June is 5 months!

Oh Juney, you are just the cutest, squishiest, sweetest thing on earth. I am a bit late, but here are some of the awesome things about you at 5 months:

-you are a rolling/creeping machine
-you try to sit up, but are sooo wobbly
-you love the moby, and i have started facing you outward. you try to hold on to the cart or stroller, and we get a lot of attention. you are my greatest accessory.
-first teeth are in before you are 6 months! this has caused you to have a lot, i mean A LOT of gas. its totally weird, but i had to note it
-you are so happy, and i think dad pulls the biggest smiles out of you
-you love love love the exersaucer. you are just so big!
-you kind of have this old grandpa hair thing going on in the front...its all wiry and wispy when i am not careful to neatly swoop it to the side
-you are still a pretty good sleeper, although teething/gas have interrupted that a bit
-we are getting ready to move you to a crib, but you have been so cozy in mom and dad's room
-you jabber on and on. its pretty funny, and loud
-you adore your toes, just like big sis. you are so bewildered when i put you in a sleeper, and you try to grab at the sleeper and pull it off your foot. too funny.
-your hair is destined to be brownish/blonde. no red for you...but you have your own beautiful huge blue eyes.

also, i weighed you today, and at 5.5 months you are 16lb 5 oz. CHUB! I love it.

June's Firsts

June is growing up really fast...here are some pictures of her firsts...
-first time swimming
-first time really grabbing and chewing/playing with toys
-playing in the bumbo
-just being cute out at dinner for granddads birthday.

love. her. face.

Mommy thoughts

Here are some things that I know for sure now that I am a mom of three:

-there is never enough time in the day. For example, sometimes it takes me a week to wash all of the laundry, fold it, iron it and put it away. Kind of makes me crazy.

-there is always a new stage or transition waiting for me to conquer. Right now I am facing potty training, moving grey to a big boy bed, weaning lyla off of naps, moving the 2 girls into a room together...the list goes on. It's feels very daunting, and it all needs to happen in the next couple of months.

-time passes faster with each baby and all of their little baby milestones. I tell myself in the shower everyday to soak miss June in. And I think I do an ok job. I cant get enough of her smile, and thank goodness for breastfeeding because I dont think I would be able to sit down otherwise. Her siblings are also obsessed with her, so a lot of the focus stays on her anyway.

-I've learned that my little boy is very bright, very busy and very funny. He has had the hardest transition over the last 4 months, but I think he will come through it

-I have also learned that I am very critical of myself as a mother. Are the kids watching too much tv, why didn't we spend more time outdoors today. Why cant I think of more art projects, why can't I keep my house up the way I want? Was i too hard on grey and lyla? Am i managing my expectations for them? I've learned to take it day by day...and I know that most people are their own worst critics, but I'm always trying to improve. Always.

-and not to be too mushy, but I've learned that it takes more than one, and maybe truly a village to raise children. In particular, I could not do any of the things I do without Nate. He has been so fantastic from the moment June has arrived, and well, forever. We truly operate as a team, and I love it. 5:30 is my favorite time of day because he walks through the door. Just wanted to write that down.











My squishies.

Summer time 2011

Oh man have I been busy lately! Here are some summer highlights, then I will fill you in...

-Nate and I celebrated 6 years of marriage in June.
-my little (well, tall) siblings visit for a month
-June is 4 months
-we swim...a lot
-I celebrated my 26th birthday, and was spoiled rotten
-lots of REAL games
-we swim a lot!
-bought a zoo pass and I think I have already paid for it because I've been 3 times
-I found out I am getting a new niece and nephew between thanksgiving and Christmas this year
-one of my oldest friends is about to have a baby....can't wait to meet mr. Anderson Edward garrett
- we tried to do fireworks, and failed
-we are having fun, and everyone is getting so big!




So Nate and I are old geezers and celebrated our 6th anniversary. We went to target to shop for an upcoming brother visit for Nate and Andy, and went to fratellis for dinner. It was quick, but fun! We've been busy the last 6 years and it is only going to get busier. Love my marriage and my kids, no complaints here.

June was 4 months on July 11, and I swore to myself I would post a picture of her every month and track her progress....but I said I was busy, so here you go:
-14 lb. 12 oz.
-24.75 inches long
-sleeps from 9-6, sometimes more!
-so smiley, pleasant, wiggly and happy. She is just so lovely. She is now grabbing at toys, phones, her siblings and loves tummy time. And you see how cute she is, right?
-grey is still jealous, and lyla almost smothers her to death, but we are working on it all. They do love her so much and are always interested in what she's doing.

Speaking of lyla, she's just getting so old. She will be 4 in a couple weeks, and I can't believe how much she has grown. She puts on her own seatbelt, has started to assert her independence much more, but is still my very sweet, imaginative playful girl. She loves princesses, acting, practicing ballerina moves, and of course, swimming.

Grey is growing by leaps and bounds. He talks more, understands more, and keeps me busy. Why did no one ever tell me that little boys like to hit for fun? He loves to read books and wrestle on the floor...and he's a master at swimming! I also fully believe he will pass his dad in the humor department...he always has us all laughing. He loves to wear his red sox hat and is still obsessed with flags.

I turned 26 last week, and feel soooooo good about it. My lovely friends Katie and Jenny made me a delicious cafe rio salad for lunch, and invited me and my gang to their playgroup. They are so nice, and really girls, it was beyond delicious. For dinner we went out for spaghetti with all the in laws, and I was spoiled! It was a great, great day.

This summer has flown by, and we have filled our days with the zoo, swimming, soccer games, and parks. Nate and I are enjoying beautiful nights on the patio staying up way too late, and have spent a lot of time with family as well. I have many more motherly things to post about, and I will get to all that soon....enjoy the lovely pictures....taken on my amazing camera Nate gave me for my birthday. I'm in love!

Lacy

2 months

This is mucho late, but better than never. Here are June's 2 month stats:

11 pounds 2 ounces- 75%
23 inches- 90%

June laughs, smiles, coos, and thinks she can sit up anytime (it looks like she is doing crunches). She sleeps 6-8 hours at night, nurses every 3 hours during the day. She loves to sleep swaddled in her bassinet, and no longer sleeps away her nights in the swing. In fact, she doesn't sleep in it at all anymore. June really is a sweet, content baby, and she has been a dream to have around.



pics taken at precisely 2 months old-May 11, 2011
she's just lovely

Tracy Aviary

we went to the aviary today with cousin ellie and gregg/erika. i had never been, and we had such a great time...so much fun that i may just buy a pass! if i do get one, we will get into a lot of other places free, or for a discount this summer...so maybe i should just do it!




i adore this photo of nate and grey. just adore.
cousin ellie!!



hmmm. no pictures of june? that's because she was taking her morning nap in the stroller, and didn't even make a sound. i love her.

Things we have been doing lately...

The weather this spring has been pretty crazy. One day its 80, the next day rain, then snow, then 80 degrees again. So on the lovely days, we try our best to get out as a family. And on the lame days, we do our best not to make eachother crazy! It is so fun to see Lyla growing up and develop the most amazing imagination. She loves anything art related, and loves to explore outside. Grey has lots of energy right now, but is also very smart (more on this later), so harnessing that energy and not letting him get bored is becoming a challenge. All in all, we have fun.


I scored FREE passes to Cowabunga Bay's pre-opening party-thing. They warmed the water to 93 degrees, and the kids loved the lazy river. We even tried out a slide. The weather was perfect!
random park pictures from this spring--my kids' favorite park activity is swinging, which means a lot of work for mom.



a zoo afternoon. dad left work early to join us!


-she thinks she is rapunzel all the time. lyla stole this pan out of the pantry, hid it for most of the day, then took it out and said to me, "who else knows my location FLYNN RIDER!"

Oy. I am so behind. I have lots to write about these guys, but you get the idea.