Little miss Ruthie has learned how to use her chubby little legs to bounce happily in her jumperoo.  She just lights up and has so much fun!

First Swim!

Baby girl wore her first swimsuit last night, for a leisurely dip in the hot tub!  Although the water temps are still a bit too cold for the little ones in the pool, my parents have been gently heating their hot tub so the kids can splash and play around (and we can too).  The hot tub seems to be the one place that Hayden and Pierce will play together without all the drama and wildness that typically takes place in our house.  They have different interests in the hot tub; Hayden likes to head underwater to retrieve his dive sticks, and Pierce likes to stand on the bench and drive his cars along and splash.  So they manage to exist fairly peacefully for literally hours on end!  It's a wonderful way to spend a day or evening, and I'm so thankful that my parents have such a fab back yard.

It's funny, because Hayden immediately took to the water as an infant, and has never looked back.  He was a little fishy by his second summer - wearing his safety vest and swimming the whole length of the pool, jumping in from the side, and getting thrilled when we would dunk him underwater.  Conversely, Pierce has always maintained a healthy fear of the water, and refuses to budge from a safe spot on the bench in the hottub or the shallow ledge in the pool.  I wonder how his skills will develop over the summer, since we literally spend every afternoon in either my parent's pool, a neighborhood pool, or at a waterpark.

Ruthie seems to be leaning more toward her brother Hayden's affinity for the water.  She took to it immediately (this was her second time in the hot tub - the first time was impromptu and she went nudie haha), with a relaxed smile on her face.  She was content to be held or to float around on her tummy in her baby raft.  Shockingly, she even tolerated the rather uncomfortable level of splashing courtesy of her two big brothers.  What is so wonderful about my parent's backyard is that it is entirely shaded by giant oak trees in the afternoon, so the kids can play safely without the hot sun beating down on them.  It's just a perfect little oasis, and I'm SO looking forward to summer!

Sibling Love

How cute are these kids?!  I swear, everytime I turn around they are holding hands or hugging.  But as an aside, how on earth does Ruthie not have a bow in her hair in ANY of these pics?  I'm falling short on my duties as the mom of a baby girl lol.  LOVE LOVE LOVE these kiddos.

Jumperoo Time!

My three babies, all in their jumperoo for the first time.  I remember distinctly the first time Hayden tried this out.  It was a gift from grammy, and we were all SO excited to put him in there, but we decided to wait for her to arrive from Ohio for a visit, so she could see it.  Sure enough, he immediately loved it, and it become one of his most favorite toys from about 4-8 months old.  He would just bounce in there and giggle like crazy.  I remember again the excitement when Pierce seemed old enough to test it out, and although he wasn't quite as much of a fan as Hayden had been, he still had hours and hours of enjoyment from it.

Since Ruthie can hold her head up so well, and her favorite position is standing (in our laps), I decided to get it down, even though she is just shy of 3 months still.  I knew she wouldn't be ready to jump and bounce yet, but just looking around while standing is thrilling to her!  While she loved it as expected, her brothers couldn't wait to get in on the action.  They were "helping" her bounce wildly around, and Pierce was "pushing" her in her "swing".  It was out of control for awhile until we established the rules (although clearly to Pierce, rules are meant to be broken!). 

It's so different this time around, because when Pierce was an infant, Hayden took little to no interest in him.  It was difficult to even get him to give him a hug or kiss, and he would never want to hold him.  Their close relationship didn't evolve until much later, when Pierce could walk and talk.  Of course now they are the best of friends, but it took a long time to develop.  Conversely, both the boys are literally OBSESSED with Ruthie and can't get enough of her.  It's certainly adorable and sweet, but it also means that I can't take my eyes off of her for a second, or one of them will be trying to "help" her with something!!  You can clearly see in this last picture the look of absolute glee on Pierce's face as he wildly shakes the jumperoo, and the look of pure resignation on Ruthie's face as she accepts her fate as the little sister of two wild older brothers :) 

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!  This year I was tripley blessed on this special day with my three little lovelies.  They put their heads together (with a little help from daddy) and made me the most special poster board complete with fingers paints, footprints, and a totally personalized poem ala Nate.  It was FABULOUS and the most perfect gift I could ever have imagined.  I can't wait to frame it and put it up in a special place in the house so I can remember how loved I am. 

The day was also a chance to tell my mother how much I care for her, and how much I appreciate all of the wonderful things she does for me all year long.  She is my best friend, and the most loving grandmother, who throws herself into everything she does with my kids.  I'm so thankful for her company and I never forget for one second how lucky I am to have her.  The boys were excited to make something for her to share their love, so Pierce and I picked out some beads at Hobby Lobby while Hayden was at school, and then while Pierce napped, Hayden actually constructed a bracelet.  Pierce had picked these cute, multi-colored butterflies, and Hayden created a perfect little pattern all on his own (I was determined not to intervene and let him use his own creativity).  It turned out just adorable, and I'm pretty sure grammy will wear it every day :)

Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to hug my mother in law in person, to wish her a happy day, but I love her to bits as well, and consider her not only an in-law, but a true friend, and someone who raised a wonderful son.  The boys and I picked out some of our favorite family photos to make a little flip book for her, and I sewed her a knitting needle roll-up that I hope will come in handy.  She is such a talented knitter, as many of you will know from all the cute winter hats my boys have sported through the years!

So all in all, it was a great mother's day!  Love my mamas, and love being a mama!  Best thing in the world :)

So my little lady is growing in leaps and bounds.  I took her a check-up yesterday and she weighs in at a curvy 14 lbs, and 24 1/2 inches long.  This puts her right up in the 90th percentile (no surprise there!).  Our doctor described her as "perfect", and said she was actually hitting all of her 4 month old milestones already - like holding her head up, being able to support herself standing, making great eye contact and following sounds, etc.  She truely is a healthy, happy, sweet little thing.  I have so much love for her, and she is literally nothing but a pleasure.  In fact, she had a few shots at her appointment, and I can say for a fact that yesterday was the worst day of her little life.  The injection site on her leg must have hurt terribly, because she was inconsolable for about 30 minutes until the tylenol kicked in.  It absolutely broke my heart, but it also reminded me how lucky I am that this was the first time EVER that I couldn't immediately quiet her down simply with nursing or holding her.  She is perfection and I LOVE her :)

Here is a collage of all my little babes at ~ 3 months old.  Can you figure out who is who??