{iPhone Rewind} :: March

This cutie pie had his 6-month check up. He is 97th percentile for weight, and 99th percentile for height. BIG BOY. 100% adorable baby rolls :)

Tried my hand at a chicken pot pie...it didn't turn out half bad!

These two...

He's sitting up so much better these days!

Our Maddie Grace...she's a funny one!

I just can't get over his adorable baby smiles :)

They're not supposed to touch the fireplace. So instead, they pull up a seat and sit as close to it as possible haha.

We have had some rough days in our house. So I take the sweet {calm} snuggles when I can take them :)

We LOVE the Grandma book, so now we're excited to have the Grandpa book too!

Sitting up in a restaurant high chair like a big boy and loving it! Big milestone!

He can definitely hold his bottle on his own...he just doesn't like to very often :)

He just gets cuter and cuter...

Reading books with Granny!

Future Dr. Maddie Grace McCullough :)

Keeping the baby safe while the twins run loose {in my closet} and Mama grabs a shower

My work buddy is cuter than yours :)

The blue screen of death. RIP old Mac...

She still sleeps in the most unusual positions

Playing with clay

Daddy got a new shop-vac, and of course had instant "helpers"

If only you knew what this pup had to put up with...

Ready for a walk in our new hats :)

Aiden has a fun hat to wear too!

After bath silliness :)

Aiden loved having Grandma in town!

Taking a selfie with Mama

REALLY enjoying avocado :)

High Five for Friday!

{one} I'm back, and I am all caught up on my past posts. I backdated the posts, so you can scroll down below to see updates on our Spring Bucket List and Aiden's 7 Month post :)

After my computer bit the dust, I was able to order a new one {thank you, tax refund!} While I hate making large purchases like that, I am thankful that my last computer lasted almost 8 years. I tried everything I could to squeeze just a little bit more time out of it, but alas...it was time. I do have to say that it IS rather nice to be able to use a laptop computer as an actual laptop {meaning: portable}. For the past couple of years, I have refused to replace the battery, so it had to stay plugged in all the time. But I don't go anywhere, so that wasn't a big deal. And recently we have had weird electrical issues in our living room, so anytime I plug my computer in while the lights are on and the TV is running, I trip the breaker. So I basically can use my computer in my bedroom. ALL that to say...it's nice to have a laptop that doesn't have to be plugged into the wall all the time so I can use it anywhere in my house :)

{two} In the time that I have been without a computer, my children have decided they are going to go through an "I would rather be naked" stage. That's right. Strip down and remove their diapers. Help each other take off their clothes/diapers and then giggle incessantly. There is nothing more disconcerting than having non-potty-trained toddlers running around without diapers. So there has been a lot of time-out in our house this past week. 

"Maddie, where is your diaper?" < Runs her tiny hiney to the other side of the house to get it >

We also had the unthinkable poop incident. Maddie came around the corner saying, "stinky! stinky poop." There was poop on the floor. On the walls. ON ELI. No one prepares you for this part of motherhood. And it's AWFUL. And while the photo and poop story involve Maddie, don't think Eli is innocent. He is actually the one that started this whole mess and is just as guilty. After that incident, we made it almost 2 full days with all our clothes on, so I was tricked into thinking we had moved on. Toddlers. Are. Crazy.

{three} It's things like #2 {haha- didn't even notice the pun, but how mature am I to (a) be laughing at it, and (b) leaving it instead of re-numbering my post?}...anyway. It's things like the craziness of the naked stage that are going to give me gray hairs. Oh, but wait....I found THAT this week too! Yep. I have my first gray/silver hair, nice and thick and right up in front. Hello, old-ladyhood!

{four} Today I had lunch with some sweet co-workers! It was the first time they had met Aiden {because it's the first time I have been brave enough to manage lunch with all 3 kiddos by myself}, and I am just so thankful for them. I miss being in the office with them every day, but I am so grateful that we are still able to connect via email and every now and then for lunch. They are an incredible blessing to me, and I am thankful they are willing to enter into my crazy in the middle of their busy work days :)

{five} Grandma is coming to town!! My mom is flying in this weekend to spend some time with us, and we are really looking forward to having several days with her. I have been counting down the days to her arrival because my children turn into perfect angels when she arrives. Not really, but they do love Grandma, and she is the perfect distraction for a couple of mischievous toddlers!

Aiden :: 7 Months

Aiden,

I find myself giving you all kinds of cutesy baby names...Squishy Face. Cuddle Bug. Chunk-O-Monk. Little Man. Sweet Boy. I can't seem to land on just one. And I just want to squeeze your baby cheeks {and your baby-roll-thighs}, hug you tight, kiss your face, and listen to your infectious giggle all day long...basically "eat you up, because I love you so!" Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you are the actual baby of the family, but whatever it is, you love it now, and I'm going to soak it up for as long as you will let me. I know I have said this every month...but it has been true since you were born: you are simply the happiest baby! You smile all the time, and now you giggle at almost everything, and we LOVE it. You are starting to voice more displeasure over things, but it doesn't last long, and you are right back to your happy self. We love seeing your little personality develop, and your brother and sister adore you. We love you so much, sweet boy!

Love, 

Mama

AIDEN MICHAEL

Stats :: 23.4 pounds

Clothing/Diaper Size :: you are wearing size 12 month clothes {some 18 month pants with the legs rolled up} and size 4 diapers

Loves :: splashing in the tub, giggling with your sister, putting everything in your mouth

Dislikes :: being left alone, falling over onto your tummy

Eat :: you are still a good little eater, and you still space your bottles out for right after you wake up, and right before you go down. you don't do this during the day, but at night before bed, you can down 10 ounces without blinking an eye. which I am ok with, since it fills your belly to help you sleep through the night. this month, you tried peaches, carrots, apples, and peas. otherwise, we stuck with the foods we introduced to you last month. you love bananas the most, and you still don't seem overly interested in solid foods. but we will keep trying and giving you opportunities to practice.

Sleep :: you are still sleeping well through the night, and we didn't have any random middle of the night wake ups this month. at least not any in which you didn't put yourself right back to sleep. you can get up a little early, but most of the time, you either fall back asleep for a few more minutes or just babble in your crib until we come get you. you are still taking 3 naps about 75% of the time. the other 25%, you sleep a little longer at one of your other naps so we get too close to bed time for you to take that 3rd nap, but it can be a bit of a stretch to get you to make it. 

Play/Development :: you are sitting up super well! you can definitely still fall over, so we can't leave you without a soft place to land, but you can be pretty content to sit and play for long periods of time. you can reach for your toys and sit back up usually without any problems. you are just like your brother in your love for bouncing. you still have zero interest in being on your tummy and rolling...part of me is concerned, part of me isn't. we plan to focus more on that this month for sure. you have started giving full mouth, slobber kisses, which are cute, but super gross haha. you are babbling so much more, and we are starting to hear more "dadadadada" sounds, despite all my efforts and encouragement to get you to say "mamamamama." you are super ticklish and howl when we find the right tickle spot.

Unique to You :: every morning when I go to get you up for the day, you sneeze 4 to 5 times without fail. your sneezes are pretty cute, but I find it funny, because your sister had something similar for awhile too. also this month, you found your voice, and boy, is it LOUD. you can scream and yell at a level I haven't heard before {whether you're happy or upset}; it can be ear-piercing. I wasn't planning on leaving you in the nursery at church for another 6 months, but you just can't seem to contain yourself during the church service anymore, so your daddy and I end up out in the foyer with you every week. one sweet thing you have been doing at night: when I am holding you and giving you your bottle before bedtime, you will wrap your little fingers around mine, then wrap your little legs around my arm, kind of like a baby sloth haha. if that makes you happy, baby boy, I'm all for it, because I think it's just about the cutest {and funniest} thing ever :)

*This post was published after the fact, but I wanted to keep it "in order" of events for my own records/memories*

Blog :: Hold, Please

I have several posts/updates to publish, but my computer kicked the bucket, so I’m in a bit of a holding pattern. I have ordered another computer, but I am just waiting on it to get here. I was able to do this post from my phone, but it’s too much of a hassle to upload photos and write a full update on things, so they’ll just have to wait.

So when I all of a sudden publish a lot of posts all at once, that’s why :)

Crayola Experience

One of the items on our Spring Bucket List is "Go on Some Fun Adventures with Cousins." We usually have lunch and/or play at Granny's house once a week, but we have talked about doing some field trips here and there, so that's why I added this to the list. Our first adventure was a trip to the Crayola Experience!

We really had a fun time here! There were plenty of activities for my kiddos, and the crowds were not as bad as we anticipated, since we pulled up and saw 8 school buses parked out front haha. But that just means we can go in the future and it will be even better because it will be less crowded. I ended up buying an annual pass because they were running an online deal that made it worth it for us, since it's right around the corner from Granny :)

They had a toddler-sized play area, and Eli and Maddie loved crawling through that. It took them awhile to figure out that they could go all the way through to the slides on the other side, but they were pretty content just climbing up and down the same small space over and over.

They had a giant Lite Bright board for kids to plug little pegs into, and Eli really liked this. He also really enjoyed organizing all the pegs in the cubby holes haha.

Next up was the chalk area. They had chalk available where kids can mark up the walls, and even this fun little truck.

Each kid gets 2 tokens when they arrive, which can be used for varying things inside. We used one of our tokens to get some modeling clay, then we sat down to play at the tables. I need to look at getting some for home because it's WAY less messy than Play-Doh!

And you can't go to the Crayola Experience without coloring! There were all kinds of different coloring page/crayon stations that we will have to explore in the future, but for this trip, we just sat down at the table with the pre-set pages and let them go to town. I think my kids are finally starting to figure coloring out :)

Eli just liked grabbing the crayons out of the bins haha

We also enjoyed some other fun activities where you could dance and see paint and crayons on the screen, follow lights, etc. Eli and Maddie didn't seem as into those activities, but I'm sure a few more visits will get them more comfortable with them.

After a fun morning exploring the Crayola Experience, we headed to the food court to have lunch with our cousins. Aiden had so much fun that he passed out in the stroller :)

We had a fun time with our cousins, and we are looking forward to more fun adventures with them!

*This post was published after the fact, but I wanted to keep it "in order" of events for my own records/memories*

Spring Bucket List :: Have a Picnic

We enjoyed our first picnic of the year with our friend Cooper! We headed to the park for a stroller walk, then laid out our blankets to enjoy a fun picnic lunch. Everyone actually did pretty well during lunch, actually sitting and eating together. 

But the temptation to run around and play was just too much, so we let the toddlers do that...and it lasted about 2 minutes before some were running off and others were melting down. So you know... :)

Eli and Maddie were enamored by the grass. You can tell they don't get out much haha

Sometimes you just need to hug a tree

Overall, it was a fun morning at the park with friends, and we are so thankful for the beautiful weather!

*This post was published after the fact, but I wanted to keep it "in order" of events for my own records/memories*