It Just Keeps Getting Better

I love you. You are my best friend.

Today I give myself to you in marriage.

I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you,

and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle.

I promise to love you in good times and in bad

when life seems easy and when it seems hard,

when our love is simple, and when it is an effort.

I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in highest regard

These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life.

 Happy 3 year Anniversary to my amazing husband.  You are my best friend, support, father of my children, and the greatest husband I could ever ask for. I am so thankful for you, your love for me, and your love for our children.  You are more than I could ever ask or dream of, and I am so thankful to God to call you my Husband. Happy Anniversary babe. I love you forever and always!

Happy Weekend!

A Few Videos

What Caleb does while I am nursing

C-U-T-E!!

A little old but hilarious!

Montessori...ish??

I have a background education in Early Childhood Development, and I have been trying to think of ways to bring that education into our home lately. Caleb is at the age where he needs activities that are challenging and that help him learn, and I need to be more devoted to teaching him. I have been flipping ideas back and forth in my head lately such as how to set up his play area, themes of the week, educational activities etc.  I am determined to start hard core come August, and I am excited to have the fun learning time with my little man.

In college I studied some of the ideas of Montessori.  I am not a full on Montessori follower, but I do like the ideas of simplicity/mastering/place for everything.  Since we just moved I have made it my goal to set up Caleb's toys in a Montessori..ish type of way.  I have put a lot of toys away, and I will switch them up every week to two weeks. I feel as though this will allow him to truly master what all the toys can do, plus actually take the time to play with all of his toys. 

His new Montessori shelf

Table Play:

We have a puzzle, books (will rotate them after we read all of them), and an etch a sketch for art.

Practical Life:

Piggy bank (practice counting/fine motor skills/colors)

Baby dolls/diaper.  Practice putting diaper on dolls

Telephone (Practice numbers)

Building:

Stack by size blocks (letters, large/small)

Tools

Wooden blocks (took out a lot of blocks so Caleb could master working with a small number).  (Colors, shapes, fine motor skills)

He also has an Easel in his room. We practice learning letters/writing on it daily. He loves it.  (I found it at a yard sale for 3 dollars!)



I can't leave a post without adding some cute pics of my babies from the weekend.



A First Attempt

I started Caleb on solids at 4 months because he was READY.  He was a hefty little man, was eating 8 ounces per feeding, and was so interested in our food.  I remember the first attempt like it was yesterday, and it took a few tries but then he LOVED his solids. 

I have been going back and forth with the idea of solids with Mckinlee. She is so tiny, and she has seemed really content with just my breast milk. We also have her acid reflux under control, and I really do not want to stir that back up.  I was basically set on holding off solids with her until 6 months, but at 4 months the ugly 4 month growth spurt/sleep regression revealed its ugly head, and it had me second guessing myself.  I tried giving her one extra feeding a day before bed in an attempt to keep her from waking at night. It did not really work. I read that sometimes starting solids helps with this stage, and I thought I would give it a try. 

We geared up Mckinlee, camera, bumbo, and cereal and anticipated her first bite.  Lets just say little miss did not have it! She was not at all a fan of the consistency (even though it was super thin), and she kept gagging.  We probably only gave her three spoon fulls before we stopped. She was just not ready.

However, I had to document her "first" real solid on the blog.  I have to admit that I am kind of glad she was not ready for solids. I am all about her staying little for as long as possible, and if my milk is enough to keep her happy for right now, I am happy with that. After all, solids are just a big mess anyway. 

Boom Boom Pow

Last weekend we celebrated the fourth of July (I know a little late in posting).  We had a wonderful family weekend, and dada was able to stay home with us for three full days! It was an amazing time with our little family.

We celebrated the 4th on Saturday at a cookout with friends.  Caleb was in heaven playing with all the big kid toys, and we all enjoyed the fireworks at the end of the night. To my surprise Caleb was not scared of the fireworks at all, he kept pointing to the sky and signing more.  Bundle also stayed awake for them and just "oooo ahhhh'd" at them. 

We finished off the night around midnight, and both children stayed awake until we arrived home.  It was a great fourth of July. 

Mckinlee 5 Months

My sweet baby turned 5 months yesterday!! Geez.  I am going to have an emotional mommy break down this month with all this growing up.  Mckinlee is changing before my very eyes every day, and I find myself getting teary eyed over how fast her infancy is flying by.

Mckinlee at 5 Months:

Sleeping:  You are still sleeping from around 7:30-8 at night till 6-7 am the next morning.  You have stopped whining in the middle of the night, and you are sleeping like a champ again. We are still doing eat, wake, sleep with you, but you are starting to refuse a few naps. I am currently trying to get you on a good three nap schedule. You generally nap for about an hour in a half.

Eating: You are still exclusively breast feeding. I tried cereal with you one night, but you just gagged.  We will try again next month.  You are eating every 2 1/2- 3 hours, and you nurse one side for about twenty-thirty minutes.

Size: 0-3, 3, 3-6 clothing. Size 1 diaper.  You were 11.3 last month, and you are still so tiny!

Exciting New Things:

• Your looks have really started to change. You used to be dead on daddy, but now you are really taking on a lot of my characteristics.  People always say you look just like me now. 
• You roll everywhere.  You zoom across the room so quickly.
• You scoot all over your crib, and you even try to scoot towards toys.
• Everything goes in your mouth, and you drool all the time.
• You are starting to be okay with other people holding you.
• You reach for everything.
• You talk and squeal and smile all the time.
• You are still very easy going.
• You still only like the binky when you are trying to sleep.
• You still hate car rides.
• You had your first long road trip this month to Michigan
• You went to the beach for the first time (Lake Michigan). 
• Whenever someone else is holding you and you hear me talk you cry.
• You think Caleb is hilarious now. You love to watch him, and he never phases you.

You are such a perfect princess and I love you so much I could eat you with a spoon!!