Happy Happy Birthday Claire Bear Dear!

Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast

baking her mickey mouse cake.... but honestly I just wanted to use my new bundt cake pan I got for Christmas!

At her party. She had her cousin Grace and Aunt and Uncle come along with Grandma and Grandpa. Her favorite people ;)

Claire turned 3 today! Wow! 3 whole years with our precious Claire. Claire has grown up SO much this past year. Her speech has gone from 0-5 words to full out sentences and a huge vocabulary. She has worked so hard on learning to speak. Claire is a great sister. She gives both her "sissys" kisses and hugs daily. She also shares VERY well. She is very giving. She has grown up physically a lot too. Her hair has started to really come in. She can now wear a pony tail! She is orderly and likes to organize her toys. Too bad she only puts them in order while she is playing... we are still working on putting the toys away! She is very sweet and loves to snuggle. She has really come out of her shell this past year too. She is no longer very shy. She will play with most anyone and adapts well to new situations. We love you Claire!

We have been busy...

spreading Christmas cheer... neighbor gifts this year

receiving secret elf gifts on our door step! The girls were SO excited and were yelling "THANK YOU SECRET ELFS!" out the door

wathcing movies on moms new smart phone! I got it for free, and it actually saves us money on our monthly phone bill... sweet! The only problem is that now that I have access to e-mail, FB, and blog reading on my phone I don't come down to the big computer to post blogs.... I will have to do better!

changing baby buns. This was the craziest blow out I had seen in awhile...

leaving out cookies and carrots for santa and the reindeer. Liv wrote a note to Santa telling him where the potty was just in case he needed one! She even drew a picture of the toilet!

Christmas morning. Claire has a LOT of new babies and is in LOVE with them! She got one a few weeks ago when she went shopping at the store and used her binkies to pay for a new baby. She was having lots of anxiety about her birthday and cutting binkies on her b-day. So she decided she would rather use her binkies to buy a new baby doll. She has done great! We have been binky free for 3 weeks now! As for the other babies- she got "lala lucy" from Santa and the other baby from the secret elf.

Dear Santa...

She has actually changed her mind about what she wants. Lucky for us, it's $25 cheaper then that Gogo Walk'n' pup ;) The picture she drew is of Santa and his reindeer flying over houses.

Library Card

Olivia got her first Library card. She is so proud!

I love 5 year olds

Olivia says the funnies things, and she is learning how to read and write, and it's so so cute! I love reading random things she has tried to write. She also says and does the cutest things. Just this morning here are some of the things she said:

I was telling her that only a few years ago Claire was the baby and she was Claires age. She says "So, where was Emma?" I told her she was in heaven waiting to come down. She replies "Oh, I bet she was doing tummy time in the clouds watching us!" It made me laugh, thinking of Emma lying in a cloud doing tummy time!

We have a heater in Emma's room. It has a little red light on it. Olivia asks "What is that little red light?" I told her it meant the heater was plugged in. She sighs with relief and says "Oh, I thought it was an eye-watcher!" She thinks that things are watching her, or maybe recording her and calls them "eye-watchers" haha, she is just like me! I always think I'm being watched in secret!

This morning the girls were standing on their chairs singing "You better watch out, you better not cry.... santa clause is coming to town!" They thought if they sang as loud as possible that santa would come in his sleigh. Emma loved it and kept squealing with them. It was so cute.

These were things that just went on in the past few hours. I should be better about writing them down. I love my girls. They are so fun!

The tree is up

We are all decorated for Christmas! Lights are up, the tree is up. YAY! It all looks beautiful! On a side note... my blog is so boring lately. Sorry. I'll try to think of something funner to post about. Even I don't really want to look at my own blog. HA!

Thanksgiving in Arizona

We drove the 12 hours to Arizona this year with 3 small children. We drove through the night, so the trip went pretty well. The girls pretty much slept the whole way. Poor Emma doesn't like her car seat and had a harder time sleeping in it, but she still did pretty well. We went down to see Bretts grandparents who are declining in their health. We wanted to make sure Brett saw them before they passed. We stayed at Bretts sister Alisha's house. They are wonderful hosts. It is always a blast being with them. The girls got to be with their cousins and it was a house full of crazy fun screaming little girls! They love each other! Every time I brought up leaving soon Olivia would cry and tell me she didn't want to go.We also got to meet my brothers new baby Alegra. She was SO tall and thin! She was so cute and smiley. It was a nice trip, and the weather was beautiful. When we got home our house was about 40 degrees... inside! We didn't have the heater running. It was no fun after being in beautiful 75 degree weather for 4 days!

Made it to the Crib

Emma in her "antique" crib. Or should I call it vintage!? Those are kind words for the lovely crib Emma has to sleep in. The mattress might have fleas or something, but I made sure it was well covered. Claire and Liv were always fine... ;) Every time Brett has to take down or put up that crib he is a different man.. a very frustrated man! haha

Emma finally made it to her crib. So far far away from her mommas bedside. I feel the need to make sure to move my babies to the crib before they get too old. I let Olivia stay in our room way too long and when I moved her over she had a lot of restless nights with lots and lots of screaming. So, as much as I love being right next to her to nurse when she wakes up, it is worth the walk so she is used to her room and will never know she used to sleep next to my bedside! As for the sleep- Emma is Miss sporadic! She will always sleep at least 5 hours straight, but other then that it seems I never know what she will do. Last night she slept 11 hours straight! It was awesome, except that I kept waking up and worrying about her since she is so far away. Most nights she does 7-8 hours, and others its like she is a newborn again. So, hopefully she can regulate and just start sleeping well EVERY night! I will take what I get though!

A name and a Blessing

Emma was blessed in church on e month ago. Apparently My blogging is getting behind. Anyway, it was a sweet blessing. Here were some of the things mentioned in the blessing for those not able to attend:

Blessed with a divine heritage
that you will always know you are a daughter of God
Rely on your parents
To have a strong and healthy body and spirit
Be a Peacemaker
Have the ability to resolve conflicts
Make wise choices
Marry in the temple

Emma was named after my sister Emily Catherine Knerr. We named her Emma Kate which is a shortened version. It seems our little Emma will be the "shortened" version of Emily- who is 5'9'' I think ;) My sister Emily is one of the best people I know. I can not think of a better person to name my child after. She has always been the peacemaker in our family. She is a happy, fun person to be around. She is smart, and she has always been wise. Maybe she saw all my mistakes and decided to choose better! Emily is also very sweet and kind. I love her lots and can't imagine life without my sister. Not to mention she is BEAUTIFUL, I've always been jealous I won't lie ;) I hope our Emma can be like my sister Emily. She would be a fabulous person to aspire to be like.

Emmas 2 month stats

Claire was having a hard night... crying and crying. Her sisters decided to give her a snuggle to make her feel better. She was happy to have her sissys ;)

Emma is already 2 months old. Crazy.
Weight:11 lbs 8 oz (55%)
Height: 22.75" (43%)
Head: 15" (30%)
I guess she is just a little under average. My smallest baby yet ;) I like little, lets keep her that way!

Happy Halloween 2011

We had a good Halloween this year. I planned to make the girls matching witch costumes. It didn't end up working out, so we had to borrow costumes. Claire was so excited to be a witch. She still has trouble saying a lot of words, so when people would ask what they were going to be for Halloween she would yell out "WITCHES!" Execept she would leave off that W, and put in a B. ;) It was funny. She still wore her witch hat with her lady bug costume half the time! Funny girl.
Olivia was Snow White when she went to her school party, and a witch for the rest of the time. I was a mime, Claire was a lady bug and Emma was a giraffe.

Emma 8 weeks

it is the weirdest thing- I can not get this picture to upload turned the right way. I have no idea why!

I have done the baby wise sleep training for a little over a week now. Emma is sleeping 7-8 hours for 3 nights in a row! (knock on wood) I have never had a baby sleep so long, so soon. It is amazing. And I have never once had to let her "cry it out" like I did with Liv and Claire for SOOO many long depressing nights. So, lets hope it continues!

Childhood

This picture just seems to sum up childhood to me. I love that Liv is wearing an outfit that doesn't really go- a tutu over the top of her pants. I love that they both have crazy messy hair and don't care who sees it that way. I love the chocolate ice cream all over Claires face and clothes. All she cares is that she got to gobble up some delicious ice cream! She doesn't care one bit that she is a mess! And I love that they are sprawled out on the bed after falling asleep to "phineas and pherb" on a Saturday afternoon all pooped out! It is just so cute and innocent. Childhood goes too fast, and I feel like in some ways I get to re-live it with my girls again. I love it!

A note to first time Moms

Emmas favorite way to sleep.. in my arms with her little fist up by her mouth.

Now that I am on my 3rd baby, I am realizing how badly I messed up with my first. Yes, it is true, the first is the guinea pig. Poor Liv. Breast feeding was a failure, and sleeping though the night was a big time failure. As I look back, I think about the only thing I really did right was love her, which is most important, so I will take that as a success!
I am currently reading "Baby Wise" which I've never actually read before, and I think has some very good points. Things I wish I knew before I was on my 3rd child. It could have saved me from a lot of stress and fatigue, which would have made me a happier, better mother. So- my advice to first time moms, and ANY moms that are having trouble, my advice is: Get help, and seek answers. In the hospital talk to the lactation specialists, talk to more then 1 if possible. I had no idea that there was SO much to learn about breast feeding. There are LOTS of tips and tricks that are beyond the basic. There are solutions to most problems, and most likely you can succeed at breast feeding if you get the right help. You can also call the le leche league, and they offer free help to anyone who wants it. If you think like I did " things are fine, I don't need help" you are probably wrong. Get it anyway, and you may be surprised at how much you don't know. I also think it is important to seek advice from different lactation specialists and books, because some times their advice is an opinion, and not always correct. Look at all the information, and then decide what is best for you.
The same advice goes for sleep training. I wish I had read this book BEFORE the baby was born, but oh-well. Read books, and talk with parents who have babies that sleep through the night to find out what they are doing. There is lots to be learned. I am STILL learning it. Maybe I will get it right this time! I have my doubts though... So, that is my advice. Learn, and learn it before the baby comes (as much as you can anyway) and you will be so happy you did.
I am starting "sleep training" today. Maybe Emma will be my first baby to actually successfully sleep through the night early, and actually continue through teething and sickness, and travel. Ha... wouldn't that be nice!? So, that picture will be the last of its kind. No more sleeping in mamas arms sweet Emma. It is a little sad for both of us. It is just so sweet and cuddly to hold a sleeping baby ;)

School Pictures

Here is Olivia's first school picture! Kindergarten 2011. Isn't she the cutest!?

6 weeks

Emma is almost able to hold her head up. I thought I'd try out hre new boppy chiar. She's still too wobbly, but close to being able to use it! Emma has really woken up the past few weeks. She is not loving her binky and just wants to be held 24/7. My back is really starting to hurt and I have dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep. Oh how I want to sleep for more then 7 very interrupted hours. It is just not enough, especially when Emma wakes me up wanting to nurse.
Then there is my Claire. She so desperately wants to be big. She likes to dress and undress herself all the time. Yesterday she was running around nude, pulled out the cereal for a snack, and put on a bib to eat it! So I find a 2 year old with nothing but a bib on. It made me laugh. I find dirty diapers in places they shouldn't be because she pulls them off and hides them! The latest was in her dresser drawer. So gross! At least they are not poopy!

Same, Same

Claire wanted me to take their picture because the girls were dressed the same. Claire always likes to point out things that are the same. She points to both saying "Same... Same!" If I ever want Claire to do anything, I just have to have Olivia do it. She always wants to be the same as Olivia. She is Olivia's parrot. She says EVERYthing Liv says. She is such a copy cat. It's funny. Good thing Liv doesn't mind it!


One reason why potty training feels like a must soon... Big poops are just nasty!

Emma at 5 weeks

The Norm

Emma is growing into her 3 month clothes instead of newborn stuff ;( They grow too fast.

Olivia is my little art/craft lover. She colors EVERY day. She loves anything to with crafts. Here are some of her pictures she drew this morning.

this is a "rainbow waterfall"


this is a flamingo with long red hair. haha! what an imagination!

And there is Claire... Just as cute as ever, but really testing my patience lately.

"EmmaKate"

Miss Claire loves her little sister. She calls her "AmmaKayte" It sorta sounds like one word with a southern accent on the Kate. Claire loves to kiss her and leave little wet marks on her head whenever possible. As of the past few days she has shown her jealous side though. When she is upset about something and wants my attention, if I am holding Emma she yells "My MOMMY!" "No EmmaKate! No!" And she will try to hit my leg and tug on Emma to get me to put her down and hold her. Other then her few outbursts lately she has done great about the transition. I'm trying hard to make 'Claire time' and 'Livie time'. This phase shall pass, and hopefully the 'terrible 2's' will be over soon! If only that was the worse of what she has been up to lately... ;)

3 weeks

don't you like Olivia trying to get in the picture? haha

i know- blogs turn into "look at my new baby" blogs after a new baby comes. sorry... gotta do it for gramma though!!

Why We Love Emma

Livie feeding Emma her first bottle. I always get my babies to take a bottle within the first week. As they get older it is SO nice to be able to leave for more then 2 hours. I can pump and some one else can have a turn feeding little Emma!

2 week stats:
weight: 7.41 lbs (23%)
height:20.25" (51%)
head:13.75" (26%)

Emma is a rather good baby. Here are some reasons why...
Sleeps 3-4 hours at night. It is never enough, but it could be worse!
Hardly ever cries...
She laughs and smiles a lot
She is adaptable. She takes a bottle, a binky, and the boob!
She has soft fuzz on her head
She lets Claire and Livie hold her, bump her, and scream around her and Emma will sleep through it all
She doesn't spit up too often (Claire and Liv spit up after EVERY feeding)
She hasn't blown out of her diaper... yet
She is just precious and little. If she would sleep 8 hours at a time I just may keep her this way forever ;) Oh, and if I didn't have to nurse every 2 hours... It gets old.