backyard party

We had the Williams family and the Rogers family over for some belated fourth of July fun. We had sparklers and poppers and a kid friendly yard. Perfect.  The kids raced the cars and bikes up and down the driveway.

We all played on the fortress, parents included.

We did sparklers, and Matix got to have a turn. He loved it.

Then we did poppers. I think that was the kids favorite. I wish we had gotten more of them, I had no idea how fun they would be. We went through 20 boxes, easily.

Paul and Peter had the fabulous idea to crack the poppers on their skin. Peter did it on his hip, and Paul did it on his forehead. FYI, Paul is going to be a doctor, and Peter has his MBA and is a genius, really. Who would have thought?

Such a great day.  We love all the great friends we have been making here in Georgia. It’s going to be another hard move in March.

dinner with the Rogers

The Rogers had us over for dinner. They made steak. It was AMAZING, like the best steak I have ever had, really. So good.  The kids all played so nicely together too. Lullaby and Allie took rides in the wagon. I love this swimsuit. I can’t get enough of it.

Matix is obsessed with Carson’s BIG BOY bike. It’s the coolest thing ever.

Hawken jumped in Allie’s spot, but she was apparently not finished with her turn. I love her expression, utter disbelief and disgust.

toy park

Quick stop to the toy park after a WONDERFUL grocery shopping trip. It is challenging for me, to say the least, to go grocery shopping. The check-outs are the worst. Waiting is not a kid friendly activity.  This particular day though, they were all on their best behavior, so I rewarded them with a trip to the park. They were pleased.

jumping

Since collecting hundreds more pictures on our trip to Wisconsin, and quite a few more after that since Jolie and my dad have gotten here, I am BEHIND. There are tons of old pictures that I need to get posted. These two are from 2 months ago now. Lullaby just figured out how to jump in the "Jumperoo" before that, she would just sit in it. We still use it tons.

tomorrow...

Tomorrow, my big boy Matix, is starting preschool. PRESCHOOL!  I am beyond excited and nervous and proud, all at the same time. I had no idea I would feel like this about preschool. 

He will be going to the same school the his best friend, Dries, goes to. It's called Inman Park Cooperative Preschool. I really like it's hippie-ish feel and can hardly wait to hear about all the new things he learns there.  He is really excited too and tells everyone he is going to SCHOOL because he is ALMOST FOUR and that means you can go to school.  Hopefully tomorrow goes smoothly for him. He will be there from 9 until 1 and I will be missing him all day.  

Big thanks to Grandma Kim for paying for it. He wouldn't be able to go without your support! Thanks Grandma! :)

zoo

The Williams family + our family + the zoo = FUN! We went to the zoo for an afternoon picnic adventure. We played mostly in the kiddie area, but who wouldn’t, there is a playground, a carousel, a bounce house, and a Willie Wonka style train.  Too fun.

We did stop to see a few animals along the way... since we were at the ZOO. Left to right is Dries, Hawken, Petal, and Matix

The petting zoo is a must for Hawken. He needs to see them every time we go there. He always scrunches down into this position and talks to the animals. It is so endearing to see. He is such a sweet boy.  Matix loves it too.

It was pretty hot and they had these huge fans with misters on them to cool people down. Dries was a little nervous about it, so Matix jumped in to show him it would be okay. They are such good friends for each other.

Lullaby got sleepy about half way through and Paul has the magical touch when it comes to knocking her out in his arms. I have about a million pictures of him doing this.  And after a while he transferred her into Petal’s stroller.

Petal held hands with Matix and completely made his day. Can you tell?

I tried to get a picture with Hawken on the train, but he refused. This is all Paul could get. Silly boy.

We love the zoo.  It is always worth the sweat. :)

birthday!

Today is my BIRTHDAY!! Early this morning Paul made a super delicious breakfast for me, french toast, fruit, and the most tasty boysenberry syrup you could imagine. Then just before lunch, Jolie and her kids and my Dad all arrived!  They drove through the night and got here right on time for my favorite day. :) It was perfect. The kids played together while we chatted, then we had lunch and naps.  After naps it was off to the spray ground to meet up with some friends for a birthday-ish afternoon. We brought tons of fruit for us all to snack on and the kids ran through the water and played on the playground. It was a nice day. Then home for dinner, which Alexandra made for us. Very tasty. Cake and ice cream and candles and FUN. 

This was a very low-key birthday, but just right for my 28th! Which seems a lot older than 27 did. I'm practically 30! What's THAT like?!  Happy Birthday to me, I spent the day surrounded by family, and friends, and good food. Perfect.

Lullaby is 11 months old!

Little Lully Loo is 11 months old today.  

She is the sweetest thing and my tiny shadow. She is tall and chunky, but thinning out (sadly).  Her eyes are big and blue. She still doesn't have much hair, but what little she has is blond and curly.  She has four teeth, two on top and two on bottom.  She crawls fast and cruises along furniture slow. She can stand alone without holding onto anything, but gets nervous and sits down very slowly.  She will not lay still when I change her diaper, but she will for Paul. She loves her pacifiers and likes to hold a few extra ones while she sleeps.  She has a little baby doll that she likes to hold in bed with her too.  Her favorite blankie is the one my grandma Evie made for her.  She won't sleep without it.

Lullaby loves her daddy and will pout when he leaves a room.  She claps and fake laughs and high fives. She says "mama" (which I love), and "bah" for ball, and "puh" for up, and is working on "dada".  She is in love with her brothers and thinks they are the best things ever.  She is a mama's girl through and through.  She has a calm and happy temperament unless she is away from me, tired or hungry.  She still takes two naps every day and goes to sleep for the night at 6pm.  She nurses a ton still but will now eat lots of food too. She is getting to the point where she prefers to eat whatever we are eating, rather than baby food.  She loves to snuggle and give kisses.  Really, she is a dreamy baby. We all love her SO much. 

It can be done

Well, I made it. I traveled alone with three kids, and I made it. I am proud of myself, and proud of my well behaved little travelers. They were SO good on the flights.  They did pretty well on the vacation too, although they were extra needy and missing their daddy.  We all had a blast and had so much fun visiting with everyone. Now we are back in Atlanta and happily back in Paul's arms. :)