Garden is in full swing!

I've been busy freezing and canning!

Vacation...Or Not

We went on vacation to Lake of the Ozarks a few weeks ago with some friends, it didn't go well. Here's a brief list of how bad it was:

-I forgot my camera, seriously! Didn't realize it until we were almost to the lake.

-Our lake house we rented was a bit uncomfortable. Example=the bed in our bedroom squeaked so loud that it woke CC up each night just by sitting down on the bed. So Matt would get in bed, CC would wake up, I would pick her up and bounce her so she didn't wake anyone else up, and then when she was asleep I would levitate over the bed to get some rest :(

-We were suppose to be able to use the path from the house to walk right down to the lake and fish. However, the path was last used in 1995 it seemed and there was no way we could trek down to the lake. So we ended up hiking up and down a huge hill to go fishing.

-It rained, and rained, and rained while we were supposed to be outside enjoying nature.

-When we finally did catch a break from the rain we decided to take all the kids swimming at the swim beach close. Only it was closed due to bateria. So we drove quite a ways to get to a different beach that had recently been closed but was now open.

-It started raining while we were swimming.

-One of the guys lost his wedding ring in the lake.

-Same guy that lost his wedding ring discovered his van wouldn't start when we were ready to leave the lake. Dead battery + no one having jumper cables = not a good time. Here we were 6 adults, 5 kids, and two babies stuck at the lake in the rain.

-Madelyn fell while waiting in the parking lot and skinned up her leg and hand pretty good. Lots of tears.

-The rain stirred up a wasp nest at the front door of our lake house and Matt got stung twice.

-Madelyn got stung by a wasp...in the rear end. At this point she is begging to go home.

Summary: It wasn't the greatest time.

6 Months Old

On July 13, Cecilia turned 6 months! This passed month has been full of fun.

Milestones:
-We had a 6th month doctor's appointment, including 3 shots :( She weighs 14.5 pounds in the 16 percentile and stretched 25.25 inches long in the 5 percentile. She is a healthy girl!
-Eating a wide variety of foods now and loves them all, sometimes she has a funny expression when she eats peas but she still eats them!
-Sitting up without support and being able to get to and from the sitting position by herself.
-Standing, that's right, standing! She loves to hold onto our hands and stand up or jump. She has also learned how to pull herself up and look around. She squeals with delight when she is standing.
-Really moving, she is now determined to go after anything that isn't hers. Her eyes light up when Madelyn leaves out barbies in her reach.
-Still sleeping through the night, yippee. She often sleeps from 8:30p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Then eats and goes right back to sleep until 9:00ish.
-Transitioning to daycare since school has started. She loves Jan and enjoys going to daycare, especially since Madelyn has been there with her the last few days.

Sitting still for a picture this month was hard!!

Look what I can do! Daddy had to lower the crib mattress a few weeks ago.

Cecilia loves the jumperoo but it is very exhausting too.

We are trying out a cup. She isn't too successful yet but definitely loves trying it out.

Look at me go

"Mommy, your funny, this bow is as big as my head!"

Six Year Old

Can't believe she's 6!! I took a few photos for fun, each year I think taking her pictures will be easier because she is older but somehow I am always wrong. So here are a few of my favorites.

The theme for this year's dance recital was circus and her class was called "The Pinwheels." I think this costume is adorable! If you ask Madelyn what the best part of taking dance is she will tell you getting to wear makeup for the recital!

Her recent well check was great because there were no shots and she talks to our doctor like they are equals! She weighed in at 48 pounds and was 44.5 inches tall. She is strong and healthy. Our doctor made a deal with her, if Madelyn goes to college to become a doctor, she can take our doctor's place when she retires :)

Singing, dancing, and reading are some of Madelyn's favorite things to do. She loves family and often tells us, "family is the most important thing." She is a cuddler, always wanting to have you snuggle up with your arm around her. She has a soft spot for animals and is really pushing for us to sell our house and buy a farm! For right now she will have to settle with stuffed animals :)

Sweetest Big Sister Ever should be her title. She loves her role as a sister. This summer has been so fun to watch her interact with and teach Cecilia new things. Madelyn lights up at each milestone CC learns. They have a wonderful bond!

In a few short weeks first grade begins. She seems ready to go back to school to see her friends. I'm excited to see her blossom as a reader and hope that she develops more confidence in math. To another wonderful year!

Learning to Sew

Madelyn loves to be creative in any way so when Mimi was here to visit we took advantage of her sewing expertise and made a few creations! First up was a pillow for CC. She found some cute green fabric and wanted to make something soft and cuddly for her sister!!

Break Time- Always time to be SILLY!

And who could forget the dog!! Fenway is modeling a very fashionable new scarf made with love by Madelyn!

Looking forward to many more projects with this sweet girl!