Sleep Over

Jack had his first sleep over this weekend. And I bet you can't guess who it was with?...of course, his best bud in the world, Sophia.

What started as a very impromptu playdate after naps turned into an all nighter. Jack was having Sophia withdraws with our recent stint of being on vacation week before last and Sports Camp this past week. It was probably one of the longest stretches he has ever gone without seeing her since he was a wee 4 months old.

When he woke from his nap he asked for her again...only the 88th time that day. So I gave a quick call and Sophia was over here in no time to join us at the pool. I had every intention of taking her home after some swimming and dinner. But, the two bosom buddies had other plans. Where they got it I don't know, but they requested a "sleepover".

With all the Mommies and Daddies in agreement we gave in to these two tots. It went great! Jack offered his sleeping bag up to Sophia, he was very excited about that. We assembled a blow up mattress on his bedroom floor, Cristina delivered PJ's, and the kids were in sleep over heaven.

Believe it or not, they slept....all through the night. Now I will admit they woke up semi-early. Clay walked in to find the two giggling in a pile of books on Jack's bed. We spent the rest of the day at the pool again before dropping Sophia off at naptime. I don't know about Sophia, but Jack crashed hard for a loooong nap after a whimper of, "I want Sophia to stay at my house all da days...".

Kids In Kentucky

We are home! Finally! We have had a great summer of travels, but boy, am I worn out. A vacation with kids really shouldn't be called a vacation. Although I wouldn't trade our trip to Kentucky lake this summer for anything!

It was Maggie's first trek to GG's house and Jack's first visit that he absolutely loved and may actually remember. The lake was full of "free" fun for my little ones. Not to mention we got to spend some quality time with the fam...can't beat that!

I took about a hundred pictures, don't ask me how (gotta love the digital age). It was just so hard to resist capturing the fun Jack and Maggie were having. I'll share a few highlights and a couple of my favorites.

This is where Jack spent 99% of his vacation--at the lake shore...climbing rocks, running in and out of the water, splashing, toting toys around, etc. However, this picture is not a very good representation--99% of that time...he was naked...per his request.

If Jack wasn't on the lake shore, he was generally in the boat, "waiting for a ride".

Jack's first boat ride of the week was for the boys--Uncle Jim, Uncle Jon, Daddy, and Jack. Daddy claims that Jack chanted "more waves" the entire time. Really? My cautious one?

What is better than a picnic lunch on the dock? We didn't even have to drag Jack back up to the house to refuel.

Mom and I decided to take the kids to the "zoo farm", as Jack likes to call it, one cloudy morning. I had to share this picture even though it is so blurry--my lens cap kept fogging up--after having the "farmer/zoo keeper" retake the picture 3x, I gave up. It's the only one of the 4 of us though:(

Look how tiny Jack looks next to that camel. Jack literally threw the food in and ran. Is it just me or is that a rough looking camel?

Scary to think that one day, Jack may actually really be driving around his little sis! Taking a second look at that picture, I think Maggie might be scared at that thought too.

And this is where sweet Maggie spent 99% of her vacation--at the lake shore, near all of the action, in the safety of her own frog pool. Helpful big bro filled her pool up, often, with lake water he collected in his bucket. (notice "helpful" is in italics)

Jack was in heaven in Uncle Jon's arms cruising the lake. There wasn't a better view on the boat.

And dear Maggie?, she laid right back on GG's lap, and enjoyed the wind in her face and the soothing bumpity bump of the boat.

One of my faves...for sure. Something about time with Daddy turns my gentle Jack into a wild man!

I just had to give props to Mags for dealing with this annoying life jacket. Seriously, could it ride up any higher and almost choke her? Am I the only one who thinks infant life vests need to be redesigned? Sweet baby...what a trooper!

Jack was still full throttle at sundown. Thank goodness for lots of family to keep him entertained.

So, after days of sporting bathing suits, Maggie questioned, "Why does Jack get to have all the fun?" and with that, we let her go naked too.

Another of my faves...after a long day of fun in the water and sun, Magpie waits patiently while Mommy rounds up big brother. Time to go home tomorrow.

A "Maine-ly" Perfect Vacation

Clay and I ventured off for a kid-free vacation to Bar Harbor, Maine this past week. It's amazing how you really don't know how much you need a vacation until you actually take one. I have to honestly say that the best part of our 4 day hiatus was just being together. I know it sounds so cliche--but we really needed it. Don't get me wrong, I adore my kids, but sometimes we need a little reminder that there is more to our marriage than just Jack and Maggie. It felt really good to be reminded why we did choose each other in this life.

Like the title says, it was pretty much perfect. The weather was great, we stayed super busy, ate lots of lobster, and Maine was gorgeous! The only (tiny) things that didn't make it perfect were missing Maggie's 8 month birthday and my lost luggage on the return flight. So if that's all I have to complain about, I would say it was "Maine-ly" perfect! Not too bad.

We stayed on Mt Desert Island off the coast of Maine. We flew into Portland and took a 3 hour scenic drive up the coast to our final destination of Bar Harbor. (this picture was actually taken on our departure day--we left just in time to miss the rain!)

Home base was a perfectly quaint Bed and Breakfast called the Atlantean Inn dating back to the 1800's. It was so cozy and the breakfast was phenomenal.

We spent the first half of day 1 at Acadia National Park. I can't even begin to tell how beautiful it was and the pictures could never do it justice. Our first stop in the park was Cadillac Mountain, where as you can tell from my hair, was super windy.

Our next stop in the park was Sand Beach. Nothing like the beaches Clay and I are use to. However, equally beautiful.

There were actually people laying out on Sand Beach. I don't know how, I wouldn't have exactly called it hot. Not to mention the Atlantic was only 55 degrees. Clay and I tested the water and this is about as far as we got.

After the park we headed back to our B & B, put on some warmer clothes (well, actually I did), and headed to the wharf for a boat ride.

We opted for the "nature cruise". Maine can get super foggy, so from what we heard the fog was too dense for a whale watching cruise.

We did get to see some nature among other things...Eagles, Sea Birds, Seals, Lighthouses, the Porcupine Islands.

About half way into our cruise things got chilly. Thank goodness for that fleece I bought last minute at a tourist shop and the hot chocoalate for sale on board.

On Day 2 we decided to take trasnsportation into our hands for the first half of the day. We rented bikes and headed to the supposed "moderate" trails of Acadia Park.

Those moderate trails made for a very nice work out. Well worth it though, the scenary was fabulous and I'm sure we both needed the exercise.

We stopped at Jordan Pond along the trail for a famous lunch of "popovers". Okay, so much for that work out. These things were to die for. So yummy! I would go back to Maine for them over the lobster anyday.

After our legs had turned into jello, or at least mine had, we chose to sit for a while. That afternoon we took a guided trolley ride through the town of Bar Harbor and Acadia once again.

We had our best meal the last night in Bar Harbor. It was suitably named Maggie's. Would you expect anything less from a restaurant with that name? I'm sure the hostess couldn't have cared less that I wanted a picture with the sign because it was my daughter's name. Regardless, we got it...all for you Magpie!

Did I mention we stayed busy? Even with that, I came home refreshed and rejuvinated...and without luggage. By the way, this is the 3rd time I've had luggage issues on one of our vacations--never Clay always me. Nice, huh?

The kids were thrilled to see us and Cosby almost had heart failure when we walked in. We showered all three of them with souvenieirs galore. Lobster pj's, toys, books, tees, and cookies--everyone was happy.

Next vacation is all about Jack. We are going to try for a Disney trip in the Fall!

My Maggie: 8 Months

My Maggie is 8 months old today. Wow!, time is flying. These babies sure do grow fast.

I don't remember it going quite this fast with Jack. I don't know if it has something to do with her being the second or what. My only advice to anyone with two is...cherish every moment. I'm sure you've heard it a million times or at least thought it, but I promise there is a lot of truth behind that simple statement.

Eating

Maggie has made a lot of changes this month when it comes to eating. Not so much her style, but her in take. Maggie still likes to take it slow (as she does with everything), make a giant mess, blow bubbles, spit food, and check out her surroundings during feedings. To say the least, meals can be a process.

Breakfast starts shortly after she wakes in the morning, around 8:00ish, with a 6oz bottle and half a container of fruit with cereal mixed in. Again, still her favorite meal of the day.

Lunch is where the big change took place. She still eats after her morning nap around 11:30 a.m. She takes a 4oz bottle and we have added half a container of fruit and half a container of veggies to this meal. I always give her the veggies first and follow that with the fruit. It never fails that after that first bite of fruit, after downing her veggies, her face lights up with a giant grin. She knows that's the good stuff! Certainly worth the wait.

Dinner is still late afternoon/early evening after her p.m. nap. Here she takes another 4oz bottle and we've added meat to this meal. It's usually some veggie pasta meat mix. It took her a few feedings to get use to this new delicatessen. I can't blame her, it's doesn't look or smell too appetizing. I'm happy to say we've gotten over that hurdle and now she is an official meat eater.

I love the fact that we have been able to add some finger foods to her diet too. Mainly Cheerios, puffs, dried fruits, etc. I hate to admit it, but it's a great baby sitter when I'm trying to get Jack taken care of or other various duties around here. Not to mention, she absolutely LOVES it!

We've even given her a few tastes of our food, like banana, watermelon, steamed broccoli, bread, chicken (which oddly enough she devoured). Basically anything we are eating, she wants. It's a trick I learned when trying to feed her meat those first few times. If I pretended to be eating it--she wanted it! Whatever works!

I feel like it will be no time when she is eating what we are. Kind of bitter sweet.

Activity

I want to devote the activity section this month to a few of Maggie's favorites...

*Favorite Toy--her playmat, her exersaucer, or any ball

*Favorite Color--purple

*Favorite Song--Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

*Favorite Animal--dog

*Favorite Instrument--drums

*Favorite Daily Activity--bath time

*Favorite Book--Goodnight Moon

*Favorite Accessory--a bow in her hair

*Favorite Person--Mommy

*Favorite Outdoor Activity--stroller rides

*Favorite Class--Gym

*Favorite Part of Music Class--Dancing

*Favorite Smile Getter--blowing her kisses

*Favorite Position--snuggled in Mommy's arms (probably why she has made NO effort to crawl:)

Sleep

This is where I've seen the fewest changes this month, which is fine by me. Mags still snoozes from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Her bed time routine is the same...bath, bottle, books, and bed.

She is still taking 3 naps a day. Her morning nap starts at 9:30 a.m. and goes anywhere from 11:00-11:30. I have noticed that she wakes from this one more often as opposed to to be awaken. That's a good thing because we are usually waiting on her to get up so we can get out of nap jail!

Her afternoon nap is at 1:30. I've tried to push her to 2:00 for brother's sake on occasion, but it's not pretty. So we try to stick to that 1:30 time slot. This nap is kind of funny in that it can go anywhere from 2 hours to 3 1/2. I usually let her wake herself from this one. It doesn't effect her night time sleep at all, so why not?

And of course, my little Magpie STILL wants that evening catnap. We base the time she goes down and the length on her afternoon nap. I've tried to skip it if she snoozes late on that afternoon nap, but I find she gets crabby come bath time. She just isn't ready to drop it. On an average day she goes down around 5:30 and snoozes/rests for about an hour. And yes, she will still sleep through the night. I'm thinking Mags will be ready to let this one go in the next month or two.

So there is my Maggie at 8 months. She is turning into a feisty little piece of heaven. Her personality is blooming on all levels. She is a girl who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask for it. And on the flip side, she is my snugly, affectionate little lovebug. She has brought so much joy to this house, not only myself, but for Jack and Daddy. I'm thinking she's got Jack in training--he is smitten with her.

Happy 8 Months Maggie!--now, if you will just sloooow down.

**I just had to show off her yummy legs!**

The Teeth That Took Their Time

This is the story of the two teeth that took their time to come in. It all started well over a month ago...I know a long time, hence the title.

A once sweet baby was on vacation with her family at the beach. Within a day of her arrival, she came down with a fever, a case of the terrible snoozies, and a loss of appetite. "Oh dear" thought her concerned Mother, "Is she getting sick?". But as the week's vacation passed no other symptoms reared their head. "Hmmm...it might be teeth.", the Mother contemplated.

As weeks, 2 weeks to be exact, came and went, and no teeth appeared, this baby's concerned Mother dismissed the idea of teeth and moved on.

Well, this once sweet baby, had other plans. She cried...a lot. She whined often. She ONLY wanted her Mommy. And as a matter of fact, no one was even able to look at her, not even her loving Daddy. "Oh dear" thought her Mother, " this baby has severe separation anxiety." And so time passed, another 2 weeks.

Her Mommy was at a loss. "What happened to my smiley lovebug?". Her Mommy Googled separation anxiety and tried her hardest to follow all of the advice. But, nothing seemed to be working.

By week 6, this baby decided to pull out all of the stops, she added a runny nose and one terrible diaper after another to her already new persona. "Oh dear, what am I missing?" thought her distraught Mother. And just when things couldn't get any worse it all came to a close.

And now for the happy ending...that dear baby cut a tooth, a beautiful pearly white on her bottom gum. Her Mommy smiled, her Brother uncovered his ears, and her Daddy held her tight. They congratulated her and welcomed back that once sweet baby that they all knew and adored! That baby was so relieved that her family still loved her, a true unconditional love, that she decided to cut another pearly white right next to the first one on the following day.

And they all lived happily ever after...until that baby decided to welcome more teeth...