Christmas 2015!

OK, so I am a few short months late on this one.  Ha ha!  Somehow life really gets in the way of this blog.  (I can't imagine how, with three kids ages five and under, ha ha!)  But I want to record the big life moments and holidays so that we can always look back on them, so even though it's May... let's talk about Christmas!

This Christmas was one to remember in more ways than one.  It was Izzy's first Christmas, which is always special :)  And the girls are old enough to really look forward to it and love it, which was awesome to experience.  And my dad ended up needing emergency heart surgery on Christmas Eve.  Yup, that last one was a zinger.  Plans got rearranged, but we all came together to love and support one another, and in that sense, it was amazing.  Dad recovered beautifully and we are all so very thankful for that Christmas miracle.

But back to the beginning of the season and Christmas jammies!  And oh my gosh I forgot how wild Izzy's hair was, ha ha!

Aw, we have Mike reading them the 12 Days of Christmas.  They loved that book this year and you could often find all of us belting out the song on car rides during the month of December :)

Addy and Emmy loved their Christmas dresses and would have worn them daily if I let them.  So what better thing to do while all dressed up than get married... and have a baby... and go to the hospital.  Watch the video to see what I'm talking about ;)

We had breakfast with Santa at the girls preschool:

We went to a Christmas tree farm to pick out the perfect tree.  We went with two trees again this year.  An artificial one in the office for everyone to see from the road when they drove by and a real one in the family room for us to enjoy.  Real trees are messy and they are a pain, but I love them just the same.  There is something about that tradition of picking out your perfect tree every year.  And the scent, you just can't beat it :)

Ha ha!  That's Izzy all nestled in between us!  All you can see is her hat!

This is one of my favorite pictures of the girls!  On the hayride after finding our tree :)

Family selfie!

The train!  All three girls really loved the train around the Christmas tree.  Even Izzy was mesmerized by it, and if she was cranky we could just lay her down next to the tree, turn the train on, and she would calm down :)

Decorating the tree:

Oh and Santa!  We met Santa literally four times in a week this year!  He was everywhere ;)

We decorated gingerbread houses with Addy's class:

Izzy is ready for the season:

I love this picture!  Ready to meet Santa (again) at Bass Pro Shop :)

Planting candy cane seeds:

The result!

Year two with these monogrammed outfits:

Izzy's first ponytail!

Emma's school holiday party:  

She was the only one in class that had a solo!

Time for Addy's class holiday party!

A snip it of Addy's show:

Izzy got her brace off three days before Christmas!  Happy girl!

First time in the doorway jumper!

And first time in the jumper:  (She loves that thing to this day!)

Christmas Eve photos:

Izzy's patience wore thin ;)

Santa came!

Christmas morning!!!

Addy's favorite toy was the Elsa guitar:

Emma's was probably this driving wheel:

Aunt Tina gifted them with an awesome girls day!

Ha ha!  Family:

The girls with their cousins Aiden and Caleb:

As I am looking through my pictures I realize that I didn't get a Hetrick family photo this year :(  Darn!  We must have been too busy having fun to take pics.  But there was our Christmas 2015!  It was a wonderful season, and we have so very much to be thankful for!  Merry Christmas... in May ;)

Isabelle: 8 Months!

Dear Izzers,

You are 8 months old and changing so much lately!  Big news is that you got your first tooth right before you turned 8 months!  It's the bottom front right tooth and so far that's all you have.  You're the one-toothed-wonder these days.  I don't think it was bothering you too much because I never even knew it was coming.  And of course, it popped though during Mommy's first week of work, so Daddy was home and not me.  Let's hope I don't miss other big things like first steps because of work!

Don't mind your poor nose... those fingernails of yours are like daggers!

Other big news is that you finally started sitting up!  It happened right after you turned 7 months.  It was a long time coming, but you are following the exact pattern that your sisters did, so I wasn't worried.  You all are early vocalizers, late movers.  So here you are, in all of your glory... sitting up!

Since this video was taken you have rolled over as well!  You hate your belly, so you immediately roll onto your back if we put you on your belly.

You still have that crazy habit of finding comfort with my hair.  You will only nurse if you are holding onto my hair, and when I'm holding you, you will grab some of my hair and put it in your mouth and start sucking your thumb.  Odd habit little lady, very odd habit.

You still love bath time and I cannot get enough of the post-bath "baby in a towel" photos:

Your love for the outdoors is still in full "swing":

Your very first time on the swings!  Needless to say, you loved it!

Fun on the play set with Daddy

Both St. Patrick's Day and Easter were this month, and you thoroughly enjoyed them both ;)

Otherwise you are still babbling up a storm, and Dada and Mama are your words of choice.  Still don't really think you are saying them "to" us.  You are a very loud lady, and we always know when you are awake in the morning by your groaning, talking, and whining ;)  And though you are much happier than you were in the past, you have no hesitation showing your displeasure if need be.... which is almost always if someone isn't holding you.  Or if you are sitting in poop.  You hate that, and I can't say I blame you there.

You have started shaking your head "no", and it is hilarious to watch your hair go flying while you are vigorously shaking your head!  It makes you laugh every time.  I really need to get a video soon.

You are nursing 4 times a day (morning, before bed, and after both naps).  I keep thinking I'll take it down to three times a day soon, but I'm not sure if you're really ready yet.  You are eating three meals a day with the rest of the family.  Usually a banana for breakfast, either mashed or cut in pieces (depending on whether it's Mommy or Daddy that's feeding you).  Then a baby food for lunch, and whatever we are having for dinner.  And speaking of baby food, we just bought you a boat load of Stage 3 chunky baby food... and you hate it.  It doesn't make any sense to us since you eat plenty of chunky big people food.  But in the baby food form, you prefer purees.  Picky, picky.

You are getting so big these days, and are now in size 3 diapers.  You should really be in 9 month clothes, but we have very few in that size, so we are still rocking the 6 month size when we can get away with it.  

Ooooh I almost forgot the biggest of news!  YOU ARE SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!  Yup, it's official!  I am no longer getting up with you at all in the middle of the night, and it is glorious!  Sleep is a wonderful thing!  You go to bed around 7:30 and wake up between 6-7AM.  I am really trying to push you to wake up in the 7:00 hour instead of 6:00 hour, so I don't go in to get you until 7, even if you are awake before then.  Usually you aren't crying, you are just making noise.  If you cry I go in and get you, don't worry ;)  But despite my best efforts, you aren't budging on the wake-up time.  It is a rare day that you sleep past 7AM.  I'm not giving up though, mama likes her sleep!

For the most part you are down to two naps a day instead of three.  It really depends.  Some days you need that third nap, but for the most part you got for a nap around 9:30 (after preschool drop-off) and again between 1-2 (when the big girls take a nap).  You are a pretty good napper in that you fall asleep quickly, but we never know how long the naps will be.  Sometimes they are only 45 minutes.  Sometimes they are 2 hours.  We just never know.  But if we give you your woven multicolored blanket, you pull it right over your head and go to sleep.  I should get a video of that sometime too :)  You are just like Emma was in that regard.

Here are your 8 month pics:

That tongue!  I think you have recently discovered your tongue and now you are always playing around with it :)

Your favorite toy these days is your comb :)

That hair though!!  It makes me giggle every day!  And based on this picture, it must make you laugh too :)

I love the innocence of this picture :)

Izzy Leigh, this stage of childhood is one of my favorites.  All we have to do is smile at you and you smile right back.  You stay where we put you, so we don't have the craziness of baby proofing everything yet.  You are so innocent and loving and sweet and squishy.  I kiss your soft, smooth checks a million and one times a day.  I am trying hard to relish in all of the little moments, because you are our last baby and I never want to forget these precious days.  I love you to infinity and beyond!

Love,

Mommy