Sports Class

This year we put both Connor and Bella in a short sports class, where they learned different sports and got to play lots together.

Connor definitely enjoyed it more then Bella.

Poor Bella was by far the youngest and had trouble keeping up with the games. But she enjoyed playing hula hoop, sitting with Mommy and Daddy and racing around and around. She really did awesome, trying everything.

Connor loved everything and his excitement was contagious. He did really well following rules and practicing hard. He loves playing basketball, and even though sports class has ended Dad and him play during the week on his very own basketball hoop that he got from Christmas.

Tee Ball

Hula Hooping

Basketball

9 Months

UPDATE
Sydney's routine starts around 7 when she wakes up and gets a bottle, then she plays and snacks, till a bottle and a nap around noon, and then she plays and snacks till 6 for her dinner bottle and about 8 she gets her night bottle and goes to bed between 8:30 and 9 most nights.

Sydney is a proficient crawler, cruiser and stair climber. She is always on the move! Always, always. She is constantly discovering new things, and new mischief. Sydney has a particular stance, we call the Sydney Stance, with one knee down and one foot on the floor with her knee; as if to stand, crawl, or lunge to a near by cruise position. Sydney has no teeth yet and at her doctor's appointment Dr said that her gums don't even look swollen so he wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't get any till around a year. She is starting to understand the “no” game, and yes at 9 months it is a game. Sydney plays in the johnny jump up occasionally for short times, she enjoys baths for the most part, and sitting in the high chair if there is food.

Growth update:

Height: 17 lbs. 6 oz. (20%)

Weight: 27 inches (30%)

In terms of walking she is in the...

One...

Two...

Drop and Crawl phase.

She is scared to take more then 2 or 3 steps by  herself so she usually puts her hands out to catch herself and sits and crawls away.

"The Sydney Stance"

LIKES
She loves to talk. It is usually in deep grunts and growls like a little bear cub or cave child. And she loves responding back to Daddy, back and forth they go it is kinda adorable.
Just like any baby she LOVES Peek-A-Boo,with Daddy or Bella or Connor it is her favorite.
Sydney loves to eat. I could name a hundred things she likes but overall it is just food! As long as it fits in her mouth and isn't chewy who needs teeth.
She loves grabbing facial features, and with long fast growing nails it is not always pleasant.
She also is curious about babies and dolls. Mainly poking eyes and mouth, sufficed to say we don't let her around babies too much.
And of course she loves her thumb.

DISLIKES
Sydney hates seeing the kids fight, or Daddy wrestle with them because she gets scared.
She is not a fan of the vacuum and hair dryer.
She squirms like mad during diaper changes.
She hates napping some days.
She hates being pulled from off limit places she's snuck into; like the bathroom.

FAVORITES

Daddy loves her Sydney Stance!

Mommy loves her "mommy only" cuddles.

Mommy loves checking in on Sydney while she sleeps.

Daddy loves mimicking her noises. 

Daddy loves teasing her with kisses and tickles.

We love her grunting in place of coo's is hilarious. 

Her swirlie on the top of her head is one of our absolute favorites.

We have a love/hate relationship chasing her up the stairs as she laughs hysterically.

SIBLINGS

So now that Sydney is getting bigger and more and more mobile, the kids treat her like a playmate more and more. Sometimes it is filled with fun and laughs and sometimes it well ... isn't. 

Bella does get jealous of Sydney having Mom's attention.
Connor loves picking her up and moving her away from "danger", which is helpful but doesn't make Sydney too happy.
Overall both Connor and Bella love feeding and playing and snuggling and watching Sydney grow and learn. "She's standing!" "She's walking!" "Sydney plays with me see."

And while Sydney and I were having our little photo shoot, the background looked a lot like this.

The joys of reality.  

One Winter Day

After a blizzard surprised us with a foot of snow (within a few hours), our Saturday errands would have to wait. Nothing was salted or plowed and everything was a winter wonderland, we couldn't drive so in a desperate attempt to combine snow play with an emergency diaper run we made our snowy way through the falling flakes (to a rite aid about a block away). Everyone was in love with it. It was magical and the perfect outing for all of us.

Trudging through the snow was much harder then the kids expected.

On the way home Daddy went ahead with our groceries and baby Sydney who had had enough of the falling snow.

We stayed back and played as we walked enjoying the snow. Connor tried relentlessly to catch snowflakes in his mouth.

After all the running, and rolling, and chasing, and tickling, and crawling, and falling; everyone was begging to get back home to a warm, dry house and hot chocolate.

Valentine

To My Valentine,

it was 
it is 
it always will be... 
you!

♥Love, 

Your Valentine

.....................................................................................................................

I woke to these, and we all shared heart shaped german pancakes with "sugar snow"!

After a day of movies and cuddles and lots of chocolate valentine giving and eating, Daddy and Mommy got ready to go out. 

Bella was not excited for Mom and Dad to go out.

And this was Connor's reaction:

M: I'm going on a date with my lover.

C: Who?

M: Dad

C: That freaks me out.

M: What? That we're going on a date?

C:  No, that you say lover.

We enjoyed dinner at my new favorite place Coastal Flats.

Fried Oysters.

Crab Cake & Filet Mignon/ Miso Sea Bass

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

We had a wonderful time just us!

Our ride home was scary!

It had snowed a little on a very cold wet untreated roads, which made for a slippery ride home

 (AKA: Emergency Lights all the way home slippery).

I' am honestly surprised we made it through our valentine date, considering were so sick. But thank goodness for modern medicine and long awaited cuddles.

Love Week

We started out our love week with FHE.
We talked about LOVE, and ways to show our LOVE!
One of them being making valentines and giving them to our friends and family.
So we made valentines for our friends (for the valentine party/exchange) and for each other.

The next day we went to a VALENTINE PARTY/EXCHANGE, at the church. 

To say it was amazing was an understatement. 

I was shocked how put together it was!

I mean play-doh, coloring, bean bag toss, lunch, dessert, and tons of playtime for kids and chat time for Moms.

It was so perfect and the kids were on cloud nine!

Afterwards we helped clean up and were happy to get home and enjoy the aftermath of valentines!

Who knew my sugar obsessed Connor would
 fall in LOVE with the Balloon and Red Ring
he got from the party above anything else.

Wednesday and Thursday we made valentines for grandparents.

Friday we sent kisses to Daddy via message, and had a Family Date to Chick-Fil-A! Which the kids couldn't have been more excited about!

And of course then it was Valentine's Day!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!