Happy 6 Months Jack!

Happy 1/2 Year Birthday Jack! 

 

Jack is still such an incredibly happy baby.  He is constantly smiling and laughing.  His grandparents often say how little if at all he cries when they are together.  That in itself is a gift!

Jack loves to play now.  He is very curious with toys.  He is able to transfer objects from one hand to the other and bangs things together.  Jack loves a little laughing Elmo toy.  He lights up when he sees it and often giggles right along.  Jack plays peek a boo too.  He likes to play "Where's Jack?"  If we put a blanket or towel on his head he will pull it off when we say, "Where's Jack?!?"  He smiles so big when he sees us and we say, "There he is!" Pretty darn adorable. He is enjoying the jumper still and we recently introduced him to the walker.  He hasn't figured out how to go forward but can push himself backwards.  Jack often laughs at his older brother and sister's shenanigans.  He can sit and watch them play around him for a long time.  He finds everything they do interesting.

And finally he sleeps!  Jack started sleeping through the night after we cried it out.  It took 2 weeks of crying and soothing.  Sometimes he still has fussy nights.  Most nights he has a bottle at 7:30 PM then goes to sleep.  He wakes somewhere between 4 and 6 AM to eat and goes back to sleep.  Jack is generally up for the day at 7 AM.  He takes two naps during the day one in the morning and one when the twins' have their quiet time in the afternoon.  Jack is eating really well too.  He has three meals each day and bottles in between.  He is still nursing but we are adding more formula to his diet each week.  This schedule works just fine for us.  I am loving the sleep!

He has enjoyed a few firsts this month.  First time swinging in an outdoor swing.  He loved that!  He also can sit in the shopping cart when I shop now which makes life so much easier.  Jack enjoys looking around at all there is to see.

 
Jack went on his first walk in the push car.  Loved that too!  He has also held his bottle on his own a few times.  Go Jack!

 

Jack went down his first slide with Mommy and he still loves his time splashing in the tub!

For the first 6 months of his life Jack hated the swing.  We couldn't get him to stay in there for two minutes let alone fall asleep in it.  Well things they have changed....

It seems that Jack has just become really aware of Bailey.  He is very interested in watching her.  He loves to grab her fur and pull on her legs or ears.  Its a good thing she is still pretty sweet in her old age. 

Jack, I love spending so much of my time really enjoying your tiniest moments and all of your firsts.  I love you sweet Jack!

George's First Soccer Practice

George is ecstatic about playing soccer on his first team this year.  John is his coach so that makes it even more special for him.  They had their first practice last night and George loved it.  I am looking forward to their first game in a few weeks.  Love my guys!

 

First Day of Preschool

George and Clara started Preschool last week.  No more Mother's Day Out for these two monkeys.  It is hard to believe that they are old enough for preschool.  They started at a new school so they have to adjust to a completely new environment.  So far so good!  They walked right into their classroom, sat down, started their work, and kissed me goodbye.  No hesitation.  No tears.  Just two big kids ready for their school year.  I was pretty proud of them.

 Daddy took them to school on their second day which they LOVED. 

George and Clara I wish you both an exciting year filled with lots of learning, awesome new experiences, and fun friends! 

Happy 33rd Birthday John!

We recently celebrated John's 33rd birthday.  The whole family came over for dinner and we had an awesome night all together.  We love you John!  Happy Birthday!!!

Clara's First Ballet Class

Clara was so excited to go to her very first dance class.  She was a little nervous the first day but once she saw the other little girls in their sweet pink dance gear she was ready to go. 

She came out of class smiling like this:

I think she liked it!   

I have been waiting for this moment probably since I heard I was having a little girl.  Her first ballet class was kind of one of those full circle moments for me.  Here she is taking her first dance class at the same studio and in the same classroom I did as a kid.  It was amazing to watch her enjoy every moment of it.  I wonder if she will enjoy it as much as I did growing up.  Only time will tell, but I know I will never forget her first day of ballet.

Summer 2013

What a fun summer!  We stayed at home this summer because of our littlest monkey, but we kept busy and enjoyed all of the time together.  One of our biggest accomplishments was George and Clara learning to swim!  They had an awesome teacher Ms. Dawn.  They are little fish now and love being in the pool.

We went on lots and lots of play dates with some of our favorite friends.

George and Clara started riding their bikes on the greenbelt trails.  This makes for some exciting adventures for them and for me!

 

We had early morning fun outside trying to beat the heat!

 

And if it was just too hot you would often find George and Clara watching a movie like this:

 

 

Or putting on crazy outfits like this:

We had a few fun family days like our trip to Brenham to check out the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory.  Yum!

And we had lunches with Daddy close to his office. 

 

 We made trips to a few of the indoor playgrounds near our town.  It is nice to play in air conditioning!

 

Daddy took the twins to an Astros Game too.  They love their alone time with John.

 

And we got a visit from Aunt Brandi.  We love her!

 

Overall it was an awesome summer.  We are ready to put away the flip flops and swimsuits and enjoy some cooler weather and our favorite time of the year, Fall!