.:Spring Dance Recital:.

Reece and Remi have both been in dance classes this year; ballet/jazz combination classes. They have both had a fun year! Each of them had friends in their classes, which of course made it more fun. It took awhile for Rem to get into it; mostly because she gets so tired in the afternoon, and her class was in the afternoon. And we all know that typically, Rem is not going to do what she does not want to do! But we worked hard on getting her participating, and I'm really proud of how she finished out the last four months or so.

 

These two beauties loved getting all dressed up with makeup on for their performances!

 

 

Sweet sisters!

 

 

We loved Miss Michelle, who taught Reece's class. She was a great teacher and Reece adored her!

 

 

Reece had a bunch of buddies in her class this year.

 

 

Sassy girls!

 

 

One of Reece's good friends from school, Emeri, also takes dance at the same studio.

 

 

And a picture with her buddy Emerson, too!

 

 

Reece's class did their jazz dance this time, and it was super fun to watch. Reece did a great job, I was really proud of her performance skills! She is a natural on stage, and I had people tell me that she was the one they were drawn to. She sure knows how to shake it, and really feels the beat!

 

 

 

Reece was awarded a scholarship to go towards her dance tuition next year. It was a surprise, and I almost didn't make it to see it! I had ben taking Remi to her holding room, and figured I would just go grab Reece. Luckily I saw my friend Sarah in the hall and she had noticed that Reece was waiting to go on stage. I was able to dash inside and catch a bit of video of what her teacher was saying. I may have teared up a bit. But who am I kidding, I tear up just watching them both dance!

 

 

 

We had to leave quickly after Remi's performance, so I didn't have a chance to snap any pictures with her friends. Mom fail! My piano recital was that afternoon (with pre-school graduation later that evening) so we had a full, busy day. But I still feel badly about that! Luckily I was able to get a great video of her performance! Remi did awesome! Her class did a ballet dance to a song from Mulan, and I could tell that she knew the choreography; she was always ready for what was coming next! I was so proud of her for getting on stage and not being afraid to perform. Her dancing is so sweet!

 

 

 

So proud of my beautiful dancing girls!

Dance pictures from this year.





.:Reece's Kindergarten Program:.

Reece had a kindergarten program a couple of weeks ago. I can't believe she is almost done with kindergarten! She has loved it SO much. It has been really neat to see her grow academically, but also socially. She didn't start the year in a class with her usual group of friends, and I have loved seeing her blossom on her own and meet new people. She has found some darling little friends in her class. I have loved volunteering and getting to know some of the other kids. 

All of the kindergarten classes learned some poems and songs, and invited families to come and watch them perform. It was super cute and made me miss my days of teaching choir and theater.

Reece with her buddy Braxton. He lives across the street, is in her Primary class, and they even have the exact same birthday! 

Reece and her friend Brylie

Reece and her friend Lucy

And a couple of other fun recent kindergarten pictures.

Crazy hair and sock day.

Dress like a pirate. Argh!

Kindergarten is fun!

.:Jabren - Seven Months:.

Seven months! I just don't understand how yet another month has come and gone with this baby. Seven months sounds so much older to me, I think because we are on the down slide to turning one now. Crazy!

Jabren is seriously just the cutest. He is always looking around with his big eyes open, as if he is saying, 'Okay, what's next?' He has a smile for anyone and everyone, and his little gummy grin wins people over. Myself included!

Jabes is a great sitter now! I rarely put the pillow behind him anymore. He has gotten a lot more sturdy in the past week or two. I love that I can sit him down with some toys and he will stay content for a bit. He loves to be where his sisters are, so he'll often be found playing ponies with them.

Jabes is very grabby and must touch everything. He is so curious! The times that he does fall from sitting is usually when he is reaching to grab something that he can't quite get to. He also transfers things between hands, and loves to bang things together to hear the sounds they make. If he doesn't have toys, he will often sit and 'clap' his little balled up fists together. It's really cute.

Jabren absolutely hates being on his tummy. He knows how to roll over, but still often just gets stuck on his tummy. It makes me think he won't be crawling anytime soon! (Which I'm pretty okay with, stay my baby longer!) He does love to reach from sitting and it seems like he may end up being a scooter instead. We'll see what the next month brings!

His sleep has taken a huge nosedive the past week. He is trying to get up after only a couple of hours at nite and I am exhausted. I don't feed him, but it is still happening. We have stopped swaddling and putting him in the sleep positioner because he is really wiggly and all over his crib all of the sudden. He often ends up on his tummy in there, too. I think that may be causing the disruption in his sleep. Hopefully he will get used to it soon. I really need some sleep! But at least he will take at least one good nap every day.

Still no teeth for the Jabey-man. I'm not sure why they are not coming through; he has been teething for months now. In general, it doesn't seem to bother him too much, so that is good.  His hands are constantly in his mouth, and he drools a lot. It makes for stinky neck rolls.

We started food with Jabes! Since we had the go ahead to basically have him eat whatever, he has a good mix of baby food and table food. I like to do baby food just to help him get used to eating something other than milk. He seems to be getting the hang of it more now. He loves squash, but seems pretty neutral about the other baby foods so far. He much prefers to have nibbles of my table food. Which I am more than happy to oblige! He is also a big fan of the puffs snacks.

Jabes is just a delightful, darling little baby, and we just can't get enough of him!

At seven months, Jabren likes:

- baths

- being changed

- having things covering his face (burp cloths, etc. - weird, I know!)

- banging toys together or 'clapping' his fists

- food!

- chewing on things

- bouncing in his saucer

- standing in laps

- sitting

- squealing/screaming/talking

- silly sounds

- being tickled

- having face and head tickeled

- nuzzling

- being sung to

- being held (sometimes)

- seahorse toy at bedtime

At seven months, Jabren does not like:

- getting in the car seat

- staying in the car seat

- being left alone

- being on his tummy

- sleeping through the nite

And some more pictures to enjoy.

I just wanna nibble that little shoulder.



He loves being outside!

His sisters are still pretty enamored with him. And I don't blame them!

.:Jabren - Six Months:.

Half a year old!

 It must be because Jabes is our last, but time is flying even more than usual for me with this baby! Maybe because I am not ready for each stage/month to end or change. I'm really trying to savor this little guy, but time is stealing it from me!

This sweet baby is changing so much lately! For one thing, he has a new trick: sitting! He rarely rolls over, but sits independently for significant periods of time. He is still wobbly and hasn't always learned how to catch himself, but he is getting better everyday. I think he likes having a new perspective! 

Jabes is also getting super busy. He is so grabby! I feel like it happened overnite, he just wants to be touching and grabbing anything and everything that is in sight. I love how curious is about discovering what is around him. It is so fun to watch him discover everything!

I finally moved Jabren into his own room. And I should have done it sooner! He has definitely been sleeping better in there. The first couple of nites, he woke up around 2ish, but was easily put back to sleep with his binky and a little rocking. Now I usually get a solid 5-6 hour stretch every nite. I'm hoping that will extend soon, especially once we start food. 

Jabes is also starting to take naps! It is so glorious to be able to get a few things done around the house during the day without him being upset at me for not entertaining him! 

Jabren continues to be a slobbery mess most of the time. Those dang teeth have been moving around for months now! I really think it has to be teething. Luckily it doesn't appear to phase him too much, other than he is starting to get rashes on his neck and chest from all of the slobber. His hands are constantly in his mouth, unless he is holding a toy that he can gnaw on. I know babies discover things using their mouths but this is for sure more than that. 

Jabes still loves being changed, still loves being on his changing table, and still loves his baths. I know changing him is going to start getting more difficult really quick here; he is always rolling up on to his sides, and I know as he gets more mobile it's going to turn into a wrestling match. I am excited for him to be more sturdy with sitting so that he can sit up in the tub. He is going to love splashing around even more!

We are going to be starting food now! I have been holding off because it wasn't really necessary when he is such a great nurser, but he has definitely been showing an interest in food for over a month now. His pediatrician said that we could basically skip baby food altogether if we want to. Music to my ears! I don't love the baby food stage at all. The doctor said that anything that we can mash up is fair game, even eggs and peanut butter. The only off limits food is honey. I always love when my babies are on table food, and I love that we'll be able to integrate that earlier on now. Jabes is still supposed to have cereal or oatmeal once a day to make sure he is getting iron, but other than that, we are on our own as to what we want to give him. I think he is going to love it!

Jabren has really found his voice. He spends a lot of time squealing and screaming happy sounds. He loves to listen to himself, and also let himself be heard. It is fun to hear all of his happy sounds! 

We just adore our sweet baby boy, and are really enjoying every last bit of him!

At six months, Jabren likes:

- baths

- changing table

- toys

- gnawing on hands

- chewing on toys

- standing

- sitting

- watching shows

- having his sisters entertain him

- silly sounds

- nursing

- binky

- being tickled

- nuzzling

- having his face and head tickled

- being sung to

- being held

At six months, Jabren does not like:

- being put in his car seat; or staying in there too long

- getting swaddled

- being left alone for too long

.:Checkups:.

Remi and Jabren both had doctor's appointments today. And they both rocked them! Both of them checked out healthy and perfect! They each had shots, and I was worried about that - especially Remi. But they both surprised me! Hardly any tears from either of them! 

Rem weighed in at 42 lbs (66%) and 45 in (90%).

Jabes weighed in at 16 lbs 8 oz (34%) and 27.36 in (82%).

I'm not sure how Jabes is in the 34% with those sweet rolls (and you can't even see his cottage cheese thighs) but apparently we make tall kids!

.:Easter 2015:.

We kicked off our Easter festivities a couple of weeks beforehand with FHE on a Sunday nite (because of Josh's schedule) and made peeps houses! The girls, of course, thought it was pretty great!

The Saturday before Easter, we had our annual neighborhood Easter egg hunt. A neighbor puts it together every year; she had over 900 eggs this year! We all donate prizes and candy, and then the kids are split into three age groups for the hunt. The girls always have a great time. It was windy and cold, but they were troopers!

Our fun didn't end there! After that Easter egg hunt, the girls were treated to another egg hunt courtesy of Kerri. She, Ken, Em, Katelyn, and her two kids Easton and McKayli came over for more Easter fun. 

After we spent some time with them, and a quick visit from Grandpa Gary, we were on our own for some egg dyeing. We did 24 eggs, which I thought would have been plenty, but they could have done tons more if we would have had them!

Jabes supervised.

On Sunday, we woke up to find that the Easter bunny had paid us a visit and left some goodies and hid some eggs. 

He even helped Santa out and brought some goodies that Santa forgot at Christmas!

Yes, that is Jabes sitting up. 

We spent the rest of the day playing with our new goodies, eating yummy food, and watching General Conference. It was a nice, low key day spent together as a little family! We definitely enjoyed the commercial side of things, but it was also wonderful to be able to hear from our prophet and church leaders as we remembered the true reason for Easter: our Savior and His atoning sacrifice. So grateful for our gospel knowledge!