Catching up

It is not that we haven’t been doing anything; it is that I haven’t taken time to post.  My motivation for posting has been waning lately.  I think it makes a difference that we are closer to family which is one of the major reasons we have kept this post going.  But at this point, I also see it as a journal for the girls to chronicle their lives.  I have not done a good job with baby books – something I thought I would actually be good at!  So, this has replaced that.  So, here is an update:

 

Madison and Grace reunited for a play date in a pool a few weeks ago.  Her grandparents, who live in the area, invited us over one morning when they were watching her.  Although there was little interaction in the pool – they were both too busy “swimming” and jumping into the water – they did reconnect during lunch and the playtime afterwards.  Madison would feed Grace sticks of celery in between laughter.

Then, there was Fun Night in the community.  It started with an Amish vs English softball game.  (I don’t know the results; we got there too late.)  Then, it progressed to helicopter, ambulance, and fire truck viewings, followed by train rides, playing with cousins, and some ice cream.  (We left before the helicopter dropped candy because Madison was tired and hungry and breaking down…. and so was I.)  It was a partial high school reunion for me – seeing classmates that I haven’t seen for a good number of years.

     

Ellie is continuing to grow – flashes her smile and wins you over instantly.  She got a tutu from Jeremy’s aunt (just like Madison got) and I tried to take some pics.  My photographic efforts didn’t work so well, but here are a few:

           

My brother called one Saturday and asked if we would like to go hiking a God’s Hollow.  I packed up the girls and took off.  (Jeremy was working on the townhouse, and I pretty much take every opportunity to go do something when I am by myself.)  The big boys climbed places I wouldn’t even consider (look carefully in the second photo and you’ll see them), while Madison and Landen stuck to the little creek – the perfect depth for them.

      

         

Finally, we have had a number of visitors – Sandy, grandparents, Ben and the boys, our neighbor Lori, and most recently, Zach, Megan, and Aunt Julie came.  We hung out on the front lawn.  Madison wanted to sit in chairs just like Zach and Megan – not on the blanket like Mommy, Julie, and Ellie :)

I need to get to some bookwork so we can get to the bank and get some money for groceries.  So, this blog ends somewhat abruptly.  Hope everyone has a great start to the week.  Maybe I’ll take some time again later to blog. Blessings.

Potty Training!

Madison reached a milestone today.  She had gone on the potty the last few nights at bath time when we were right there in the bathroom, she would ask to go.  I made the trip to Wal-mart and bought her some panties (the package with the most in it!), and she wore them for the first time today!  I was a little leery as we headed out the door for a stroller walk to the school, the thrift store and the park.  She said she had to go at the park, but it didn’t happen.  We made it home and she went!  Then, we went on a streak of just missing the right moment here at home.  Luckily all the accidents happened on the linoleum floor which made for easy clean up.  The rest of the evening she went three times in the potty and did not have an accident.  I am so proud of her – and I think she is pretty proud of herself too!  She doesn’t want to wear her shorts anymore… probably wants the whole world to see her new big girl panties!  We’ll see how tomorrow goes, but I think this is a pretty good start :)

6 months old (the appointment)

We went to Ellie’s 6 month check up on Wednesday.  We had a little bit of a wait in the lobby, so she was a little out of sorts before actually meeting the doctor.  He was super nice and I appreciated that he took time to talk even though he was behind schedule.  She is growing on the curve – so not getting too big (or too small) too fast.  He said she is doing great!  And I agree :)

Here are her stats

• Weight: 16lbs 0.5oz… 19lbs 15oz at 6 months (3lbs 14.5oz weight gain) … 97%
• Length:  27.5 in at four months… 28 in at 6 months (1/2 in growth) …97%
• Head: 17-1/2 in at four months… 18-1/2 in at 6 months (1 in smarter)…97%

She is sitting, rolling (randomly and only in her crib from her back to her belly… and getting stuck), moving toys from hand-to-hand, eating lunch and dinner (I’m supposed to add breakfast to this as well), swinging, jumping in her exer-saucer, growing teeth, smiling, and loving her sister.  She is also showing a little stranger anxiety recently, so we’ll see what becomes of that.  I can’t believe how fast the time has past, and although I do not really enjoy the first few sleepless, worrisome, makes you feel incompetent months, I feel like I somehow missed out on some of her moments.  I am going to work to soak in the little things as these minutes turn into days and days turn into months.  Keep growing, loving, and smiling, Ellie.  I love you!

Family Times

Earlier this week, I ventured west to meet up at my brother’s house with his four kids plus my parents who were bringing the other four cousins to play for the day.  It was a day of much busy-ness.  They entertained each other in the morning.  Ellie found a new place to hang out in the bean bag.

       

Madison and Landen enjoyed making music together.  Note the concentration Madison puts into it; Landen is more of the entertainer and poser!

      

And we all enjoyed a little lunch at Wendy’s.  Jeremy had joked that mom should have gotten a free meal as the is basically like a bus driver with a crew that size!  The kids did a great job and were well behaved.  I would have been impressed as a diner in the restaurant.

       

Today, we went to the park for a picnic and a little fun on the playground.  There was a basketball tournament going on as well, but just provided for some entertainment. 

            

Madison enjoyed the swings (as usual) and the slides.

      

Ellie is starting to enjoy the swings as well – although she swings at a much lower speed than her big sis.

     

Teeth, Sitting, and More

So, poor Ellie has been neglected in the number of personal posts she has received.  There have been few landmark posts for her – in fact, I think I forgot to celebrate her 5th month birthday.  It is an argument for not having more children… the third would feel utterly neglected in the blogging world … or I may not keep up the blog at all with three.  But that is a conversation for another day. 

Ellie is officially 6 months old (as of a few days ago).  I will post her vital statistics when we go visit her new doctor next week.  So, I was kinda holding off in that department.  I thought I should celebrate her TWO teeth that have come in.  The first tooth (bottom right) came in on June 25th without much fanfare.  The second tooth (bottom left) seemed a little more painful – she screamed most of the night that we had Jeremy’s family over for supper – and arrived July 6th.  They are adorable.

Another exciting development is sitting.  She can pretty much sit without toppling for a very long time.  I think this occurred sometime during the week of June 18.  It is a nice thing for her to do and she seems to enjoy that perspective most of the time.  When she gets tired, she just whines a little to be laid down or picked up.  Look at this -

        

She (and Madison) both like to read.  She pretty much likes to do or be near most of whatever Madison is doing.  It is fun to watch.  I wonder how they will grow up.  I never had a sister.  A college acquaintance of mine keeps a blog and wrote about sisters recently, and it got me thinking about it more.  (Feel free to read – and look at her awesome pictures – here.) 

      

Ellie is such a good baby.  She is happy – squealing, laughing, and flashing smiles.  She is a good sleeper – 12 hours at night and a morning nap and an afternoon nap (we are working to lengthen this one and shorten the morning one).  She is also very kissable with those chubby cheeks and big blue eyes. I mean, really, how could you resist this:

July 4th Miscellaneous

So, our July 4th started July1st with a outdoor extravaganza at my sister-in-laws parent’s house.  We went late because we let the girls have their naps, so we missed quite a few people.  But there was still plenty of fun to be had!  Madison pretty much LOVED being in the pool.  She wore a life jacket and some water wings and declared she could “swim all by herself!”  (It makes me want to get her enrolled in swim lessons quickly with all that confidence!)   The other picture is just super cute of her cousin, Lilli.

                    

She also enjoyed the little train ride she took.  The first time, she rode with my mom because it was a little intimidating.

           

The next time, I couldn’t fit in the car, so she braved it by herself and had just as much fun!

On July 4th in the blazing temperatures and accompanying humidity, we went with Jeremy’s parents to a parade.  Madison did not complain about the temperatures (although I am sure a few complaints came from my mouth).  She learned the art of gathering candy and shoveling it in her mouth – before we could snatch it! 

                  

                   

           

There was a variety of things to be seen – unicyclists (but we see those outside our house!), horses (again, we see those), an airplane (we don’t see those outside our house…),  fire trucks, twirlers, a few floats, random old cars, and a variety of businesses/politicians driving a vehicle for advertising purposes. 

		Parade Sights VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

It was a long parade, and fairly quiet – with the exception of a few loud horns that scared Ellie to death and led to a screaming baby for the next hour… poor girl! 

        

The next thing on the agenda was fireworks this weekend.  We had not intended to go, but my parents offered to watch the girls if we wanted to go.  Then, we found out that Jeremy’s mom and his cousin from Florida would be going to the fireworks show as well.  So, we decided that we would go and let Madison get her first fireworks show and VERY late night.  We sat quite a distance from the actual display, so that we could make a quick getaway. 

          

While waiting for the show to start, Madison boldly introduced herself to the family sitting next to us.  They had three girls – the youngest was almost 2, the middle one was probably about 4, and the oldest looked to be about 7.  She became inseparable. 

     

In fact, when the show started, I gathered her up and sat her on my lap.  She sat for about a second, and then said, “Can I go sit with my friends?”  I looked at Jeremy and said, “Is she a teenager already?”  It was crazy. She had more fun interacting with them than watching the actual fireworks.  At least she was happy and not a sleepy, whiny wreak! 

           

We are finally enjoying a break from those brutal temperatures.  I even dressed the girls in pants for the first outing this morning.  We will take 80F weather with little humidity any summer day!