Sometimes pictures need no explanation.

our cute kids

a movie & the beach

Mommy and Daddy took the boys to Madagascar 3 (while Grandma stayed home with Harlow).

 It was Paxton's first movie ever. And ocne he figured out how to use his legs to keep his seat down, he was very interested in the big screen!

 Mom and her biggest boy. Hudson loves the Madagascar movies!

 We went through TWO LARGE buckets of popcorn!!!! It was devoured by Daddy and Paxton!

 Pax went to the bathroom twice while we were there and really enjoyed drying his hands.

And yesterday, Grandma and Aunt Sheri took the boys to Flandrau, or "the beach" as the boys call it. And once Daddy got home from fishing and could stay with Harlow, Mommy was able to join the boys too. They absolutely love it there!!!!

one month

Harlow is one month old- June 8, 2012

At one month old....
weight: 9-9.5 lbs (according to home scale)
length: 20.5 inches
diaper size: newborn
clothes: newborn
bottles: 3 oz. every 3 hours
Little things about Harlow.....
-she naps like a pro! usually 2-3 hours long, several times a day, awake for an hour in between
-wakes up once during the night to eat and falls right back to sleep (in a mini crib next to our bed)
-calms to the sound of mommy's voice (I sing "A Thousand Years by Christina Perri to her)
-her longest cry has been about 5 minutes long
-she likes laying on the floor looking out the window or at the TV
-she has been smiling, or at least trying to, for about 2 weeks
-every once in awhile she'll make an "oh" or "ah" sound
-she still likes the (stupid) Avent do-do (pacifier)
-she handles Paxton's rough squeezes and too tight hugs
-she sleeps best at night when swaddled
-she makes a grunting noise, when she's eating, trying to burp, and while sleeping. I call her "Grunter"
-whether she's tired or not, she'll fall asleep with the white noise machine on
-her Daddy calls her "Tootsie" (which prompts Hudson to want a tootsie roll every time he hears it!)
-she likes getting her diaper changed and getting dressed
-Mommy thinks she's the most beautiful girl EVER! Seriously.

just any ole' day

i love this girl so much, that on a normal day, when its just her and mommy, i end up taking lots and lots of pictures of her! i don't even realize i'm doing it until i go to load them onto my computer and see that i've taken 75 and its only the afternoon! but she's so darn cute....she's cute sleeping, eating, staring out the window (her favorite pastime)....she's cute doing EVERYTHING! so everything deserves a picture, wouldn't you agree.....

The Ahlness Girls

Now that summer has started, we have 2 of the 3 Ahlness girls home with us and we couldn't be more excited!! We welcome their company any day of the week! They are WONDERFUL help and AMAZING with the kids! Playing with the boys and taking such great care of baby Harlow! WE LOVE YOU GIRLS!!

Hunter made monster puppets with the boys. And today they jumped on the trampoline with the sprinkler on.

 Logan recently got back from a vacation in California and brought Harlow a t-shirt...it doesn't fit quite yet.

 And even though Maddi isn't home for the summer....we love you too!



homemade pizza

We made homemade pizza for supper tonight, and I must admit, doing this with the boys plus Harlow, felt like a small accomplishment for Mom!

  Harlow was a trooper and sat by in her rock n' play, staring out the window while the boys cooked.

 The two chefs.

like an angel

towel dried

Harlow enjoys getting dried off and lotioned up after bath time. Does anyone else see a hint of a smile??

wednesday suppers

With the school year ending, we're on a countdown of our last Wednesday night suppers. Aunt Sheri is being kind and giving us one more next week. It's our favorite day of the week!

 This is only the second picture I have with my daughter. I'm always the one behind the camera.

 My crazy kids.

at the friederichs.....

We spent Sunday with family and Harlow got to show off her outfit from Logie.

 Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!!!

 Thanks Logie!

 Sidney and Regan met her for the first time and loved holding her and were very patient in taking turns.

 All the while, the boys were outside having a blast in the pool!

 And snacking with Grandma and Grandpa.

 They were brave and each learned how to swim all by themselves with water wings. I was SOOO proud of them!

 And they were very proud of themselves!

 Hunter gave Hudson an "alfalfa" hairdo. This is our cry for help to Ditty--his hair should never be long enough to do this!

Thanks to Ryan and Liz for hosting the whole family!!

life lately

a precious, content baby

 a visit from cousin nikki and mckenna (and jackson)

 a tired daddy watching a movie with hudsy in the toy room

 a water fight in the backyard

 two beautiful girls

 a very sweet big brother

 and a baby who fell asleep watching her brothers take a bath



Last Day of Pre-K

Hudson had his last day of preschool today. And today, I dropped off a completely different 3 year old than I did last August. He was brave, had no tears, walked right in, talked to his teachers and friends, gave me a quick kiss (while a little embarrassed) and barely said good bye. Although I can still tell he's nervous, and he'd still pick to stay home with his little brother and baby sister, he's grown and I'm proud. When I asked him if he had fun on his last day, he replied with, "Yea, but I'm not sad its over." Good enough. He'll enjoy his summer off!

First Bath

Harlow's umbilical cord fell off last night while Daddy was changing her, so tonight, she had her first real bath. The boys were so excited to watch her. Hudson has been asking several times a day if her "belly button thingy" fell off yet. They were right there the whole time, one on each side of the sink. And it might look like she cried the whole time, but really she didn't. It wasn't her favorite, but she settled down enough to wash ALL that hair...ha!

Harlow's Newborn Pictures

Introducing Harlow Mae at 5 days old.....pictures taken by Marsha Jones Photography.