And here she is today with her big bub, Finn. All of them love holding her and I am thankful for that.

Shawn captured Finn singing "Jingle Bells" to Maebry; it was the cutest thing!!

 

Time with family

This past weekend we had family in town to spend some time with us. Shawn's sister, Kimberly and two of her sons, Coby and Lance, came up along with Shawn's parents. It was really a nice weekend with them. And Jase was reunited with his best buddy, Coby. They did just about everything together this weekend: played basketball, rode bikes, played Legos, played pirates/adventurers/explorers, fished. I know Jase thoroughly enjoyed this time.

Saturday afternoon Jase had his first basketball game. His team has only practiced twice, so I wasn't sure how the game would go. Well, it didn't go very well to say the least. His poor team could not get past half court with the ball. Jase played great and hustled up a storm; I was really proud of him. We did score 1 basket, so we were not shut out. Ha! This past week at practice another coach came to help run things and help the boys out. Thankful for that. We shall see what this Saturday holds!

On Saturday Shawn had a work Christmas party to attend. I was a little torn on what I was going to do. Go, don't go, go and bring the baby and put her in my sling. I knew that a 3 week old wasn't the norm for this type of party, but I was still only solely nursing. We ended up asking Shawn's sister to join us and sit with Maebry up in the hotel room and to text me if I needed to come up and nurse. It was really a great night with Shawn and I'm glad I was able to go and have a good time. You should have seen everyone's face when I told them we had a 3 week old in a room upstairs. Ha! A special thanks to Kimberly for keeping Mae and to Shawn's parents for keeping all the others back at home.

After Church on Sunday, we all grabbed a bite to eat at Rosa's Café for a little Mexican food before they headed back home. We'll see friends and family again soon at Christmastime!

1 month

I know I just posted about Mae being 4 weeks old just a few days ago, but I couldn't miss her 1 month milestone! Miss Mae is 1 month old. She is growing like a weed. I took her to the doctor Wednesday afternoon for a weight check and all is well. She was 8 lb 7 oz, and 21 1/4 inches long, so she is definitely growing. Yay! The doctor was fine with this increase and I am to keep on keeping on.

Below is a video of her earlier this week. She was having a little tummy time on my tummy. She is getting strong!

And her is another of her and Finn a couple of weeks ago. So cute.

4 Weeks

Today our baby girl is 4 weeks old. While some days are long, they are flying by. I'm still trying to figure out how to juggle everything at home with a newborn and hopefully will get there soon. I have definitely been praying more that is for sure.

She is really a great baby and is attached to her mommy. We are still nursing and that is going well, definitely better {supply wise} than the other 3. I take her in tomorrow for a weight check to make sure she is gaining enough weight to see if I need to supplement any. I did give her 3 bottles about a week and a half ago and it completely backed her up for 3 days; poor baby girl. I'm still trying to figure out if my supply is sufficient or if she just likes to nurse or if she is just fussy at times. You'd figure I'd have this down pat the 4th go round, but all babies are different. And I'm not stressed over it, just want to make sure she is getting enough to eat.

After snapping a few shots this evening, she decided to poop through her diaper, so into the bath she went! She really loves taking a bath. I think she is my calmest baby yet in the bath tub at this young of an age. She loves the running water.

It's hard to tell what her hair color will be. By the looks of her eyebrows and eyelashes it could lighten up some. As of now her eyes are still a blueish tint. Love you sweet Mae Mae!

Thankful

This year we were not going all out on the food, just keep it simple. And I think we say that every year, but it never ends up that way. I read something last week that said the worst thing about Thanksgiving is that the two days of preparation and work is over in 15 minutes. While that is totally true for our house, I am thankful for the two days. I always enjoy the kitchen time with my family, especially my mom. She is an awesome cook and there is always something I can learn from her.

Allyson loves to take selfie pictures. I decided to take a few with her on Thanksgiving. Notice a couple of our pirate pictures! Arg Matey!

My mom was up for a few days and my step-dad, brother and his girlfriend drove up for a couple of days. We missed having my sister with us this year. Below, the kids just had to eat outside...getting their daily dose of Vitamin D! We tried a new sweet potato recipe this year, oh my goodness, it tasted like candy and I will definitely be making it again! Thank you, Pioneer Woman!!

We got a couple of family pictures that evening on our bed. I think this is our first family photo since Miss Maebry has joined us.

I didn't get the silly face memo! Even Mae knew what was going on!

Maebry Leigh, such a sweet little girl. We just love her so much. Below she is wearing the same onesie and tutu that Ally wore on her first Thanksgiving in 2009! I'll have to find that picture and post it. I blogged about it, but it was on my old blog and for some reason they have archived all of my posts. Boo!

Ok...I found my archived blog!! Yay!! Only thing is that not all of the pictures were archived and it only saved 100 posts, so only the newest 100 posts were saved {missing when I was pregnant with Jase and when he was a newborn}. Better than nothing for sure. I found myself reading and reminiscing 5 years ago when Ally was born. Goodness. I cannot believe it has been that long ago! And wow, I had no idea how much Ally and Mae favored each other. Sisters, so sweet!

 

Here is the picture of Ally in the same onesie and tutu as Mae above. Ally was almost 3 months in these pictures and Mae was 2 weeks {the onesie was super big on Mae}. And Jase below...reminds me of Finn!

Here are a few pictures of Ally when she was just a young pup. Again, I see Finn when I look at Jase's picture below. And maybe because this is the age that Finn is now, chubby cheeks...I love it!

Ok, a couple more and I'm finished!

 

Turkey Craft

While Nanny was up over Thanksgiving she did a little turkey craft with the kiddos. It involved a little paint, a little glue and a lot of patience! Ha! The kids love crafting and really enjoyed this time.

Loom City

With the birth of each child, we have always bought the big brother/sister gifts from our new arrival. It usually consisted of a book or small activity. Something small from the baby, letting them know they are loved by their new sibling. One of the gifts from Maebry was a little band-a-loom set to Allyson. We waited a couple of weeks to open it, to make sure either Shawn or myself could sit with them and help. Last week while Mae was asleep, we broke it out and it has been a hit since then! I realize we are a year or so late on the loom train, but the kids are loving it. And Jase is into it the most I think. He has searched YouTube and taught himself how to make two other types of patterns as well. $5 well spent!