Sawyer is Growing

Sawyer is now seven months old.  He is finally starting to grow, and he fits pretty well in the 6 month outfits.  His hair is still baby fine and sticks up on end.  Recently, a lady at church labeled it "happy hair".  The poor guy has had a string of colds and it seems like his nose is always runny; so lately he has been snorting instead of babbling!  I hope it all clears up soon in time for him to start talking.  

Sawyer really loves rolling over now because it helps him to get things that are out of reach.  He can push up very far on his arms but is not ready to make the forward crawling motion with his legs.  If you put him on the hardwood floor or another smooth surface, he will get around pretty well by going backward and sideways!  Benjamin is really entertained by all of this and so excited whenever Sawyer does something new.  For sure I'd say that, aside from mommy, Benjamin is his best friend.  Because I don't always have the available attention that I would like to have for him, I'm glad there's always another smiling face there for him, his big brother.  I'm still hoping that Evan will warm up to him soon.

Sawyer seems like a pretty easy baby overall.  He still has his fussy moments, but he goes with the flow.  He loves being in the Baby Bjorn while I am outside with his brothers; this really helps because I need a hand free for throwing softballs or general errands that the boys always ask for.  Sawyer also goes down pretty easily for his naps and nighttime sleep.  He is on a solid two long naps schedule with a short one in the evening so we can make  and/or eat dinner.  He has also done great when we leave him at the church or gym nursery.  Really, what else could a mommy ask for??  He's just my sweet little guy.

Seriously, does it get any cuter/sweeter than this??

 Sawyer does enjoy being outdoors and will be happy for a little while on the towel while I throw balls to the big brothers.

This is classic Sawyer (really classic for all 3 boys as babies).  We may just have to get new carpet or replace it all after Sawyer is done.

Here Sawyer is trying to get to the duck, about three minutes after I put him down one foot away from it!

Benjamin is such a great big brother.  He always loves to entertain Sawyer with his silly antics.  He helps me when I have to leave Sawyer for a minute.

Sawyer at 6 months

It is definitely time for a Sawyer update!  My littlest boy turned 6 months before Christmas.  We found out that he is very little and the doctor asked us to fatten him up.  Since then he has had his little face stuffed on a daily basis.  Lucky guy!  Sawyer has been nothing but a delight in our family.  He smiles and laughs so much.  Benjamin absolutely loves making him laugh with silly sounds and funny moves.  I think Evan is warming up to him too, but he still tends to be a little too rough.  

Sawyer has been sitting up well for a while now, and even took a couple of baths in the tub with his brothers.  When we put him on his tummy he will lift up with his arms straight and kick his back legs.  He just can't wait to crawl and play with his older brothers.  He can also roll over both ways.  He recently learned to roll from back to tummy to reach his toys.  Sawyer just seems like such a sweet, affectionate little boy.  I can see the fun times coming in full force very soon.

Sawyer loves to eat and will pretty much gobble down anything that we give him.  So far his favorites are pears, carrots, and Vegetable Turkey Dinner (an old fav of Benjamin's).  He does not seem too keen on bananas and mangos but I think the added citric acid made them a little too tart.  I should just puree them myself.  Of course, it would help to have more time.  Certainly if I did I would make him the most gourmet baby food on a daily basis ;)

New Year's Eve 2012

Lance and I planned a night away at the last minute.  We decided to stay at a hotel downtown and take in a show at the Paramount theater.  We were lucky enough to see one of our favorites, Bob Schneider.  We discovered a new band, Saints of Valory, who opened for Bob.  We go out so infrequently and hardly ever hear new bands, so it was great to find a new one that we like.  We ate dinner at a charming Italian restaurant and stayed at the Stephen F Austin hotel.  It was my first night away from Sawyer, who spent the night with Amma and Papa.  The older boys spent the night with Granmom and Grandad.  From the looks of the photos that we got, it seems as though they had about as good of a time as we did!  What an awesome way to end this year, which has been so incredibly amazing for our family.  God has really blessed us, we hardly feel that we deserve such a life!

A Look Back at the Holidays

All over the world today, thousands of mothers are writing a similar post about just finally getting around to blogging after the busy holidays.  Hey, January fourth really is not too bad, is it?  After all, we just had Evan's birthday!  Its hard to know where to start, but maybe I'll just put up some photos and make comments about them.  I will say that it was generally a fabulous couple of weeks, albeit extremely full and tiring.  Having the boys home all week really made a difference in the amount of time I had to keep up with important household duties, and especially with this blog!

This little guy showed up at our house shortly after Thanksgiving.  We named him "Gelf the Look Elf", and the boys just loved waking up to see where he showed up next.  I must say, he was quite creative in finding new places to hang out.  We should be seeing him again next December!

As can be seen by the photo, the Vaughns got plenty of gifts this year.  To be fair, this is pretty much all of it since I did most of my shopping on line.  After all, who wants to go out in the cold, scary shopping world when one can order gifts from the comfort of home?  

This gorgeous angel announcing the birth of our Lord and Savior was the only Christmas decoration on our lawn.  I was happy with her because she reminds us of the true Christmas.  The greatest gift of all!

Speaking of gifts, Sawyer received his very first Christmas gift at Amma and Papa's house on Christmas Eve.  The wrapping was actually a lot more prized than the actual gift, a stuffed Curious George.

Of course with the kids out of school for so long, mommy got a little worn down and our house was swimming with laundry and boxes.  However, we did manage to have some fun during those days.  One particular instance involved Evan and a game of dress up.  Doesn't he look cute!?  I finally "got my girl"!

Christmas morning was magical as expected.  Benjamin was very quick to notice that he got all of what he had asked from Santa.  The boys were practically jumping out of their skin while opening their stockings.  Favorite gifts included a boomerang, remote control car for Evan, hula hoop, and a marshmallow shooter.

Amma got the boys a puppet theater.  They have been more focused on the toys that provide immediate gratification (marshmallow shooter and remote control car), but I'm sure we will have many fun afternoons with it.  As you can see, Evan was working on a story about a mouse.

The holidays were also full of plenty of brotherly love and togetherness.  Benjamin and Sawyer are the best of friends.  Benjamin and Evan were the plaid shirt twins at family gatherings.  We enjoyed spending time at family parties, and the boys loved all the goodies.

After Christmas we went for our traditional dinner at the Four Seasons to see the train and gingerbread house village.  It is different every year, and its always fun to see what Austin landmarks have been replicated with candy and frosting.  Unfortunately, I only got one shot of it, and no pictures with the boys :(

We managed to make another big change in our lives over the holiday season.  Lance talked me into joining a local gym that provides childcare while you work out.  We went for a tour and the boys thought they would love it, so it was enough to convince me. You can barely make out the picture below where Lance is taking a cycling class.  Lance and I have also enjoyed a kickboxing class that we have taken together.  Sawyer is doing great in the nursery! 

Overall it was really wonderful holiday season.  We talked with the boys more about Jesus, and worked on praying more every night.  Lance and I are really focusing on our parenting these days and, with the help of the Lord, our boys will come to know and love Him.  We felt a little guilty about buying so many material things and debated about how "Biblical" this is.  On the other hand, we did make sure to give more to charity this year.  Through our church we provided provisions for children in Haiti and donated chairs for a church in Africa in the name of the Vaughn family.  But Lance and I know we need to do more, and this is an important goal for 2013.

Evan Turns 3!

On a quiet, cloudy day yesterday, Evan turned 3.  Just 3 years ago, this sweet and charming boy entered our lives and we were forever changed.  This birthday seemed special, because for the first time he really understood that he was getting bigger.  This year he knew more about what birthdays are and the excitement was noticeably greater.  We counted down the days and with each one Evan's grin got wider.  

We gathered at Chuy's with Amma and Papa, Granmom and Grandad, and had a festive Mexican feast before heading home to open gifts and eat cupcakes.  On the way home Evan sang along to "Go Tell it On the Mountain"!  I was surprised at how well he remembered the words.  He was shouting out so loud when we got out of the car.  It just made me realize how, when a child turns 3, they really seem to come into their own personality.  I really noticed this in Evan yesterday and it was great to see.  

Because it is just after Christmas, Evan's birthday comes before any of us are ready.  The boys still haven't played with half of their Christmas gifts, and here we are opening MORE GIFTS!  It was nice for Evan, though, because this time the day was all about him and the gifts were his.  Benjamin took part in the gift-giving this year, and gave Evan an angry birds sleeping bag and pillow.  He also presented Evan's motorized vehicle by riding it into the living room.  So far, there have only been a few minor disagreements about whose turn it is to ride.  We'll see how that goes this afternoon when they get back from "Winter Camp"!