Sesame Street

Ashton and I had our first date night since his 3rd birthday.  We had pizza and then joined some friends for Sesame Street Music.  Ashton had a great time with this friends.

Happy 1st Birthday, Christian

Wow, my baby is a year old!!!!



For Christian's birthday, we decided on a Very Hungry Caterpillar theme.  We had his party at Stephen Decatur Park on September 22, 2012 since this was the only day available in September.  It was windy, but the weather was perfect and it seemed the kids had a great time.

Christian was not a fan of his smash cake...ha, ha. I was surprised and thought for sure he would love it.




On his actual birthday, we had my parents over along with my mother-in-law to celebrate with some pizza and cupcakes....again, he didn't want any cake



Christina is walking all over the place and is so proud of himself. It's funny to watch him walk, look over his shoulder and laugh. He is such a happy baby!

Some fun facts:
~Weights about 22lbs
~wearing 12-18 months
~size 3 diapers
~still wakes multiple times a night
~still nursing like a champ
~sleeping in bed with mommy and Ashton
~repeats any sounds that I make at him
~loves to play with the older kids at daycare
~started to bite when he's frustrated

Christian is 11 months.....

and boy is he FUN! 

Christian now:
~has his two bottom teeth with the 4 top on the way - swollen gums!
~Is starting to take his first steps. 
~Loves to laugh at his big brother
~is the best hugger!
~is starting to eat a variety of foods now that he has his two teeth - still very limited though
~Still sleeping with me and Ashton
~nursing all during the night - I think it's the teething
~enjoys day care and the ladies there love him to pieces
~wearing size 3 diapers and 12 month clothing
~his hair is really growing in thicker and it's as blond as can be
~would rather play with toy trucks than his baby toys
~loves to ride on the back on my bike...doesn't make a peep!
~has started to get on his rocking horse and rock back and forth..so cute!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ashton

I think I've written this post several times.  Ashton, you are more than I could have even imagined. You are my world and I would be lost without you. You make me whole world!  Three years ago you made my life complete!  You are a challenge at times and like to push my buttons, but it's all good. The way you say, "Mommy, I love you so much!" or the times you say, "Mommy, you a meatball!" and of course Daddy taught you to say, "Mommy, you so pretty!" You melt my heart everyday. Thank you for the best three years of my life.

At three years of age Ashton is:
-almost potty trained - he is trying hard
-the vocabulary is spilling out of his mouth. Each day he surprises me with something new
-still sleeping with me
-is attending preschool and has gotten a lot better about leaving me
-loves riding big boy rides
-has a best friend - Hunter from preschool
-also has been known to hug a few little girls in school
-knows the numbers 1-10
-know most of the colors of the rainbow
-is learning to ride his big boy bike
-can kick a ball like it's his job (we start soccer this fall)
-loves all things guns (I hate it!)
-is all about cars & trucks
-terrible eater
-loves milk!
-wearing a size 4 diaper or size 2T pull up and 3T-4T clothing already
-weighs about 34lbs and about 34" tall (I think)
-talks in his sleep sometimes
-maybe I am biased - but seriously - he is sooo cute!


For Ashton's third birthday party, we celebrated at Coco's Fun House in Salisbury.  He had a great time.  He had his best friend, Hunter, at the party and he couldn't have been happier!  He had an awesome Spider Man ice cream cake.






Since his birthday fell during the week, we opted to have a separate family function on his actual birthday, August 14.  I took the day off and we headed to Frontier Town - my favorite place when I was his age.  At first he was super scared but soon warmed up. The cutest part was when the train was 'robbed' and he was asked to put his hands up - his eyes were as large as saucers and his arms went up faster than ever!  Hilarious!

Happy 4th Birthday, Makua!

Other 'first baby' turned 4 on August 2.  Makua is the best dog we could ask for....the kids pull his tail, pinch him and tumble over him all the time! His defence -- he licks them until they stop :-)

Christian is 10 months!

I know I say this every month, but Christian is growing up way too fast!





Here are some fun facts:
~crawling so fast
~walking around furniture
~can now say, ma-ma when he wants me
~puts his arms in the air if we ask him how big he is
~claps his hands together
~pushes his trucks on the floor
~walks behind a push toy
~still nursing (and it seems to be all.the.time at night)
~enjoying solids more although he spits out the chunks
~is still sleeping with me and Ashton
~gives everyone a hard time when we change his clothes or diaper
~wearing 12 month old clothing/size 3 diapers
~dances when music comes on
~loves to ride on the baby seat while bike riding
~loves to be kissed
~makes raspberries all the time
~mocks any noise that we make at him
~loves to take a bath
~loves, loves the ocean and the beach
~weighs about 22lbs

Christina is seriously the easiest, happiest baby to be around. He is such a joy and everyone just loves him to pieces.  He loves being around Ashton and his cousin, Bailey!  He is a cuddle bug and I can't get enough of him and his beautiful smiles.

BBQ fun

Tiffany, Uncle Brian's main squeeze, had us over for a BBQ.  We had a great time meeting her family and playing with all the kids.  Makes us happy to be around family/friends and meeting new people.

More fireworks!

The evening before the 4th of July celebrations, my friend Brandy invited us to view the fireworks from the parking lot of her church.  I didn't realize how much fun it could be!  Ashton had tons of little kids his age running around!  This is just what I have been waiting for since we moved back to Maryland......tons of kids running around and having fun!



More photos to follow once I get them off my phone.

4th of July 2012

Happy 236th Birthday!  We had a fun day that started with a play date with my friend Clara's two kids. The amazing thing about this is they are the same ages, will attend the same schools and will be in the same class...plus the live less than two miles from us!  Wahoo!




After the play date and nap times, we headed to the boardwalk for some excitement!  There were so many people there!!  We were lucky enough to have a great view from our friends parents condo on 3rd St.  Christian was a tad scared but as soon as he saw the lights he was just fine. Ashton could have really cared less, he was too interested in the new toy trucks he was playing with!

9 months!

Christian is quite the ham these days. He loves going to daycare because he gets all the lovin there!  They ladies just love him to pieces and spoil him like mad!  He is cruising all over, crawling as fast as he can and smiling up a storm.  He is just the best baby!  Here are some fun facts about the little man in my life:
~Still no teeth!!!
~is cruising around the couch to the end tables
~as soon as he sees Makua's water bowl he crawls as fast as he can to splash in it
~'talks' and yells when he wants something - very vocal kid!
~spent his first time without me - I had to go to Atlanta for 5 nights. Nana and Daddy made out great!
~since I was gone and the breast milk ran out, he had his first formula and gobbled it down without issues!!
~Is still sleeping with mommy and Ashton. 
~wakes multiple times a night to nurse
~is starting to have separation issues - he cries when I drop him off at day care and will grunt if I am in the room and he wants me
~Is eating all sorts of soft foods.
~Wearing a size 3 diaper and 9-12 month clothing
~about 21 lbs and 31" in length - big boy!

Ocean City beach fun

We finally headed to the beach this past week so that we could put our toes in the sand and the Atlantic ocean. The water was refreshing and the sand was warm! Christian had a lot of fun playing with his water table and Ashton had a great time hunting for sand crabs.

Splash, splash!

The weather sure is hot in Maryland.  We finally received our PODS so we were able to pull some of the kids toys out.  Christian loves to splash and Ashton loves to run so what better way to cool off than some water table fun and sprinkler fun!


Check out those baby rolls!!!

Surprise!

Uncle Dale came for a visit!  Uncle Dale  had only met Ashton once and that was when he was 4 months old. It was fun to watch all the Winter boys play and tease one another. Uncle Dale taught Ashton 'seefood' - thanks, Uncle Dale!

Fun on the boards

one of the fun things about living back in Ocean City, MD is the boardwalk!  There is rides, food, games and PEOPLE!  Ashton just loves going.  Here are some photos from fathers day weekend. Ashton has no fear - he was riding rides much faster than I thought he would. Christian just smiled and laughed at his big brother as he always does.

Happy Father's Day

What better way to say Happy Fathers Day than by the D-A-D photo. I had all of 3 minutes to pull this off. After we were done, I noticed I had a huge smear on my lens thus the reason of the blur. Oh well, Ashton and Christian did great. I had to bribe Ashton with some lolly pops to get him to sit still.


Notice Ashton being a little rascal?!?

I can't forget my Daddy! It was nice to finally spend a father's day with him - first time in over 8 years.  He always wanted to plant a tree with the boys, so that is what we got him.

8 months...

where has the time gone?!? It seems like yesterday I was updating his 7 month profile! Christan has really turned the corner on so many things. Here are a few:
~Is crawling everywhere! Even does the one leg walk, crawl
~Says, "mumumu" - which to me means mama - he only says it when he sees me
~Is pulling up and starting to stand on his own
~Is eating all sorts of food - we are now moving on to chunky foods
~loves Mum-Mums for his snack
~Is taking big boy baths with his brother
~has his first plane ride and slept most of the time.
~would rather be held than be on the floor
~is still sleeping with me and Ashton
~is attending a new day care - Stages and seems to be adjusting well
~puts any and everything in his mouth - still NO teeth
~wears 9 months and size 3 diaper
~kisses when he feels like it.
~loves to dance

Memorial Day

This is the first holiday that we were able to spend with both sets of family since we've moved back. It was so nice to enjoy crabs while someone else helped with the kids. Check out our awesome family!






Christan had his first dip in the pool and he had a blast! Ashton had not been swimming since Christian was born so he had a blast as well. It's so nice to be home with family

Bath time!

Christan is finally able to join his big brother in the bath tub!  These two are such a good team. Ashton is all about his little brother and vise versa.  they love each other so much.  They now sleep next to one another, eat side by side and play together.  Ashton can still be a bit rough, but Christian gives it right back by pulling hair and skin. So cute!  I love these two boys more than the world!

Hello Maryland...

We finally made it to MD - after two lay overs and a long drive we finally made it to the good ole Eastern Shore. The grandparents were so happy to see the kids and Ashton was even more excited to fulfil his dream of riding tractors and dump trucks! Since we've gotten here, Ashton has really started to increase his vocabulary in ways I didn't think were possible. I am so proud of him!



The expression is priceless!

Bye, bye Tutu!

Friday, May 18th was the last day in Hawaii and it was the last day at Tutu's house. I know that Ashton will miss her dearly!  We all will!

Christian is 7 months!

Can you believe that Christian is 7 months?!  Where has the time gone? Christian is such an easy going little boy.  He loves to cuddle, play with his brother and as of lately, crawl around.

~he is very aware of his surroundings and follows all things that move
~still no teeth
~just started to crawl (2 days after he turned 7 months)
~is tall and lean
~still nursing all.the.time - I wish that it was helping me lose weight!
~not sleeping though the night and eating about 5 times
~puts everything in his mouth
~has tried almost every fruit and vegetable and doesn't have a favorite but loves to eat on a mum-mum
~loves to take a bath
~is pretty content with whatever so long he is being held
~will break his neck to watch tv - especially Sesame Street
~laughs with a big ole belly laugh
~drinks with a sippy cup during meals. He really likes water
~had his 3rd ear infection
~wearing 6-9 month clothing and size 3 diapers

Vist from Uncle Greg and Auntie Kalani

Since we will be moving back to the mainland, we have been having a lot of visitors.

Uncle Greg and Auntie Kalani (hanai family) came to spend some time with the boys. The boys sure did love all the attention they received.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!





The Easter Bunny ate his carrots and skittles that we left the evening before, left Ashton a basket full of treats and toys and Christian was left some baby food and Mum-Mums.




After we found all the eggs the Easter Bunny left around the house, we headed to The Willows for brunch and another Easter egg hunt with the Britt Family. Ashton is a great egg hunter - he found the golden egg and won a huge Easter Basket full of MORE candy and toys..lucky guy!



After The Willows, we hung around the house, ate candy and napped.

Polo at Mokuleia

We spent last Sunday at the opening Polo field games. It was like a big tailgating party with tents, toys and fun in the sun! We were lucky to have the beach in the background the the fields in the front. We had to get there super early to reserve a good spot. I wish we had found out about this place sooner!



It was quite warm so Ashton had a nice time cooling off in his water table - clothes on and all!

Easter Egg Hunt

This was Ashton's first Easter Egg hunt. We went to Kapolei Park with Riis and family. Ashton and Riis had fun playing together before the big event.

Ashton wasn't quite sure what to think of the eggs until he realized there was candy in the eggs. He would add the eggs to his bucket and sort of stare up at us like why am I doing this?! Super cute!

Christian slept the entire time..next year should be fun for him.

6 months

Wow, a half year has flown by! Christian is such an amazing little boy. We just love him to pieces. His little personality is starting to shine though. He is very inquisitive, strong and intelligent.

Christian can now:
~Sit unassisted
~understands to put the popping balls back into his dino ball popper
~Is starting to pull his knees up during tummy time while pushing up - he could be crawling soon!
~Is starting to not like strangers - that bottom lip pops outs when someone he doesn't know tries to hold him or even talk to him
~Is still sleeping with mommy and Ashton
~Sleeping a long stretch in the beginning of the night (7:30 - midnight) and then wakes up multiple times from 3:00 am - 5:00 am and is up for the day between 5:00 am and 5:30 am.
~Still nursing multiple times thought the day and night.
~We just started him on solids - an apple was his first food followed by rice cereal.
~Takes 4 naps (one cat nap in the early morning around 6:30am - 7:15), then another from 9:00 am - 11:00 am and then another from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm and then a cat nap for about 30 minutes around 5:00 pm
~Has been to the beach a few times now and is not a big fan of the cold water on his toes.
~Everything goes in his mouth
~Wears size 3 diapers and 9 month old clothing


I've added the stats from his 6 month well baby check up on 4/5/12

Weight:
Birth Weight: 7 lbs 15.9 oz
2 days: 7 lbs 9.4 oz (43.55%)
18 days: 9 lbs 1.9 oz (52.45%)
9 weeks: 13lb 4.7oz (83.31%)
19 weeks: 16lbs 5.2oz (70.55%)
6 months: 17lbs 14.4 oz (54%)

Height:
Birth Height: 19.69" (50.17%)
2 days: 19.69" (50.17%)
18 days: 22.25" (90.20%)
9 weeks: 24.25" (89.23%)
19 weeks: 26.75" (92.96%)
6 months: 28" (90.64%)

HC:
Birth HC: 13.19" (13.39%)
2 days: 13.19" (13.39%)
18 days: 14.49" (36.55%)
9 weeks: 16.26" (80.03%)
19 weeks: 16.89" (60.87%)
6 months: 17.52" (68.22%)


check out my handsome little man

Easter Bunny!

We went to visit with the Easter Bunny and Ashton loved him. He was a little cautious at first but quickly warmed up. Christian could of cared less.

Yum!

Christan has been eyeing my food up for quite some time, so yesterday I caved and gave him some rice cereal.....as you can see, he LOVED it and seemed to be starved! I have been giving him my apple to suck on for a few days and he loves it.

My Lucky Charms

How cute are these kids?! It's the only in focus photo I got from our mini session. Oh well.

The boys sure are growing..

Here are some photos from the past few weeks of the boys.



Christian has been battling an ear infection that won't go away, teething crazy, he is learning to sit and is still the happiest baby in the world! This kid loves to smile! He is now rolling like a champ from both directions and all around the living room floor. He loves to watch his big brother play.



Ashton is growing leaps and bounds and talking up a storm. I am so proud of how far he has come. He has been working with a speech therapist about three times a month and has really come out of his shell. He is now saying 5 word sentences (not consistent and they sometimes are backwards) which is far cry from where we were a few months ago. I guess they talk when they are ready. It's so much fun to talk with him. Ashton finally is able to shaka (that is the picture of him in his car seat)...so funny to watch him master the thumb and pinkie!!!



Both these boys are more than I could have ever asked for. Yes, they give me a run for my money, but I would not trade my life for anything in the world. It's hard raising these kids with just the two of us, but we've made it work and I am so proud of my husband for being an amazing father. He loves those boys and me more than anything. He works so hard to make us happy! I'm sure he never reads these posts, but if you do babe, thank you! I fall in love with you more each day. You're more than I could have ever imagined.

Happy Birthday, Kristin

This year was Kristin's big 30! Wahoo! I had my first evening out without the boys since Christian was born (5.5 months ago). It was fun to actually get dressed up and put on some make-up while the hubs was in charge of evening duty (bath and bed). We went to Roys for a yummy dinner. Adam told me that Ashton wanted to find me, so they got all dressed in their 'winter' clothes to go outside in the dark to look for me! I love them!





Shameless self-portoriat (the kids may want to know what I look like), LOL!, Kristin blowing our her candels and Ashton all geared up to find Mommy.

Choo, Choo...

Ashton has been begging to go to the "maall" to ride the "choo, choo" for a few weeks now, so on Sunday Riis & Kristen met us at Dole Plantation to ride their train. Of course it was raining and cold and my kids had on shorts and t-shirts....ding, ding...mother of the year award...I didn't have a sweatshirt or umbrella for my kids...all I had was a beach towel..nice, huh? I wasn't about to pay $40 for a kids sweatshirt so we used the beach towel as an umbrealla and sweatshirt.

Riis and Ashton as so cute together. They are finally able to really play with one another. Ashton is always asking me about Riis these days...

Christian is 5 months old!

Wow, what a month. We've had one sick little boy with Christan. Thank goodness he was feeling much better after a little over a week. Poor guy had bronchitis.

Here are some photos from our session today.



~Christian can now sit tripod (or alone sometimes)
~Rolled from belly to back today (I think it was a fluke though - he has his arm already tucked under his belly)
~Would rather be held now than be on his play mat
~Loves to watch his big brother play with his trucks
~Puts any and everything into his mouth
~He loves to suck on his big toe
~Is sleeping pretty well - I am thinking he only wakes up once or twice a night
~Prefers to sleep on his belly
~Still sleeping with mommy and Ashton
~Wakes up at 5:00 am
~Wearing 9 month old clothing and size 3 diapers
~His bald spots are starting to fill in with hair - he does have a bald spot that will always be that way - I don't remember the name but he was born without skin on a spot on his head - thus no hair follicles.
~Still is not a fan of his car seat.
~Is about 17lbs or so

My handsome boys

Christian is 4 months 3 weeks old


Ashton is 2 years 6 months old

Ashton & Mommy day

at the Honolulu Zoo. Tutu was closed on Feb 14, so I took the day off so that Ashton and I could spent a day together, just the two of us. We had a great time. Ashton ended up getting a small cut on his chin by the end of the day (some kid rushed him on the stairs of the playground), but he was a trooper!

Happy Birthday, Riis

Riis had her puppy themed party last Saturday. Ashton had a great time swimming, eating cupcakes and playing with water balloons! Kristin did a great job with the decorations! Too cute!

Cute kids...

enough said!

Guess who is 4 months old!

Christian is an amazing, happy baby! Christian loves to be cuddled, his swing, Sophie the giraffe, being carrier in his carrier, to check out the world around him, and of course, he loves his big brother!

Some fun facts about Christian:
~he can roll from back to belly like a pro. He's so fast
~he puts any and everything in his mouth
~Christian has found his toes and loves to suck on his big toe
~he is able to grasp an object and put it in his mouth
~weights a little less than 16lbs (I can't remember the exact ounces)
~loves to fall asleep in his swing over me rocking him to sleep or even nursing to sleep
~has a great time at daycare (4 girls and 1 boy)
~had his first ear infection
~still loves to 'talk'
~has a super strong head and back
~likes to sit in his bumbo for short periods of time
~with me Christian usually naps about 4 times a day with 30 minute - 2 hour naps
~he still wakes up multiple times a night to nurse (I'd rather not count, but I am thinking about 3-4 times)
~still sleeping with me and Ashton
~wears a size 3 diaper but he is really between the 2 and 3
~wears at least 6 month old clothing but more on the 9 month side


I really and try to get Ashton in these photos so we can watch him grow with Christian. But boy is Ashton on the move...most photos of him are blurry these days!

I've added the stats from his well baby check up on 2/9/12

Weight:
Birth Weight: 7 lbs 15.9 oz
2 days: 7 lbs 9.4 oz (43.55%)
18 days: 9 lbs 1.9 oz (52.45%)
9 weeks: 13lb 4.7oz (83.31%)
19 weeks: 16lbs 5.2oz (70.55%)

Height:
Birth Height: 19.69" (50.17%)
2 days: 19.69" (50.17%)
18 days: 22.25" (90.20%)
9 weeks: 24.25" (89.23%)
19 weeks: 26.75" (92.96%)

HC:
Birth HC: 13.19" (13.39%)
2 days: 13.19" (13.39%)
18 days: 14.49" (36.55%)
9 weeks: 16.26" (80.03)
19 weeks: 16.89" (60.87%)

Check out our little man


Mama loves you, Christian! You are such a blessing and I am so thankful God chose me to be your mommy! I love you and your brother more than you'll ever know.