Adam at One Month......

Our little man is has made his One Month Milestone...

The kids got a kick out of watching Adam as I sat him up on the couch. He surprisingly stayed put while I took a few photos.  He is holding his head up better with each day.  He officially smiles real smiles.....Nate is the best at getting him to grin, and it really is the sweetest thing. I took video of him on our iPad the other day while Nate was talking to him. 

It's amazing how much he has grown in just a month. He is sleeping much better at night and is eating like a champ. He is still getting passed around like a hot potato between his siblings, with Noah doing the most baby hoarding. I will admit that Noah has been a tremendous help....they all have....even Luke in his own little way. 

And of course my husband has been gracious in making sure I am getting enough rest....even in the midst of an extremely busy season at work for him.  Sleep deprivation is certainly common in this season of motherhood.....I feel so blessed that I can't even complain about the sleepless nights.  I am thankful to God for my family and for the joy that our little Adam has brought all of us this past month. 

Sweet Faces.....

Piggy Back Brothers.....

The other day Noah was cruising around the house with Luke riding on his back....all I could hear was Luke giggling.  Luke begs Noah to give him piggy back rides. I made them stop for a quick shot. I always tell Noah that Luke reminds us of him when he was two. Noah has always had a sense of humor and we totally see that in Luke.....and when these two get together.....look out!

And just in case you were wondering....these two rarely wear shirts....seriously.

Adam....

It's hard to believe that Adam has been with us for 3 weeks already! The transition to having him home has been wonderful....thank you for your prayers. He is getting lots of love.

The novelty of having a new baby has not worn off a bit....Adam has 3 older brothers and a big sister who literally take turns holding him all....day.....long. When Daddy gets home from work, he wants to hold his little man too.

It is 2:10 am right now, and I am holding him in my arms.....and I can't help but smile, realizing that  in the wee hours of the morning is the only time that I have him all to myself....I think I'll savor these moments. 

Big Brother Love....

I love capturing these special moments of big brother love.....

.....there is lots of opportunity for that these days.....

....and I can't help but melt inside

Good Times.....

The kids had a blast collecting candy with their friends from church.  It was our first "Trunk-or-Treat".  In the church parking lot the kids went from trunk to trunk filling up their bags with loot.  

With the boys we had The Incredible "Mini" Hulk, Thor, Wolverine, and a lion cub.  When we asked our only daughter what she wanted to dress up as, she said a princess....of course.

Pumpkins....

It's tradition for our family to head out to our local pumpkin patch on a beautiful Fall day.  This is our second Autumn in Indiana....so hard to believe that we have been here for over a year already!

Adam was almost a week old in these photos.....and this is our official "first" shot of just our 5 lovies together.  My Mom was with us this day as they took a little train ride, checked out the animals, went through a maze and on a hayride with Daddy, and of course picked out some pumpkins. 

Noah was too big to ride on the train....so he stood by and watched the others cruise around. (I don't think that he was too disappointed) If you are wondering, Noah is showing off his mad skill of this thing he does with his fingers....impressive I know.

And this horse was freaking us out, as it stood in this exact same position, with this weird look in it's eye the whole time we were there. Jared didn't want the kids to get to close to it....just in case.

They call this a "weed maze"....a first for us.

And of course....the hayride. I stayed behind with my Mom and Adam....but Daddy was happy to take them.  My kids love hayrides. We used to have them all the time back home when I was a little girl....something I will always remember from my childhood.

And just look at these photogenic faces will you....completely natural smiles from Nate, Lauren and Luke.  (There was a hint of sarcasm in that last remark....just in case you missed it.) They make me laugh every time they try to pose for the camera.....super cute.  

And here is what they were waiting for....pumpkin pickin' time!

By the look on Noah and Nate's faces, this pumpkin pickin' stuff is apparently pretty serious business.

The next day we carved our pumpkin.  God does provide many "daily" opportunities for us to talk about the Gospel with our children.....and as a special tradition, Jared uses our pumpkin carving time each year to present the Gospel as the kids clean out all of the yucky stuff inside of the pumpkin.  

Here is a link to a post I did last year when he talked with the kids....

Gospel Pumpkin 2011

Yes....this is entertainment for us. 

I love Lauren's posture as they were cleaning out the slimy insides of the pumpkin.....she thought that it was so gross. 

Because they are boys, any reason to use a sharp knife is appealing on so many different levels.

Nate was apparently making a statement by wearing one snow boot and one shoe.  

Not quite sure what happened to all of his teeth.....but I love how the stem looks like a wave of hair.

We all enjoy spending time together as a family.....and these are traditions that our lovies really look forward to each year.  

Who looks like who?

Little Mama....

Since bringing Adam home from the hospital, Lauren has not played with her baby dolls once!  I guess when you have the real thing.....there is no comparison. We are enjoying watching this little mama love on her baby brother.  One of life's joys is seeing the tenderness between siblings.....and we are so very thankful for the sweetness that our lovable newborn brings to our family.