Camp Week

The bigs just completed their first camp week of the summer.  One might think that meant a relaxing week for me.  Not exactly.  I spent the days just trying to recover from our most recent jaunt out of town.  Geez, that was a doozie.

But, thankfully I have recovered and just in the knick of time for Jack and Maggie's last day "performances".

Maggie spent her camp week at Little Mermaid Dance Camp.  Oh, how she fell in love.  Tutus, jewels, pink, purple, dance shoes, and ribbons for her hair.  They don't come much girlier than Maggie.  We invested in a pair of ballet shoes and I tell you that sweet little Magpie would sleep in them if I let her.  They are the first thing on her feet in the morning and the last thing to come off.

Each day Maggie came home and performed one of her latest steps for me.  Half of which I couldn't quite make out, but I did have a favorite...the "shake your mermaid tail" move.  I tried to imitate it only to be told I needed to "shake my head like this" {insert a head bob} and "do my hands like this" {insert jazz hands}.  Oh, but the head and hands didn't have anything on her little tush shaking back and forth.

So you can imagine my excitement for her end of camp performance.  Five days of intense anxious waiting on my part.

I arrived to this...

Glowing in pink, costumed in her mermaid tail, and elated to see mommy and baby sister...

And then the performance started.  This is about the only movement Maggie did.  She made her way to the seahorse {which apparently was where she was supposed to do some introductory move} and then shyly sauntered back to her position.

And the rest of the 8 minute performance looked like this...

Even the girliest of mermaids get shy and a bit overwhelmed sometimes.  After the performance, I told Maggie how beautiful she looked and complimented her on a great show. She then gave me the biggest hug and most sincere smile ever through teary blue eyes.  Love that little princess of mine.  

After that she came home and excitedly told Daddy all about her dancing show at "little mermaid caiiiimp".  And even showed off a few of her moves as if nothing had ever happened.

Dance or no dance, our littlest Lu got the biggest kick out of the performance.  Maggie's number one fan.  {not to mention Lucy was fascinated by the room full of twirling big girls}

Next it was off to Jack's end of camp presentation.  I am careful not to call it a "performance" per Jack's correction.

And guess what Jack picked...Science camp, of course.  My little genius in the making.  This summer it was Camp Cosmos.  His uniform wasn't nearly as cute as Maggie's but I'm pretty sure he didn't mind a bit.  The space, air, light, and gravity lessons were enough to satisfy my first born's intellectual side.

Jack taught me all about the solar system and showed me several of the models he had made.  I told him, "it must be fun to be so smart" and he nonchalantly replied, "it is".  My modest boy.

Jack's presentation was a rocket launch with his very own camp made rocket.  We headed outside in 90 degree heat for this one.  Somehow he ended up at the back of the line after stepping out a good 6 times to come tell me something very unimportant.

When it was finally Jack's turn I was quite glossy.  But I watched him lovingly as he mounted his rocket and pumped the launcher with all his might.

And then he ran full speed ahead to retrieve his air born rocket ship.  Needless to say he was glowing too with rosy cheeks and pride.

One week of camp down and one more in July to go.  I promised myself to spend as much time as I could with my summer break kiddos this year.  It was a two camp max for each of them.

Next up it's Literature camp for Maggie {or as she likes to call it "book caiiimp"} and Lego camp for Jack.  And then we will sadly start counting down the last days of summer.

Not So Lucky In Kentucky

We took a long weekend trip to Kentucky to visit GG and family.  At the risk of sounding like Debbie Downer in the paragraphs to come, let me preface with...I absolutely loved seeing my family.

Okay, let's just start with the drive up there.  I, bravely and stupidly, drove with the three kids and the dog by myself.  Enough said, huh?  I knew it would be hard, but I for sure thought I could handle it.  Well, we made it.  And that's about all I can say about handling it.

Just to give you a visual...I had to turn around about 20 miles in because we forgot Lucy's lovey, another 50 miles in we were stopped in dead traffic for a good 45 minutes until I took the shoulder of the road for 2 miles to the nearest exit, I lost Cosby {the dog} at lunch in a parking lot-he was graciously returned by another traveler 15 long minutes later, I stepped in gum, I left the stroller at a rest area and had to return to retrieve it,  the DVD headphone batteries died so we all listened to The Lion King and every other Disney movie we own for 9 hours straight, in two separate cities I had to us my "detour" button on the nav because of traffic & construction, it monsooned for nearly an hour of the trip, and I made a whopping 7 stops {with 3 kids and a dog...in case you forgot}.

And that was just the ride up there.

Again, I for sure thought once I arrived all would be well.  And if I'm being honest...it was better.

But...while packing I realized I left all my bathing suits in St Augustine-not good when you are going to the lake. Cosby had a severe allergic reaction to something in my Grandma's yard.  Cha-ching for the vet.  Maggie and I bunked in a bedroom together and that is never a good idea.  I spent many boat rides dock side in nap jail with Lucy. And worst of all, Jack had a playground accident and ended up in the emergency room with a busted head and in turn staples.

Now if you want to take a look at the sunny side {and there was one}, it was indeed beautiful weather, the kids had a blast, Lucy had her first real boat ride, all the cousins were together, and we got to see Uncle Joel before he is deployed again for a year with the Marines.

If I hadn't filled you in on all the details, you may have thought this was the perfect weekend via the pictures.  Thank goodness pictures can't talk.  However, sometimes it's unfortunate that the photographer can.

But, let's end on a happy note.  Hear is some of that sunny side...

Better luck next time, huh?

I Love Lucy: 10 Months

Our littlest is in the double digits.  Yet, Lucy is only a wee zero years old if you were to ask her bigs how old their baby sister is.  But, that doesn't change the fact that little Lu is 10 months old today!  Only two measly months from her first birthday.  Where did the year go?  Party planning is in the works and the nostalgia of this milestone is eating me up.

I've said this often, but truly the double digits have brought on a lot of newbies for our Lucy.  Watching her grow and change continually amazes me...even the third time around.  I am super duper in love with this little wonder.  And I can't wait to share what Lucy's 10th month of life has looked like.

Eat

Lucy starts each marvelous morning at 8:00 am with a 6oz bottle and breakfast downstairs in her high chair. Littlest one has decided to snub all forms of baby food, so real food it is.  {anyone in need of about 30 baby food containers? seriously.}  She devours her fruit, often some cheerios, and a breakfast bar or waffle.  Her favorite breakfast fruits are strawberries, blueberries, and cantaloupe.

Lucy still takes another 6oz bottle after her morning nap and then waits for family lunch time around noon.  Here she eats whatever we are having.

Her favorite? {don't judge me}...peanut butter sandwiches.  With Jack I waited until the fully recommended 3 year mark to introduce him to PB.  With Maggie about a year and a half.  And here we are with Lucy at a wee 10 months.  I decided we clearly do not a have a peanut allergy gene in our family, so why not give it a try.  I am happy to report all went well and she loves it.  Protein...check.

She also enjoys cucumber, raspberries, mango, peaches, green beans, corn, peas, broccoli, black beans, ham, turkey, chicken, and pasta.  I have, however, noticed sneaky Lu dropping carrots off the side of her high chair.  She picks them up, takes a looks, and drops them.  I think the orange novelty has worn off.  We may have over done the carrots too soon.

As for dinner, she is still taking her 6oz bottle when she wakes from her afternoon nap and then having family dinner with us around 5:30-6:00.  I think it is fair to say, that we all are loving having Lucy at the dinner table with us on a regular basis.  She is quit the little entertainer.  For dinner we generally feed her what we are having {in hopes of curbing any pickiness that may be in the works} and I often add some fruit to the mix.

So far so good on the eating.  No major choking episodes and no major aversions...yet anyway.

Lulu then tops off her evening with her nightly 8oz bottle.

Activity

Okay...BIG news here!  We have a crawler.  Of course, Lucy couldn't spare me a little crawling angst.  She is an army crawler with an occasional knees up push off.  Regardless, she is a mover.

She started one week after her 9 month birthday and since then has increasingly gained in speed and precision.  She is everywhere.  Under tables, out doors, in drawers, through halls, to the stairs, and anywhere you don't want her to be.  Just as I suspected, I have to watch this little one like a hawk.  However, it is clear to see that she is loving the freedom.  She's even tamed her firecracker side {a bit} with this new release of energy.

Outside of the house, Lucy is officially a Gym Class baby and is still attending Music Class.  This newfound mobility puts a whole new spin on her weekly activities.  Gym is doable, well actually catered for her.  I must also mention she is enamored with this addition to her week {that's a whole other post in itself}.  But, music is a bit of a challenge.  I am constantly peeling Lu off of other babies and kids.  She is quit social and has no respect for personal space.  Maybe because no one at her house does for her either.  Good thing she is so stinking cute.  And I mean really cute.

At home her favorite activities include anything that is not a toy.  She adores my tupperware drawer.  She can't get enough of her big's bedrooms and all the goodies in there.  And let's not forget about Cosby's dog bowls...a huge hit.

But, if I do want to keep her contained entertained for a few moments, she still likes her jumpy, her activity center,  the outside swing, and bouncing on the mini trampoline in the playroom.  Note what all those things have in common...movement.  That's my busy babe.

Lucy is still infamous for taking everything straight to the mouth.  No matter the texture, color, or size, she's going to gnaw on it.  I'm constantly doing the whole cheek squeeze thing to evacuate items from her mouth.  The bigs have been well trained in alarming me when Lucy is devouring something other than food.  Maggie is a pro.

When Lucy isn't mouthing anything she can find, she is talking.  She has added a plethora of new sounds to her darling little repertoire this month.  I am convinced that she says mama, hi, ag {maggie}, and, jah {jack}. She often rambles on with the "dadadada" sounds and Clay, too, is convinced that she is saying Daddy. Maybe.  We also think she might have said, "up" here recently too.  I'm not ready to go filling in the "first word" in her baby book yet though.  I'm still waiting this one out.

Oh, and her most recent trick...high fives.  Love it! {especially that toothy grin that follows}.

Sleep

Lucy is still a fabulous napper.  Two naps a day.  A morning nap from 9:15-11:00 and then an afternoon nap from 1:15-3:30ish.

You know a baby on the go must also be a good night sleeper, and that she is.  It's just getting her there that burns up nearly all of my daily caloric intake.

We have the same nightly ritual as we've had for nearly six months.  Bath, bottle, and books.

Lu makes her way to the tub via her army/ push off crawl and doesn't slow down once she gets in.  She plays, splashes, and wiggles her way around the tub.  Her yummy rolls and squishy parts are the perfect end to my crazy day.  I spend half of the time sitting her back down in the tub while she constantly pulls herself up and tries to peer over the side {as if there is anywhere else she would rather be}.  It's a wonder anyone gets clean in there.

Then it's off to the changing table for pjs and a bottle.  The only reason my Lulu can sit still long enough for me to get her jammies on is that bottle.  Which occasionally she hurls across the room {I'm pretty sure only to see my reaction}.

Then we are off to our reading chair.  I show baby girl the selection of books, she chooses two {with a squeal and a bounce- melt my heart EVERY time}, and then we try to read.  Usually two pages in, Lu is laying across my lap, pulling things off her side table, hanging upside down on my legs, and throwing books.  And then conveniently, somewhere in the middle of all this, at least one of the bigs arrives to ask me a dire question.

It's far from a peaceful bedtime ritual, but I adore Lucy for it.  She has made it her own and I will forever remember my evenings with my littlest.  There is no doubt that she is her own little person.

So Much To Love

There is truly so much to love about our Lulu. Aside from her absolutely adorable little self, she's a pretty fabulous baby.

As I've mentioned before she is the most incredible blend of her bigs.  Lucy is smart, curious, on the go,  an incredible eater, chunky, and strong like her big brother.  And then she is happy, easy going, content, personable, loving, and beautiful just like her big sister.  Number three is quit a charm.  In other words, Lucy is nothing but perfection.

Lucy has also blessed me with so much to physically love on.  I could literally eat up those delicious cheeks. Add a sweet smile and this momma is in heaven.  Each month she plumps up in all the right places and grows a bit longer.  All the more to love on.

Lu is consistently in 12m clothing and 18m jammies.  I'm finding myself a bit concerned about whether her wardrobe is going to make it through the entire summer.  I'm going to do all I can to squeeze her chunky self into those bubbles until Fall.  I can hardly resist baby girl in a bubble.  Squishy thighs...yum!

She is also growing a mouthful of teeth.  What's not to love about baby pearly whites...so absolutely precious.  Right now, we've got three fully visible and three more gracing her gum line.

With her new found mobility and growing self, Lucy is just as lovely as ever.  She just gets better with age.

I'm finding this double digit thing to be very bittersweet.  On the one side I am loving watching Lucy interacting with the family and becoming her own sweet self, but on the other hand I can hardly believe that my last baby is growing up this fast.  In all honesty, three little ones is tough stuff, but Lucy is worth every minute of it.

Happy 10 months to our cherry on top!  We love every single bouncy ounce of you!  And you're pretty darn cute too!  xoxo little one

Conquering

When Jack chose to take a break from karate to join the neighborhood swim team this summer I questioned if he was ready.  Yes, he can swim {and has been able to since he was young toddler}.  But sometimes that hesitation that he harbors gets in the way.

To my utter surprise, and a pleasant one at that, Jack has had a blast swimming for the Streaks this summer.  And while he has loved the water and the friends, I have loved watching him conquer fears and pocket his cautious side.

Back in May, at the start of practices, Jack immediately questioned if they would be swimming in the deep end.  {One of his uncertainties.} Ummm...couldn't lie, so I pulled a quick, " we will find out".  Obviously practice did take place in the deep end and, not as obviously, Jack jumped in.  Fear number one conquered.

Next up was the practice meet in late May.  Here Jack questioned having to jump off the block.  First time around he held my hand, second time my pinky, and by the third he was on his own.  Fear number two conquered.

Jack also spent a good three practice weeks with a coach in his lane.  His security blanket of sorts.  By the first meet he was on his own.  Another fear conquered.

What I've enjoyed most about this season has been watching Jack try something new and scary and finding out that he actually likes it.  This swim team experience will definitely be my new ammunition  when we face challenges up ahead.  I'll be old an grey saying, "remember that time you were scared to jump off the block at swim and realized you liked it...some risks are worth taking".

I find it crazily amazing how a sport has taught Jack so much about himself, given him a new confidence, sharpened his listening skills, and taught him about team work .  And he's even learned a few strokes in the process.

Needless to say...I am really glad we took the plunge.  Not to mention who could resist this precious cutie pie in Speedos?

Before Meet Streaks cheer.  Adore some good team building spirit.

Jack takes the "freestyle" element very literally.  A little back stroke...

...followed by some breast stroke.

And somehow he makes it to the wall....with a very proud smile {the best part}.

Way to go my little Streak!

St Augustine: Part 2

And part 2 brings me to Wednesday.  Undoubtedly the most exciting day of all and conversely the day Maggie hit rock bottom.  

The good news is we all know there is only one way to go from there.  Maggie found herself in such a state of over tiredness that she had no choice but to finally stop fighting the sleep and rest herself.  Happily from there we got part of our old Maggie back.

So what made Wednesday so fabulous you may ask.  It was the day Jack has been waiting for since he could talk.  He has been forever wanting to swim with the dolphins and I mean forever .  The day finally came at a mere 6 years old.  Lucky kid.

On Wednesday we arrived at Marineland {owned by the Georgia Aquarium}.  My little ones could hardly handle their excitement.  Maggie was too young to swim with the dolphins so we scheduled a feed and touch session for her.  Each child was at an age where they had to have a paying adult with them so I chaperoned Maggie and Clay chaperoned Jack.  Who got the short end of the stick on this one?

I can't complain though.  Watching Jack was pure joy. Sadly I couldn't take pictures of Maggie during her encounter with Betty Bottlenose {per Marineland rules}, but I was able to buy a few the photographer on site took.  It was tough to choose considering she was having her first EVER temper tantrum in nearly half of them.  Nice timing, huh?

                                     

Jack's dolphin was named Hemingway.  He was a young one.  Jack got a kick out of how misbehaved he was and how he continually stuck his tongue out.

As expected, this was Jack's favorite part of his vacation.

Post swimming with the dolphins we headed back to the condo for naps.  Maggie took a very long and much needed one.  When she awoke we hit the beach again.

Lucy, again, was in love with the sand and sea. I was in love with watching her experience it all for the first time.  Lovely Lu at her finest.

Maggie decided the wet sand wasn't so bad after all and spent a good hour collecting seashells.  It's amazing how a nice nap can clear your mind.

We took the shells back to the condo where Maggie painted them.  She said they were "stunning".  Clay took me out to dinner for my 30 something birthday sans kids.  I was willing to forgo our nightly ritual of ice cream for a peaceful dinner by this point in the vacation.

According to my well planned vacation calendar, Thursday was a pool/beach day.  Maggie couldn't have been more thrilled.  She swam like a fish again all morning and added goggles to her attire.  The goggles must have offered some kind of super power for her because she would tell us, "go back more and more and more...because I have my goggles on".  Her swimming ability is pretty insane for a three year old.

When we got tired of being Maggie's go to point, Jack took over.  Maggie swam lap after lap to him.   Jack got quite a kick out this and I'm pretty sure nearly dunked her a few times in his excitement.

Once Lu awoke from her morning nap we hit the beach again.  Jack was a maniac in the Atlantic ocean waves.  Much bigger than what we are used to.

The next few pictures pretty much sum up the afternoon...Maggie's ups and downs and Lucy's ability to ingest sand.

We topped our evening off with a boat ride, dinner ,and our nightly ice cream shop stop.

That boat was seriously sweltering hot until we got moving out of the no wake zone.  Hence Lucy's perfectly edible rosy cheeks.  She started her journey strapped to me in the Baby Bjorn.  When I realized we might be stuck together for life via sweat I had to unstrap her.  Daddy graciously took over while we both dried off.

It wasn't long before we realized the upper deck was the coolest place to be.  And it wan't long before the bigs got a serious second wind.

Friday was the day that might have been the most dreaded by all if I hadn't kept it a secret until the end.

We spent the better part of the day at the pool and beach again.  Maggie declared she liked, "the small waves, the middle waves, and the big waves".  {It only took 6 days.}  The bigs collected more shells and other random beach creatures {like crab carcasses}.  And Lucy just ate up the beach life {literally and figuratively}. Oh, how I adore my easy going and adventurous littlest one.

The dreaded little secret I kept until the end was our annual beach picture session.  I couldn't have asked for a better sky.  Clouds, clouds, and more clouds.  This was a bit of a concern knowing I couldn't wait utnil sunset because they would be hungry little monsters and I couldn't wait until after dinner because we know what those white outfits would have looked like by then.  So I took my chances...and the clouds took over just in time.  No hot sweaty faces, no complaining, and no squinty eyes.

The problem I didn't foresee is how hard it would be to get THREE, yes 1...2...3, kids to look at the same time and look semi happy too.  Nearly impossible.  How do you photographers do it?

So this is what we got. {I'm pretty hopeful that there is a better one of the three of them, but I needed a break from perusing the 100 plus outtakes}

We said goodbye to St Augustine, the alligators, the dolphins, the beach, the wet sand, and the pool on Saturday.

I would like to say we were ready to come home after seven days, but honestly it was a hard goodbye.   I don't know that we will ever go back.  And not because it wasn't absolutely amazing {trust me it will be a hard vaca to top}, but because we are one of those "been there done it" kind of families.  And ironically, at that same time, we will more than likely head back to our beach roots next summer.

I have to say this is definitely one vacation we will be talking about for years to come.  It was pretty incredible.  See ya old town!