Parade & Fireworks

This was our 3rd year to take part in the neighborhood 4th of July parade.  We look forward to it each year (minus the idea of being in the heat outside.)

 Our family of 4

 Amelia stayed cool in the shade along with a fan attached to her stroller.

 Each year we march with our friends Bob, Stef & Zach.  Bob is the creative one that plans for months on what the theme will be for our families and them works hard building the 'floats'. Barrett & I really do nothing other than show up a few minutes before the parade starts and march with the cool things he has created.

 Stefani & I in marching in our matching shirts

 Jack got to ride in this awesome battleship boat that was built on top of a jogging stroller.

 Zach got to ride on the aircraft carrier built on top of a wagon.

Aren't these amazing?!?!

This year we won 2nd place!

 Jack sure thought it was fun to ride in a boat.

 That evening we sat on our balcony and watched the neighborhood fireworks.

 Jack was not a big fan of the loud noise.  He stood behind our chairs asking to go "home" (into the house.)  But it didn't take long for me to get him calmed down and into my lap to watch the fireworks.

 Amelia sat with Daddy and was asleep within minutes.

 Fireworks!

 So fun to be sitting on our own balcony and get to watch the fireworks with our little family.

I love these memories.

Amelia is 7 Months Old

Our little Amelia Joy turned 7 months old on June 26th.  She is as precious as can be! She loves to smile and also bring a smile to everyone she is around.

I'm not sure of her exact weight, but I'd guess around 16-17 lbs.

 She is sitting up like a pro! She tried out sitting in the drivers seat of Daddy's jeep (not to drive, thank goodness. She is growing quickly, but not that quickly!)

 She started drinking water from her sippy cup.  Not a fan yet.  Its more like a good chew toy for now.

 TEETH!!!  Amelia got her 2 bottom teeth this month. They both came in within days of each other at the beginning of June. Not much longer and she will be eating corn on the cob!

 Amelia has been practicing eating her fruits and veggies this month. So far she has tried all of the main veggies and is working on her fruits now.  Oddly enough, she prefers the veggies over the fruits. Her favorites so far are green beans, peas & squash.  She wanted NOTHING to do with the peaches and bananas! She eats baby food 2 times a day, nurses first thing in the morning, and has four 6-8 oz bottles throughout the day.

 Sleeping beauty here is very unpredictable with her sleeping.  Earlier in the month she had done a little better during the night and would only wake up a time or two for her paci. Then she began not feeling well (congestion & teething) and started having trouble again. Naps are tricky too.  Often times it is a 30 minute nap here and there although this last week there were a few days she has taken a 2+ hour nap. 

Amelia is now on the go! She can scoot backwards, roll, and go from laying down to sitting up on her own.  She is really becoming more content now that she is able to move (somewhat) in the direction she wants to go.

 These 2 are best buds.  Jack loves playing with his sister.  Here he had asked if he could hold her. Precious!

 Amelia knows what she wants and if it doesn't go as she was planning, she gets this pitiful little face. She is a girl.  What can I say.

 But most of the time she is HAPPY and SMILING!!!

Love her! SO thankful that I get to spend every day with this baby girl.  She is my dream come true!

Amelia the Inchworm

I guess the time has come.  Amelia is now mobile.  But not in the normal way. She doesn't crawl forwards (yet).  She moves like a little inchworm...backwards.  It is quite entertaining to watch!!!

I normally sit her next to the bed as I get ready each day.  She doesn't stay sitting next to the bed anymore though.  She scoots her way under it.  Thankfully she hasn't scooted past this point yet.

 Jack thought it looked fun, so he gave it a try! Great idea sister!

Not sure if this is considered crawling or not. Do I mark this in her baby book as crawling if she can move several feet away from where I left her but it is only by moving backwards?  Oh well. I can at least say she became mobile by around 6 1/2 months.

Time for another Trim

It was about time to give this curly headed boy another hair cut. Kind of silly that he turns 2 1/2 this week and he is only getting his 2nd real haircut.

 Before Picture.

As cute as can be.

 Getting his haircut from Ms. Paula in our kitchen.  How convenient!  Start to finish took no longer than 5 minutes. He did great!

Still as cute as can be! And he still has his curls. Yay!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

Love, Jack & Amelia

Amelia gave Daddy an extra special gift for Father's Day. She said her first word: Da-da.  Not sure she really knows what she is saying, but I sure think she could!

 We celebrated a great Father's Day with this wonderful Daddy of Jack & Amelia's.  So thankful for him! He is always full of energy and can always bring a smile to our faces. We love him so much!!!

 This past week or so Jack has been making sure that we all know that Barrett is his Daddy.  He will be near Barrett saying, "MY Daddy, MY Daddy." He really is turning into a Daddy's boy right now.

 For dinner we went to the chinese food and crab leg buffet.  The last time we were there (which was actually on Mothers Day) Jack saw this cat statue and fell in love!  It's arm moves up and down like it is waving so Jack enjoys trying to imitate the cat.

 I am so thankful for MY Daddy that is such a great Dad to myself and awesome Pepa to Jack and Amelia.  On Saturday night I took Jack and Amelia to the pool with my parents.  Pepa held Amelia for a while in the pool and before long she was sound asleep on his shoulder. Precious!

I am so thankful for my father in law too, who is an outstanding man and a wonderful Pa-Pa to Jack & Amelia.  He is always eager to talk to and play with the the kids.  Jack is always excited to sit down and talk to Pa-Pa on the phone each week.

It is an honor having each of these men as a part or our lives.

 Happy Father's Day!

VBS

Jack and Amelia went to Vacation Bible School last week for the first time! They had fun learning and doing fun activities while I helped out teaching in a class of 3 year olds.

Ready for a fun day at VBS.

 It was an amusement park theme this year so Jack got his picture taken here next to a mini roller coaster and Ferris wheel.

 Jack enjoyed all the music, crafts, stories, snacks and special activities like the petting zoo and train ride.  Amelia also did her first crafts in her classroom too - cute things with fingerprints, toe prints, and footprints. It was a great week!

Summer is Here!

Is this normal?

Doesn't everyone's extra freezer in their garage look like this at summer time?!?!

Whatever it takes to stay cool in this Texas heat! Some people go swimming...

...we eat Blue Bell. :-)