A Week With The Big Kids

A couple of weeks ago, my parents took Miller for 5 nights so that I could spend some much needed time with Maddox and Maclain.  Obviously I spend time with them every day, but I feel like everything lately has revolved around Miller's schedule since she is still is so young.  I know that's just the way life is right now, but as much as we love our Miller-bug, I needed some time to really focus on the big kids.  I met my parents on a Sunday afternoon in Albany, GA and they brought her back to me the next Friday.  I planned special activities for each day and we made the most of our time!  I loved it so much, and I know that they did too.  I'm so thankful my parents were willing to do this!  It really was a win-win because they have never had one-on-one time with her.

On Monday morning, we met friends at the splash pad at Cascades Park...

While we were at the splash pad, my friend Glenda called and invited us over for lunch, so we headed over there for a couple of hours.  The kids were exhausted when we got home and napped great that afternoon.

On Tuesday, we went to tot time at Trousdell.  I didn't take any pictures because I was in the water the whole time with the kids--- they loved it though!  I really like that they only open it up for kids age 5 and under during this time so we don't have to worry about big kids!  After Trousdell we went grocery shopping, then home for lunch and naps.

On Wednesday morning we met my friend Renee at Tom Brown Park.  We let the kids play on the playground for a while, then we went over to the pond to feed the turtles.  It was HOT that day!!

On Thursday morning, we went to storytime at the library, then to lunch with a couple of friends.  After lunch, we went and visited Daddy at work for a few minutes.  Our plan for the afternoon was to head to the movies, but we had some time to kill, so we went to Barnes & Noble where Maddox and Maclain played with the train table and looked at books.  Finally, it was time for the movie... this was Maclain's first theater experience!

We saw The Lego Movie, which I was not a fan of.  Maddox enjoyed it, though, right up until it had 2 minutes left and Maclain decided she had to go to the bathroom  right then.  I felt bad that he missed the very end of the movie, but he got over it pretty quickly.  

Friday morning my parents left to bring Miller back to Tallahassee.  We made the most of our last morning together by going up to our neighborhood pool.  We got there early and had the pool to ourselves for the first hour or so...

The time spent with Maddox and Maclain that week was so special and I would not have traded that for anything!  They loved all the extra attention and they loved not having our schedule revolve around morning naps and bottles.  It was all about them.  

With all of that said, I did miss my little Miller like crazy and was soooooo happy to see her!  I have to admit, I was a little afraid she wouldn't remember me--- 5 nights is a long time for an 8 month old!  Not to worry, though!  She immediately smiled and reached out for me.  I was relieved!

Happy Father's Day (A Little Late!)

Blogging has been put on the back burner lately due to this little thing called summer.  The little bit of free time I have each day has been filled with more pressing things, but I don't want to fall too far behind!

I want to give Daniel the recognition he deserves b/c I really don't do it enough!  He is the best daddy for our kids, hands down!  He works 55+ hours a week and still comes home each day and plays with the kids until bedtime.  He shows each one of them special attention and makes us all feel loved and protected.  He is the most patient and calm natured person I know.  He is silly with the kids, serious when he needs to be, and loves each of them unconditionally.  We are blessed to have him!

Summer Is Here

I can not believe that Summer is here already!  We have been trying to fill our days with some fun activities, and some days are more successful than others.  It has been really tough lately since Miller still takes a morning nap and prefers to be in her bed, but we are making it!  Here is a little bit of what we have been up to:

We met my parents in Albany, GA one day and went to Chuck E. Cheese

We had to get Miller an 18 month swim suit b/c her 9 month one was entirely too small ;)

We had some fun with shaving cream!

We have had play dates with friends :)

We met up with the Sapp's at story time and Emeline read a book to Maclain

We have played outside a lot, too!

We sure are looking forward to a fun-filled summer.  We will attend a couple of VBS's, travel to Nashville, play at the pool, go to the library, and try to keep our sanity at home ;)  I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that Maddox heads to VPK this Fall and will be in school 5 mornings a week!  Where is the time going??

Swim Lessons

For the last 2 weeks Maddox and Maclain have been taking swim lessons.  Our old neighbors just moved to a house that has a pool so Mr. Jamie gave them private lessons at their new house.  They both did very well and loved going each night.  Maddox was very apprehensive about getting his head wet and preferred to stay above the water, but they both learned some good basics and we plan to practice a lot on our own this summer.  Maclain was very adventurous and hung right there with the best of 'em...

My swimmers!

Maclain Is A Big Girl!

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to go ahead and potty train Maclain...

Raise your hand if you are potty trained!!!

She really did awesome and we could not be more proud of our big girl!  We went cold turkey and just put her in panties.  She didn't seem to mind getting them wet, so we ended up ditching the panties and letting her go naked all day.  That did the trick for her. She has had a couple of accidents here and there, but 95% of the time she is not having any. She has majorly surprised us by being dry all night too, so after the first week we decided to go ahead and let her wear panties at night.  So far, so good!  I still can't believe she is completely out of diapers!  Way to go Maclain!

Miller - 8 Months

Miller is now 8 months old... 

Not too much has changed in the last couple of months.  But one of the biggest changes has been that she is becoming more of a momma's girl. :)  She doesn't like it when I walk away from her and wants to be with me most of the time.  She goes to other people much better if I am not around.  She is also showing interest in crawling.  She will scoot backwards and tries to go forwards, too.  If something is barely out of her reach, she can figure out a way to get to it.  Still no visible signs of teeth, but Maddox and Maclain didn't get teeth until around 10 months, so I assume she will get them later, too!  She sleeps 11-12 hours at night and takes 2 naps a day.  She loves it when Maddox and Maclain interact with her and play with her.  She is eating puffs, cheerios, and crackers in addition to her baby foods.  I need to try a sippy cup with her, I just honestly don't think about it very often.  Miller is so sweet and happy and we are so thankful she's ours!! :)

Beach Trip

2 weeks ago, we went to the beach with my family.  We had been looking forward to this trip for a couple months and were excited about getting to spend time with family!  We got there Monday afternoon and stayed through Saturday morning.  A great time was had by all and it was the perfect trip to kick-start our summer!  I will let the pictures speak for themselves...