Summer Fun!

Sun is shining.  Weather is sweet.  Make you want to move your dancing feet.

- Bob Marley

We took a morning trip to the Sangamon County Fair one weekend.  Papa was entering salsa in the Chili Cook-off and John was at work, so the kids and I rode along.  We thought it would be fun to check out some rides, eat some fair food, and all that kind of good stuff.  Our plan was to leave about 10 am and come home around noon so the kids could take naps before the Kramp's pool party.  Unfortunately, the fair didn't "start" until noon.  Go figure.  We missed the rides, but one "kid" building opened early so Rudy was able to check it out.  We were also there in time to see the cows getting baths, which was pretty exciting!  (And don't worry, the concessions opened early too so we were able to enjoy a corn dog!)

The kids took naps when we got back to Gran and Papa's...well, sort of.  For whatever reason, Rudy will not take naps unless he is in his own bed.  The last few times we have tried to have him take a nap somewhere else, he spends the entire time crying in the crib and never ends up sleeping.  Avery will sleep where ever, but the crying keeps her up.  And I end up stressed with the whole process.  I'd love for him to "just get used to it" but I also don't want to spend days without naps in the process.  Kids, or at least Rudy, won't just go to bed early that night.  Instead we are left to deal with a moody, whiny, clingy, crabby little man.  We are able to be home for naps the majority of the time, so I guess a missed nap every once in awhile isn't a big deal.  As long as we have something to entertain him in the evening and patience getting him to bed, no harm done.  At least he was up in time to go swimming at the Kramp's and Avery was able to get in a little snooze in the stroller later that afternoon.

Rudy is always up for a good time, no doubt about that!!

John has been very busy working lately.  Side jobs have picked up, both construction type work during the day and tree jobs with my dad on the evenings and weekends.  Oh and extra shifts at the firehouse, too.  And have I mentioned I started a new job?  When OAG wasn't able to keep me there at one day a week, I reached out to the firm I worked for in college.  They welcomed me back with open arms and were happy to have my help, even if just one day a week.  I committed to one full day in the office and I have the option to take work home, if I choose.  I get paid by the hour, which is perfect for me right now.  The day of the week that I am in the office fluctuates week to week, based on John's schedule.  Which means Daddy Day Care is back in business!  I truly believe everything works out for a reason.  As upset as I was about leaving OAG, this situation is so much better for our family.  Long story, short:  We haven't had a lot of days, just the four of us, without obligations.  So when the opportunity presented itself for a full day at home with no plans, we passed on being productive and "trying to get things done around the house" and took the kids to the zoo!  Not only were there cows, horses, monkeys, penguins, and ducks to see, but also a choo-choo train to ride and a playground to play at!  We are working hard and playing hard this summer!!     

I have started to get into the habit of taking the kids for a walk a couple times a day.  Just a quick 20-30 minute walk each time.  It gets us out of the house, some fresh air, a little exercise for me and what even feels like down time because I don't have to chase or entertain or pick up, and if I'm lucky, some rest time for the kids, too.  I had been using our front to back double stroller and it's pretty difficult to maneuver unless the ground is smooth and flat.  I decided to splurge and get us a double jogging stroller and WOW, what a difference it made.  Rudy and Avery were pretty happy, too...

And who doesn't love some bath pictures??

We have a couple of really great kids :)

Half a Year Old

The keeper:

And others along the way:

Stats:

Height:  27 in (84%)

Weight:  21 lbs (98%)

I have a quick rant.  I love everything about my roly-poly little girl.  So many people comment on her size and how "healthy" she looks, and for the most part, everyone's comments are good-intentioned.  But there have been several times when someone says, "Oh my youngest/oldest/cousin/etc was the same way but now she is a size 0/thin as a rail/itty bitty/etc, so don't worry."  So don't worry.  That's what gets me.  What exactly am I supposed to be worried about?  For the record, we are not worried.  If she is happy, healthy and active, we don't care what size she is.  She will always be beautiful and perfect in our eyes, no matter what size.  Ok, I'm done with that. 

Head:  43.5 cm (79%)

Diaper size:  3

Clothes size:  12-18 months

Unbelievable.  I really cannot believe Peachie is 6 months old.  This is when new developmental things start happening all over again and she starts to really move out of the "baby" phase.  I don't know that I'm quite ready for it.  I think she is more than ready because she basically figures it out on her own and seems to be right where she should be.  With Rudy, I felt he was so "advanced."  (Not really, I just felt like I knew what he "should" be doing)  Not that I don't think Avery is the same, but I don't know how to even tell.  I haven't read a page in the books I was diving into week after week with Rudy, I haven't read through an email from "The Bump" or the like regarding an "average baby" at whatever month Avery is in, I haven't changed up her schedule hardly and haven't encouraged, pushed, or otherwise forced "development"-type things with her.  I just haven't had the time (or energy)!   Lucky for me, she seems to be figuring it out, though!  And according to the doc at her wellness check, she is right on track. (phew!)  But I am making an honest effort to make the time starting now.  Well, maybe as soon as I catch up on the blog...

I started her on rice cereal about a week or so before her 6-month birthday.  We had a lot going on around the weeks before and right at her 6-month mark, so I didn't want to try and start foods, risk any problems or change in our pretty awesome routine.  But once we got home from our short trip, it was game on.  She has had green beans, carrots, peas, apples and pears so far and has done great (although she doesn't seem to care for peas much).  I started with just cereal and one type of food in the morning with her 4 ounce bottle, and have now added in "dinner" of 2 varieties at whatever time we have dinner.  She is always awake at these times and we are generally at home during dinner, too so it hasn't caused any havoc in our routine yet.  (I may sound crazy and OCD about our routine, but when you have 2 kids as close in age and as young as I do, a routine is a life/sanity-saver!!... and its really not that particular or hard to maintain)

She is rolling over like crazy.  She can't be laid on her back without rolling right over.  Even for a diaper change, I have to flip her back over usually.  So tummy time has obviously picked up.  But oddly, she has stopped rolling from stomach to back.  I don't know what her deal is.  She has started rolling over in the middle of the night, too.  Most nights she is able to go to sleep on her stomach just fine.  But last night I had to go in and turn her back over because she was fussing and obviously in distress about being face-down, but she went right back to sleep once on her back.

She wants to chew on everything in sight.  She is so grabby and once she takes hold, it goes straight to the chompers.  Rudy is good at sharing with her and bringing her toys, even his favorite tools.

              

She can sit up on her own and is getting pretty good at it.  The doctor even commented on how good she is doing.  If a toy or something (Rudy) distracts her to move her head too suddenly or reach too far for a toy, she topples over.  I can't leave her alone sitting, quite yet, which makes getting practice often difficult since I am always having to jump up to tend to Rudy (although I've been surrounding her with pillows more lately so that I can step away if I need to and if she falls over, at least it doesn't hurt!).  But she is making progress!

Avery and Rudy take baths together and have been for about a month now.  It definitely was a big step in making bedtime easier and quicker.  She LOVES being in the bath with Rudy.  She pretty much is the happiest when Rudy is around, in whatever circumstance.

She still is sleeping through the night (knock on wood).  Both of them go to sleep about 8 and we get them out of bed about 6:30-7.  Some mornings they are awake earlier, but they both are content to just hang in their cribs until then and so we try not to start our mornings earlier than we have to!  They both go down for naps about 1-1:30.  Avery usually wakes up before Rudy, about 3:30 or so, whereas Rudy will sleep until 4 or 5.  I wonder if it takes Rudy longer to fall asleep and if some days he is up earlier but just hangs out because it baffles me that Rudy would sleep more hours in a given day than Avery.  But I don't worry about it too much because I'm not complaining!

I love going into their rooms in the mornings.  Both pop up with such happy smiles!  I switch off who I get first, for no particular reason.  Some mornings Rudy wants to get in bed with Avery and some mornings he wants Avery to climb in bed with him.  I love not having to be rushed in the mornings.

I have our next family photos scheduled and since the kids are so close in age, I didn't want to do a separate 6 month and 2 year session so I hoped to get a date in between.  Due to our schedules not lining up with the photographer, we couldn't get in until mid-August.  Since Avery will be 8 months by then, I thought I'd try a little mini-session of my own to document Avery at 6-months, with Gran's help of course!

Rudy was close by and wanted to be included, to put it nicely.  Poor guy must have felt pretty neglected to want to get in on the action and have the attention on him... (bare in mind it only took us about 15 minutes... the kid can be pretty needy)

Our Anniversary, a Trip to Chicago, and Father's Day...

... what a week!

I keep thinking I'll get to a point that I can say, "And now its time for us to slow down."  Maybe in 20 years or so... 

We celebrated our 3-year wedding anniversary a couple weeks ago.  It's hard to believe its been 3 years.  It's been crazy, hectic, challenging, but I wouldn't change a thing because it's also been exciting, fun, full of laughter, love, and great moments.  In just three short years we have done so much together, I can't wait to see what else we can pull off.

Since we were set to leave for an adult-only wedding weekend in Chicago the next day, we decided to spend our time at home with the greatest two things that have come from our time together.  John fixed a delicious dinner for the two of us after the kids went to sleep and we ate in the library (an extravagant thing for us!) by candle light even.. how romantic :) 

The next morning we left for Chicago for the wedding of a friend of John's from college.  Gran and Grandma Cicci stayed with the kids at our house (much less work than to pack up everything for a weekend!).  It was nice to get away for a couple days (sleeping in and lounging in bed on Friday morning was unreal, getting ready at my own pace was incredible, and enjoying adult company was pretty great, too), but we sure missed our babies!  We came home early on Saturday and Rudy was thrilled when we walked in the door!  It was so sweet to see how excited he was.  And we came home to some new house improvements, too, but I'll save that for another post..

John with Chris, Adam (the groom), and Tom

And to cap off our week, the next day was Father's Day.  During the weekend John was out of town for a bachelor party, I arranged to have his work gear at home.  I had a whole photo shoot planned to surprise John with.  Rudy wasn't cooperating, sadly, but Gran, Dawn and Kate helped me get at least one good picture of each that I could frame for John's Father's Day present.  . 

And here they are:

Unfortunately, John had to work.  But we were able to get in a visit, at least!  Rudy loves to visit Dad, no doubt about it.  Rudy runs from truck to truck, getting in the driver's seat of each.  He loves finding new things to climb on, like the pole on this last visit.   

We spent the evening with Gran and Papa and with about 20 minutes to spare before dinner, we decided to get out the sprinkler for Rudy.  Best. Idea. Ever.  Rudy had SO much fun!  We stripped him down to his diaper and off he went.  We were all laughing at his antics.  At first, he was quite hesitant and either Papa or I would have to hold him and run through.  After a few go-arounds, he was a pro and buzzing through over and over and over again, giggling like...well, a little boy running through the sprinkler in summertime!  Avery sat with Gran and was pretty entertained as well!  It was hysterical.

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Dad Turns 30!

Hard to believe I'm married to a 30 year old!  But then again, he is "the youngest 30 year old," or so he says.

Where do I begin??  I guess at the beginning...

We had a full day packed to celebrate Dad's birthday and we started out the morning opening presents in bed.  Rudy gets his shoe obsession from his Dad, no doubt.  So we each got him a pair of shoes.  Avery gave him the running shoes he's been wanting, Rudy bought him the same pair of basketball shoes that he has (he's been seeing John eye them a little too closely), and I had Rudy's first obsessed-over pair of shoes bronzed so that we could keep them forever.

We attempted a group picture, but getting both kids to cooperate at the same time is quite a challenge!

Next we made some muffins together, sang Happy Birthday, and blew out John's birthday candle! 

Then we went to a Color Blaze 5k.  We had every intention of finishing the race, but we weren't able to even get started!  With 6,400 people in attendance, it was noon and our group hadn't even made it to the start line yet.  We got there about 10, so at least we were able to run around, play, get some fresh air and hang out with family and friends.  Rudy had fun dancing, of course, and even got a group of strangers to start a dance circle around him.  This kid kills me.  

Home for a quick lunch, naps and party set-up!  

I failed miserably at getting pictures during the party, but I don't think I'm the only one because I haven't been given any yet.  It was just too much fun!! 

Mom and Dad made lots of food and I tackled the desserts and decorations (my fav!).

We also had live music on our courtyard and it was a big hit... especially for Rudy...

Aunt Maria flew all the way from Washington DC to meet Avery and party with us.  And Avery was glad she did!  

Lots of family, friends, neighbors and co-workers were able to make it, even several from out of town.  At one point Mark said to me, "John knows a lot of people, doesn't he??"  

Rudy got to stay up wayyyy past his bedtime... partying and dancing with Dad.

...with a basketball close by at all times

We had a great, fun, memorable day and we are so happy we were able to spend John's big day all together!....

...but we didn't make it out of our pajamas the next day, that's for sure!  What a day! (.. week, month..)

Keough's Come to Town

We have been having lots of visitors so far this summer and it makes for some fun outings!  The Keough's split up time to come visit Grandpa and Grandma over a couple weekends and we had lots of activities...

...like visiting John at work...

...a trip to the mall on a rainy day for Glow Golf and shopping...

...can't visit Springfield without a trip to Scheels!...

...besides what I was able to take pictures of, we also had lots of time at home for basketball, running around and being crazy, and Rudy picking on Mark (whose older brothers were more than pleased to see him get some "little brother" attention).

And the fun doesn't stop here!...

"SHHHHHH" aka Fish

We were able to get our fountain up and running and decided to add some fish.  Rudy developed a newfound fascination to "shhhhh," as he calls them, so we were pretty excited to get some of our own!

Off we went to Petsmart to pick out our fish.  And there were quite a few to pick from!  

At $0.20 a fish, we dug deep and picked out 5... one for each of us 

The stage was set...

Rudy did a little dance to welcome the fish to their new home...

 ...it was really quite exciting!

 There they go!

 Found 'em!

 Avery could sense the excitement in the air...

 The fish must like each other because they tend to stay close together.

From left to right: Steve, Sparkle, Fish, Clementine, and Snack  

Can you guess who named who??

They have to be fed 2-3 times a day, but Rudy doesn't mind.  It's the highlight of his days sometimes.  And he doesn't forget.  In the mornings he walks to the front door right before we have breakfast and says, "SHHHHH" and surprisingly is ok with running out real quick (without shoes on most days) and coming right back in.

RIP Clementine 

June 7, 2013 - June 16, 2013

RIP Fish

June 7, 2013 - June 20, 2013