18 months

It's really hard to believe our baby girl turned 1.5 years old last week!!! Just starting summer I often feel I was just pregnant with her?! But no, now I realize that was 2 summers ago!

This is girl is growing so fast each and every day!! She is trying to use more words.....her favorites are "daddy" and "shoe" (sue). She also attempts "eee" for Reed, mama, ba (ball), signs more and all done, bye-bye+backward wave, na (nana--banana)....she so full of life and energy! She loves clapping and tries to dance, put her hands together to "pray", she has lots and lots of constant jargon babble. She "yells" at the big kids! She truly is so cute and so so so much fun!!! I want to savor each and every moment where she is because I know in no time it will pass into another season! We love this sweet thing so much! And as busy and on the go as she is we can't imagine not having her apart of our family! Love you sweet Maggie Starks!

17 months

So my last post our baby girl was 15 months.....well now it's May (almost the end of May) and she is 17 months and really days away from being 1.5 year old or 18 months.....so crazy! And I also mentioned making this blog private...and I still might! I haven't had a moment to think lately because May is such a crazy busy month as I'm sure everyone else feels same way!

Baby girl started walking.......HUGE milestone!! A little later than her 3 siblings, but she officially took off and didn't look back right at 16 months!

Her first Easter egg hunt......

 Hard work carrying such a big bucket for a little girl!

Maggie continues to grow and change so much each and every day! It really is amazing how fast you realize it goes by with the 4th child.......we wake up start our day and before I know it bedtime has arrived! Then we prepare to do it all over again the next day! Trying to soak in and remember each of these ages.....Reed 7.5 years; Emery-Claire 5.5 years (turning 6 this week); Mary Etta 4.5 years and Maggie 17 months......our days go by so fast and they are still young and little (though not as little as my days with a 3 year old, 1 year old, and infant!)

It's amazing too to see her understanding of words and language, and attempt to use them grows and grows........
"no" (she definitely understands and attempts to say "na")
"bye bye"
"da"(for daddy)
"mama"
"ee" (for Reed)
"na" (for banana)
"Ga" (when asked "who made you?" she responds with "Ga" for God)
signing 'more' and 'all done' with and without prompting
shows her teeth when asked where they are
knows what to do with a brush--brushes her hair
plays peek a boo....esp if ask "where is maggie?"
"uh uh" for uh-oh
tries to vocalize with singing; so sweet!

We love you more and more everyday sweet Maggie Starks! You are one busy and active girl, but you bring such joy to our family! You are a precious precious joy and blessing!

15 months

So I'm really behind in the blogging world....if it weren't for memory keepsakes I think I'd may give it up all together! And I'm thinking about going private......not sure if any of my friends read this blog anymore?! But if you do leave me a comment and let me know if you want to keep reading and I'll send you a link!

So our baby girl turned 15 months.....well, not sure when exactly, because like last year in February (when she was to turn 3 months) there of course are not 30 days.....so I just say by March 1st she's officially that month older : ) So now were over halfway through March---so crazy she's been 15 months for a few weeks now! The girl is trying to walk! She will do it some and be so cautious and slow, but then drop to her hands and knees because of course crawling is way more faster!

She is growing....getting lots more hair, her two top upper central incisors are coming in, and even two upper side teeth are coming in as well! She is a busy and very curious girl! Shoo I forgot how busy toddlerhood is! This girl can be up the stairs, in the toilet, legos in mouth, etc. in no time at all! She is full of fun and beginning to consistently do some of those cute things. Like using her pointer finger to point and shake when we say "where is your light?" to sing "this little light of mine." She tries to imitate a few animal sounds....they aren't exactly accurate but she is really trying to imitate. And she loves making kissing noises....for awhile she was giving us open mouth kisses, but now she is making the sound more. 

We love, love, love you Maggie Starks! You are one busy gal and SUCH a momma's girl! You don't want me out of your sight for one second! But as tiring as it can be I'm trying to savor it and remember it's just a season and will soon pass.......we are blessed indeed! 

Baller

So following suite just like daddy....this sweet boy LOVES him some basketball!

Last weekend we just wrapped up the basketball season for the year.....his team did fairly well. They won a few games and lost a few. Reed sure gave it his all, and loved every minute of it! We all cheered him on week after week!

So proud of our little buddy!

2013...a year in review

So having baby #4 has really made my organization and picture taking and blogging kinda go out the window. I noticed I've maybe written 1-3 posts per month-ha! So thought I'd write a quick year in review to look back on......

January

love my girls

we ended 2012 with our new family member....sweet baby maggie....so 2013 began with 4 children! wow can't believe we have 4 children!! love all their fun and different personalities

February

sweet siblings

grandma and grandpa came for a visit

we had a little snow

gigi and pops came for a visit

March

Reed lost his first tooth!

Christmas 2013.....one to remember!

So it's that time of the year.....the time we all look forward to. Christmas music playing, decorating the house, shopping for and wrapping the presents, Christmas programs at school, going to see Christmas plays or Nutcracker ballet, looking forward to time with family and close friends......It's all so fun and festive......though I often find I get more wrapped up in all the above than what our most important! We are remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus! Our Savior, Redeemer, God sending His own Son as man Himself!

So in the busyness of all the hustle and bustle, I know I myself so easily forget to slow down and truly focus on what is of utmost important in my life....not the presents, or the decorations, or the christmas cards ordered---but that Jesus Christ came to earth! He came to live the perfect life and die the perfect death so that I might have eternal life with Him! I love our advent calendar using the Jesse tree and scripture passages that go through all of redemptive history from creation of the world to birth of Christ!  The kids really got into it this year and I loved how each day they would recap what all the ornaments on our Jesse Tree represented!

We've also had an eventful season in other ways as well......sickness....ahh yes we can't seem to escape our typical seasonal Christmas sickness! I thought it was pretty unbelievable to see since 2008 the amount of sickness our family has encountered-----

2008: we did gather with my family and after arriving at my MIL house, Reed got sick with a virus that a few days later turned into a diagnosis of rotavirus, which landed us in the hospital for several days!

2009: Mary Etta was little (5 months old) and she was sick with a fever/virus; I got strep throat; my nephew had been in the hospital for RSV/pneumonia---so that year my family did not gather! We stayed home!

2010: uneventful....with the exception that at the first of the year we were moving into the house we had 2 months to renovate (so needless to say we didn't feel we could travel that year)

2011: we actually gathered with my family and all were healthy-yeah!

2012: Maggie just born; so no traveling for us with a 3 week old newborn!

2013: FLU!!!! oh yes the willis family was hit with the flu (or at least Maggie and Momma!) so far no other victims........so needless to say there is no traveling for us to be with my family again this year. and Christmas day Casey started with some sort of stomach flu.....then finally about 7-8 days later he was better...but then I started (and Reed had a mild version)....but wow! it's been a long 2 weeks!!!

so I find it almost funny that in the past 5 years, 3/6 no sickness and 2/6 we actually were with family! so crazy!

So now we've begun a new year.....lots to be thankful for and praying we continue to glorify Him in all we do! Happy 2014!

One

So about 2 weeks ago now...our sweet little babe officially turned 1 year old! How has it been a year?!

We had so much fun celebrating her with family......it was truly a sweet and savory kind of day! Simple, yet great to be together and celebrate our baby girl!

 She loved that smash cake!

So since then....it's now kinda felt like a whirlwind! All the decorating, getting ready for Christmas, wrapping up the school year, etc. Some days I feel like we just had Maggie and she just joined our family....other days I feel like she's always been with us and I can't really remember what it was like before her?! Which seems so strange because for over 3 years we just had the other 3  (or the "triplets" as I like to call them--since they were all 3 born within less than 3 years)....I hardly remember all the transitions....just one day we had one child and the next 3 children!

I am very thankful for this sweet family of ours.....some days are hard....it is exhausting always being needed, feeling like I can never accomplish tasks, staying up late to get things done/getting up early to be ready for the day......but I know that I'm so greatly blessed and that there truly is nothing I'd rather be doing or anywhere else I'd rather be! Some days I know I easily complain and need to grab hold of how gracious the Lord is to me......time with these sweet babies is fleeting and we only have so much time to savor these little years.

 though these face expressions pretty much sum up most of our days together.....

 but of course there are plenty of these moments as well.....


some fall memorable moments to savor......

 cute cow (the 3rd willis baby to wear this costume!)

so we are richly blessed indeed......and as quick as the first year flies, I'm still savoring and soaking in every moment with all 4 of these babes.....I know I fail so often at being selfless and loving them all well, but thankful for a gracious and merciful God who not only forgives me yet sees His perfect & righteous Son covering all my sin! So grateful He loves me because of Him and not what I can or can't do! What a privilege to be in this advent season to reflect on these great truths and celebrate the coming of the baby Jesus---our King and Lord and Savior!