A rare sighting

Ethan looking at the camera AND smiling! Rare indeed.

What did she just say?

Last night we went to the pool after I picked up the kids from school. It was actually very nice. Even Brynn swam and I think actually liked it this time (except when Ethan was splashing her). When we were getting ready to go, there was a party that was starting for the swim team kids (they finished their season the day before). Blythe asked why we weren't staying for the party and I told her because she wasn't on the swim team. I told her she could do swim team next year. Then she said, "I don't want to do swim team". Okay, so those 7 words are not acceptable in this household. So I told her, "You will do swim team. You have no say in this. And you will like it." Okay, so I didn't really say that. Instead I said, "Maybe Mommy will do swim team with you next year". She was good with that. But she did add in, "I don't want to do my big arms, I just want to kick."

For those of you who think I told her a little lie...think again. This summer league up here lets adults swim too! They've tried to recruit Braden and I, but we think it would be a little weird to get a babysitter so we can go swim in a summer league meet. So we'll see what next year brings and see if Blythe wants to swim on the team. She's not big on organized activities. We've been trying to get her to want to take dance in the Fall. Last night she wanted me to read her this dancing book. I told her if she takes dance, she can do the recital and dress up like the dancers in the book. She said, "I don't want to take the dance class. I just want the clothes to dress up in." Hmmm...work in progress.

8 years

Yesterday was Braden and my 8 year anniversary. Hard to believe it's been 8 years of marriage already and almost 13 years since we met and started dating! What a whirlwind the last 8 years have been! We've lived in 3 states and 5 different houses. We've had 3 kids and 3 dogs (and lots of fish). We've changed jobs a few times, done some traveling, bought LOTS of furniture. We've had times we could sleep all weekend if we wanted to and times of being SO sleep deprived. 5 and a half years of pregnancies, babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers makes for some rough times, but mostly really fun times. We are a team and every day we're a stronger team. I love you babe! Cheers to the next 8 years (when I'll be blogging about having a pre-teen...yikes!).

Brynn is 2 months!

Actually she was 2 months a couple days ago, but she just went to the doctor today, so now I have her stats.

She is now 12 pounds 14 ounces - 90th percentile (would have been more but she's pooped like 6 times in the last 24 hours). She is 23.5 inches long (95th percentile). And her head circumference is 15 inches (same as last time because last time I'm pretty sure it was wrong).

Poor girl had to get 3 shots today and 1 oral vaccine. She wasn't the biggest fan....especially since it was past her naptime.

So, anyway, here's what miss Brynn is up to these days:

• Smiles a lot. Definitely in response to someone else's smile, but I think she's smiling spontaneously too. She really likes the octopus on her playgym and she smiles at him.
• Getting good head control. She can now face frontwards in the front carrier and likes doing that so she can see the world. Also helps around 6:30pm when she's fussy.
• Working on the upper back strength, but does not much like being on her belly. Probably because she has gas. All. The. Time.


• Sleeping usually 11-12 hours at night without waking up. Sometimes it's 9 or 10 hours. Sometimes, like the other day, I have to wake her after almost 13 hours.
• Is quite large (obviously). She's wearing 3-6 month size clothes and wearing them well. Not sure how much longer she'll even be in those. Wearing size 2 diapers.
• I haven't witnessed any real tears yet, but honestly she doesn't cry all that much anyway. She's generally quite a happy baby.
• Still taking about 3 naps a day. Sometimes it's one good one and a couple of cat naps. Probably is why she sleeps so well at night.
• Loves bathtime and hasn't missed a single night since her stump fell off.
• Doesn't so much love swimming pools yet, but it might have more to do with the hat she has to wear.
• She has only had 8 bottles in her lifetime. Guess I should start doing those a little more before she starts day care next month.
• She still has brown hair but it does appear to be growing in lighter. She also has more olive skin than either Blythe or Ethan. Girl gets tan just going from the car to the grocery store.
• Had her first long car trips this past month and did great on every single one of them. Slept the WHOLE time.

And if you are wondering how Brynn looks compared to Blythe and Ethan at this age, here are some shots at age 2 months. Blythe:

Ethan:

The new aquatic center

Many many moons ago, Virginia Tech worked with the town of Christiansburg to design a swimming facility that the VT swim team could use for practice and competition and the town could use for lap and rec swimming. The design was complete a few years ago and for a couple years now Braden has been telling his recruits they would be able to practice in this new pool (it was just a tad late in being completed...like a year maybe two). I too have been SO wanting this new pool to open so I have a place to take my kids in the winter when the cabin fever sets in.

Well, the wait is finally over. The Christiansburg Aquatic Center finally opened last Sunday. The center consists of a 50 meter competition pool with springboards and tower for diving, an indoor waterpark with a 3-loop slide, a warm water therapy pool, a cardio room, a multi-purpose room with kitchen, and seating for at least 1200 spectators. Virginia Tech also has their own locker rooms, team room, parking lot, and side entrance. There's also a super-cool scoreboard that can do instant replays. Basically, this facility is top-notch.

Because this facility opened their doors in the middle of summer and because they are closed quite a bit the first 2 weeks for a few swim meets they are hosting, they are offering free admission until Aug. 2. We will likely buy a membership, but not until the outdoor pool closes for the summer.

So anyway, the swim team has been practicing there for about a week, but it was time the kids got to try it out. The only downer is that by offering free admission, people come out in droves to swim at this place. So to say it was crowded is an understatement.

Blythe swam around a while but then decided to try the big slide and she was hooked. That's all she did the rest of the time (despite having to wait in line about 8-10 minutes each time). Here she is giving it a go.

Since Ethan can't swim, that means no slide for him. He liked playing in the splash area. Here he is giving his typical "I-will-say-cheese-but-won't-look-at-the-camera" pose.

Lifejackets....so we can be safe!

You might laugh at the title if you're lucky enough to watch untold amounts of Dora shows.

Last Saturday we went back out to Claytor Lake because someone we know actually owns a ski boat and invited us to come out. We weren't turning down that invite! I thought this time Brynn shouldn't have to miss out on the boat ride, so we stopped by Target and bought an infant life vest (for infants less than 30 pounds). This thing was hilarious. The way we timed it, I figured she'd be starving by the time we got to the lake, but we put her in this and got her on the boat and she never even opened her eyes. I had to keep checking to make sure her mouth was exposed and she was still breathing. That's how asleep she was!

So anyway, I guess she enjoyed her first boat ride. Blythe was excited about going on the boat, but made sure we all knew she did not want to go tubing. Ethan, who LOVED his last boating and tubing experience, didn't even want to get on the boat. He finally did once he realized everyone else was getting on the boat, but he also did not want to tube. So we had a good time cruising the lake and the kids did get in and swim, which they liked. Hopefully we'll get to do it again sometime this summer.

Messed up schedule

So Brynn has been doing very well at night recently. She goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 and then wakes up usually between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning. And as of last night, appears my boobs have caught on to the new schedule as well. Of course, now that I write that, I'm sure she'll break pattern tonight. Ethan came in our room at 4 this morning. He doesn't just come in though...he has to close our door very loudly when he comes in and our door is about 2 feet from Brynn's door. She stirred quite a bit and I was sure she would wake up, but she didn't. Yay! As for Ethan, Braden took him right back to his bed and he went back to sleep.

So all is good at night, but during the day Brynn's schedule is all messed up. I think she's going through a growth spurt as she wants to eat every 2 or 2.5 hours. Before this growth spurt, she would eat every 3 hours. She would be awake for 1.5 hours after eating, then nap for 1.5 hours. Repeat throughout the day. Now, sometimes she naps after eating, sometimes before eating, and she's not napping as long. So basically I have no idea when she will nap and when she will be awake. Nor do I know when she will eat. So frustrating! Plus she was doing really well with her crib naps, and now not so much. She'd rather be held.

Oh well. Otherwise she is doing great! Neck control is getting much better, she smiles a lot, and is starting to like a few of her toys. In 4 weeks I have to go back to work and I SO don't want to! Maybe by then I'll be ready.

My diaper bag

Some day far far from now, I might actually be able to get away with carrying only my wallet, cell phone, and keys in my purse, like back when I was in college. Actually, in college my cell phone was about 5 times the size it is now, but still. So anyway, one day I might want to look back and laugh about how much I had to carry everywhere I went.



I actually didn't think my diaper bag was THAT big, but when I took this picture of it this morning, I realized it is quite large.





But it needs to be big to hold all this crap. Actually, I'm quite proud of my crap. I feel I am prepared for ALMOST every situation. Here's a run down on the junk in my trunk:

• Diapers - duh. However, this is the most common item to be MISSING from my diaper bag
• Wipes - helpful for lots of situations. I may actually carry wipes in my purse for the rest of my life. I'm addicted.
• Diaper changing pad - actually 3 of them (2 are disposable). Been there done that and learned that 1 ain't always enough.
• Wallet - I'm always worried this might not be in there and I'll get all my groceries at Wal-mart and go to pay and I won't have it. Fortunately this hasn't happened. Yet.
• Cell phone
• Hand sanitizer
• Chapstick - can double as an Ethan distractor, but only if I never want it to be useful ever again
• Lip gloss - currently never used. I give Brynn too many kisses and she would be goopy all over.
• Tissues - sometimes there can never be enough
• A Q-tip - I'm not sure why
• Burp rag - likely the most used item in my diaper bag these days
• Nursing cover (with strap that goes over my head) - never had one of these for Blythe or Ethan and I was totally missing out. Can also double as a thin blanket in case AC is too cold for Brynn.
• Car keys - hidden way at the bottom
• Extra onesie for Brynn
• Entire change of clothes for Ethan - yep, shirt, shorts, and undies
• Extra pair of undies for Blythe - hopefully won't need to use for her, but you never know
• Mirror - in the off chance I actually remember to see what I look like now that I've left the house
• Pacifier - Brynn doesn't use one. I have no idea why that's still in there.
• Pen
• Sticker book - works well as a distraction for Blythe
• Nursing pads - in case I go through the freezer section at the grocery store or a baby cries while I'm in the changing room. Such a pain.
• Gum - hey, I didn't know that was in there. Actually 2 packs. Nice!
• Fruit snacks - cause when stickers or chapstick don't work...snacks always do
• Candy - for when fruit snacks don't work either
• Pez candy and a spiderman Pez dispenser - the ultimate distraction, aka the final straw. I have never had to use this. My kids have actually never seen a Pez dispenser that actually dispenses candy.
• Crayons - cuz only the "good" restaurants have crayons. And they usually suck.
• Band-aids - because my kids like to where Crocs, but then they're running ability is severely impaired.

And I actually have one empty pocket (didn't realize that). I guess that could be used for a bottle if need be.

So there you have it. ALL of that STUFF fits into that one bag. And sometimes I even have room for a camera if I remember it.

Butterfly house

Last Saturday while Ethan was napping, Braden and Blythe decided to try their carpentry skills on a butterfly house. Using scrap pieces of wood and a little spraypaint, they created this masterpiece.

Blythe was a big fan of the power tools because they are very noisy. So I think they used the mitre saw, the circular saw, the sander, the nail gun, and maybe even the router. All while jamming to some music in the workshop. And don't forget the glasses...safety first!

Brynn was probably napping during this time too, or at least part of it. Speaking of napping, she is doing quite well on her crib naps. She usually will wake up when I put her down in her crib, but she will either cry just a bit and then go back to sleep or not cry at all and go to sleep. Then she usually sleeps about an hour. Though I think I hear her now and it's only been 30 minutes. Grrr... And night time is going well too. The 12 hour sleep has not been repeated, but she did go 11 hours the other night. Otherwise, it's usually 8 or 9 hours.

Carowinds

Late last week we decided that Monday would be a good day for a trip to Carowinds. It's a big theme park in Charlotte and we'd been wanting to take Blythe and Ethan for a while. Charlotte has been really dry the last few weeks, so the likelihood it would rain was pretty low. Well, a big "you're welcome" to the city of Charlotte for us planning our Carowinds trip for July 12. Thanks to us, you got PLENTY of rain. And thunder. And lightning.

Actually, we got in most of the rides we were planning on. We just didn't make it to the water park, which I know the kids would have loved. Maybe next time. We spent most of our time in the little kids section (Snoopy Playland, or something like that). The highlight of the day was Blythe riding her very first roller coaster. She and Braden even rode in the FRONT! And she loved it. I wasn't able to get a picture of them on the coaster, but I do have this picture of Blythe and Ethan on the much-less-thrilling swing ride.

The swings were the first ride they rode on. Second was the hot air balloons. Ethan was not a fan. Neither was I really. And Braden and Blythe had to ride backwards. Braden said he wasn't a fan of that either. Fortunately it did not deter Ethan from riding other rides.

Ethan's favorite ride was the carousel. Glad we went all the way to Carowinds for that...ha! Blythe's was the roller coaster. She tried to go on another roller coaster, but she was about 1.5 inches too short and they wouldn't let her. She would have been on the last one that went before the lightning started.

Once the storm rolled in, we briefly thought about trying to make it to the car. Instead we opted to go watch a show that was starting at 1:30, under what we thought was cover. Turns out it was just a sun shade and rain goes right through it. So then we decided just to sit it out in the rain. And of course we got soaked. But the storm was getting bad, so they cancelled the show. Then we again thought we should try to make it to the car. Until we almost got struck by lightning, or at least it seemed that close. So we went into a baby care/little kids bathroom hut for shelter. We had a couple of towels, so the kids dried off and warmed up and once the rain finally let up mostly, we were able to head to the car (where thankfully I had packed extra clothes to change into for the kids).

So a bit of a bummer about the rain, but we did get in a few good hours of rides. And where was Brynn? Gommy and Laura babysat her during the day until we got back. She had a good time with them and was a very good girl.

12 hours

12 hours....that's how long Brynn slept last night. Can you believe it? 12 HOURS people. I fed her at 7:15pm last night (a little early because I was taking Blythe and Ethan to a pool party from 8pm-10pm) and then not again until 7:15am. Of course, I was up at about 5:45 because my boobs were hurting too much. She cried at 6:25 this morning and I was in there ready to pick her up and relieve my pain. But when I went in there, she had gone back to sleep. So I got ready for the day, came downstairs, read some of my book, and then finally she woke up. The night before last, she had slept 9 hours and 15 minutes and that was a big accomplishment since she was still at 7-8 hours prior to that. So, anyway, hopefully she stays consistent so my boobs can catch on to the schedule.

The reason she's been so tired the last 2 nights...crib naps (or lack thereof). So Round 2 of Brynn vs Crib Nap actually ends in a draw. Took about 15 minutes to rock her to sleep, then I laid her down and, as expected, she woke right up. I left her there hoping she'd put herself back to sleep. Nope. Screaming for the next 7 minutes before I went back in there to rock her again. This time she didn't wake up and stayed there for 25 minutes. And then awake. So from 2:00pm to 7:15pm, she only slept 25 minutes, which led to 12 hours of sleep. Hey, I'll take it.

As for the pool party, it was a neighborhood pool party and ice cream social that I had organized. I didn't think the kids would last until 10pm, but they did. They crashed when they got home though. At 9:45 I told Ethan he could jump in one more time then we had to get out so we could clean up the ice cream and because it was getting late. So then he told anybody and everybody who would listen to him that "we needa cwean ice cweam...it's too late".

Brynn vs Crib Nap...Round 1

Attempted the crib nap yesterday and I think I'll give the win to Crib Nap, as I think it might be the only win Crib Nap will have all week. There was a 30 minute nap that took place in Brynn's crib. I wanted it to be longer, but I'll take 30 minutes for the first day. She was quite tired for her afternoon nap, so I swaddled her up, rocked her to sleep and laid her down. I was sure she would wake right up so I folded laundry outside her room while I waited for her to wake up.

Finally I heard her cry and I was surprised to see it had already been 30 minutes.

Will attempt it again today, but now she knows what to expect, so my expectations are low. Guess we'll see.

Tubing on Claytor Lake

For the first 3 years we lived here, we never went to Claytor Lake. Then 2 years ago when we had family and friends here for Ethan's baptism, we went out there and rented a ski boat and had a blast. We had totally been missing out those first 3 years! Last year for Braden's 30th birthday we rented a pontoon boat. So to cap off our July 4th weekend, the Freels and Holloways rented a ski boat and had a really great day.

We started off with some skiing.

Okay, only Amy and I skied. And let this be a lesson to you all...if you have an infant that NEVER.wants.to.be.put.down (and therefore makes your lower back hurt all the time), it may not be a good idea to go water skiing (thus making your lower back hurt even more). But oh well, it was fun anyway.

We put the skis away and picked up a 2 person tube (actually you can fit 4 children on it). Then we spent the rest of our boating time going tubing. We let Ethan and Blythe ride together by themselves.

Okay, just kidding. We're not THAT irresponsible. Braden rode with them. Looks like they are having a blast!

If you're wondering how Brynn did on the boat, you can just keep on wondering. No, actually she didn't ride on the boat. We took turns hanging with Brynn on land under a shade tree. She usually is asleep most of the late morning/early afternoon, so we thought it would a chance for each of the adults to lay down and relax. But alas, she wanted to stay awake almost the whole time. Anyway, after my "Brynn shift", I got to do some tubing with Ethan.

Ethan loved going tubing. He also liked being on the boat....he found it relaxing.

Maybe a little too relaxing. Needless to say, we had a couple of REALLY worn out kiddos!

Happy 4th of July!

The college guys who just moved in to the house behind our house are geniuses. Today they made the largest slip n' slide I have ever seen. Made of tarps...about 3 or 4 of them probably...with a full size inflatable pool at the bottom. And last week they came to our house with a plate full of homemade cookies and an index card with their names and phone numbers. That way we can call them instead of the cops when they have parties (like every Friday and Saturday night) or when they set off fireworks at 12:01am on July 4. But we're too lazy to call them or the cops. Plus we have a really loud white noise maker in our bedroom. But if they wake up Brynn, I'm gonna be pissed.

Anyway, that's not really what this blog post is about. This blog post is about all of our nice, family-friendly activities here in Blacksburg this July 4th.

Because Blythe played t-ball this year, she got to be in the Blacksburg July 4th parade. This is the first year we've ever been in Blacksburg for July 4th, so we didn't really know what to expect. Braden took Blythe and Ginsey so they could meet up with their teammates and get in a truck for the parade. Only there were no other teammates there, so Braden searched for someone else they knew from another team and connected with some of our neighbors. That team was riding on Engine 10....yes folks, a FIRE ENGINE! And they got to ride INSIDE it! Here they are waving to us.

Ethan loved watching the parade and collecting the candy being thrown at him. Here he is waving at the parade. Notice his arch nemesis, the "Ice Man", dressed up behind him. Ethan hates that guy. On Friday night at an outdoor concert, he tried to give Ethan a high five and Ethan started crying.

After the parade, we headed to the pool where there was a cookout and we ate for pretty cheap. Brynn was really hot from being at the parade. Plus she really needed to wake up, so it was about time she try out her swimming skills. Here's what she thinks of her first time swimming...

Yes, I got the camera strap in the picture. Gotta catch those smiles as quick as you can. Actually, she was pretty impartial on the swimming thing. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it so much either.

The kids were exhausted, so we didn't stay up long enough to watch the fireworks, but while I was blogging this post, I went outside and found we could see the town fireworks perfectly from our back deck. They were pretty good so Braden and I watched them for a while.

And now at present time, the college guys behind our house are setting off fireworks so it sounds like our house is being attacked by gunfire. Bogie is trying to jump in my lap here at the computer, Juni is likely having a heart attack somewhere in our house, and so far all 3 kids are still sleeping, but Brynn is making noises in her crib. Please, please don't let her wake up. Thinking of texting those college guys to cut that s%*t out.

Can I have s'more?

Yesterday we spent a good chunk of the day at the pool, where Ethan just wanted to jump off the side by himself, swim to the stairs, climb out and then repeat. Over and over again. It was a great day at the pool, which was surprisingly not crowded at all despite the perfect, sunny weather.

Anyway, after some naps we headed to the Freels to grill up some BBQ Chicken burgers (new recipe I got that is super delicious). After the adults devoured those (and the kids barely touched anything on their plates), it was time for s'mores! The Freels have a really nice, big yard and they have a campfire area, so we got to do it the "real" way (versus doing it in the fireplace or even worse...the microwave!). Blythe was a little timid at first around the fire, but she finally got brave enough to scorch her marshmallows.

We also found out last night that Braden is a s'mores virgin! Yes, he had never had them before, so it was high time he try some! Here's my guys making their s'mores!

Braden agreed he had been missing out the past 30 years (though for me, I think it's been at least 20 years since I had had them). One of the perks of being a parent...you get to do kid stuff again!

And Brynn enjoyed just being her chunky self...sleeping, chilling, and crying (sometimes).