I Can't Believe It's Been Almost A Year!

Let me start by saying, I know, I know! I can't tell you how guilty I feel that it has been almost a year since I have blogged about our girls and our life.
I never imagined how much more difficult free time would be to come by going from 3 kiddos to 4. Oh, but it is!

Daddy with his girls before Halloween 2011

Although, Shelby makes it so much easier than it could be.

Oh, my sweetheart, how I do adore this smile

When I say she is the sweetest baby, I mean the absolute SWEETEST baby EVER! She has had her Daddy's heart from the day she was born, he was singing her name in the hospital room and he hasn't stopped. Every time she lays that sweet little head on his shoulder for a "Shelby hug" you can literally see his heart melt.
She is our precious, precious baby girl.

The girlies posing out front last winter in their hats we brought them from our trip to Canada

We aren't the only ones in love with Shelby. Her big sisters are just as in love. They are constantly fighting over who Shelby "belongs" to and who gets to hold her. When we go into her room to get her up in the morning, of course, the girls go bounding in and Shelby jumps up, ALL SMILES & GIGGLES for her sisters.

This past summer, pics out front all smiles and laughs :)

We took our first long trip as a family this Summer and the girls did great. Granted, the trip to Colorado proved to be, ummmmm, challenging. Maybe it was because we decided to start potty training 2 weeks before we left. Maybe it was because our car was broken into overnight in Amarillo and we woke up to having to get our back window replaced, all while I tried to keep 3 - 2-year olds and a 10-month old entertained at Chick-Fil-A for 3 hours. Maybe it was because I had to replace all of my clothes, shoes, etc. because they were all STOLEN. So, by Day 2 on our drive to Colorado, Brent and I (mostly me) were nearly at the end of our rope. Picture this, 4 kids stuck in a car for 8 hours a day and 3 of those kids saying they need to "tee-tee" every 20 minutes of our day 2 drive. And, you CAN'T just NOT STOP, because you don't want them to have an accident when you have worked so hard on training them to not have accidents. So, that part, was not fun.

Sweet baby, even on a long car ride! With her Blue.

Once we got there, it was SO MUCH FUN! The girls loved it!
I am in full swing planning the girls birthday party extravaganza! The girls' 3rd birthday and Shelby's first birthday are only 11 days apart so we are having a combined birthday party for everyone.

Addie, sweet with a little sass ;)

Reagan showing off her necklace

We have been to so many birthday parties lately that the other day we asked the girls if they were excited about having a birthday party for themselves and Baylee said, "No Mommy, I don't want a birf-day party. I's not sighted." I don't think she means that ;).

Baylee, talking, talking, talking...she is always chatting up a storm

Right now, the girls are loving playing outside on their new play set from Grammy and Pop when it isn't scorching HOT outside.

They also love Dora, Diego and movies. We should have known they'd love movies just like Mommy and Daddy do. Their favs: The Lorax, Penguins (Happy Feet 2), Toy Story (1, 2 or 3), Monsters (Monster's Inc.) & Froggies (The Leapfrog Learning Series).

Cuddled up in their blankets from Grammy watching a movie

They also ask to go swimming about once a day and to the beach about once a day, or a million if you are Baylee.

This morning we told the girls we were starting baths and Baylee loudly shouted over everyone in the bathroom, "OK! Here's how it's gonna be! We are taking baths.....and then we are going to the BEACH!" Oh.My.Goodness. Sassss-a-frassss! Brent and I died laughing because she was so adamant about it. Then Brent asked her, "Baylee, are you in charge?" and she said, "No, Addie is." LOL I guess now we know who is pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Oh, and of course, the girls adore their Grammy, Pop, Gran and Grandaddy so much, we talk about them all day long.

The Girls with Grandaddy on his birthday 2012

Shelby, my sweet, sweet, Shelby Boo, she remains to be happy-go-lucky just about all the time. Only when she is exhausted or hungry does she put up a fuss. She isn't walking yet, but this kid is quick! She can be down the hall crawling after her sisters in no time. I have a feeling she will be walking very soon and then we are really in trouble with keeping her contained and out of everything like her sisters.

Shelby with Pop, Easter weekend 2012

Shelby, Easter 2012 - CUTIE PIE!

My girls found some of Grammy's old hats ;)

I can't decide if Shelby is more of a Mommy's girl or a Daddy's girl. She does gravitate toward me the majority of the time, purely because she is completely spoiled as the baby sister should be. I am the first to break down when she puts up a fuss about something and give her what she wants. Brent swears she said, "Berkley" today. I didn't hear it but he swears she did. Berkley is the name of one of our dogs. :).

Such a sweetie!

Shelby's favorite thing to do is to climb into the pantry cabinet and play with all of the crystal light packets she has strewn about in the bottom.  I am constantly having to rush over to close the cabinet while I am cooking to make sure she doesn't rush in there and start chewing on those packets. She broke through one the other day and Brent was laughing because she got the most disgusted look on her face...probably the lemonade.

Trying to keep up with the girls...patiently waiting until she can jump in there

 The girls finally got into "big girl" beds 2012

 Exploring like Dora in their Olivia explorer outfits LOL

 Brent and I - 6 years of marriage, 4 kids and a night out to celebrate my friend's graduation from SMU Law School

 Yes, the are obsessed with heels...naturally

 Love this pic of my handsome hubby! 30 years young!

I couldn't get him the Jeep he has always wanted, so he got a Jeep on a cake ;) Best I could do this year

 More Shelby, I can't get enough

 Shelby playing at the indoor splash park with Grammy on our trip to Colorado Summer 2012

 What? Is there something on my face? 

Addie after Luke's 2nd Birthday party, July 2012

 Nov. 2010 - 1 year old

July 2012 - Almost 3 years old

My commitment to myself is to try to blog at least once a month about our girls. Brent and I were looking back over the blog postings about the girls when they were babies & it really hit us how much they have grown and how much we enjoy having those memories recorded.

So I'm making the commitment to myself (and my guilty Mom-conscience) and also to Addison, Reagan, Baylee and Shelby Dale.

This cutie...

And these cuties!

Shelby's Newborn Photoshoot

I knew if I didn't have a newborn photo session done for Shelby when she was just a few weeks old I was really going to regret it. So, since we headed up to Grammy and Pops for a few weeks right after Shelby was born (our house is still under construction) I decided to use a photographer in the DFW area last minute to get those irreplaceable pictures taken and here are just a few. :)








She really is just the most precious little girl. God truly blessed us with an easy-going babe. She is currently 5 1/2 weeks old and she is sleeping from around 6:30 pm to 3:30 am, 9 hours, before her first nighttime feeding. Now, that isn't every single night, we still have a few nights here and there where she is hungrier than others, but overall, she sleeps a long stretch and lets her Mommy and Daddy sleep as well.
She is starting to really focus on our faces and her sisters' voices. They are always in her face talking to her, so not noticing them would be impossible. :)
Baylee has taken to walking around the house saying "Ohhhh, Shelby. Ohhhh, Shelby...it's ok" at various times during the day because I'm sure she has heard me say that a time or two. Reagan is always concerned about Shelby's paci, as well as her own, but she always wants to make sure I know where Shelby's paci is in case she needs it. Addison likes to play with Shelby's feet, she thinks it's funny. I keep telling her to just leave the baby alone but no one listens to me. :)
I don't know how much Shelby weighs right now, but I am sure it is somewhere in the 10-12 lb range.
Things upcoming for the Huse family: The older girls' actual birthday party (a few weeks late) we are having an Olivia the Pig themed party because the girls L.O.V.E. Olivia, the completion of our house estimated to be in about 20-25 days!!!, and Halloween! It's already been a crazy year for us and the next three months aren't slowing down at all.

Shelby Dale :)

You were born toward the end of the longest streak of triple digit temperatures in Texas history...and I was feeling it every day :). So hot!
I was pressing Dr. Beaird all the way through my pregnancy with you to allow me to deliver you naturally, but as we found out about a week before your due date (August 24th) that you were most likely already over 9 lbs. we decided it would be best to go ahead and schedule a c-section for August 23rd rather than wait for my body to go into labor on its own.
You were born August 23rd at 10:38 am weighing in at 9 lbs. 11 oz. and measuring 21 inches long. You were precious and you still are! You had so much dark hair, like your Daddy, and everyone in the operating room was commenting on how beautiful you were. Such a pretty baby! :)

Pop and Grandaddy's first look at you :)

A lot of your family was able to be there the day you were born. Your Pop was the first to get to hold you. :)
Aunt Missy, Uncle Clark and your cousins CJ, Mark, Peyton and Mackenzie came to Waco just for your arrival.
Grammy, Gran, Grandaddy, Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Adam were all there as well to welcome you into the world and into our loving family.

Grammy holding you for the first time

Gran with her 4th grandbaby :)

Uncle Adam and Aunt Elizabeth

Your older sisters were able to come visit you at the hospital later that day and they weren't too sure what to make of the whole situation. Seeing Mommy all laid up in bed in a strange place was a little overwhelming for sure. But, they have started saying your name although it sounds more like "Selby" and most of the time they just call you "Baby." They have started loving to help me take care of you and be wherever you are when you aren't napping.
Your Daddy has been doting on you and singing songs with only your name in them since the minute we were alone with you.

Shelby Dale - 26 days old

You have been such a blessed addition to our family. You are such an easy-going baby and you don't make things too hard on your Momma :). We can't wait to watch you grow, but not too fast. ;)

Regardless, you'll always be my baby girl.