Parker Elaine ~ 13 months

I am only a "little" late with this update for you all but hey... five kids ok!! I know Parker is only 13 months but I swear as these kids get older time seems to be moving so much more quickly and I feel like there is less and less of it.

Already in just one month Parker has changed what seems to be much more than necessary in just a short 30 days. She went from hating to stand to pulling herself up on everything and anything. She's even let go and stood on her own several times! She's cruising along the couch but still refuses to hold onto any of her "walking toys" and walk. She has made so much progress in just the last week we are blown away.

We recently took Parker to the pool for the first time this "season" and while I thought she might be a little scared of the water she proved me wrong. We started her at the small splash pad and she inched her way right over to the water and loved it! We then moved her to the pool and just sat her own the edge and good thing daddy was in the water because she pushed herself right off and into the water! She loves it so much and I am just so proud of her!

Parker still says the same few words but her favorite is by far "MaMa" while she says it ALL.THE.TIME I'm not convinced she is asking for me but more she is trying to show me or anyone for that matter something she wants. She points to what she wants and most of the time says mama.. unless its her cup .. for that she will say "mil" for milk and version of water for water. She's just so cute even if I hear her say mama around 100 times a day. She loves to give hugs especially to her big sisters and has even give them a kiss a few times... but don't you even think about asking her to give you a kiss, because that won't happen.

Of course little Miss loves to eat her favorite foods by far are veggies and fruit, she will always pick veggies over any other food in font of her. She will ask for a banana by name and if she sees food she wants she will point to it and say "more". She has milk in the morning and at night and is officially done with bottles. She is growing up way to fast and each time I put something "baby" away my mama heart breaks a little. I'm learning to deal with it little by little and I know eventually I will have moved passed the "no more baby" phase.

Happy 13th Months baby girl ... and yes you will forever be called our baby girl!

{Recap of the Parker's first Birthday Party "Dream Big" coming soon}

ELEVEN

Funny how Birthday's work... they seem to keep coming year after year after year and when you have multiple children it can feel like there is always a Birthday coming up. And this month we get to celebrate Madison. I honestly don't even know where to start ... Maddy is 100 percent her own person, she speaks her mind, cherishes her sisters, jokes about nearly everything, has a flair for the dramatics, and loves a great cuddle sesh. Not only is Maddy all of these things but she is seemly more and more like her father every single day and she is certainly daddy's little girl. Not only is she daddy's little girl but she is one of the best big sisters around. I can't tell you how many times a day the twins reference "Maddy" and I'm pretty sure there is nothing she wouldn't do for her sisters.

It's not always easy being a parent not to mention a parent to five very different girls. Each day is a learning experience and just when we think we have nothing left to learn about one of our children they turn right around and surprise us. I am grateful for Madison in many ways... too many to list ... but I am most grateful she is part of our family and has taught me more about motherhood than I ever thought possible. She sees the world differently than I do and even though this can be frustrating at times it's one of the things I love most about her. I can only assume at least one of her three younger sisters are going to be just like her.

It's been wonderful watching Maddy grow into a beautiful, fun loving, sassy, smart young girl. I know the best is yet to come and I can't wait to see what's next for her. We love you Madison Happy Birthday!

Maddy turns 10

Parker Elaine ~ ONE

Well she did it...she turned ONE! 12 whole months of loving on our sweet last baby girl and experiencing those baby firsts for the last time. Each month when Parker would do something new or have a "first" I tried to remind myself that her first would be our last and that was so incredibly hard to accomplish. As she continues to grow we realize more and more that we no longer have a "baby" in her... even though I am sure we will always refer to her as the baby. First Birthday's are typically more for parents, friends, and families a time to celebrate just how amazing the first year of life has been. And this First Birthday is no exception for us...we even delayed her party so that nearly all of our family (living in different states) could attend.

The days leading up to the her big day I couldn't help but replay everything over in my mind... her last moves, the trip to the hospital to "prepare" for her delivery, my twice weekly doctor visits, the drive to the hospital on the day she joined us and so much more. it's no surprise really that I would do this with Parker, I have done it with all of the girls each and every birthday. It's one of my most favorite things to do and I hope I never stop.

The day of her birth the 18th of March we had a small family party at the house starting with homemade pancakes, balloons at nap time, pasta with meatballs for dinner, and her first cupcake (which for the record she didn't even like it). She loved us singing to her and was a bit confused with her gifts. It was a great day celebrating Miss. Parker. We will be celebrating her once again at her big birthday party in April.

We have absolutely loved watching Parker grow and change over the last twelve months. She is coming into her own little personality full of spunk and sass. She likes to do things her own way and own time. Her favorite time of day is morning right when she get out of her crib. She loves to "dance" wiggling her little butt and waiving her arm(s) in the air. She is full of life and comes alive when any of her favorite people walk into the room. There is nothing we don't love about her and certainly nothing we we wouldn't do for her. She is the perfect ending to our baby girl train and I'm not sure we  could have imagined any one more perfect.

This weekend with our closet family and friends we celebrate all that is Parker Elaine. Happiest of First Birthday's Parker we love you.