A New School Year

Ellie has started her third and final year of preschool.  She turns 5 at the end of the month, but in MO, you have to be 5 by August 1st in order to start kindergarten...so we're doing another year of preschool.  She is definitely ready for kindergarten, but I'm trying to slow down and enjoy this little extra time I get with her at home.

She is going to half-day preschool 5 days a week. She was super excited to start back to school, meet new teachers, and make new friends.  Ellie is a smart, outgoing, friendly girl, so I never worry about how she'll do on her own at school.  We always get rave reviews from her teachers, and would expect nothing less.

Lake Week 2011

Lake Week 2011 is now in the history books.  It was another fun filled week with lots of swimming, golfing, and eating.  Here are just a few of the highlights.

Miner Mike's

We can't go to the Lake without spending an afternoon at Miner Mike's. The kids really look forward to this day. We spend a ton of dough, and they come away with some lovely prizes - bouncy balls, parachute guys, and stickers - but at least they have lots of fun.

Putt Putt Golf at Pirate's Cove

"Can we go putt putt today?" was asked multiple times every day until we finally made it to the course.  Putt-putt with the kids is always interesting.  There were a few times that Jason had to make some quick moves to either avoid getting hit in the shins with a ball or retrieve a ball from going over a waterfall.  Max has quite the powerful little swing, and he doesn't practice putting too often. 

Annual Couples Golf Tournament

What would Lake Week be without the couples golf tournament.  Our outfits this year were very tame, with everyone sporting their college logos.  This year's variation included all the young ones competing against all the old ones.  Jason and I just made the cut to get to stay with the young group...I'm not sure I could handle it if I were considered in the "Old" group.  Unfortunately though, the young ones did not have the depth of experience that the Oldies did, and we sadly lost the Freed Cup to the saggier crew.  It will return to its rightful owners next year, though.

 The Young Team

The Old Team

Pool Time

There was lots of time spent in the pool and lake.  The kids got to swim every day, which they loved.  My kids are very fair, so they are never without sunscreen, which then keeps them looking rather fair.  At the beginning of the week, someone made the comment to Ellie that she was looking very white.  Her response..."I know.  I'm as white as a ghost.  I'd say white as an angel, but I'm not that good."  My kids are awesome.

Hanging Out Together Time

The best part of the week, in my opinion, is getting to hang out, relax, and visit with everyone.  While I was confined to the condo more than I would prefer (because a 5 month old baby can't be in the sun and still requires frequent naps), it's still nice to be on "vacation" with my family.  When we are all together there are 2 things that we never have a shortage of ... (1) good food and (2) laughter.  What more could we need?!

 Relaxing with Dad

 Happy Boy

 Crazy, Sweaty, Chloriney, Sunscreeny Haired Max

Some of the crew

 Alex and Danielle

 Abby and Sue

 Corey and Erin ("Hey Corey, Guess What?")

 Allie and Brad

Valerie and Kameron

 Kelly and Justin

Sherry and Pam

5 Months Old

Isn't he just the cutest!?!!  He's getting so big, though I haven't weighed him lately.  Will's wearing 9-12 months clothes now, which is kind of crazy to me.  I thought it would be great having another boy born in the same season as Max, because I assumed I wouldn't have to buy tons of clothes.  Unfortunately, he is growing at a faster pace than Max did, so we're having to buy some summer clothes in bigger sizes.  I'm ready for the cooler weather (for so many reasons) so we can transition back to some of Max's duds.

We've slowed down on the baby food for a while.  He was eating it great, but his stomach didn't seem to like it too much.  He has a bit of a sensitive digestive system, just like Ellie did, so we're going to wait a little longer and hope it develops some more before venturing into jarred meats - GROSS.

We've been putting Will into the exersaucer and even brought the high chair out of the basement.  He loves being able to sit up straighter and watch everything that is going around him.  His big brother and sister love him to pieces and fight over who gets to hold him.  They can both get some big giggles out of him too.  I'll try to post a video soon.

Yea For Baby Food

Our Little Man is growing up so quickly.  He tried baby cereal for the first time today and loved it.  I made just a tiny bit, foolishly thinking that he might struggle to eat off a spoon.  But he did not struggle at all.  I had to make 2 more helpings of cereal before he was finally finished.  I almost don't know what to do with a child that eats from a spoon so easily.  Here comes lots of fun with sweet potatoes and green beans.  YEA!!

4 Months Old



Will is 4 months old.  He is by far my biggest child.  At his doctor's appointment today he weighed 17 pounds, 1 1/2 ounces, which puts him in the 95th percentile in weight.  He was 27 1/2 inches long, which puts him in the 97th percentile for height.  With both Ellie and Max, they didn't quite hit the 20 pound mark by their first birthday (the weight and age minimum to be able to turn their carseats forward facing), but I don't think that will be a concern for Will.  He may even hit the 20 pound mark before his 6 month birthday.  It makes me a little sad to not be able to snuggle with a tiny newborn anymore, but I'm happy that he is growing and thriving. 

He is still happy and content most of the time.  He is developing a great smile and laugh.  You can't help but smile when you hear his little laugh...it's contagious.  He's working on cutting a few teeth, but none have popped through yet.  I wish they would hurry up, so he doesn't have to be in so much pain.

The transition back to work hasn't been too bad.  It is such a blessing to have my mom there with the kids while I'm away.  I can focus on my work and not worry about the kids too much, knowing that they are in great hands...and the kids love spending time with their granny.  And it is awesome to walk in the door and be greeted by happy "MOM"'s and big hugs from the big kids, and great, big smiles from Will when he meets my eyes.  Love 'em all bunches!

At the Driving Range

I've know I've said it before, but Max loves golf.  He can't wait for Jason to get home in evenings so they can go into the back yard and hit tennis balls with golf clubs for our dog, Lucy, to chase.  And if we're out playing in the front yard, he always has a golf club in hand and will whack anything that slightly resembles a ball.

Both Ellie and Max have been asking to go to the golf course, so we finally took the whole family to the driving range.  The big kids both had a great time hitting balls, and Will had a nice nap in the stroller enjoying the fresh air.  Ellie is developing a nice little swing, and Max is perfecting his.

I was able to catch a little video of Max hitting, though he was starting to get angry with me if I pointed the camera in his direction, and would tell me, "No, don't take pictures of ME!"

Riding a Two-wheeler

Peer pressure starts early.  Ellie's neighbor friend recently decided that she wants to ride her bike without training wheels (in order to keep up with her big brother and sisters).  Soon after that revelation, Ellie too decided that she is ready to start riding her bike without training wheels.  So when the weekend rolled around she begged Jason to take her training wheels off.  She was very proud of herself and did great for her first try at two-wheels.  I'm predicting she'll be a pro by the fall.  And yes, she is also Miss Safety, with her helmet, elbow and knee guards.

Toe Sucker

Will has reached a couple of very important miles in the last few weeks - he is now rolling over and he can suck his toes.  Yes, I know, sucking his own toes is not technically a milestone, but it's pretty darn cute.  And since he's not walking yet, we're fairly confident that his feet are clean.  Don't they look tasty?!

We didn't actually witness the first rolling over, but we put him down for a nap on his back and found him on his stomach later.  Since then, he has become a master at rolling over, both back to front and front to back.  The only bad part of reaching this milestone is that it means no more leaving him alone on the bed...we've now moved on to the pillow barricade.

Happy Father's Day

With a 3-month-old, I highly value sleep and just wanted to sleep-in for Mother's Day. I thought Jason would also want to sleep-in, but there's only one thing that Jason values more than sleep...so for Father's Day, Jason woke up super early to play golf with his dad. We went to Columbia on Friday night so that J could also wake up super early on Saturday morning to play golf with Popi and Uncle Nate.

Ellie and Max were very excited for Father's Day, and started planning way in advance.  Ellie wanted it to be a very special weekend for her daddy, so we had a list.  While J golfed, we got to work.

1.)  Ellie and Gran made the cool banner of ties early in the week, but it stayed hidden till we put it up to surprise J this weekend.

2.)  We made shirt and tie cards for all of the dads in our lives - J, Popi, Papa, and GGPa (and Uncle Nate too since we were spending the day with him on Saturday).  Aren't these just the cutest cards.  I saw the cards in my Martha Stewart Living magazine last month, and tore out the page so we would remember to make them when it got closer to Father's Day.  Check out the website for the how-to.  http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/fathers-day-crafts-for-kids 

(I think they would also be adorable with floral paper and no tie for a Hawaiian luau theme event...just an idea to tuck away).

3.)  We made J's favorite chocolate chip cookies.  They're also everyone else's favorite too, so that's a bonus.  For the last few days, Max has been asking for cookie dough as soon as he opens his eyes in the morning...that's my boy.

4.)  We are planning on loving on Dad all day long.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads in our lives.  We have all been blessed with some wonderful fathers.  My dad is one of the kindest, gentlest, and most caring men I know, and I know Jason would say the same about his dad.  Our kiddos are lucky to have such great grandpas.

And my kiddos are also lucky to have such a great daddy.  He's patient, playful, silly, funny, and very loving.  He's a great dad.  We love you!