Just Because...

...she's adorable. These are a few or four months old...she has more hair now, and a mouth full of teeth...but she's still the same fun Evie.

Happy Birthday Evan

Happy 1st Birthday, my sweet Evie.

Evan is technically almost 16 months old...BUT, the girl's GOT to have a birthday post...right?! She had a very subdued birthday...and I'll admit that it almost didn't happen at all. I mean, her birthday is 6 days before Christmas. It's a tricky thing to get all the family together, knowing you've got to all round up again in a few short days...but we managed to do it...thanks to my Mom and my sweet husband's insistence that we celebrate her. It was a special time...laid back and relaxed like Evan herself. She is the most affectionate, sweetest, lovable, and fun little one year old...and she LOVES cupcakes. She was so easy to please. In fact, we only got her a little stuffed Marie from Aristocats for her birthday. I only felt mildly bad about it...but again her birthday is RIGHT before Christmas...AND she's the 4th kid. Have you seen our playroom? We seriously don't need anything else for a little girl...like ever. She loves her little kitty though...I think it all worked out okay. Happy Birthday our precious girl...we thank God for you every day.

Real Life Babydoll

She's got some skills.

Evan's messy face is what happens when your 2 year old "big" sister feeds you.

Evan thinks Grier is a blast...just as the rest of us do.

It's Grier's real life baby doll...now if only Grier learned to change diapers.

Breakfast for the Tribe

Oatmeal Banana Muffins fresh out of the oven

Sneaky little thing

Mission accomplished.

Mornings around here can be intense. There are 4 hungry kids that want food NOW. I'm sure we're not alone there. I'm a morning person...but not a -sit down and relax- kind of morning person. It's my productive time, where we accomplish chores, get dressed, and start school. So needless to say, I don't make a big breakfast for everyone. We eat breakfast quickly and move on...which means we eat simple things like frozen waffles, cereal, nutrigrain bars, etc. Well, those things add up...especially for 4 kids, 7 days a week. So about a year ago, I started thinking differently about how I run things around here. I wanted to be healthier, and more frugal. I decided that making things from scratch would not only be better for us, but would also stretch our dollar. I started making big batches of muffins to freeze and pull out in the mornings for the kids, along with a piece of fruit. I'll just take a day and make dozens and dozens and DOZENS of muffins...then put them in bags to freeze. It's super easy for our family, and the kids LOVE them. They are also great for eating on the go. On Sundays, our kids eat breakfast in the car on the way to church. So if you ever see us in the parking lot before church starts, you'll see me wiping down everyone, and dusting crumbs off of church clothes. Here's one of my favorite recipes:

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup of brown sugar (I use Sucanat)
7 TBS of Unsweetened Applesauce or Coconut Oil
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large)
1 cup regular oats
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 cups whole wheat pasty flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat well at medium speed. Combine banana, oats, and milk. Add that to the sugar mixture, beating well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon-stir with a whisk. Add it to the sugar mixture-beat until moist. Spray your muffin pans w/ cooking spray and fill them about 2/3 of the way up. Bake them at 350 degrees for around 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
*I always add some Flaxseed Meal to my mixture for an extra boost. Makes 24 regular size muffins.

Play Date

I LOVE play dates with Kendall...for obvious reasons-like, she's my best friend and I enjoy her company, and our kids love each other...but there is another reason. It always turns into a spontaneous photo shoot. Her camera is always close by and she seems to always capture the sweetest moments with my kids. I end up with a fun filled day AND the most precious pictures of my babies. What more could you ask for from a play date?

Delegation

Smiley Magee

Evan really gets into her baths. She hears the water running in the bathroom and makes a jet line to get into the tub...even if it's not for her.

Evan is ridiculously happy. She's so sweet natured and just a blessing to our family. I still can't believe it sometimes. Here's my point. Have that 4th kid. If you're thinking about having a 4th...DO IT! Seriously...it's awesome. I've talked to many moms and the running theme is 4th babies are laid back, joyful, and loving. So just go for it. You don't ever hear people regret having that last kid...but you do hear people say that they regret not having more kids...just sayin'.

I Love You. You Love Me...

I am not kidding when I say that my daughter loves the big purple dinosaur. As you can see we have bunny ears for our tv...so our selection is limited. But wow...it doesn't even matter, because Barney has Evan's heart. The minute she hears the theme song she crawls over, pulls herself up, and begins dancing...completely taken with the incredibly cheesy songs. I'm glad I had my camera close by to capture it.

It's Alive....

**Note: My title has nothing to do w/ this adorable, precious picture of Evan...my now 13 month old...what is that about??

Okay, with some encouragement by friends, and most surprisingly Blake, I'm gonna start blogging again. It really is good for me to write stuff out, and of course I love the idea of family journaling...so here it goes. I'll leave you with a picture before I start a bunch of entries.

7 months

I am totally smitten. Really. I'm proof that it can happen again...on baby #4. Evan is my sweetest baby yet...I'd say that they just get sweeter every time...but there was a 'Grier' thrown in there somewhere. Evan is now 7 months, and we just took her for her 6 month check-up...a little late....but what's a month, or so. She weighed in at a tiny 15lbs. flat. Just for fun, I'd thought I'd post my other children's weights at 6 months:

Aiden-18.1 lbs.

Gracen-19.12 lbs.

Grier-17.5 lbs.
I'm a tad concerned, but I'll keep an eye on it...and maybe weigh her at HEB next time I go. I'm sure she'll be fine. She eats well...so maybe there's no need for concern.

Evan is sitting up, and also getting up on all fours for a few seconds at a time. There is no sign of teeth yet, but she is drooling, and chewing on everything...so I'm sure it's around the corner. I don't think my babies get teeth until at least 8 months...that's probably why nursing is such a good experience for me that 1st year. I just discovered some cradle cap...yuck. She's my first baby to have it, and I'm pretty sure it's because she doesn't get bathed as often as my other 3 did...oops. But we've got a good regime of daily "Head and Shoulders" and it's already going away. Evan gives us belly laughs constantly. She's funny. She seems to always have a smirk on her face, like she's just waiting for someone to do something goofy or funny...which happens often around here. It's like she's saying, "Come on guys, just meet me half way. I'll pretty much laugh no matter what." It's awesome. She's also trying to hold the spoon when we feed her...

Uh-oh. I'm still rooting for a personality like Blake's...but we'll see. Gracen fooled me like this. In my experience, you just never know.

The Cutest Baby Ever

Evan-almost 7 months

Seriously...is she not a doll?! Those cheeks get LOTS and LOTS of kisses.

Real Food...Sort of....

I finally started feeding Evan some rice cereal. She's about to be 6 months old...in 10 days. You know how excited you were to feed your 1st born cereal? You couldn't wait until they were eating real food. Well, I was like that too...with Aiden. And maybe with Gracen...I stress maybe. Well, definitely after Gracen, that ship had sailed! As our family grows, it is so much easier just to nurse a baby, then to gather up some solids. So I dreaded having to feed Grier baby food, and I've been that way with Evan too. Although, I am looking forward to making baby food. There is something about making my own food, that makes me feel like I'm going above and beyond. You know how bad mommy guilt can be...making baby food sort of redeems that momentarily. Anyways, as usual, Evan was laid back when I gave her cereal for the first time. She ate the entire bowl, like she'd been eating cereal her whole life...no faces, or grimaces. After one bowl, she was a pro. So I guess I'd better gear up, and face the fact that solids are here to stay.

A Thumb Sucking, Tummy Sleeper

I love that Evie is choosing to sleep on her tummy...I am a tummy sleeper. I really appreciate this about my daughter...just another reason to adore her.

Baby Yoga

Check out Evan's flexibility. We've never had a child so into their feet before. And apparently, they are pretty tasty.

Evan-4 Months

This is how she falls asleep. It's totally precious. The minute I lay Evan in her bed, she puts her thumb in her mouth, and brings her other hand to her ear. I love to watch her.

Sweet girl

She does the most interesting things with her feet. She totally experiences her little world through her feet...and it's pretty entertaining to see what she'll do next.


If I haven't said it before...(which I know I have) Evan is really the best baby anyone could ask for. Don't be alarmed when I say this, b/c it won't happen...but she makes me want to have like 6 more. She's the happiest baby, and I LOVE all her little squeals, and coos. I could listen to her ALL DAY LONG! Oh, and did I mention she has the best belly laughs too...and the most awesome part, is that she laughs really easily. So I get to hear it all day long. I took her to her 4 month check-up on Monday, and the poor baby got shots. I hate that. But she let out a 2 second whimper, and that was it! She was okay, after that! Even the nurse was surprised. She weighed in at 14lbs. and is 25" long. She's the smallest of the babies at this age. She's also rolling over now, and sleeping on her side, by her choice. We just got out the exersaucer a few days ago, and she's liking that a lot. And she still thinks her brother and sisters are the funniest people on the planet. It's great to be 4 months old.

Evan-3 Months and Counting

My doll baby

All Smiles

Evan's typical open mouth

She loves the camera

Check out her dimples

Oh, my sweet sweet Evan...where do I start. Well, I meant to do a 2 month update on her and time totally got away from me. And now she is 3 months, oh well. Here are some things that we have found out and adore about Evan in her tiny 3 months of life.

*You like to sleep on your back, and hate tummy time. You get kinda panicky when I put you on your tummy.

*You love your Mommy. I will just walk past you and you start smiling and kicking. You immediately turn your head when you hear me talking. I love it!

*You love to be held by Daddy. Daddy seems to have this calming effect on you and your siblings when they were babies. You totally relax in his arms. It's a sight.

*You adore your brother and sisters...they can get you to smile and laugh pretty easily. You perk up when you hear their voices.

*You are a thumb sucker. I have never had one of those before...or even a paci kid. As soon as we put you in bed, you stick your thumb in your mouth. It's pretty cute...but not looking forward to breaking that habit in the future.

*You like your sleep...a lot. It's great. You started sleeping through the night when you were about 8 weeks old. It's the same age as the other 3...I think that's kinda interesting. But you were the easiest to sleep train out of all our kids.

*Your favorite place to sleep is your bed. It's almost as if you sigh with relief when we lay you down in there...maybe because you are finally alone. :)

*You like to ride in the car, and the stroller. You also like to be worn.

*You are a pretty laid back, go with the flow, flexible baby. I really hope you turn out to be like Daddy. Daddy is SO laid back, and was as a kid too...No such luck with the other 3. So far so good with you.

*You love you to observe your crazy family, but get over stimulated pretty easily...sorry.

*You really like to eat, but kinda eat like a bird.

You are a total blessing. You have made the transition from 3 to 4 kids so easy for us. All 5 of us love you so much, and we didn't even have to deal with any jealousy. You are the picture of God's grace.

Scrumptious

Evan Lane-3 months

Playing around with my new camera. Couldn't you just eat her up??

Smiles

Could that smile be any bigger??? Her shirt is so fitting. Evan is a happy girl...she is the sweetest baby! God has blessed us tremendously. She smiles all the time. All of our kids as babies smiled so easily and frequently. But Gracen was the smiliest of them all...until Evan came along...she might just give Gracen a run for her money.

Evan Lane Magee

I know this is SO late...I am learning to juggle every day tasks with our bigger family. So here it is...Our beautiful little girl made her way into the world on December 19th...just a few days before Christmas. Evan Lane Magee came bright and early at 5:41 A.M. and weighed 7lbs. 10 oz. She measured 20 1/2 inches, the same as the other three kids. I had started labor on my own and went in to the hospital for a scheduled induction. They let me progress on my own for a little while before giving me some pitocin to speed things along. I had mentioned that this pregnancy had a lot of firsts in a previous blog, and it continued in labor. For the first time ever I allowed someone else in the room besides Blake. My best friends Kendall and Jo both came and Jo was there for the WHOLE thing. I also invited my Mom to be a part of it. She was there until about 2:30 in the morning, but got pretty tired and realized that she had to be awake to take care of our 3 kids in the morning. It was a pretty smooth labor. I labored for a couple of hours without the epidural...and when I finally got it, I was so glad! When it was time, I pushed 3 times and she was out. It was a great experience...Her labor reminded me so much of Gracen's...so easy, peaceful, and even fun! And when she came out, she even looked like Gracen...dark hair, dark skin, almond shaped eyes...although she was more then a pound less then Gracen! Gracen was our chunker. Evan is a sweet and cuddly girl. We love her so much, and are so happy she's finally here! We are blessed!