The Carlos Family

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Thank goodness for August!

August started pretty crazily, but ended perfectly. Ryan had an epiphany (thank God!) to hire painters to finish painting the interior of our house. It was too much on him. He was working so hard at work with lots of overtime, and then working so hard at home. He and I were not the best of friends and the babes truly missed their Daddy. So in one weekend, the painters had our house looking beautiful. I'm so happy with the colors and the warmth they bring to the entire downstairs. We are taking our time now to decorate and furnish. I'm so thankful for Ryan's ability to do much of the handy work around our house, but even more thankful he knows when it's time to outsource, so he can spend time with his family. Here's some pictures of our home...

Clayton, Chloe, and Easton's bathroom

Our master bedroom

Our master bathroom...still needs lots of attention.

The entryway

The living and dining room...will be empty for a while!

Our family room

Our kitchen

The downstairs bathroom

The babes' play room!! Best room in the house!

Red and white polka dot window treatments are on their way.

Clayton's bedroom

We don't have closet doors yet on any of the closets...soon, though!

Chloe's very pink bedroom! Her room is still a work in progress. Daddy will do wainscoting soon.

New pictures from Pottery Barn Kids will soon adorn these walls and the shelves will find a new spot in her room.

Easton's bedroom

So, with the paint cans in the shed and boxes nearly empty, we finally feel happily settled and are both truly enjoying our home. In the past couple of weeks we've been able to open our doors to many of our family and friends who have been anxiously waiting to come see it. Papa Louie and Grammie brought Clayton, Chloe, and Easton's cousins', Braxten and Emery over to play. The Knudsen's and their twins brought us a yummy lunch last week. The babes had a blast playing together and we had fun catching up. Later that same night we had our "group" over. The McKinney's, Pierro's, and McMillian's (we miss you Kline Family!) came over for dinner. We all laughed at how much our get togethers have changed over the years. We've gone from late nights and drinking games to lots of kids, bumps, bruises, and bed times, but we still get our glass of wine in! My family came over too for dinner and play and my grandparents got to come visit for the first time. Clayton and Chloe had their friend Jillian over to play and we had our friend Lizzie, Kelly, and baby Johnny over too! We are so lucky to have so many beautiful people in our lives! Next up, a Halloween party for all the little ones. I can't wait!

Clayton, Chloe, and Easton are busy too. Clayton is now a little boy, which is so hard for me to accept sometimes. His inquisitive and persistent nature is without a doubt his greatest strength. He's so smart and so eager to learn. We play "school" nearly every day and work on some concept (shapes, colors, counting, etc.). He's a little sponge. Clayton is 100% potty trained. I don't have to ask or remind him at all any more. I'm so proud of him. He will be doing some sort of sport this fall, along with My Gym and parent and me pre school. Chloe is my two year old who is going on 16. She has developed quite the attitude, hence her nickname, "sassy." She and I go head to head at least once a day, but her sweet little smile and goofy giggle always turn our battles around! She is getting so inquisitive too and wants to learn. Chloe is starting to listen when I'm trying to teach her something and she's now retaining really well. Chloe's nearly 100% potty trained, but still struggles with pooping. No diapers, though...sleeping time is the only time both babes wear diapers. She will start up with some sport, My Gym, and parent and me preschool too in the next month or so. Easton has his own special post, so stay tuned!
DISCLAIMER: Both Clayton and Chloe will one day be quite mad at me for sharing this, but I can't help it...
Chloe's "oh my gosh, I can't believe you wrote this, Mommy" story: We call the part that makes Chloe a girl, her "jj" since Clayton's is "pp." Since she's potty trained we've been teaching her to wipe her "jj." The other day I hear her singing a song in the bathroom while tearing off pieces of tissue paper and throwing them in the toilet. Her song..."wipe your jj, wipe your jj, wipe your jj" in the cutest sing songy voice!
Clayton's "oh my gosh, I can't believe you wrote this, Mommy" story: Clayton is just like his daddy...persistent and slightly obsessive about just about everything. When we got off the elevator at Nordstrom, he locked eyes with a flourescent orange pair of Nike Free Runs. So began days of talking about these stinking Nikes. He had to have a time out as he threw a tantrum in line at the cafe, had to call Daddy to ask him for them, had to take a picture with them, and finally Papa Jim decided to buy they for him, so they have a date planned for tomorrow to go buy the Nikes. Thank goodness because the poor boy nearly a week later still won't stop talking about the Nikes!

Ryan and I celebrated our 7th anniversary this month. We took all three babes to San Diego for a couple of days. There were times when Ryan and I both thought we'd lost our minds, but for the most part it was a memorable and special time for us. We went to the SD Zoo on the first day and then Sea World the next. Clayton and Chloe loved the animals especially the giraffes and sharks!

I return to work next week, but am so happy to share that I'll be teaching periods 5-7, which is 1-3:30. I am beyond thrilled, feeling really blessed because I literally will miss 30 minutes of my children's day since they all nap from 1-4. Thank you, God for hearing my prayers and thank you Rosie and Jeff for making my request possible! I feel like I will really be able to be present at both of my jobs now!

Here's some pictures from our month...

We went on a tour of Angels Stadium with my Mom's Club group.

One handsome boy.

Exhausted! Notice they are sleeping the exact same way.

Our Saturday morning backyard nature hike.

We are quite a sight...Easton is sound asleep next to Chloe.

Papa Jim took Clayton to buy the Nike's he was obsessing over! Thanks, Papa!

Sissy and her little E

Thanks Papa Jim for my beautiful new dollhouse!

Little Picassos

Both Clayton and Chloe are swimming rockstars!

All four babes looking at the camera...too bad we didn't have them in cute coordinating outfits!

Our family trip to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World.

Easton is 5 months big!

Little E is not a newborn any more! He's a cooing, growling, moving, giggling, smiling, happy baby! Easton can roll from his back to tummy and tummy to back. He's not swaddled any more and now loves sleeping in his crib. He never struggled to sleep in it at night, but really struggled to take naps in it. He much preferred to nap in his swing. Now, though, he's all about his bed and loves watching the animals on his soother and gazing at his mobile above. His night time sleeping is a little bit of a roller coaster right now because he got a yucky cold, which was causing him to get up since he had so much congestion. Typically he goes down between 8:30 and 9 and gets up between 5 and 7; though, he does like to throw me for a loop sometimes and get up sooner. I know I should just let him cry it out because he doesn't really wake up, but I also need my sleep, so sometimes I just feed him quickly and put him back down, so I can go back to sleep. I think knowing he's my last baby makes me not so worried about his once in a while night time hiccups! He's starting to burst out of his 6 month clothes, so it's almost time for a clothes overhaul. People often comment on how chunky he is...I'm just happy I'm able to provide so well for my baby boy! He is 16.8 pounds-he gained a pound and a half in 4 weeks. He hasn't started food yet, but will next month. I started Clay and Chloe at 6 months, so plan to do the same with E. Easton is trying to pull himself up to a sitting position (crazy kid!), so it's time to break out the exersaucer. He can stand with assistance for a pretty long while, pull up, and loves to grab on to anything and everything! Easton loves the attention he gets from his big sissy and just loves attention. He's such happy little guy and such a trooper! Here's some pictures from his month!

Hmmm...guess it's time to break him of his swaddling habit!

This smile makes my day!

Such a giggly, happy boy.

It's a whole new world in my bumbo! Don't tell my pediatrician that I'm sitting in it...

she doesn't like them.

Tummy time is much more enjoyable now that I can prop myself up and play with my ball.

Daddy's best friend.

Mommy's baby boy.

So big!

Chloe absolutely loves her brother.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Our little E is 4 months big!

Gosh, I love this boy. He gets sweeter and sweeter every day. Easton has become quite a chunk this last month...he doesn't miss a meal! Despite disliking tummy time, he is super strong, as his 4 month pictures show. He's very close to rolling over from his back to his tummy, which his time on his play mat definitely encourages. Easton loves grabbing toys now...rings, his little Sofie the giraffe, and other toys. I'm amazed at the concentration of bringing both hands up to grab the toy. Little E loves sucking on his fingers and often gets his little thumb in his mouth. He still sleeps great despite a little week long hiccup of waking around 3 AM to eat. I don't mind though, because he eats for about 10 minutes and goes right back to sleep. His normal routine is to sleep from 8-5, eat, and then get up between 8 and 9. He's quite a champion nurser...feeds only take 10-20 minutes now, which makes keeping up with the two troublemakers much more manageable! Easton started refusing the bottle a few weeks ago, but now will take my milk from a Tommy Tipee bottle as long as he's positioned in front of the TV! Whatever works, right?! His giggle is infectious, smile heart melting. He's always so happy to see me in the morning, which is the best. Easton started blowing crazy bubbles this month, like spit all over the front of him bubbles and also started making "growling" sounds. Easton is 15 pounds, 1 ounce and 24 1/4 inches. For comparison, Clayton was 15 pounds, 7 ounces and 24 1/2 inches and Chloe was 21 inches and 13 pounds, 3 ounces. So, our boys are right in sync with each other! Here's some pictures of our adorable little man...

Easton's talented Grammy knitted his hat and diaper cover for his 4 month photo shoot. I think the pictures turned out beautifully!

Daddy says "habada, habada, habada" to little E and he cracks up every time!

Easton's first time in his new stroller...he did really well.

Clean and happy!

Getting so strong.

Easton has hit the "everything goes in my mouth" stage.

Nakey boy!

So nice to be able to see the world and watch my crazy brother and sister cause mischief!

July...July...Finally Settling in to Our New Home!

For the first time in a long time, I'm grateful time flew this past month. July was a very stressful and busy time for us as we completed our move in and worked on several big projects. Ryan worked a lot and worked a lot at home. I know he's looking forward to relaxing with and enjoying his children once again. I'm grateful for Ryan's handiness, but am glad we are moved in enough that he come home and play rather than work! The big project completed were:
-Ryan and his dad painted all of the ceilings in the entire house! Oh my gosh, that's nearly 3,000 square feet of tall ceilings. Thank goodness for the hard work, patience, and dedication because our ceilings look beautiful!
-Ryan and an electrician friend installed fans in all of the bedrooms and replaced all of the bathroom light fixtures.
-We had the grass reseeded and it is looking amazing! The babes haven't been able to play in the backyard for a couple of weeks, but it's just about ready for them to trample again!
-Ryan had an epiphany and hired painters to finish painting the entire downstairs and it looks INCREDIBLE! I'm so excited to hang our family pictures and do all of the little things that make a house feel like a home.
-Ryan replaced all of the electrical outlets with new, white outlets. What a difference!
-I painted stripes with help from both Grammie and Nonnie in Clayton and Easton's rooms. Chloe's is next.
-We hung a lot of decorative stuff upstairs, which is pretty time consuming.
-Ryan painted the babies' bathroom and we hung a new mirror, medicine cabinet, and put up the decor.
-I've been busy working on little decor projects for Clayton, Chloe, and Easton's rooms inspired by my Pinterest and Etsy obsession.
We've done a lot, but are thrilled to finally have the settled feeling. Now we can enjoy our new home and hopefully resume a social life again!

Clayton, Chloe and Easton's news...

Despite the craziness, our children are settling in a lot better than I expected. Clayton and Chloe are both doing fantastic at swim lessons. We still go once a week so that they don't lose the skills they've learned. Chloe has been doing Mommy and Me dance, but Mommy isn't happy with the program so she joined Clayton at his soccer "practice" yesterday. Both of their language is incredible. It's amazing how they just start talking and don't stop! We officially have to watch what we say because our little parakeets will repeat what we say. Our favorite word of Clayton's is "nectarine" which he concentrates so hard so say each syllable and Chloe's is "mone" or "more." Clayton is totally potty trained, which is awesome and Chloe is just about there. I can't trust her completely yet, but as long as I stay on top of her she doesn't have any accidents. It's amazing how she just followed Clayton's lead on it. What the girl will do for M & M's! We've had some park and house play dates with some of their little friends, which has been nice. Easton is such a trooper. He goes with the flow and adjusts his napping to the busy lives of his brother and sister. Clayton still loves everything "ball related" and is now a big Jake and the Neverland Pirates fan. Mommy does a really silly dance at the beginning, which he thinks is hysterical. Chloe recently developed a true love for her dollies, which I'm excited about. She enjoys coloring too and is so focused on her artwork. They both know most of their shapes and most of the words to all the songs I've been playing in the car since they were about 6 months old (it's so adorable!). Clayton and Chloe can both count to ten with a little bit of help from Mommy. I'm so honored to be Clayton, Chloe and Easton's mommy and look forward to the adventures that await us each day!

Here's some pictures of our summer fun...

Chloe has a newfound obsession with her snow hat...I think she didn't get the memo that it's HOT!