Pink Bunny Parachutes

Baby Giggles

A Very Hungry Party

We had a Very Hungry Caterpillar play date party to celebrate Rachel's 3rd birthday.  I love the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and I had a great time decorating for this party.  We had caterpillars lining the walkway, a giant caterpillar made from balloons (we forgot to take a picture of this before taking it down), and a birthday banner.  The food was things the caterpillar ate.  We served  apples, pears, plums, watermelon, salami, cheese, and pickles.  Since we were having cheese and salami I also included crackers.  Like in previous years I made cupcakes for Rachel's birthday.  I think cupcakes are a great way to go for kid's parties because they don't require cutting and serving.  I made the caterpillars for the cupcakes using  m&ms for the body and chocolate frosting for the antennae.  It was super easy and super cute.

Since the party was a big play date I didn't plan any games.  Planning and executing organized games is not one of my strengths. We did have lots of fun toys to play with.  Rachel's friends could run around inside or outside.  Outside we had all her backyard toys including chalk, slide, sand table, and water table.  Inside her kitchen, play doh, and dress up box were big hits.  I love seeing how she has blossomed over the years.  She is so sweet and good at sharing her toys and taking turns especially when given gentle reminders to make sure her friend has a turn.  She really enjoys playing with her friends.

 

By the time the party was over and we cleaned up I think we all felt like Joel.  We all had a lot of fun and felt blessed by all our friends who came over to help up celebrate our special little girl.

Almost 3 Photo Shoot

We had grand plans to do Rachel's 3rd birthday photo shoot at Capital Park, but the weather had other plans.  It rained almost all day.  In between showers we dashed down the street to the park instead.  We got some cute photos and a little play time in before the sky opened up again.  Here are some of our favorites:

The Pictures You Have Been Waiting For

Hello Everyone, Brian Here.

Things are finally slowing down a little bit here. At least enough for me to finally take some pictures. And guess what? Joel smiles quite a bit now so we finally got some good smiling pictures.  So here they are. Enjoy!

Joel loves his Mommy!

Something is wrong with the camera, it makes the back of my head look as if there were less hair there.

Peek A Boo!

He's a happy baby.

There's his tongue.

He's all smiles.

2 months and Loving Life

Joel is now 2 months old.  It is amazing how fast these 2 months have gone.

Weight: 12lbs 12.3oz (55 %)
Height: 2 ft 0.25 in (89%)
Clothing:0-3 months
Schedule: Joel takes a couple hour morning nap shortly after Rachel wakes up and afternoon nap during Rachel's nap.  He also catnaps in the evening in between fussing.  He has recently started eating every 3-4 hours instead of every 2 1/2.  He eats his final meal at 10:20pm and sleeps from 11pm until anywhere between 5am and 7:30am.   
Likes: He loves sucking on his pacifer, being cuddled, and rocking in the chair.  His favorite songs include "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," Jesus Loves Me, and "My God is so Great."
Dislikes: He hates to have a wet or dirty diaper, waking up alone, and wild play (like being lifted high and fast in the air).

Joel is such a joy to have in our family.  Rachel loves him and is adjusting to sharing mommy's attention.  She likes to help bathe him and change his diaper.   I am learning how to balance 2 kiddos and housework especially now that we started home school preschool.  I have to be intentional with how I spend my time be it unpacking boxes (we have less than 6 left!), cleaning the house, cooking meals, playing with Rachel or Joel, planning and carrying out our preschool lessons, and and making sure I get a little me time.  Sticking to a schedule and planning what I need and want to get done the night before really helps.  It gets a little easier to balance it all everyday.

Just Keep Swimming

 Rachel loves the water.  She took 2 sessions of swim lessons this summer.  Because she is still 2 I signed her up for Frogs which is a parent child class.  She did great in the class and was so comfortable in the water her teacher suggested we move her up to Guppies even though she is a little young for the class.  Guppies is for 3-5 year olds and the first class that is without a parent.  Rachel's session consisted of 3 other students and 2 teachers.  She did great!  By the end of the summer she demonstrated she could blow bubbles, go under water, kick and scoop, and jump in with assistance.  She still can't jump out to an adult, but I think that is a developmental thing that she will get as she gets older.  The only kid in the class who could do it looked to be about 5 years old.  Because she did so well, her Guppies teacher recommended signing her up for Minnows next year.  I am one proud mama!