Lillian - Two Months

No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get my girls to stop growing!  Lillian weighed in at 14 lbs. and is over 24 inches tall.  She's starting to coo and smile more and just gets deeper and deeper into our hearts!

Eliana and Lillian at their check-ups

She'll go on pretty fantastic sleeping stints and snooze for 5 or 6 hours at night, but other nights she's not interested so much in getting some zzz's.  We'll get there!  Lillian is also not a fan of tummy time--are any babies okay with it?  However, she is a HUGE fan of bath time and still rarely fusses about anything.  She's definitely a keeper!

Our First Winter 2016 Snow

Eliana refused to wear mittens, she decided they were better off in her pockets.  And she only wore her hat for 20 seconds...

Hylie showing off her mad snow angel skills 

And Lillian slept through the entire outside adventure!

Happy Birthday, Eliana!

Last week Eliana turned two and we had a fun little time celebrating as a family.  Her actual birthday was on Friday, but we decided to make it a birthday weekend and celebrate on Friday AND Saturday.  On Friday we spent a little time at the Children's Museum.  I love going places where the kids can explore and Mom doesn't have to keep on saying "no"!

On Saturday we had her dinner of choice (macaroni and cheese) and a chocolate butterfly cake.

I'm not sure Eliana understood why she was getting all the attention, but she sure didn't complain! How we love our sweet, little two-year-old!  Lots to look forward to this year!

Thanksgiving 2016

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Chicago.  When I realized we would be here, I figured this was a perfect opportunity to check off one of my bucket list items: prepare an entire Thanksgiving feast on my own!

Okay, it wasn't completely on my own, Hylie and Eliana helped out, plus I made multiple phone calls to Mom to go over recipes and cooking tips, AND if Geoff wasn't here on Thanksgiving day tending to the kiddos, nothing would have been prepared for the feast!

Chopping celery

Wrapping sweet potatoes

Getting in all the Wednesday prep!

I must say, when everything was all said and done, I was pretty proud of myself!  I had everything warm and ready at the same time and I liked how everything tasted: win, win!

Although, I had to laugh...the minute we sat down to eat, Lillian was ready to eat, too--so by the time I got back to my plate, it was cold!  Ha ha!  Regardless of that little detail, I thoroughly enjoyed preparing everything and look forward to doing it again sometime.

The sister missionaries gave a beautiful thought on gratitude and we each took a turn expressing our thanks for various things in our lives.  I love that when it comes to sharing our thanks, no one ever hesitates or has a hard time thinking of what they have been blessed with.  Indeed, I am thankful for this amazing life I have.  I was raised in such a loving family, received an excellent education, had wonderful employment opportunities that have helped shape who I am, and now I am blessed with a loving, patient, super husband and together we have three beautiful daughters who light up our world.  I know I wouldn't recognize how bountiful these blessings are in my life if it weren't for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Heavenly Father's plan of salvation is a perfect plan full of love and mercy--I'm so thankful to know of His love and of what can be in store for us in the next life.  Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Lillian: One Month!

Lillian is one month old today.  Even though she's only been with us for four weeks, I can't remember life without her!  She is an absolute joy in our lives and we are so blessed to have her in our family.

At her one month check-up she weighed in at 11 lbs. 15 oz. and is 23 inches tall.  This little thing is up in the 99th percentile and it doesn't seem like she'll be slowing down any time soon!

She's starting to spend some more time awake, she's an excellent eater, loves to see what her older sisters are up to and never complains about all the attention they give her.  Recently, she's been kind enough to give me some 4-5 hour periods of sleep at night--I sure hope those continue (and eventually become longer, of course!)

We sure love you, Lillian!

Big Sister

Ever since Lillian was born and Eliana was no longer the baby of the family, I feel like she has grown up over night!  She has been such a big helper and also does so many things to keep us all giggling.

Taking care of business during dinner

 This little girl loves her some m&m's--but it looks like we should just stick with plain next time...spitting out the peanuts is a lot of work!

She got her nails painted for the first time this weekend and has been admiring her polished piggies ever since!

This little girl LOVES to "sing"--here she is doing the motions to "If You're Happy and You Know It" with Grandma.

Singing isn't the only thing she's passionate about:

got milk?

Eliana's imagination cracks us up sometimes:

She is learning more and more sounds/words.  Right now, the list includes: uh-oh, da-da, ma-ma, up, eat, cracka (cracker--this girl loves snacks, so it doesn't surprise me she has figured out how to ask for them!), more, and go.  Whenever Eliana is given a choice of something she will look over her options carefully, say "umm", and then point which one she wants.  Her animal sounds include: moo, neigh, roar, quack, and baa.

The Children's Museum

While Grammy was here, we decided to go pick up a membership at the Children's Museum.  The morning spent there was so, so fun and the girls and I are already looking forward to our next visit.

Grammy's Visit

At the beginning of November, we had a wonderful visit from Grammy!

 Grammy was a huge help in tending to Lillian and making sure she was as comfortable as can be at all times.

Lillian wasn't the only one being tended to by Grammy, all the girls got to snuggle with her as she read tales from Arizona land. 

The weather was absolutely beautiful during her stay so a ton of time was spent outdoors--which meant quiet time for Mom and Lillian to nap!

 Grammy taught Hylie all about hopscotch.

Grammy and the two older girls were often found at the park.

Geoff stayed home from work and was able to join us for a picnic.  Hylie picked a cozy spot that was just the right fit for the little and big kids!

Grammy was so kind to treat us to Chicago-style pizza.  Thank you for the delicious feast!

And if you ever wondered if Grammy is a good sport, here is the proof that she is an AMAZING sport!  Hylie took her picture at the library and gave her a make-over on the computer:

AND she ate lemons, limes, and other sour vittles with Geoff--thankfully this was proceeded by a "miracle berry" to make these snacks taste unbelievably yummy!

Thank you, Grammy, for such a delightful visit!  This week was one filled with joy and beautiful memories.  We enjoyed having you with us at this special time of welcoming Lillian into the Woodhouse clan.