All Together Now!

They don't always get along (well, Jake does), but a lot of the time, they play so well together.

 Here are the bros.  John was showing Jake how to play Angry Birds on the Kindle.  He actually was pretty interested.

Eve and Ellie can play for long periods of time together in the playroom, just imagining things.  It really is sweet to watch and listen to.  This isn't a great picture, but they were actually coloring a picture together...on the same paper.  No fighting, just enjoying it.  It's not every hour of every day.  There are plenty of arguments, but for the most part, they love each other, and it's very sweet.

Giddy Up!

 

 With a little help, we managed to get 3 on...

That didn't last long!  They don't call him Buck for nothin'.

GQ

They fit in the 0-3 month clothes for such a short time!  We've got to give Jake a chance to model everything.

 We rarely have games televised here, but Jake finally got a chance to cheer for the Packers with Dad.  GO PACK GO!

 Ho Ho Ho!  I think I took this picture about a week and a half ago?  He's wearing the same onesie today and completely filling it out!  Thank you, Aunt Shannon, for both the cute Santa socks and Packers shirt.

Here's Jake in his first hand-made shirt...literally.  Man, does it make him look chubby, and so stinkin' cute!

Shootin' Hoops

John has not typically been one to jump into sports.  In fact, it takes a good bit of encouragement (or threatening...depending on how you look at it) to try.  We feel like he's at an age where he needs to learn teamwork and be active.  We finally got him excited about soccer, but then he said that was his sport and he wasn't interested in trying anything else.  When he expressed an interest in basketball, I jumped on it.  When I took him in for the evaluation, it was pretty clear he'd never interacted with a basketball.  Last week he had his first practice and game, with another one this week.  He's really enjoying it!  He's also getting a bit better with some of the skills.  One thing I hate about the program he's in, they have 5 colored armbands to help each kid remember who their "man" is.  Watching for the first time, I was amused at how they danced and juked around each other so much, but had no clue where the ball was.  Now it drives me crazy.

 I'm proud that in such a short time, John seems to have learned to pass the ball if he can't find a shot.  That's a pretty big step at this age, if you ask me.

You'll notice he's always got his tongue out.  He's a regular Michael Jordan!  He really has had a lot of fun, and I think he's quickly improving his coordination. 

One Month...Already?!

I know I'll say this whenever any of my children reach any age milestone, but really, one month has flown by.  Maybe because most of it has been a sleepy blur.  I took pictures of Jake at 1 month in the sweetest sweater and booties.  Mom's friend Iris knitted them.  She really does amazing work. 

 For a special treat, Grandma and Grandpa Bucky came to visit!  I only have a few pictures.  I took a break from the camera while they were here and just relaxed.

 They seemed to enjoy themselves...as evidenced by the "grandparent grin".

I also took a picture I've seen in several photographer's albums and wanted to try.  I think they're sweet.

A Few Randoms

 

 I found matching pajamas for the girls with matching pajamas for their Bitty Babies.  What a hit!

 On Black Friday, I took Jake and the girls to the mall for my tradition of "shopping" with no list and no agenda except to get into the Christmas spirit by listening to music, looking at decorations, and people watching.  I actually went relatively smoothly, and I think the girls enjoyed it.  While we were gone, John and Buck had some "Man" time working on the jeep.  This really made my heart smile.

Not even one month old, and John and Eve outfitted Jake with the Minnie Mouse headband...and thought it was hilarious.  I'll admit, so did I, which is why I grabbed the camera.  Jake, buddy, I'm sorry to say, it's only just begun.

Our Turkey Overfloweth

This Thanksgiving was a bit different for us.  For only the second time EVER, we haven't gotten all the Maddings, or at least most, together for Thanksgiving.  We're hoping to make up for it sometime in the spring.  It was disappointing, but a bit of a relief.  We're still struggling a bit transitioning to Buckingham Party of SIX.  We had a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving at home.  Mom, Amy, Bella, and Marco came over, and it was fabulous.

 Bella is quite good at her role of big cousin. 

 While Buck was frying the turkey, the kids wanted to jump in a big leaf pile.  We had a medium sized one, and somehow Buck convinced them to rake leaves for a LONG time to make the pile bigger.  It was lots of fun...despite Ellie's face (I think she had just lost her shoe).

 Shorts and a t-shirt?  No, we're not that bad of parents.  We've had unseasonably warm weather.

 Through the month of November, we made a sort of Advent Turkey.  Each day we rotated who got to add a feather stating something they were thankful for.  John and Eve even wrote their own.  The kids LOVED it, and so did I.  We eventually got to things like Legos and Princesses, but it did my heart good to have them spend the first few weeks listing family, sisters, etc.  We have so much to be thankful for.  The turkey hardly scratches the surface, but as you can see, our turkey overfloweth!  I think we've found a new tradition.

 I wasn't sure what to make for dessert.  Aunt Patty always makes pecan pie.  I'm sure she tried to mail us one, but it never arrived.  SO, I ended up giving the kids a choice by secret ballot.  I asked them each individually if they wanted Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, or Pumpkin Pound Cake.  Somehow they each, without hesitation, said Pumpkin Pie.  I'm pretty sure none of them have ever had any of the three choices.  SO, we all worked together and made 2 pumpkin pies.  Eve wanted a Princess Pumpkin Pie, so we made it happen.

 Amy brought their dog Gracie.  Gracie really liked Jake.  I'm not so sure the feelings were mutual.

Just before Thanksgiving Eve had a program at school.  I couldn't help but include this cute picture.
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, mostly because of the time spent with family...and all of the good food, too.  We have so so much to be thankful for, and it was a blessing to spend the month reflecting on that.  God is so good.

Name That Baby

Something tells me in a few years I'll fail at this game!  With each child, I've taken a similar picture at 3 weeks.  Can you name that baby?  I think 2 look A LOT alike!

 Well, I made it easy for you.  I put them in reverse order.  It's Jake, Ellie, Eve, and John.  I think Ellie and Jake's pictures look a whole lot alike!

Here's another sweet one of Jake at 3 weeks.  He's really starting to chub up!  Isn't he a doll?  And he's every bit as sweet as he looks.

Author/Illustrator

John really enjoys projects and artwork.  He's also started to write a lot more lately.  Here is the book he wrote a few weeks ago.

 The cover. "The Time That Star Wars Meetid (met) With Ninjogo (Ninjago)"

 The Bttl is ubout to bgin (The battle is about to begin).  Note the sith and cobra (from Ninjago) on the left, jedi and multiple ninjas on the right.

 The Enumey git rete (The enemy gets ready)

 The Batl Hs Begun (The battle has begun)

At Last the Batl is ovr the god gis Hve oun (At last the battle is over.  The good guys have won)

I thought this was pretty awesome.  Pictures, characters, a plot...everything you need for a great book!

Fabulous Gifts

I didn't get a chance to post this with the Welcome Jake entry.  When John, Eve, and Ellie came to meet Jake the first time, they brought FABULOUS artwork as a gift.  About 30 pages of it!  Here is a sampling...

 Eve drew this princess.  I love how everything she draws has ears.

 John drew several fairies.

 He also drew several ninjas.  This one is on an awesome dragon.

Of course Ellie helped too.  I'm not sure what it is, but it's very colorful.

A Buckingham First

Yes!  A Buckingham first...but probably not a last.  Two nights ago John lost his second tooth by means of Ellie knockin it out!  It was super loose, and we've been waiting for it to go, but we all thought it was funny (John included), that roughousing with Ellie was the way to get it to finally come out.  Maybe I should start a count of how many Buckingham teeth are knocked out by a sibling.
Of course, John was thrilled that the Tooth Fairy was once again faithful to make a generous trade.