Summer 2014 Bucket List-July Fun!

What fun it has been (most days! =) to read over our list and see the girls faces light up with excitement over what we might check off our list for the day! We were able to get through quite a few things each week as we continued to enjoy our summer fun-filled days with little ones running every which way! I forgot to document each and every one but the memories are still being talked about and that's what really matters to me in the long run. And boy have they talked about them. So much so that it makes all the effort and labor that went into some of them totally worth it! And the joy of a child just cannot be matched. So without further ado here were the highlights for the month of July. (at least the ones that were captured!)

#8: Make Cloud Dough

#9: More Pool Time (but this time involving our twin cousins!!)

#10: Mommy/Makenzie Dinner Date to Little Italy

#11: Backyard Fun with Blow-Up Pools and Slides

#12: Birthday Celebrations for Cousins!

#13: Walks Around the Neighborhood with Baby Dolls

#14: Baby Storytime at the Library

#15: Trip to the Donut Shop!

#16: A Visit to Earth Fare with my Little Grocery Helpers

#17: Family Fun Night at CFA (again!)

#18: Learning Activities

#19: Park Play Dates:

#20: A Trip to the Gas Station for Slushies

We're looking forward to one last summer month to tackle as many things left on our list as possible! Might have to carry some over into fall...but that's ok. We'll make a new bucket list for Fall & Winter! Memories and more memories have been made with my three sweet girls!

Miss AK is 9 Months Old!

 9 MONTH STATS:
Weight: 20 lbs 9 oz. (In love with your squishy thighs!)
Height: 28.3 inches (major growth spurt!)
Clothes: wearing mostly 9months
Diapers: size 3
Teeth: the count is still at 0

Oh me oh my little pea pod! You are not so “little” anymore…well in terms of how quickly you are growing these days, but you still remain the precious little baby of the family for now! And boy are you doted on around our house…not by just mommy and daddy who are completely smitten over everything you do, but your sisters adore you! It has been such a blessing to watch their love for you grow with time. They’ve always loved you, but these days you are a priority to them. They can’t stand it when you are upset and not happy and they will bring you anything you need, sing to you, try to make you laugh, and want to be near you if you are awake at all times! Hearing them sing to you to try to comfort you has got to be one of the cutest things I’ve ever laid eyes on. Needless to say, you are one LOVED little girl in this family! It’s hard to imagine life before you arrived for sure. You sure have captured all of our hearts. We love you so much sweet Ashton Kate!

Love, Mommy & Daddy

Milestone and Memories from 8-9 months:

-Ever since we dropped the swaddle on 7/14 your sleeping has been SO much better AND you are officially a tummy or side sleeper now! You might wake up once or twice and cry a tad, but generally you will put yourself back to sleep. Your usual these days is down at night between 7:30-8pm and you will usually sleep til around 6, nurse, and go back to sleep until 7:45-8:15am when we start our day.

-You are down to 4 feedings a day-8, 12, 4, & 8 give or take and this 4 hour schedule is WONDERFUL for all of us! You eat best when holding something in your “free” hand! You take two naps if we’re home, one around 9:30ish (for about 1-1.5hrs) and the other around 1/1:30ish (usually 2 hrs). If you skip your morning nap, you usually nurse at 12 and fall fast asleep and sleep til 3:30ish (usually all afternoon!)

-As far as eating goes, you are eating 3 meals a day (sometimes 2 if we’re out and you fall asleep before lunchtime) and you are an excellent eater! It’s been so much fun feeding you and letting you try new things! You will usually eat just about anything, although some of our favorites that get you VERY excited are bananas, blueberries, yogurt, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, puffs, & really any fruit mixed in your cereal you will devour! You love when mommy makes you smoothies and the best way to feed them happens to be through a syringe (cleanest method we’ve found, ha!) You have mastered the pincer grasp and do a fabulous job eating diced up finger foods. We’ve tried quite a variety and sometimes it slips out of your hands but you really do enjoy mealtime which is such a breath of fresh air! The only thing you hate about mealtime is having your face washed off-you despise it. Sorry punkin!

-Two of your signature moves these days is opening and shutting both of your little hands very quickly when you’re excited and then the other is when we come in to pick you up and we get you upright in our arms you are a wild girl and you flap back and forth like a porpoise-it’s quite hilarious!

-Some new skills you’ve learned this month: scooting backwards and ending up underneath furniture regularly, rolling over constantly in your crib and on the floor, reaching for things and pulling yourself back up into the sitting position, putting your hands up a little to be picked up when we come to you, clapping, and copying/imitating sounds, saying bbb, ddd, mmm, and others that I can’t distinguish J


-Some of your favorite things lately: anything that has a string, tag, or strap that you can put immediately in your mouth, any books that have textured parts to touch, you LOVE your twin sister’s doctor kit-has plenty of things to put in your mouth and to pull out of the box, you LOVE swinging at the park (like huge smiles!!), being outside and taking walks, going wild at bedtime, scooting around in your walker, bouncing when music is playing, bath time, trying to grab remotes and cell phones, playing games back and forth with us (copying sounds or pulling the paci from our mouth and then giving it back), being part of the action! (you love being where the fun is!) and MOMMY-you are in that phase of not wanting mommy out of your sight (even though you don’t love to snuggle, you like to at least be held by mommy!)

-Things you’re not a fan of right now: DOGS, STRANGERS, & BEING LEFT ALONE: dogs-you are not a fan, you will get all stiff and start grunting/crying and we can tell you are super curious/afraid, strangers still-(no rhyme or reason to when you choose to get upset) but you will scream the hardest, maddest cry ever if someone you don’t know or even some you do know get in your face to talk to you or play with you. You definitely have to warm up to people first. And being left alone-you’re totally content playing independently as long as we’re not in the room but you will cry when we put you down somewhere and walk away!

-Important dates this month: 7/2-you started rolling over in your crib and getting stuck on your tummy and in the corners & you also started scooting all over the carpet just a few days past turning 8mo; 7/9-started scooting backwards on the floor and ending up underneath beds, crib, couch, and anything else you could slide underneath; 7/12-first time to the lake and first time to ride on a boat-you fell fast asleep after you got over the misery of getting your life jacket on! =) 7/24-started rocking on all 4’s; 7/29-started clapping at storytime; 7/28-pulled up for the first time to standing position-pulled up on changing table from sitting down

Cow Appreciation Day

Just the mention of the word ChickFilA brings a smile to our family's face =) For more than a few reasons.

1. My kids actually will eat their ENTIRE meal with minimal coercion!

2. What mom doesn't love the fact that they will set up high chairs, place mats, deliver your food to you, clear your food, and provide any napkins, sauces, or help at any time!?! 

3. The play area just happens to look a tad cleaner than other fast food places

4. The courteous staff that helps me as a mom of young children from the time we enter til the time we leave!

5. The Family Fun Nights every Thursday!

6. Added bonus: worship music that my kids recognize playing in the bathroom =)

7. Everything on their menu is delicious to me!

8. The kids meal prizes/toys are simply THE BEST!

9. Hand wipes after leaving the play area? Yes please!

And if those aren't enough things to keep us coming back time and time again, then there's the once a year Cow Appreciation Day each summer where you can receive full meals for free for dressing up like a cow. Sometimes it's not worth the effort to get that many little ones dressed and out the door, but that much free deliciousness is hard to beat! The twins had a ball this year dressing up (seriously for the last time!!) in their baby cow costumes. If you remember they were already snug for obvious reasons last summer to squeeze into but they would have nothing of it when I mentioned let's try to dress up like a cow in a new way.We seriously had the best time enjoying breakfast as a family there (minus daddy of course!) and thought that would conclude our day until we had to get out to run an errand around lunchtime anyways and thought why not do lunch there as well at the other location! So that's precisely what we did and the girls enjoyed it just as much and loved giving the cow high fives, hugs, and kisses!

Truthfully, there is not another fast food place that even remotely compares to our experience at ChickFilA. It is worth every extra penny spent for what we receive in return there. And I can't see that changing for years to come...Thank you ChickFilA for a fun-filled day today but thank you even more for the principles you stand by and the difference you make in countless lives each day!

Let Freedom Ring!

Our family is so grateful for the freedoms we have the privilege of experiencing on a daily basis. Beyond grateful actually and so easy to take for granted. We enjoyed getting to attempt to explain to the girls why we were celebrating the 4th of July and why daddy was not at work. Not sure the understanding was crystal clear, but it's a start. We had the best time staying here in Auburn and spending good quality time as a family of five. SO much fun that we actually decided to let the girlies stay up super late TWO nights in a row to watch fireworks both in Opelika and then in Auburn the following night. Even Ashton Kate was invited to enjoy the festivities. =) The fact that no tears were shed was rather surprising to us...the only thing we had to tackle was the uncovering of ears to show them that it's not so "scary.." All in all, they loved them and were excited to get to see fireworks twice!

AND...we continued our tradition of eating at Cracker Barrel on the 4th of July, making it our 4th year in a row so far, and had a blast as usual! The girls now refer to it as the place with all the baby dolls (in the gift shop!) and LOVE going there! From the rocking chairs to the gift shop, to the fact that they don't usually leave an ounce of food on their plates when we're there, it makes the experience usually quite enjoyable for us as parents! One day it's sure to disappoint but for now we'll simply sit back and enjoy it!