Watching TV

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What's the research say about 5 month olds watching TV? Probably not good, eh?

Splish Splash

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Henry LOVES his bath! He's just started intentionally splashing the water and he doesn't mind getting water in his face (at this rate he'll be swimming before Emmett :))

Seriously....

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Could he be any cuter (not that I'm biased)?

Henry

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Supervising our yard work

Clean up crew

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This year we didn't get our landscaping service to our house in November like we normally do to rake up our bajillion leaves. We were a little busy (Henry). So, when the snow finally melted away we were left with a huge wet, soggy leaf mess. I decided (perhaps mistakenly) that we could tackle the leaves w/o paying for a lawn service! The kids were on Spring Break (an extended Spring Break...they had 9 days in a row off, including the weekend) and the weather was beautiful the whole time. We bought rakes, refuse bags, and I hired my kids and the neighbor kids to rake and bag. And, believe it or not, they did a FANTASTIC job! Eddie has worked out there a few times since this photo was taken, and you can almost see a grassy lawn again. YEAH! The hard workers in this photo are: Emmett, Owen, Keaton Spindler, Brian and Kyle Hourihan.

Hats off to AB!

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Owen went w/ Eddie to work today for "Take Your Child to Work Day" (you had to be between the ages of 7-15, so Emmett couldn't go). AB REALLY did it up! The day had an agenda that started w/ a huge breakfast, followed by a tour, earth day presentations (hence the tree to plant), a craft, a presentation by a wildlife guy who brought a wolf w/ him!, and a huge lunch! Owen said he couldn't wait to go again next year. On top of that, they gave them a goodie bag filled w/ a cookie, chocolate bar, wolf stickers, a wolf t shirt, coloring book and crayons, coupons, a wolf necklace (a boy type for the boys...Emmett's wearing Owen's...it's really nice!) and more. Oh, and they got "REAL" hard hats, ear plugs, and safety goggles. What a great day!

The goods...

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The craft they made, the tree to plant, the hard hat, the safety goggles, the ear plugs, the ID badge.....

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Good afternoon: Take 1

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Good afternoon: Take 2

5 months old!

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More from the pool party. See below...

Owen and Henry

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We went to an indoor pool Sunday for a friend's birthday party (Keaton). They had a waterslide there, but in order to go again you had to swim the length of an Olympic size pool over 11 feet water. Owen tried, but quit halfway. Then he tried again, and didn't make it again. He could have done it, but he was so nervous about the 11 feet (and the lifeguard walking next to him who wasn't very nice and kept saying, "you have to keep your arms out of the water...no breaks!). Anyway, because he couldn't make it he REFUSED to swim at the party. It killed him. And on the way home, he said, "I should have tried again. I could have done it." What a perfectionist! He certainly doesn't get that from Eddie or I. I think it must be from Uncle Eric! This photo of him and Henry is the closest he got to the water for the rest of the party.

5 months old!

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Henry was 5 months old yesterday. So hard to believe....
We spent the WHOLE day at the soccer center. Emmett had one game and one practice and Owen had 4 games (in a row). And, my car said that it was 90 degrees here yesterday. OH...and BIG NEWS! Henry cut his first tooth yesterday. Bottom right. So sad that his gumless smile is disappearing so soon....

Emmett or Henry?

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Emmett or Henry:?

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Who is whom?

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Everywhere we go now, people tell me how much Henry looks like Emmett. Check it out for yourselves? They do look very similar...although this isn't the best comparison photo. I'll try to get a better one. Henry has MUCH more hair than Emmett had and might be even darker? Number one and three are Henry. Two and four are Emmett.

WHY?

Is the birthday photo so dark? It wasn't dark on my camera. Is it dark on your computer, too?

Happy Birthday to me!

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Yesterday was my birthday and it was a really nice day. We went to church in the AM (after driving through Starbucks) then went to the mall for ice cream for lunch...a tradition we started last year and the boys talked about for a whole year! Then, I took Eddie and Emmett home and Owen to theatre and went back to the mall w/ Henry for a few hours of shopping by myself. Yeah! So, so much fun....
But it gets even better! Then, my dear friend and neighbor, Sheila, watched Emmett and Henry while Eddie and I went out to dinner. We managed to go ONE WHOLE HOUR without talking about the kids. Before, as he will tell you, I broke it! Owen was being picked up from theatre by a friend and spouse of an AB employee (Michelle Hornsey) and they took him out to dinner w/ their family to Applebee's!! He had a great time! At the end of the evening, we opened presents and ate cake. And after the kids were in bed, Eddie and I snuggled and watched Desperate Housewives. OK...so we didn't snuggle :). I frantically cleaned up while we watched the show.

Pooping!

So it just occured to me that Henry hasn't pooped since Tuesday at the earliest. Hmmm...maybe I should be concerned about that? Are breastfed infants supposed to go a week w/o pooping?

Soccer games

Not sure if I've shared how crazy our Saturdays are with you. I have truly become a soccer mom. Take today, for example: Emmett had a 9:45 game and 10:45 practice, so we got to the soccer center at 9:30 and left at 12:00. We ran home for a quick lunch and then I took Owen to a birthday party from 1-3. Then, back to the sports center by 3:00. Owen had a 3:15 and 4:15 game. At the soccer center from 3:00-5:30. I went home at 5:30, but Eddie stayed w/ Owen and Emmett because they wanted to watch an older team play. They got home around 6:30. Full day at the soccer center. Gotta admit though....we've really become friends w/ a lot of the families of Owen and Emmett's teammates. And, the moms COMPLETELY fuss over Henry, which is super fun! They usually take him from me as soon as I get there and return him at the end. So, all in all, I don't mind our Saturday's there. In fact, Eddie and some of the other dad's and neighborhood friends have got a men's league together to play this summer on the men's league. They are SUPER EXCITED. AB is sponsoring them. Should be interesting....

Not sleeping again!

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OK...the past three days, Henry is getting up every 3-4 hours again. I'm on the verge of losing my mind.....something has to change. (got that, Henry?)

Dear grandma:

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Hey mom,
Thought you might want to read about where Emmett would go if he was on a jet plane. Didn't know there were beaches out your way :)

Emmett's open house

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Emmett had open house at his preschool last night. They sang a few songs. Sitting next to him is his good buddy, Corrie Youker. You can see, by watching her, the hand motions they were supposed to do. Emmett just did the singing. Maybe next year he'll have the hand motions down....

Mom of the Year

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I won't be getting that award this year. I sunburnt Henry's cheeks and nose yesterday. It's a little hard to see in this photo, and it wasn't horrible. But, he's definetely pink and I feel horrible. It happened so quickly. The time slipped away from me and a good portion of it was spent in his stroller, so I was shocked he was red. I need to dig up sun hats in the basement for next time. Lesson learned.

Outside Time

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The last two days have been beautiful! 70 degrees and sunny. It may have been a tease though....it's supposed to snow Monday. Not quite time to put away the snow boots.

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Happy baby in his swim trunks...

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Henry LOVES chomping on those two finger!

Swim gear

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Henry's new swimsuit and cover up grandma sent from Aunt Nicki's boutique!

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Hanging out..

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Completely unfazed by Splash Lagoon

Splash Lagoon

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We're back!

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And we had a super time, although we are still quite water logged. We spent 8 hours at the waterpark on Saturday and 10 hours there on Sunday. We shut the place down. None of my pictures turned out great. I guess it was too dark. But if you want to see more photos of the place, check out the website...www.splashlagoon.com.
Owen went down all of the waterslides. Including Hurricane Hole, the one w/ a disclaimer stating...only strong swimmers should do this. It's the funnel shaped ride that drops you into 6 feet of water. Needless to say, I told him he couldn't do that one, but him and Eddie took off and before I knew it...he did it! And, it was his favorite of course.
Emmett spent most of his time on the "baby" waterslides by the kid area. Although, he really liked the family whirlpools (as did I). There were two huge whirlpools that were big enough to swim in and they were super warm! That's my kind of swimming. And, by the end of the day he even got his hair wet. Yeah, Emmett!
Henry couldn't have been better. He either sat/slept in his stroller, sat/slept in the front carrier or sat w/ us in the family whirlpool. Despite the heat/humidity inside that joint, the super loud sounds of kids, waterslides, and music playing, and the continuous squirting of squirt guns (they sell them there and even had "fill stations" throughout...no one stayed dry) or splashes from the water slide, he never cried. He smiled at anyone that looked at him. He was wonderful! He even slept all night in the hotel in the pack and play next to us. Oh, and he slept the whole 3.5 hours there and back. All in all, a great few days! Owen and Emmett are already asking when we can go back.

Imagination restored

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Our Wii has made it's way to a top shelf in the closet. Eddie and I decided to put it away after the kids were having a really hard time doing anything but the Wii. I don't know if they are just to young to handle it or what, but they literally could have stood in front of the TV playing Wii all day! So, it's gone. Maybe a rainy day we'll pull it out again or maybe not. But since the Wii has left us, the kids have been doing other things. Here's Emmett "playing" with his cars in the sink.

Atta Boy!

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Henry slept last night from 8 pm-5 AM. Hopefully, we're back in business. Although, I should clarify. I'm fairly certain I heard him crying around 1 AM, but I have a horrible cold/allergies and took two Benadryl before bed. I think Eddie would have gotten up if he would have cried for too long, so it was probably brief. Maybe I've been going into rescue him too quickly during the night.
And....he rolled over from front to back yesterday. Let the babyproofing begin.....

Angels on Earth

My patient last night had a beautiful baby boy who was only expected to live for a few days. They had a photograhper there who is a true angel on earth. There is a national program of photographers who take photos for grieving moms and dads to help them remember their babies after they've passed. They do stillborns, preemies, and babies who are only alive here on earth for a short time. Their photos are amazing and I can only imagine how invaluable these photos are for the parents. The photographer last night was kind, caring, empathetic, and took beautiful photos for this family. And, it's all free. I pray that none of us will ever need a photographer such as this, but be aware in case you have a friend of a friend who may need assistance....and if you feel up to it, look at the website and count your many blessings. I know I have.
www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org

Good Morning!

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