Dylan is 10 Months Old!

Our little princess turned 10 months last Thursday! And I definitely feel like this has been the biggest month of changes for her.  Ok, I know I say that every month but this really has been a good one! She seems to have gone from a baby to a pre-toddler in the snap of a finger.  Although it makes me very sad to see her grow up so fast, I have loved watching her develop and discover the world.  She's such a ray of sunshine in my life.

Dylan is no longer the baby that we hold while everyone plays.  She's now right there in the mix with her brothers and cousins.  It's beyond awesome to see.  And as her stranger anxiety decreases, her love for adventure increases. She explores the house and is very curious about everything. Not only can she pull herself up but she's also cruising all over the place.  She can stand on her own for a few seconds and take steps if you are holding her hand.  I feel like she'll be walking by 11 months like Jack did.  She's one determined little girl and I know she wants to walk so she can keep up with the boys. 

She's also starting to communicate with us a lot more.  And while its usually screaming to get our attention, I know that's a good thing because it has to start somewhere.  She is up to 5 words now..."dada," "mama," "Ja" (Jack), "bu-bu" (bye-bye) and "mum-mum" (not sure if this means more or yummy but she says it when she wants food).  My mom swears she says "go" and "that" but the jury is still out on those.  Other than that, its a lot of yelling and grunting to get what she wants.  She sure is a feisty one and is prone to mini-tantrums when we do something she doesn't like.  How is it that none of my kids are calm?!  Definitely makes for a lively household here in Irvine!

In terms of her physical development, she's still a big girl.  She's about 21 pounds right now.  I can't find the paperwork from her 9 month doctor visit but I believe she was close to 28-29 inches.  She's still about 90th for height and 75th for weight. I'm already starting to buy the little chunk 18 months clothes because she had a huge growth spurt last month. Thankfully, she's starting to eat food again and man is she making up for lost time.  The girl can really put it away.  She can eat an entire jelly sandwich! Now that she's back on food she seems to love almost everything so that has been a lot easier on us. 

For motor skills, she's finally learned to clap, although half the time she hits herself!  She can wave bye-bye and loves to give kisses.  She's also starting to understand commands like, "hand daddy the ball" or "look at the birdie."  She enjoys to dance, play and read books.  But for some reason she absolutely hates bath time.  She screams her head off until we get her in her jammies and put a bottle in her mouth.  This girl is going to be very hard to wean from that bottle.  But she does use a sippy cup really well so I'm not too worried. It will all happen when it happens (spoken like a true third-time mommy!)

I have had so much fun with Dylan this month.  She's my little sidekick and I just adore her.  I love watching her play with her friends and her brothers. She follows Jack and Gavin around the house and wants to play with all of their toys.  And in turn they chase her and try to make her laugh.  I really think that now that she's more interactive, Gavin is starting to enjoy her more. She also loves playing with her besties who we see quite often.  As soon as she sees them she gets excited and they all start crawling everywhere together.  I love her new found independence.  She still clings to me in unfamiliar situations, but we have made a lot of progress in that area. She not only goes to my mom, but sometimes she wants my mom more than me.  Obviously, Mimi is over the moon about that!  I can't wait to see what's in store for us this month. 

Here's Dylan in action!

Ok, I know her eyes are closed but I just love that smile.  Jack was standing behind me making her laugh and she was cracking up...

 

 

I love these next few pictures.  She was so happy and playful in daddy's arms...

 

And then Captain Serious returns...

This face!  She looks more and more like her daddy every day...

Caught making a mess...

With her besties Natalie and Audrey at an Easter party.  I love the little photo bomber in the back...

Egg snatcher...

She's so proud of her new trick!  She's a pro now and is cruising all over the place...

 

 

 

And she's taking assisted steps too!  I can't wait until she walks.  It's just so much easier to me and all of her clothes won't get so dirty...

 



 

 

Dylan's taken up yoga....

She LOVES this bike because the boys play on it.  She was clearly so happy to be riding it.  But I think she needs a pink one instead...

Looks like she's saying she's #1.  Awesome...

Feeding French fries to her toes.  We're so proud...

They had this store at our hotel in Palm Springs.  I had to buy her a Dylan's Candy Bar beach towel which is so adorable...

Princess Dylan at Marseille's Jasmine-themed birthday party...

We did a trial Gymboree class with her BFF's.  The girls loved it! 

Multi-tasking baby...

I can't get enough of this face!  LOVE HER...

 

 

Here are some videos I wanted to share so you can see what Dylan is really like.  She's such a ball of energy and light...

Dylan says Bye-Bye and gives kisses...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqKWr0WO7Bg&feature=youtu.be

Cousins dance party!  Our family functions typically involve dancing of some sort.  Now Dylan is right there in the middle of the action...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtS5Nz5E8Wk&feature=youtu.be

Dylan "riding" a bike for the first time.  She watches her brothers do this every day and she squeals with excitement.  So I figured I would give her a turn and she loved it.  She's such a little dare devil...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7EToWygGUY&feature=youtu.be

Gigi & Papa Take SoCal!

Last week we were so blessed to have Gigi and Papa in town from Chicago!  Their first stop was here in Irvine and they stayed with us for a few fun-filled days.  Then they headed to sunny Palm Springs where we joined them for the last 2 days of their trip.  I know they were really looking forward to some warmth and sunshine after a brutal winter in the Midwest and our weather did not disappoint.  It was gorgeous the entire week!  So we made the most of it and spent lots of time outside. 

My kids were so excited to have their Gigi and Papa here!  I really felt like it was an important bonding time for all of them.  I saw a difference in their interaction that I hadn't seen before because the kids are at ages where they really know what family is.  Gavin really took to Gigi and was her little buddy all week - he hardly left her side in Palm Springs.  And Jack adored his Papa!  He loved wrestling with him, calling him knucklehead and just hanging with him.  At one point when we were crossing the street, Jack ran to his Papa and grabbed his hand.  It was so cute.  Dylan got a little close to them the day we left, of course!  But it still makes me so happy that they feel close to their grandparents even though they live across the country.  That family bond is very important to me.

That bonding was definitely helped by Don & Judy taking the kids on their traditional trip to Toys R Us.  They weren't on the ground but 2 hours before the boys started asking when they were going.  So while they took Jack & Gavin, Christian and I had some QT with Dylan.  The next day we hit Laguna beach for a great brunch and a walk on the beach.  After a few days of kid chaos I'm sure Don & Judy were happy to jet off to Palm Springs for some time alone and a "real" vacation.  But we quickly joined them 3 days later and the chaos ensued!  We had 2 more great days at the pool before we all had to head home.  We had such an amazing time that we agreed to make this an annual spring break tradition.  Jack was thrilled to hear that!  Here are some pics of our adventures...

First stop...Laguna Beach!

Time for brunch!  On Dylan's menu....puffs...

 

Playtime at the beach park.  How cute is this kid?!

My other handsome guy...

Giggles with daddy...

Gigi loves coming to Laguna!  I don't blame her...

I LOVE this picture!  Three generations of David boys...

Family photo!  What a gorgeous backdrop...

Gigi and Papa got to see crazy Gavin in action.  Here's his future frat boy pose...

Next stop....Palm Springs!  This was Dylan's first real trip to the pool.  I'm dying over this bathing suit...

Gavin and his BFF Gigi...

Jack spent the majority of our pool time on the waterslide.  We couldn't get this little fish out of the water.  I think he had more fun than any of us...

 

 

Meanwhile, Gavin avoided the water like the plague.  He loves playing with it, but he refuses to go in... 

 

Dylan let Gigi hold her a few times, much to Gigi's delight...

 

Dylan loved the water as long as we were holding her close.  But once she got used to it she was all smiles...

We had a really great suite so Gigi came to hang out with us and watch Frozen.  Gav immediately jumped on her lap to cuddle...

If he wasn't swimming, Jack was eating...

Seriously cute and chubby sun goddess...

Me and my Gav!  I love this little dude...

Our first family vacation picture.  Not a great one but the best we could do.  The end of a fabulous trip...

Jack Christian - 4 years, 9 months

I know I don't blog about the boys nearly enough.  In all fairness, they did get a lot of blog time before Dylan came around so I shouldn't feel too guilty.  But they are obviously the other loves of my life and they have a lot going on too so I figured it was time to share a little about them.  I'll start with Jack because he has lots of big stuff happening in his life at the moment.

Our biggest news is that we just signed him up for kindergarten at Hicks Canyon Elementary!  I cannot believe my first born baby is heading to primary school!  Ahhh...I'm much too young to have a kid in kinder....wink, wink!  We've been talking to him about it for weeks and he's anxiously excited.  On one hand, he's very eager to grow up and go to the big school we drive by every day so he can be there with his neighborhood buddies.  He's met so many cool kids near us and he really enjoys meeting them at the park to play.  On the other hand, he's sad that none of his besties from pre-school will be going with him.  It's unfortunate that none of the 5 boys are going to the same school.  But if I know my son, I know he will make tons of new friends and absolutely thrive there.  He is beyond ready for the big leagues!

Until then, Jack will just enjoy the last few precious months of Pre-K with his boys at Tutor Time.  He loves that school and we are so grateful for all of his amazing teachers.  He has learned so much there.  He loves to write and is in the beginning stages of reading.  He's also very into rhyming and it's constantly trying to put words together.  And for some reason he really loves homework (he can't possibly be my kid)!  He recently received an award from his teachers for always putting forth such great effort on all of his assignments.  You go Jack!!

On the flip side, Jack is also really into sports right now.  As you know, he started t-ball last month and he loves everything about it....practice, games, new friends, wearing his uniform, of course, snacks after the game!  He wakes up early on game days and is usually ready before we are!  I love that he's enthusiastic and appreciative of this activity - it makes it all worth it for me.  The games are hilarious.  All the kids can hit pretty well but their fielding could use some work.  They each have a chance to bat and run all of the bases.  When Jack is up, he loves to throw his head back and let his helmet fall off while running to first and then always slides into home.  The kid definitely has a flare for drama!  Of course, he's made friends with several kids on his team.  And all of the parents are super cool so its been a great experience for us so far.  But we'll probably take the summer off before starting soccer in the fall so we can have our weekends free again.

And personally, Jack is such a joy to be around.  He's pretty much always in a great mood.  Of course, he's a typical 4 year old and has quite a mouth on him that gets him in trouble a lot.  He also takes about an hour to get dressed in the morning.  He's definitely all boy and loves to talk about and demonstrate any and all disgusting bodily functions.  And he fights with Gavin way too much...but that's to be expected.   But besides that I can honestly say he doesn't misbehave that much at all.  He's a total rule follower.  He's kind, generous and very sweet.  He's also smart, witty and hysterically funny.  He's the most loyal friend to his buddies.  He loves his family, especially his little sister. And he has the patience of an adult.  I am constantly impressed with what an amazing little person he has become.  I couldn't be more proud of him.

So besides all of the above, Jack is into so many other things.  Here's a little more about him in a nutshell...

Likes: Dylan, new friends, commercial jingles, anything related to Frozen, sweat pants, lip kisses, rhyming, old cartoons on the Cartoon Network (Tom & Jerry, Power Puff Girls, Team Titans), hot wheels, chicken sandwiches, naked dancing, riding his bike, getting grass stains on his knees and any and all sports.

Dislikes: Peanut Butter, getting dressed, listening, nice shorts, anything with buttons, little siblings who break his toys, wearing shoes, the color pink, girl stuff (besides Frozen), leaving a party and apparently heights (this is a new one).

And here are his recent pics...

 

Jack was so excited to get all of his new baseball gear!

 

 

And I think daddy was a little excited too!  Here he is giving Jack some last-minute pointers before his first game...

 

 

Game Day!  The first of many ball games in our future...

 



 Hanging with his buddy Taisen in the dugout...

And here are a few action shots!  Sorry there are so many but I just think he looks so darn adorable...

 

Last week Jack won the "game ball" for all of his hard work at the practice and on the field!!  As you can see, he was so excited and it was awesome for us to see him so happy...

This picture is priceless!  I think it says it all...

First baseball picture!  Jack is still so big.  He's about 52 pounds and just over 4 feet tall.  He's currently a boys size 7 and wears a boys 2 shoe!

 

 

The Green Dragons!   Don't you just love Jack's pose!  That's definitely a classic...

 



 

 

Aside from baseball, Jack loves to hang out with his family and friends.  He and Dylan have such a special bond...

 



And he won't ever admit it but he adores his little bro too.  They love to race their cars down the front driveway.  I love this picture of them...

 

 

Case and point!  I can't get enough of this picture...

 

 

Jack loves to make his daddy's coffee in the morning...

 Our little fishy loves the beach...

Daddy and Jack doing homework.  Jack is so disciplined about his assignments...

Of course, he also has a crazy side.  He and Gavin would be naked all day if we let them...

 

Jack and one of his new buddies, Lincoln...

Jack has also rediscovered his train table.  He spends lots of time creating elaborate tracks.  It amazes me how good he is at it.  He always tells us he wants to be an architect because he loves art and he loves to build.  This kid is definitely going places...