Professional Pics

We got the professional pics that my family did at Lake Junaluska back today!  Here are a few for you to see...

Remember when I said Taylor wouldn't budge a smile?

9 months!

Parker is 9 months old!!

Accomplishments this month include:

• Let me start with... this boy is SO about to crawl.  He gets into position, he moves from sitting to the crawling position, he does 360s around on his belly and knees... he has taken two "crawls" with his knees, then stopped.  I'm awaiting with my video nearby- I think it's coming soon!
• Scooting backwards started this month.
• He can sit up from laying on his belly on his own.
• Going to North Carolina for the first time.
• He now sits up in his crib on his own!  We went ahead and lowered the crib all the way. 
• He has started to wave, but I'm not sure if he correlates the motion with the meaning yet.
• He completely feeds himself now, both bottle and things like puffs.  He grabs the bottle out of my hands and puts it in his mouth... apparently I am too slow.  He is also a little over the 3rd foods.  I think we need to start doing more "real" food for him.
• He doesn't clap yet, but when I clap, he will get really close to meeting his hands together.  He usually ends up hitting my hands with his. 
• He loves to stand.  It's hard now to put him on the floor to sit- he just wants to stand!
• We pulled out the old bouncer toy (the kind that hangs in the doorway) and he loves it!  Sydney never took to it, and we didn't pull it out for Taylor, but P-man loves it.
• He has started having separation anxiety!  He cries when I leave him at school, church, etc. :(  It's so sad.
• All the 9 month clothes are packed up... he is totally in 12 month clothes!
• First time in the backyard pool.
• He's not really digging the sippy cup yet, so I'm going to be working on that some this month with him.

Summer- Week 4!

What a week!

Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day!  We were exhausted from the day before (driving all the way to S. GA and back) but I got up a little earlier than the rest of the crew to make Stephen his favorite breakfast- eggs, sausage, and toast.  We went to church, and then we spent the whole day building/planting a vegetable garden!  Poor Stephen, on a day we are supposed to celebrate him, he was working in the yard all day long.  Luckily, that's how he rolls and I don't think he'd want it any other way.  The garden is up and growing!  We planted cherry tomatoes, okra, and green beans.  We got some fence to put around it since we have a lot of deer/rabbits in our area that may want a tasty snack (assuming, that is, that these things may actually grow!).

The beginning...

Monday, the girls were supposed to have swim lessons and I was going to keep all 3 kiddos with me.  However, it was raining/storming this morning, so the instructor had to cancel today's class.  So, I decided to take the kids to daycare and have my second kid-free day!  I went to the gym and ran a bunch of errands.  I met my friend, Melissa, for lunch, and then got a lot done around the house. 

Tuesday, I kept all three kiddos home.  Swim lessons were cancelled again (darn weather!) and I can't lie that, around 10 AM, I was burnt out.  We had already done a rainy day movie/popcorn party, colored, played dress up, made cookies... I think I was just exhausted, and my temper was short.  We all had nap/rest hour after lunch, which was a much needed break for all of us.  Afterwards, there was a break in the weather and we went to the toddler park in downtown Loganville.  Then, we headed to the... du du duuuu... dentist.  Miraculously, Sydney did great!  Taylor, not so much.  Thankfully, they were able to do all that they needed to do, and both girls received a good report (whew!). 

Wednesday was a fuuuun day!  I took Taylor and Parker to daycare, and Sydney and I headed to Stone Mountain with her BFF Raegan.  Stone Mountain is a blast, if you haven't been lately.  I just remember what it was like when I was a kid.  It was fun and all, but not a lot to do.  Now, they have a ton of things to do!  We got to play in this "barn" area where you can climb ropes, shoot people with foam balls, jump on the trampoline floor, go down three-story slides, etc.  (Bonus is that adults can play, too!); we "Rode the Ducks", which is a vehicle-turned-boat that literally drives into the water.  The guy let kids drive the boat, so Sydney got to do that.  We had a picnic lunch; saw a 4D movie; went to a butterfly exhibit and got to feed the butterflies; rode the Sky Lift to the top of the mountain; and did the Geyser Towers (water fun).  Totally a blast.  That night, we had dinner at church and did our bible study.  I thought Sydney would completely crash after the park, but she hung in there really well!

Sydney, Raegan, and R's cousins, Taylor and McKayla.

Quack!

Sydney feeding a butterfly.

A great way to end the day.

Thursday, I kept all 3 kiddos home.  We did have swim lessons today, yippee!  We did some "school" work, fingerpainted outside, played in the sprinkler, played on the playground.  It was a good day!

Friday, we had a playdate at a neighbor's house.  We couldn't stay long- we had swim lessons- but we went back afterwards to play some more.  They got to play in a little pool, do the slip n slide, play with super soakers, and more.  Lots of fun.  The rest of the day, we got ready for a yard sale that was scheduled for Saturday.  We made trail mix, the kids had movie night, and an attempted sleepover that didn't last too long.

Making the trail mix.

A fan favorite!

 Saturday started early, with us getting ready for the yard sale.  Some guy came over at 6:45 AM!!! while we were setting up.  We had a pretty good turnout, made some extra cash.  We played in the backyard pool and then got ready for a fun event at church- Married People Big Night Out.  We get dinner, the band plays music, a good message, and childcare!  Lots of fun. 

You can see some progress!  The green beans have started to sprout.  And you can see that I'm going to be painting the wood some fun colors.

Do you recognize this little gal?

Look how long her hair is!

My church is awesome.

Another fun summer week!