Recap

December is such a busy time! I feel like we have stuff going on every day/night. Just a few fun things going on lately. 

Camilla had a vocabulary parade. Her word was Cone. We got her a Santa hat and she loved it. She wears this hat all the time now. 

80s day at school. Love this. 

The kool kats look like they stepped off the set of Saved By The Bell. 

Brooke is kind of a little bit spoiled. Middle of the day hot chocolate with marshmallows, just because its cold. 

And of course more volleyball. BYU played UT in an epic sweet sixteen match. UT won but it was so fun to watch. Jamie and I were frenemies at the game. 

My sweet parents came down for the weekend and came to the game with us. 

And Aaron was amazing and watched all the kids while Jamie and I watched volleyball. The girls set up shop in my bathroom and Aaron found them all dressed up with make up. These two...sure to give us a run for our money in the future. 

Spencer Update

Just a little update on our sweet baby boy. He has changed so much this month!! Our sweet six month old boy is crawling all over the place, he is getting into the Christmas tree and all the kids' toys. I love that he has mobility and he loves chasing the kids (mostly Camilla) around but he can also find me wherever I am now. :) also unfortunately we have to be more careful with the stairs. Poor boy has taken a short tumble once. 

He still loves spending his mornings with me and Brooke. Brooke loves to read books to him and takes very good care of him. So a crazy story is one day he was in his room taking a nap and then all the sudden I heard a loud thump and there was Spencer on the ground. He had pulled himself right out of his crib! This is crazy for a six month old. 

His baths are still some of his favorite times. I try to give him his bath during the day when I have more time to sit and watch him and let him play. He loves to chew on toys and sing songs. His laugh is still our favorite sound in the world. 

He is a sweet baby boy. We sure love him. He has four teeth and two that are about to break through up top. 

So we have had some rough times with this boy this month as well. He has completely refused to eat any baby food. I have never had this problem before and was getting very frustrated. We tried everything and could not get him to eat. I finally had to take a break from it because I was getting too frustrated. This has led to a lot more nursing and horrible sleeping. He was back to being up 2 x a night...sometimes 3 and I have been exhausted. We are hoping that this phase will pass quickly. I love my sweet boy but I would also love for him to have a little bit of independence from me. 

Update

Just a few fun things we have been up to lately. 

UT is in the playoffs for volleyball and Jamie and I have been going to the games. Aaron came one night with all the kids and they had a lot of fun. Of course their favorite part was the popcorn. 

Aaron taught Carson how to play the card game golf. The kids play all the time. 

We went and sang at an assisted living center. The kids were a little nervous but did great. Sweet Brooke didn't know any of the Christmas carols but she still sang her heart out. 

Fun birthday party to a gymnastics center. They had this great zipline that the kids loved. They also had a warped wall that Camilla attempted a few times. 

More volleyball. Hook 'em! 

Swim Lessons

So we let sweet Brooke start swim lessons this month. Our sweet girl who has spent all 3 years of her life being carted around to activity after activity for her two older siblings finally got her turn to have an activity. She was beyond excited. She walked around telling everyone, and I mean everyone about it. The day of her lessons she made me go over our daily schedule about a million times so she knew exactly when swim lessons were and that we didn't miss them. She couldn't nap because she was too excited and kept coming in my room and asking me if it was time for swim yet. 

She just loved every second and gave me a play by play report when she got home. :) 

Carson also continues to take swim and enjoy it. 

Camilla does not get to take lessons because she does a million other things. But she likes to be supportive. 

Of course she is the best big sister and stayed with Brookey her whole first lesson. 

Camilla is many things but one thing she is always is a good big sister. 

And Brooke loves to wear her boots to swim lessons. Her tutu swimsuit and pink boots are simply too much. 

Love, love, love her. 

Pictures

I was getting the kids ready for church on Sunday and one by one they all looked pretty darn adorable. Somehow the stars all aligned, everyone was ready for church early and so we walked to the park to take a few pictures before church. It took about 100 tries to get "the one" but I am so happy we did it. I love these sweet kiddos and think they are just the cutest.

So Camilla and Spencer were pretty much perfect the whole time and looked adorable. Carson and Brooke took some work. We decided to take a funny one at the end. 

I mean these two. So adorable. Millie held Spencer the whole time and did awesome and her hair, gorgeous. 

That very night I edited the picture, picked out a Christmas card and ordered them that night. I wasn't sure if I was up for sending out cards this year but I am so glad that I did and glad that we did. 

Thanksgiving 2016

We did it! We hosted Thanksgiving this year and it was a success. We had so much fun. The Clausens drove down on Tuesday night and on Wednesday we spent the afternoon at Zilker Park. It was a gorgeous day and we had so much fun. We packed lunch and had a picnic and then played soccer. 

The Clausens are very good at soccer. Then we head over to the playground for awhile and of course had to do the train. 

Oh how Camilla was in love with her cousin, Katelyn. She followed her around all week and loved every second of it. 

Daddy and Brookey. 

I can't even begin to describe the hours and hours that were spent on this swing. It was hands down the biggest hit of the week. 

They wanted BBQ for dinner so we went to Salt Lick and ate so much we were sick. 

Thanksgiving Day Adam and his family drove down. We had a lovely meal (the turkey took about 1.5 hours longer than expected) and all the babies slept for the whole meal. Then we just hung out together, watched football (Go Cowboys!), and ate dessert. Then we played some card games and stayed up way too late talking. 

Everyone was heading home Friday so we decided to go for a hike by our house and play for a bit. 

Lots of rock skipping . 

Then we drove to Round Rock Donuts to eat before Clausens hit the road. 

It never disappoints. 

Adam's family stayed for a few more hours and we had fun spending time with them. Then Aaron and Camilla went to the UT football game together. 

I'm not sure how interested Camilla is in football but she loved going on a date with Dad. And buying popcorn. 

And this pretty much sums up how we all felt on Saturday - worn out. A lot of lounging and cuddling. Aaron with 3 of his babies watching football. 

It was a fun week! I am beyond blessed with a beautiful, healthy family, great friends and the Gospel. 

Thanksgiving Preparation

We are hosting Thanksgiving this year so we have been busy getting everything ready. 

The girls have been helping Aaron put together some furniture for the kids' rooms. They always want to help with everything. 

We have been exploring Walnut Creek Park so we find the best places to show our cousins. 

So our sweet baby Spencer turned 6 months old. At his check up we talked about food. I have been dreading this as I don't have a ton of time to sit and feed Spencer food but of course Millie to the rescue. She loves to feed him and helps me whenever she can. Our sweet boy has 2 bottom teeth and the greatest smile in the world. 

Height: 27.5 In (75th)

Weight: 16 lbs. 13 oz. (40th)

Head: 44 cm (75th) 

Growing right on track.