What A "Grape" Party

My dear friend Mackenzie had a great idea this year. You see her parents recently moved to a new home and the backyard seems somewhat magical in the eyes of our little ones. It has lots of trees, backs up to a hill, and is covered in grapes around the back deck.

Her idea sprouted with the growth of the grapes, and what they could possibly do with them all once they were ripe. That is when she decided to throw an end of summer grape party.

Her and her mom made some tasty, healthy snacks

Grape cupcakes

There were yummy snacks, a homemade bunch of grapes pinata, and a little pool full of cold water.

The kids loved it all, but they especially loved the bucket of grapes they hopped in in order to squish them with their feet.Don't worry, that grape juice was not served at this party;)

 There a storm was rolling in, and even though it was cold and windy there was nothing we could do to keep them out of the little pool.

They were shivering with blue lips but we couldn't get them inside until the very end.... but the moment they were warm and dry the rain really started and the sunset was unbeatable... so back outside they went.

loving the rain

Having so much fun!

These guys just giggled and had a blast. And as I watched Maddix playing, I was reminded of a summer rain storm I played in when I was little. The sky had been the same color and the laughs had been just as loud... and out in the gutters running around had been me, Mackenzie and her brothers. Now years later we all stood on he front porch watching our children run around:) Time flies and I wouldn't trade these moments for all the money in the world.

Friends Forever
Sisters Sweet

Thanks for all the memories over the years and for the memories our kids now get to share!

(: Cousin Time :)

This past week has been quite a fun one filled with lots of family time, and especially cousin time. 

How lucky is Maddix to live so near to all his family and friends? Pretty darn lucky. 

I have really enjoyed watching him and Keili play together since arriving home. Don't get me wrong, I'd say 70% of the time is spent bickering and being angry, but without fail when playtime is over and it's time to leave one of them is always sad they have to leave; and more times than not Maddix is crying that he has to go. 

What is his face all about? I don't know, but I love it

The other day we ended up at Larisa's with the intent to go to the pool, however the weather turned a little cold for the littler two babies. Instead Keili and Maddix ended up playing out in her yard in the sprinklers. Their little laughs and squeals were quite fun to listen too. And while Keili is a water loving expert, Maddix is still getting used to it, but with the helpful example of his fearless cousin he soon stuck his face right over the sprinkler and even came up laughing from his new trick! 

Another playtime I got listening to their game and it went lie this, " Maddix it's time for school. Let me dive you there." "Okay. Come pick me up later." "Alright, and Maddix don't forget your phone so I can get a hold of you." "Okay. Bye, call me later."... what little adults they are. 

 Then the other day Larisa traded us Aaron for Keili and we took the little adults to the Scera pool. As soon as we got there Keili was over helping Maddix remove his sandals and then they were in the water. It was so fun being able to play with two older kids without either of the babies there. We played this game where Keili was the Princess, Maddix was the Muskateer, And Travis and I rotated between being their horse and the bad guy who would steal the princess away! We had a blast and can't wait to hang out with the girls tomorrow.

"Throw me the rope!" "Grab on Keili"

"Get the Nala!"

This girl loves the swings

Finally enjoyed bath time!

YaY fOr CouSiNs!

Baby Update: 1 Month

Well... here it is! My little man is One Month Old!

First Day out in the world

One Month Later

I sure am in love with this little guy; especially as he grows every day and gains more and more personality, weight, and strength in holding himself up.

So here are the questions:

Sleep: We are getting better, however it is an every other night thing. On a good night he'll wake up and eat and be back in bed within a 30-40min block, on a harder night it takes about an hour to feed him and get him back to sleep. From the minute he wakes up he will go, almost to the minute, 4hrs before he gets back up; this leaves me with 3hr stretches in between... honestly he does well, and the harder nights are usually compounded by brother Maddix waking up having to go to the bathroom, or with a nightmare or falling out of bed. When the two of them are both up, this mama ends up awake pretty much every hour. Still, regardless of a good or bad night he wakes up at 6:00am no matter what; whether he ate hours or minutes before... it's strange. Sometimes we can get him right back to sleep, but more often than not Travis ends up taking him out of the room until it's time for his next feeding.

Weight: Not sure; he sure is getting big! Clear back at his two week apt he was weighing in at 7lbs 7oz. I'll post his weight after his apt.

Milestones: You're SO strong! Seriously, I don't know if babies are supposed to be this strong when they're so young. So, regardless of whether you agree or not, my baby is a stomach sleeper, or on his side, but absolutely HATES being on his back. Anyway, when I put him to sleep in one spot of the crib I rarely find him in the same spot the next time I get him out. He will roll over to a new spot, or scoot to the other end, OR most impressively, he will spin himself on his belly in circles and do a 180 and sleep the other direction... serious. Also, he can hold his head up for extended periods of time, support his weight on his little legs, and almost jump out of your lap by flexing his abs:) Separately he is starting to make the cutest sounds, and his eyes are starting to focus in when you look at him. I love when we lock eyes and I actually feel like he is seeing me, and maybe even recognizing me.

Likes: He likes sitting straight up. Loves being propped up on your shoulder so he can lift his head and look around. Starting to enjoy baths (unless it gets even slightly cold). Loves his brother. Likes laying across Grandma Lori's legs on his belly, it puts him right to sleep. Likes being a big boy

Dislikes: Any moment he's on his back. If he has even the littlest bubble in his tummy. Getting his diaper changed. Getting too warm (he overheats too easily). Being tired and not getting to sleep. Umm... every other day he sometimes just doesn't like the whole day in general :)

Anything Else: Well... oh, you've had pretty bad baby acne that seems to be getting better today. Anytime I get you dressed you HAVE to christen it with puke. I don't think there's been one single outfit you haven't puked on within 30 seconds of having it on. You seem to really enjoy this new blue knit blanket we just brought home for you. I pretty much just love you

Mom & Dad: Are tired :) We are happy. We are adjusting and feeling more normal about our new life. We are extremely excited when we picture the future and how it will be watching our two boys running around playing together. I keep picturing us in New York and me watching the boys in their room playing on a car mat in front of their bunk beds while Nala lays next to them in the sun coming in from the window. We're also very excited to know what You're going to look like once you get a little bigger.

~Mi Familia~Meine Familia~My Family~Moja Rodzina~

             Since Aaron's arrival into our family life has turned upside down for me and is just now starting to find some much needed normality.
              You see, for me, when I have babies that first month after is almost like my own personal misery. I do not do well with little sleep, and I tend to suffer from Postpartum depression, so it's very hard for me. I become an angry, irrational person that is no fun to be around; and worst of all I can hear the way I am speaking (yelling) at Travis and Maddix (and Nala for that matter), but I can't control myself... so it's rough. I never wrote any of those feelings I was having with Maddix down because I was ashamed; I didn't really believe in Postpartum at the time. However this go around I want to record for myself, a record that those feelings are normal, "You've had them before, and they do pass! Especially once baby starts sleeping."
            So now that we are about to hit that one month mark tomorrow, I can feel the normality of my days returning. I'm adjusting, and thankfully Aaron is starting to sleep more... which means I am sleeping a bit more; yah. Now I can at least function even if it's not completely coherent functioning all the time... and for that reason we've been spending a lot of down time... just trying to get the hang of all this:) Here are a few photos from our days over the past month:

one week, I think

Captain Underpants

Male bonding time

his sleepy face kills me

At nap time Maddix took all his stuffed animals and sort of made a nest with them:)

Like father like son

Brother time

Both of them loving their retrievers
(Maddix's is Doug from Up)

Such a funny sleeper

Outfit for 1st trip to 7peaks

Glad to get back to the pool and the sunshine