Growing up so fast

I wish I could stop time! In the last two weeks Kelsey has mastered rolling over(Sept 15th), cut two teeth (first one on Sept. 15th and second one on Sept 21st)and started sitting up on her own!  She loves to babble. Her first word was Mama, what a good girl! Many people comment on Kelsey's long eyelashes, cute cheeks, her constant crunch form when laying down and of course that she is a thumb sucker!  Kelsey loves to laugh!  In the last month she has started laughing when others are laughing.  She just loves to watch and interact with others, so much so that she rarely sleeps because of it.  She will not sleep when we are out and about.  She has to see what is going on!  The  sad thing is we are always on the run so my baby sleeps very little for a 6 month old.  I can't imagine life without my "Kelsey girl"!

Three cheers for soccer!

Connor is on a competitive soccer team this season and we are living the soccer filled life!  His first tournament was in Auburn AL.  Two hours away and a stay in a hotel too.  All this for my 6 year old to play soccer! We tied the first game and won the second (the last 10 minutes were in the pouring rain. They are hard core!  The boys loved it!)! Two weekends later and we were in Panama city beach FL (another two hour trip)winning one and losing one.  This weekend we braved a tropical storm to play in! Finally this weekend we had a tournament here in Enterprise. Without the rain to pump up the boys we tied one and lost one! What a proud Momma I am though.  Connor works so hard!  He is such a great player and we love supporting him!

My Boys

Bows, bows and one more bow!  What started out as a fun idea for Brennan has turned into an obsession for Kyle.  And if Daddy and Brennan have one, well what about Connor?  Three bows, a target, and all the accessories we can afford at this time and we are in business!  I must say, my boys do look pretty rugged and handsome pulling those bows though!

Kelsey is 6 months old

I honestly can't believe it!  Life with four kids just seems like a giant blur!
Kelsey has become such a good baby.  We had a rough start but she has really evened out.  She loves the commotion in our house.  Since the older kids started school I have a few hours where it is just her and I, which I love.  When we start picking everyone up from school she just beams!  She and Brennan have a special bond.  I think because he is the one who helps me with her the most.  He is such a good big brother to hold her while I make dinner or whatever else needs done.  He loves to bury his head in her belly and make her laugh.  He can get the really good belly laughs we all love.  He taught her to shake her head back and forth and sing.  It is so cute!  She hasn't done it since she head bonked with Ryleigh though.  Ryleigh loves her sister as well but often times her love can be a little too intense, more like smothering!  I hope I can foster their sisterhood.  Ryleigh often asks when Kelsey can share a room with her.  Connor loves to make Kelsey laugh by dancing around and acting silly.  It just amazes me how Kelsey can make us all feel so complete.  She is where we turn for the soft cuddles, the fun giggly moments, the amazing memories (what did I do when I was Kelsey's age questions).  I can't imagine life without Kelsey.  I often times worry that she gets carted around so much and not enough individualized attention, and then I realized she is Heavenly Fathers gift to this family. She goes with the flow for the most part and just fills in the gaps of love when needed. 
My favorite story to illustrate this point was a few months ago.  It was Sunday morning, which is just hard for us.  I was rushing everyone out the door trying not to be late for church again, but lets just face it, I was late!  Brennan hates to be rushed and Sundays are a trial of his patience.  This Sunday Brennan was having an exceptionally bad day!  He was in tear and I was mad as we pulled up to the church.  Not the right mind set to be in.  I desperately needed to be there and I knew he did as well.  As I apologized for my short temper and tried to get him to feel loved, the spirit whispered, "have him hold the baby".  I asked him if he would like to carry Kelsey in.  He resisted at first saying he wasn't suppose to walk around with her.  She was only about 9 weeks old and I had only let him hold her while sitting down.  I told him I trusted him and I felt like he was old enough to handle the responsibility.  I will forever be grateful that I was listening to the spirit that Sunday.  Brennan's attitude changed immediately, as he proudly carried in his baby sister.  Thank you Kelsey for bring a little Heaven to our home!
Kelsey can have soft touches and not so soft.  But her soft touches I will never forget.  When I nurse her she loves to run her fingers through my hair.  but my favorite is when she "pets"me.  She runs her hand across my chest as if she is petting or stoking me.  It is so loving!  Finally, my fourth baby and I am enjoying nursing!
Now for what I actually meant to post...
Kelsy is eating solids!  I started her about three weeks ago and she was good and ready.  She loves it!

I took Kelsey for her check up a few weeks ago.  At 5months and 9 days she weighed 15 lbs 15 oz, in the 61 % and was 28 inches long putting her at 100% for length again.  She is a big girl!  So sad for a mommy watching the time fly by!

Justin Bieber?

 

Connor came home the other day saying that everyone is calling him Justin Bieber.  I thought it was funny.  Connor said, "I am kinda like him.  I like to sing and dance, he likes to sing and dance."  I didn't know he even knew who Justin Bieber was!  While I thought it was funny, Kyle did not.  The next day Connor came home saying, "A girl told me she loved me."  he said it very matter of fact.  I asked him, is that good?  "No" he said!  "I don't know why all the girls like me." he said.  Well I know why.  Connor is just like-able.  He is fun, energetic, cute and those eyes can melt you they are so beautiful.  I  know how cute he is but I thought I had a few more years before the girls would start noticing!  What am I in for.  Luckily when I asked him if he liked the girls he said, "No way!"

Ryleigh goes to Preschool

Every since Ryleigh was two she has been asking to go to school.  She hated it when Connor went to preschool!  She tolerated Connor going to Kindergarten, but only because she would go with me when I volunteered in his classroom and hosted all the class parties.  She loved Connor's kindergaten teacher and continued to pine away for the day she could go to school.
Now, both the boys went to preschool at age three.  They went two days a week.  When they turned four they went three days a week.  When Ryleigh turned three I just couldn't do it.  I just couldn't put her in.  For some reason it was just different with my little girl.  I told her she could go to school at 4 years old.  I hoped that her fascination to grow up so quickly would change.  She is just too independent for that!  She insisted on school.  My major hesitation was this, all the preschools for four year old in Alabama are five days a week!  I didn't want her to go at all let alone FIVE DAYS A WEEK!
I did give in though.  I must admit the night before I tried to talk her out of it.She informed me she" needed to grow up" and "learn her letters".  When I told her I could teach her she thought about it.  She then said, "I will stay home if you need me mom."  My heart broke!  I was stifling her already.  So Ryleigh, go spread your wings!  I will treasure every minute I get with you!

Ryleigh

4yrs 2 mths.

As we got ready that morning she did have a little hesitation.  She said her tummy hurt.  I said you are probably just nervous.  She said, "I think my tummy is nervous!"

Once there all hesitations were forgotten!

Ryleigh loves puzzles.

This is one of her teachers, Mrs. Roberta

It is official!

We have a thumb sucker!

What was so cute in the beginning has turned into exactly what I didn't want.  A thumb sucking habit!  You can pull the thumb out but it goes right back in.  She doesn't care which one either.  The habit has gotten so bad that sometimes when I am nursing her she will forget what she is doing and stop nursing just to suck her thumb!  I have to remind her that it does not nourish her! 
We keep trying to stick in the pacifier but it is just a chew toy.

Here is the first picture of her sucking her thumb when I thought it was so cute! ( Ok let's be honest... I still think it is cute, but I know how hard of a habit it is to break!)

 

Will all her pictures with Daddy be like this?  Because he refuses to take her thumb out of  her mouth!