And the children are nestled, all snug in their beds...

.... while mommy catches up on blogging, a to-do list running thru her head! ;)
(I have several blogs that I am behind on- updates, ballet recital, graduation, etc... but I've decided they'll just have to wait till after the excitement of the holidays!!)

Happy Christmas Eve! Our children are nestled and (finally) asleep, Santa's milk and cookies are out and ready, the tree is brimming with gifts for all, and we are filled with excitement of celebrating Jesus's birthday with some celebration tomorrow! Here's a special preview with our Christmas Eve:

All dressed up for Christmas Eve service at church- so sweet!

After we got home from church, ate dinner, had baths and got in our Christmas pi's, the kids got to open one special gift. I got this idea from a friend- one special ornament for each kid symbolizing something special about them that year. They can collect them each year and share them on their own family tree one day. 

Georgia's ornament was a pink princess, of course, since this was THE year of the princess for her!

Lincoln got a red truck (bc I couldn't find a car!) because he's obsessed with all cars, trucks, etc!

Rosemary got a sweet "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornament of a pink stocking! 

After our ornaments, we got out Santa's cookies...

Lincoln made sure he would like them! Georgia wouldn't think of breaking a rule like that! :)

We laid out the cookies next to the kids picture with Santa from meeting him at the mall on Friday. Georgia wrote him a note-" To Santa... Georgia", and drew a picture of a teddy bear Santa should bring for Aunt Heather! ;)

We are ready for some Christmas morning fun real soon!!

Ready, Set, GO- Lincoln's 3rd Bday

WOW! I am SO behind on blog posts. And Christmas is right around the corner... so be patient with me! I'll try to get them up at some point...
 Lincoln's birthday party was 20 short days ago- we had family over for dinner, presents and cake. It was so fun to watch him! He loved all of it- the family, the presents AND the cake! :)

Hmmm- the cake Grandad picked out looks tasty!!

Yep- I was right! Tasty!!

Expert present-opener. He's just warming up for Christmas morning! Did you catch the theme yet? (Cars, cars cars- and things that go!)

Hmmm- a bike helmet. What do you use this for??

How 'bout a super-cool awesome new big boy bike?!? :)

Hopped right on and was rolling! 

Time to blow out the candle, make that wish, and eat some cake! 

Another cool present from the Phelps- safety first!

With our big THREE year old! 

The next morning he got some good practice with that big boy bike...

Now he's zooming around the driveway with Big Sis. What an awesome three years with our sweet Lincoln!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Lincoln!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to YOU! 

Happy 3rd Birthday to LINCOLN!!

Happy Birthday to You!!!

 Here's a little video with the birthday boy... :)

Rosemary- 5 Months

Dear Rosemary,

Well, I'm late on your monthly update again, but I'm not apologizing anymore. Now my goal is just to get it done, at some point, as close to the month as possible. Life continues to swirl around us, and you're growing before our very eyes! Let's check out some highlights from your fifth month:

~ First, eating & sleeping: You still get 5 bottles per day, but just after your 4-mo doc appt I changed to the stage 3 nipple and that seems to have helped you eat better. So I've upped your ounces to 6.5-7 oz per bottle. We were trying a formula with rice in it that the doc gave us, but it was upsetting your tummy and making you very constipated, so we're off that. That's another reason I've been delaying starting you on any solids- I want your tummy to settle and let you just eat good for a little bit. So no pictures of your first messy bites yet!

You still sleep great- we've been walking again and so a couple of mornings you get your first nap in the stroller. You're ok with that, but it's not as long of a nap as you're used to, so you take a solid lunch nap too, then a long afternoon nap. You've woken up early in the morning some this month; maybe now that you're eating some you're realizing you are hungry! Usually it's when you didn't eat great that day. Also- I'm trying to get you used to sleeping sans swaddle, so I will wrap you, but leave one arm out- and usually the other arm, and your legs, find their way out too! You're snuggling up to your lovey, Little Hippo, some too, and learning to use it to comfort yourself to sleep. 

~ I'm also finally admitting that it's 'bout time for you to move out of our room and into the crib in the "girls room" with Georgia. So you've taken a few practice naps in there. Georgia is really excited every time you do and asks when are you going to sleep in there all night! (I think daddy is asking the same question, but has been gracious not to ask it out loud- too many times!) I know it's soon- especially when you start rolling around good; then you won't fit in the cradle much longer.

~ Speaking of rolling- you have finally admitted you know how to roll from back to tummy. You did it for Georgia on day in this fifth month, but then didn't want to do it again. But you've showed us your gift a few times since then. I think next month this will be a regular trick you do! 

~ You were Super Baby for your first Halloween, as part of our Super Hero family. I made you a little purple cape like your sister's that you wore, along with the pumpkin hat and "got Candy" bib. We just took turns carrying you as we trick or treated the neighborhood. You were a good sport!

 ~ We broke out the Excersaucer at the beginning of this month, and you're loving that! You took right to it, and have already figured out how to slobber on all the toys, spin yourself around, jump and bounce. You love that you can see what's going on better, and, as if all the toys and bouncing weren't enough, the kids love to entertain you with dances, musical instruments and songs. I guess you are their captive audience- literally!

~ Along with your slobbering and bouncing skills from the Excersaucer, your hand-eye coordination is progressing rapidly. You can grab something we hold in front of you, grab at your fish hanging above the swing, grab handfuls of hair, hold a chew-toy to your mouth for a bit, and can even do a beginner's peek-a-boo, pulling something off your face when I cover it.  

 ~ You continue to be the sweetest, smiliest, giggliest baby. I love to tickle you- it doesn't take much because you are so ticklish and you laugh! You let anyone hold you, and share your joy. Which is great because people are drawn to your smiles- you get practically grabbed out of my arms at Bible study! :) You're also realizing your voice, and will YELL when you want something. Not cry, not fuss- YELL. You know you're the third child and have to speak up to be heard around here!

 We each love you so much, sweet Rosemary, and I love that you have a special smile for each of us too. For Lincoln- the smile like the funniest guy you know just came in the room and you can't wait to see what he's going to do next! For Georgia- the smile like you give your best friend, the one that is the prettiest girl you know, but will also do anything for you. For Daddy- a smile for your hero, and the man you love most. Your eyes always follow him around the room; you love to watch him! For Mommy- Your mommy-smile! Like the one in the picture above! Like you're so happy to see me and you know I have exactly what you need at that moment- and I hope I never disappoint! I love you so much, and thank the Lord daily for you! love, Mommy

Inquisitive mind wonders- will this fit in my nose?

At four-and-a-half years old, Georgia is learning so much every day- upper and lower case letters, sounding out short words, basic numbering, how plants get and lose their colors, why we celebrate Thanksgiving, how to dance an "echappe (a-sha-pay)" in ballet class... At school she learns by listening, watching, interacting, doing. Sometimes she hears something and remembers it forever. Sometimes she sees something and forgets it immediately. Some lessons seem more important than others, and some take multiple reviews to be learned...
Last night she revisited a previously explored lesson- Nothing Goes In Our Nose! 
Kids were in bed, Larry was doing schoolwork, I was making Georgia's lunch for the next day, when I heard her crying in her room. I waited to see if it was just a "there's something scary" ploy, but her crying continued. When I went in to check on her, she was sitting up in bed holding her nose.
I asked her if she hurt it?- "yes"; bumped it on the wall?- "no"; scratched it somehow? -"no"....."I put a bead in my nose."
I guess I should have gone right into mommy-mode, trying to comfort and fix the problem, but I was dumbfounded. You did what? "I found a bead in my bed and put it in my nose. It's still in there. It hurts." Are you sure there's a bead in your nose? (C'mon- you're four-and-a-half, my Big Girl!) Let's blow your nose- maybe it's just some boogers... (we blow her nose- yes, there are a few boogers.) See- just boogers. Go back to bed. (She sits still. Then a panicked look in her eye...) "No, mommy, the bead is still in there. it Hurts!"
I hear Larry in the kitchen so I just scoop her up and take her out to him, still shaking my head.
"Georgia says she put a bead in her nose. She found a bead in her bed and put it in her nose. Really."
He obviously is the more responsible parent because he calmly says, "Ok, let's get a flashlight." Oh- right. I guess we should check her nose. And what do we see shining way, WAY up in her little nose- one sparkly bead. "Yep- there's a bead in there."
Georgia still looks panicked, but thankfully my mommy-mode finally kicked in. I grabbed a clean tissue and told her to blow hard, plugging the clean nostril. She's not a great nose-blower all the time, but she really gave it her all and.... pop! We all heard the tiny pop of it finally coming dislodged! I'm telling ya- it was really IN THERE. We were about 30 seconds and one more sniffle from a night-run to the ER. Hopefully this lesson will stick this time- stick like a little bead up your nose!!

Georgia & Grandad's Fishing Date

Georgia had Thursday off from school, and since she couldn't go to Bible study with us, she and Grandad went fishing! They were both very excited about their day together and had a great time. She proved herself a natural fisherman, and had no hesitations about anything slimy or squirmy. And they had success- caught 5 fish! I think she'll grow up feeling very natural on the water!

We they got back to the dock I took some more pictures and a little video asking her about her day:

Of course little brother was dying to try out that fishing pole. Grandad had a couple extra shrimp and let him stick them in the water for a few minutes. Wouldn't ya know it- despite his squirming, bouncing, chattering- within 5 minutes he caught a stingray, then a big catfish! He, however, did NOT like the squirmy, slimy stuff and did NOT want to get anywhere near his catch, even for a picture!!