Recent Happenings . . .

All Four!

Tummy time

First bath

Our stray cat, Royal Jack, who, we were informed by a babysitter was a male version of the species, ended up surprising us by giving birth to four kittens in our backyard a week before Will was born! We all got rather attached (Emily, of course, was especially attached) and were sad to see the sweet little critters go, but fortunately, we were able to find a home for the entire family so they could stay together.

Jane adores Will. I thought, if any of the kids would have a problem with sibling rivalry it would be Jane, but she is so gentle and loving. Whenever she comes in from being out, she says, "Where's the baby!" and loves to cover him with hugs and kisses. She has become so nurturing and loves to be my big helper.

It was so wonderful having my mom in town to help with things after Will was born! We miss her, her yummy meals, and the foot rubs! She was such a great help!

Will getting acquainted with his Aunt Melissa.

Abby had her ballet recital last week and loved being on stage. On the way home, she asked when she could perform on stage again. She did a great job with both her ballet and tap number.

All set for her tap dance to "Lollipop".

Abby and her friend Calla in their ballet costumes.

Emily's end-of-the-year school class project was all about the rainforest and the animal she chose to focus on was the macaw. She learned so many interesting things and loved sharing them with the family at parent day.

Abby at her preschool graduation with her teacher, Miss Kathy. I can't believe that she is going to be in Kindergarten in the fall -- although she already towers above most of the other kids in her class.

Jane and Abby modeling the diaper wreath that the ladies in Mark's office made for a shower they had for us.

Millie at her first piano recital.

INTRODUCING . . .

William Ward McLaughlin

May 17, 2010

9 lbs. 14 oz.

20 3/4 inches

Mother and baby doing fine.

Father on cloud nine.

Big sisters Emily, Abigail, and Jane ecstatic.

March Madness -- the McLaughlin kind, not the NCAA kind

HAPPY EASTER!

Phew! March has been a whirlwind month and we're just now attempting to get things back on track (at least until the baby comes)! It has been a month of major milestones -- one might say it has been the month of Millie (who is now requesting that she be called by her "real" name, Emily, but old habits die hard and I keep forgetting. Fortunately, she's a good sport.). She turned 8, was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accomplished a year-long goal as she finished reading The Book of Mormon, lost her first tooth (finally! She's watched for the past two years as all of her friends have lost teeth), and performed in her second-grade program. On top of all of this we have had a great time with visits from Grandma and Grandpa McLaughlin, Grammie and Grandpa Ward, Aunt Sara and baby Cannon, and visiting Aunt Jenny, Uncle Matt O., cousins and Aunt Miffy in Dallas! As a result, the girls are pretty out of whack and Mommy definitely needs a little down time, but it was worth it because of all of the great memories.

The McLaughlin and Oldroyd cousins after an Easter egg hunt at Jennifer's house in Dallas.

Abby showing off her stash.

Millie and her eggs.

Jane and Emma on the hunt.

All the kids ready for the hunt.

It was so fun to see Miffy who flew in the for the weekend from BYU! All the girls were sad when she couldn't come home with us to Houston. Aunt Jenny had come up with some fun and creative ways to decorate Easter eggs and we all had a great time -- I think Grandpa enjoyed it as much as the kids.

With Dawn, Melissa, and Catherine at an AMAZING baby shower they gave me at La Madeline. Everything was lovely -- they had so many sweet, special touches. It was such a fun night! And yes, I look like I'm about to deliver, but still have six weeks. The doctor who does my ultrasounds told me last month that baby boy is already measuring 5-7 oz. bigger than average. This is true to form for me as I have big babies -- I'm just hoping he doesn't exceed Jane's record of 9 lbs. 15 oz.

With Mom and Sara at the shower. It was so wonderful to have them there!

It was a pure delight to meet Cannon for the first time -- such a sweet-tempered, happy baby! We all adored him -- especially Abby who is our baby-lover. She hasn't stopped talking about him since he left.

Millie and her first lost tooth!

Millie after her baptism.

Millie loved having both sets of her grandparents here for her baptism -- the McLaughlins from Idaho and the Wards from Virginia. We so appreciate their making the effort to be here for this special day!

With friends and Anna, our babysitter, after the baptism.

Being somewhat spacey these days (my girls affectionately call it "Baby Brain"), I had forgotten that it was St. Patrick's day until late in the afternoon so we had to scramble to come up with a St. Patrick's day meal, but fortunately green-colored lemonade and green cookies did the trick.

Millie loved channeling her inner-lion in her second-grade program and she loved having Grandma there to see it.

In an effort to simplify things this year, for Millie's birthday, we invited three friends to come for dinner and a craft and then went to see "Annie" at a community theater. We made it a Broadway-themed bash and had a great time.

The girls posing with Annie after the show.

Posing with our friend, Riley (aka: Lily St. Regis), after the show. She was fabulous and the girls loved seeing someone they knew in the play.

It's A Boy!

It's taken me awhile to get back to posting, and this news is definitely overdue! We are expecting a baby boy in May! After three girls, we are entering completely new territory here and will have to dilute some of the profusion of pink in the house with some boy gear, but we are excited! Mark is especially excited to add some more testosterone to the mix.

The girls are excited about the news, too. At first, they were all wanting another sister, but after announcing it to them with some blue balloons, and blue cupcakes, they were more than ready to be excited at the prospect of a baby brother.