4th of July Celebrations!

We celebrated the 4th of July in our normal fashion this year. We began the day with pancakes at home (Eric does make the BEST pancakes!), and then we went to a festival with friends. (Scroll down to see those pictures.)



We were home for naps, and then we enjoyed an evening with wonderful friends...playing, eating, doing and watching fireworks. It was a wonderful day! And Charlie was such a trooper...up until 10:30 that night with very little fussing!!

H and Ellie...two silly friends
This is how Charlie and Ellie watched fireworks...Ellie wasn't so into them this year.

E and Molly...such good friends. We are sad and E and his family are moving away : (

L and Charlie...these two will be quite a pair

LOVE this picture

Happy 4th of July!!


Be sure to scroll down to see more of our adventures from the 4th...

Body Art!

We waited in a long line at the festival so Molly and Ellie could both get some face (or arm) paint. So fun!

Nice pose :)

4th of July Festival Fun

Buster got to come this year!



Morning nap on the go...

Wow, I'm on a roll!

Okay, here is the update for the month of June...

I don't feel like I have as much to report. I noticed that my photo-taking was way down this month (don't worry, July more than makes up for it!). I think we took the month of June to regroup and figure out what life is going to look like now that we are in job transition. Eric started working at the golf course full time, and he had to get used to early mornings. I like that he is home by 3 in the afternoon. We spend more time as a family right now, but Eric is also busy doing all that he can to find our next adventure : ) I'm trying to stay positive and trust in God's perfect plan...somedays that is easier than others.

The girls enjoyed swimming lessons this month (although there are no pictures to prove it!). Both took to the water and learned a lot. We all spent a week at church doing VBS...it was a busy but fun week.

Other than that, we've spent time at the pool, hanging out at Grandpa and Grandma's house, and just relaxing at home. Charlie has started to sit (assisted by us or pillows), reach for toys, and make loud screeches! : )

As far as sleeping, we went back to the swaddle for naps and that worked perfectly! He now takes two naps a day and each lasts 2-3 hours!! Bedtime is still going well too. He is normally in bed around 7:00 and can sleep until 5:30 (and then back to bed until 7 or 8)! Most nights he is still up once.

Well, here are a few pics from the month. As you can see, we are starting to have some fun with his hair...



Make sure you scroll down to see an update and photos from May...

Back by popular demand

I'm back...and am so far behind in my blogging!! I haven't even updated about Charlie's 4th month, and he will be 6 months next week. So, I will back track...give you the update at 4 months and slowly get caught up.

4 month stats:

Weight: 15 pounds, 3 ounces (65th percentile)
Length: 26 inches (80th percentile)

Firsts for this month...

• rolled over from tummy to back
• found hands and feet...loves to lay on back and hold toes
• enjoys the exersaucer and johnny jump up
• starting to "talk" a lot

Sleeping...

• goes to bed between 7 and 9 pm
• 6-10 hours for the first stretch! and then 3-5 hours
• started "cry it out" for naps and bedtime...worked well for bedtime but cried through naptimes...grr
• started sleeping in his own room!
• no more swaddle

Favorite things...

• His sisters! They (especially Molly) can make him laugh harder than anyone else
• Riding in the car has become MUCH better...especially now that he realizes he can see his sisters and "talk" to them

Here is a slideshow of pics from the month of May...enjoy!

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Still here!

Just wanted to say that we are alive and well...just slow on the blog posts these days. I missed Charlie's 4 month update, and he turned 5 months on Sunday. Updates (and lots of photos!) will come soon!

If you haven't heard (though I think most of you have), we are in the midst of transition as Eric is on the job hunt. We'd appreciate prayers that the right job would come along soon!

I'll be back soon with what you really want...pictures of my kids : )

I did not realize the last day of Molly's pre-K class would be so emotional for me! You have to understand that she had one of the greatest teachers ever this year. Really, this is probably one of the best teachers she will ever have. That may sound silly to you (after all, this is just pre-K!), but you just haven't met Mrs. H. I knew Mrs. H would be a great match for Molly when I was checking out preschools last year and had a chance to chat with her. I knew that she would love my Molly, get her excited about school, and help her learn to be a little silly too (our Molly girl can be quite serious at times!). Not only were my expectations met, she went way beyond all I had hoped! I have seen Molly build confidence in so many areas this year. She has learned so much, made some wonderful friendships, and has become pretty silly : ) Mrs. H taught these kids academically, socially, and emotionally...and most of the time I don't think they even realized they were learning. They thought they were just having fun! Some of the things they learned...ordinal numbers, counting by 5's and 10's, venn diagrams, graphing, sight words, writing letters and then words, manners, listening skills and so much more! I hope every child has a chance to have a "Mrs. H". Kindergarten has a tough act to follow, and we are praying for just the right teacher for Molly. I'm also hoping that Mrs. H sticks around so Ellie will have her in a couple of years.

Today also marks the end of Molly's preschool days...which means the beginning of her elementary days are just a few months away. Yikes! I cried all the way home from preschool today (didn't really expect that!), so it makes me wonder just how hard the first day of kindergarten will be. I'm hoping it won't be as bad...after all, endings are harder for me than beginnings.

I feel like Molly and I both went through pre-K this year. Mrs. H prepared both of us for kindergarten. I know that Molly is beyond ready, and I am getting there. Change is hard. Transitions are hard. But, I see that after I get past those first couple of weeks, we will be excited about all the new opportunities. Oh how I've been blessed to raise this beautiful, smart girl! And blessed some more to raise her wonderful little sister and brother too!! (More on them in another post...)

Here are a few pictures to see how Molly has grown and changed this year...

September--Molly's 1st day of Pre-K!

Molly and Mrs. H

Molly and friends at the pumpkin patch field trip

Molly's preschool Christmas program

Molly and Mrs. H on the "100th day of school"

Tooth #3 is missing! She lost this one about a week ago and looks so much older. She told us that she looks like a teenager although we are thinking it is more like 1st grade : )

Molly loves to read! The other day she didn't even make it up the stairs and read here for almost an hour. : )

Mother's Day Tea

Molly with the girls in her class at the Mother's Day Tea. (I do have pictures of Molly and I at the Mother's Day Tea...those will come soon.)

Molly today, on her last day of pre-K. It was beach day, hence the swimming suit. Since we don't actually have a beach here in the midwest, we do a lot of pretending : )