Life Lately

Other than the boys' little updates, blogging once again has been placed on the back burner (#surprisesurprise). But I absolutely LOVE looking back at old entries and seeing what we were up to and how the boys have grown, so I am just going to keep right on blogging, as infrequent as it may be!

Life has been super hectic lately, with birthday parties, get-togethers, soccer games, two nearby hurricanes, and just life in general! I pretty much feel like this picture all the time! Ha!

At the end of August, Wells started playing rec soccer. This is his first year, and he is learning a lot! Eric has been practicing with him at night, and he is getting better and better each day. Grayer usually wants to play, too (he will be on a team next year) and sometimes joins the kiddos on the field before or after practice. And Briggs just hangs out (and sometimes catches a little nap). One night each week and every Saturday morning, you can catch us at the ball park! #soccermomstatus

Also in August, Briggs was dedicated at our church. It was a sweet time with friends and family who came to celebrate with us. And Wells cracked everyone up by plopping right down on the stage steps and practicing his best modeling poses! 

Wells is in PreK4 and Grayer is in a 2-day (morning only) PreK2 program. Why do they look so GROWN walking inside with their book bags????

On Labor Day, we made a quick day trip to Columbia, SC, to meet Eric's sister and mom at the zoo. The boys had a blast, especially at the new splash pad they built since our last trip there. But nobody had a better set-up than Briggs! :)

As usual, there's been lots of playtime! Our house ALWAYS has some kind of train track set up somewhere. Briggs is playing a little bit with toys now, too, which is fun.

Eric planted a little garden next to our front door earlier this year. The last couple of months we have had SO MANY butterflies flying around them! The boys love it, and I think we'll all be sad when they leave once it gets colder. 

Eric and I recently had a little date night while my parents watched the kiddos. We got milkshakes, did a little shopping, and finally got to give Flaco's Tacos a try! Delish!

 We ate lunch with Wells at school on a day that Eric had off from work. It was so fun to see him with all his friends. ...And there was a fake burp contest #because4yearoldboys

Briggs has remained to be the happiest baby on the planet. He is always smiling and just rolls with whatever we are doing. Love my littlest sidekick.

Back in September, we attended a beautiful wedding for close family friends, and the next day we got to eat brunch with my grandparents and my sister and her family who were all in town.

We've had multiple pizza nights lately. The big boys love helping me make them (while eating the toppings, of course!). I am hoping Friday nights will become our pizza + a movie nights because, goodness gracious, I love a good family tradition.

Wells has brought home some adorable artwork from school. Love his first family portrait! And I cracked up at his artwork about making a bad choice at school. 

We took advantage of fall break and headed to Sea World with Eric's family. The boys had a great time, and we have been trying to catch up on sleep ever since! :)

We are in such a busy stage of life right now. Busy schedules, of course, but also just the busyness of having three little ones (someone always needs something!). We are wiped out at the end of each day, but our hearts are truly full. We get to spend each day loving on and laughing with the three greatest blessings we ever could have asked for!

Briggs is FOUR Months!

Our boy is growing so fast and is already four months old! He did lots of new things this month, so here we go...

Weighs: As of his four month check-up, Briggs weighs 17 lbs and is 26 inches long! He is in the 85th or so percentile for size (honestly, less than I thought lol). He is such a big boy, and I love it!

Sleeps: Briggs has continued his nap routine of a mid-morning nap that lasts about an hour or so, an early-mid afternoon nap which lasts about 2 hours, and then a short cat nap in the late afternoon. Depending on the day and our schedule, the times and lengths do change a bit, but for them most part, he sticks with the two good naps and one short one. Little mister started sleeping in his own bed this month and has been doing great! He goes to bed around 8pm with his white noise machine (all the boys had one as babies) and a little nightlight, and typically sleeps for about 5 hours, though sometimes an hour or two longer. Sometimes he wakes up another time in the night, but sometimes I have to wake him up to eat before we take Wells to school. (Side note: I'm guessing it's the dreaded four month sleep regression that both other boys went through, but the last few days, Briggs has not wanted to take his usual naps. And he has been waking up more than once at night. Hopefully this phase is over soon because I was really loving having a champion sleeper!)

Eats: He is still a grazer, eating sometimes every two hours when he is with me. On the two days I'm working, he is still eating about 4.5-5oz every three hours. Last week he had his first taste of baby food - purple carrots! A few weeks ago, I started making and freezing some foods - I always loved doing this for the other boys when they were little. So far he's eaten carrots, peas, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and mashed banana. He's doing really well eating with a spoon. Right now, he is just getting about a tablespoon of food - whatever veggie/fruit plus a little bit of breast milk and a dash of cereal.

Wears: Briggs has been wearing 6-month, 6-9-month, and 9-month clothing. We also bumped him up to a size 3 diaper.

Plays: Briggs is really starting to enjoy playing with some of his toys. When we are in the car (which is NOT his favorite place to be!), I usually put a toy in his lap. I usually hand him a toy when he is in his swing/rocker, as well, and it keeps his attention for a while. He loves putting his hands in his mouth, and any toy he's holding goes straight to his mouth, too! He started sitting in his Bumbo seat this month. I put him in it in the playroom and he just watches the boys do whatever crazy thing they're doing. He is such a smiley baby and laughs a good bit now! He also tried out the little doorway jumper this month. He's not jumping a lot yet, but he must just like to be standing because he'll stay in there for a while without getting upset.

Milestones: I already mentioned that he started food and started sleeping in his crib. He has also started rolling over from back to tummy this month. Pretty much any time you lay him down, he rolls. When I go in to check on him in his crib, he has usually rolled over and is sleeping on his tummy. Briggs also went to the church nursery for the first time last week for a small part of the service. He wasn't crying in church, but he wanted to play! So, I took him to the nursery, where he played and then fell asleep.

Briggs is growing up so fast! I wish time would slow down; but I know it won't, so I am enjoying all the baby-ness while it lasts! We love our littlest big guy so much and can't wait to see all the new things he'll do this month!