February Snapshots

February was mostly all about Samuel, but here are a few other snapshots.

La Mirada Park on Valentine's Day:

Exploring the Mariner's Museum in San Diego with Daddy:

Play time:

Palm Sunday -- last year

Since I never posted pictures last year and these are some of my favorites from our trip to Europe....

We spent most of Palm Sunday last year venturing out to Ostia, Italy, an old port town along the River Tiber.

You were allowed to explore the ruins. Apparently, they have so many ruins, you are allowed to walk and climb wherever you'd like, except in the areas actively being excavated. So much fun! And huge; we only managed to explore part of the town.

And then it was one more train stop to reach the Mediterranean Sea!

Followed by an epic fail at using a Groupon for dinner -- we were definitely out-of-place Americans.

Claire -- 19 Months

Claire continues to be our busy, smiley girl!

She tries very hard to keep up with her big brothers and would like to do whatever they are doing.

She likes to take care of her baby brother and her babies.

She can climb up onto chairs (and the tables, too!).

She has lots to say and work very hard to communicate with her combination of words, signs, grunts, and points. She has just started imitating a wide range of words (previously she'd work on a sound groupings, reminiscent of phonics lists). Unfortunately, Claire mainly uses the first syllable only, making many words sound very similar. Life feels like a game of 20 questions these days.

She loves accessories -- bows, shoes, necklaces, bracelets, scarves.

She keeps us busy and entertained!

Cutest Big Sister Ever!

Claire takes her role as big sister very seriously. She is quick provide Samuel with pacifiers, hats, and blankets, and repeatedly tells me to give him "milk." She loves to hold him and shakes her head vigorously if you try to take her brother away. She enjoys naming his body parts with eyes being her particular favorite. But she gives him the sweetest kisses!

She also is applying her newfound knowledge to her babies. Diapers are changed, babies are swaddled, white noise is turned on, babies are given to me to nurse.

We both get to bring our babies to the table (note
that her baby is wearing Samuel's clothes)

Elijah's 7!

For his seventh birthday, Elijah wanted a pirate ship theme.

The boys and Phoebe worked hard on party decorations -- making a mural, decorating sails to put in the sandwiches, creating a row boat.

"The Defense" -- he didn't think it was big enough to give it a
grander name like "Attacker" or "Defender."

The birthday party started at the park. Dustin created a treasure map to lead them back to our house to find buried treasure.

Then we had lunch, run around the yard with swords time, cake, and presents. The birthday boy was quite pleased!

In the afternoon, he played with cousins and new presents. Dinner as requested was rice noodles with plum sauce and hoisin sauce, grapes, and salad, and celebrated with Grandpa & Grandma Fisher, Uncle John, and Aunt Margie.

His favorite present was the final $7 he needed to buy the Lego pirate ship that he has been patiently safely up his allowance for.

At 7:
--favorite topic is history, especially early American history and pirates, but he likes all history
--plays Legos all day long
--also likes biking, building with any kind of materials, listening to books, playing games (chess, checkers, and Carcasonne)
--loves to draw ships
--best buddies with his brother Josiah
--gentle big brother to Claire and Samuel
--is a good student and especially likes studying with friends at co-op
--likes travelling; when looking at a US map recently, he requested to go north and to the middle of the US, since he hasn't been to many of those states
--likes fruit, raw veggies, nuts, and plain carbs

Samuel -- 1 Month

Samuel loves to eat and be held! During his 1 - 1.5 hour stretches of awake time, he likes to fit in a couple feedings, and he has about a 2 minute tolerance for being put down while awake. He's a super napper, sleeping swaddled in his cradle for two to three hours at a time. He may have started out the same size as his sister, but he's fast grower like his brothers; he weighed almost 9.5 pounds by three weeks.

He is well adored by all!

 

1 Month: my scrawny newborn is disappearing