The cousins are here!

“Will I see my cousins today?”

It is a question often on Benjamin’s mind. He LOVES his cousins. Unfortunately, none of them live nearby. So, it is a very special treat when we get to see any of them.

It was an even better treat to have them come stay with us for a night. Benjamin was THRILLED to share his toys and play with Sadie, Lydia and Tessa. So was Abby!

We read LOTS of bedtime books.

And morning books…

We played at Jumping Jacks (an indoor playground), and we hung out at the house.

Then, we all drove up to Bluffton to meet up with MORE cousins, Asher, Levi and Eden.

Grandma Jan had a Valentine’s Day party for the kids. We played with all Benjamin’s aunts and uncles. And, we got to visit Great Grandma Hilty.

Benjamin cried so hard when we had to leave. He wanted his cousins to all move in with him.

Nine months

Abby is nine months, and she is a force to be reckoned with! If she gets it in her mind to try something, there is no stopping her.

Lately, she has LOVED the challenge of climbing the stairs. If we forget to put up the gates, look out!

Abby loves electronics. Who doesn’t, right? She gets a kick out of seeing herself on the phone camera. And, she would teethe on it all day if I let her. (Which I don’t.)

Abby weighs 18 pounds 10 ounces and is 27.75 inches long. Both put her around the 45th to 50th percentile. She wears mostly size 12-months now, but her feet are still itty bitty.

Abby had her vaccines today, and she only cried for a few seconds. She seems to think those are nothing compared to teething. With her teeth, we deal with tears and whining all day and all night. Speaking of teeth, she has seven right now. I was going to count the eighth one as a tooth, but it doesn’t seem to want to come all the way out. So, we will keep watching for it, and for now we’ll say there are seven (very sharp) teeth with one just about through the gums.

Abby had two ear infections last month, but she seems to be over these, and hopefully, ready for a healthy Spring. She still won’t eat much solid food. Squash remains the only vegetable she will consistently eat. Sweet potatoes and carrots are a close second. After that, it is hit or miss. We give her plenty of finger food, but she doesn’t ever swallow any of it. I spend a lot of time sweeping the floor!

I love Abby’s sweet smile, and her sense of humor. She loves to harass Benjamin whenever his concentration is fixed on something else. She will poke at him, and even climb on him, all the while giggling like crazy. He isn’t very fond of this game. She ADORES his attention, just as long as he isn’t tormenting her by taking her toys away.

Abby also loves attention from Mommy and Daddy. She will pull up on our legs and howl until we pick her up. Then, she will grin with satisfaction that she got her way. She seems to have overcome much of her stranger anxiety, and she has been happily allowing family, and even church nursery workers, to hold and adore her. 

We are having so much fun with this sweet baby girl. I can’t believe she will be a year old in three months!

Be my valentine!

I LOVE that Abby and Benjamin love each other…for the most part. It is evident here in these Valentine’s Day photos.

Benjamin gives Abby such sweet kisses. After this kiss, he said, “I am going to give her an Eskimo kiss now.”

I do this with him all the time, where we rub noses back and forth. He giggles and giggles.

This week, we had a wonderful time making valentines at a party with our friends. We have made it a tradition to do something for every holiday with the kids. This time, we ate a heart-shaped lunch of grilled cheese, banana muffins and tomato soup.

Then, we painted hearts with marbles that we rolled in paint.

A few days later, we delivered our valentines to a local nursing home so we could teach the boys to love others by showing kindness.

Here is our traditional group photo. Now that two of the babies are mobile, it is proving a challenge to get everyone to look at the camera and stay put!

Abby and Leila get such a kick out of each other.

Unplugged

Yep, we did it! We made it an entire week without television or video games. Keeping It was not easy, and there was a lot of begging for Angry Birds and TV shows. But, ultimately, I think it made us all more purposeful and creative in our daily activities.

We played a lot of games, including chase Abby and Benjamin. Benjamin LOVES to play hide and seek and “chase.” He REALLY loves it when we pick up Abby so she can chase him too.

We had many “parades.”

And, we finger painted with chocolate pudding.

There were plenty of forts constructed thanks to Daddy.

We found a music/dance story time that both kids LOVED.

And Daddy helped Benjamin build a snow man.

We played with a lot of friends.

After a trips to the zoo, Entertrainment Junction, Pump it Up, friends houses and to various stores, we are exhausted. But, it was a great week. We have decided to unplug more often.