Well, it’s officially summer and the kids have been doing just about everything. From searching through a bowl of Lucky Charms for marshmallows to feed to your one-year-old brother to dressing up in a toilet paper gown to finding joy in doing dishes (YAY!), we’ve been trying to keep busy. It’s going to be an interesting sugar-filled, park-going, bath-loving summer!
Life just gets too busy around the holidays.
But, on Thanksgiving week with the kids off from school, we went up to our family cabin for a few days to relax. And then back to our house for a quiet Thanksgiving dinner.
When we got up to the cabin, it was chilly so to keep the kids occupied while the fire got started, Mike taught them Slap Jack. Needless to say, it was loud and entertaining. The next morning was filled with hunting for pine cones to take back to the house to make glittery ornaments (which we actually did!). We went to Big Bear for a little, and took the kids bowling and played arcade games.
The next day, we headed over to the local park then onto Lake Arrowhead for a few carnival rides by the water. Woofed down McDonald’s on the steps overlooking the docks and loud ducks. We almost stayed another night but decided to just go home to a very warm Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving was quiet and lazy which was kinda nice. The kids played in the backyard in their pjs for who knows how long. Brooke made mud pie soup on top of the cooler (a favorite thing to do nowadays) while Bryn collected the dirt. Blake played football with the neighbors next door (check out the proof on his knees below). And Ben.. always always smiling.
A few days before the actual spooooky night, the girls had their first Halloween Parade at school. You can tell which one loved the attention and which girly didn’t like parading around. So neat to see their personalities and how different they really are!
I wish I could say that every Halloween is simple and easy to host. The kids behave and wait patiently to put on their costumes. The chili is prepared ahead of time. The candy is perfectly placed on the front porch without anyone getting into it. BUT… this time it WAS pretty much really really easy. Aside from me frantically carving three pumpkins before everyone arrived (umm… left that one for the day-of and regretted it after the kids were over it halfway through. Seeds everywhere.) I hope Benny Boy had a great first Halloween as a cute little dalmatian!
In Orange County, it seems like everywhere you turn there is a pumpkin patch full of carnival rides and a petting zoo. This one is the same but for some reason less crowded and full of just really cool people. And, being Ben’s very FIRST Halloween and visit to a pumpkin patch, we knew this was the place to spend time taking pictures and having fun on a Saturday afternoon.
The kids got their faces painted (a dragon, a fairy, and Minnie Mouse). Ben got to sit in a pile of pumpkins. We laughed and watched the kiddies run through the corn maze. Holidays are always so much better surrounded by kids…even sweaty ones with glittery paint running down their faces. ;)
After an interesting week of smiles and tears, these kids surprise me when I least expect it. One of the best parts of parenting is when it all just clicks and they get it! And today… they got it.
Blake came running in from school to show me his folder of papers from the week. Checks and check-pluses throughout. Then all of a sudden he says, “Hey Mom, I can tie my shoe now. And double knot it!”
Then there’s Bryn who is always so sweetly coloring or drawing smiley faces with legs. Before lunch, we decided to write notes to our neighbors thanking them for the girls’ birthday gifts. I knew Brooklyn could write her name (which has been happening since August) but the last I knew Bryn could only write a B. So, I broke out the little cards and Brookie starts to sign her name. Then Bryn. What?!
Such a great day full of little surprises!
This little guy. His smile melts my heart. He’s always so happy. Loves being outside, especially in his bouncer watching the other kids play.
During the official ‘six month’ week, Ben:
Got his first tooth. Bottom one. Thankfully, I have a lot of Otter-Pops in the freezer to help with the other teeth coming in…that just don’t seem to want to come in. Ahhh!
Started scooting along. Then the crawling began not long after. He does this cute thing with his leg when he sits so he’s propped up and won’t fall backwards.
Tried his first few bites of rice cereal, and hated it like all the kids. So we went to apples with a little help from big sister and her tablespoon.
We love you Ben!
When I think back to my last few hospital stays, I can’t really pinpoint what I packed in my bag when I had all of these babes. Obvious things of course, but I wanted to compile a quick list of what made my stay the absolute best this time around. I know it’ll come in handy when my sister and cousins are prego. Also, a neat little way to look back at what was “in” when I had this last baby boy. Hello…permanent pregnancy brain!
Yes people (the three of you)…
Post back-to-back.
We moved a little bit ago to find ourselves on a little gem. The people are AMAZING. It’s quiet minus the summer party every Saturday night which I kinda don’t mind because it’s good music and makes me feel young. We also bring a lot of noise.
Here’s a glimpse of an everyday weekday summer night with the nicest kid next door. We love them. By the way…our weekly menu had breakfast for dinner. Yep.. homemade waffles, syrup, sausage, eggs, banana muffins, blueberries. Yum. Oh and icecream for the winners of the baseball homerun tournament in the back.
After many nights of restlessness, summerness, and just all around boredom (really?!), we decided to take a quick trip to the beach for dinner. We packed up Daddy’s new go-to grill and some meat and ended up on a perfect flat spot. Doheny/Capo Beach… we will be back for night time din-din’s.
The weird thing is–We go here about every other day. Why not dinner?! I need to think about spots like parks, beaches, pools, etc. that we normally do during the day. Ahhh… next summer there may be a plan in place!
A few days after Ben got home, the girls and I decided to give him a little bath. I remember Blake’s first bath being quite a screaming and crying experience. Not exactly sure why. Maybe it was because he bathed in a hard plastic bath that looked like a whale.
This time around was the exact opposite. Ben sat there in his bath chair just looking around waiting for something to happen. His relaxed demeanor is contagious! A simple sponge bath later, he was wrapped in the nearest adult blanket and onto the bed he went. Kicking around. No diaper. Gazing outside.
So thankful he’s mine!
