A Little Yardwork

The weather has been pretty nice around here the last few days, so we had a chance to get out and enjoy it one afternoon last week. Ellie broke out her watering can to water my Mother's Day flowers -- well, mostly the grass.



The boys got a little real sunshine exposure. Side note -- they normally DO NOT dress exactly alike. We were short on clothes that day! :)

Daddy and all three of his babies.

Four Months Old!

Yep, we're 1/3 of a year old. Crazy how time flies.

We had our 4 month well-baby check-up on Thursday, and we both passed with flying colors. We don't even need to be evaluated by "corrected age" anymore (as in, we're really only 3 months old since we came a month early) -- that's how great we're doing! The doctor was very impressed with our strong heads and backs --we love tummy time! Here are some of our vital stats:

Maguire Fredrick Studer

Weight: 12 lbs 14 oz (birth weight 5 lb 4 oz)

Length: 24 1/4 in.

Likes: Sucking on my fingers, laughing, wiggling in circles, being tickled (especially by Ellie), grabbing Alex's ears, long walks on the beach, talking lots, falling asleep at the drop of a hat, and the musical bouncy seat

Dislikes: Having to be an evil stepsister when Ellie plays Cinderella, pacifiers, and not being able to roll over yet -- I've almost got it!

Alex Joseph Studer

Weight: 13 lbs. 3 oz. (birth weight 6 lbs)

Length: 24 in.

Likes: Standing or sitting up, Winnie the Pooh mobile, smiling at people, beautiful sunsets, playing with hanging toys, and being Ellie's Prince Charming during Cinderella
Dislikes: Having ears yanked on by Maguire, laying down, and going to sleep when I don't feel like it's bedtime yet

We pulled out the Exersaucer this week, and both of the boys seemed to get a kick out of it. Alex liked to stand, and Maguire seemed more into the toys. Love the look on Maguire's face in the last picture -- this is a face seen often when big sister is "helping" -- like "Should I be scared?"

Yippee!

"Hey, Maguire, did you hear the exciting news?"

Guess who slept for almost seven hours in a row last night? WE BOTH DID! And at the SAME TIME! Too bad the first 3 hours were from 8:00-11:00 PM and Mom wasn't in bed yet. :)

We can hardly believe it either.

WARNING: Do Not Tell This Kid a Secret....

So Chris decided that since Ellie has an opinion about everything else these days, she should pick out my Mother's Day gifts this year. Good idea, right? Well, in theory, yes. On Thursday, they headed off for their shopping trip and came back with lips tightly sealed. For about two hours. I knew better than to ask Ellie what they'd gotten me, so I didn't bring it up at all. Then out of the blue, I was walking through the living room and from the couch, Ellie blurts "Mommy, we went to the store...and we bought you a necklace!" She then proceeds to tell me that they also bought me a purse, a picture, and a card. Just couldn't hold it inside anymore. I reassured Chris that it was okay, at least I didn't know what the necklace looked like. Then, later that night, we were driving through town and happened to drive by the store where they shopped. Bless her little heart, she decides to tell me that that's the store where they bought my necklace, "and you know what, Mommy? It's shaped like a heart!"

Chris tells me that they had a great time shopping, and he tried his best to steer her away from the Disney princess alarm clocks, pink sparkly purses, and scented pillows shaped like fruit (Whose invention were those, by the way?) -- all of which she was positive that I would love. They talked on the way home about keeping secrets and what to do if I asked what my presents were. He even made her practice telling me I could find out in a couple days.

That must be all, right? Nope. The little stinker also told me on Saturday night that they were going to make me breakfast in bed. And immediately after wrapping my gifts, came downstairs to tell me that she hid the presents in her room.....as in, smack dab in the middle of the floor. At least they were wrapped at that point. Gotta love 3 year olds.

So when everything was said and done, I had a fantastic Mother's Day. Thanks to Chris, Ellie, Alex, and Maguire for the eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee. I loved my necklace (pictured above -- she was so proud of the "pink jewel") and picture frame. Hanging flower pots for my front porch, lunch at Culver's (complete with ice cream), and my most treasured gift -- an interruption-free afternoon nap!

All kidding aside, it was a great day. I am blessed with a wonderful husband who shows me he loves me every day, not just on official holidays. I have three (count 'em, three) healthy and beautiful children. It really doesn't get any better than this.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all of the moms in our lives! We love you!

The Kid Can Sleep Anywhere, Anytime

It doesn't matter where we are, or what time of day. It doesn't matter if it's quiet or loud, dark or light, cold or hot. Maguire can fall asleep. If the kid's tired, he just shuts his eyes and zonks out. He doesn't often sleep with his fist on his forehead, but we were fortunate enough to snap a picture of it. It's nice that he just falls asleep whenever he's tired, but it's not so nice when Mom wants him to stay up to eat though. We just wish his brother was easier to get to sleep. And his sister for that matter.
The boys are really starting to notice each other's existence lately too, and it's hilarious. They'll smile and coo at each other. We've yet to get a good picture of them doing so, but we'll definitely post it when it happens. We get lots of pictures of them locking arms, and they like to hit each other in the face a lot too.

Their newest discovery is the Winnie The Pooh mobile on their crib. We didn't have it up until a few days ago when Carrie just thought she'd try it. They were captivated. They both just stared at it going around and around and around. And they were holding hands as you can see.
Here's Ellie's newest purchase: a ballet outfit. Carrie got a bunch of clothes from a friend who has twin girls, and they're little ballerinas. So it was an easy sell to get Ellie to wear it. She loves doing ballerina "tricks" that she says she learned at "gymnastics." She's only been to gymnastics like twice.
This is likely the first of many times their big sister will make them play with Barbies. Alex has a pretty firm grip, which is a little worrisome to his Daddy! But I'll try and get over it.

At least Maguire looks a little freaked out, maybe weirded out...that's a good sign I think!

First Parade of the Year

Last weekend it was gorgeous, and lucky for us there was a parade to go to! We don't know what the parade was actually for mind you, but we went anyway. It was some festival in the small town where we go to church. Anyway, Ellie had a ball getting candy and watching all of the floats go by. But the marching bands got a bit loud as you can see.





We had a good time, and Ellie got to be there with her best friend Mariana. And if Mariana hadn't been there, Ellie wouldn't have gotten any candy. I don't know if we've instilled an incredible fear of roads, and told her enough that she must not leave the curb, or what. I guess that's maybe a good thing, but not when they're throwing candy at a parade! Mariana was the first one in the street, but Ellie would barely step off the curb. She warmed to the idea after awhile, but she was definitely hesitant. So Mariana contributed about three-quarters of Ellie's candy bag.


This is by far my favorite picture though. I asked her to stand and put her hand on the heart, and we had a little lesson on doing that when the flag comes by. I just thought it was so cool to see, and she actually stayed that way for a minute or two.





The boys didn't so much like the parade though. They pretty much cried the entire time. They would settle down, and then some stupid siren from a firetruck would go off, or another marching band would come strolling on by. But it was fun to get the family outside for a little parade, and of course, a lot of candy.








A little candy stuck in the teeth...no big deal.

Cheese, Crackers, & Squirrel

Last week, the weather was nice enough for me to get the grill out of it's winter slumber and put a little fresh meat upon it. I know what you're thinking, given the title of this post, but you're wrong. You have to keep reading.

Ellie was so excited to have some nice weather, that she came out to the backyard to play while I cooked. She ate some cheese and crackers on her little picnic table, and all was well with the world. But soon, that would all change.

(That's me back by the shed getting the grill out by the way. I didn't notice me at first either) We ate supper like normal, but afterward we decided to go back outside and get some more play-time in before dark. So Ellie and I were in the backyard running around, going up and down the slide, swinging and chasing each other. That's when it happened. Ellie looked at the ground and saw it. She looked at me with a face that was half surprise and half terror. I said, "What's wrong Honey?" That's when I saw it. It was a dead squirrel lying in the grass. It was pretty gross really.

Ellie said, "Is that a squirrel?" I of course said it was. "Is it dead?" she asked. "Yes, it is," I replied. "Let's go play in the front yard," I said. That was about all, until we went to bed. We hadn't even talked about the squirrel, and Ellie says, "Daddy, I'm going to put my gloves on and pick that squirrel up, make it alive, and put it back in the tree with its mother." I didn't really know how to respond. I thought it was pretty funny, and very sweet. But I just told her that once something's dead, it can't come alive again. She didn't understand that very well. But that's ok, I didn't really know what to say either. Explaining death to a 3 year-old isn't too easy.

But the good news in all of this? The pork chops I made were outstanding. And really, it's all about the food. I'm just glad it didn't taste like squirrel.