catching up

There is no way that I can ever catch up on the two years that I have neglected this sweet blog of mine. But I have been drawn to it frequently over the last few months. Maybe it’s that our babies are growing up and I’m nostalgic for their tiny little selves, maybe I miss having a “real” camera in my hand instead of a phone that captures less than stellar images. I’m not exactly sure what it is or even if I will be able to keep anything up around here but I am going to try.

So, hello again world… for now at least…

And because they have grown so much, here is a pretty recent photo of our sweet little boys. Goodness I love them so :)

letter to my 7 year old

Jay Bird- 7 years old

Jay Bird,

Last Friday you were seven. You got up, read through some stories (on your own!!), got dressed like a 100 year old man for school, ate cinnamon rolls (affectionately named birthday breakfast in our house) and gave me a smirk while we sang to you and I took pictures. A smirk, kiddo, a smirk and it just about killed me. I’ve seen it a few times lately; it’s a half smile to show that you are still acknowledging me but it’s the smile of an older boy. It’s the start of the “cool” older kid attitude, the full release of the baby/toddler and little kid you were once were. You are growing before my eyes sweet boy. You are growing out of your clothing seemingly overnight, you are almost just a foot shorter than I am and can’t get enough to eat at the supper table, constantly asking what else you can have. You don’t stop moving, EVER, unless your head hits the pillow and you are a sleep for the night or there is a book in your hands or your being read to you. This last year your reading skills have grown in leaps and bounds and lately we can’t seem to have enough books around the house because you devour them! I frequently find you around the house with your nose stuck in the middle of one, turning page after page until you find a spot to stop and tell me about what you read. You aren’t disturbed by your loud brothers but rather tucked away in your own little world. If they do happen to bother you, you simply move to another spot nose still firmly routed in the pages of your book and settle back in. You read chapter books, pictures books, magazines, street signs, food labels etc you name it, you read it! I love watching you discover these new things you are constantly learning and soaking up everything around you like a sponge. You want to know about everything. How it works, what it does, where it lives etc. One of the things Mrs Behl, your first grade teacher says about you, is that she loves how you LOVE to learn. Your Daddy does too, I see so much of him in you because of this.

I wish it was possible to bottle your energy though sweet boy. When I say you start moving as soon as your feet hit the floor it’s no exaggeration. You run, walk, jump everywhere you go. You are constantly running and falling while playing out back and racing to see how fast you can go. The constant movement has taken a little getting used to and even then it’s occasionally hard to not be overwhelmed by it. You pace while you talk; circling the trunk while you tell me about your day, or walking back and forth while telling me a story. Even while reading with us at night you fidget. You sit on your hands to begin with but it usually doesn’t last long, they pop out not after too long we start and you pick at the pillows or fingers or sometimes even play with your belly button. Reading with you at night has been one of my favorite things to do lately. I LOVED reading Harry Potter with you! I loved seeing the story come to life in your eyes and the excitement of the wizardry and magic as you turn the story over and over in your head. I was sad that we finished the book but am looking forward already to reading the next one with you. We still haven’t decided what we will pick up next, maybe The Chronicles of Narnia, whatever we choose I hope you enjoy it just as much.

Jay Bird, I will call you that probably for as long as I am around so get used to it ;), I adore the person you are becoming. The inquisitive learner, the rambunctious boy, the dotting older brother, the kind friend, the giver of ridiculously large hugs. You are so many things sweet boy and all of them are so wonderful. You love BIG sweet boy and with your whole heart, you enjoy the world and things around you and I seriously can’t wait to see what you continue to do with all of this. I love you more than I ever thought possible and am incredible grateful to be on this journey with you, thanks for taking me along!

Happy Birthday Bird!!! I love you!!!!
Love,
Momma

today i am… 12 months

Remy- 1 year

Remy 1 year

Remy 1 year

Remy 1 year

Remy 1 year

Remy 1 year

1 year old!!!

It’s crazy and I can hardly believe that a year has passed since this ridiculously sweet and smily boy joined our family. He is such a welcomed addition to our family and I can’t imagine life without him in it.

Stats:
Teeth- 6, 4 on the top front, 2 on the bottom. No sign of anymore at this point but I am sure they will come around at some point

Things of Note:

*Sleepin- Remy is sleeping like a champ!! He joined his brothers in the barracks in December (shortly before Christmas) and has been doing wonderfully!! I hate that I don’t get a few minutes to myself with him before bed but I do really like not sleeping with the sound machine ;) He goes to sleep with all four of the boys and wakes up when they do. Most mornings he will play nicely in his crib until we come and get him. Occasionally he has some visitors (even though they know they aren’t allowed in there!) He still also takes two naps, occasionally when he has to his first nap is in the car during school pick up but almost every afternoon he sleeps for a good few hours.

*Walking- Remy has been walking for close to a month now. He took his first unassisted steps on while in the foyer. We was standing and decided to walk between Mommy and Daddy. I took a little longer to believe that he was actually walking but there is certainly no denying that he is full on walking no! He is on the move, chooses to walk over crawling EVERY time and is now perfecting the fast walking. I LOVE it!! New walkers are exhausting but so ridiculously cute!

*Eating- Remy loves to eat. Some nights he packs away more food than his older brothers. He isn’t terribly picky although he never took to baby purees. He will eat a few if they are cold but he much prefers to feed himself. He drinks form a soppy cup but only water. The only two liquids he’s ever had are water and breast milk and he never took a bottle. He still nurses about 5 times a day (including first thing in the morning and before bed) and doesn’t seem like he will give that up soon.

*He isn’t taking yet although he does babble Momma and Dada from time to time and something that resembles Jay.

Likes:

Playing in the dog/cat water- Piper’s food bowls are in the kitchen and Remy LOVES playing in the water. The dish is on a stand so it comes up to about his waist and makes for an excellent water table. If you can’t find him you can almost bet that he’s crawled/walked his way over to the dish. Also, when you catch him he starts shaking his head “no” since he has seen that response a half dozen times ;)

Blueberries and Popsicles are probably his favorite foods right now. He gobbles them up at speeds that are pretty astonishing. We can load his tray full of food at supper barley sit down ourselves and he will have cleaned it completely.

*Sitting in things like a cat- He will climb in just about an box like object- empty packing box, laundry basket, his push wagon with four sides. You name it, if he fits he sits ;)

*His dog and giraffe lovies- He has two small blankets that have animal heads attached to them (they don’t look as hideous at that description makes them sound) that he sleeps with. He turns them over until he finds the tag, plays with that and pops his thumb in his mouth. It’s super sweet and although both Charlie and Luc had these blankets neither one of them attached to them the way he has. You can find them in various places around the house because he will get them from his crib and carry them around with him.

*Baths- He loves the bath and water at bath time. Frequently, I have to tell Jamie that it’s time to cut him off and put him to bed. He would play all night in there if we let him.

*Being Outside- He loves the outdoors and watching his brothers bike/scooter and play on the fort. He cries if some of his brothers head out and he can’t go with them.

*Long objects to carry around- play spoons, a small 8″ lightsaber pool toy. He likes long thin toys that are easy for him to walk around with.

*Books!!! He LOVES books. Loves pulling them off of the shelves, putting them back on, flipping through the pages and looking at photos or being read to. You name it, if it involves a book, he loves it.

Dislikes:

*Being thrown in the air- He is a cautious kiddo and loves to be securely tucked on your hip or moving on his own accord. Being thrown in the air does not fit in either category!

*Sitting still for too long! He is constantly on the move and while he doesn’t mind being held he gets to the point that he wants to move and would like to be put down so he can walk on his own.

*Being put down when he isn’t ready to be put down. Sweet boy will puddle, fold right in half and cry, if he gets put down before he is ready. He’s our first to puddle and I am worried about what that means for us at three, a puddler plus the threenager attitude- yikes!

*Being hungry- He’s not the happiest when he’s hungry but can you blame him? He doesn’t get full on angry but he does get clingy which makes supper time difficult.

happy birthday sweet boy!

1 day new!

Remy- 1 year old

My Dearest Remy,

Today has been bitter sweet for me; you’re one, my baby is one! I’ve done this three times before but it doesn’t get any easier with the repetition. I LOVE watching you and your brothers grow and learn, discover new things and turn into the person that you are always going to be; but with each passing day and each accomplished milestone it’s hard not to long for time to slow down. I miss those slow cuddly days when you were tiny. However, since that won’t happen I will enjoy the cuddles when I get them and enjoy each of your many accomplishments as they come. You have firmly and sweetly rooted yourself into my heart and I don’t know that I will ever be able to describe just how much you mean to me but I will try.

Joy is one word that most accurately describes you sweet boy. You spread joy with your constant smile and easy going nature and find joy in everything you do. You, for the most part, are SUCH an easy baby. You sleep well, you play on your own or with your brothers and you enjoy just taking everything in. You are constantly pointing lately, showing us things that you are interested in and just pointing to point. You go with the flow when we are picking up and dropping off your brothers and you sit sweetly with me while I volunteer in your big brothers’ classrooms. You love seeing the older kiddos and you smile without complaint while we help out. You love on the kitties and Piper constantly, giving them kisses and hugs and (mostly) gentle pets. You are sweet and content but also such a trouble maker all at the same time. You are constantly stealing away to play in the dog’s water or push the battery back-up buttons over and over again. You, for the most part, know that you aren’t supposed to be doing those things and while you are walking in the direction of trouble you shake your head no. It’s cute and exhausting all at the same time! I keep telling your Daddy that I can’t get anything done right now because you are into everything! Unpacking the cupboards, pulling the folded laundry out of the baskets while they wait to be put away, pulling all of the books off of the shelves and the toys out of the bins; I can hardly keep up kiddo!! However, you do all of your mischief making with the sweetest of smiles and occasionally, giggles. I love the sound of your laugh. You belly laugh at your brothers when they are silly, while playing peek-a-boo or when we tickle your sweet little toes. You also have this sweet excited laugh when you know something you want is coming- food, nursing with Momma or when we start getting ready for afternoon naps. I love the sound, it’s full of anticipation and joy, and hope I don’t ever forget it. You are cautious and daring at the same point, not wanting to be tossed up in the air by Daddy but climbing the chair, shelf etc. You’re a mess of contradictions but I couldn’t imagine having it any other way. You are so perfectly and wonderfully made.

I am constantly amazed by you and you make me proud to be your Momma. I can’t wait to see the silly things that you will do, meet the sweet friends that you will make and watch all that you will accomplish. I know it’s impossible to know just how far you’ll reach or the lives that you will touch along the way but I am sure it will be far and many. Thank you for taking Daddy and me along for the ride; we can’t help but love the journey!!

I love you sweet boy more than I ever thought possible and that was a whole awful lot! Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!

Love,
Momma

letter to my 5 year old

Charlie Tuna,
Last fall you turned 5, one whole hands worth sweet boy, and that always trips me up!! How is it possible that it has been so long since they first laid you on my chest and I heard your sweet little baby cries. You laid on my chest, heart to heart, and while you have continued to grow your whole self still fits easily within my arms and you are still firmly routed in my heart. You are my company keeper, my sweet errand runner, the little guy who doesn’t leave my side. Probably one of my favorite things that you have ever said to me is… “Momma, I love keeping you company. I love when you keep me company. I just love being company and having company!!” and it’s so true. You LOVE when other people are around. You love learning about them, playing with them, hearing about them. You are the first to remember peoples names, what they do, what they did, who belongs to whom. It’s such an incredible talent to be able to relate to and to truly see people and I think you have it. I love having our afternoons together while Jay is still at school and your other brothers nap. You follow me around the house helping with projects, working on stuff with me or just talking to me about stuff. It’s so much fun and probably my favorite thing about you. I am really going to miss you next year when you are in kindergarten and I don’t have as much time with you. Although, you are SO ready to start school. You love preK and constantly ask when you get to start at Brookshire. You are so ready to be one of the big boys just like your older brother

Charlie you mean the world to me. I love watching as you and your brothers grow and become the people the you were always meant to be. Thank you for loving big and with your whole heart. I’m so excited to see what the next year brings for you.

I love you sweet boy!
Love,
Momma

Charlie- 5 years

Charlie- 5 years old

Charlie- 5 years old

Charlie- 5 years old

Charlie- 5 years old

Charlie- 5 years old

Charlie- 5 years old

Charlie- 5 years old

Charlie- 5 years old

Charlie- 5 years old

today i am… 8 months

Remy- 8 months

Remy- 8 months

Remy- 8 months

Remy- 8 months

Remy- 8 months old

Remy- 8 months old

Remy-8 months

Remy- 8 months old

Remy- 8 months old

Remy- 8 months old

Remy- 8 months old

8 months old!!

This year sure is flying by. I know that can be said for all of the boys but really this year has flown by! I feel like we keep blinking and this sweet little boy of mine is creeping closer and closer to his first birthday.

Teeth- 0 I sincerely think that Remy is working hard on getting these to break through but they just aren’t here yet. Hopefully soon though!

*Crawling- Remy has been crawling for the past month now and we have moved to the fast crawl stage (although we haven’t yet hit speedy mode- so YAY!). He can pick up speed easily and gets into trouble or things he’s not supposed to in the blink of an eye. He has also been pulling up on everything but has yet to start cruising or letting go to stand on his own. I am certainly in no rush for either of those two things to happen. The fast crawl is keeping us on our toes as it is.

*Eating- Remy is still eating very well. He nurses multiple times a day and has loved most purees that we have given him. He loves to be able to feed himself so I have been trying to find anything that this sweet little guy can eat without teeth. He likes Bananas, Cheerios, Sweet Potatoes, Peaches and tiny bits of grapes too!

* Ticklish- Remy is SUPER ticklish. His legs, feet, sides, neck- you name it, it’s ticklish. Frequently at night he will start laughing before you even touch him because he knows it’s coming!

* Remy is so laid back and go-with-the-flow. I know that he doesn’t have much of a choice being the fourth kiddo but he really never complains and is always smiling. He volunteers in both Jay and Charlie’s classrooms with me a couple times a week and just sits so sweetly and nicely the whole time. He smiles at the other kids and occasionally will “talk” to them too :)

Likes:
* His Thumb- this little guy loves to suck his thumb and either play with his hair or mine. He doesn’t suck his thumb all of the time but if he’s on my hip his thumb is most likely going to be in his mouth.

*Momma-Remy is our first kiddo to really prefer being with me or Jamie in a group. He will sit with others for a little bit and is happy to play with others too but when he is tired he wants one of us and if both of us are there he wants me. He really is a Mommas boy and I am not complaining one bit!

*Bath Time- We are still loving the water and therefore baths. As long as it’s not too late or he’s too tired, he’ll play for such a long time in the bath!

*His Wooden Frog- Remy frequently crawls with toys in his mouth and this toy in particular is perfect for crawling with. He can pop one of the little arms in his mouth and take it anywhere he wants!

*His brothers- Remy loves watching them and playing “with” them. He is constantly crawling around after them and looking for them while they are gone. His brothers also can get the largest belly laughs imaginable out of this sweet boy.

*Music- Remy really loves our afternoon dance parties. He loves waving his hands around to the music and he loves when I dance with him. I get huge smiles and laughs whenever we do this.

*We are constantly reading in our home and Remy will listen along to the books that we are reading to the boys; however, his favorites are probably the touch and feel books. It’s no surprise but he’ll listen to 4-5 of those in a row.

Dislikes:

*This is a stretch but he isn’t thrilled with people he doesn’t know, but only if they were trying to hold him.

Jay at 8 months

Charlie at 8 months

Luc at 8 months 

today i am… 7 months

Remy 7 months old

Remy- 7 months old

Remy- 7 months old

Remy- 7 months

Remy- 7 months

Remy- 7 months old

Remy- 7 months old

7 months old!!

It’s hard to believe that this little love has been in our lives for 7 months already! He brings so much joy and happiness to our family I can’t imagine what it would be like without him here.

Things of Note:

-Remy is officially crawling this month. He was super close last month but this month there is no denying that he can move on his own free will. He isn’t “seal” crawling like he used but actually crawling and getting into everything.

-Along with crawling he has decided that all things must be done at warp speed (no holding back and staying my baby) and he will also pull up. He hasn’t taken any steps or decided that he would like to cruise just yet but he is pulling up on anything and everything around him. When he does pull up he is ridiculously excited about it and squeals really loudly. It’s pretty ear piercing but also cute at the same time.

-He is still a wonderful sleeper, taking two naps during the day, one 1-1.5 hour nap in the morning and then usually a 2 (plus) hour nap in the afternoon. I usually get in a few minutes of cuddling before his afternoon naps and I look forward to that EVERY day. At night he is also wonderful. He sleeps through the night, going to bed around 8 and sleeping with one last nighttime feeding before I go to bed (I could probably stop this but I love the sleepy nursing and cuddle time and am savoring it) and then sleeps until 7/8 in the morning.

-Eating is going very well. He is still nursing fabulously but we have added a few solids in this month. Remy still doesn’t have any teeth, although he would love some so he could eat more finger food, so we have only started him on a few purees and feed him puffs. He is still only getting solids at supper time (he can be messy!) but he has loved everything without exception that we have given him. The older he gets the more finger foods I will start to introduce because he LOVES being able to feed himself

Likes:

-Peek a Boo He loves playing peek-a-boo with his brothers, under his towel after his bath, when getting dressed, anytime really. It’s so cute!

-Mommy’s silly dancing. I can pretty much always get a belly laugh when I jump and dance around like a crazy person in front of him. I look like a fool but the belly laughing is worth it.

-His brothers. They make him laugh, calm him down when he is upset and play with him. They run to go help him when he falls, cheer for him when he learns something new and he crawls around looking for them when he can’t find them. I LOVE watching them grow and bond. Having 4 kids 6 and under is as crazy as you can imagine (probably more so) but these relationships that I get to witness first hand make it so worth it.

-Crawling with a toy in his mouth. He loves to crawl around with a toy hanging out of his mouth. He will pop an arm of an animal, head of a duplo guy etc in his mouth, similar to a cat carrying its baby, in his mouth and carry it all around the house.

-Sucking his thumb and sitting on my hip. It’s safe to say that he is a bit of a Momma’s boy and his favorite place to be is on my hip with his left (he only sucks his left thumb) thumb in his mouth and playing with my hair. I am certainly not complaining being that he’s most likely our last baby ;)

-The water. We have another Perreault Fish on our hands with this little guy. He loves being in the pool with his big brothers splashing around and he also loves splashing around in the bath.

-Smiling. It’s rare when there isn’t a smile on this little guys face. He is generally a very happy, very content sweet, sweet boy!

I loved reading the other boys 7 month posts. It is so funny to read things about them that haven’t changed one bit from the time they were 7 months old until now. Love these boys of mine!

Luc at 7 months

Charlie at 7 months

Jay at 7 months

today i am… 6 months

6 months old

6 months old

6 months old

6 months old

6 months old

6 months old Remy

6 months old Remy

6 months old- Remy

6 months old Remy

6 months old Remy

6 months old Remy

6 months old!!

I know that I always say this but seriously how is it possible that this little guy is 6 months old!! With every sweet boy we add to this family time seems to pass faster and faster.

Stats
teeth- none as of yet

Things of Note-
*Sleeping- He is doing really well sleeping. He goes to bed around 8/8:30 usually at the same time as his brothers or just shortly afterwards, I feed him once before I go to bed and then he sleeps all night until about 7am. When I wake him to feed him at night he is usually super sweet and smily. He will give both me and Jamie adorable sleepy smiles and cuddles in on my chest to fall back asleep as soon as he is done. I soak up the cuddles and then put him back to bed. Remy also takes two pretty good naps, if our schedule allows; it’s hard having older brothers. I used to put him down on his belly and he would go right to sleep but recently since he has been moving more it does take him a little longer to get settled. Either way, he can fall asleep on his own and naps well! Woohoo!

*Sitting- Remy is a siting champ. He was close to being able to do it at 5 months but was still pretty wobbly, but not now. He is super stable and able to sit on his own for as long as he pleases. He is close to being able to sit up on his own all of the way. He’s able to prop himself up on one arm but can’t manage to get his body completely upright on his own. He doesn’t much care for getting stuck in the in-between position. I can’t really blame him; I am sure it is tiring.

*Mobility- This kid is mobile. I refuse to say that he is crawling yet although he is making consistent forward motion. He is more of a scooting that he is doing, pulling himself along with his arms. However, he does get up on all fours and rock so full on crawling isn’t far off.

*Everything and anything within his reach is fair game. He grabs everything that he can reach: blanket, diaper (clean or dirty), toy, one of the other boys’ toys, utensils from the table- you name it he’ll grab and eat it. Nothing is safe any more and it made this month’s photo shoot with blocks pretty darn challenging!

*Eating- Remy is still exclusively nursing and doing really well with it. He has yet to take a bottle but we haven’t pushed the issue too much. We will probably start him on solid food soon (ish) but we’ll see. Honestly, I am really enjoying the simplicity of just nursing him.

*He’s ticklish! Remy is super ticklish. I frequently put lotion on his skin after baths and he laughs and laughs when I rub it on him. Occasionally, he will even laugh before I even touch him because he knows it’s coming.

Likes
*His brothers- He saves most of the best smiles and laughs for his big bothers. He loves watching them and grabbing them whenever they are within reaching distance.
*His thumb- this little guy likes his thumb! He will still take a paci but left to his own devices he will suck his thumb. He will only suck his left thumb and he usually only sucks it when he’s upset or sleepy. I don’t think I have ever seen him suck it just because.
*Mesh feeder that I put ice cubes in. He absolutely loves sucking on the ice and has so much fun at supper banging it around and sucking on it.
*Water- he loves when he gets his hands washed off and splashing in the pool or bath. I feel certain that we will have another little fish on our hands with this one.

Dislikes
Dislikes are usually hard at this age because for the most part our sweet kiddos are pretty agreeable and Remy is no exception. However, he does get tired of being in one place for too long- in the highchair or the exersaucer etc He also doesn’t like when he gets stuck in the in-between sitting and laying down position. I know that is probably frustrating and tiring.

Jay at 6 months
Charlie at 6 months
Luc at 6 months

cousins

Last week while Felix and Nicole were in town we were able to grab a photo of all 5 cousins together. We had to wake three of our four boys up from naps to attend the afternoon family gathering, where the photos were taken, and needless to say Luc was a little less than thrilled to be smiling for the camera. We grabbed one decent photo of the 5 boys ages 6 and under (which is no small feat) and then another that I love! Not because it is picture perfect but because it cracks me up SO much! I love my boys and their sweet cousin.

the five boys

less than thrilled