Do we love pink or what?

We've succombed to the pink, and I'm very okay with that. People still ask me if I wish we "could" have a boy. I've never had a son, so I don't know, but I can tell you one thing (or two)--I LOVE my girls! And they are so much fun! And I really don't feel limited because I have three daughters. We play baseball and trains, we watch the Superbowl and crash cars, we get dirty (girl style) and yet I don't have to worry about cross dressing or bugs!! It's really great. Long story short, I can't imagine not having any one of my daughters. I love them each and they are beautiful and lovely and special! Here's to princesses!

I just can't get enough

Mommy's girl and loving it!

It's enough to make one baby hungry, even right after having a baby! Perhaps this is to remind me for next time! :)

Firehouse

Law Partners usually has an annual tour of the Firehouse for their Children's Hour. This is one of Katie's favorites. Each time we drive by this firehouse, we check to see if the fire trucks are "home", or out helping people. It was especially meaningful for Katie because she'd seen the fire at the Provo Tabernacle, sparking many discussions about fires, fireman, fire safety, etc and they had a plaque with pictures of the Tabernacle fire displayed at the firehouse.

This year it was on Valentine's Day. We had a fun tour and then the fireman lifted each child up and set them in the firetruck. You can see that Amanda didn't really approve of the fireman picking her up and leaving her high up in the truck! It was fun. Thanks firemen!

I'm a Cowboy

Horsey joined us at Christmas time. Amanda loves to ride him. (Usually she rides and plays the flute seen at horsey's feet). The other night, right at bedtime, Amanda came running down the stairs with her hat on. She kept calling, "I'm a cowboy! I'm a cowboy!" We don't really do much cowboy play at our house and we've rarely even talked about them, but she seemed to make the connection that cowboys wear hats, and since she'd refound her hat, she's a cowboy!

The Gymnast

Katie completed another round of gymnastics at the community center. Her favorite is the uneven bars. She is so strong and I hope she keeps it up. She seems to do better and like gymnastics more than dance. She seems to be ready for more challenge though. Her group is 4-6 year olds and she gets bored with what she's given.

Mandy was a good sport watching Katie for the season, trying to stay of the mat, chasing balls, and practicing 2 year old jumping jacks. Both winners!

Faces of Ellie

I haven't posted anything for a while, and I'm just now uploading the camera for the first time since about Christmas. Needless to say, I see lots of changes in our newest little family member. She's getting so big! (Really, she's still pretty small). We get her weighed next week so I'm anxious to see how much she's gained. She's getting a pretty good routine, having a couple of small naps and usually one long daytime nap. The best part-she's getting a 5-6 hour stretch of sleep at night, and sometimes even a 7 hour! That feels good! I wish I could say I've slept so much, but we've been sick, so when I'm not up with Ellie, I've been up with Katie, and now Amanda. Hopefully soon we'll be healthy (and not pass it to Ellie) and we ALL can start to get more sleep.
Ellie is a sweetheart. She loves to cuddle. She's started smiling to us for about the past 7-10 days. They are SO hard to catch on camera, but worth all the work! I think having babies gets better with each one because I am really enjoying Ellie. I hardly even mind doing everything with one hand while I keep her close! (That used to bug me when I wanted to just be "free" for a few minutes!)
Anyway, here's the pictures we're really waiting for!

Just like her predecessors (her sisters), she wiggles her hand up to her face!

"How I feel about my bath--yuck!" (we're still trying to get the hang of feeling secure!)

Some of our first smiles! So precious!

"I'm working on building strong muscles. Look at me!"

Sweet, drowsy smiles!

Not sure why babies look so cute with bear ears, but they do!

"Hey, there's a nose on my face!!"

And yes, sometimes this happens too!

Ellie update

We're still alive here and enjoying our sweet baby. She is a doll and I love that she is still so tiny. Katie LOVES to hold her and feels deprived if she doesn't get to hold her for long stretches of time. I hope it doesn't wear off! Amanda just loves to kiss her, which is fine with me since Amanda sure has a hard time holding still just by herself, let alone with a baby on her lap! Ellie is already changing. Her face is losing some of that newborn puffiness. Her eyes are looking more blue-grey (to Dad's delight) and less hazel-hinted (Mom was hoping for Dad's eyes) and her eyes look much more focused, less newborn-glazed. Ellie is starting to get into a pattern of eating and sleeping. Somehow, the nights are still rough though. That idea of eat and go back to sleep without indigestion is evading us. But we're working on it and she's worth it! Here are some fun pictures.

No, Katie and Amanda didn't beat her, she just fell asleep on her hand! My goodness!

"My mom said not to talk to strangers, but I feel like I might know you. . . ."

I LOVE baby rumpies!

Ellie still loves to be curled up into a tiny ball. I appreciate this because that means three weeks ago she was almost never pushing up into my ribs! She is a tiny bundle of baby-smelling yumminess! And we love, Love, LOVE Noelle!