Happy Valentines Day!

Lots of love on Valentines this year! The night before, John took just the girls out on a special Daddy date...a mexican restuarant with cheese dip and then yogurt...the girls couldn't have been happier! On Valentines Day, we started off the morning with a breakfast of the girls' favorites--monkey bread (made in heart shaped muffin tins), rice krispies and "pink" milk! The kids got new beach towels for the special day, so they got to enjoy their breakfast as a little picnic on the new towels! Ella enjoyed her Valentines party at school and had a blast going through all of her sweet cards from her friends when she got home. Audrey's was the week before so she brought hers back out to check hers out too! We ended the evening with a heart shaped pizza and some ice cream!

Walker at 4 Months!

Happy 4 months Walker! He is just the happiest little thing and has really turned out to be my most "go with the flow" child. Everyone says the third has to be that way, but I truly believe that is the nature of his personality and I hope he is always as laid back as he is most of the time. He continues to grow right on schedule, despite the fact that everyone has to comment on how big he is. It is one thing for me to call him my "chunky monkey" but for other people to make comments like "Wow, he is huge" or "What are you feeding him" drives me crazy. I mean really, would you say those things to another person?

His stats at 4 months...
16 lbs., 5 oz (67%)
25 1/4 inches (57%)

At 4 months...

• Walker smiles...all the time. It melts my heart and I can't get enough of them.
• He has found his fist and tries to get the whole thing in his mouth to chew on it.
• He rolls from side to side but can't flip himself over all the way. I'm thinking it is only a matter of time.
• He loves riding in the Baby Bjorn which makes it fun to have him more a part of the action now.
• He is still a horrible sleeper at night.
• He squeals with excitement everytime his sisters come in to his sight.
• He loves to kick his legs.
• He'll spend quite a bit of time in the exersaucer which is a nice change to having to either be held or laying flat on the floor.
• Still no luck on trying to get this one to take a pacifier. I know that I will be glad when I don't have to wean him from it, but it sure would be nice in the middle of the night to have something to soothe him!

Can't believe how fast it is going and I can't imagine life without our little dude!

Duck Derby

The city has an annual duck derby where you can purchase little rubber duckies and decorate them and then race them through the lazy river at the Natatorium. It was our first year to participate, so we got two ducks for the girls to decorate. They had a blast "bedazzling" their ducks. We didn't win the best decorated (some people must have spent DAYS working on theirs), but we got a ribbbon for participating which made the girls happy! We can't wait until next year so Walker can participate too!

Audrey's Princess Peacock trying to take the lead...we came in second in her heat.

Ella's "Cutesy Patootsy" is the one in the center with the big pink feather.

Cutesy Patootsy...we tried to give her the Rapunzel look

Princess Peacock!

Spreading the Love

Our Sunday School class decided for our February Outreach event we would bring Valentines to a local Assisted Living center. The girls worked hard creating some homemade ones and then worked on a few coloring sheets too. We had an amazing turnout with 45 people (kids included) bringing all different valentines and goodies for the residents. They were so appreciative and loved seeing the kids. John and I were especially proud of Ella who was very excited about handing the valentines and sugar free candy out and was eager to make sure every single person received one! Only an hour of our time, but it was such a treat for us to get to spread a little Valentines love and teach our kids about serving. We can't wait to go back to visit again!

Ice Storm 2011 - Take 2

Another day off from school with the ice storm, but the girls had fun being explorers. Thankfully, the Valentines box from Mimi and Papa J arrived early, so the girls had fun with their headlights exploring the house in the dark and wearing their new summer pajamas (yes, it was 10 degrees outside). It is fun to have snow every once in a while, but today Ella started crying when she saw it because she really wanted to be able to go to school and dance!

What John Has Feared

Our house is filled with pink...and purple. We have Barbie dolls, baby dolls, purses and dress up clothes. We own every princess item they make and it is clear when we go into Target that Ella and Audrey have no interest in the "boy aisles."

When we found out we were having a boy, John envisioned the future of Walker's existence in a house full of big sisters. He would be dressed as Cinderella, be the guinea pig when the girls were practicing their makeup and would be forced to play with all the Barbie dolls that clutter the game room.

Today, it began. Ella found some pink pipe cleaners and fashioned them into a crown and placed them on Walker's head. You can see from his expression, it didn't phase him a bit. Poor guy.

Daddy and Kiddos

We had to get some pictures for the girls' upcoming Donuts with Daddy events at school and could not find many with just John and Audrey. It seems like when Audrey came along, John always ended up on the side of the table with Ella and I was with Audrey. Of course, Ella couldn't stand to not have her own picture with Daddy, so we made the rounds with all the kiddos!

Audrey has become one big Daddy's girl! She can not stand for him to go to work, leave the house, or get out of her sight at all!

Daddy's first girl

Superman with Super Daddy

Weekly Wrap up

It has been a fun time in Wedemeyer World lately! I feel like the routine of 3 kids is becoming more normal now, but it sure is much harder than I ever thought it would be! I am grateful though and every time I look at Walker, even at 2 in the morning when I haven't gotten much sleep at all, I can not imagine our family without him! Here's a few things that have been going on...

• John's vision of his "Man Cave" when we purchased this house has basically turned into a long lost dream for him. The media room has turned in to Game Room #2 for the girls and they love to build tents and have campouts in there. At the current moment is a gigantic Princess tent the girls got for Christmas from Gran-nan and Grandpa. The Man Cave has no look of manly in it right now.

"The Man Cave"

• The weather has gone from extremes of bitter cold to beautiful sunshine. I try to take advantage of the pretty days and let the girls get their energy out in the back yard. I can't wait for the day all three kids can be out there together having fun. On the sunny days, you will find Ella driving the Barbie Jeep with Audrey in the passenger seat. They will have both their umbrellas open as they fly around the backyard. I giggle every time I see them. They also love to practice with their jumpropes but can't figure out exactly how they work--it sure is fun though!

• The girls creativity still continues to amaze me. At church last week, Ella's teacher asked me "Who is the artist in your family?" I asked him what he meant and he said that Ella always drew the greatest pictures. She does and I am so proud of her. She has such a gift and really enjoys experimenting with the whole Crayola family of products...in her mind, the messier the better with her preferring markers and paint over crayons. Audrey is doing so great too and will copy almost any picture that Ella draws. Audrey is also starting to write her name and the other letters too...she wrote Walker on a piece of paper this week! They can turn a blanket into a superhero cape (see below) and a few chairs into a big schoolbus for their kids.

Princess Super Heroes!

• Walker is definitely becoming more a part of the action. He is sitting up more in his Bumbo seat and his exersaucer and will follow the girls around the room and laugh. In his mind, he has to be thinking, "Who dropped me off in this circus and how can I escape?" He smiles a lot more now and is still eating every three hours for the most part. A schedule, well, that is a different story. I just can't figure out how Kid #3 is supposed to be on a schedule when we've got 2 older siblings who have a bigger social life than me! :) I can't wait to see what his personality will be...I hope he will be a momma's boy since my two girls have all but abandoned me and only want their daddy!

Our happy boy!

• I had to share these pictures to prove the difference between my two girls. On one of the snow days, I got some paper plates out and let the girls paint. Ella's picture is on top and she said it was called "Caterpillar going to Visit a Friend on a Sunny Day." Audrey said her's on the bottom was called "Chicken and Rooster Fighting." It pretty much sums up their personalities if you don't know them well.

• I have tried to start reading more to get myself back into some sense of normalcy. My book club selected The Hunger Games - Yes, it is young fiction so basically I am reading something all those vampire loving teenagers like and as my friend Stacy mentioned, we can buy it at our kids' Scholastic book fair, but I will have to tell you, I loved the book. I loved it so much, that I read all three books in the trilogy within about 2 weeks and spent many hours that I should have been sleeping obsessed with finding out what would happen. So, if you need some fun reading...go to the "Young Adult Fiction" area and enjoy!
  
• Ella told us this week that she wanted to hug us so she could carry our love around with her. So sweet and such a real way to think about it. I need to hug my kids more. I need to hug my husband more. I need to hug my friends more so they can carry my love for them around with them.
• I'm looking forward to spring. I feel sorry for Northerners who have to live in cold for so much of the year. I guess they feel sorry for us in the summer, but that is what swimming pools are for!

Ice Storm 2011

We had another wild round of icy weather this week, this time keeping us in the house from Tuesday through Friday. The girls were getting over some coughs and an ear infection for Audrey, so it was probably the best for us to stay in and not spread the germs around town. The weather was too cold for the girls to even get out and play in the snow, so we had to think of lots of ideas to do around the house. We worked on our Valentines, did some crafts, watched some movies and pulled every toy out in the house!

We put together a fun castle and carriage made of cardboard that you could play inside and color all over. It was a lifesaver! The girls ate their meals in it, brought their baby dolls inside and had lots of fun drawing and coloring all over it! Ella asked me if I had something like this when I was a little girl and I told her "No, we used Refrigerator boxes instead." She looked at me like I was crazy.

The princesses enjoying their lunch in the castle!

Even Walker was allowed to enter the castle on his Bumbo throne.

We got out the exersaucer and Walker had a ball, despite his sisters being in his face all the time!

Mr. Blue Eyes

Little Friends

Audrey had a playdate with her friend Mallory today. They are just a few weeks apart and have to be two of the cutest little things! They read books together, played baby dolls and played beauty shop. It was fun to see Audrey on her own without Ella taking charge of everyone! So fun!

Blessed

If there is one thing I hope John and I can really instill in our children, it is the fact the God has blessed us beyond what we deserve. He has given us the precious gift of Jesus Christ and I want our children to understand the responsibility that comes along with that. One thing we are doing is finding ways to serve others. This month, our Sunday school class is collecting items for The Samaritan Inn, which is a homeless shelter here in McKinney. They are in need of snack items so that those residents at the shelter can pack their lunches when they go to work and can save more money to get themselves into a permanent residence. I brought the girls with me to the store and allowed them to pick out items. We talked about why we were doing this and what families we were helping. It was humbling to me to think about the impact these items may have on a family and I hope that we will continue to find ways to teach our children about serving others.

The Joy of Siblings

I am so thankful that my kids love each other so much. Not to say there are not fights and arguments around our house all the time, but when it comes down to it, they are each other's best friends. I hope they will always treasure that special bond!

These girl's personalities couldn't be more different, but they are inseperable!

Ella is just in love with Walker and he is with her too. She is always so kind, gentle and loving towards him. Melts my heart!

Sharks & Penguins

John was off for MLK day, so we packed all the kids up and headed to the Dallas Aquarium. The girls always love any visit to a place with animals! Walker was a trooper as always and slept for most of the outing in his stroller, but we had to get him out for a few pics with the sharks. We spent a long time with the otters which I think are just the most fun thing to watch--it makes me think that those animals have the best philosphy on life - Just play and act silly all the time! Audrey was scared the whole time (very unlike Audrey) thinking all the animals would come out of their cages and tanks! We really looked like our own circus, carrying Audrey and Walker, pushing a stroller loaded down with a zillion aquarium maps, and trying to take pictures along the way!

SHARKS!
A cutie with another cutie!

Even Walker got a close-up look at the jaguar!

Back to the Pool

Just like last spring, we decided to start swim lessons for the girls once a week to get them ready for the pool this summer! It worked out great last year and the girls were such good swimmers during the summer. With Walker added to the mix this year, I want to make sure the girls are both very comfortable in the water before this summer swim season hits so I can go the pool with all three of them!

In their new swimsuits...even though it was 20 degrees outside!

Ella showing us her power kicks!

Audrey was all smiles the whole time!

Mad Scientists

We headed to the Sci-Tech Discovery Center in Frisco this morning for our first time and boy did the kids have fun! It takes a lot for the girls to stay occupied, but there were so many cool hands-on things for them to do and they were able to watch a demonstration of one of the "scientists" making elephant toothpaste! They loved it!

The girls loved being able to figure out how things worked and would get so excited when they could accomplish one of the activities! I actually think John liked it just as much as the girls did! It is definitely a place that we will be going back to again to explore!

Working with Daddy to build a house!

Ella riding a bike with square wheels!

Audrey was so impressive! She figured out every game without us even having to show her!

Getting fingerprinted! We were whirls!

Yee-Haw!

It was "Western Day" at school today and the girls were so excited to be cowgirls. These pics show how non-western we are because a bandana, one hat and a unicorn on a stick was about as country as we get!

Walker at 3 months!

Walker! We just can't get enough of that smile! He is 3 months old today and it really feels like we just brought him home!

• He loves to eat and would every hour if we would let him.
• His swing is our lifesaver and he can sleep in it for extended stretches despite the constant circus of two big sisters running around the house.
• He loves bath time and having his diaper changed--I think it is something about boys and liking to have their clothes off!
• His best friend is his little stuffed giraffe that plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
• He is staying awake a lot more now and likes to interact with the girls on his playmat.
• Not a fan of tummy time -- usually resulting with him bobbing his head against the playmat.
• He has a deep belly laugh...so stinkin cute!
• Likes to pull hair
• Is a chunky monkey..we don't visit the doc at 3 months for weight/height stats, but he is already in 3-6 month clothes. Quite a jump for a baby that was less than 7 pounds at birth!
• LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his sisters...let's see how long that lasts! :)
  

Weedy Weekly Wrap Up #2

It has been a busy week at our house! We've had a round of a minor stomach bug and got to watch snow come to Texas again! :) It is kind of fun to actually have a "winter"! I like the fluff, but I do not like being stuck at home!

Daddy with all three of his munchkins
With the snow and the freezing weather, we spent a LOT of time inside. The girls love to paint, so I let them create their version of a snow day! Ella worked very hard to create a snowman, with eyelashes, a bow, and a little butterfly. Audrey, always wanting to be like her big sister, did the same, just a little more "freely". Watch out Martha Stewart!

We are starting to get more of the baby toys out for Walker and we drug out the Bumbo seat. Is it sad that our 5 year old still fits in it comfortably? Boy do I wish I had those twiggy legs!! :)

We brought the girls up to Lowe's for one of their kids clinics. The girls had a blast hammering a game box together! We had to keep a close watch on Audrey!

Walker loves laying on his activity mat and watching himself in the mirror. I love that he smiles when he sees himself and has really turned into a happy little boy!

This week, Auburn University won the National Championship in football. I'm an Aggie fan through and through, but I really rooted for Auburn this time. My oldest cousin, Jessica graduated from there and was a loyal Tiger! Jessica was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was in her early 30's and fought as hard as she could to beat that horrible monster. She lost her battle after several years just two weeks after Audrey was born. It is still something our family has not gotten over and I pray that my girls will get to live in a world where breast cancer is something of the past. So this week, as Auburn clinched the title, I know Jessica was cheering!

Snow!

We got a little winter wonderland this Sunday! I remember only a handful of times growing up when I saw snow in Texas, but what a treat we have gotten the past few winters. It was such a beautiful site and the kids couldn't wait to get out and play! We never officially made the full snowman because it was so cold and the girls weren't too crazy about being wet and cold. On Monday, the snow had stopped and it wasn't quite as cold, so we ventured out again to enjoy the fluff! So grateful that we got to experience a little bit of winter!

Walker's First Snow!

Snowball fight!

Weekly Wrap-Up #1

We had a fun start to the new year! For the first week of January, we have been unseasonably warm in Texas. The girls have played outside every day...oh how I LOVE our backyard. Their little creative minds can spend hours turning our back yard into a whole little town. They ride their Jeep from the bank to school, to the doctors office, to church. We've also enjoyed a few visits to the parks with friends to soak up the nice weather before the freeze hits next week. Yeah for Walker sleeping a little more regularly and going a little longer at night. It makes for a happier Mommy!

Ella is always the chaffeur but Audrey doesn't seem to mind!

Ella- I am starting to realize that she really is a little girl and not a toddler anymore. Her vocabulary and choice of words is so grown up and she is so curious about everything. I spent an entire car ride this week trying to explain how the earth goes around the sun and the moon goes around the earth, while questioning exactly if my recollection of science class was accurate. She has become so into reading "chapter books" and John and her work every night on going through all the library books we check out each week. She is so thoughtful and loving with Walker. It is wonderful to see the special and unique bond they have. Her creativity amazes me and I am so grateful I have kiddos who would much rather pretend they at school, Cinderella's ball, or the doctor's office, than watch TV!

In mid-air after knocking down all but one pin on New Years!

Audrey- Oh this child is just so stinkin' cute. She could care less about any type of order, structure or rules, but she's got a laugh and a smile that will melt your heart. This week, I found her laying on the rug in the kitchen just giggling (see below). She's so silly and is Ella's constant side-kick, repeating every single word even if she doesn't know what it means.

Walker - We are finally getting out of the fussy stage we were having with him. He is awake a lot more now, which makes things harder, but it is so fun to have him as part of the action now. Oh how he loves his sisters despite the constant attention he receives while he is trying to eat, sleep, etc. John and I always say one day he is going to punch their lights out for all this! He is smiling and laughing so much --Such a happy little boy!

John & Angi - We wish for more sleep in 2011! It seems like someone is always having a bad dream, has to go to the bathroom, or tummy hurts in the middle of the night...and it is not a 2 month old that is complaining. We dream of Hawaii, one day! :)