January

January is usually a long month for me. It's after the holidays and the business and excitement of that time of year. I like getting back into a schedule and the swing of things but it is a cold month where I just can't wait until we start getting closer to spring and warmer weather where we can be outside more. This year was no different and then we added about a week and half of sickness in there and so I'm grateful for the little memories that were made in January but I'm definitely ready for warmer days ahead. The cold, long months make me so much more grateful for the sun and for flowers and all those wonderful things that come in the spring. 

There are always sweet and fun moments during a month no matter the weather. One family home evening lesson I talked about encounters with Jesus with the girls. How when we have Jesus in our lives it makes us feel happy and then we created our own pictures (Baylor drew a picture, I used all words for my creation, and Paige used a combination of both picture and word) to create how we feel when we encounter Jesus in our lives. I gave a few general ideas of how we feel loved, or happy, or have peace and then they created their own and I LOVE what they both came up with.

Baylor drew a picture of Jesus in the clouds with hearts because Jesus loves us.

I just love, love the words that Paige came up with like seen, heard, relieved, cared for.. really all the words she came up with really spoke to me about how I feel about Jesus and the fact that at 10 she came up with this list on her own shows me that she really feels this way and she has had her own encounters with Jesus and the Holy Ghost at such a young age. 

I know I touched on this in my last post about McCall but we all ended up getting covid. I'm not sure where I got in from but I got it first. I had a bad headache that wouldn't go away but didn't think anything of it since I get headaches often but then Thursday I woke up with a sore throat and tested that day and was positive. I never had a fever and mine just felt like a minor cold with some minor body aches. My lower back hurt the most and some aching in my legs. I felt like I could function and cook and clean and then rest in between. It ended up being a tender mercy that I didn't have it too bad so that I could care for the rest of my family during this time. McCall started getting sick on Friday with a bad fever and that was really the extent of hers but it was a rough few days and night where she was not herself and would just lay there and was held for all her naps and slept on the couch with me for two nights. Paige woke up with a fever on Saturday and because she didn't eat much. She ended up throwing up that night all over our bed and floors and spent the entire day in our bed sleeping and resting. It was a blessing that she didn't have school on Monday and was still a little weak on Tuesday so she ended up only missing one day of school that week and she never tested positive even though she had the same symptoms and she even took a few tests. Nate got sick on Sunday and definitely got it the worst. He started with a really bad fever, chills, and body aches and then had the worst sore throat that he has ever had and then stuffy nose. Luckily the week following he already had scheduled classes to attend for work so he didn't really end up having to use too much sick time for being out a week. Baylor ended up getting sick on Monday and had bad fever and was mostly really tired. She was funny when we tested her and it was positive and I guess the look on her face was priceless and she exclaimed "I told you so!" and was excited that she got covid. She ended up putting herself to bed between 7 and 7:30 each night for about a week. There were little tender mercies through the week like that fact that Paige had a schedule day off of school, Nate and his work classes, and not having activities and too many church things to miss. We are all so grateful for have our health, that's for sure!

McCall went in the hot tub and also wore a swimsuit for the first time and it was the cutest thing ever! She loved it and I know there will be much more hot tub fun for our three girls in the future.

Baylor got to go on two field trips this past week with her preschool. First we went to a local fire station. She was very hesitant and was connected to my leg most of the time and didn't really want to participate. It is a little hard as a parent since I'm not sure what to do and I don't want her to miss out on opportunities like sitting in a fire truck but if she doesn't want to do something then I can't force her. They did a really good job with the kids and read them a story, let them walk around the fire station and see all the different parts, taught them to dial 911 and what to do if a fireman comes to your house, we got to see a firefighter in his clothes, and all the kids got to walk around a big fire truck and see all the parts and they got to climb in the back and at the steering wheel if they wanted. 

At the end of the day, she did say going to the fire station was her favorite part of the day so it must have been a good experience for her even though from my perspective it was just okay for her since she didn't participate much. 

The next day was a field trip to the Children's Museum in Tacoma. We had a long talk the night before about enjoying these field trips since often they are things we don't normally do. I assured her that I would not leave her side and that I would play and watch her the entire time. She did much better at this field trip though was very leery of people and she is definitely one that doesn't like big groups of people. She is most comfortable and herself at home. I just wish other people got to see the true and fun Baylor and not always the super shy Baylor. We had fun though going to all the different things and trying everything out. 

Then Saturday as a family we went to Tacoma to the Washington State History Museum. I got free tickets through the library and it was a fun family outing. There was hardly anyone there and we just took our time looking around. McCall did great in the stroller as long as it was moving and Baylor got a little impatient at the end but overall it was a fun little adventure.

We walked the bridge to see the glass work and as you can tell in the pictures, Baylor was done by this point but I'm glad we went and it was good to go on a family outing in January. It makes me look forward to all the family outings and adventures we will go on as a family this year especially as the weather gets warmer. 

7 Months

I know I say this every time I post about this little one but how has 7 months already flown by? She is SO cute and the time with her as a baby is going by WAY too fast. I love this sweet baby stage SO much and I just wish time would slow down because even though I'm cherishing all these sweet moments with her, I just don't want this baby stage to ever end. 

We all love our sweet 7 month old and she has all of us wrapped around her little finger and we all live for the baby smiles and giggles. Here is what McCall is up to at 7 months old:

• She is a pretty good sleeper. Her norm is waking up once at night with an occasional two times. She naps for sure 2 times during the day and sometimes 3 depending on when she wakes up from her first nap and what we are doing. If she takes a 3rd nap, it is a quick one after dinner and she will be up a little later on those nights. 
• She is still great at nursing and when she is really hungry she does this cute thing when I lay her down, where she uses all her strength to curl close to me with a big open mouth. It reminds me of a little baby bird who just wants to get that food no matter what and a big open mouth is the way to do that. :) She also eats baby food about once a day and is doing great with that.
• She is a little inch worm and is very close to crawling. She is really good at getting where she wants to go by scooting and rolling. She gets up on a four and rocks away and then goes back down to her belly to move around. 
• We are still working on her sitting up on her own. She can do it for a little bit but is always trying to grab something that sitting usually ends in her falling over. 
• She does the cutest and funniest thing when she wants to be picked up. She will be on her belly and do a "superman" where she lifts her arms and legs off the ground and is just balancing on her belly. It is so cute! She also gets super wiggly and excited when you get close to her because she always wants to be picked up. 
• She loves to be walked around, mostly facing out. She is SO observant and just wants to take in the world around her and grab anything in sight. You have to be careful when you are holding her at the table. Her hands are so quick at grabbing your plate and if she gets a good grab, she will pull it right off the table. 
• She is starting to enjoy the exersaucer and it will keep her entertained for a little bit longer. She is mostly happy to just be on the ground scooting and rolling from one thing to the next. 
• She loves a bath and is getting to the point where she kicks her legs like crazy to splash with either a look of determination or a big smile. I can't wait to take her in the hot tub and to the lake in the summer because I know she will love it.
• She is pretty particular with her smiles and is pretty serious though she is getting more smiley as she gets older and is even more particular with her laughs. Paige and Nate are the best at getting her to giggle. She thinks being thrown in the air is pretty sweet and will always give a smile for that. 
• She is my little partner and goes wherever I go especially to young women activities and my young women love her and she is passed from one girl to the next.
• She loves her blanky and binky. She will nuzzle her face into blanket and often eat it when she is tired or hungry and whenever she sees her binky, she always grabs for it or if you have it she will give you a big open mouth. It is so cute to watch her pick her binky up and she is getting pretty good at putting it back in her mouth, though at times she forgets how to let go of it and keeps pulling it out. 
• I love her little baby talk and happy squeals. They are the BEST!

She does the cutest thing with her tongue and you will see it in a couple of these pictures.

Three of the cutest girls ever! I had the thought the other day that I will have a teenage (Paige at 13) and a threenage (McCall at 3) in the same year which is a little frightening to think about but I truly love seeing them interact together and seeing the love they have for each other especially the love the older two have for this little baby. 

This month McCall got sick and with the rest of us and it was so sad. It was most likely covid  but she never got tested though that's what the rest of us had. She had a fever and was SO lethargic. The two nights that it was the worst, I slept on the couch with her to be sure she was okay. The first night was rough. She whimpered most of the night and I tried to keep a cold cloth on her head and would nurse her as much as she would take it. During the day she would just lay there with the cloth on her head and didn't want to move at all and all her naps she was held. It was so sad to watch and I'm so grateful for health and that she is now back to herself. 

Three cute girls sharing one bean bag while watching High School Musical. They truly are my world and what makes my life so sweet!