My sweet "Pudge" is walking

"Pudge" took his first real steps last Monday, Feb. 16 at 10 months old. He is going so far now, but here are a few of his first steps. Mostly he is just clapping for himself in this video - too cute -watch this video and you will see why I love this little guy so, so much. Sorry for the jiggly video - Jordan was our camera man.

Happy Birthday Joanna!

Joanna - 3 years ago - doesn't she look very different from Jameson's birth pictures?!

Our baby girl turned 3 today. We will celebrate tomorrow with cousins and grandparents, but today she got to open her present from us, the cards from the kids and Jacklyn made her a water bottle covered in stickers. Daddy took her out for icecream tonight too!

Our littlest guy

Jameson Javier - 1 week old

Do you think he gets enough love?

My friend Jenni http://peacefulchaosjenni.blogspot.com (from a large family and also has a large family) commented that people often think kids in a large family don't get enough love and attention, but probably the opposite is true. They are smothered with love and always have someone to hold and play with them.

Life is more hectic for sure and so Javi and I always try to take at least one child with us on errands and we have one on one date nights with the kids to get an ice cream, hot chocolate or cookie and just talk and spend special time with each.


Joanna trying to give him a horseback ride

Superbowl

Our Superbowl players with their mean game faces on

The fans

Superbowl was big here in AZ because our Cardinals were actually playing. I was afraid Jameson was going to be born that Sunday since he was due the day before. I teased Javi that would really put his love to the test whether he would be helping me labor or checking the score every 2 minutes:). Thankfully Jameson was about 5 days old by then and we all went to church and ate hot dogs at Sam's club for a special treat and no cooking or mess for me:).

Javi and the kids had been planning their own Superbowl. Their game time was at 2 pm and the weather was beautiful in the high 70's. I sat with Jameson and Jeremiah outside in the cheering section and Jameson's cheeks actually got a little sunburned.

Then we watched the actual superbowl and Javi had never heard of Bruce Springst*in so during the halftime show he was making fun of this guy dancing around with the kids like a fool. We were laughing so hard he turns into a kid when he gets some time off. This is proof that all black guys don't have rhythm :)

Brothers

Daddy Love

A Celebrity Look A Like In Our Family

We shaved Jeremiah's head. He has such a sweet round head, no neck and a nice round belly. We've been calling him Charles Barkl*y. But if I do say so myself, I think my Charles Barkl*y is much cuter than the real thing.

update

They truly adore him

My Dad brought Julia and Joanna to see Jameson on the second day while my mom stayed home to take care of sick kids. My sister and her family came to visit too. You can see her pictures on her blog. Rebecca seriously loves Jameson and prayed for him daily when I was pregnant.

Javi's boss and wife came to visit and she made this hat and blanket for him.

HMMMM - what is that?

Poor Jameson will be ready for roller coasters in no time.

After his first bath at home

*Jameson is wonderful. He is eating well and sleeping well - waking up just to eat at night.

*We think he will look similar to Jacklyn, but we think he is the first to have medium brown eyes like his daddy, not dark brown/almost black eyes or blue like the other kids.

*We came home Wednesday night. All of the kids were sick (except Joanna) with terrible coughs, snotty noses, some with fevers, others vomiting.

*The kids seem to all be healing, but Joanna is sick now and Josiah is still sick

*My mom helped us all day Thursday and Friday thank goodness. She made dinners, wiped noses 50+ times, cleaned up vomit, held and changed babies, mopped floors, ironed, organized and itemized my freezers, did laundry, pushed kids on swings and gave me time to take a nap and probably 100 more things I am forgetting.

*My healing has been really speedy from the lack of labor/pushing I assume - praise God because He knew that is just what I needed to be able to jump back into caring for all of my little sick ones.

*The boys have not been allowed to hold or touch Jameson since they are so sick. Jeremiah has no clue, but Josiah notices when he cries and goes over to him and looks at him confused - he is not sure what that new little creature is.

*Every kid is so in love with Jameson - we have never experienced any jealousy with the arrival of any of our babies. They are just in awe and begging to hold him. Joanna gives me updates every 2 minutes - "he is opening his eyes - come look" "he just moved his feet". She could sit and watch him all day. Today she told me, "Mom, be careful not to drop our baby - use 2 hands."

*We are in baby love land right now (in 2 months we will be in "sleep deprived land"). Javi and I just can't get enough of our little newborns and Jameson is no exception. Javier says over and over every night how Jameson is so beautiful and wonderful. He really goes crazy over his newborns.