{iPhone Rewind} :: June

The many faces of Aiden :)

Catching up on the Melissa-Anna news in his Saturday morning attire haha

I see visions of many more sweet sibling moments

This little mama has been really snuggly with her baby dolls

We had fun at Daddy's work picnic, complete with food trucks, bounce houses, and Aiden's new best friend Ms. Melissa :)  {seriously, that boy was more than content to sit with her for most of the evening haha. She's pretty great!}

This sweet girl has been ULTRA clingy lately. So much so that I have started to worry and google what's up. Doggy Alzheimer's? Going blind? We'll have to check with the vet when we see her next. 

I braved Costco by myself with all 3 kiddos! It was a success, thanks to a double cart, a Buggy Bench, and lots of snacks :)

Aiden is a fan of the swing!

A crawling baby = a "helpful" baby. He's getting into ALL THE THINGS.

My cutie-pie, chunk-o-monk at his 9 month appointment :)

Reminds me of Maddie :)  #gotosleepAiden

It's funny how much Eli and Maddie want to play with the baby toys I bring out

He just cannot stay out of Sasha's water bowl...

Little man tried spaghetti for the first time, and he is definitely a fan :)  {and because I couldn't help but reminisce on our original spaghetti faces...}

He finally figured out his cup! He has been trying to drink water out of Eli and Maddie's cups, but it has taken him a bit to realize he has to tip the cup back. But he finally got it, and is a pretty happy baby boy!

Our book-reading super hero :)

New haircut! We tried to go for something "cool" and tried for a spiky/faux-hawk. But we're still figuring out how to work around his thin hair {that won't stay styled, even with hair paste} and cow lick right in front. But apparently it was enough for a little girl in Sunday School to hug and kiss him on the cheek {???} I mean, he IS a cutie, but that's my boy, girlie...

Begging for a snack haha

He is so fun :)

Eli loves working on puzzles!

Giving Sasha a Happy Birthday hug... I can't believe my puppy is 12 years old!

He wants so badly to play in the kitchen

I knew there was too much giggling for this to be innocent. It's Butt Paste. The good news is that poison control says they should be fine. 

Some days are just hard...

He was SO proud of himself for finishing this puzzle. He did it all by himself!

They can be a handful, but they can also be super sweet. // Eli: Hug, Maddie? // Maddie: I LOVE hugs  #lovethem

Aiden ADORES Uncle Michael

Aiden's new trick haha

Maddie is getting really good at building tall LEGO towers :)

COVERED in Mac 'n' Cheese...his clothes, his face, his hair, the table, the wall...

Future dentist?

Still one of my favorite shirts...and definitely more true now!

Playing Peekaboo :)

When you're supposed to be napping but you know you're cute and that you can get away with whatever you want...

High Five for Friday! {Saturday Edition}

{one} It has been such a jam-packed week! I had every intention of publishing this yesterday {on an actual Friday}, but I ended up with some sort of 24 hour bug and was down for the count for a bit. It's like my body hit a wall and just stopped. I have a few posts to work on about our recent activities, but I thought I would do a quick update today :)

{two} Our big event of the week was swim lessons! This is our second summer with Ashley's Aquatics, but this year, Eli and Maddie were on their own in the class {we did Mommy and Me last summer}. There were A LOT of tears. Every day, Eli would ask about going to a "different pool" or say "later" for swim lessons...clearly not wanting to go each day, then crying throughout the entire lesson. Maddie had a breakthrough on Wednesday, where she started to feel a little more comfortable in the water. Despite all the tears, the "I don't want to"s, and "all done"s, my kiddos at least tried to be obedient. I'm so thankful for Mrs. Ashley and Miss Haley who were so patient and encouraging with my nervous swimmers. We have another week of swim lessons in a couple of weeks, so we're hoping for more progress then :)

{three} My mom was in town to help with swim lessons, and we had SO much fun with Grandma in town! Aside from swim lessons, we played with LEGOS and sidewalk chalk, read countless books, had lunch with one of my aunts, ran through the sprinklers, had lunch with Daddy, etc. etc. These kiddos were WORN OUT at the end of each day :)

{four} Last Friday, I had my 6 month check-up with my GI. I got yet another good report {praise God!} Because I am doing so well and not planning any future pregnancies, my GI said I could push my next check-up out to 1 year. That's such good news! Of course, I can always go see him if I have any issues. But for now, I am just thankful for good health.

{five} Yesterday, Sasha had her annual check-up with the vet. I asked the vet about her recent clinginess, and her best guess is that Sasha may be in some pain. She doesn't act like it, but the vet said sometimes we don't know the extent of it until it's really bad. So we're going to try her on some anti-steroidal meds to see if we notice any difference in her behavior. But other than that, for being a 12 year old lab, she is super healthy! She doesn't struggle with any of the typical lab ailments, and she is pretty spry for her age. Those kiddos are keeping her young :)

Aiden :: 10 Months

Aiden,

Sweet boy, we are getting way too close to your first birthday! I am already in disbelief that it's time to start thinking about/planning for your first birthday party...where did this year go?? You are officially mobile and into ALL the things. You are exploring everything you possibly can, and you get frustrated when you can't keep up with everyone. You light up when you hear your brother and sister and when you see your Daddy. I'm still holding out that you will be a Mama's boy, but you just love your whole family so much. You are still growing like crazy, and we field A LOT of comments about you being a big boy. But you are an absolute joy, and we love every bit of you {every single adorable baby roll}!

Love, 

Mama

AIDEN MICHAEL

Stats :: 26.4 pounds

Clothing/Diaper Size :: you are wearing size 18 and 24 month {some 2T} clothes and size 4 diaper {with size 5 overnight diapers}

Loves :: eating solids, playing with the big kids, playing in the water {including Sasha's water bowl}

Dislikes :: being left behind, being hot, having your diaper changed

Eat :: you discovered a whole new world of food this month, buddy! you tried turkey, french fries, tomatoes, meatballs, grapes, watermelon, shredded cheese, cottage cheese, applesauce, pasta, and eggs. you do pretty good with only 1.5 teeth! you are starting to drop some of your bottle feedings, but there's nothing super consistent yet. but that's ok, because we need to start weaning you from the bottle anyway. we gave you a cup with water to try, and you figured it out in about a week's time. 

Sleep :: you are still sleeping like a champ at night. we finally took you out of your sleep suit {something that was probably 2 months overdue...think fat guy in a little coat haha}, and you adjusted fairly quickly. naps seem to be a little tougher, as you are waking up at that 45 minute mark again, but you can usually put yourself back to sleep. you are still holding on strong to that morning nap, and then take about a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. we are messing with your nap schedule for the next few weeks because of your brother and sister's swim lessons, so we'll see how that changes things.

Play/Development :: you are FINALLY crawling! and you are now into everything haha. you are still not rolling over, which is just so funny to me. if you end up on your back, you are like a stranded turtle until someone comes to turn you over :)  so you're still sleeping on your back, which is fine, as long as you comfortable, dude! you are trying to pull up on furniture, but don't seem to have much interest in standing right now. I realized I was lacking in using sign language with you, so I have started to incorporate that more, since you're not really communicating or saying much yet {other than crying when you want something}. you are definitely experiencing separation anxiety, so I can't go too far from you for too long.

Unique to You :: you have entered into what I am calling a "screeching phase." and I have to say that it's not my favorite haha. at the most random times, you will just screech at the top of your lungs. sometimes you're upset and voicing your displeasure, but a lot of times, you are just being LOUD. you definitely can't sit quietly with us in church anymore. you do this funny little dance where you sit on your knees and flap your arms haha...but you also clap your feet, so you are just a funny little guy.

Celebration of Freedom

Melissa had their 4th of July celebration yesterday {yes, it's super early}. We didn't make it last year, so we were excited to go check it out this year! Since our kiddos are still little, we decided to go early to beat the crowds. It was held at a park right near our neighborhood, so we were able to walk/take a wagon ride.

It was SUPER hot, so thankfully we were able to walk around and enjoy the festivities before there were too many people. There were several food trucks and some vendor booths...complete with baby chick prize giveaways and chicken poop bingo. Because, hello small town! Haha. Gross. Anyway, they had bounce houses for kids, but Eli and Maddie are not interested in those yet, so we headed to take photos with a puppy dog and a horse :)

Maddie got to wear a super hero cape

Eli wasn't too sure of the horse...

We walked around to see all the booths, and then we decided to eat dinner and enjoy a snow cone. Eli and Maddie tried a corn dog for the first time, and they LOVED that- especially because Grandma was sharing hers AND letting them dip it in mustard :)

Cutie Girl

Waving our flags, thankful for our freedom!

Hanging out with this cutie, trying not to melt :)

We headed home right as it started to get crowded. It had been a long day, and everyone was tired. We knew we wouldn't stay for the fireworks, but we still got to enjoy them, because they were RIGHT by our house {read: SUPER loud}. So we can just open our windows and enjoy the show from the comfort of our air conditioned home :)