THREE MONTHS

UPDATE
Sydney is holding her head up most of the time now with some wobbles but for the most part expertly. Sydney has rolled over a couple times and I've missed it both times though. She hasn't quite figured out the technique yet. 8/11/14 - Sydney rolled over several times belly to back, I think she is getting the hang of it! (But she hasn't done much since.) Sydney takes the pacifier regularly, except at night, she sometimes starts with it to fall asleep but always pushes it out shortly after. At night she takes a bottle daily, usually at bedtime, and then she is wrapped up in the swaddler blanket for the night. I am extremely grateful she sleeps through the night every night, from 9 pm - 7 am without waking. She wakes very hungry but smiley all the same. Her hair is still brown, and thinning just a little. Her eyes are getting darker and are sporting a dark gray blue color currently. Sydney is in 0-3 months clothing size still, and even wears a few large newborn clothing sizes as well. We are using Pampers Swaddlers Size 1 for her still. She is still spitting up some. She impresses us everyday as she learns and grows.

This is her face 90% of the time.
(Confused? Worried? What you talking about?) 

LIKES
Sucking on her tiny fingers or fists.
She loves using her legs, and scoots forward a little at a time while on her belly.
Smiling at faces and getting attention.
A few nights when she has stayed up way too late we've gotten a few slap happy giggles out of her.
Sydney recently discovered the fantastical allure of the mirror.
Hearing familiar voices lights up her face.
She loves holding her hands together and grabbing onto her feet, which is a recent discovery.
Sydney loves the fresh air, and being in the world all around her.
She likes it when people blow air on her face, so much she smiles.

DISLIKES
She doesn't like sleeping in the car seat, so every time she is nestled inside she wakes. She isn't a huge fan of car rides for that matter either.
She has a sensitive stomach so she gets pretty fussy. She takes sensitive Similac formula regularly, which helps, and Mommy is trying to figure out if she is not a fan of particular things Mommy eats.
The swing is useful sometimes, but only for a short time if she is tired. Most other times the swing makes her angry.
Baths are rough to say the least, and diaper changes are not her favorite.

FAVORITES
She is famous for her sticking her tiny tongue out over and over again, like a little lizard.
We love swaddling her up at bedtime, we call her our "little worm".
Daddy loves talking to her, and Mommy loves hearing their babbles to one another; she is not a real babbler yet so when she does coo, or babble it is a special treat.
We love that she is starting to gain a slight interest in toys and play.
And baby sneezes are just the sweetest.

SIBLINGS
Connor is still Sydney's buddy and gives her the most attention. When he sees her laying down to play or get some tummy time he commonly puts his head down and watches her for a little while. He loves trying to make her smile or pointing out her smiles.
Bella loves her sister and likes to point out her cries and hold her if prompted and sometimes spontaneously gives her soft kisses. She has been a bit overwhelmed lately, with our busyness, so Bella is a little more needy and gets frustrated when Sydney gets the attention over her. For the most part it is not noticeable, and other times if Mommy can't hold her right that second she pouts under the table. (Fortunately, now that we are staying with the Martins she has lots of people to hold and play with her even if Mommy can't.)

(No more pictures please...)

Hershey

My family grew up going to Hershey Park in Hershey, PA with a visit to Friendly's afterwards, every year. I haven't been since I was married, about 6 years ago.

Although I will admit going to an amusement park as a parent rather then a kid is a lot less fun. As much as I love seeing my little ones on rides with faces lit up with excitement and thrill, the fussing and whining that comes with waiting in lines is tiring to say the least. We managed to have a whole lot of fun though. 

Here are some highlights:

Tilt-A-Whirl

We each had a turn on this one :)

Bella was in love with the rides! Throughout the whole day she was well behaved well as good as a 2 yr old can be, Connor on the other hand, well he could have done better and he could have done worse. 

Sydney was well . . . just plain perfect, our silent sleeper the entire time. 

Fresh Kettle Corn, Blue Cotton Candy, and Dippin Dots were all family favorites and big hits with the little ones as well!

As we drove into the park the first thing Connor saw was a HUGE roller coaster and of course my dare devil child wanted nothing more than to go on "that one". So all day as he went on rides he kept insisting "that one next" as he pointed earnestly up at the closest roller coaster. Fortunately, the Cocoa Cruiser had just opened a small roller coaster that he could just barely go on. And although the line was long he waited anxiously but diligently, even though many kids left because the line was too long or because the ride looked too scary and we even witnessed a few breakdowns before, during and after the "scary" ride. For a side note, I was surprised at the amount of adults (unaccompanied by children) that went on (it made the line quite a bit longer when only one adult could go in each car).  Right as we got up to the ride Connor grabbed my leg and held on tight asking "you go with me?" I assured him I would if he wanted even though Uncle Joe was waiting in line to go on as well. As soon as it was finally our turn a girl (about 7 or 8) in front of Connor burst into tears and insisted she couldn't go and ran to her Daddy. Well that didn't stop Connor he ran to the first car so he could be in the front row and Uncle Joe sat next to him and when I asked if he needed me he shook his head with a big huge grin as he waited giddily to begin the ride. And off he went with screams of one happy boy leading the coaster.

While Connor was waiting in line, Daddy and Bella went on a bunch of rides. Her favorite being the laddybugs, and the beloved carousel.

We all squeezed in for a ride on the ferris wheel. Which Bella adored. And Daddy well not so much.

The Swings are another crowd pleaser that almost everyone enjoyed, except the sleepy young ones.

Shea and I even managed to sneak away and go on a few roller coasters at the end!

Side note: Shea and I were stoked about going to an amusement park and having so much fun on rides, but we've never taken the kids and boy oh boy things are sure different with kids. And I'll admit it taught us a lesson in sacrifice :) 

As a Martin Family tradition we always went out to eat at a Friendly's after Hershey Park. And even though it was late and we were all exhausted we were all also famished. Connor fell asleep during dinner but I promised that boy ice cream and ice cream he got, very first thing. Along with a special shark drink Daddy insisted on getting him. (Although I think Daddy was more excited for it then he was.)

What a special day.

birthday man

Shea worked ALL day on his birthday and when he got home Connor and Joseph excitedly hid to surprise him with birthday wishes. And not long after Bella came in to sing Happy Birthday to him. Sydney was ready for some Daddy one on one time as well.

Of course no birthday is complete without our little trio playing games. 

After everyone was ready we were off to Longhorn Steakhouse for a Birthday Dinner out, treated by the Martin's. It was all delicious even though it was late and we enjoyed TOO MUCH dessert.

I am not proud of it but yes,
late dinners call for phone coma-ed children.

It was time for presents when we got home. Shea got spoiled with new movies, t-shirts, ties, socks, Italian shaving cream, and more.

And Bella was crazy with all the late night commotion. 

And we had quite the challenge of lighting all 29 candles on his quickly melting Reeses Ice Cream Cake. We had to sing quickly or the candles wouldn't have been the only thing we were blowing out :)

I was in love with this extra special card I found for my special birthday man!

For my husband my true love

The day I met my knight is one that changed my world forever --

I gazed into those eyes and knew we'd always be together!

So kind and gentle caring, too -- a sweet and studly charmer. 

A man above all the other men -- my hunk in aging armor!

Now years have passed and though, at times, we've had our share of hassles,

Through thick and thin, love reigns supreme, and laughter fills our castle!

My life reads like a storybook, with love that's never-ending.

You found me once upon a time...

And your my 

HAPPY ENDING!

Happy Birthday 29th Love.

GOODBYE HOME

It is hard to say goodbye to our Idaho home. And saying goodbye to the family and friends that have supported and loved us through it all was even harder.

The packing (and cleaning) of our apartment was probably the most un-fun part of our "move". Although I don't know if you can really call it a move when you don't have an exact destination yet.
Fortunately, Shea's brother, Nate helped tremendously babysitting, packing, lifting, and cleaning. I really don't believe we would have gotten it all done without him! THANKS NATE!

Shea's parents then housed us for the night and drove us down to the SLC airport the next day, where we all met up with Howie and Ellie, who saw us off.

It was a late night...

... and an early morning.
(The Stanger Home will be missed!)

Flying from the West to the East with three of the sweetest little children on earth was such a breeze ... NOT! Honestly, they did fairly well with only about half a dozen tantrums and a few screaming outbursts. Bella proved to be a Daddy's girl, at the most inconvenient of times during the journey, which was a tad frustrating to a Mommy who was trying her best to maintain patience throughout the travel. But the important thing is we made it.

Kudos to my GENIUS husband for getting
 Connor and Bella each one of these.
They were fascinated and in love, quiet and happy!

It has been such a whirlwind looking for housing. Realtors, family, friends, bishops, and ward members have all been on the look out for us. We are constantly making calls, posting messages, and writing emails. All be honest though as we wait for a little more info we are taking a little break from our persistent searching, but we don't forget to check Zillow and Trulia every morning for the chance a prospect comes up.

We are especially grateful for CJ and Shea's Dad who drove our moving truck accompanied by the car trailer, across country! Of course finding a place to call home has proved even more difficult then we thought, so while we stay at my parents house our belongings have all been stored away.

Wish us luck as we continue the search.