Take a Seat Reid!

Guess who decided to sit up and take notice today! He isn't pushing himself back into a sit yet but he is staying upright when I set him on his adorable little bottom.

Especially when you give him a big kid toy to play with. 

That is always a hit!

Reid Isaiah- 6 Months Old

I can't believe it. I really can't. Sweet baby boy Reid Isaiah is 6 months old today and I find it impossible that time has flown this fast.

What can I say about Reid these days? He is a wiggly little man. Spends most of his days on his tummy or hands and knees. He can squirm his way around a room if he is inclined to and is a constant threat to any paper or toy on the ground that belongs to the big kids.

Reid is eating cereal and a couple of solids (sweet potatoes and peas) like a champ. He still is a nursing machine and loves mommy the best of all. He is not fantastic at sleeping through the night yet but will periodically do it. He has TWO big teeth on the bottom and is still a slobbering little man.

Reid's allergies are starting to resolve as well. The other day I ate Myzithra cheese on some spaghetti and he seemed no worse for it. This is wonderful news for me! I will be able to eat that as a replacement for mac and cheese. We are halfway to his 1st birthday. It seems absolutely impossible.

Reid is a happy little man these days and I am so excited to see what the next 6 months holds for him!

Swimming Lessons for Zane and Lucy

Another session of swimming is finished for the kiddos. This time around we went in the afternoon (which was actually pretty nice) and only Zane and Lucy could attend.

Andrew was a little bummed that he wasn't enrolled in lessons but since he is still doing soccer midweek practices I thought it was fair to let Zane and Lucy do a midweek activity as well. Plus, like I have said before, I don't really see swimming as an optional activity.

Lucy was in Preschool 1 and had a teacher named Arten. He was great and Lucy had him slightly wrapped around her finger. She is absolutely fearless. Almost to the point where I wish she was a tad more cautious. By the end of the session Arten had passed her on to Preschool 2! Yeah Lucy!

Zane was enrolled in his first session of Beginner 1. Although he has done lessons before the skills learned and required to pass are different at the preschool and beginner levels. It was a good call because Zane has to continue in Beginner 1 but I think within another session or two he will pass up to the next class.

Gwen was pretty much a trooper the whole time during lessons. She is a bit bummed that she can't go in the water but next fall when she is 3 she will be good to go! This year of being 2 is always rough for the kiddos watching and waiting for their turn.

Reid has been, well, a baby. Today he napped but normally he was content to just sit and be mellow with me. Such a sweet little love he is. Ideally I will sign the big 3 up for lesson starting in November at night. Andrew will be done with soccer and it will be nice to have him get a little more practice in with his swimming.

On the Move!

Mr. Reid has decided it is time to get moving. He has always loved being on his tummy but just last week he started pushing back onto his knees and I knew it wouldn't be very long before he was mobile.

The wait was even shorter than I thought it would be. After only four days of pushing back, Reid started picking up his hands and moving his knees forward.

The kid doesn't even sit up yet. I am totally amazed. I think once he figures out he can move when he wants to he will sit more. He is just too wiggly now to sit up and be still. He is a whirlwind for sure!

First Week of School

The first full week of school is under our belt! I couldn't be happier with the way it is turning out. Andrew has hit the ground running with the same teacher he had last year. I can tell he feels very comfortable starting school this year. No big changes for him to deal with and process. It has been a great start to the year. Plus Andrew has really stepped up the reading since the end of last year and should be well beyond what is expected of a 3rd grader. (He is currently reading The Magician's Nephew by C.S.Lewis)

Zane has had a phenomenal week at school. I am so happy we delayed kindergarten. In just about every single way I can tell he is more mature and capable of having a stellar year. Zane has brought home a "I am proud" bear award every day this week. Plus I get to hear all about his day (Andrew was never as forthcoming with details about school) and even some info on what Andrew was doing during recess. (Andrew still is not terribly forthcoming about details!) It is a lot of fun hearing all about his day and what was his favorite part. The only thing I am noticing is that he is definitely tired by the afternoon and in all honesty could use a nap. He melts down quite a bit at home but I expected that. It just is part of growing up. Let's face it, I want to have a melt down sometimes in the afternoon too!

Gwen has finally gotten used to the boys heading off to school and no longer sobs for her "brudders" when they are gone in the morning. She loves watching for Zane on the bus and waiting for him. I am just loving the opportunity to snuggle her a little bit more and spend some extra time with her. The terrible 2's are hitting her with a vengeance and some days I wonder is we will make it until she is 3 but maybe she is just getting it out of her system earlier? This momma can hope right?

Lucy Lu is being such a wonderful help. The whirlwind is starting to settle a bit and she is becoming quite a huge help to me. Lucy has always been quite the momma's girl but it is shifting into being a big helper these days. She has been carrying diaper bags for me (usually the boys job) and getting wipes/diapers when necessary. It is such a huge blessing that she is willing to help some of the time. She is only 3 so I try to keep my expectations at a realistic level.

All in all a great start to the year. I fully anticipate it continuing just as well for the next 9 months to come!

Teaching the Baby

Reid is fascinated with everything that the big kids do. Let's face it, they are pretty cool. There is one thing though that Reid gets a LOT of exposure to and that is Thomas.

Zane is thrilled to have a new buddy to teach about Thomas the Tank Engine. Somehow I think there may be another Thomas aficionado in our future.

Big Brothers are Special

I have been putting a lot of effort into getting Zane ready for kindergarten. We talked a lot about getting on the bus, what was going to happen at school, how he was going to get home, etc.

I did not however talk to the younger ones, Gwen especially, about what it was going to mean that Zane was going to kindergarten. I talked to Lucy about how she was going to be the super big girl and my helper but Gwen... well, I didn't think she was going to even notice.

I should have known better though. Gwen misses nothing. After getting the boys on the bus, we headed back home to finish getting ready for the gym. I asked the girls to head out to the van and that is when Gwen lost it. "My brudders, MY BRUDDERS!" she screamed. "My Zane, My Zane" she sobbed. She finally got over it but she was not happy that we were leaving without them in the van. How did I miss that Gwen was someone I needed to prep for school changes too?

3rd Grade and Kindergarten- First Day of School

The first day of school is always so exciting at our house. And this year Zane got to join the party! Yesterday we went to the school and met his teacher and saw his class room. I could tell he was a bit nervous but a little excited as well.

Andrew will be working with the same teacher this year as last year. He is "looping" with her and is very excited to hit the ground running in 3rd grade.

The boys were getting ready for school this morning and Zane asked Andrew "Will you sit with me on the bus?" Andrew very nicely said "Yes, I was already planning on it." What a wonderful big brother!

When the bus showed up they both hopped right on board. I didn't have any worries about Andrew but Zane is always somewhat of a wild card. I was very happy that there were no tears and no fussing. He just followed Andrew up the stairs and sat down with him. I got big smiles from both of them through the window as the bus was driving away.

Zane made it home from school already and had nothing but good to say about his day. And he declared he is not nervous at all now for school. That is what I call a great first day of school experience!

Hard Work

I have never had a baby that enjoyed being on their tummy this much. It is very nice that Reid does not scream as soon as he rolls over.

I laid on the floor and played with my sweet little man tonight. He is so much fun. Very active and wiggly. Constantly moving. But adorable beyond belief.

Those Cheeks!

That Grin!

Those Eyes!

Be still my heart.

Scary Monster

Miss Gwendalyn has a very active imagination. Much to her own detriment at times. The past few weeks have been rough at bedtime. Gwen has got it in her head that there are scary monsters in her room. I have no idea where she is getting the notion of monsters from. We don't do a lot of monster stuff at our house. And I seriously doubt that Elmo and Cookie Monster count when talking about monsters.

Regardless of where the idea came from, it now means that bedtime is a sobbing mess with Gwen. She begs for lights (she has two nightlights) and the door open and mommy or daddy not to leave her alone. Apparently Lucy does nothing to calm her fears. I find it frustrating but I suppose that I shouldn't. I had a very vivid imagination once upon a time and could get myself terrified of hopping out of bed because there were monsters going to grab at my feet. So I guess she comes by it honestly. Winter is going to be tough though. The darker it is at bedtime the worse she is. I suppose I will take the "this too shall pass" attitude. It certainly won't last forever.

Just like Grandpa

Apparently Zane has been asking Grandpa to take a picture of the two of them with their glasses on.

Holy Six Candles Batman!

Zane has been eagerly anticipating his birthday  for weeks. He loves his birthday parties but I think all the attention embarrasses him a little bit.

When we went to look for a birthday party theme for Zane he told me he wanted a reading/Wii party. How on earth those two go together is beyond me. Since it seems to have been beyond the party supply store too we ended up with Batman.

The question for me is always "How on earth am I going to make a cake for this party?" I have to confess that this cake idea was inspired by some stinking cool Batman cakes I saw online. But when I thought about it, Zane doesn't really eat cake very often. In fact he really only likes chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. But he ADORES ice cream. So an ice cream Gotham City it was.

Remember how I said he gets embarrassed? Yeah, plugged ears during the singing. What a nut.

Presents were opened and enjoyed. Zane was thrilled and another party for this sweet man is done. They just grow up way too fast, ya know.

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream...