Miss Emily Claire

Time has flown by so fast since Miss Emily joined our family.  I didn't want anymore time to go by without documenting what a joy she is.  I thought Jacob was an easy baby, but she makes him look like a nightmare.  She sleeps through the night, has always eaten like a champ and is so content to do whatever I need her to do.  She truly is perfect and such a blessing to me.  Here are just a few of my favorite pictures of her.

Everyone loves her!  There is usually one or two or three kids laying by her at all times!    

In fact, Emily is such a content baby that I never bothered to give her a pacifier.  She gags at the mention of one now and has instead resorted to sucking on her bottom lip whenever she gets tired.  She sucks it and quickly puts herself to sleep.  It sure is cute and great now (it never falls out, never gets lost or thrown out of the crib), but I may be singing a different tune when she walks around with buck teeth and a chapped chin as a two year old!  I'm sure I'll still love her though!    

Easter 2013

The Sunday before Easter, Kate came down with the stomach bug!  It went through all 4 kids, twice,  and in the same order!  It was the weirdest thing.  Each one of them was sick for two days, better for two and then sick again for another day or two.  It hit Kate the hardest (we later learned it landed one of her classmates in the hospital).  We had at least one child throwing up for 8 straight days!  It was beyond fun.  I mastered the recipe for getting vomit out of the carpet (warm water, salt, dish soap, vinegar, rubbing alcohol and baking soda).  Every room in our home had been thrown up in!  It was nothing short of a miracle that David nor I ever came down with it.  On the Saturday evening just prior to Easter everyone was feeling well enough to finally dye our Easter eggs, but first David had to run to the store to buy more vinegar (we were all out from making so much vomit cleaner)!  The kids had fun as usual and were excited to finally do something after a long, boring week at home.

On Sunday morning, the kids had fun looking for their baskets and eggs.  Emily even got her first carrots and her very own chocolate baby bunny.  

Since everyone was feeling better we headed to church.  Nana had sent the girls matching dresses and I was able to find matching ties for the boys.  It was a struggle getting them to take pictures.  We did our best.  We kept Jacob out of nursery, just in case.  He hadn't thrown up for 2 days, but we had begun to believe our streak was never going to end.    

We came home from church and I decided to give the kids a lesson on Easter.  We hadn't really had time to talk about the true reason we celebrate Easter during the week (I was in survival mode).  After our lesson, we enjoyed a yummy Easter dinner of ham, cheesy potatoes, rolls, vegetables, cranberry mousse and Mississippi mud pie.  We enjoyed it that is until (you guessed it) Jacob threw up 10 minutes into it!  David and I cleaned everyone and everything up and finally got all the kids in bed.  Then we finished our own reheated dinner and may or may not have devoured a large amount of stress relieving mud pie!  It was an Easter week we'll probably never forget and hope to never repeat!     

Jacob turns 3!!!

How can Jacob be 3 years old already?!?  He had a great birthday (March 12th).  We started the day off with his favorite breakfast, scrambled eggs and chocolate chip muffins.  

  After Ben and Kate went to school, Jacob had a play date with his friend Briella.  I walked in on them playing doctor.  They took turns and looked like real pros (of course...both their daddies are doctors). 

Once everyone got home from school and work we headed to "Build a Bear Workshop."  Ever since Kate went to a birthday party there Ben had been jealous of her bear.  He had been relentlessly asking if he could have his 9th birthday party there.  After unsuccessfully explaining to him that he was a little bit too old to have a party there (never mind a boy), we decided to meet him in the middle and take the whole family there for Jacob's birthday.  Ben, Kate and Jacob each made a bear.  And of course, as soon as we stepped into the store, Ben acted like he was so embarrassed to be there and pretended like he didn't want anything to do with it.  In the end, his Ravens bear was my favorite.  They stuffed them, gave them each a heart, a bath and dressed them up.  

Jacob picked E.B. (Easter Bunny) from the movie "Hop" that we had just watched a few days prior.   

Next, we headed to the food court for Jacob's favorite food, Chick-fil A.  After dinner we went home to open presents and eat cake and ice cream.  Jacob's favorite t.v. show is "Mickey House Clubhouse," so Mickey it was!  Jacob was not happy when we ate his ears!  

By the end of the night, Jacob was worn out.  Here are just some of the things we all love about our Jacob at 3!

1.  He is so neat, clean, particular and doesn't miss the details (A mini David).  At times this can make things difficult when he insists and demands certain things, but overall I've decided it really is easier.  We went to a restaurant where we sat by another family with a boy similar in age.  This boy was making a huge mess...throwing napkins, utensils, food, etc.  Jacob was furious with him and still (5 months later) refers to him as, "that messy boy."  Because of this characteristic, Jacob rarely gets into things or makes messes (unlike that big sister of his).  One exception was the time he found the covered brownies in the kitchen and broke through the Saran wrap with his index finger.  He dug out and ate a little hole.  Even then, he had already washed his finger and attempted to clean up the counter with the rag before I had even noticed.
  

2.  After struggling at the beginning with a new baby in the home, Jacob has come to love Emily and makes sure I am always meeting her needs.  I overhead him talking to her in the front room one day when he said, "Her not a doll.  Her my real M lee." And he has obviously noticed how I feed her (pillow behind the back and all).

3.  He insists on you calling him Jacob.  He is not buddy, dude, love bug, sweet pea, Behrmann or even Jake.  "I not Jake, I Jacob!"  

4.  He insists on David or I kissing everything better (including things that clearly did not hurt) and demands, "Kiss It.  Kiss It."    

5.  He loves to be Ben's copycat.  On some nights, he even repeats every word that Ben says at the dinner table.  If Ben is wearing a hat, Jacob gets his hat out.  He wears a backpack to the bus stop and tried to dress up when it was "weather day" at school.

 

6.  He insists on always wearing socks, his favorite color is definitely orange and his favorite movie is Finding Nemo.  We watch it over and over and over again while driving in the van.      

We love our sweet AND bossy Jacob.  We wouldn't have him any other way!       

Valentine's Day 2013

One of my least favorite things to make are sugar cookies.  So much work and such a mess!  I was hoping to get away without making them this year, but Kate kept asking me when we were going to decorate our heart cookies.  Since David was working late on Valentine's day, I finally decided to pass the time with cookies.  I made the cookies and frosting while Ben and Kate were at school (hoping to minimize the mess).  When they got home from school, I gave them each 5 cookies to decorate.  I decorated the rest for the neighbors.  The kids delivered cookies to all the neighbors and unexpectedly came back with so much stuff....cookies, chocolate, movies, new markers, crayons and coloring books.  Now Kate asks to make them cookies all the time...it looks like we will be doing it again next year!  

Jacob loved every second.  He licked every candy heart before placing them on his cookies.  He's a smart boy...no one dared eat his cookies.   

Ben decorated one cookie and then told me he was too old to decorate cookies now and instead started pulling faces for the camera.  

Kate finished off nearly all of our sprinkles and then some and as always made the biggest mess of all.   

In between cookies, she was eager to share her yoga moves she had learned at school.   

And little Emily made the perfect little Valentine for all of us.

Ravens' Nation

     The 2012-2013 NFL football season was a great time to live in Baltimore.  David and Ben started the season off right by attending a Thursday night game together.  Ben's interest in football was really heightened after the game.

Once Ben got (and played and played) the NFL Madden Wii game for Christmas he quickly learned how to play the game.  I'm pretty sure he can tell you nearly every player, their team and their jersey number!  Ben even designed his Pinewood Derby car after the Raven's player (former BYU player) Dennis Pitta, #88.

As the Ravens advanced further and further in the playoffs the Baltimore Ravens' Nation was living on cloud nine.  I've never seen so many people wearing purple... every day... for weeks!  The kids got some great use out of their jerseys at school.  Every day became purple Friday.  You can imagine their excitement when they advanced to the Superbowl.  We got creative and did the best we could to wear purple to church for the playoff game days.  Ben was disappointed that he didn't have a purple tie so Kate suggested he wear one of her hair bows as a bow tie.  He quickly refused despite my bribery offer, but he did agree to let me take a picture anyway!  We even saw an official jersey in Sacrament meeting!  You gotta love Baltimore!  

When it came time for the big game, little Emily predicted a blowout (her first ever) during the opening moments of the game.

During the week of the Superbowl, a local Baltimore furniture store (Gardiners) had been advertising their Superbowl special.  If the Ravens returned the kickoff for a touchdown all previously purchased furniture from earlier that day would become free.  Jacoby Jones delivered that furniture to the whole city!  I am sure Gardiner's were stunned and a little regretful... but it did create some great advertising for them.  The Ravens jumped out to an early big lead until they lost their momentum after the power went out in the stadium.  The 49s quickly caught up near the end of the game.  It wasn't until I saw tears flowing from Ben's eyes that I realized how much this game meant to him.  That's when I started praying they would be able to hold on to their lead and pull off the win.  Thankfully, they did!  It all made for some great memories and I am pretty sure no matter where we live, the Behrmanns (and especially Ben) will be Ravens fans for life!