Sammy's SIX month Stats

Sam had his six month well-visit this week.  I love to get pictures of the kids before each of their well visits....but this time... I decided it was necessary to get a picture of ALL three.  

It is near to impossible to get a picture when all three are looking in the same direction AND smiling.  I tried desperately to get "the shot".  But in these pics....Mr. Sam was not his usual smiley self....it was almost nap time.

And much to the olders' dismay.... I tried again...post nap.  This time... J was being his silly squirlly self... and being stingy with his smiles.... uggghhh
Do you like how Sam is waving in this picture?

Almost got it this time....but... as you can see....J has that fake smile with the "my cheeks hurt" look on his face.

Now we have smiles....but this time Sammy decides to imitate what I was doing....he is very good at saying "OHHHH" when I am singing "Old McDonald" and "E-I-E-I- OOOOOO!"

Still not perfect...but love the brotherly love here.  Kudos to Sophia for holding that smile for soooo long!

And yay....ALL smiles....but horrible cutting off of Sophia's head!!!

As for Sam's appointment.... all went well.  He is definitely one healthy and happy little...oops...BIG boy.  He is off the charts for height and weight... (that means beyond the 97th%) .  He weighed 22.2 pounds....and I think the nurse was so astounded...that she forgot to give me the height details.  I might just have to get a job so we can afford enough food to feed this little guy!!!

He got two shots in those squeezable thighs....and cried horribly!!! Awwww.... I hate that they have to go through that.

I think his first bottom toother poked through today....I guess we can consider it a half birthday present!!!

Daddy met us at the doctor for the appointment and we thought we could all go out to lunch....haven't really done that all together all summer....but Sophia chose McDonald's to bring home....only so she could get a Smurf in the Happy Meal.  This was a huge moment for us.  This is the first time our children have actually eaten McDonald's (besides their ice cream cones).  I think Brett and I were pretty proud that we kept Sophia away from it for SEVEN whole years.  She was more of a chick-fil-A kind of gal anyway.  The verdict....  she said her happy meal was "pretty good"...J didn't like his so much .....but the toys were definitely worth it.

Summer is dwindling.....and though the kids spend much of their time playing too rough with each other...whining to me about what they should do.....etc...etc...etc.... I am sad that we will soon have to leave our summer freedoms behind.  The house will be a little quieter...and I will be a little lonelier.  So here is to a few more days of summer fun!!!

Blessings

We are back from our beach trip and home safe....and  I have many pictures to share. We are counting our blessings today. 

We had a direct flight (thank goodness....) because traveling with a 7-year old, a sometimes queasy 3-year old, and a very active 6-month old is very exhausting in and of itself... But each one arrived with smiles on their faces. (The pics are a bit blurry because I took them with my phone:))

And yay.....thank goodness for motion sickness meds...b/c this guy made it without getting sick on the flight this time:)

And here is sweet Sammy....he was the talk of the plane....people were guessing that he was 18 months old.  You should have seen their jaws drop when I said he was just a BIG 6 months:)

There were a few little mix-ups with our hotel room at the beginning...but after an hour wait, we were able to settle in.

Have I mentioned that traveling with 3 can be EXHAUSTING?  We got in and out of the car so many times...and having to carry the stroller and car seat everywhere we went was a workout in and of itself.  Then there was the arguing about who was going to put their car seat in the middle and who was sitting by the window.  Oh my...  The first night after driving to a late dinner....we had to stop at the store to get some diapers and baby food....J was wild and crazy and then all of a sudden...he just crashed....poor guy was just exhausted!

We woke up to just a bit of sunshine on Monday....and after feedings and sunscreen applications we headed to the beach and pool.

The water was warm and so relaxing....

Even Sam LOVED the water!  The sand on his toes took a little getting used to...but he was a natural beach bum!!

Hmmm...this sand sure feels funny on my toes!

See...I told you he was a natural!

Love the expression....

"Hmmm....hope I didn't get sand in my button!"

The afternoon of our first day... we had a very unfortunate accident that landed our sweet little J in the ER.  It was something Brett and I will never forget...a reminder that we are all imperfect....a reminder that Someone so much greater is in control.  Our world certainly stopped for some hours that day, and we prayed, prayed, and prayed.  God heard our prayers and held our sweet baby in His hands the entire time.   We are so blessed...so fortunate....so lucky that God placed so many of the right people in our midst at the right time.  It was certainly a reminder of just how precious these tiny lives are and how quickly things can change in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately after about 7 hours at the hospital our little J had bounced back to his normal spirited self.  We were exhausted both mentally and physically from the whole experience, but bound and determined to make the most of the rest of the trip for Sophia, Joseph and Sam.

Rain the majority of the week put a damper on some of our plans, so we found some indoor fun at the Aquarium.

Here is J watching the....SHARKS!!

And Sophia....she liked the sharks but was sooo excited to see the dolphins and sea horses!

We also played some miniature golf, saw an albino alligator, fed some baby alligators, watched lots of movies, went out to dinner lots, got ice cream, went to toy stores, lounged in our jammies.....and when the sun came back out....we headed to the beach.

We had room service in our jammies the last nite...

and made it home safely.  A trip we will never forget, to say the least.  We are sooo blessed and will definitely hug all the littles a little bit tighter each and every day.

Six months for Sam!!!

It just doesn't seem possible....but our littlest man turned 6 months today!!!! We can't believe it has been 6 months since Sam came into our lives.....both Brett and I agree that it has been the fastest 6 months of our lives!!! Time is a flyin!

At 6 months our little Sammy is laughing, cooing, reaching for lots of toys, playing patty cake, loving to jump in his Johnny- Jump- Up, and getting very close to sitting on his own.  He loves. loves. loves to receive lots of hugs and kisses!! He gets very excited when Sophia plays with him...and screams with excitement! 

He loves to stare at his big brother too....I hope he is not learning too many wild things from his WILD and CRAZY brother.  Oh my! 

Sam is so easy going....He loves to flash those big eyes...lift those eyebrows and just make our hearts melt!  He loves to hear secrets in his ears....and loves to hold tight to his Sophie giraffe toy.  Another favorite...his little lamb that plays "Jesus Loves Me."  Oh...the smile I get when I wind it up and sing to him....I'll never forget it!!! 

He is eating and finally not spitting out his rice cereal...sometimes I sneak a bit of sugar in it....shhhh.  He has had squash, sweet potatoes = love, and carrots.  The greenies are next.....  I think this very squeezable little guy just might be a good eater!!! We are working towards two better naps...which requires me to be a little more on the ball in the morning to get him down earlier....and requires a little more "at home" time....   Which in turn means.... I have to have more...more...more....at home to do for S and J.  Paints, play-doh, Chutes and Ladders, Operation...you name it.  This afternoon I even pulled out the math flashcards for Sophia and the Alphabet cards for J....when I realized that J doesn't even know how to sing the alphabet song without leaving out letters...Oops!  He knows his sounds....but sometimes forgets the songs.....I think I got a little too ahead of myself last year when I worked on letter id.  Better start getting back into the groove of school....it's just around the corner.  S finds out her new teacher tomorrow!!!

Can't believe the summer is winding down.  Can't believe how quickly these little ones are becoming "not so little anymore"....Happy Half Birthday Sweet Sammy!! We love you to pieces!!!!

PS....I promise I do not neglect Sam and confine him to his exersaucer!! It's just the only way I can take pics of him without worrying he will fall over and hit his head while trying to sit on his own!!! He is doing really well...sitting with no support...but still needs some practice!!!

Baby Food!

So....I figured it was time to start the baby food with Sam.  He has been doing okay with his rice cereal...still not loving it...but eating a little more now than he spits back out....So, for our first veggie we started with squash this past Sunday.  It wasn't love at first sight....but he did eat most of it!! So far so good!  Of course he much prefers the entertainment he gets during his meal times to the actual food...but if my crazy dancing to "Like a G6" gets him to eat it....then I guess it is worth it:)

And because Sam seems to outgrow his clothes at an alarming rate....I have opted for Target shopping for the majority of his wardrobe.  I love when I can find matching shirts in sizes to fit both Sam and Joseph... 

Here are my two little crazy ones....

We're almost over the hump for the week...

Swimming Lessons

So.....wouldn't you know....our two week mid-afternoon swimming lessons just HAD to land during the hottest weeks of the summer!  Whew!!!! Just sitting in the heat watching my little fishies was enough to exhaust this mama.....or maybe it was trying to hold my (I'm guessing) 20 pound almost 6 monther while trying to keep on eye on both Sophia and Joseph's lessons.

Here is my little Sophia....I was worried she would not like these lessons since she had a few way back when with a "not so friendly teacher".

And here is the little trouble maker...oh my...

S and J were so lucky to get these lessons with this family who actually grew up in my old neighborhood.  I knew these kids when they were itty bitty....and now they are all grown up and soooo sweet.

I had a hard time getting pictures of Mr. J swimming with his coach...because well...he spends most of his time just getting out of the pool and wanting to jump in.  His poor coach tries to get him to watch him...and J will be looking the other way.  This little guy is so curious...and let's just say he has a hard time staying focused.  He's three...nuf said.

I am sooo proud of Sophia....she is doing wonderfully.  From being afraid to put her head in...she now is learning to freestyle...move her arms out of the water...

backstroke...

and even dive.

When she puts her mind to something...

she works her "darndest" to succeed.

I don't think I have ever been more excited about the weekend than I am this afternoon.  I. am. simply. exhausted.   These kiddies have worn me out this week.  It seems this HOT weather has persisted  a bit too long....We can't spend as much time outside....and the heat just seems to make everyone a bit more grumpy.  There is a little more bickering....and seems to be a lot of "fist-fighting" going on when I turn my back on S and J.  Who would have thought that teaching a three year old to "keep his hands to himself," to not bite or pinch (even if it is in fun) could be soooo difficult.  This stuff is much harder than anything I ever had to learn in school.  Of course "the teasing sister" doesn't always help matters.  Hmmm....I think we all need a little vacation. 

Pics of Sam will have to wait till next post....I had intended to take a picture of him with his cute new hat today...but spent most of the day with repairmen working throughout the house....our pile of damaged equipment (from the lightening strike) is growing in the garage....but s-l-o-w-l-y everything is getting back to normal....and at least J has made many new friends along the way.....I think these repairmen may just go home as exhausted as I am, after J asks each of them his usual 20 questions.  

TGIF:)