Reagan @ 4 months

First things first: there is rarely any sort of predictable routine for this little girl anymore! She throws me for a loop almost every day-- she'll decide to nurse only half the normal amount of time at a feeding, then go five or so hours until she's hungry again. She'll want to nap when I think she's hungry, she'll catnap and then be up for hours...she's everywhere! The one predictable part of her routine is a *very* early morning feeding...and I'd rather that not be a predictable routine. ;)

Reagan is sadly not a cuddler anymore! Except when she nurses in the middle of the night, she will not let me cradle her. She prefers to be facing out where she can watch all the activity. She's getting stronger and wants to either be sitting up straight or held so she can stand on my lap. Her playmat has been my saving grace when she's gotten off her routine and is fussing and I can't decipher if she's hungry or tired or just a little fussy. She usually perks up when she sees her toys-- although there are times that she definitely wants to be held and not put on her mat. So instead we get things done together!

Happy girl with her toys!

A rare morning that she fell asleep in my lap! I would gladly hold her the entire time but on these rare occasions, she's squirming after just a minute or two and is much more content in her bassinet.

From a particularly rough Sunday morning at church when she was *so* off any type of routine that I spent the entire service trying to feed her, giving up, trying to get her to sleep in the nursery (because if its hard for me to get her to sleep, I don't want the poor nursery workers to have to figure it out!) and then eventually giving up and going home because why sit at church when we take her home and nurse and nap in her own room?? She fell asleep in almost a completely straight position on me after crying for ages. Poor girl was just so exhausted! 

I can't help kissing her all the time! Those cheeks are too much.

And her little four month photo shoot...

...photobombed by those cute brothers of hers! I love these three so much.

three months with Reagan

Three months with Reagan around! She's had her first Christmas-- and surely loved it. ;) She was probably more than happy all the craziness is over and she can get back to some quiet-ish naps.

Check up at the doctor and she was 11 lbs, 11 oz of pure cuteness! Handled shots like a champ and barely let it bother her after the first minute.

At this age (but not anymore!) she liked being cradled to sleep and she'd bury her face into our arms, almost upside down, which made it hard for her to keep a paci in! It was the funniest thing and quite the balancing act to get her settled and comfortable in such a strange position.

Fillin' out those cheeks nicely!

If she's asleep in her bassinet she's almost always got that left hand up by her face, just like below. She rubs her head side to side and knocks her paci out a million times as well before she finally settles down.

Its very rare that she wants to be wrapped up and carried anymore. Glad I got a photo of this snuggly girl while I could.

Just a sweet little outfit from Aunt Foo and Uncle Drew for Christmas.

Deric and I--and Reagan-- went on a date one night to Blaze Pizza and IKEA. We let Daddy order for us while we took selfies and people watched. She'll continue to be our third wheel for a few more months but she doesn't sleep through the dates like she did at first!

The smiles are getting bigger and her little laughs are starting too! 

The boys are learning what antics will make Reagan smile or laugh and its so fun to watch! Jake can hold her fairly well too now that she can sit up a little. I just tell him to bear hug her and it works!

Reagan loves her playmat (and so do her brothers!) She wiggles around constantly while she attempts to grab her toys. 

Reagan is such a happy baby and is so content to watch what's going on around her. She's a very happy baby and she is a total delight!

celebrating Christmas with family

We lucked out again this year and got to host everyone at our house over Christmas! Huge shout out to Sarah and Drew for making the very long trek from South Carolina up north. The boys were so excited for their cousins to be here over actual Christmas, and we were excited too! They got in late the night before Christmas Eve, perfect timing to dive right into all of the Christmas festivities!

Things got busy as soon as all the boys woke up the next morning!


I always love Christmas Eve services at church. Throughout the month of December there's that feeling of excitement and anticipation for opening gifts on Christmas, but on Christmas Eve the anticipation for Jesus' return one day is more palpable to me. The focus is put where it should be and I always feel a sense of peace and calmness as I Take time to wrap my mind around the fact that Jesus was willing to come to earth and live human experiences just so he could empathize with us and later save us! Even through multiple trips to the bathroom, passing out of snacks and "shhh"s down the row, it was a special night to worship with family!



Hot chocolate treat before service!


Obligatory Christmas Eve photo in between prepping dinner and waiting for Deric to wrap up at church!

Christmas morning!

(And some Christmas pj photos from a few days later...)

Aunt Foo and Uncle Drew put sticky balls in the boys' stockings so Grandad drew a target on the door for them. They had a blast-- we probably could have stopped giving gifts at that point! 

There's always so much going on on Christmas mornings! Playing Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, assembling Lego trucks, nursing babies out of the frame ;) and trying to capture memories of it all!

We got all four boys these Ninja Turtle masks because they all like to pretend. The little masks are really tricky to keep on but the weapons got plenty of play time regardless! There's always someone around to fight crime.

Jake saw Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots at the store about a month before Christmas and mentioned it quite a few times for Christmas, so that was an easy choice for him. And its a great game for everyone! The boys love deciding who's Red Rocker and who's Blue Bomber before they battle it out.

All Deric's doing... :) She is the best gift this year!

Grandad's new scarf-- and new grand baby!

Eli got this Mickey couch and it was a big hit for all the kids. There were a few scuffles over the "doodah" (as Eli calls Mickey) couch but it became a big wrestling mat for everyone most of the time.

Over the next few days, the boys got some major playtime with all these new toys and their cousins too. They built forts, played superheroes, wrestled, colored, crafted...so much to do! Its so fun to watch them interact and play together...and to sit back and talk with my family while the kids are entertained by each other. ;)

Jake worked so hard on this "tunnel" for Eli and Reid. The sign was all his idea and he cut out most of the letters by himself. It says "let's go" but backwards. I love this age!!

We followed everyone up to Courtney's for a quick visit before we came back to town to celebrate Christmas with Deric's family. 

On our way back home, we stopped first to see Christmas lights timed with a local radio station. We could have watched for awhile but had a baby to get back home before the fussing started.

On to Christmas number two! Its so funny to me that Kensie's foot spa was one of the boys' favorite things to play with. She would play calm music and then scrub their feet after they had soaked them. Lego building sets, the Nugget couch, board games for kids and adults...all the best memories of time with family!

Reagan doesn't look thrilled here, but she is loving her new playmat!

Continuing traditions, giving gifts to the kids that they love and continue to enjoy, spending time with family and focusing on Jesus' love for me....this Christmas season will always be a great memory for me!