Where does she come up with this stuff?

Here is a portion of two conversations Alex and I had over dinner this evening:
mom: "Alex, don't you just love your baby brother?"
alex: "Ummm no. I just like him a little bit."
mom: "What?! I know you love him."
alex: "No mommy, I only can like him a little bit right now but next week I will turn 4 and have my blue birthday party and then I can love him a lot. But not yet, understand?"
-------
mom: "Guess what Alex, daddy is coming home tonight. He is flying home right now to come and see us."
alex: "Mommy, are you going to cuddle all alone in your bed tonight again?"
mom: "No! Daddy is coming home!!!"
alex: "Okay. I can't like it when you cuddle alone. We need another daddy to keep you safe when our daddy is on the airplane."

Carson Month 5: January 2 - February 2

Carson's 4th to 5th month was much more chill than the past several months. It's been nice to be home and just have some fun play time together. We took him in for his check-up at 18 weeks (4 1/2 months). His stats compared to Nathan's at the same age:
Weight: Carson, 15.9 lbs (63%), Nathan, 15.2 lbs
Height: Carson, 26.5 inches (92%), Nathan, 26 inches
I can't believe he's even bigger than his daddy! I wonder if he will earn the nickname 'Gaston' someday as well. (That's what Alex calls daddy).
He is terrific, as always. He is so happy and talks all the time! He gets a kick out of hearing his own voice, so it's been loud around here (as if it wasn't before)?!
He is rolling over to grab toys and loves to stand up. We call him Mr. Big Stander because that is his favorite thing to do. I wonder if he will be an early walker? Here are a few pics from the past month:

Mr. Big Stander ready for church

Playing peekaboo at bath time

I'm SO dead for posting this pic! Alex decided it would be fun to dress Carson up like a princess. I couldn't resist :)

"Boys Rock!" bib

How precious are my babies?

Sissy sneaks a kiss (of course there was a bribe involved...not even gonna lie!)

He has earned the reputation "ladies man" at the gym because the staff fights over who gets to keep Carson. I don't blame them-- every time I go to pick him up he is the only one not in hysterics! I have to say, he has me totally wrapped around his finger already!!

I want to ride my bike!

Alex got a Disney Princess bike from Santa and she adores it! She loves it so much, she rides around the house and terrorizes the dogs on cold days. Anytime there is an opportunity to ride, she takes advantage. She is so big and independent now. She can ride from our driveway all the way to the park (with us of course). Here are a few pics from a beautiful day this past week:

Ready to roll


Speedracer :)

Look at me go!

On her way back in to the house we caught her face down on the concrete...."I'm leaving spit in the hole for later." Umm...okay.

One year ago right now...

I apologize in advance for the Debbie downer.

My thoughts have been overwhelming this week so I am venting via blog. One year ago right now, Alex was in the middle of her tonsillectomy nightmare. At this very moment a year ago, she was recovering from her second surgery and little did we know, her lungs were full of blood and she was developing aspiration pneumonia. Ahh! I remember being in my first trimester of pregnancy and stressing out about being stressed out. Vicious cycle worrying about my baby Alex and my baby that was just 10 weeks old in my belly. If you've ever had a traumatic hospital or surgery experience with your baby, you know that it's something you will never forget.

I'm a bit nervous as we have a fun birthday planned for her this year....and last year the morning of her party we learned she had pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital. I am just hoping and praying for a healthy and fun birthday this year!

I still can't believe we were at home for 6 weeks: no school, no playdates, no lunches out. There were many positive experiences that came from all of this. The support from our family and friends was (and is) unbelievable. And, we grew closer to God and stronger as a family. Alex and I bonded so much while we were home together. I would never wish this nightmare on anyone, but it's always nice to find the silver lining too. Okay, enough seriousness...just needed to say that I am SO thankful that our girl is turning four in two weeks and couldn't be better!