NEW!!!

I hate to do this, but it is a temporary (possibly permanent) solution to a problem I have been having for a while now. I am moving this stuff to a new blog location. The short answer to why is that I have used all of my picture quota and that is the main part of this blog. I use it for memories and a lot of those are documented in pictures. You may have noticed that I stopped displaying a photo at the top and our family photo on my profile picture. I don't think I can get Stephen to allow me to pay more for photo storage online, nor should he. So, from now on all new posts will be at www.stephenandlaciehutchins.blogspot.com  The only difference is that it is STEPHEN and not STEVE. More accurate anyhow. From now on if you want a new post, go there! Thanks!

In Him,
The Hutchins Family

Firsts for Emmitt

I look forward to all of the firsts for Emmitt. Today was no exception. So it isn't the FIRST day he has been able to sit unsupported for a period of time (actually Monday, April 23 was) , but pretty close! It is the first time I caught it on camera! It WAS the first day that he went to the pool! It was a different experience entirely from what Jesstine was like!

Both kiddos were excited to go to the pool! Here Jesstine is showing Emmitt some love!

Walking into the pool area. (Sorry it's blurry. I tried to get the pictures to show more of the cute kiddos than the overweight woman trying to fit into a bathing suit!)

Jesstine took off right away.

First moments in the pool.

Had too much time to think about it.

Still a little unsure.

Maybe Sis can help.

By the time we left he had taken to lapping the water like a dog. I say that is mission accomplished! :-)

Time to get dressed.

Fell asleep before we were even a mile down the road. He was SO tired!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

Spring Program

Jesstine had her Spring music program at her preschool last night. I have to admit, it snuck up on me even though I have been counting the days until I am finished teaching for the school year! I would say that she was SO cute, but you probably already knew that if you follow this blog on a regular basis! This year Kidslink (the preschool Jesstine attends which I found out is the largest privately run preschool in the state of Kansas) was celebrating their 25th anniversary! That is pretty cool! They did a little video at the beginning (I am going to ask how I can get my hands on it when I drop her off tomorrow) in which my little girl had a cameo appearance! So here are a few pictures and videos from her performance. Also, my nephew, Corbin, has been attending Jesstine's school in the 5 half day program. We stayed for just a couple of songs so we could get pictures and videos for his daddy who is deployed overseas right now.

 This is Mrs. Underkoffler, the director of the preschool. She found a program from a previous program that said "Class of 1012" at the bottom. She proceeded to tell us that in 14 years or so we will be looking at these same kids as the graduating class of 2025 or so....Didn't really want to go there!

 Jesstine is in the blue skirt at the back of the line, the next to the last student. Her best friend, Kylie is the sixth person in line.

 She is trying her hardest to find us. They encourage parents and kids to wave to each other.

 She is waving but still searching for us in the crowd. She went through the first two songs not doing much of anything because she didn't know where we were. When she spotted me in the aisle in my bright red shirt, she was almost immediately engaged in the songs! So funny!

 I think this was just after she spotted me!

This was Jesstine's favorite because for once she was allowed and encouraged to jump in school!

This was my favorite. A couple of weeks ago I heard Jesstine just singing to herself in the car. I listened to see what she was singing and I heard these words coming out of her mouth. I was astonished! "Awesome God."

 The whole group. This age group is young 3's to young 4's.

 What was Emmitt doing this whole time? To tell you the truth I was a little worried because he was MUCH younger at the last program. He did great!! He watched the show through his eyelids!

 My nephew Corbin is the one in the front to the far left.

 Surprisingly (or perhaps not because he was right next to the microphone) you could hear him really well! He just started school 3-4 weeks ago if that!

 After watching a few of Corbin's songs (which were the same as Jesstine's), Jesstine insisted that we "take pictures on the bridge!" Later I found out from her teacher that they really played the "photo spots" up in rehearsal that day! 

 Even though it was pretty late and we had a bedtime battle with Jesstine the night before, we chose to treat her to some frozen yogurt. She and I had never tried Orange Leaf before, so we gave it a try! I enjoyed it. I think she did too! She asked to go back this morning after breakfast!

Oh, and it lacked flavoring or "gummies," but Emmitt got to enjoy as well!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

New Noise AND New Toys

It's been over a week since I have posted. Didn't really have anything new to add to the blog. Although today I did just on a whim decide to see if Emmitt could sit in music class. He actually did!! In any case, I am back with some exciting stuff (if you are a grandparent, aunt, uncle or other family member to this beautiful brood that is) today! 

Emmitt has really been babbling a lot more in the last few days. He is even making intelligible sounds like "Mama" and "Dada." He just does it for fun, not just when he is mad like he used to! He used to say "Mama" a LOT when he was not being fed quickly enough or was just tired or something. Granted, I don't think he is identifying Stephen as "Dada" or me as "Mama," but it is a breath of fresh air compared to always hearing yells and screeches! Here is a video I took last night at bath time. I was trying to get him to say "Mama" and he would almost chastise me and say "Dada!"

Also, we got an AMAZINGLY noisy toy for Emmitt for Christmas from Aunt Jenni and Uncle Seth. It is very entertaining though for the kids. Emmitt likes it, but I think Jesstine likes it even more! I guess I should be thankful that she can make it work to entertain him since she is really is favorite toy to begin with. I still think it is funny that I "catch" her playing with it even when he is not in the room!

Thank you Aunt Jenni and Uncle Seth for my "jumping bean" toy!

 Thank you Aunt Jenni and Uncle Seth for Emmitt's "jumping bean" toy!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family

We Have a Mover!!

Wouldn't you know that after I posted an update on Emmitt's development and growth at 5 months of age, he has made another major change! He went from SOMETIMES being able to roll from his tummy back to his back, to rolling all directions all of the time! This boy will not stay in one place if you place him on the floor with toys! 

 I have been letting him lay on this quilt that Jesstine uses as a picinic blanket.

 If you click on the picture above, you may be able to see the red stick figure that shows Emmitt's starting position. He eventually roll a nearly complete circle. 

 He is also sitting with a little less support.

I guess it is a good thing we got the carpets cleaned. From the looks of these bottom pictures, we won't be using the "picnic blanket" for him much longer.

In Him,

The Hutchins Family.

5 months

Having to check myself....Did I read type that correctly? I am pretty sure it is correct! Well, it's official as of today. Emmitt Boyd is 5 months old! What a Joy Boy Junior he truly is!! He is at that age where his favorite things are really starting to be noticeable. He is always smiling on the changing table! He always smiles when his big sister is in the room. As a matter of fact, I picked him up at my mother-in-love's house after work. She said that he fussed all day long...until Jesstine was dropped off after school. Then he was good as gold! He just missed his big Sis! It is that way at home too. If he is up during her nap, he spends most of that time fussing and ends up taking a nap himself because his entertainment is not there!

Emmitt has been rolling over consistently from his back to his tummy for over a month now. He has rolled over to his back from his tummy several times, but still gets stuck on his belly and frustrated a lot of the time. I am thinking that will change pretty soon. He is getting some more core strength. Just in the last few days, he started to grab his legs at the shins. Last night he started to grab his toes. He almost always uses this as a method to roll to his side now. Also, his favorite thing to do (other than watch his sister is to play peek-a-boo!

Almost over....

Almost over...

And he DID it!

Toe touching.

Giggly peek-a-boo!

 Emmitt is wearing size 3 Huggies Snug and Dry diapers right now. They are starting to get a little short so I think that I will try a size 4 the next time I go to the store. He is in 6-9 month clothing. He can still wear one or two of his 3-6 month shirts.

 As I mentioned in a previous post, we have officially moved him to his bigger car seat. It is taking some getting used to, but I think after a week of it, it is getting a little easier. The only thing I would change is that he still falls asleep and his head falls forward.

He is the most ticklish boy I know! He loves to give kisses already. His kisses are wide open mouth kisses, but he is always so proud of himself.

He is eating a few veggies like squash and carrots. I finally found a way to get him to eat his oatmeal or rice again. I introduced him to applesauce. I didn't even bother with the baby food apples because we get the all natural apple sauce and it is pretty finely pureed. I mix it in with his cereal and he really likes it! He currently eats every three hours (sometimes less hardly ever more than three hours) and is draining 6 ounce bottles. If I am not fast enough he goes into meltdown mode and literally screams the closer he gets to having his bottle! Sometimes he even seems to scold me and says, "Mamamama!" Oh and he LOVES his sippy cup after dinner!

Carrots, they're what's for dinner.

Dinnertime and Emmitt is enjoying his sippy cup.

Not only is he a good eater and ticklish to boot, he has got REALLY strong legs! This has been pointed out several times. Back when he had to stay go to the hospital at 7 weeks, they were trying to get his temp and couldn't hold his legs still because he was so strong then. A few weeks later at his 2 month appointment the doctor seemed to think that his ability to bear weight on his legs was a reflex. I beg to differ. He changed his tune at the recent 4 month appointment! He was quite impressed with how strong this little dude's legs really are! He is proud of his chunky thighs too!

Standing with only the support of Mommy's fingers.

He is starting to be able to sit with some support. He sits in his bumbo seat very well. Sometimes I can sit him in a tripod position, but he usually falls over fairly easily. We are getting there though!

Sitting in the Bumbo like a big boy.

Hey, wait a minute! That's not Emmitt! What a silly girl!

He has been sleeping through the night for the last month or so. He had been going to bed right after Jesstine, but I have been trying to switch that up because he seems to want his last bottle at around 8. So I feed him dinner with us (his puree food) and then give him a bath. After bath he gets a bottle and usually in bed asleep (without any coaxing other than use of paci) no later than 9, but as early as 8:20 the last two nights. He seems like he MAY be trying to get on a daytime schedule as well. He is at least starting to show more of a pattern. He wakes up and has a bottle (not immediately though which is surprising) and plays for about two hours then it is time for his first nap. Given the circumstances, he will sleep anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours. Then he will be up and ready for a bottle. After that he plays for another two hours or so and then is ready for another nap. This nap is less consistent and can be shorter based on whether or not he has had a bottle. If he has a bottle before both naps, he sleeps for 2, 2 hour stretches! We did that once or twice last week and it was GREAT! SOMETIMES he sleeps at the same time as Jesstine which is even better!

I love my boy! I always wanted a little girl and didn't know what I would do with a boy. It hasn't been hard! I love him SO much! He is obviously smitten with me as well! Makes my heart sing! I love how my mother-in-love says it, "I love them so much it hurts!" It is SO true!

Loving on his Dumpty!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family.

Garage Sale Season

Well, it is that time of year! I remember looking forward to garage sales as a kid. Sometimes I would find better things than I had in my own closet at garage sales. My mom sure knew how to buy other people's junk too! It was all great stuff to us because we didn't have much at the time! I guess even though I live in a nice house and can buy everything my family needs for the most part, it has stuck with me! I love finding treasures for Jesstine at garage sales. Remember in the Easter egg dying post she was wearing a Woody costume? Well, that was my latest treasure that I found for her. She was so excited that she had to dig out her winter boots so she could complete the ensemble. The garage sale was actually at a house nearby, so when Stephen went later to pick up some shelves, they remembered us and gave him a sheriff's badge to go with it! Kinda cool! So here are the photos of the garage sale finds.

 This was so funny! I found this hat and stuck it on Emmitt because it was fairly chilly that morning. It looked so stinking cute! We aren't HUGE comic super hero fans in this household, but I actually picked it up thinking of my sister who will be having a boy in August. The lady selling it said I could just have it. She told me she laughs when she sees it because it came with a size 4T shirt....It is really too small for Emmitt as it slowly slides off his little bald head. I can't even begin to imagine a 4 year old wearing it!

"There's a snake in my boot!" I am NOT a lover of snakes, but Jesstine has always like to carry little small objects (luckily not LIVE) in her hands. She has always been really good not to ever put them in her mouth. I saw this at the garage sale and she stuck it in her boot after I put her Woody costume on. Of course she had to say the famous Sheriff Woody line, "There's a snake in my boot!"

And here is my Sheriff Woody! She put her arms up there herself. Kinda looks like she is hanging on to the vest like a true cowboy! LOL!

Here's to more neat garage sale treasures!

In Him,

The Hutchins Family