H-O-T!

Last weekend, it was HOT. Imagine that. This has been the hottest summer I can remember...in fact, it is usually too hot for us to even venture outside anymore. However, the other day we decided we needed to have some fun instead of watch movies or play inside. Crockett was over, so the 3 big boys stripped down to shorts/undies/the buff and played in the sprinklers. We loaded up the water guns and they went at it. They had a lot of fun, I got sprayed in the face, the little 2 made a mudpit to splash in...it was a good time. Here are some pictures from the "cool" afternoon!

8 months old!

Here we are again, another month has come and gone in the blink of an eye! Craziness. As you can see, I have done away with the signs this month. I just decided it wasn't worth the hassle, only to get eaten!

This month we:
Started MOVING...big time. While he isn't up on all 4's, do not be fooled. Turn your back for 3 seconds and he vanishes. The other day Braidy and Quin were in the living room, I went to the kitchen to do something quick, came back and we were down to one child. I asked Braidy where Quin was and he said, "I don't know?!" I wasn't really worried because obviously he had to be somewhere, but I could NOT find the babe! He had crawled/slithered into John's room and was around his dresser, where you couldn't see him by just looking into his room. Sneaky little thing! This picture was taken when he crawled behind our couch in the living room!

Got his first tooth on 8/16. It's teeny but it is most definitely there, and everyday it gets bigger and bigger! We've already had the talk about NO BITING MOMMA!

His hair has grown a ton I feel like. It's starting to have little "wings" by his ears, and the top will do a little curl after bathtime if I don't brush it. I love the shaggy/pre-haircut look. Just precious!

He will sit up for a while without toppling over! Which also means life gets a little easier in that i can sit him in a high chair instead of hauling in the 50 pound carseat to restaraunts! He really likes it I think, and feels like such a big boy! I still keep him in the carrier sometimes, but the high chair is at least an option now!

He started to eat puffs and he likes them! The first time we tried them, we had a few choking scares, but he's a pro now. We don't quite have the pincher down so I usually have to feed them to him, or else they end up everywhere but his mouth.

He got his first few tastes (or scoops) of ice cream. I told LuLu at Braidy's party he could have "some" ice cream! One scoop later, he wanted more! Safe to say, he loves him some ice cream...vanilla and rocky road! Not to mention, I'm pretty sure LuLu is now his favorite person ever, ha!

We discovered he has a pretty good allergy to strawberries. I gave him one in those mesh things, and not long after he had been chewing on it, he broke out into a huge rash all over his body! I guess no more strawberries for my boy! Here he is, rash and all...and the cutest man boobs I have ever seen!

Wearing 6-12 month clothes, size 4 diapers. Eats an oatmeal for breakfast, and a fruit and veggie for dinner, starting to give him one at lunch too. Nurses 5 or 6 times a day. Is sleeping pretty good lately, going down at about 7:30. Napping twice a day, sometimes 3.

Other than that, he just continues to be a joy. Still growing like a weed and eating like a champ. He loves watching what is going on and does not like to be left out of the action! I just fall more and more in love with this little monkey every single day!

The Party!

I have pretty much decided there will be no more birthday parties at our house, with maybe the exception of Quin's first birthday. It just isn't worth cleaning and stressing only to have everything messed up in a matter of minutes. From now on we will go somewhere for the party, and come home and be done! We did this with Braidy's party and it was the best. Simple and stress-free and I know EVERYONE (especially the birthday boy) enjoyed it 10x more!

We met at the fire station. One of my best friends from high school is a fireman, and he was so wonderful to let us invade his station for a little bit. The kids just explored and played in the trucks. They tried on helmets, headsets, "drove", climbed up the ladder, looked at the giant tires, and even got to see the truck in action. About 1/2 through the party, they got a call, so a few of the firemen left on the call. The kids all loved hearing the sirens and seeing it all in action. They were back in about 10 minutes, but it was still exciting! Fireman Justin even let us get into the 'basket" and go about 110 feet up in the air! Braidy LOVED it and thought it was the greatest thing ever. He is still talking about "going way up high in the sky on the firetruck!" We had a great time and we are so thankful for Justin for doing this for Braidy. He will always remember his 3rd birthday party!













After the fire station we headed to Holly Hop's Ice Cream Shoppe where the kids got to pick out their ice cream cones or sundaes. We ate ice cream, danced to some juke box music, opened presents, ate cupcakes, and ran around and had a ball! The kids were all so sweet and really enjoyed themselves. We were the only ones in the ice cream shoppe, so it was great....and the ice cream was YUMMMMY!

Three Years Old!

Three years ago today, at 5:43 PM, our sweet Braidy Spencer came into the world and I became a mommy!! Three years have gone by in the blink of an eye. What a treasure he is.

I love this age. He talks and talks and talks and says some of the funniest things. I definitely laugh on a regular basis because of him. Even when I'm getting frustrated or mad at something he's doing, he knows how to make me laugh even when I don't want to. I love laying in bed with him, "pretending" to be asleep and "snoring"...and we'll both just get so tickled and laugh until we are crying. When i'm putting him in bed or BACK in bed at night, he'll get me to come back by saying "I just want to give you hugs and kisses". Or he'll trot in our room after getting out of bed (we are trying to kick this habit) and he'll say "I want you lay with me for two minutes".

I love that he has a sweet spirit. I love that he shares pretty well. I love that he has manners and knows how to use them. I love that he adores his baby brother and knows how to make him laugh and laugh. I love that he looks up to John and loves to play with him. I love watching him learn new things. I love hearing him talk about things we did weeks and even months ago. I love seeing him so excited about the simple things in life. I love that he could and does eat his body weight in watermelon, or any fruit or veggie for that matter. I love hearing him say "I think it's going to be hot out there today!" every single time we get in the car this summer! I love that his imagination is beginning to take off. I love hearing him say the prayer before dinner by himself. I love his hugs and kisses. I love that he loves being with his daddy, helping him do anything and everything. I love spending my days with this little guy. Braidy, we love you so much! I hope you've had the best birthday ever!!

This morning we continued our tradition by making pancakes and putting candles in them. For lunch LuLu had us over for steaks, broccoli, and corn (Just what Braidy said he wanted....broccoli was first on his list). We had cake, opened presents, and played with Crockett! This evening we went and fed the ducks and played some at the park! Special day for a special boy!

Here are some pictures from his birthday!

The Hour of the Turtle

The other day as we were headed out on a quick coffee run, I drove past what looked like a turtle in the middle of the road. I stopped, turned around and sure enough, it was a little turtle! Luckily, I have LOTS of random "supplies" in my car (aka lots of junk that doesn't belong there)....so we found a play "hard hat" and I went and rescued him and we took him home. The boys were in awe of this little turtle. Braidy carried him in, and John put him in the grass. They would just watch him, poke him with sticks (on the shell) and were just amazed by it. We'd go out every few minutes to "find" the turtle. It was FAST too...whoever said turtles were slow had never met our Mr. Turtle. However, after lunch we went out to find it and it was no where to be found. We looked all over and even went next door to see if it sneaked through the small hole in our gate. We never did find it, but i feel pretty sure it's next door and as far away from 2 little boys as it could get. John was certain it was "hiVernating"...Hopefully we will find him again soon. HE was GREAT entertainment for the couple of hours that he was ours!