4th of July

We celebrated the 4th with a cookout with my parents and watching the fireworks at Memorial Park. Addisyn wasn't sure about the fireworks when they first started, but she quickly got a huge smile on her face and loved watching them! Her favorite word of the night was boom!!

Ben's bedtime is at 9, so he wasn't the happiest of campers until he was able to fall asleep. Then he slept right through them!

And this is the best picture we could get of the four of us!

Today I put Ben in the pool for the very first time. With this insane heat, its near impossible to take him outside. So on a day as hot as today is, the pool was the place to be. He seemed content in the water with us!

Ben is 4 months old!!

Ben turned 4 months last week. I say this every month, but boy is time flying! And I know I'm a bit biased, but is he not the cutest thing ever??!! His personality is really starting to come out now. He's laughing more often, and loves to watch everything Addisyn does. He went through a bit of a cranky phase for a few weeks, but once we figured out he wasn't napping enough, those moments dwindled down. Ben had his doctor's appointment on Tuesday and all is well. He's up to 17 lbs 8 oz and is 25 inches long. I really doubt the length though - the nurse did it so quickly and didn't have his little body straight before she measured. Oh well! He had another round of vaccines and handled them great. We got the green light to start cereal, but I think I'm going to wait another month or two. I'm really in no rush and he seems content with just nursing and doesn't pay any attention to us when we are eating. We're getting so close to my all time favorite baby stage - the 6 month old happy-go-lucky baby!!
Addisyn started gymnastics at Wilson last week. She was a little hesitant at first, but after one class, she loves it! I just love watching her little face light up when its her turn to go down the tumble track! I really hope as Addisyn grows that we can find an activity she loves. Maybe gymnastics will be it??!! And after just two classes, she can now do a somersault all by herself!

Family Pictures

My family was way overdue for an updated family pic. And after planning, figuring out schedules, and figuring out photographers, we finally got them done! So here is our group shot...

Not bad for the size of the group and all the little ones! We did each family's picture, shots with the grandparents, and ones of just the grandkids. Here is one of the bloopers...

Our family is constantly growing and these pictures will soon be outdated as well! My brother is expecting his third in November!! And if you're wondering why Ben is positioned funny in our family of four shot, its because he refused to sit!!

Where am I supposed to sleep?

As many of you know, we've had a difficult time getting Addisyn to sleep in her toddler bed. This was a transition that she started back in September when she decided to crawl out of her crib. We went through sleepless nights, days without naps, and a ton of tears between both me and Addisyn! Then finally, we gated her in - and what a relief that was!! Life seemed grand, with Addisyn sleeping in front of her gate, until 2 weeks ago. We knew this day would come, but had hoped it wouldn't be so soon. She finally decided to crawl over the gate. So now our nights consist of sending her back to her room at least 10 times, before she finally gives up, and stays there. And to our amazement, she's actually sleeping in her bed - FINALLY!! The only downfall to this, is that we've found her in many different places come morning. She's been in our bed, without either of us knowing she ever came in, in front of our door, and in front of the gate to the downstairs. She apparently is very quiet when she's up roaming at night! When I woke up Saturday morning, this is how the arrangement in our bed looked:

So where do I sleep? In the tiny section next to Ben, hoping I don't fall on the floor! Brad and I no longer own our bed, it belongs to Addisyn and Ben! We don't know what time for sure Addisyn joins us, but its sometime between 11 when Brad falls asleep, and 5ish when I get up to feed Ben. Ben sleeps in his room until his feeding, then he joins the family.

Strawberry picking, fun in the sun, and the circus comes to town!

Just a hodge podge post of some of the events over the past week. We picked strawberries twice at a cute local farm - the first time with mom's club, then the following day with some friends. Between Brad, Addisyn, and I, we consumed a 4 quart box in a day!!! So I was a little smarter the second time and filled two boxes. I froze a bunch and we've been eating the rest like crazy!



That afternoon was so hot, so I got out Addisyn's pool and we had Rachel and Alaina over for a picnic. The girls were so cute together and had a blast!






The next day was just as hot, so we met up with Tricia and her girls and Rachel and Alaina at Caledonia. I remember going to the creek growing up, and love that Addisyn gets to play in some of the same spots I did. The highlight of the afternoon came when Haylee announced she had to go potty, and when one goes, they all go. Our girls are all potty trained, so one would think we'd walk them to the bathroom. For whatever reason, Tricia told Haylee to go in the creek. So without hesitating, Haylee proceeded to pull her swim suit down to do her business. And of course Addisyn had to join in......we've got some wonderful pics to embarrass the girls for many years to come!!




Sunday, we went to the circus at the Giant Center with Courtney, Keegan, and Torin while the men golfed. All 4 of the kiddos were great! This was the first time any of them had been to the circus. I'd like to think that Addisyn's favorite part was the elephants, bikes, or anything to do with the show, but I'm pretty sure it was the box of popcorn she devoured!!!

A little late...Ben is 3 months old!!

Boy am I behind! Things are just so crazy busy, and the computer is at the bottom of my list! Just a week late, but our little man is now three months old. Ben is such a pleasant baby and the perfect addition to our family. It's so hard for me to remember what life was like before him. So what's he up to these days? Ben is laughing lots - although he saves his best giggles for daddy! He sleeps anywhere from 8-9 hours over night, then wakes to eat, and goes back to sleep for another 2-3 hours. He naps 4 times a day, with the longest nap being in the afternoon. I'm very fortunate that both my kiddos nap for about 2 hours together! Ben is wearing 6 month clothing and size 2 diapers. His hair is falling out like crazy and his eyes are still blue. We're very curious to see whether they stay this way, or go brown like Addisyn's. Ben is still totally breastfed, and now that I'm working again, my breaks are consumed with pumping! Little man is sucking on everything in site, and drools like crazy. He's getting good at taking an object in his hand to his mouth. Ben is most comfortable in my arms or laying next to me, and I am loving every minute of it. Ben snuggles way more than Addisyn did, and I'm hoping he continues to be this way!
Meeting my friends newborn yesterday was such a huge reminder of how quickly the infant stage goes. I'm trying hard not to blink, take tons of pics, and savor his smell, I don't want to miss a thing!

MIA

Wow....almost a whole month without a post! I've purposely been trying to take a break from blogging and the computer. Our lives have been so crazy busy lately, and now that I'm back to work, we're trying to figure out a new routine to keep the household running smoothly. So what have we been up to? The beginning of the month started with a visit from our friends Jenn and Luca. My girlfriends and I tried three times to get all the little ones together, but trying to mesh our schedules with 5 kids under 2 1/2 doesn't always go as planned!
Mother's day weekend kicked off with two wonderful events - my mom's club brunch and evening in with the Williamson clan. The kiddos played so good together while us grown-ups enjoyed some much needed adult conversation and drinks! We celebrated my third mother's day with a lazy day around the house and a beautiful bouquet and necklace from my babies! The following weekend my little sister came in for a short visit. Seems like forever since she's been around! Addisyn always enjoys when her Aunt Kristen is here and talks about her for days after she leaves! She'll be coming to town again in June for a little longer of a weekend.
Last weekend was our first road trip since Ben's arrival. Brad attended a conference in Baltimore while the kiddos and I explored the city. The weekend could not have gone better! We stopped at the zoo on our way home and had a ton of fun.
Sadly, my time is up to be at home with my babies. Brad and I are working hard on coming up with a better plan for our home life, and I'm very excited for the fall. I'll still be working some, but will finally be able to put most of my time where it needs to be - in our family. Once all the details are worked out, I'll share more. And as much as I love the summertime, I'm wishing this one to pass quickly! Rather than post hundreds of pictures, I'll leave you with a few of my favorites. Can you believe how big Ben is??!! Someone make him slow down...