Max is 6 months old!

Dear Max,

This past week we celebrated six months of you!  I spent most of the day reflecting about how much you have changed and grown since your first days as the newest member of our family.  On the day you arrived, you weighed 5 lbs 15 0z and were 20 1/2" long.

A few days after your arrival.

Laying in your Rock n' Play sleeper - 14 days old

At six months, you weigh 15 lbs 3 oz and are 26" long.  Dr. Stevens says you are growing great and that mommy and daddy must be doing something right!  Personally, I think this has more to do with the fact that you still prefer to eat every 2 to 3 hours.  Here are a few pictures for comparison:

Loving your teething ring - 6 months

Laying in your Rock n' Play sleeper - 6 months

My how you've grown!  You have really enjoyed being able to try some new solid foods lately.  I decided to try my hand at making baby food for you and have been very pleased with my efforts.  In addition to rice cereal, you have tried green beans, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, bananas, and applesauce.  Your favorites seem to be sweet potatoes, squash, and bananas.

You've reached several other first milestones in the past month too.  You've mastered rolling over from back to front, sitting (with assistance from the boppy), laughing, and lots of cooing.  You have also started to reach for us when we come to pick you up.

You have a very laid-back personality and are so happy all the time!  Some things you enjoy are bath time, hanging out in the Moby wrap, playing patty cakes, and being snuggled (which I LOVE).  At times, you like being laid down to entertain yourself as long as you can see what everyone else is doing.  You very rarely cry, but when you do we can quickly calm you down with a few verses of "You are My Sunshine" or "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."  

Thank you for being such a joy in our lives.  I can't wait to see how your continue to grow and learn in the coming months!

I love you to the moon and back,

Mommy

October Outtings

October is always a fun and busy month at our house with two birthdays to celebrate and Halloween!  This year was no exception.  Once the boys finally recovered from croup, there was lots of fun in store for us.  We started out with our annual trip to Imel's to feed the goats, play on the wooden playsets, and to pick out some pumpkins!

We also stopped at the lake on our way to Imel's to check out the scenery.

 

Park also celebrated his 7th birthday this month!  Birthday party planning is a BIG deal in our house.  We started brainstorming party themes during the summer and after many days of deliberating, he settled on a superhero theme.  It took days of preparation to get this party all put together for the birthday boy! Creating the city skyline seemed to be the most time consuming task, but Parker's reaction made every bit of work worth the effort.

The Skyline before...

during...

Even Carter lended a helping hand!

and after (complete with homemade superhero masks and cupcakes)!

A great looking group of superheros!

 

 

 

 

A quick family shot (minus Carter).

We also made sure we squeezed in a trip to the Pumpkin House in Ceredo, WV.  Ray and I took our first trip here when we were dating and have returned each year.

Seeing all the carved pumpkins motivated Park to carve the pumpkins at home.  He also wanted to count and sort the pumpkin seeds! 

Max is growing and changing so much each day.  At five months old, he enjoys being entertained by his brothers and has decided that he has a much better view when he sits up.

Feet are so fascinating.

The boys were so excited for trick-or-treat this year.  Carter insisted on wearing his costume each day when he arrived home from school. 

Optimus Prime (Parker) & Bumblebee (Carter)

Now that Halloween has passed, they have worn their costumes to bed every night.  Max enjoyed the  festivities too!

Love, love, love his smile!

Finally, here's a few pieces of Carter's artwork from school.