Birthday Boy!

Brody is now 3!

He was trying not to laugh and smile while the family sang him "Happy Birthday!"

It is hard to believe that my sweet little Brody is now three years old. He's such an amazing kid. He makes us laugh in the greatest ways. And he's so loving and thoughtful. Without being asked, he will say "thank you" for the simplest things. Even three days after his birthday, he hugged Jake and said, "Thank you for my birthday party, Daddy." (He repeated with me.) So sweet!!

The party was a success with great-grandparents, grandparents, cousins, siblings, and parents. Brody had a lot of fun. We had a monster truck party, which is something Brody is really loving right now. He got new monster trucks and has been jumping them on everything he can around the house. There's one in particular that has gone to bed with him a few times already.

Brody struggled a bit with the candles. His aim was off. A lot. But it was funny. He got help from his siblings on either side. I'm sure we all had a little spit on our cake. But, they are all so cute, it's okay. :)

Happy Birthday to my Brody-man. :)

Another round of updates

This is the entire Monhollon Family, as of April 2012. There will be another addition in August. Wow. That's a LOT of little kids. They are all under the age of 4. :) Fun times. Loud times. Awesome.

Judah is 4 and will start preschool in the fall. I'm happy for him but sad too. I feel like our lazy times together at home are quickly coming to an end. He will soon be busy with friends, homework, sports, and the like. He's getting big so fast! He likes to make up his own jokes (that make no sense), and he also has learned that he likes to prank others (especially daddy).

Brody will be 3 in August. He is talking SO much lately. Often, Judah has to translate what he says, but it's all so cute. He has been completely potty trained for such a long time by now, and I am so proud of him for that. He likes to do things by himself, but then on some occassions he demands help on the simplest tasks. He's so funny, too. He loves to make others laugh.

Ava is 18 months and ornery as ever. Her newest thing is diving off furniture, head-first. She did this at the doctor's office recently and about gave the doctor a heart-attack. I had her by the hand, because I know better, so she was fine. She also likes to stand atop furniture and jump off to see if she can land on her feet. She's a ball of energy and gumption. She has no fear of anything. With the exception of mommy leaving her behind.

Baby #4 is due at the end of August. Mommy has about 6 weeks left in her pregnancy. Names have been a bit of a problem with this one. We had a boy name picked out pretty easily, but since it is a girl... We just can't make a decision on her name. Jake likes Brooklyn and Finley. I like Emily. Jake hates Emily. Just between us, I keep hoping he will change his mind about it. (He won't. He's pretty stubborn...)

Fun times. Loud times. Awesome stuff.

A New Year

It is a new year, and I haven't updated my blog in a long time! Turns out, it's nearly impossible to do from my phone. I added photos in November, but then I couldn't add any text. It was frustrating. So, from time-to-time, I may just add random photos without much information. It just happens like that.

Ava is almost one, and I can't believe how quickly the past year has gone. She is walking, almost running, everywhere. She is ready to join in with the boys on anything they are doing, including going down the stairs, which she doesn't do well. She is one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. I am truly blessed to be her mom. She brings such joy into our home, and I am beyond grateful to know her!

Brody is really starting to blossom. He is talking so very much now, when he doesn't feel too shy. He loves to laugh, which is really quite catching if you hear his belly laugh. He will often say something (usually something I don't understand), and then follow it with a huge laugh, like what he just said is hilarious! It's fun to watch. He will now randomly just say, "I love you." to everyone, and if they don't understand him, he'll turn to me and say, "(so-and-so) doesn't love me." with a pout. I have to translate for him, and then everything is fine.

Judah turned four in November, and that kid cracks me up all the time. His humor is maturing, so jokes are really fun with him. Even today, he walked behind Jake and mimicked everything Jake was doing, and it was really funny. Judah fell to the floor laughing when Jake figured out what Judah was up to. Judah is also a fantastic big brother. He really does take good care of Brody and Ava. He loves to have that responsibility to look after younger kids.

I am looking forward to a very playful year ahead with my children. I am so blessed. Even through our tough times last fall, I realize how blessed I am. This year, I am trying to be intentional about spending time with my kids and really being playful, to show them that life can be playful and fun!

What will you be doing in the year ahead to be intentional with your life?