Ahh...Summer

Abigail's in Chicago with grandma for a little Summer/Birthday overnighter so I'm home with just two kids today while Colin's at work. I forgot how easy two kids could be! Henry loves Johanna SO much and she gives the love right back. We were outside and he was playing with her so I grabbed my camera for a couple of quick pictures. Think they are having fun?We also went to the market this morning (like we do every Wednesday and most Saturdays) and among other things got a piece of watermelon for Henry. He was lovin' it...and has the stains on his shirt to prove it! Gotta love watermelon juice running down your chin in the Summer!

Happy 6th Birthday, Abigail!

My firstborn is 6...hard to believe! She's growing up so much every day and becoming quite the little lady. :) I love her more each day and love being her mom! Happy Birthday, Abigail MacKena!

Johanna at FIVE months!

Our little princess is FIVE months old today! Time sure is flying by! Here are some things to note about Johanna:
~Still in size 1 diapers, but we're on our last pack. She'll be moving to some size 2 diapers, but mostly Bum Genius cloth diapers very soon.
~Wearing size 3-6 month clothes. The pants have been too big for awhile, but are starting to fit well now. She does mostly wear dresses though.
~Tried cereal for the first time and wasn't a big fan. She primarily eats breastmilk, but also does 1-2 formula bottles a day.
~LOVES to suck on her fingers. The first pic below isn't the best, but it's about the only one out of 20 that she doesn't have her fingers in her mouth. She goes to bed with her pacifier, but spits it out very quickly and sucks on her fingers or thumb.
~Johanna sleeps 12 hours at night and takes two naps a day. Her morning nap is usually 45-6o minutes and her afternoon nap is a few hours. This girl is a GREAT sleeper and we love it!
~She is really starting to play with toys in front of her, not just above her on her playmat. She loves to play with Abigail and Henry.

We love you, Johanna!

Binder Park Zoo

We packed up Tuesday morning and headed to Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek with my mom, Rebecca and Joshua, my Aunt Terri, my cousin Cori and her three kids, Skylar, Summer and Reese. It was a great day to be at the zoo, warm but not terrible and the kids had a great time! Abigail cooling off in one of the spray misters.
Skylar and Abigail getting foot massages...

they loved it!
The oldest four kids toward the end of the day.

The foursome showing one of their favorite things from the day...giraffes from the Mold-a-Rama...a blast from my past for sure!

Feeding the giraffes romaine lettuce.

The kids were loving this part of the day!

I'll admit to being a little freaked out by them being that close to me.

Johanna on Grandma's lap on the tram ride.

Summer, Abigail and Henry on the tram.

Joshua petting the goats.

Henry wanted to pose by a snake to show his snake-hating dad.

Combined Birthday Party

We had a joint birthday party for Abigail, Bebe, Henry and Sylvie at MVP pool this past Sunday. The kids had a blast! It was a great place to have a party with the pool, bounce house and games for the kids. The only bummer was that there was a limit on the amount of kids we could invite, so we weren't able to invite lots of friends that we definitely would have wanted to have come. We did have a great day though and have definitely decided that a joint party for the kids each year is the way to go! Joshua's future blackmail picture.

Joshua having fun in the pool with Rebecca.

Abigail flying in the air courtesy of Colin. Henry in his pool gear. Look closely and you'll see that his goggles have no glass in them! :)

Skyler (Abigail's school friend), Abigail and CarsonI can't believe she's almost six!And that this guy is 4!One cake...perfect.Skyler, Abigail and Annika (another school friend)In the bounce house.Playing with the parachute.

Grandma and Joshua in the pool.

Johanna's FIRSTS

Johanna's first time playing with toys in the Bumbo seat...July 23...4 months, 1 week old.Johanna's first time in the swing on the swingset...July 29...4 months, 12 days old. Abigail loves to be the one to help her with all of these new things!

Johanna's first time trying cereal...August 12...5 days before turning 5 months old.

Not really a fan...we might try again or wait a little bit. I'm not really in a hurry to get her on foods, so we'll see. :)

Blueberry Picking

Going to the Gold Barn is an annual event for us. We LOVE picking tons of blueberries there. This year they had gorgeous berries when we went in mid-July. We picked around 30 pounds, most of which we freeze for baking and snacking for as long as they will last. The kids love going there and had a blast this year picking, throwing and snacking on blueberries!