More Max Firsts

Max has been buzzing through his 1st lately!  Sometimes I can't keep up and want them to slow down - he is just growing so fast!  I'm gonna blame it on the Southern heat here in North Carolina...or maybe it is because he will be 7 months old next week...YIKES!!

Over the weekend, it wasn't too hot and humid so we spent time in the backyard.  Max loves to see what is going on around him and always takes everything in.  He loved sitting in the grass and played with it for the longest time.  This was the first time he had been in the grass like this.

Arabella also found some worms in our garden and she had fun showing Max.

Today was the first time he had a teething biscuit.  He loved it!!  There was hardly any left and it kept him and his budding teeth/mouth happy for a long time.  It was so adorable to watch him discovering the new taste.  He was one happy boy, even if he was a mess at the end of it!

Keeping Busy

Our weather didn't cooperate for much of the beginning of July so we spent more time indoors than we would have liked.  And when it did cooperate, it was so darn hot in the afternoon...too hot to go outside and do anything.  So we tried to keep busy doing some indoor activities and when we could get outside, we did.

Arabella loves crafts and loves to paint, so we decided to get a few canvases for her to paint on.  It didn't necessarily keep her busy for as long as I wanted it too, but she had fun and it was an inexpensive craft project.  It also allows her the time to be creative and paint what and how she wants to.

She has also been working hard in her workbooks on numbers.  She really enjoys practicing and we have spent many hours doing the activities.  I think she will really be ready for Kindergarten.

I've been busy preparing for our Moving "In"/Garage Sale this weekend.  I have already made 2 trips to the Goodwill and I am sure after Saturday, when all is said and done, more will have to go.  It feels good to be purging and clearing out the clutter and things we don't need anymore.  But it is a lot of work and I am ready for the Sale to be over!

And this week, Arabella had been in all day Drama Camp.  She loves it and is super wiped out, so much so that she fell asleep on the way home on Monday evening.  She is practicing hard and on Friday, she will be performing for us.  We can't wait!

Babies on The Way

We are so excited!!  No, I'm not pregnant, even though I would have another baby...Jay is a different story.  We have 2 bird nests at our house.  One is in the hanging Boston fern on the front porch and the other is in a planter on our balcony railing.  It is a perfect spot for a nest and we love that we can look out and see the birds sitting on the eggs.  We figure that any day now they will be hatching.  I haven't been able to get a shot of the actual egg sitting because we don't want to scare them off.  But there are 2 eggs in the nest and we check on them daily!  Stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday

Moving Up To Guppy

Arabella finished another swim lesson session this morning.  I couldn't be prouder of the progress she made over these past 2 weeks.  She was put into a more advanced class this session and she did AMAZING!!  Most of the kids were at least a year or two older than her, she stuck with them and the class was 40 minutes instead of 30, like she has been used to.  She worked super hard on her front crawl, her backstroke is very, very strong and her side breathing technique is coming along.  She every worked on treading water.  Her instructors were great and I hope that she can be in one of their classes again.  They gave great instruction, feedback and made the class fun.  I am so proud of you Arabella!  You rocked this session of swim lessons - Max and I loved watching you swim in the pool and make waves.  Keep it up!!

 Max watched her intensely...he was picking up technique tips for when it is his turn to hit the pool!

Treading water!!

Her front crawl.

The backstroke!

Thursday's Thoughts

Hearing: The sound the sleepy baby sounds of Max while he sleeps.
Seeing: The sibling bond between Arabella and Max.

Tasting: Coconut frozen Greek yogurt....yum!!

Smelling: Nothing much...
Feeling: Like I (we) as parents are doing something right.*





*When I picked up Arabella and Max from the kids club at the gym today, I received the biggest compliment about Arabella.  One of the care givers took me aside and told me what a sweet, smart, caring and compassionate little girl she is.  They said that she was very nurturing to another little girl who was sad and upset and that it was such a nice surprise to see such a kind gesture.  It was so nice to hear that she was kind and helpful...and it made me feel pretty darn good about the job we are doing as parents.  We must be doing something right. 

Watching The World Go By

Yesterday was the first day in a very long time that started out sunny and stayed sunny.  Today is another story.  It has been overcast and now thunder is off in the distance.  We wanted to take advantage of the sunny blue skies so once Max was down for his nap, Arabella and I drug the patio chaises into the yard and watched the clouds go by.  We tried to find shapes in the clouds and it was a lot of fun.  She loved picking out the shapes and having "girl time".  We had a fun time out in the fresh air before it got too hot and steamy.  Here are some of the clouds we saw...can you see the shapes???

                                                           Do you see the elephant??

                                                                    Summer sky beauty!

                                      An alligator or hippo with their mouth open...you decide.

 A bird in her nest.

                                                                 Cinderella's profile

                                                                     A fish or whale

                                                           Teddy's face