Three Year Old Bully and Three Months Old

Reagan got a new camera so we decided to do a photo session with the babies in tutus. The first picture was one Reagan took, and it's amazing. The next four are Emilyn not too sure about this whole tutu thing. She settled down though, and we got some cute ones.

Here are some pictures I snapped on her three month birthday.







Look at that standing baby!

Gabby and Emilyn waiting for their tutu photo shoot

Oops, over she went. She can sit up against something, but she doesn't always stay that way.


Emilyn is three months old this week. The last few months have been a blur without sleep, but we are still just loving our cuddly, chunker baby! She is getting more personality now. She smiles all the time, especially when we smile and talk to her. She is almost giggling, but not quite. She thinks it's so great when we lift her arms in the air and say, "So, big." Sometimes she can be content for awhile on her own, but for the most part she wants to be held, snuggled, rocked, bounced and talked to. We're working on that. She really likes being walked around because then she can look around at everything. My arms are getting tired! She is sleeping more at night finally, but still has some nights where she wakes up quite a bit. On a good night now, she only wakes up twice. She won't really nap in the day though, she'll only catnap, and often wakes up if she falls asleep in your arms and you put her down. She is a Mommy's girl, and turns to find my voice if she hears me. I think we've spent quite a bit of time together! She still eats pretty often, but it is sporatic. Sometimes she needs to eat after an hour and sometimes she'll go a few hours. She doesn't eat for very long, so I think that's why she needs to eat often. I don't push it because the reflux bothers her more if she eats too much. We'll get a routine one of these days. I think she's a little scared of her big sister, who loves her very much but spends most her time with her laying on top of her and squishing her, grabbing her, pulling her, rubbing her face with things, etc. I think Matisyn is ready for a friend, and Emilyn isn't quite ready to play yet. Emilyn is also starting to model behaviors like if you stick your tongue out at her, she'll stick her tongue out too. She's getting so strong, and likes to stand up when we're holding her. She's still a great arm and leg pumper too.

Here are Izzy and Matisyn blowing bubbles. Matisyn got these from Maili for her birthday, and they're pretty neat.





That's my girl. Notice all things here, including baby sister's headband, hair styled by Matisyn, arm colored on with blue marker by Matisyn (she also had blue lipstick from the marker for awhile), special bracelet, wearing only her special new Dora panties, holding her Princess dress, and watching Dora. Looking good!

I think I can, I think I can, she loves reaching for her toys now! Just being held is not enough, she wants to be entertained.

Matt went to youth conference with the young women and young men to Jacksonhole. They went rafting and had a great time. I'm jealous, because last year that would have been me, and I miss the girls! Anyway we tried to keep busy while he was gone so I didn't go crazy at home. Just getting out of the house can be a big enough deal for me though, so we kept it simple. On Thursday we spent the day at the Barrett's house. Matisyn played all day outside in the little pool with Emma, Jamison, and Olivia. They ended up burning because we kept thinking they would come in any minute so we didn't need to reapply sunscreen. We finally had to call in the little girls. I enjoyed some girl time with Cora, which is always needed. Plus she loves babies, and it was nice to have a break from my needy little one. Emilyn is beautiful, and so much fun, but she has been crying alot. She always wants to be held and given attention, which is wearing. My mom always says not to let her get in the habit of being held, but I think it is too late. We've held her alot because she hasn't felt well with her reflux. Now she just wants attention all the time, and I'm not sure what to do about it. When you let her cry it turns into the real tears, shaking, trying to catch her breath screams that just break my heart. I always wimp out and I'm back to holding her again. We'll find our way here one of these days with this cutie!








Matisyn is turning into a little fish. She has a great flutter kick and can go down the slide or off the diving board and swim by herself to the wall. She kicks hard and sticks her chin above the water to breathe, and she can move all over the pool that way. We try to remind her to flip over and float if she needs a good breath, which she can do, but she thinks her way is quicker! I can't believe how well she is doing for being only barely three.

As I'm typing this I'm holding a squirmy baby who just threw up all over me. More laundry! I did nine loads yesterday. I can't believe how much laundry one little family of four can produce!

Anyway, that evening we went to the park with Reagan, Izzy, and Gabby. It was about 100 degrees outside, but the park has lots of great shade so it wasn't too bad. That also meant that it was very busy. That's where the title to my post comes in. Reagan and I sat on a blanket with the babies and let the girls run around the park. After a bit we noticed a commotion by the little slide. I went over to find out what was happening. My little bully and Reagan's little bully were blocking the other kids from going on the slide. We're talking big, older kids and they are refusing to let them by, and they were holding their ground. Come to find out that they were pretending to be witches. When I asked Matisyn to stop she said, "But Mommy we are the witches and we are talking to these people (the kids) because they aren't making good choices. We are witches and they are Snow Whites." I think she had the good choices idea a little backwards! Matisyn and Izzy were blocking the slides, going the wrong way up the slide so that the kids would plow them over when they came down (they thought it was hilarious, but I don't think the other parents thought so!), taking over the swings, yelling, and stomping their feet even when the big kids tried to move them out of the way. I felt like "that" mom at the park that can't control her own children and they keep scaring the poor, innocent kids. I guess the days of protecting my little weak one are over already. . . at least at the park! I had to keep running over to get them to listen and follow the rules. It's funny because usually Izzy and Matisyn are the first to be princesses, but witches and dragons seemed like more fun this time I guess! We all had a good time, including the babies that loved laying outside on the blanket. I don't have pictures of this yet, so I'll try to add them later.

Then Friday a very helpful neighbor friend was nice enough to take my girls for a couple of hours so that I could go to the temple and have some peace and time to myself. It was hard to leave especially Emilyn, because I am pretty much always with her, but it was good for me. Matisyn just played with the toys and had a blast with her older girls and Emilyn took her bottle and reportedly behaved great.


I had to add this one of Matisyn enjoying her "pink" ice cream with sprinkles. We went to Maggie Moos last night to celebrate Daddy's return from youth conference, and she was so excited because I think for the first time we let her choose her own flavor and mix in (except we lied and said the gum balls were all gone, we couldn't handle that one!). Everyone in the store couldn't believe how cute she was because she was so happy and jumping up and down telling everyone there was pink ice cream, there really was pink (bubblegum flavor). She was glowing. Oh for the small things!

Matisyn Quotes:

"Be there in a jippy." Matt and I think that's just a little faster than a jiffy!

With all the nursing going on around here there has been some focus on the boo boos, as Matisyn calls them. When we were in Target the other day, Matisyn was convinced that she had to get a bra. She loved all the colors and shapes and sizes. "Mommy, I need one of those for my little boo boos." Everyone we saw she informed me whether it was too small or too big for my boo boos and for hers! Luckily we settled on some Dora and Ariel panties for her instead!

"I officially completed the plan." The plan was her letter A page! This girl's vocabulary blows us away sometimes.

"I wish I had a big brother like Tigger."

Matisyn: "Mommy, I don't want to grow up."
Mommy: "Why?"
Matisyn: "I want to be a small girl."
Mommy: "Why?"
Matisyn: "Baby sister will be your Matisyn and I can be your baby."