Savor It

We've just been savoring July...because as much as we don't want it to be...it's nearly over!

Here are the kids, posing with our crab.

The Disney Family Fun magazine always inspires us!

How sweet is this?

Smiley girl.

Dramatic cowboy.

Cade thinks he's a big kid at camp. Except for the sippy cup that is.

4 Months Old

Yep, you guessed it. Sweet Reesie is four months old.

She's holding her head up and rolling over--what a big girl.

Also drooling and scooting all over the place.

Reese is pretty much always a smiley girl. It's so fun seeing her sweet personality blossom. She just coos and laughs and spreads her joy everywhere she goes. Seriously.

Oh yes, and this started happening. Sucking on her fingers.

Just as Cade used too!

Reese girl weighs 12 pounds 10 ounces and is 25.5 inches long. 92nd percentile in length! Tall and skinny girl. 3-6 month sleeper outfits are getting a bit snug already. She cat naps throughout the day but sleeps a very long stretch through the night, like from around 10:30pm-7:30am and then back to sleep after a feeding.

Like always, July is just flying by causing me to get a little misty about what comes next. August. School. Change. New routines to figure out. And while I am totally and completely freaking out about it already--I'm so, so thankful for this time I've had home with Reese and Cade. What an unforgettable summer!

My Sweet Second-Born

Poor, poor, second-born Reese. I feel like there are days that you just get moved from the bumbo seat to the bouncey seat to the playmat. You just get lugged around wherever we're going.

Surely you're already tired of living in a house full of first-borns.

But you smile through it all.

Good news, we can add the exersaucer to your rotation.

This guy is always hanging around. He just loves you so much.

Even when he pokes you while you sleep or splashes you at the pool, and oh yes, that near death experience with you both in the bath tub...I think he means well.

Just hang in there Reese.

I think you'll be able to get Cade back someday. Like when you are potty-trained before him. Or when his friends all think you're hot.

More Fun with J and D

Jamie

+ DeAnna

+ Jamie's yummy cooking

= Fun for all

Except maybe Drew.

The convo of the evening ranged from food & fashion, to how to clean that gunk from behind your sink faucet, oh yes, and a Pinterest tutorial from Jamie. I still don't get it. But I do know that everyone needs friends like these girls. They are good for my health. And not just because I don't eat meat when I'm with them.

Next adventure = a quilting class? Anyone know of a beginner class?

The Windy City

Matt and Adam drove their AAU teams to Chicago for a tournament so Amy and I took this opportunity to make it a trip for us as well. But we flew, of course. It was a very laid back trip as we couldn't really make plans ahead of time since we weren't sure when the teams would be playing. We stayed in Oak Brook Terrace, a suburb near where the games were played, but drove into the city a few times.

Don't worry, I was still able to "bond" with Matt's team in other ways despite not joining them for the road trip. Like when I was having to pump (because Reese was not with us on the trip) in the van while everyone else shopped. Except that the players must not have had good luck shopping because they all returned to the van early. You see where this is going? So I'm just trying to wave them away while I'm crouched down between the seats pumping and they're all out there wondering what I'm doing and why I won't let them in the van. I didn't make eye contact with any of them for the rest of the trip.

Picture all of these boys standing around the van...

The view from the bathroom of the restaurant at the top of the John Hancock tower. Bathroom = free, observatory deck = not. A tip from a local, Adam's brother, Justin.

Justin, Adam and Amy during our deep dish pizza dining experience.

We spent a morning at the beach and while it is a lake it really seemed like the ocean!

Only good friends will touch each other while wearing swimsuits.

We wanted to venture to Millenium Park to see "The Bean" but it started to rain causing us cut our city-time short. I've included a googled pic so we can all just pretend like I got to see it.

Matt's team went 4-1 and brought home a trophy! It is currently on our mantel. I do not believe that will be its permanent home.

It was a quick little trip trying to fit in some sight-seeing between all the basketball games (and all the pumping!) but it was really nice to get away for a few days and we always have a great time when we're with the Hepkers!

Cade's World

Cade brought the boppy pillow downstairs and announced that he was going to feed Reese.

As if the pillow is the magic thing that would make that work...

29th Birthday...Really!

You know how everyone says it's their "29th Birthday" when they don't want you to know how old they really are? Well I just wanted you to know that this year, I really am 29. 7-11-83. I promise.

And I must not be that old because not only do we acknowledge my birthday, but we celebrate it multiple times!

My chocolate cake from my bakery of choice, 3 Women and an Oven, when we celebrated with my parents.

And look what these guys showed up with...DQ ice cream cake. Well done.

I got (the promise of) an iPhone from Matt and am currently on a trip to Chicago with he and our friends, the Hepkers, since MoKan is playing here this weekend. So even though the birthday banner did not fly in my honor, I would still call this birthday month a success so far. Oh, what? You aren't going to celebrate with me all month long?!

Wet'n'Wild

I don't have to tell you. I'm sure you know. It's been skankin' hot outside.

Cade "helping" me blow up the pool.



He just runs down the slip'n'slide. He's kinda a weeny like that.




Playdate with church friends, and yes, all the kids are standing in a giant bucket of water.

Playdate with work friends. All playdates must involve water if involving the outdoors. Now this thing was neat! And Cade actually enjoyed it! He climbed up and then kinda walked down the slide.

Stay cool!

A Fireworkless Fourth

Wait a minute, what?! No fireworks?

Nope. Not unless you want to pay a $500 fine that is. It was too dry in GB so the fourth celebrations were postponed. (Kinda like Halloween that one year with the blizzard. Remember that, GBers?)

We made the quick trip back to The Bend to be with family and eat lots of brats. Three meals in a row. (Not counting breakfast...although I'd probably eat a brat for breakfast. I like brats).

We found ways to keep busy. Like by helping Papa harvest the ripe tomato.

Here's Cade with "Bob" as he calls him. (Cade LOVES Veggie Tales right now).

And some waterball fun.

Can't beat sprinkler fun and popsicles with Papa.

Thank goodness for the portable DVD player or these 4-hour jaunts wouldn't be nearly as enjoybale.

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th and let your American pride shine, whether you were having a "Fireworkless Fourth" or not.

Labels

Not that kind of label...but I had to throw in a picture for all you visual learners out there. I've been in the middle of what turns out to be a major project. Putting labels on every single blog post. Why I didn't just do this from the start I'll never know. Labeling has actually been quite tedious...and I'm only about 1/8 done. It's kinda neat to get to review previous posts and decide which exciting category to file it in (my categories are not creative at all). You see them down on the bottom right of the page, feel free to click-away at whatever riveting category moves you. Another fun bonus of this project has been seeing how many pageviews each post receives. Now of the 1/8 of my posts I've labeled so far the prize of the most views goes to the random post about OCD Tendencies. Second place goes to last summer's post about our to-do list. Seeing this jogged my memory that we don't have a to-do list this summer...and actually that a lot of the projects on the to-do list didn't even get completed. Oh hmmph...more to do besides just the crazy labeling project...