M Learns to Vacuum

I love my little helpers! They do a great job of cleaning, and they love it! M has been practicing vacuuming for a few weeks. But now she's got it! She's learned that she can't stop when the fun's over; she has to complete the task, including putting the vacuum away.

It won't be long before she'll be passing this task on to the next one so she can move on to more challenging tasks. Andy and I are working hard on training the kids to clean up after dinner. Eventually, each will have their own task to complete, and one day we'll reap the benefits of this training. Adult conversation and tea on the quiet, back patio anyone?

C Rides!

C has learned to ride her bike without training wheels! Whew. Andy and I feel a huge weight lifted off of us. Who would think that such a trivial event would be such a great milestone?! But it's huge.

Andy started with her on Wednesday night on the back patio. He would push her, and she would ride into the grass and fall down. By Thursday morning, she was riding up and down the street! She did manage to hit the neighbor's mailbox a couple times drawing blood, but she pressed on and did it!

Way to go C! We are so proud of you. You showed some great courage and commitment, and it's paid off because today you are riding like you've been doing it your whole life. Way to go, girl. We are so proud of you!

Brother Sister Love

J and A are growing to become quite the pair. They really enjoy playing with each other. I think J is really getting a kick out of teaching A new things. She's been the student of C and M up to this point, and now she gets to be the teacher! Earlier this week I caught J teaching A how to sit on the floor and roll the ball in between their legs. It was sweet watching her gently spread his chubby legs wide in order to catch the ball. Such sweet brother and sister moments.

Sweet Treat

We love summer treats!

Big Boy

My boy is growing up so fast. The kids and I took a trip to Nana's house. I didn't get us on the road as early as I'd like, and we rolled into DeRidder an hour past dinner time. The kids did surprisingly well, for the most part, resisting the urge to whine and complain about their grumbling tummies. To reward their efforts (and my exhaustion) we made a quick run through McDonald's. The kids were really ready to eat when we hit Nana's kitchen. I was getting food organized at the bar for the big girls, neglecting to put A in his high chair. He started whining so I put some food on the table thinking he could stand and eat until I could tend to him. I turned around to find him sitting in the chair, chowing down. He's a true Big Boy now.

Alone Time

I'm having a great memorial day. Andy had a doctor's appointment this morning, and took the big girls along. I'm home with A and E, trying to catch up on the family blog. I even got to sit and enjoy the morning news with a cup of coffee!

It's funny to see the difference between a stay at home mom and working dad. When I have a doctor's appointment, I say, "Yes! It's an excuse for me to get some alone time! No kids allowed!" When Andy has a doctor's appointment, he says, "Yes! It's an excuse for me to spend some extra time with the kids! I don't have to be stuck alone in the office!" Oh how the grass is always greener.

More beach pics

We just had so much fun at the beach!

Beach Trip

We went to the beach! Well, not the real beach, but a water with sand area! I wasn't expecting to have so much fun, but it was a blast! We're already planning on going again soon!

Last night Andy offered the suggestion of going to Lake Charles, to the little beachy area. It didn't sound like a lot of fun to me, but was feeling adventuresome. So early Friday morning, we put on our suits, packed an ice chest and headed to Lake Charles. We stopped by Wal-Mart on the way out of town for some sand toys.


A short hour later, we were on the beach! The kids had an absolute blast. We were sad when it was time to leave. Weather permitting, we'll be back on the beach Friday. It makes for a great, Family Fun Day activity!

The big girls enjoyed the water.

Our "Mom's day off, I'm not packing lots of junk" set-up.

C is obviously distraught by something.
A spend most of his time sitting right where the waves splashed him.

The kids busy at work.

M was all business. Sand play was a real duty for her.

A loved the sand and water. He ingested a healthy dose of both.

C and J in the water.

E was such a trooper, sitting and watching.

The kids loved their cheap sand toys.

Thank you Wal-Mart for being open early.

Youth Home Group!

Andy and I hosted the youth at our home tonight. We had a lots of fun. The big girls were able to stay up. They really enjoyed the company and Oreo shakes!

Doctor Visit

I took A and E for their 18 and 4 month well baby visits. Both are doing well.

A's growing ulcer-like bump on the inside of his lip is indeed a sucking blister. No threat, and he'll probably keep it as long as he is sucking his thumb. He's growing well. He's a big boy, but to be expected with Andy's size.

E is developing well. She's easily turning over now and is beginning to get interested in toys. She'll even hold and chew on some.

Both got shots and did well with the pain. Although, A was ready to go when all was said and done. I put him on the floor while I finished getting E dressed. He stood at the door saying, "Go bye bye. Go bye bye." One more doctor visit down. Next one in 2 months! Yuck.

Stats
A @ 18 months: 33 in (60th percentile) 29 lb 6 oz (80th percentile)
E @ 4 months: 25 in (75th percentile) 13 lb 8 oz (50th percentile)

Learning Time Out

I guess A is ready for time out. He made a bad choice today. (I can't even remember what it was. With 4 making bad choices, it's hard to remember who did what when. No wonder delayed punishment doesn't work with young children. I can't even remember their offenses!)

But after I told him no-no, he cried and walked to the front door. He stayed there, just like the girls do, until I called him to come see me. How precious - and effective.

Messy Fun

The kids weren't thrilled when I had to turn the water off yesterday. But they were able to turn their disappointment into a messy thrill. They had fun in the mud. And we finished the day with showers outside on the patio. I love summer!!

Water Fun

We bought this summer's water toy! What fun!

This is A's first summer of water play. He had a blast!

4 months old

Baby E is 4 months old today!

Happy 4 Month Birthday E

BIG Trouble

A's is getting into BIG trouble these days. Not really BIG trouble. He's just transitioning from baby to big boy, and it's showing in his actions.

I walked back to the kitchen after hanging clothes in the kids' closet and found this. My precious boy had taken the laundry basket from the laundry room. He placed it next to the kitchen counter to create a stool and climbed on top. What treasure was he seeking? My soda. And yes he got it and drank it all. That little brilliant booger! (More emphasis on the booger part.)

Loose Tooth Gone!

One of C's bottom teeth has been loose for a few days. She's been wiggling it back and forth, excitingly waiting for it to fall out. Well tonight during dinner, I noticed the tooth was gone! She must have swallowed it down with the guacamole because it was nowhere to be found.

I'm bummed that we couldn't find the tooth. It's the Manning family first lost tooth, and it's really lost. Oh well. Maybe we'll catch the next one. And if not that one, the next. We've gots lots of chances over the coming years.

We had fun trying to take a picture of the new hole. It took awhile for C to learn how to smile, showing the hole. I would say, "Show me your new smile." She'd grin while I snapped the picture. Then we'd look at the picture together and laugh. Try again, same thing.

I told her to go look in the mirror and practice. This is the best we could capture tonight.

Outside

We spent yesterday evening outside in the front yard. The weather was warm with a cool breeze, and it was so peaceful.

We even discovered that we have a tree infested with caterpillars. I've never seen this type of caterpillar before. We're going to watch them over the next few days. As you look up into the tree, you can see all the caterpillars hanging on the leaves. You also see all the bites taken from the leaves. Thanks to J for finding them!

A had fun relaxing with Dad.

M and J had fun attempting to climb the tree.

C was pooped from all the running and rolling around in the grass. Her energy level amazes me.

And we all laughed at the girls' silly faces. After so much fun, no one wanted the day to end - certainly not with bedtime! We heard a good deal of moans and groans, but they all fell asleep quickly.