Hudson at 8 months

Can you believe our little guy is already 8 months old!?! To describe him in one word: Happy. He is just SO happy! Such a joy to have around. Super easy going - I mean, he has spent more time on the trail and sleeping in a tent than most babies his age, and he just goes with it! He loves the outdoors, and is always up for a new adventure! He is also filled to the brim with energy and just go go goes all day long. He started pulling himself up a couple of weeks ago, and he loves to stand up, then let go, and plop down on his bum (even in the bath tub!). He loves to laugh, has the cutest giggle, and in the past couple of weeks, his four top teeth have erupted. Soon, his big, happy grin, will be showing a lot of teeth!He eats well and mainly eats soft finger foods these days, favorites being melon, blueberries, a variety of steamed veggies, and graham crackers (the only part of the s'mores he gets this summer ;) He loooves swimming. Oh, and thankfully, he is finally starting to take a real nap. He nurses, cuddles, and nods off for a short nap in the morning, but he has started napping for an hour or two in his crib in the afternoon. He still loves to nurse, but is easily distracted these days. Life is extra good with this cute guy around!

Celebrations // Sawyer turns 7

Sawyer wanted to have a "shark" party to celebrate his seventh birthday! We made it a pool party with a handful of his friends - and everyone had a blast! In fact, we were having such a blast that these are the only pictures we took the whole afternoon! His two requests were shark cupcakes, and a shark piñata. He was thrilled that we managed to do both! 

His "real" birthday was the day before the party, so we celebrated with some Mighty Fine Burgers and cake and candles at home. When it comes to celebrating birthdays, it is then little things that make our kids so very excited (the singing and candles get them so giddy!) I love it. I honestly can hardly believe how fast the years are flying by. It is a little bittersweet, but at the same time, so so fun. This little boy was the cutest little chubby baby - but he is such a smart, funny, loving little boy. What a gift it is to watch this boy learn and grow right in front of my eyes. It's magic! Happy Happy Birthday, buddy! We love you SO much! 

Outings // Kiddie Park San Antonio

In celebration of Hazel's 3rd birthday, we took a little drive down to San Antonio for the day. It was our first visit to Aunt Tia and Uncle Adam's new place, and they were so excited to have us over! We spent most of the day at Kiddie Park - it was such a blast for the kids! After lots of carnival rides, and even some cotton candy, we went back to their place and had dinner, cupcakes, and gift opening. I love this age where it sure doesn't take much to make a celebration, or to get excited! It really doesn't take much, does it? We sure were happy to celebrate another trip around the sun with such a lovely little girl in our lives! Hazel is such a lover - always wanting to snuggle and cuddle, we are so grateful she is part of our family. We love you, Hazel! We had so much fun celebrating YOU! 

Celebrations // Hazel turns three

This past week our sweet Hazel Grace turned three years old! Over the weekend, we traveled to San Antonio and met up with my sister and her husband (who recently moved there), and took the kids to a fun little amusement park. The glory of a "larger" family is there are always plenty of people around to make a celebration! The kids had a blast going on all of the little carnival rides, and eating cotton candy - it was so fun to see their faces light up as they went on the rides and searched for our faces in the crowd to wave at us. Having kids is just the best! On her "real" birthday, we kept things quite simple. It was a pretty normal, low-key day. We made homemade pizza (her favorite!) for dinner, and then, of course, we had cake. She requested chocolate cake, and I made her one of our favorite vegan cake recipes, and topped it off with three white candles and a rose from our rose bush. She was so excited when it was time to sing and blow out those candles! In fact, a whole week later, she is still walking around singing happy birthday. I just love this sweet girl so much. She is constantly wrapping her arms around my neck, and pulling my face to hers. She looks me right in the eye and says "I...Love...You!" We repeat it to one another, and then she puckers up for a big ole kiss. Then, we turn our cheeks for kisses on the cheek. And then we wink at one another. She honestly sit in my arms and do that for half the day and be completely happy. She has always been a bit of a mama's girl, needing me just a little bit extra. She has had a pretty big year this year! She became a big sister, transitioned from her crib to a big girl bed, and sharing a room with her sister. And we can't forget potty training, recently. Yes, a big year. A little rocky here and there with the adjustments, but who can blame her? Those are a lot of big things when you are a little girl. She has done very well, though, and one thing in which there is no doubt is that she loves well and is well loved. She has really bloomed in the big sister role, and has also really enjoyed the companionship and closer relationship she has developed with her big sister while her big brother was in kindergarten this year. I have a feeling she's also going to love having a bit more one on one time in the fall when Aspen goes to kindergarten, too (although she will miss her, as well - it's so darling to watch them play together, baby dolls and dress ups - melts this mamas heart!) Oh, how time flies! It really really does! I'm trying hard to keep focusing on all the fun we have as these babies of ours keep passing up milestones left and right. Watching them grow is so amazing - bittersweet at times if you think too much - but mostly, just such an amazing honor to behold. Here's wishing our sweet baby girl another wonderful trip around the sun! We sure love our Hazel!

Thoughts // rhythm vs routine

I was thinking recently about how our family has shifted and adapted, and slowly found a new rhythm as a family of six. If there is one thing I have learned by now, it is that babies grow up quickly - and each subsequent child seems to grow up twice as fast as the last. I think back to when I had just one baby. Time ticked on, but in an almost beautifully slow manner. By the time my first was six months old, I was ready for another one! And while we did want to space our children rather close together, after we had our second, I realized that we didn't need to be in quite such a rush. I wanted to be able to enjoy each baby. So, the first were a year and a half apart, and then, thanks to my body doing a natural spacing, a bit further apart, the spacing between the second and third was 28 months. We had three babies before the first one turned four years old. And LOVED it! 28 months later...here came our fourth. And we are LOVING it! I will admit, though, that the transition to four has been slightly more tricky than previous. It has nothing to do with the baby himself - he is the happiest, easiest going little babe around (and cute, too!) It's more that the first started kindergarten this year, and so now we have to work around a school schedule. The paradox about me - is that I am very well organized (think "type A", in that respect), yet thrive from living rhythmically rather than by a strict routine (think more laid back, "type B", apparently, somehow, the two can coexist!). Well, this year is the year our rhythm found a bit more routine - though I did leave it all quite open-ended. For the first time, I had to wake my kids up in the morning - all four - and get them out the door to drop our kindergartener off at school. And in the afternoon, I had to wake one or two up from napping to go pick him up. Or, one or two (sometimes even three!) would fall asleep in the car while we were waiting in the line to pick him up from school. So, that was new. It went quite smoothly, but it was different. And the days just flew right on by. Here we are now, school just about to be out, and we get to live by rhythm alone for the next couple of months. I am now actually okay with a little bit of routine, but am still most comfortable when routine and rhythm merge into something a bit more organic - a place where some things are firmly set in place, while others are yet very flexible. With several little people constantly growing, changing, and in flux as they learn, develop, and bloom, that is what works best for us. We choose very intentionally not to be involved in much of anything during these little years. We say "no" to a lot of outside activities so to say "yes" to have the time we need to create an environment of peace, calm - and fun! for our little ones at home. There is a time for everything, is there not? And this precious time when my children are so little, I choose to devote to them - not to living our lives from one activity or obligation to the next. It is certainly not popular to live like we do. Our kids are not yet involved in music, sports, or dance lessons. Yet - they are in their own way. We have dance parties in the living room, sing together - hey, Daddy has his guitar and Mama has her ukelele, too. We play soccer in the back yard. We put in lots of time hiking. Our son may not know how to throw a football, but he knows how to pitch a tent. Our little girls may not know all of the six positions of the practice of ballet - but they know their yoga poses, and they know how to twirl around the house, dancing in their perfectly wonderful world of imagination. Truthfully, we can't afford to sign our kids up for everything, either. However, even if we could - at this time, we would choose not to. The time will come when they all aren't so little anymore, and they will each have to make careful decisions about where they want to invest our money and their time. But for now - our rhythm is sweet and very simple. It is so very lovely. My hands are surely full - it is a different kind of busy - but I love it so very much. I have noticed, though, that I have not taken nearly as many pictures of our handsome baby, our fourth child. I blame Instagram for part of that ;) So, as he enters his seventh month with us here earth side, I took a moment one morning and crawled after him and caught a few of our Hudson Jude. Our fourth baby. Our second boy. He is just such a joy - such a blessing to our family. My heart just explodes every time I see his cherubic face and happy smile. This image is my favorite from the handful I took the other morning. Four kids is so fun. Certainly, there are moments of chaos, but likewise, there are certainly moments of all the best stuff - which moments make it all worth it.  The first few months I let things slide left and right as we straddled that place between rhythm vs routine - and finally found a happy middle ground...for now. I think part of the beauty of life is how the world keeps spinning, time keeps ticking, drums keep drumming, people keep dancing, babies keep growing...and we all keep changing, adapting, and evolving. All with the hope of gaining wisdom and experiences that will ultimately generate more love and gratitude for the gifts we are given. Oh, and we are given so very many. I'm deeply grateful and humbled to have this life to live, and to love. It's all a process and I have a ton to learn - but little by little, yes - little by little, I will learn. I feel so very blessed to have, among others, four of the best teachers around. I may have been custom made to be their best mama - but they were also custom made to be my best little teachers, and friends. Oh, how I love them so!