Naomi has taken her role as big sister very seriously. I expected that Mia would love having a baby brother, and she does, but I was unsure how Naomi would handle it.

She has never shown aggression or any dislike towards Maxwell.

Naomi loves entertaining him and making him smile. One of the most common fights between Naomi and Mia are who gets to play with Maxwell.

Naomi would cuddle Max all day if he would let her. 

These two melt my heart. Naomi has such a nurturing soul and it is so evident in the way she loves her brother.

I'm so glad we had a 3rd baby so we could see Naomi in this role.  She wasn't meant to be the baby of the family.

I think she and Max will be good buddies.

We are continuously finding little gems in this city. Yesterday, we went to Golden Gardens Park, which has a playground, lots of grass, and a spectacular beach.

It was so picturesque! My photographs are not doing it justice, but being it was my first time at a beach with my kids, I wasn't exactly prepared with proper sun protection for Maxwell. Strollers and sandy beaches don't mix! I spent a good portion of the time standing in front of him to block the sun.

I could have stayed on this beach all day. There were mountain views, a white, sandy beach, sailboats, and we even saw seals!

My girls had an absolute blast!  Mia even went waist deep in the cold Puget Sound.

Maxwell enjoyed himself as long as the sun wasn't in his eyes.  His favorite part was kicking his feet in the sand.

His least favorite part was when he rolled over and got a face full of sand.  It was pretty much the saddest thing ever but he handled it like a champ!  It would have been too cruel to document the memory with a picture.

Seattle continues to surprise me everyday.  I'm so thankful for the friend from church that invited us to go with them or who knows how long it would have taken us to discover this amazing spot only 15 minutes from our house.

It was time to leave when the tide was almost to our beach towels.

If you're looking for us this summer, I think we'll probably be at the beach.

This little guy is 5 months old!  

Maxwell is wearing 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers.

He is such content, easy going baby.  He enjoys laying on the floor trying to grab everything in sight, being talked to, listening to books, and playing with his sisters.

If you smile at Max, he will always smile back.  He really only cries when he is super tired or super hungry (but I try not to let him get to that point).

This month Maxwell has mastered rolling from his back to his stomach and even started doing it while sleeping, which sometimes results in him waking up not very happy.

He is also doing really well going down for naps.  I just put him in his crib when he is tired with his paci and he will fall asleep on his own (most of the time.)

Maxwell also started giggling this month.  He saves most of his giggles for his sisters, but mommy and daddy can get some out of him if we're really silly.  

Just because it's fun, here's a little behind the scenes.  We all love this little guy so much.  Mia says, "mommy, how did we end up with the cutest baby in the whole world?" I say, "I guess we just got lucky!" ; )

Joe's birthday was a week and half ago; we went to dinner and had a little party at home with our family.  Mia claimed that grown up parties are so boring because nobody comes over!  Hah.  The girls had so much fun making birthday signs and hanging streamers and balloons.

I have been so proud of Joe lately.  I think this will be one of his best years.  He has adjusted to his new job, being a father of 3, and living in a new city wonderfully.  He is my rock and is always there to help me or offer a solution when I am in need.

Besides being so smart, he also has a big heart.  His big heart is mostly evident when you see him with the kids.  The girls absolutely adore their daddy and even though I sometimes think he's too easy on them, I am incredibly jealous of his patience.

I am so lucky to be married to this man.  We have overcome some hard obstacles but I am so glad we chose to stand by each other because you are so worth it.

Happy Birthday to my favorite guy!  May this year be your best one yet!!

I love you so much!

I only took a few pictures on Easter. It was such a rush to get out the door to church that I forgot about a family picture. Oh well!  

These photos are from a spur of the moment photo shoot in the backyard a few weeks ago. They turned out so cute I just had to share.

Easter morning was so fun watching the girls gather Easter eggs and going through their baskets.

I'm not going to lie, I was really sad after church. Mostly because we had nowhere to go and I didn't make reservations or plan a meal.

 

Even though I was surrounded by my favorite people, it still felt lonely.

Living away from family is hard, but really hard on holidays.

We ended up ordering pizza and really trying to emphasize the importance of Easter with the girls.  Then, they played in the dirt in their Easter dresses and we enjoyed a low-key Sunday. It wasn't so bad after all.

Next year, I'll do a little better coming up with a full-day Easter plan. Anyone want to come celebrate with us??

Joe and Mia had an amazing time in Los Angeles last weekend attending the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. I was hesitant to let her go because I didn't know if the show would be appropriate, but after some reassurance from Joe, I decided it would be a great experience for the both of them. As you can see from the pictures, the trip was so much more than just the awards show.

When they arrived on Friday, they went to this amusement park. Mia got to play tons of games and go on a bunch of rides with hardly any lines.

So proud of her prizes.

While in California, Mia got to swim in the ocean for the first time.  My heart melted when Joe sent me these pictures via text.

Before the Kids Choice Awards on Saturday, Mia got her hair and nails done.

I'm so glad they got to share such a special weekend together.  I have a feeling it'll be one that is remembered forever.