Monday, June 1, 2015

May 2015

The stomach bug hit our house again! I got to spend my birthday cleaning up poop and vomit. Not my idea of fun, but I'm thankful I have this family to take care of and clean up after. Our whole family was pretty much sick this whole month. Virus after virus... we just couldn't shake it.  All the kids had an eye infection, some had ear infections, and everyone had lots of snot! There's nothing worse than a house full of sick kids, and it's even worse, when the parents are sick too.  :(
Brant

Gracie

Rayleigh

Brant took a trip to the ER. He was wheezing really bad and it was Memorial Day weekend, so we had no choice but to take him to the ER  to be seen. Thankfully, his oxygen levels were fine, so we got some steroids and came home.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. All the toys got a good cleaning, in hopes to kill all the germs that keep making us so sick.


I turned 35 & Steven turned 34 a week later. So, for us, we only have to celebrate birthdays in March and May. All the kids are March babies and the hubby & I are May babies.  :)
Our birthday month!!!!
It has rained...and rained....and rained!!!! I think it's time to start praying for sunshine. We're good on the rain for a little while. We still have water standing in our backyard and Steven has yet to be able to mow our whole yard and May is over!!!!
This is our backyard after the most recent rain shower. You can see that the swing set is flooded and there's a portion of our yard that has yet to dry out this whole spring and Steven can't mow it. The grass is up to my hip now!


All the rain has washed away some of Steven's garden.
We have vegetables!!!!! So far we have had squash, zucchini, jalapeƱos, bell peppers, banana peppers, cucumbers, onions, and potatoes.



Brady and I enjoyed a double date night with Kristian and Gavin. You can't go wrong with Chick-fil-A and playing at the park.
He loves chicken, just like his daddy.

Gavin coloring at Chick-fil-A


My little monkey.

I'm so in love with my little big guy.

Sweet cousins (most of the time)

Love my little sis. 
Fun times with sweet Brady.
The kids all like to play outside.
A wagon full of babies makes my heart happy!!!

We have to keep a close eye on the little guy, he likes to stand up.



Helping those who are in need... We had the honor of donating some baby essentials to the residents of Van, Texas whose town was hit by a tornado earlier this month.





What's new with the Six Sweet Seals.....

Their latest weights are:
Brady: 29lbs
Mia: 17lb 9oz
Tessa: 19lb 4oz
Brant: 19lb 5oz
Gracie: 18lb 11oz
Rayleigh: 18lb 13oz

The quints have lots of teeth:
Mia: 4 teeth (she looks like a little vampire)
Tessa: 8 teeth
Brant: 6 teeth
Gracie: 6 teeth
Rayleigh: 2 teeth
They like to bite each other. Brant is the worst about biting, but they all will bite if someone puts his/her finger in their mouth.

*All of the quints can shake their head back and forth to tell you NO.
Getting 6 little kids to look and be still for a picture so H.A.R.D!!!!



Brady:
I'm excited to announce that Brady is almost potty trained!!!! He's doing so well. Now, he isn't pooping in the potty yet, but I'm calling it a triumph that is peeing in the potty!
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, my boy loves ice cream, just like his mama!

He wasn't happy about having to take breathing treatments.

Ride 'em cowboy!

Sleepy boy

Swinging at the park

Funny story here: Brady went with my family to eat for my sister's birthday. Someone had a tree (aka: broccoli) on their plate. He brought the tree home with him. He was so funny carrying the broccoli around. He even put it on the nightstand and slept by it that night. Thankfully, he forgot about it the next morning and I quickly disposed of the "tree" before he realized what happened. 

Slurping on a milkshake

Checking out all the water at the spillway. 

He loves his Aunt Kris

Mia:
My smallest baby is really coming into her own. She's got a big personality. She loves attention. She's starting to act interested in standing on her own and maybe getting close to taking a few steps. I'm pretty sure she's going to be the last quint to walk, but that's okay, she's not too far behind. She's sassy and funny. Her hair is sooooo curly!
She got to go out and eat by herself and she loved all the attention. I took Mia to Dallas earlier in the month to see the ENT  Specialist. He checked out her airway and said everything looked good. He also looked at her vocal cords and thankfully, they are moving and working correctly.

She's such a little ham.

Check out her vampire teeth. :)

Mia loves Brady...here's she's dog piling him.

I love her little grin.

Love.Love.Love

Tessa:
Sweet Tessa is so adorable. She loves to stand on her own and can take up to 2 steps unassisted. I'm not saying she can walk until she can consistently put several steps together on a regular basis, but she's very close. She's a happy baby and loves to smile and laugh. She's getting more hair and it looks like it's going to be sandy blonde.
Playing with her siblings.

Such a sweetheart.

She loves standing up.


She finally has enough hair to have a ponytail.

Even though he bites her, she's so in love with her little brother. She's always laughing at him.

Telling me something really serious.

She wanted to join Rayleigh in my lap.
Love my sweet Tessa
Brant:
Brother Bear is walking everywhere. He loves to bite people, he's even bit me a time or two, and it hurts! He's so funny; when he laughs and smiles he wrinkles his nose to the side. I need to get a picture of him wrinkling his nose because it's too cute. He absolutely adores Brady and wants to go everywhere Brady goes.
My handsome little guy.

Always looking over the fence, begging someone to come let him out of the play area.

He knows how to throw some major fits.

He likes to climb.

His "caught" face.

Pouty face

Mischievous face

Silly boy

He just melts my heart. I'm so in love with this little guy!

Gracie:
The Boss Lady is walking everywhere, she walks more than she crawls now. She loves lots of attention. She's funny and rules the roost.

She also knows how to throw some major fits.

Look at those big beautiful eyes.

Playing the xylophone 

I'm too tired to smile mom...

She adores her daddy...here she's trying to pick his nose. :)

Selfie with Aunt Kris

Such a silly girl

My little ham!


She must be thinking really hard about something..

Oops, she got stuck in the alligator. 

Rayleigh:
Baby girl is getting close to walking. She can take 2-3 steps before falling. I think she'll be walking within the next week or two. She is mischievous. She's the quietest baby; it's easy to forget where she's at because she never says a word.
She has a head full of wild and curly hair. Her hair is getting so long that she needs to have it in a clip to keep it out of her eyes.

She has such a precious smile.

Sleepy girl

Pouty face

Climbing with Brant

Sleeping on mama - she is a mama's girl

Helping daddy put up another fence in the house.

Such a good little helper....and so stinkin' cute!
Well, that wraps up our May. I can't believe this year is halfway over now! The kids are growing up so fast and changing so much every day. I'm loving all this time I get to spend with them. They are our greatest blessings!!!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Mother's Day 2015

I spent my Mother's Day doing what I do best, mothering my babies. The quints were recovering from the stomach virus, but I didn't want to take a chance of spreading the bug to other babies at church, so we stayed home for the second week in a row. I hated not being able to go to church with all my babies, but at least I got to spend the day with all of them. Last Mother's Day, the quints were in the NICU and I had to split my time between them and Brady. I hated being split between my kids; I'm so thankful we're finally all together. For Mother's Day I got a new bracelet with all my kids names on it and I got the cutest footprint painting. If you have read my blog long, you know how obsessed I am with my kids hand & foot prints.

I'm so thankful I'm a mama to my six sweet Seals. They are each so special in their own special way. My journey to motherhood was a really rough journey. I know Mother's Day is not always a joyous day for some women. Some women are grieving over a lost child, or maybe it's a mom who's had several miscarriages, or maybe it's someone who is trying to get pregnant, or someone who can't get pregnant at all, the list goes on and on, my point is, I get it. I completely understand what it's like to have lost a baby and have to put a smile on my face for Mother's Day, when what I really want to do is stay in bed and cry. So, if you're a woman/mom who hurt silently or publicly on Mother's Day, just know, you're not alone.

Because my journey to motherhood was hard fought, I am especially thankful for the fact that God gave me Brady, Mia, Tessa, Brant, Gracie, and Rayleigh. I take my job as a mom very serious. My number one goal as a mom is to raise strong christian men and women. I love my babies with all my heart and it is the most special honor to be their mama.
March 15, 2012 - Love at first sight. My 8lb 2oz bouncing baby boy had arrived!!! I was finally a mama!

Brady was the center of our universe.
We prayed for ONE more blessing, and God said yes FIVE times!!! We got the shock of a lifetime when we found out we were expecting quintuplets!!!
My quints were born at 29 weeks 1 day gestation. They spent from 3 to 4 months in the NICU. (Tessa and Gracie)

My first Mother's Day as a mom of 6!

My birthday last year. What a difference a year makes.
Sweet Tessa. She was 3.5 months old.

Brant and I support my alma mater, University of North Texas.

Brady and I at my sister, Kayla's wedding last June. The quints were still in the NICU.

If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!!! (Tessa and Gracie)

Rayleigh

Gracie

Tessa
Mia

Brady

Brant
Mother's Day 2015
I'm so thankful God blessed me with my six sweet Seals. They fill my life with so much love, joy, laughter, and happiness. I am one very blessed mama.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

April 2015

The saying goes, April showers bring May flowers.... Well, if that is true, we will have flowers galore around here. This has been the wettest spring! There are parts of our yard, Steven has yet to mow because it's too wet. And, because of all the rain, Steven is worried about his garden. He's thinking the watermelon, corn, and green beans aren't going to make it. :(   This has been an exciting month for the kids. The quints are getting out more these days. We go for walks in the neighborhood. We're taking the babies to church & Sunday school. They didn't miss one Sunday all month! I think all my kids suffer from allergies, just like Steven and I do. All the quints are on antibiotics right now, due to ear infections and sinus congestion. Here's a look back at our April.

The kids had a blast at Easter! We hosted the family for desserts and and egg hunt. It was a beautiful day and so much fun!
Easter Sunday was so special. It was the Quints first time to go to church. They were on their best behavior. I'm so thankful we can finally go to church as a family.
We make up most of the Sunday school class. They went to church every Sunday in April.

The Quints went to their first baseball game and the Cardinals won!
I'm sure these five will spend many days & nights at the ball field. We've already been to 3 games! We love our Cardinals. 

We participated in the March for Babies in Longview, Texas.
Our awesome support group.
Brady - April 2015
Brady's vocabulary and speech continues to improve. We are working on potty training, but it's a "work in progress". I was pushing him hard until I finally realized, he just wasn't ready. We still work on it, but I'm not pushing him like it was. I'm hoping in a month or two, he'll be completely potty trained. He likes everything color coordinated (if he has a blue bowl then he has to have a blue spoon). He loves to watch tv and play with his trains. He says the sweetest prayers and loves to sing Jesus Loves Me. He likes it when you read to him and he loves to go outside and play.
My silly guy. 
He loves suckers.


Mia - April 2015
Mia is trying to replace Gracie as the diva. She has a lot of personality and a BIG attitude! Lord have mercy on us! lol  She's going to be a hand-full, I'm afraid. She can give you the meanest evil eye and she will yell at you; I'm sure she's telling us off, we just don't speak her language. She can shake her head no. She has 4 teeth, her 2 top front teeth haven't broke through but the top side teeth have, so she looks like a little vampire. She's becoming more vocal, she can say the /t/ sound and make vowel consonant vowel sounds. She bangs toys together, holds 2 blocks in one hand, and reaches to grab objects. She can clap, point, and shake her head no. Her hair is getting longer and it's very curly.
She climbed in the Bumbo herself.
Here she is giving us the evil eye. lol

Tessa - April 2015
Tessa is such a sweet baby. I know I say that all the time about her, but it's so true. She's so stinkin' sweet! She's got a huge smile. She loves to clap and wave. She can crawl, and she's pretty fast at it. She can now stand unassisted and she can take one step. She can shake her head no. She has a mouth full of teeth. She can throw a ball and retrieve it. She can point at things. She can say the /l/, /v/, and /b/ sounds, she can say mama, dada, and hi; she's also making vowel consonant combinations. She's got the least amount of hair out of all the quints. It's getting a little darker and I think it may be curly.
Tessa having fun.
She's usually always happy.


Brant - April 2015
My little guy is becoming a mama's boy, and that makes me very happy. He used to be so high-maintence, but over the past few months, he's really calmed down. He likes to be cuddled and is just so sweet. He has 6 teeth. He stands unassisted and can take a few steps. He can walk and dance on his knees, but he is too scared and doesn't have the confidence to get on his feet and walk. I think it'll be soon, but he's just not sure about it right now. He can open doors and drawers, crawl over objects, bang blocks, hold 2 blocks in one hand, reach and grasp objects, clap, and point. He says mama, dada, and hi. He's had 2 haircuts.
Trying to keep the sun off while cheering on the Cardinals.

He reached the tissue box and started to demolish the tissues. He loves to make a mess.


Gracie - April 2015
Gracie is starting to lose her diva status. She, just like Brant, is starting to settle down. She is our first quint to walk (her adjusted age is 10 months, and that about when Brady started walking)!!!! She prefers to crawl but will walk when you encourage her. She stands unassisted. I am so happy to report that Gracie is taking most of her feeds from a bottle!!!!! She is doing SO well. She still gets some milk through her tube, but for the most part, she's taking her bottle. She can bang toys together, hold two blocks in one hand, reach and grasp objects. She likes flipping through a book and "pretend" that she's reading. She claps, points, and shakes her head no. She will give toys to you. Her hair is getting longer and it is straight as a board. She's known as the "Boss Lady".
Enjoying a ring pop.

Being a big girl and feeding herself.

Wild hair for my wild girl.

Rayleigh - April 2015
Rayleigh is so easy going. She's usually happy. I think Rayleigh inherited bad ears from me, bless her heart. She has an ear infection as we speak. When she's upset, she says mama mama over and over. She's definitely a mama's girl. Her hair is so long. I'm going to have to start clipping it back so it won't be in her eyes. She can stand unassisted and take a step or two. She loves to eat baby food. She can bang toys together, hold 2 blocks in one hand, reach and grasp objects. She can crawl over objects and shake her head no. She can say mama and dada.
This is where Rayleigh spends most of her time, at my feet begging to be held.

She's got some wild hair.

Such a little sweetheart.