{11.28.16 - 12.4.16}

The girls sat for quite a while one morning snuggled on the couch under a blanket reading their favorite Louis L'amour books!  

Axel loves to look at himself in the mirror! // Drool for days. 

We put up our Christmas tree and the girls had a hard time not playing with all the ornaments, so we set up their very own tree that they got to decorate! I couldn't decide which of the two pictures was my favorite, so you get both!  

Mo cuddled up with the Christmas puppy! // Alya and her duckies. My girls love rubber duckies! 

I think I post this a picture very similar to this every year, but I think it's safe to say this is one of my favorite ornaments that we own. I love nativities and I love that I can have one on my tree lit by beautiful Christmas lights. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and the spirit that is felt when I sit in a room lit only by the lights of the tree. I am glad that I can look at this ornament and be reminded of the reason for the season in a time when we can get so caught up with the business and the gifts and Santa. It's easy to get distracted so I am thankful for that spirit and these little reminders!

.three months.

11.25.2016
Axel loves to suck on his fist and fingers, and he drools a lot! He hates tummy time and his naps are kind of all over the place. He still only naps for about 30-45 minutes, but sometimes will sleep longer if we hold him. He has slept through the night (from around 8:30pm to around 7:00am) but he is very inconsistent about it. 

He doesn't seem to mind his car seat as much as he used to. We were in the truck for four (or more) hours for his first Thanksgiving and he was a champ!

He is pretty good at sitting up with support. He likes to be in his Bumbo for a little while. It's still kind of a workout for him to hold his head completely steady so he doesn't like it for longer than 5 minutes or so. He still loves to lay on a blanket and kick and he likes to watch his sisters while they play.

When it comes time to eat, sometimes I feel like I am forcing him to eat just because he normally eats at this time every day. He just doesn't always seem hungry.

I am rarely in trouble with Axel when it comes to things like hunger, or needing a diaper change. He does get grumpy when he is tired though. It doesn't take him long to fall asleep usually, but he fights it hard!

He is wearing mostly 6 month clothes, but can still wear some 3 month.

He is SO smiley! Everyone comments on how happy he is because he smiles at just about everybody! He has giggled but it's really hard to get him to do it!
He likes to be in his Moby wrap, especially when we are out and about, and he doesn't seem to mind his car seat as much as he used to when we go on walks or in the shopping cart-as long as we are in motion.

This little man is just so amazing! We love him so much and I feel so blessed to have him in our family!

Happy 3 months, Axel!!

{11.21.16 - 11.27.16}

Axel is getting pretty good at balancing himself. He loves when he gets to sit propped up, in his Bumbo chair, or on pillows, or even on Mo! 

Doggy pile piggy back on Daddy! 

Everyone loves holding the baby! But who can blame them...or rather, us! It's usually Alya that wants to sit and hold Axel, but this time it was Lyla! 

Happy Thanksgiving from my three little turkeys! The girls thought it was the best thing ever for me to paint their feet for the turkey bodies!

Lyla and Grandpa. Someone actually managed to get her to sit for a few minutes!  

Great Grandma Barnes! She never thinks my kids like her...hopefully Axel showed her how loved she is! // My beautiful Lyla. 

It's tradition to go Christmas tree hunting after Thanksgiving! The girls had a blast! I think their favorite part (besides the snowball fight with Dad afterwards) was trying to shake all the snow off the trees that were just their size! 

{11.14.16 - 11.20.16}

These will always be the faces I most remember the girls making: Lyla always looking concerned, and Alya with wide bright eyes and a smile on her face.

If you were to ask me what sounds I will always remember, these days I would tell you the screams. Sometimes they are screams of laughter and play, but mostly they are ornery screams! Haha!

This picture on the right, is probably going to be the face that I will always remember as Axel's. Haha!

We had our first snowfall this week! The girls were so excited we just had to dress up and go play! Good thing we were out before lunch, because it melted pretty fast!

 He is so happy all most of the time!

He doesn't mind tummy time if he's propped up in his pillow, but he's not a big fan of it if he's stuck on a blanket on the floor. // He's getting really good at holding his head! Look how cute he is in his Bumbo!

Axel's Blessing Day

11.13.2016 - Axel was blessed today! It was a beautiful day and we were surrounded by family and friends; I am so thankful for the love and support that we feel from them!

Matthew gave such a beautiful blessing - and I just think Axel looked so handsome!!

I wish I had been better about taking pictures! I only took pictures in this room of my house while everyone was there...oops!

I love this picture of Axel with my grandpa! He is such a good man!!

I'm not sure when Daxton grew up, but he is such a great kid!

We have to get the kid picture! Haha! It's always entertaining!

{11.7.16 - 11.13.16}

Lyla has really taken an interest in writing and drawing these days. She tries so hard to hold her pen the right way, but can never remember how to pick it up. She is really good at making a finger gun (trying to make the shape of an "L") for me to help her!

In the picture above, you can see that she traced her name (I wrote in green, she wrote in purple) The picture that she is coloring in (staying in the lines so well!) is a ghost she drew, and to the left of the ghost you can see an "L" and "a" that she wrote all by herself!

This is a picture of Lyla's spider that she drew! I love all of the little legs and that smiley face!!! (complete with eyebrows!) She drew this all by herself, too!

Lyla - inherited her dad's ability to blink in pictures!

Alya - as much as I wish she would just let me take a cute picture of her, I think it's so funny that she doesn't!

My blue eyed boy being mauled by his sisters...always! // I love this picture of my kiddos!

We stayed the night in Saint George so Axel got to go swimming for the first time! He loved it!

Alya took off swimming all by herself! She was so brave and did so good! // Lyla wouldn't let go of anyone unless she was sitting on the side of the pool!

11.13.2016 Axel's blessing day! He looked so handsome!

{10.31.16 - 11.6.16}

10.31 - HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

This is how we go on walks. Axel in his car seat, Lyla in the seat next to him and Alya on the foot rest. 

My boy! 

Lyla snuck upstairs when she was supposed to be in bed - Matthew and I didn't hear her. I'm not sure how long she was there, but it must have been a while! // I came out of my bedroom one morning and found Lyla on the counter eating sunflower seeds. She looked cute, but wouldn't go back to sitting how I found her...this is the picture she would give me. 

He loved batting at and kicking the toys dangling over him. 

Lyla has been asking me to swaddle her. Alya wanted to hold her.  

I love cuddling my baby boy! 

I finished Axel's blessing pants and bowtie! I am so excited for him to wear them! So cute!!

{10.24.16 - 10.30.16}

This years buck! Not the one he was hoping for, but he's still pleased! I'm just glad he got one!

The girls love walking around in my heals. // Axel doesn't love tummy time. 

I finished their Halloween costumes! These little birdies can't sit still to save their lives! 

Alya & Baby Brother 

Alya & Lyla. They did not want to get their hands dirty this year, but they wanted to use the carving knives all by themselves. 

It was extremely difficult to get a good picture of them without it being blurry, because they can't stop moving! When I look at this picture I can totally hear what we are all saying, though:

Me: *for the twelfth time* "look at the camera and smile"

Lyla: "CHEESE"

Alya: "I AM!" she gets so annoyed with me!

2016 jack-o-lanterns

Left to right: Lyla, Mom, Alya, Dad, Axel