Our First Family Church Adventure

This past Sunday was our first family of four adventure to church!  And we got there on time!  Katie went to her Sunday school class and we took Jack into church with us.  He did great for the majority of the time - Brad took him out at the very end of the sermon since he was getting a little antsy.  And they had the neatest thing!...there was a TV screen outside the sanctuary so that you could still watch what was going on in the service.  Such a great idea!...and Brad wasn't the only daddy out there with a cute kiddo either.  Here he is watching when I came out.

So glad it went so well - and we know we can get there on time! Now, if we can just find a Sunday school class for me and Brad, we will be set!

Our Thanksgiving Star

This past week at her school, Katie's class (along with several other classes) performed in a Thanksgiving program.  I can't believe she is old enough to have a program at school!  They sent a CD of the songs home a couple weeks ago so the kids could practice.  Needless to say, I knew all the words too!  I was curious as to whether Katie would be timid or take front and center.  Well, I'd say she was right in the middle!  She sang but didn't do any of the hand motions...she said she was more excited about seeing Grandma and Cee Cee (our moms)!  Here are some of the pictures from the program....

Katie's class walking onto stage!  It was so cute - all the kids were looking for mommy and daddy in the audience!

Katie kept doing the "stir" motion (part of one of the songs) when they first got to their spots...but during the actual song, she only sang the words!

I think she was watching her teacher talk to them.  On the front of them, they had what they said they were thankful for (most kids said their family or mommy or daddy - Katie? Apples.)

And I definitely appreciated this...before the program even started, they had a couple of minutes for parents to take pictures of their child up front!  

After the carrots and peas song, they talked about how the kids really wanted to eat their favorite things instead of healthy food at Thanksgiving...so the kids turned around and on their backs they had their favorite food written!  So cute!  What was Katie's you ask?  Candy corn.  I felt sure it would be mac & cheese or something.  

During one of the songs.  Katie was really supposed to be a step up, but she wanted to stand with her best buds at school.  So cute!

And then they were finished!  The program lasted about 15 minutes which was perfect for their attention span!

We went back to her classroom to give her a hug and tell her good job.  I also wanted to get a cute picture of her with two of her best friends.  Love this!

And of course they had to have a silly one!

I loved seeing Katie on stage...and I think she liked it too!  The next day she woke up and asked if she would get to sing for us again! Ha!

Jack: Five Months

Sleep

Boy has it been an interesting month in this department!  One night when Brad was out of town, I decided to bite the bullet and let Jack sleep in his crib.  That first night, he slept all night...about 11 hours!  I was so proud and felt confident he would continue the trend.  Ha.  He had other plans.  All of a sudden, he started waking up at around 4am!! Unacceptable.  I knew he could make it all night.  And I didn't want him to get used to eating at that time.  So I tried waking him at like 10 or 10:30 for an additional feeding.  He would still wake up at 4.  I thought he might want his hands free (we still swaddle him)...that night was torture.  He kept knocking the pacifier out and would startle from time to time and scare himself!  So, back to the swaddle we went.  And of course all of this waking up business was at its peak when Brad was out of town from early Monday morning until Friday evening.  I wasn't sure I was going to survive...but I did!  And then we thought we would try putting breastmilk in a bottle and feeding that to him at the last feeding so we make sure he is getting enough to eat before bedtime (if I feed him myself, he falls right asleep and doesn't get a good, full feeding in).  I think that was the trick (and of course I pump before I go to bed to keep the supply up).  So now, he gets that bottle at around 8:30 and sleeps until about 7:30!  He does sometimes wake a time or two if the pacifier has fallen out of his mouth, but I can handle walking in there and putting it back (he didn't wake up at all last night!)!  I am SO glad we figured out something that works.  That waking up with him  screaming in the middle of the night was enough to wear me out!  And we have mastered naptime too - at least, I think!  He wakes up at 7:30 to eat, and then I lay him down for a nap after his second feeding (around 10:30).  He will sleep at least a good two hours then.  Then he eats again at around 1:30 and typically goes down for a nap around 3 or 3:30 and will sleep until his next feeding.  Of course there are cat naps in the car here and there.  And if I am out running errands, it kind of messes with his schedule.  But at least I know he can be on a nap schedule if I need him to be!

Eating

A big month in this department too!  He is only eating 5 times a day - the schedule is roughly this: 7:30, 10:30, 1:30, 4:30, 8:30 (bottle) with cereal at around 6 or 6:30.  Of course that varies depending on when he wakes up in the morning (this past Sunday he slept until 9am!).  Obviously he tends to go about 3 hours between feedings, but he sometimes will go 4 hours.  I am also proud to say we have made it a full 5 months with solely breastmilk!  He has also gotten more curious about what is going on around him, so he is quite a distracted eater.  That doesn't mix well with a very busy 3 year old!  When I fix a bottle, I am now fixing about 6 ounces (though he has taken a bottle of 6.5 ounces and last night he took down about 7 ounces)!  I do plan on introducing formula soon...I want to make sure he tolerates it well so that I can transition him to formula when I am ready.  And we will be adding a cereal feeding in the morning before too long.  I'm so glad he is doing well with the cereal!

Weight

We don't have an official reading here!  But based on our bathroom scales, he weighs about 16 pounds!!! Granted - he had a onesie and pants on and it had been about 2 hours since he had gotten a fresh diaper.  But still!  He is a growing boy for sure!

Length

Not sure!  But he is clearly growing like a weed!

Size Clothes

He is in 6 month clothes right now.  Some of his footed jammies seem like they are getting tight, so we may be transitioning to some 9 month jammies soon!

Size Diapers

We have been putting size 2 Huggies on him, but I think he is ready for size 3 in those.  Size 2 Pampers still work well, but I think size 3 of those is in our near future!

Hair color

It is growing ever so slowly.  What hair is there actually had a little shine to it a couple days ago!

Eye color

Still those amazing baby blues!

Looking Like

Definitely a Daddy's boy...and even more definitely a boy version of big sister!  I am going to do a post comparing them at different ages soon!

Nicknames

I can't think of any new ones this month.  But we are trying to do a better job of calling him "Jack" instead of "Baby Jack" - poor guy is going to only respond to Baby Jack if we aren't careful!

Favorite toy

Honestly?  He loves his feet these days!  And they're free!  And always available!  He also has a blast in the Exersaucer.  We have already had to move it to the second level!  And he has figured out how to jump in it and thinks that is the best thing ever.  He still loves the monkey guy hanging from his carseat bar.  And anything that squeaks like a dog toy!

Firsts

He had cereal for the first time and has finally figured it out!  In fact, tonight I did 1.5 scoops (instead of just 1) and he polished it off.  With Katie, the highchair was a place she could sit and play...and eat, of course.  When Jack is in it, he wants to be eating!  It seems that whenever he is sitting watching us eat, he thinks he should be eating too!  He also had fun swinging in a big boy swing on a playground!  He loved it!

Milestones

He is more and more aware of what is going on around him.  When you walk up to him, he looks at your and you can tell he really is trying to understand what is being said!  He is blowing raspberries all the time.  Anytime someone holds him, he tries to eat their fingers - wonder if any teeth are in the near future?  Also, he seems to have taken to the pacifier this month for when it is time to sleep.  If that makes him sleep better, I am all for it.  And I think I'd prefer that he take a pacifier than his thumb (even though it is adorable - and he still does suck on it from time to time) since we can take the pacifier away when we are ready!  Jack is trying to sit up and I can tell he is stronger and stronger!  He has yet to roll from back to stomach - he is SO CLOSE though.  Yesterday morning if he had tried for just two seconds longer he would have been over!  He is also grunting a lot - like he is figuring out all the different noises he can make!  He does make sweet baby noises still, but there is a whole lot more grunting going on these days!

Anything else?

Boys are gross.  The other night, Jack managed to poop, pee, and spit up in the bathtub all within about a 10 second timeframe.  Gross!  And that was the second time he had pooped in the tub (which, by the way, Katie has never done)!  He also is loving to pull hair these days...especially when he is eating.  He has tried to pull Katie's hair one time and to say she was not a fan is an understatement.  Things will be quite interesting once he is mobile and taking her things.  He loves to dance and jump on our laps.  If you kiss him on the neck he giggles with delight.  When I sing "Wheels On The Bus" to him, he stops what he is doing and watches me and listens to me.  He is the sweetest, happiest, most snuggly baby.  

Here he is on Wednesday.  Love that sweet smile!

This is what he looks like at night.  I could sit and stare at him for hours.

 Cutie in his jammies!

 Trying to sit up!  He does a pretty good job when he is surrounded by the Boppy!

 And loving bath time!

Today he is officially 22 weeks old.  Gosh that sounds like a long time on one hand, but on the other hand, it doesn't seem possible!  We love him so much and can't wait to watch him grow and learn.  

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It feels like forever since I have blogged..and since I have done WILW!  But I'm back!  And I hope to do better about blogging :)  There's lots to catch up on - including Jack's 5 month post (which should happen tomorrow or Friday)!  Here's what I'm loving today...

I'm LOVING this quote.  Laughter really is the best medicine for just about anything.

 I'm LOVING a good glass of wine.  Especially when it is on a date night :)

 I'm LOVING these stockings!  I want to get new ones at least for Katie and Jack (if not all of us) so that we all coordinate!  And they even have a doggy one!  I feel a stocking revamp coming on...not so sure the hubs is on board with that though...

 I'm LOVING how cute these two are when we go for walks these days.  Some days recently have just been too cold, but when possible we definitely try to get outdoors!  I love that they both enjoy wearing hats and snuggling under blankets!

 I'm LOVING this sweet girl....since when did she look so OLD?!  Good grief.  I think that dark purple is a good color for her with that blonde hair (that is getting way long, I might add).

 I'm LOVING what everybody in Katie's class is thankful for.  Yes, Katie is thankful for apples.  Not sure where that came from, but at least she said something healthy! :)

 I'm LOVING Katie's artwork from school yesterday.  She did such a good job staying in the lines with paint (for the most part) and I love the colors!

What are you loving today? Link up with Jamie {here}!

One Nation Under God

Today I am reminded how thankful I am to live in America.  I am thankful that we have the opportunity to go vote.  I decided to early vote to avoid lines - and here is my little helper!

 I saw this on Pinterest and LOVE it!  

 And I took this picture on a walk in our neighborhood earlier this year.  I love the sunset and the wind blowing the flag.

I hope you made sure to vote during this election!  I can't believe it is my third election to vote in - so odd...I don't feel old enough to have voted in that many elections.  And one thing is for sure...I am SO glad political ads are over!

Peppa + George

This post is a long time coming for sure...like since the middle of July.  Oops!  But I wanted to show off these AWESOME gifts the kids got!  A friend of mine is pretty magic when it comes to crocheting - she made these cuties just for Katie and Jack!  I thought it was fitting since Katie is slightly obsessed with Peppa Pig (and Peppa's little brother, George).  I have to say...it is a pretty cute show.  And it clearly has influenced Katie.  More on that in a minute.  

My friend has a Facebook store called The Knotty Nanny - please jump over there and "like" her store...and browse through the adorable things she has made!  I think these are the cutest things!  And amazingly enough, Katie hasn't tried to take ownership of George just yet...he is sitting in Jack's room!

Here is Katie after opening the box of goodies.  She loves them!

And this is not very related to the awesome gift...but Katie thought the box was just right to sit on and use as a car (and a plate as a steering wheel)!  Sadie clearly was not very impressed.

In the event you aren't familiar with Peppa Pig, it is an English cartoon.  This means that they have different terminology for some common things.  Well, since Katie has been watching it, I have noticed some of her vocabulary changing!  I'll text Brad with, "Peppa strikes again!"...here are a few things that Katie has said.....

~when Katie wanted to go out back and play, she asked to play in the garden rather than the yard/out back/ outside

~Katie once told me that she needed a phone because she needed to ring someone

~she turned the lights off as part of something she was playing and said that there had been a "power cut" rather than saying the power had gone out

I'm also preparing because I fully expect her to suggest that she wants either a Peppa or Strawberry Shortcake party for her 4th birthday.  We shall see!  For now, she is loving playing with Peppa thanks to our friend's amazing talent! Don't forget to go check her store out!

Halloween Fun '12

What a fun Halloween we had this year!  We did several fun things to get in the spirit.  As you may have read in a previous post, we did our annual outing to Puckett's and Gentry's...I sure love that tradition!  Our friends Tanja and Nick had a Halloween party - we were running late, so I just took Katie with me.  And it was a surprise!  She thought she was going to bed, but in fact she was changing clothes to go to the party.  I think she had a great time.  Here we are at the party!

And here we are with Tanja!  It was the only one we took and of course Katie was mid-blink :)

Last Sunday, Cat and Tyler and came over and we carved pumpkins and had some BBQ!  I have to admit...it was the first time I had carved a pumpkin all by myself.  Pretty crazy huh!  Katie was not a huge fan of the goop on the inside of the pumpkin, so she used the scooper that came with the kit!

And here we are still working on getting the yucky stuff out!

The finished product!  Katie wanted me to carve a face into her pumpkin from Gentry's, so we did just that!

Cat and Tyler worked on their pumpkin too!

I let Jack play with his little pumpkin again.  He thought it was the best thing ever!

Later that night, Brad worked on the big pumpkin.  I suggested doing the three stars like on the Tennessee state flag - and he did it!

Here they are, folks!  Pretty awesome if you ask me :)

I channeled my inner Martha Stewart and made ghost cookies (thanks, Pinterest!) for Katie's class on Halloween!  I love how they turned out!

And they had a Fall party and had to wear orange on Halloween - so here she is!  That was the only orange shirt I could find!

And once we got home from school, it was time to relax and then get ready for some trick or treating!  I put Jack in his costume for some pictures, and I have to say he was not a big fan of the pea pod.  But it was so cute!  He started pretty happy...

...and then it went straight downhill from there.

Once I took the hat part off, he was a-okay though!

But then I pushed it and put it back on...not a happy camper.

I love this picture.  His eyes look so clear (even though he had been screaming at me)...I bet he is just happy that I took the hat off :)

Then I helped Katie get ready!  She was the cutest Strawberry Shortcake I think I've ever seen!  And she thought so too - she was so proud!

We headed to the neighbors' house to eat some chili before we headed out trick or treating.  It was so fun and the girls were SO excited!  Can't you just see the energy they have from this picture?? And it was before they even had any candy!

And here is a full body view...cute Strawberry Shortcake and Indian!

This may be the favorite of the year...my two cuties all dressed up.  And they even coordinated (which was totally not planned)!  Love them so much!

And here are the little brothers...Hank and Jack looked so cute as a mouse and peapod!

Grandma stayed home and handed out candy once we headed out to the houses...and she took the peapod with her! It was pretty chilly and we didn't think he'd last very long.

Me and Katie before heading out to the neighborhood!

Best buddies...

Brad was escorting the little ladies across the street.

Since there are lots of kids in the neighborhood, there were lots of baskets on porches.  We tried teaching the girls that they only take one piece of candy when there is a bowl out.  We will see if they remember that over the years...

Katie and her loot!  She was so excited about all her candy.  We let her pick two pieces out to eat.

She had Smarties and a sucker...here they are with their suckers.

It is safe to say that Halloween 2012 was a success!  Can't wait to see what Katie decides she wants to be! Gone are the days of me picking out her costume...but she made a good choice this year!