{ edith nancy :: 4 months }

Happy 4 months sweet girl. Right now you are truly a joy to all you are around. Your little personality is really starting to show and you are a generally happy and easy going girl.

• 12 lbs, 11.5 oz (21%)
• 24" tall (35%)
• 16" head (58%)
• I am still pumping 100% of the time and you are taking a bottle like a champ, about 28 oz per day. We were nursing for a couple of weeks, but your little suck just wasn't strong enough to get what you needed so back to the bottle we went. I am willing to do what ever it takes for you to grow and develop like you should.
• You are still a very spitty baby. I am dairy free as of now and that helps some but you still spit up all day long, we do a lot of baby laundry and you go through a lot of clothes because Momma doesn't like a smelly baby.
• Speaking of smelly baby, you get a lot of baths and you really enjoy soaking up that warm water and just recently you have discovered splashing.
• You are pretty content to just lay on the ground under your play mat and reach for and look at the hanging toys. Your favorite makes a very soothing jingle sound and has a wooden ring on it that you like to suck on.
• You are very proficient getting those hands into your months and you like to suck on fingers and soft blankets.
• You are not loving your bouncy seat lately, I think it feels too restricting. But you are enjoying the Bumbo, especially when you are awake for meals, you like to be part of it.
• You love your brothers and they can always entertain you and make you smile.
• You love to give smiles, except on camera (errr). I'll catch that sweet smile one day.
• You are having a bit of that 4 month sleep regression. It is normal, but you still take fantastic naps during the day and sleep for at least one long stretch in the evenings.
• You still like to be swaddled tight and you like to sleep in the swing or the rock'n play and you like white noise.
• You do not like tummy time, however, you are tolerating it more and more. You are wriggling all over the place but are showing no signs of rolling over yet.
• You are starting to grab at toys and I'm sure it will be soon that you can hold toys on your own.
• You do not like loud noises or when anyone raises their voice, you little lip quivers.

In my opinion you are practically perfect and I feel so blessed to be your mother. I hope I be a good example to you of what a woman should be. I hope your little personality stay the same just gets bigger. I love you Edie sweetie, you are my angel girl and I still have to pinch myself that you are mine!

{ it's great to be eight }

On July 8, 2008 this boy came into our lives and forever changed who we were as people. 8 years later he is growing into a wonderful young man. As the tradition goes in our house balloons await the birthday kid in the morning and the birthday kid chooses breakfast and dinner for the day. They also get to choose their flavor of cake or cupcake and ice cream. For breakfast Garrett chose his favorite, French toast dippers (these are mini pieces of French toast made out of baguettes dipped into syrup), sausage links, and fruit. For dinner he chose French dip with sweet potato fries, and for his cupcakes he chose chocolate cupcakes with mint frosting and a mint Oreo to top it. This was also a big year because Garrett got to have his first "friend" party. For his party he chose cousins and friends to join him at the local trampoline park and to do his cake and presents there as well. This is fine by me, less mess to clean up in my house.

The birthday list for presents was quite the process this year, there were so many things he wanted and as he gets older the struggle over the want for toys increases. He still wants them but they loose their luster so quickly. Of course Legos were still high on the list, but there were some other things as well. Garrett has been really into music lately and loves to pick out songs for his personal playlist. I have been tired of giving up my devices so he could listen to his tunes...soooo this boy got an ipod nano and a blue tooth speaker for his birthday. It was a big hit and not expected by him. It is so fin to have little kids, but it is also so fun to watch then grow into people who have their own tastes, styles, and opinions. he also got several cards from grandparents with money in them which promptly went to purchase new Lego sets. Grandma Poe has started making custom embroidered cards fort he grandkids and Garrett's had the Grinch on it because of his part as the Grinch in his school's musical this year. He loved it and thought it was so awesome that Grandma remembered.

I will admit that I felt pretty accomplished  this day, managing to throw  successful party for my boy with 9 kids and everyone had fun. The group we had was awesome and I am so grateful my boys have friends and family who love him so much.

The party is awesome but let's talk about who this boy is becoming. At his 8 year check he was 52" and 60.8 lbs...WHAT? He is getting so big and he is wearing a size 3 shoe, yikes!

This boy is so thoughtful and helpful. He has taken being the oldest child at home in stride. He is always willing to help, learn something new to help me out, entertain his siblings, and so much more. He is my peacemaker and hates when contention is in the home. He will do whatever it takes to try to lighten the mood. He is kind and loves to play with people and loves to be included and always strives to include others in his games or activities. He loves his siblings and his family fiercely, in fact, just like his dad he does everything fiercely. He is a good student and had big dreams. He still wants to be a robotic engineer, a research scientist, and a scientist in the military to invent cool things to keep us safe. He still enjoys building Legos and is recently building more from his imagination rather than his "maps". This boys constantly amazes me with the things he is capable of and the choices he makes. He is still an awkward eight year old boy who gets wild and crazy sometimes and lacks awareness, but he is really growing into himself and I look forward to the future as I watch this boy grow into a man.

He is very excited about making the choice to be baptized on July 23rd and he is so much more aware of what this means than I ever was. He is a spiritual giant with a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored gospel. He is also really looking forward to start cub scouts as a wolf and was very excited when we got to go the scout store to get all his uniform stuff.

Garrett, we love you so much and are so proud of the person you are right now and who you are becoming. Continue being awesome and know that we are always here for you and we will always love you no  matter what!

{ edith nancy :: 2 months }

Little miss is two months old and I, seriously, cannot believe how fast time is flying. You feel like they are gonna stay newborns forever and then you turn around and they have little fat rolls and they are smiling at you and they become so a part of everyday life that you cannot even remember what life was like before they were part of it. This little girl has all of us wrapped around her little finger and she doesn't even know it. Heavenly Father blessed us with a sweet baby who is so easy to love.

• She is growing like a weed :: 10 lbs 7 oz (37%) and 21 3/4" (22%) :: she is my most petite baby overall. But she is so much shorter than the boys so she looks so much chubbier at this age. I love it and I am so grateful for all the chub and rolls. She is healthy and happy.
• She loves to sleep and is great at it. She takes long, hard naps during the day and sleeps for 5-6 hours each night. She will sleep pretty much anywhere under any circumstance. This is a blessing with her loud, rambunctious brothers who are always on the move. 
• She is smiling more and more everyday and she smiles with her eyes, I love this!
• She likes to be around people, especially mommy, but her brothers fill in a pinch and often just them sitting by her talking to her will cheer her up.
• She loves to eat but is a spitty baby so she gets her clothes changes several times per day as I cannot stand a smelly baby...just like a girl to want to wear 3 different outfits each day ;)
• She is a snuggler, she melts into you and loves to just be right close to whoever is holding her. This makes it terribly hard to put her down sometimes and hard to get things done, I mean who doesn't want to hold a snuggly baby?

I, honestly, cannot think of anything she does besides spitting up I would change. I hope she stays sweet an easy!

Here are a few other pics that capture her budding personality.

{ may 1 || may 7 }

Edie and I made our debut at church on Sunday and she was the hit of the party. She is still so tiny and just looked so adorable all dressed up in her Sunday best. She was good as usually sleeping or eating nearly the whole three hours. It felt great to back back at church and beginning to feel like my normal self.

On Tuesday morning I was on my own to get Garrett off to school and breakfast for the kids. Since Edie was born Marcus has been handling the morning routine so I could get extra sleep and worry only about pumping and taking care of baby girl. I am so grateful for baby wearing and my Boba carrier. This was Edie's first time in it and I think it was a hit. She fussed for a bit and then drifted off to dream land as she got lots of closeness to Momma in the carrier. I am not sure how moms do it when they don't take advantage of baby wearing. Sometimes I just need to hold my baby and still have two free hands.

 Wednesday was 3 weeks since little miss arrived and it is flying by. She really is a dream and so easy to take care of and love. Lately she has had more awake time between naps so I am enjoying more eye contact with her. Right now she has the bluest eyes, I wonder if they will stay that way? the boys both started out with blue eyes and now they both have very brown eyes. I guess time will tell, but I will say I am partial to the blue and I also have blue eyes. Either way she is a pretty little girl.

Edie loves her bouncy seat and again, this girl will sleep anywhere in any surroundings. She just drifts off to dream land whenever she feels ready or tired. This is such a blessing as we have a loud and crazy house with all these older brothers. I hope she is always able to tolerate the craziness.

 On May 5th and 6th Garrett got to perform in his school musical, they performed Suessical Jr. He auditioned for a speaking part and got the part of the Grinch. It was a small part so he was also a Who from Whoville. He has been doing drama club since January and he loves it. It is such a creative outlet for him and he has such a gift of memorization and music. This is a picture of him doing his line as the Grinch. I was so proud of him when I watched it and I cried as I thought about his hard work and dedication to this musical. I really hope he can continue exploring this gift of drama and theater. He is so god at it.

This happened while we were waiting for G's play to start. My little man is really in need of any special, silly time he can get with momma as he is always competing for my time. When I have a free minute I do my best to give him some of my undivided attention. So tonight we did silly face selfies and this was his scary face..."see all my thcary teef momma? Ima gonna eat you for my breaksfasts!" I hope this kid knows how much I love him and that Edie won't always need so much attention. Hugs my little man.

This girl is getting love from everyone including Bella. She was so distraught about her crying that she just put her head on her pillow and kept putting her paw on Edie's chest to try to clam her down. Edie doesn't have hard times very often so this crying fit was very rare and nobody really knew how to handle it. She already has her daddy wrapped around her little finger and falling asleep on his chest is just cinching the deal. She also gets daily loves from Eli. He loves to snuggle his baby Edith.

It was a good week and I feel like things are not gonna slow down until school gets out in a couple of weeks so right now we are all just holding on for the ride!

{ newborn pics }

This little girl is 2 weeks, 2 days old and we finally made it over to my sister's house for some new born pics. My sister is a great amateur photographer and has the most amazing afternoon light in her bedroom so we headed over to capture this fleeting stage of newbornness. This is just a little sneak of the pictures she was able to capture. I love how innocent she looks, totally not phased by this big world she has just entered into. Edie sweetie, my little angel baby. 

{ meeting baby ruthie and getting into a routine }

My sister, Melissa's, baby was born while we were in Seattle for Great Grandpa's party. These girls are only 10 days apart. Baby Ruthie is such a doll but is quite a bit longer than her short little cousin. I am so excited that Edie will have a cousin just her age to grow up with. Edie will not have any sisters so I hope that these girls can become great friends and that their relationship will blossom into one like that of sisters. I know that my sisters are my best friends and I would be lost without them.

We also spent the day after our travels recovering from those travels. It took a lot out of both of us so we spent a lot of time napping in bed getting lots of cat naps and snuggles.

Daddy did a good job keeping the kiddos away yesterday so we could hole up in bed, but this little guy could not resist some morning snuggles with his baby Edith. Daddy had to go back to work this morning and the bog boys are in school so it looks like it's just me and my little crew all day. I know I'll be able to get the basics done but it's gonna be awhile before I am back in my groove. Right now we will just take one day at a time.

Every night after her feeding she ends up sleeping next to me on the couch while I pump or just hang out. My evening company is the best company ever. The bigger boys are in bed and the house is quiet. Just her, me, and daddy. I could look at this face all night. I love that she can fall asleep anywhere and doesn't need a lot of fuss with it. Thus far this girl is my best sleeper. I love this girl, she holds a special set of keys to my heart.

( great grandpa turns 90 }

Grandpa Woodward is one of the men in my life that I cherish most. He is right up there with my own father and my husband. He and my grandma have created quite a posterity for themselves and have instilled in their children and grandchildren a love for the Lord, our Savior, and family. They started traditions many years ago that are still being passed down to the next generation. This year Grandpa turned 90 and my mom and her siblings planned a great birthday celebration for him. I was something I had not considered attending even though I really wanted to  because I knew I would have a tiny baby. Edie's due date was the same day as his party. But...she came 10 days early and mom and dad were flying back to Seattle just for the day and then flying right back in hopes of my sister having her baby soon. I got to thinking that if they were flying up and back in the same day that maybe I could go with them so Grandma could meet her newest great granddaughter who is named after her and so I I could hug my grandpa on his 90th birthday, I am his first born grandchild after all.

So crazy me packed a small bag with a few necessities for the day and flew my 10 day old baby to Seattle for the festivities. My mom and her siblings did an amazing job putting this party together and I have never seen my grandfather bursting with so much pride and love for his friends and family. He did not stop smiling the whole day and he made it a point to personally greet all his guests even though I could tell his body was tired from all the festivities.

This is my beloved grandma, Nancy Lee Woodward. This is the lady Edith middle name is after. This woman, in my mind, is the epitome of being classy and feminine, she is strong and capable in a very quiet, non showy kind of way, she is beautiful and has great taste, and she has more love in her heart than anyone I know. He ability to love unconditionally is amazing and I hope my sweet little girl will inherit just a piece of what my dear grandmother has to pass on.  

This is the birthday boy, 90 years young and loving on his newest great granddaughter. It was a little ironic that his oldest grandchild was there as the mother to his youngest great grandchild. I love this man with all my heart and I will always be his ichibon!

My dear grandparents with all of their children. This does not happen often and I am grateful that I was there to witness such a sweet moment. I love all of these people and they have all influenced me in some way for the the better. Don't you just love how my grandma is looking at the love of her life.

My Uncle Bondy created this beautiful piece of art. This is a family tree with all the names of their posterity, I believe there are 77 names on this family tree and it's not done growing. 4 generations and still going strong!

 Just a few fun facts about Grandpa, the life he has led, and the time he was born.

Here is is in all of his 90 year glory, notice that this man has a cochlear implant that he got last year. This man will never let the ailments of life get to him and he is not afraid to try to things and keep up with the times no matter how old he gets. In fact, he has an active Facebook and Instagram account just so he can keep up with all of us young bucks.

Last but not least pictures of the amazing decorations and food that went into this party. My aunts and uncles are amazing people. The theme was Mariners because my grandpa loves baseball and especially his Mariners.

I am so glad I was able to take part in the celebrations. Happy birthday Grandpa, we love you!