Six Months

• Eliza does really well with the chaos that is often around her. If I bring her out of her room from a nap when it is quiet and her siblings aren't in her face, she looks around with such a questioning, bewildered look. 

• I'm her favorite, but dad runs a close second. When he gets home from work she locks on him with her eyes until he gives her some attention. 

• She already is showing some stranger danger. When people hold her, or sometimes even look at her, her eyes get really wide and she starts to hyperventilate. If that doesn't get me to rescue her then she brings on the tears. 
• She got to spend some quality time with her best buddy Jack at the beginning of the month. 

• I don't wear my glasses very often so when I have them on she tries real hard to pull them off. But because Tanner wears his most of the time she doesn't even notice his. 
• She's getting really good at wriggling out of her swaddle. One night I found her asleep holding onto her ear. 

• I don't feel like we got much sleep at night this last month, but she's adorable so I guess I can forgive her. 
• She decided to start shrieking when she is really happy. It is a little intense but so cute to see her tense up her little body and belt it out. She is really chatty and its fun to see all the little sounds she comes up with. 
• My sister gave us this awesome winter suit that we have used so much. We went to the zoo when it was pretty frigid but Eliza slept almost the whole time, warm and toasty. 

• Just like her siblings, she isn't moving around much. Every once and a while she'll roll onto her side but thats it. Which is fine with me. I like being able to put my baby down and knowing that they'll still be there when I get back.
• It's so fun to see her wearing clothes that Mariah wore. Mariah is a month older in her picture and apparently it was easier to get Mariah to smile. But really, these girls are just the best! 

Girls Trip

For my mom's birthday this year all the sisters plus our parents got to be together for a long weekend. Tanner was so wonderful and took Friday off so that I could go. My dad played nanny for the weekend and watched Eliza two different times.
We started the weekend off by going to the temple. Emily hadn't gotten there yet because she is a responsible college student and had classes on Friday. It was so special to be able to be in such a sacred place with people I love so much.

After the temple we headed back to the hotel where I found out that Grandpa got to deal with a huge blowout and a fussy baby. Bless his heart, and the hotel maid who had to deal with the bright yellow stain on the bedspread. That afternoon we went and got pedicures/manicures. It was pretty entertaining watching my mom stress over what color she wanted.

The next morning Amanda, Katie and I worked out together and then everyone went swimming. The pool water was super warm so even Eliza got in. She's my first baby who has actually enjoyed the pool but I think it's because it was so warm.

Amanda had a photographer come take pictures for her birthday present to my mom. I got her body gel...so no surprise who the favorite child is. But at least the gel smelled like chocolate! Thats got to put me up higher on the list.

 Probably the most important picture taken, Eliza may have been the only reason I was invited. 

 The older I get, the more I realize how truly amazing my parents are. 

We even recreated an old photo...because thats the cool thing to do nowadays.

I now have a new respect for those families who do this all the time, it's harder than it looks. 

That night we got to go to Cirque du Soleil's Love. This show is all based on Beatles' songs so we were rocking out the whole time. Until the end when they played Hey Jude, and we all cried thinking about our little Jude and everything that he has gone through. But thanks to modern medicine he is doing so much better.

True to form, Eliza tried her hardest to get my dad to crack while I was at the show. This is what she looked like when we got back. My dad said every time he would lay her down she would wake up and cry again. So he finally laid her on a pillow and held the pillow until she fell asleep and then he put her down. Pretty clever I must say. And he still liked her by the end. Love is real.

On Sunday morning Amanda and Brittany flew out and the rest of us went to church (the full three hours...my dad is dedicated) and then it was time for me to head out. It was too short but so so wonderful. We ate a lot, laughed a lot, talked a lot, and cried a little, basically a perfect weekend. Next time lets get Dan and Tyler there, and all the spouses, and the grandkids. We'll call it a family reunion. I'm already counting down the days!

I didn't get into Pittsburgh until 12:45. Tanner waited up so he could talk to me on the phone (we all know that was worded wrong, when has Tanner ever talked for a solid hour? Obviously I talked to him.) for the hour drive home. That man is wonderful.

Also while I was gone he sent me this photo...he took the kids to a fellow resident's birthday party at a restaurant where the kids got to bring the balloons home. They made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins; he also took them to their homeschool co-op which ended up being canceled, oops. So they did watercolors in the 40 degree weather until they couldn't feel their fingers and toes. He also took them shoe shopping and bought them watches. I don't think the kids missed me one bit. 

Halloween

The more children we have, the simpler the costumes. Great thing is, these kids were just as happy. Tanner was gone all day for our first Halloween celebration (our ward party) so I had to prioritize, which meant Eliza and I went without a costume. I let the big kids pick out their own costumes. 

Weeks before, Austin was saying that he wanted to be Batman. We have a Batman top but nothing else. Luckily the day of the party I was able to convince him that a pirate would be way cooler (I think the sword is what won him over) and thanks to our dressups, I was able to pull one together. The eye patch and mustache were my favorite. 

Chet knew he wanted to be a vampire bat and I was trying to figure out how to make his costume. After piano one day Chet had a costume that his piano teacher had made and said he could borrow. I wasn't going to complain about that. Chet wore it every day and got really good at being a bat. He even had the plastic vampire teeth but they made him drool all over the place so he only wore them for the pictures. 

Mariah knew she wanted to be a cat and with gentle guidance from me decided she wanted to be a "rainbow cat". That way I didn't have to make anything new for her costume either. I'm sure you all are seeing a trend here...

Earlier in the day we had to go to Sams Club to get cupcakes for the party so Austin skipped his nap. He was one sleepy pirate by the time we were heading to the church. 

The youth at our church did such a fantastic job with all the activities for the kids. There was a cupcake walk, slime making, ghost target shooting, and a Harry Potter room where the kids were each sorted, got their wand, made a potion and learned what their Patronus was. There also was Butterbeer. 

We carved pumpkins for FHE one night. 

 Mariah made an attempt at carving her own pumpkin but needed some help from me. 

 Mariah and Chet both wanted what they were going to be for Halloween carved in their pumpkin. And Tanner helped Austin pick his. Although his dad was a big influencer, Austin really is a fan of "West Virginnie". Whenever he sees their logo he points it out. 

 I dressed Eliza up Halloween night for this picture so one day she'll think I was a fun mom.We had just gotten back from the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh so I was in a little bit of a rush. But Tanner was able to be home in time to go trick or treating with us. Which hasn't happened in a long time. 

 Before we left, we had our first trick or treaters. When one girl saw the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups she said she was allergic to peanuts and began to walk away. Tanner said, "Hey Peanut Allergy! We have stuff without peanuts." Later on that night I saw a girl dressed up like a white, glowing jelly fish. I pointed her out to Mariah and said, "She's dressed up like a jellyfish!" Mariah replied, "No, thats peanut allergy.". We had a good laugh and then had to explain what a peanut allergy was. Maybe next time Tanner won't refer to someone by their medical issues. Someone's a doctor. 

Austin walked the whole time and at the beginning he insisted on carrying his own bag. But as it got heavier he handed it to Tanner and said, "you can carry it". 

 Their favorite part of the night was handing out candy.

The night of Halloween we let them eat as much candy as they wanted. The next day they picked out a handful of candy and then I told them they could trade the rest for a new book. I was planning on letting them pick out a book on Amazon but Chet said, "We can go to a book store and pick out a book?!" And after seeing how willing they were to give me their candy I didn't feel like I could say no. So we went to Barnes and Noble. It was really cute too see how excited they were. Chet and Austin each picked out $5 books until Mariah showed them other more expensive books (bless her little heart). Lets just say that was very expensive candy I bought from them. After looking the books up on Amazon and seeing that I could get them for  2/3 the cost of Barnes and Noble, I was able to convince them to wait two days for their precious books.  

This may be a new tradition, but next time we might go to the thrift store and pick out whatever book they want...

Five Months

I just love this age! 

•  She loves to have something in her mouth (almost anything will do, just don't you dare try to stick a nasty binky in there...). Her blankets are her favorite to suck on. She also tries to shove her whole fist in her mouth and has even been successful a few times. 

•  Her CCC (Chubby Crossley Cheeks) are filling in quite nicely. 

•  Apparently someone let her in on the little secret that most babies her age don't sleep through the night so she gave that up this month which made me real sad. We had some pretty awful nights (She can be a real princess and the pea type when she wants to) but she started to do better towards the end of the month. 

• Eliza got to spend time this month with her Grandpa and Grandma Young and aunties. She got some special one on one time with Grandpa Young where she wasn't afraid to let him know what she would and wouldn't put up with. "I wasn't really asleep! Don't you dare lay me down Grandpa!"
•  She got to go on her first flight. She did so well on the way to Las Vegas, not so great on the way home. For half the flight she was pretty fussy until I realized she just didn't want to be in the dark. Once I turned on the light she was a lot happier. She fell in love with a male flight attendant. She couldn't stop staring at him and when he walked away she cried. It was the funniest thing. She slept for a total of fifteen minutes the whole four hour flight, but we survived. 

•  She gives the cutest shrieks when she is getting tickled and loves blowing raspberries. 
• She has started to be more aware of others and will either love attention from strangers or look at them for a while and then start to cry. 
• When she's sad she now says, Maaa. I'm convinced she is calling for me, no one can convince me otherwise. I'm starting to become her favorite which is so endearing and exhausting at the same time. 

By four children you would think I would have it all figured out but they all come so different that it is always an adventure. One thing I have learned is that everything changes so quickly so I try to embrace each stage because it doesn't last forever. 

Perks of Homeschooling

I am not claiming that homeschool is the best way to educate your children but just like there are some great perks to public school, homeschool has a few of its own.

For one we can take off and leave when we want. A few weeks ago I found out that the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh was having a free day. I was super excited because I have been wanting to go there ever since Tanner drove me by it when we were dating. I found out about it the morning of so I quickly packed a lunch and we headed out.

 There is only a small parking lot in front of the Conservatory and I really did not want to parallel park (the last time I was successful in parallel parking was during my drivers test...pathetic I know). I said a little prayer that we would find a parking spot and right as I pulled into the completely full lot a car was leaving. Prayers are answered people! 

 "It's as big as my face!"

 Probably the boys favorite part was the taxi in the Cuba exhibit

 Eliza was a little angel the whole time. 

Mariah had been learning about plants for a few weeks and one thing that she had been telling me about were sensitive plants and we were able to see some there. It was really cool to watch the leaves curl up every time they were touched. We also had recently learned about Venus Flytraps and Pitcher Plants which they also had. Made me feel like a real cool homeschooler. The place is huge and has so much to see. 

The morning of Halloween I found out that the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh was free that day (Obviously planning ahead is not my thing). The last time we went was two years ago (on another free day, frugality is my thing) and I was really wanting to go again. So we headed on up. 

 Mariah really wanted to get drenched but she tried to practice self control for my sake.

Eliza had two blowouts so she got to hang out in her diaper. It was pretty toasty warm in the museum.

We got to learn about circuits and build some of our own. They had a ton of fun in the interactive rooms going down the slides, climbing and running around. There were a bunch of chain reaction exhibits that they had fun watching as well. Besides some classes that were there at the beginning the museum was almost empty (total homeschool perk). 

And just because I have a ton, here are some of the funny things the kids have said lately: 

Mariah still struggles with eating some things (mostly vegetables), but she tries to be a good sport about it. One mealtime after everyone else had been done for a while she said, "Almost done, everybody cheer for me." 

One morning Austin took the lid from the Almond milk and dropped it into the dairy milk. Mariah was telling someone about it later and said, "Austin put the Almond milk cap in the milk that doesn't even have almonds!"

I don't remember the context of this one but I'm pretty sure I had the same goals as Mariah: "Someday I hope I have a husband who buys me ice cream."

While playing in the backyard, "I want to pamper myself. I've got a bucket of water to put my feet in and I'm going to put a mint leaf on my tongue." She really knows how to live it up. 

After watching the Hill Cumorah Pageant Mariah had to go to the bathroom so Heather took her. As we walked to the car I asked her, "What did you think?" meaning what she thought of the show. She then got really excited and told me how you flushed the toilets with your foot. Apparently that was a lot cooler than the production. 

After asking her what she learned about in church, "We learned about a war where the bad team were the Nutsies." For those of you who aren't well versed in the language of children she obviously meant the Nazis. 

Mariah's theory for how accidents happen: "Your bladder gets so full that it tips and the pee comes spilling out." Pretty creative. 

One day in school we were learning about Michelangelo and I showed the kids a picture of the David. Chet said, "He should have carved undies on him". 

Chet wanted me to pretend to be "spyers" with him. When I asked him what my assignment was he said, "You can be the mom who washes the dishes". He's a real feminist...

One day after talking about Grandpa and Grandma Young Chet said, "Why do they say young, when they're old?". 

When my mom was here Chet was talking about digestion, "I bet I can feel where the food is. Yep, there's the bowl." When my mom asked, "What bowl?" He said, "the bowl the food is mixed up in". Obviously I need to be a little more thorough in my explanations of the mechanics of the body. 

Tanner and I like to ask questions during scripture study and one night Chet said "yeah" to a question that obviously should have been no. After being called out Chet said, "yeah, I just guessed 'yeah' because I wasn't listening." At least he's honest. 

When Mariah said she didn't want to be a doctor, "What the heck?! Doctors are cool too because they get to see people's brains. They drill holes in their stomach and see it." Thats it, we are starting a section on the human body for school. 

While making dinner I had cut me finger so I had to put a bandaid on. When Chet found out what had happened he asked, "Is it just a little cut or did you cut off your finger?" When I pointed out that my finger was still there he said, "The bandaid could hold it on." 

In his primary class they were talking about Noah's ark and Chet informed the whole class, "If that happens again you should call my dad because he's done construction."  

Some of these stories about Austin happened at least six months ago and it is so sad to see how much they change in such a short amount of time. 

Austin went through a phase where he said, "teeny bit" while holding his fingers close together to show. When he was still in his crib he would tell me, "Me only get out of crib a teeny bit". Which usually meant at least five times. 

Austin had Ninja Turtle jammies and when he wore them he would tell us, "Me inja turtle". 

When someone was in Austin's way he would try to plow his way through saying, "scuze me!" the whole time. 

For a while Austin would point out the window and say "Robin Hood!". It took me a few weeks to realize he was pointing out Robins. 

After Mariah lost a tooth we were talking about baby teeth. Austin bared his teeth and said, "daddy teeth!". 

For a few months Austin would stand at the window and watch Tanner leave for work. On his sensitive days he would burst into tears when the car was out of sight. 

He went through a phase where he would say, "Me strong!" whenever he could reach something. 

Me: I like you

Austin: I like dad 

He sure knows how to make his dad feel good. 

Mariah: (talking about someone in a picture) She has really long eyelashes like you. 

Austin: (In an indignant voice) I not girl, I'm boy!

After dinner I asked him, "Are you full?" He pointed to his throat and said, "Mmhm, it's up there". Got him all filled up.