Kentucky Trip

We missed out on Hudson's birthday party over the weekend so we decided to go down for a visit this week.  We thought it would be nice to go and stay a while.  We loaded up and headed out mid day Tuesday.  

The kids always do so well in the car for me.  We tried something new this time and I checked out a few audio books from the library.  First up was a Boxcar Children mystery.  Ryker was immediately hooked!  We stopped just over half way for a potty break and lunch.  We arrived mid afternoon while Hudson and Cord were napping.  We settled in and visited with Aunt Kate a bit before they woke up.  They were all so happy to see each other.  We headed outside to check out the cows and play.

 

Hudson loves a good selfie with Aunt Mamy.

The best part for the boys is always the cows.  They are obsessed!

Riella loved getting to swing.

Uncle Dave came home and took all the boys for rides on the 4 wheeler before we came in for baths.

These two shared a bath. Aren't they so sweet??

The boys had a hard time falling asleep the first night so it was a late night.  Cam was still snoozing away in the morning after the rest of us woke up.

Then it was back outside for more time with the cows.  This is one of the calves Ryker bottle fed the last time we were there.  They are off the bottles now and Ryker helped Uncle Dave feed them their new feed.

They got some good cuddle time in with Josie and Annie too.

I LOVE this picture.  It's fun watching Hudson mimic the boys.  He thinks Cam hung the moon.

Speaking of Cam, he decided while we were down there he was over diapers.  He kept taking them off and going to the bathroom.  Hoping this means good things in the future.  

We got up this morning and started packing up.  Kate and the boys drove up toward Cincinnati with us and we stopped at a placed called Otterville in Covington, KY.  It's a children's museum/play place.

It's all imaginative play based. The animal hospital was our first stop.  We had a hard time getting them out of there.

While we got food for lunch, this guy started looking kinda rough and fell asleep like this. He refused lunch and sat on the floor the whole time we ate.

He bounced back and was fine while we played outside. The fishing attraction was so much fun for the boys.

Proud fisherman!

They had sandpits to dig in, and this water spraying area that they all had a blast in.

We headed inside to play in the indoor playscape/ball pit area before heading out.

Kate and I enjoyed some adult conversation while Cam and Hudson played.  Ryker was back to acting puny and laid down on the bench and fell asleep again.

She cracks me up!

Riella wasn't as amused by her antics. ;-)

Ryker felt really warm to me and I wanted to get some meds in him so Kate followed us to Wal-Mart and stayed outside with the kids while I ran in to get some medicine.  I gave Ryker some Tylenol and we hit the road.  The kids did great on the way home too.  Of course, they both said they would've rather gone back to the farm. They love it down there!

Lake Santee

We went to Saturday night service last night so we could enjoy the day out on Lake Santee with the Rush's.

Riella has fallen asleep on the boat both times we've been out.  She seems to find it soothing.  Well, after she gets over her fit of being put in the life jacket.  That, she hates!

We went to the beach area today and Riella had her first beach experience.

Like most things, she took to it like a duck to water.  She loved it.

Trying to keep her from eating sand was the hardest part.  She didn't seem to mind it at all.  Camden was the same way as a baby.  Ryker didn't go until he was about 15 months old and knew better at that point.

Ryker and Carson had a great time playing.

We hung out at the house for a bit and had snacks while Robert and Clint floated, literally, down the lake.  They are crazy.  The girls enjoyed some bonding time on the porch.

We stopped in Greensburg for dinner.  We told the boys to hold a hand in the parking lot.  They chose each other over any adult.

Cam crashed on the way there and slept through half of dinner.  He was OUT!

It was another great day swimming and boating with friends.  We love going out there and always have a great time.

8 Months

Riella celebrated her 8 month mark amongst all the fun of Independence Day!  

She is growing and changing all the time.  She is probably about 19 pounds if I had to guess and is wearing size 4 diapers now and 12 month clothes with some 18 month ones thrown in.  Her feet are still tiny though and she is only in a size 2.

She is nursing 4 times a day and eating table food and/or baby food 1-2 times a day.  She prefers to feed herself and had loved everything we've given her so far which is great.

She is still on the same sleep schedule.  She does so great about rolling over and soothing herself right to sleep.  She is talking more and more now.  She says Mama, Bubba, and now Dada.  She has no real interest in crawling at all.  In fact, if you put her on all fours, she cries and gets mad.  She is moving from sitting to the crawling position though and can scoot herself backwards.

She continues to be an extremely happy, smiley baby.  She is truly a joy and a light in our lives and we all love her dearly!

4th of July

We had a late start today, but got ready and went over to Uncle David's neighborhood pool for some swimming.

Ready to get in there and swim!

She looked so cute in her outfit!

Hanging in the baby pool with Jay and Uncle Dave

She took a snooze on me later.  I don't get to cuddle her for naps often so I enjoyed it while I could.

All cleaned up and ready for fireworks downtown.

Cam totally fell asleep on the way and slept for quite a while in the stroller even after we arrived.

So did Little Miss.

Zoolander here was raring to go though. ;-)

I love this man.

We met the Wolsiffer's and their family for fireworks.  Saige and Ryker enjoyed using the party poppers Ryker got as a birthday gift.

They were reassembling the party poppers and attempting to sell them for $50 a pop.  It was hilarious!

Cam woke up and was excited to eat the snacks I packed.  He loves popcorn. (Or as he sometimes calls it copporn.  hehehe)

Tessa and I. :-)

What a fun, relaxing day with my little family.

Girl's Night Out in Fountain Square

After our fun night exploring Fountain Square for Robert's birthday, Emily decided she'd like to head down there one night too.  Jenn joined us tonight and we headed out with no real plans.  It ended up being a blast.  We parked and walked around and stopped in a few different places.  We started off with dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then did a tasting at a meadery which was very fun and super delicious.

After drinks we went up to the Rooftop Garden for dessert.  The view is breathtaking up there.

It was such a fun night with these girls.  I always enjoy our time together and treasure their friendships so much.

I got a text from my friend Tessa this afternoon asking if we had plans tonight.  We didn't so we decided to head over there for dinner and swimming.  

Saige and Cam playing the playhouse while we fixed dinner.

Ryker was grilling for us. :-)

Jay got in and swam with the big kids while we finished dinner.

Dallas and Riella were so good playing together on the deck.

Cam loves being thrown in.  Over and over again.

The slide was a riot!

Sloane rather liked Jay.  She cuddled with her by the firepit while we made s'mores.

I am so thankful for Tessa's friendship in my life.  She is such a great friend and always fun to be around.

Family Zoo Day

Robert is off all week this week and we are excited for a fun staycation.  We picked up his cousin, Jay, to hang with us yesterday and decided today was perfect for the zoo.

Ryker is so patient trying to get the birds to sit on his finger.

Jay stayed outside the bird enclosure with Riella.  These two are sweeties!

Cam is a mess!

Waiting for us to finish lunch.

After seeing the animals, we headed to the splash park.

Even Riella got in on the fun.  She loves the water!