Carter & Jameson's 4th Birthday!!

Carter and Jameson are 4 years old!! Holy Moly!! I literally didn't think I'd ever see this day. These boys have been the biggest and hardest blessing of my life!! 

I wrote in my journal several times right after the boys were born, it was often at 3am when I was up with a crying baby, this is an excerpt from my journal when the boys were just a few weeks old -

"People say they miss the newborn phase, I don't think I will miss this part of the newborn phase. It is exhausting." and another one "I am exhausted. I don't remember how much sleep I get anymore because I am too tired"

And 4 years later do I miss the twin newborn phase? A big fat NO!!! It was the most exhausting and trying time of my life! It's a good thing they were cute and snuggly or I would have for sure sent them back.

Anyway, back to their birthday!

We started the birthday celebration a day early by going up to City Creek and meeting Daddy for lunch. 

We had dessert first and enjoyed cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Then they played on the dinosaur playground area for another hour and a half until we had to go. I had to drag them out of there, they were having so much fun! It's always a blast when we get to go to lunch with Daddy!

On their actual birthday the plan was for me to get up before them and get everything ready to start the birthday celebration! But they were just so excited, they ended up waking up just after 6am. I still had things to get ready so I let them watch Cars in my bed. This was a big deal since the TV has been banned for 6+ months and we only turn it on for family movie nights (or when Dad wants to take a nap and Mom is gone, haha). They were in heaven. haha. 

They were so excited that their door was decorated and kept asking me how I decorated it. There were also balloons all over the hallway with candy inside of them, they thought that was amazing and went around and popped all the balloons to get the candy out. 

We had breakfast, which I made of pancakes spelling out "Happy Birthday" they thought that was cool, but preferred to eat the donuts instead. haha. 

It was a Thursday so they got to go to preschool on their birthday! We brought donuts to their class, their class sang to them and they got birthday crowns. They thought that was super cool!

After preschool we took donuts to the firemen at the fire station, the boys wanted to wear their fire chief costumes to let the firemen know they were serious business. The firemen were super friendly and showed them around the both fire trucks and the ambulance. The fireman put all their gear on and let them get inside the firetruck and look around. They also had a big dog named Blaze at the station that was super friendly. The boys loved that! 

We also took donuts to the policemen at the Police Station, but we didn't get to tour around. They did get Lehi Police stickers and thought that was cool. 

We spent the rest of the day playing outside and enjoying the warm weather. The hammock swing has been a big hit with the boys. They just kept begging me over and over again to keep pushing them around in circles. It was a good 45 minutes of swinging, they loved it!

 They requested chicken nuggets and french fries for dinner, so that's what we had.  And one of them may have been mad that they weren't chicken nuggets and french fries from McDonalds. (eye roll)

Matt gave the boys matching hats, which they love. The hats were too big so we had to exchange them, and one child may have been mad that it was too big at first. Which then led to a big discussion on how to be appreciative and thankful for what we have. Oiy, kids can be hard sometimes! 

Their primary teacher brought over capes and masks for the boys, that was a huge hit! They liked running around being superheros. 

And have worn their masks almost daily since. Cutest superheros I've ever seen!

The boys had a big Art Party with all their friends and family. We did party prep by decorating their art aprons. We really like eye balls in our house. haha. 

The party was so much fun! They had so many friends and family come, they were for sure spoiled! The boys loved painting, eating the candy off the tables and opening presents. They loved each one of their presents, they got so many cool trucks and games and water toys. 

One of their friends in the ward gave them a painting class for their birthday. We went a few days after the party and had such a fun time! The kids each have a canvas and the teacher gives instructions on what to paint. Both the boys did such a good job following the instructions and loved painting! It was such a fun gift! 

The boys had such a fun birthday! We are so lucky to have them in our family! They are sweet, loving, smart, and just wonderful boys and we love them dearly! 

Hutch 10 Months

10 months! We are so close to a year, it is killing me to think about my baby turning a year old. 

We have had the busiest, most fun month! The first part of the month we went to Hawaii, all the boys stayed home. The twins went to Grandma's house and Hutch went to his cousins house. 

The trip caused me a lot of anxiety. I was NOT anxious about leaving the twins, I was beyond excited to leave them. haha. But I was anxious to leave little Hutch. That was the first time being away from him and I was just nervous on how he'd do and if he'd remember me when we got home. 

He did so good and was very well taken care of. He was spoiled rotten by his cousins and Aunt and Uncle. We are definitely indebted to Peter and Wendi for watching a baby for a week! That is not a small task!!!

This month we let everyone in on a little secret. Baby #4 is coming SOON! A lot sooner than anyone expected, but we are BEYOND excited for another baby!

And we are excited for another BOY! I never in my wildest dreams would have thought I would be an all boy mom. But I am so glad that is what God has in store for me. Boys are a blast! 

We have enjoyed tiny bits of warm weather when it comes. Hutch was loving the swing at the park one second, and then completely scared the next. It was funny to watch his facial expressions change each time he swung back and forth. 

Going down the slide with his brothers. He loved it! 

We went up to SLC and had lunch with Matt and cousins. The twins and Hutch had a blast playing at the dinosaur play area at City Creek. We always have fun going to lunch with Daddy!

Rare sighting- all 3 boys playing together. Usually the twins notice Hutch crawling up to them and yell at him and push him away. This time Hutch snuck up to them and he was able to get a few minutes of playing in before they noticed and banished him. 

This month Matt turned the big 3-0! We were traveling back from Hawaii on his birthday, so it was a pretty uneventful 30th birthday. But we did just spend an entire week in paradise, so I don't feel too bad for him. ;)

We had a fun indoor camp out. The boys were all so excited to set up the big tent, they loved playing in it and getting all their bedding set up. We watched a movie together then put the boys to bed and Matt and I went upstairs to sleep. I'm not sleeping in the tent if I don't have to! The twins slept in the tent all night while Hutch slept in his crib. They had a blast and kept asking when we can go camping again. 

We went to the Rock Show with the Johansen side. It was Hutch's first time, he seemed to enjoy it. He wasn't terrified of the dinosaur, so that was a plus! And for the first time the twins weren't terrified of the dinosaur either! Win win! The twins have carried around their rocks and treasures they got at the rock show for weeks now and love to show everyone. 

We got a trampoline for an early birthday present for the boys. They could hardly wait to open the boxes and start putting it all together. It took a few days to get it all together, but now we have it done and they love it! 

Matt loves to come home from work and go play games with them on the tramp or play basketball. Its always the highlight of their day! 

Hutch 9 Months

9 Months!! Hutch is 9 months old. He is now 17lbs and in the 20th percentile for weight. He is still short and in the 1st percentile for height. This poor kid can never just be average. haha. 

Food has been good to Hutch and has been helping him gain weight. He still LOVES food more than almost anything. I haven't found any food that Hutch doesn't love, he will eat just about anything. 

Ice cream is one of his favorites as well! 

This was a big month for Hutch, he got his first 2 teeth! He did so good with teething and only had a few rough nights. He loves to chew on everything now and bite down with his new teeth. 

He also started crawling this month! He has been so close for a month, so it has been fun watching him take off. He crawls and he crawls fast! He is determined when he sees something he wants (its usually something he's not supposed to have). He has also mastered going up stairs, which terrifies me! This guy has just taken off and wants to keep up with his brothers! 

We had a ton of fun with twin friends this month. 6 boys in total between the 2 moms. That's a whole lot of boys!! And they had about 10 million cars to play with. haha.

This month really flew by, probably because it was a short month (February) and probably because I spent half the month planning and prepping for our Hawaii trip. It was a ton of work getting everyone ready and packed for each of their places they needed to go! Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it. 

Hutch 8 Months

Hutch is 8 months!! He loves food, all kinds of food. He has eaten everything we have given him, especially loving pickles, bananas, blueberries, and spaghetti. He still loves bath time, loves to jump in his jumper, loves to sleep all night (hallelujah!), smiles and loves everyone he meets. Loves to drool and slobber on everything.

Dislikes- He does not like his brothers beating on him or stealing his toys. He gets frustrated when he is sitting and trying to grab something and then falls on his belly, he prefers to be sitting up seeing the world. He does not like when he isn't getting attention. 

He does not have any teeth yet, but I feel swollen gums. So I am sure he will have teeth in the next few weeks. But that does not hold him back from eating everything in site. He uses his gums to mash everything up. 

He is soooo close to crawling. He gets on his knees and rocks and tries to reach for things. He has backwards crawled a few times, but hasn't fully grasped the concept of crawling yet. It will only be a few more weeks till he is on the move. 

This is what happens when I ask the twins to get clothes for Hutch. Hutch didn't seem to mind. haha.

Hutch went swimming at a pool for the first time this month! We went for Grandma J's birthday. All the kids had a blast, Hutch liked to splash around in the water. Jameson loves to jump in and plug his nose and go under the water. Carter likes the lazy river, and does NOT like his head under the water. 

Also a new thing this month, is the twins LOVE to climb into Hutch's crib every morning. They patiently wait till they hear him wake up, then they crawl into his crib and undress him (not sure why they do that). Hutch loves the company (most of the time) and they all will usually play for 10-15 minutes. 

We also had a really fun time at a jump place with all the Kirk cousins. The twins were in heaven jumping everywhere and getting grandma and grandpa to go down the big slides. Hutch did a lot of observing and then some snoozing. 

Hutch loves getting hugs from his cousin Kali, she was so sweet to him. 

Carter on the left 10ish months, Hutch on the right 8ish months. We went down to Grandma J's house for the morning a few weeks ago and grandma fed Hutch blueberries. He LOVED them. He loved sucking the juices out and getting it all over his face. 

The twins have been learning about safety in preschool, they have been practicing how to call 911 and what to do in a fire (stop, drop and roll). They also went on a field trip to the fire station. It was a hit! 

They loved seeing the big fire truck, trying on the big heavy (40lb) fireman's backpack, and both their favorites was looking inside the ambulance. 

And in just a few weeks we are heading off to Hawaii, without the kids! HALLELUJAH!