Hattie - 5 Months

Somehow I missed doing Hattie's 5 Month Post.  I can't imagine why..you know moving, new jobs, new schools..

But anyway, Hattie turned 5 months old without much change, but a lot of change all at once.  At 5 months old, she:

-is wearing size 2 diapers
-eats 7 oz every 4 hours
-eats two containers of baby food a day
-sleeps from around 7:30 pm - 7:00 am
-still has not mastered the nap during the day.  She's good as long as you hold her! :)
-rolls over to get to things she wants
-loves the jumper that we've had since Nixon was little
-wears 6 month clothes
-loves to watch her brothers and sister.  I think she's amazed at how much they talk and play with each other

Nixon - 6 Years Old

Hard to believe my baby boy is 6 years old.  Seems like just yesterday, I was driving this little bundle around every night because that's the only way I could get him to sleep! 

He started school this year.  He missed the birthday cut-off by one day, but I think it's going to be a good thing for him.  He has so much energy, so maybe the extra year will end up paying off.  I was a little worried because he was NOT ready to start school at all, but so far, so good.  He's loving every minute of it and he's really picking up fast on everything they're teaching him.  He was actually only in school for two weeks before we moved so he has had two first days, but managed to take both of them on like a champ!

Height: 44.2" (24%)

Weight: 45.4 lb (45%)

Favorite color: blue

Favorite subject in school: Computers

Favorite thing to do: Watch TV

Favorite sport: Baseball

Favorite sports team: ECU

What he wants to be when he grows up: He doesn't know..lol..but then he says scuba diver

Clothing style:  Loves to wear Under Armour, recently getting into the whole high socks with the designs on the back (I think this might come from his older brother!)

Best friend: Bennett

Teeth lost: 3

Adult teeth: 2

Favorite food: broccoli

Favorite snack: jolly rancher chews

Nixon is definitely my child that keeps me on my toes at all times.  He's such a little love muffin that loves to cuddle, but his non-stop energy can tire out the strongest person.  I think school is going to be good for him.  He's a very social child, so he loves meeting all these teachers and new friends.  I can't wait to see how much he learns in this first year.  His excitement for everything is infectious and you can't help but get excited about things with him.  He's been my little butterbean from Day 1 and I can't imagine this little family without him in it.  

Landon - 8 Years Old

On July 13th, my oldest baby Landon turned 8 years old!  I can't believe it!  I don't feel old enough to have four children, let alone an 8 year old! Landon's always been so grown acting, so he doesn't change much in that aspect from year to year.  I say it's the curse of being the first born!  When I look at him, he has zero baby features and that makes me so sad!  here are a few fun facts about Landon at 8 years old:

Height: over 48"..I wasn't paying attention when they measured :)
Weight: 61.5 lb
Favorite color: white
Favorite subject in school: math
Favorite thing to do: play sports, also any computer game (iPod, Nintendo DS, the computer, iPad)
Favorite sport: football
Favorite sports team: Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes, "Canada" Blue Jays
What he wants to be when he grows up: Sports player
Clothing style:  Loves to wear Under Armour, recently getting into the whole high socks with the designs on the back
Best friend: Cody Lee
Teeth lost: 8
Adult teeth: 8
Finally learned to ride his bike: July 21, 2013
Favorite food: chicken
Favorite snack: watermelon

As you can probably tell by the last two items, Landon is definitely still a health nut!  It started in a kindergarten PE class.  They were talking about eating healthy and he's yet to turn back from that.  He drinks water constantly.  I wish I had the determination like he does.  He'll also pretty much eat anything if you tell him it's healthy and good for him!  I hope that he continues this habit for this rest of his life.  Landon was such a good baby..the best out of the four and he continues to be a great child, despite his OCD tendencies!

The Rest of the Story

I know there were a lot of questions raised when we decided to sell our house. To explain everything, I need to start at the very beginning.  When Chris & I got married, our intentions were to move to the beach. A year after getting married, we had already bought our first house, I started grad school and I was pregnant with Landon so those plans went on hold.  Shortly after Landon was born, I finished grad school and Chris said, out of the blue, that he was ready to move.  It was crazy how everything worked out.  I literally graduated one week, applied and got a job in the next two weeks.  Unfortunately, where I interviewed and got the job was not at the beach, but when you're 24 years old, you can't be picky in my profession..especially with no experience.  Our goal was to move to Johnston County and get five years under my belt before we started looking towards the beach again.  Well, 7 years later, we've had 3 more children, Chris has finished grad school and we've bought two more houses.

Everything was going great, other than the fact that Chris works like crazy and we started feeling like we were "tag team" parenting more than parenting together.  So, one week during my maternity leave, all of a sudden, a job pops up in Wrightsville Beach.  On a whim, I decided to apply for it.  Chris & I were talking later on in the week and decided that if in fact we did want to move, we needed to sell our house as soon as possible.  That way, if I did get a job, I'd be able to leave at any moment rather than worrying about paying rent at the new location and a mortgage at our old house.  So, in June, I contacted a realtor.  She's awesome by the way for anyone looking to buy or sell in Johnston or Wake County.  She has a stager who came to look at the house and give us ideas on things to move around or change to look good for showings. She had a professional photographer who took the pictures to go in our glossy brochures for showings.  Then, finally after a couple of weeks, we came home and the sign was in our yard.  We immediately started getting showings.  Two and a half weeks later, we received an offer and we're closing in August.  In the meantime, I got a call for an interview.  I interviewed and things went great.  Less than a week later, I have a job offer.  I can't believe how well things have worked out.  It's true that when God puts a plan into place, things fall in line so nicely! Now, I'm not going to say I haven't stressed out and had complete meltdowns because we're basically "homeless" for a month, but God has continually shown me signs that this is meant to be and it's all in HIS time and HIS plan.  We are so excited for this next chapter in our lives!

Mouse

Lily is the first of our kids to have an imaginary friend.  It took us a little while to realize who she was talking to because she's always been one to ramble on to herself under her breath.  One day, Chris realized she kept saying Mouse when she talked and she was telling him to do things. I am a little worried because a lot of the time, she's being bossy and saying things that I know she hears us say to her or the boys.  She'll say, "Mouse, you better listen to me or you'll get in time out" and things like that.  She also seems to work through some of her fears with Mouse.  I'll hear her saying, "Mouse, are you scared of the fireworks?  I'm not, are you?"  It's the sweetest thing and I have been able to get a few pictures of her playing with Mouse.

Teaching Mouse how to use the stapler

"Do what I do Mouse" (jumping as far as you can)

She wanted a picture of her and Mouse.."He's right here beside me Momma"

Moving On...

Well, we did it!  We officially sold our home in 2.5 weeks.  To say we were shocked would be an understatement.  We basically put our house on the market just to see what would happen.  Much to our surprise and happiness, it sold almost immediately.  Now, the home we've known longer than any other (3 years, 3 months) will be a home of our family's past.  For the first time that we've moved, I'm actually feeling a little bit of sadness.  This is the first home that Lily and Hattie both knew.  It's also the house that holds the room that was fixed for Hattie that she never even had a chance to sleep in.  We searched for 3 years for the perfect house until we found this one.  Needless to say, we won't be going right out and buying another one.  In the meantime, we'll rent until we find where we want to settle down again.  This time, hopefully permanently.  In the 10 years Chris & I have been married, we've lived in 5 homes, 3 of which we have owned.  Landon is only 8 and he's lived in 4 homes.  Nixon is 5 and he's lived in 3 homes.  I guess you could say at least they're used to change and they are able to adjust to new things well.  In reality, we move move than a military family and at least they receive benefits!  Goodbye old home..hello new!

This was right after we moved in..long enough that Chris had finished off the flower beds, adding the brick border.

Our first Christmas and our first snow in our house...also the first month as a family of five.

Our last month here and our one and only picture at our house as a family of six.

Hattie - 4 Months

My sweet baby girl is 4 Months old!  She's growing up so fast!  She's really becoming an active baby girl!  At four months:

-she weighs 12 lb, 13 oz (21%)
-she is 24" long (30%)
-her head is 40.4 cm (44%)
-she eats 7 ounces every 3-4 hours
-she sleeps from around 8 or 9pm - 7 or 8 am
-she is trying her best to roll over but can't figure out how to tuck her shoulder blade in
-she loves to coo and talk to everyone
-she is definitely an attention hog..she loves for anyone and everyone to talk to her
-she still loves that paci
-she recognizes mommy, daddy and her brothers and sister and smiles so big when she sees us
-she loves to watch tv!
-she is so ticklish on her shoulders, belly and pretty much everywhere else
-has started sleeping in her crib (FINALLY!) and wakes up in a good mood, talking away instead of crying
-she has started gnawing on those hands like crazy.  She is definitely teething and loves for you to rub her gums
-she already has a few nicknames: Patty Deweeze (from her big sister, but somehow has stuck with everyone else), Weezy (from her wheeziness early on and also her middle name) and Pumpkin head.  Chris has tried to call her Spits because she spits up all the time but I refuse to let that be her nickname!

She tried out the pool and loves it!  In fact, the rocking of the pool put her to sleep one day when we were at the beach.  She still loves to snuggle in my arms which I love.  Her crib is still in our room.  Knowing she's the baby, I think me and Chris both are hesitant to let go of this phase.  We love to look in on her before we go to bed and of course I check her out as soon as I wake up in the morning.  It's crazy how she already fits into our little family and it's like she's always been there.  She's so laid back, which I'm assuming you have to be when you're the baby of four!