8 Months Old!

We are edging in on that one-year mark.  There have been so many changes with the babies and so many new adventures.  After Sophia's plane ride, Mari packed all the babies up and headed to Austin to hang with our friend, Jen, and her little cutie, Ansley.  

That's How We Roll...

Enjoying Some Shade With Ansley

Ansley was busy teaching the kiddos all kinds of things.  When they got back home after this trip, Cohen remembered Ansley's teachings and pulled himself up to stand!  Now, that is all he wants to do, pulling himself up on just about anything or anyone.

Look Mom, One More Thing To Worry About!

No sooner than Mari lowered Cohen's crib mattress, Sophia took note and pulled herself to stand as well.  She already knows she has to keep up with the boys.

Make That Two!

Walter, Ellie, and Gumby came to visit from Brownsville after enjoying the Spring, Texas Crawfish Festival to remind us of the things we used to be able to do.  We haven't seen these guys in a long time and it was great to catch up and introduce them to the babies and our new lives. 

Finn Loving on Gumby

Walter and Ellie Get a Handful

Bath time is getting a lot more fun as these kiddos are able to sit up on their own.  Well, Noah needs a little assistance but he'll be there very soon. 

Noah & Finn Enjoy Bath Time in The Big Boy Bath!

Noah Loves Ansley's Swing!

Unfortunately, Mari and I....and Cohen....and Noah...and Sophia...and Finn (you get the picture) have all had a cold for the past several days. There is a ton of the green stuff flying around here but we'll spare you those photos. :)

Momma's Back

Sophia and I are back from Iowa to the heat of Houston.  My grandfather (my mom's dad) passed away a few weeks ago and the memorial services were this weekend. I am so thankful that we were able to be there, I just wish we would've gotten up there a little bit sooner so the babies could've met their great grandaddy in person. They did get to talk a few times over Skype video conferencing  and we are thankful for that.

Sophia In Flight (a nice man next to us gave up his seat for her)

A few things I realized while traveling with one little one:

- Having 1 baby off of a schedule is far harder than having 4 on a schedule!

- Sophia is very shy & reserved and enjoys her space! :)

- A regular hotel room will never fit four pack and plays - it barely fits one!

-You can put foam cups over a baby's ears to regulate the pressure from flying on take off and landing (I didn't do this, just got the info on the way back) :)

-You can put foam cups over your ears to regulate the noise of a baby's cry while flying ;) (didn't do this either - Sophia was a fabulous traveler!)

-Chris is an amazing husband and daddy (not only did he take care of the boys by himself - he cooked & cleaned the entire house as well!)

Sophia Consoling Grandma (or maybe it was the other way around?)

Cousins Hannah & Makenna Keeping Warm

Auntie Em - Whom Sophia Adores Tremendously!

Cousin Makenna Sharing Some Laughs

Uncle Jon Gets A Few Rare Smiles 

Cousin Hannah Giving Some Love

Cousins Hannah, Jakob & Joshua Keeping Her Entertained

Great Grandaddy, Harold Rosengreen, Who is Dearly Missed

Boys Weekend

With Mari and Sophia out of town, the boys and I got to do some male bonding.  As males, we enjoy the simple things in life and it doesn't take much to make us happy...

...however, we do love our ladies.  We missed Momma and Sophia dearly and can't wait 'til they get back.

  

We're on the Move

With all the action around our house, we need to pick up the pace and move it!  Cohen led the charge to go commando and all the other troops fell in line.  That's right, all 4 of our "little" ones are moving all over the place!  The other day Mari was sitting on the floor reading to Sophia when she felt someone grab her hip.  She was startled at first because she was the only one home, then she turned and looked, only to see Cohen who just 10 seconds ago was playing on the floor in the other room.

This is our first boys' weekend - party time!  Mari and Sophia jetted off to Iowa for a girls-getaway, so me and the boys are doing some male bonding. I promise we'll TRY to stay out of trouble.  I'm bummed to have my 2 honeys gone and will miss them this weekend.  

Mari has been working hard on a new video of all the movement.  So, here it is!  Enjoy...

Our supply of free ready-to-feed formula is finished.  We have been spoiled so far and now have to make our own formula.  We found it is easier to make an entire can at a time, which unfortunately, only lasts about a day!

Noah is usually so serious in front of the camera, but we caught him off guard - Gotta love those dimples!!

Our spring bouquet

Ol' blue eyes

"Ha!  Wait 'til you check my diaper."

The babies started to pull down their bumpers so they could see and talk to each other so we tried to go without them...

So we found these cool "mesh bumpers" they can't pull over their face and still give them the privacy they need to get a good nap.

Wild About Spring

Grandma & Papa's Four Little Wild Flowers!

With Mari's parents in town for a week, what better time to enjoy a true Texas treasure - wildflower season.  Just drive along any Texas road during spring and you'll see fields of brightly colored flowers, including bluebonnets and indian paintbrushes.  Mari, Tim & Dawn packed up the gang in the 'burban and headed for brighter pastures in Brenham, home of Blue Bell, the best ice cream in the country.  Anytime Mari and her dad are together, you can bet ice cream will be involved.  Unfortunately I was working and missed this trip, but they captured some beautiful photos.    

As you can see, the babies are all doing great at sitting up on their own.  Sophia is starting to show some musical interests.  When we play music, she gets on hands and knees and wiggles her hips.  And Mari's mom noticed that when she would sing to her, Sophia starts to sing along. Next stop, American Idol! 

Finn eats like a linebacker!  He will chow down 8 oz of formula at every feeding and still have room for solids.  Pretty crazy that we used to have to force feed him just to take just one ounce!  He cautiously studies everything around him and is quite independent during playtime.

Noah is a wild one, a little ball of energy!  He doesn't try to crawl, but who needs to when you can roll from one side of the room to the other.  Put him in the Exersaucer and watch out...both arms and legs are flailing as he crashes from side to side, grabbing onto any toy in sight.  Needless to say, roadtrips to see flowers are not his idea of fun.

Cohen is going commando...crawling that is!  Luckily, he doesn't venture too far; just likes to steal all the toys from the others.  Once he does start venturing out more, we'll have our work cut out with babyproofing because he grabs everything and puts it right into his mouth. Mari found him looking out the window the other day and he was chewing the paint off of the window sill.

Beach Time, Baby!

RSV season is now officially over for our area and we are excited to finally get out a little more!  This Sunday we packed up the fam, plus four pack and plays, the runabout, a rubbermaid full of toys and bottles, our flip flops & sunglasses and headed to the beach to see Mema, Pepa, Grammie and meet our little cousin CJ.  We enjoyed the sun with two separate walks on the beach as we reminisced of our days living on the island when we were newly married and questioned why we ever left.  It really is a beautiful place to live.

The New Beach Cruiser

No Pack and Play Needed For Noah - Pepa's Tummy is Just Fine!

And Who Needs Bouncy Seats When You've Got Mema's Lap?

Hangin' With CJ

We'll be back soon!

It's Noah Accident

Noah, it's no accident that we love you for you are just too irresistible!

Our Sweet Pea

Our little sweet pea, Cohen, we love you so much!

Finn's Turn

The video montage continues.  If you haven't seen it, you can check out Sophia's video in yesterday's post. Today is Finn's video.  We are definitely not crazy cuz we're totally in love with you, Finn!

Our Little Angel

We've been trying to put together a video montage for each of the babies using some of the footage we have taken over the last few months.  In true Texas tradition, it's ladies first!  We love you, Sophia.