Look Ma, No Wheels!

This has been a monumental week in our little world of family life! Each of the kids has done something new so I want to do separate posts for each.

You may remember when Maddie wanted to try riding without training wheels last spring... didn't go so hot. Well now that she's grown 2 inches and has seen the neighbor kids do it, she wanted to try again. This time she was OFF!!! After just a minute she didn't need us to hold on at all!

That is the face of a girl who is proud of herself! She was so excited.

Mike worked with her on stopping, starting, and turning. Here's just a little video clip...

We like to jog/ride to a nearby park some mornings and Maddie announced she didn't need her training wheels back on, she was just going to do it without! It was a rough ride for sure (maybe 15 spills??) but she always got back up and tried again. She is wary on narrow sidewalks and against fences, but she is getting better at putting her foot down when she's wobbly. I am so impressed with her tenacity! Yay for Maddie!

Mudbath

Hm. I think it's time to get the grass in.*

I'm sure you all think it's cute (and I suppose I will someday too) but it just means more work for me.

*Not that Mike isn't working his little tail off on the sprinklers, cuz he is. I am just tired of dirt and mud.

Baby Bodie!

Our newest cousin was born on August 1st to my twin sister et al. He is just precious!!! He was 7 lbs even but seems so tiny next to to Tyler... the comparison made for lots of commentary on how huge and chubby Ty is!

I hope they'll be the best of friends! It's hard to believe but they're only 8 weeks apart.

Maddie was smitten by him. She just loves babies.... a little mommy in the making!

How could you not be smitten? Just look at those sweet little eyes.

Bodie is the little brother to Daxton, and they look nothing alike! Daxton looks just like his momma and Bodie looks just like his daddy.

We're so glad he's here. Now we just need to get over some colds so we can see him more!

Two Months

Little Tyler is already SO BIG! He is filling out everywhere and has the trademark Andrews chubby cheeks. I love the chubs and I'm glad he's a healthy boy, but I just really want him to STAY LITTLE!

This is his social face, like "I know you're looking at me." He smiles and coos easily now and it melts me every time. I am in love with this guy!

He also loves to smile at his star on the playmat (even though this looks like a frown). It's so cute to see him interacting with it. Today he accidentally grabbed the bird and held on... maybe starting to find his hands?

Tyler is sleeping really well. He loves being swaddled and in fact sometimes he almost begs for his bed. If it is anywhere near naptime and he gets grumpy, I just put him in his bed and he is instantly pacified.

He is so sweet when he's asleep. A few nights ago he slept from 11-6! Last night he woke for a 4 am feeding again, but it is possible!

We think Tyler is looking more like his big sis. Big round blue eyes, button nose, and those sweet kissable cheeks.

Speaking of TWO, Maddie begged Daddy to put up her growth chart and measure her, and since March both our girls have grown almost two inches! I was flabbergasted!

Everyone is SO BIG! No more growing children!

Cousins

We have been spending lots of time with cousins. I am often reminded how lucky we are to live here near so much family.

Daxton is old enough now to really play with the other kids. He and Ella are pretty cute together. They are always giving big hugs and kisses!

Daxton is one funny dude. He loves our new house and always beelines it for the trains or the pantry. At his house he has his own broom and mop to help out! What a cutie.

Emrie just came through on their way back to Rexburg from Texas. The girls were inseparable!


As you can see they played dress-up most of the time, exchanging outfits often. This time they all wanted to be bunnies so Noelle taught them the bunny hop!

Hope Noelle doesn't kill me for posting this but isn't she cute?! She is 32 weeks along with twins!

Emrie loved Baby Tyler and it was good practice for her getting ready to be a big sister! We can't wait to meet the newest cousins, Dana's little guy and then the twins Hip and Pip!

Mr. Smiley

Our little guy is smiling more and more!

He is just so yummy I could eat him.

Sibling Rivalry

People often ask me how three kids is going. Really, it's not bad. The biggest challenge for me is sibling interaction. I know it's normal... but is there any way to stop the bickering?

One minute the girls look like this: playing nicely, smiling, pretending to be babies or something. The next minute, Ella is pulling Maddie's hair, Maddie is head-butting Ella, Ella is falling off the bed, Maddie is getting poked in the eye... you get the idea. General hysteria and crying.

Daily, hourly, minutely (new word), we talk about how we love each other and never hit or kick or push (Joy School anybody?). We pray for help, do time-outs, go in separate rooms, etc, etc but nothing seems to help. Again, this is normal, right? RIGHT?

On the other hand, Maddie is so good with baby Tyler. She asks to hold him about 100 times a day. She is really a good helper.

Look at that handsome little man! That is the face of a boy who can smile! Right before and after this picture he was giving us big grins but of course I couldn't catch it. He is starting to coo and talk and really connect and it's so much fun!

(Side note: You may notice that Tyler has a red bump on his head. I guess I should mention he has a hemangioma, which is blood vessels that grow faster than his body and make a tumor on the skin. It's harmless and supposed to go away on it's own by the time he's 7-10 years old. It developed after he was born and just sort of grew... luckily it's in his hair line and hopefully will be mostly covered when he stops losing hair!)

Doesn't this girl look so innocent and sweet? She can be. But she's also taken to pinching Tyler's cheeks and poking his eyes till he cries. To her credit she does love to give him soft hugs and kisses.

Here's a typical moment. Bedtime with three is certainly more complicated.

I am being pretty random today... just wanted to add this cute picture of Maddie making a PB&J by herself for the first time! She was so proud.

Stars and Stripes

I love red, white, and blue. It's such a stunning color combination and evokes strong feelings in me- patriotism, pride, gratitude, and love for country, freedom, and family!

With my parents still in town we went to the Provo Freedom Festival parade. It's one of the best! The girls were so excited to wear their stars and stripes.

Even Ty got a little patriotic outfit from Grandma... my stripes didn't quite work but it was the best I had.

I should have been covering my own heart for the flag, but I just had to capture this precious moment!

Maddie and Ella watched the parade with some favorite cousins and gorged on cotton candy. I think they were in heaven!


Allow me a tangent... I love Ty's little profile! And that little chubby spot behind his ear is my favorite place to kiss.

We warmed up for fireworks with a few of our own and ended the day watching the Lehi fireworks at Thanksgiving Point. Ella doesn't remember last year very well so she was pretty awed and amazed by the colors in the sky. Just for fun, wanna see a picture of her at the parade exactly a year ago?

My, how quickly things change.

Baby Tyler's Blessing

What a special weekend we had.

But first I wanted to share Tyler's baby announcement... my friend Erin took the pictures and Noelle designed the cards. They are precious!

Front

Back

Last Sunday Tyler was given a name and a blessing by his daddy and a circle of wonderful priesthood holders. Grandma Andrews transcribed it for us to always remember the sweet blessings contained therein. Grandma Marcia bought the precious blessing outfit. I couldn't pass up this silk sailor suit for all the little tuxedos in the world!

Nearly 50 loved ones came for the blessing and brunch. Now that we live in Utah we are surrounded by family!

The brunch felt like a culmination of everything we have been working toward all year. We celebrated the addition and blessing of our baby boy and displayed our new home and finished projects. It was a rewarding day.

It's great having room for large gatherings, but with this many we even had to set up tables in the garage to seat everyone.


Even the stairs were used as seats. The food was delicious--thanks to everyone who contributed!

Baby Tyler got passed around... Auntie Em got her usual hog time.

Each grandma wanted to hold the little man in the white suit.


Speaking of Grandmas, we took advantage of having 3 Grandma's present for a picture.

We are so thankful for our Baby Tyler!