--==--not so little anymore--==--

I can't believe this our little man is 8 months already! The time has SAILED by. I was flipping through some pictures the other day and figured I'd do a little timeline....he likes to fall asleep like this sometimes.

When he started playing with his hands. I love seeing him discover new things.

Such blue eyes. I hope they stay blue.


He loves rolling around on the rug

And he always has a smile at the ready...

He is really enjoying the tub since he has discovered splashing. I need to get a splashing picture.

And he is CONSTANTLY surrounded with estrogen. He will be very understanding of women when he gets older.

He loves to jump, and again with the smiles.

He really travels while he's jumping, he's bonked into the cabinet a few times, and always hits the window. We have moved the hook to the center of the room now :)

He was able to sit up at around 6 1/2 months.

He loves being outside - if he is crying when we are starting to leave the house, he stops as soon as we walk out the door. And he is SO MUCH better with car rides. When he was only a couple months old, he would just cry and cry. Thankfully he grew out of that!

He was mad because I took my slurpee out of the cup holder, where he was not able to reach it...

But he got over it pretty fast :)

When he started crawling, he would only crawl backwards. He would back himself into a corner or get wedged under the couch. Sometimes he cared, most of the time not. If he was crying I'd have to play 'follow the sound' - one time I was doing the dishes, Trey started crying and I couldn't find him. After almost a minute of searching, I found him behind the curtain, and just his head poking out from underneath the side table.

He sure loves being more independant. He loves his sisters, but he likes his space too. He doesn't always get it though.

We sure love that sweet little face! I usually just have to say "hey bud" and he flashes me a big grin.

Its fun watching him grow and develop, but I want him to stay little for a while longer :(

Oops I did it again....

So over the last, oh, 4 months or so.....

Avery turned 5!

We hit up Calaway Park a couple more times...

Avery started Kindergarten. She LOVES it! She was so ready to go.

1st day of school!

We are AFV fans. We saw a video called "Cookie Face Race" - you put a cookie on your forehead, and start stretching and squishing your face trying to get the cookie down to your mouth. The girls wanted to try it. I didn't have any cookies, so we used Ritz crackers. Avery was really focused.

Mayson working it in...

SCORE! Avery's didn't really move :)

Roewyn wanted to try it - she pretty much just slid it down her face with her hand.

Avery and Roewyn get some quality time on the days that Avery doesn't have school.

Roewyn figured out how to do her own pony tail...she gets all her hair in now :)

Side view...

They play really great together.

The girls hunt for ladybugs all the time

They've discovered the joy of climbing trees. There is a good one behind our house, and the girls wear helmets when they climb it, "just to be safe".

Playing in the leaves...

On days when BOTH her sisters are at school, Roewyn gets pretty creative..

And expressive.

If you see Trey, you see Avery. He's rarely NOT having his face kissed.

The girls wanted to have a sleepover in the basement. Which meant stay up til 11:00 watching movies, then Mayson and Avery come sleep in mom and dad's bed. Roewyn copped out after the first movie and wanted to sleep in her bed. Good girl. I don't know how soon we'll be doing it again. But they look happy right?

Avery pretty much taught herself to ride sans training wheels. She asked Jon to take them off, and she got her helmet and said "I just want to try it". I was putting Trey to sleep at the time, and Jon had to run out and do some work stuff, so she went to practise for a bit. I got Trey to sleep and came outside to see how she was doing, and I found her doing this.

She said "Mayson is way faster than me, but I will get it". What a clever girl :)

I LOVE NOT having a dishwasher (hear the dripping sarcasm). Last sunday afternoon, Mayson said "mom, I'll try doing the dishes for you, cuz I know they are not your favorite". So I got the water ready and she went to work. She did a great job and it was a service that was greatly appreciated. What a sweetheart.

Camping Excursion X 2

Our first trip out....

We jumped at the lake...

Found mermaids....

Of different sizes...

Ate CAND-AY!...

Sprayed each other...

Even after our nice big sister loaded the gun, we still sprayed... ("Mayson can you load this so I can spray you?")

Climbed hills...

Went on boat rides....

Did some "net fishing"...

Saw another mermaid, they seemed to be everywhere...

Buried our cousin Logan, while his brother dumped water on his face...

The sand man!

Dipped little toes in for the first time...

Uncle Mike trying out the kayak...

Shared some funny stories with dad...

Dad's stories were HILARIOUS!

Some quality smiles...

Air time!

We swam across the lake... (Will, Mayson & Logan)

Warming up...

Went for some 'cousin floats' (as Mayson called them)

Practised partner paddling...

Caravan-ing...

Saw some turtles...

Quinten VS. Giant Roasted Marshmallow - not sure who was the victor :)

Enjoying the fire...

On the way home we stopped at the waterfall...there was a slight breeze :)

And we stopped at the big truck...

And apparently there was not a cloud in the sky.

And we made some funny faces.

Our second trip out started on a high...

And we enjoyed being tugged around by Rick (it started with Roewyn pulling Neighbor Don around saying "oh I'll save you!")

We helped blow up some floaties...

We had our own little breakfast nook and we each had our own table...

We lounged...

We practised diving under the water...

"Its much more fun going all the way under. Colder, but more fun".

Roewyn kept veering off to the right for her plunges...

Giggling at the sound of their chattering teeth...

Having a nap...

Taking a snack break...

Mayson dug a big hole...

Roewyn was "swimming all by herself!"

Mayson asked Grandpa to bury her in the big hole she made...

And Grandma's new hat made for a great shady getaway!

Avery had her turn... she said "this is so comfy"

Grandpa's hat wasn't as shady...

Grandpa took them for another boat ride...

We played catch...

and fetch...

Grandma stayed with Trey at the trailer one day so he could have some good naps, so we went for a hike around the lake. I thought the comparison in size was kind of funny...

We found some walking sticks (really...twigs)...

The girls are getting SO big! Growing up way too fast!

Mayson all suited up!

The girls thought it would be fun to feed Neighbor Don's dogs one kernel of food at a time.

One of Trey's favorite positions

Tackling a giant marshmallow. Those things are huge!

Enjoying her s'mores. After the first one she decided that it was too messy and had "progressive s'mores" from then on. She would eat the cookie, then marshmallow, then chocolate, then cookie.

Mayson just ate hers normally :)

Roewyn decided the fire was too bright. That or she just wanted to look cool.

Avery split her time between Grandpa's and Diandra's lap.

We got to enjoy the neighborhood (of the 4 families) potluck one night for dinner. We all ate way too much! They are all a really friendly bunch and it was fun getting to know them better and getting to visit lots. And they were all so helpful and playful with the kids.

Sister float...

Another nap...

After coming back from a float across the lake...

Avery must have said something to dad to make him mad, and the chase was on...

The grab...

And the toss.

Our trip ended on a high as well :)

We are VERY grateful to Grandma and Grandpa for their hospitality and willingness to let us invade their trailer. We have so much fun and they help make our summer's so memorable!