Seven Months!

I know I still have a lot of catching up to do, but I wanted you all to see my little man since he is growing up so quickly!

Six Months
Seven Months

You may be able to see that he is sitting up more steadily this month! Last month he was really just propped up on the monkey and leaned forward. It made it look like he was sitting on his own, but he wasn't really. This month he has really done well with sitting. As far as his other accomplishments...

• He started riding in the buggy at the store (after a thorough wiping down, of course!)
• He is sleeping a solid 10-12 hours at night most nights!
• He is making us all giggle with his infectious smiles and laughs
• He is attempting to crawl...but hasn't quite figured out how to make the legs and the arms work at the same time.
• He rolls across the room to get to whatever he wants to get!
• He is working on the sippy cup...but still nursing all the time.
• He is trying all sorts of new yummy foods...he LOVES to eat!
• He squeals when Daddy walks in the door at night. If he doesn't get picked up immediately, he throws a fit! He loves his Daddy and enjoys getting the first bit of attention when he gets home!

Little Engineer

(Another lost post...)

On one of the last days of school in June, Ian made a Kazoo out of wax paper and a toilet paper roll. He thought he would figure out how to play it without over exerting himself! He went to work with his Knex and made this:
My little Engineer:

7 Weeks

Another lost post...

Lost in the shuffle

Today, as I am trying to work on some of my catching up, I realized I have a few posts that got skipped over and never posted..

It is amazing to see how time is flying by...Here is Isaac at one month!

And later this week, you will see him at 7months!

An Exciting Visit!

Way back in August (I told you I have a lot to catch up on!), I got a call from my cousin, Girard. He had just completed an Army National Guard school in GA and figured he would continue the drive to SC to pay us a visit! I was so excited! I hadn't seen him since 2004, when I was pregnant with Isabelle and he was still a goofy teenager...
So, it was wild when he showed up in my driveway wearing his Army uniform! Hello! Where did my little cousin go? He is now taller than I am, and so grown up! I have to say, I was darn proud to see him in that uniform! I think we all knew Girard would go into the military at some point! He is just meant to do it!

The kids didn't really know what to expect when I told them that he was going to come stay for a few days. As you can see below, however, Ian and Girard got along GREAT! (Here they are watching some "Nerd TV" show about Star Wars) Ian would have gladly shared his room for as long as Gerard would be willing to stay! We did a little bit of sight seeing (which I somehow didn't get any pictures of), took him to see the old air craft carrier here in town, took him on a submarine (we had to show him how the Navy lives!) and went bowling. Sometimes the food is just more exciting than the game, right? Girard even got his time in with Isaac. Isaac LOVED him! Girard looked a little stiff in the beginning: But, I assure you, it is all an act! He is great with the kids! And even though he may be taller than I am and be a little older than I remember him being, he was definitely still my little cousin that liked to goof around and have a great time! I am so glad that you came, Girard! We can't wait til we get to visit again! Thanks for making the drive out here!

The Great Attempt (to catch you up)

Okay. Seriously.

I haven't forgotten about the blog. In fact, I have been reminded of it quite frequently (you know who you are).

However, life has taken me for a wild ride and while I wish I had all the time in the world to fill you all in on my many adventures...well, I don't. I am too busy trying to figure out how to be a house-cleaning, dinner-cooking, laundry-folding, homeschooling, breastfeeding, grocery shopping, taxi-driving, wife and supermom of three.

And while many of you out there that have been through this phase or are going through it now, might think I am just coming up with excuses...well, maybe you are right. But, I promise to try to do better about keeping you all filled in on our crazy lives! Thanks for hanging in there...

Stay tuned

(Now, if Blogger would just upload my pictures in a timely manner!)

A Day at the Beach!

I am still catching up from August and didn't want to forget to share these pictures. My little sister, Haaley, came into town for a week and hitting the beach was a priority to her! The kids didn't mind one bit! We were also able to meet up with some old friends of ours...
Jeff and Ginny were are neighbors when David and I first got married. We had not seen them in six years! They were coming to spend a few days at the beach and we met up with them there! It is amazing how years can go by and we can still get together as if no time has past. In that six years, there have been 2 more Westlakes born and Olivia was added to their family. She and Isabelle are only a couple months apart in age so they had a fabulous time together!

Mini Beach Babes!
Isaac slept the day away (except for nursing once).
Aunt Haaley buried Ian

Isabelle enjoyed some girl time!

Mr Jeff and Ian dug a big hole

Isabelle thought they were digging it just for her to jump into!

Olivia had fun splashing too!

The girls finally took a break for lunch

After a great day at the beach, everyone came over for dinner and some more visiting.

The girls had such a great day together and can't wait to see each other again!

The many faces of Isaac

(Please pardon my crazy picture arrangement...Blogger is up to no good!)

Isaac is generally very easy going, but sometimes, he seems to have the craziest mood swings! These pictures were all taken within about a 10second span. I think we might have a little actor on our hands!

Boy Time

Ian loves to hold Isaac. He asks frequently! Isaac seems to enjoy his time with his big brother too! (You know you are jealous of those tummy rolls!)

Toe Touch!

Isaac's new favorite toys are his toes!!! Whether he is on the floor, in his swing or sitting on our laps, he loves to find his toes! He even manages to get them in his mouth on occation!

A new do...

David offered to cut Ian's hair. When I went out into the garage, this is what I saw... But when they were done, this is what I saw...

He loves it! (I think he mostly enjoys the attention he is getting from it!)

That's my wild man!

Tummy Time

Last weekend we cleared our coffee table out of the living room in order to allow Isaac some space on the carpet for tummy time. He loves being down there...especially when he has company. Ian loves to entertain him, so it works out well for both of the boys!

Pedicure

Isabelle decided that she would like her toes painted. She knows she is not allowed to use her nail polish without help, so she found another option...a purple marker...

Monkey

I just love this picture because it reminds me of when Isabelle was a baby. She used to cuddle her "baby" while she slept and often covered her face with it. David layed Isaac down for a nap the other night and this is how I found him with his little monkey. Too sweet!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

When we got home from Virginia, it was time to get ready for Daddy's birthday! The kids enjoyed making him a birthday cake.

When we were little, my grandma had a big jar full of little cake decorations. When she made a cake, she would let us decorate it however we liked.

This year I decided to let the kids do the decorating. They had a great time. They covered the white frosting with green sprinkles and put all the decorations and candles in themselves. Ian later noticed the misspelled word, but we told him not to worry about it! Daddy loved it just the way it was!
Happy Birthday Daddy!

VBS

While we were in Virginia, our old church was hosting VBS, so the kids were thrilled to go be involved! The theme of the week was Creation and they got to do great crafts and enjoyed all of the lessons and fun songs! They also got to hang out with great friends!

Isabelle and Kylea:
Isabelle, Sydney, Ian and Aiden (It is amazing how these kids have grown up! They used to be our neighbors when Isabelle was a brand new baby...and now look at these big kids!)


It is hard to see, but here is Isabelle singing her VBS song for all of the parents:

Here is Ian (and Jayden):

A great time was had by all!

A quick visit

While we were in VA, we got to meet Andrea for lunch at Red Robin. The kids love the restaurant and we don't have one here, so we try to get there when we go up to visit. It was a very quick visit, but we were all very glad to see Miss Andrea! After lunch we said our goodbyes and started to drive off when I got a text from Andrea telling me how bummed she was that we didn't take any pictures. We are so bad about chatting and forgetting about the pictures! So we met up at a local park and got to take a few pictures and see her for a few more minutes!

Thanks for the reminder Miss Andrea! And thanks for meeting us for lunch! We love you!