Apples and sprinklers and grandparents, oh my!

Right now, the Midwest is experiencing quite a heat wave.  It's forecasted to be mid to upper 90's (105 with the heat index) all week with no rain in sight. Ick.  I really shouldn't complain because we have had a beautifully mild summer so far.  Thank goodness the heat waited until the last week of August so we know it can't last that long.  Unlike last year where my pregnant self was sweating to death for the entire month of August and most of September with temperatures like this.  This summer would have been much better weather to be pregnant in but anyway... clearly I digress.

Josh's parents came down for a visit this weekend and we got in some apple picking at a local orchard on Saturday before the heat wave hit on Sunday.  It was still pretty hot but we picked our apples quickly and then sat in the shade and enjoyed the beautiful weather. 

This was the first year that Caleb has really 'gotten' the whole apple picking thing.  He was pretty excited to pull the apples off the trees and was confused why we shouldn't pick up every single apple on the ground also.  If it was up to him we would have walked out of there with a truckload.

Eli was pretty much just along for the ride.  He loves to watch what's going on and enjoyed the beautiful breeze.

 

 

There are two things I love about apple picking.  One is of course the apples that we bring home (and we brought home a whopping 10 pounds this year!!) and the pies, breads, cookies, and applesauce to be made with them.  The other though is the apple cider donuts and apple cider slushies that the orchard makes.  They are amazing.  Last year, because of a late frost, almost the entire apple crop was lost so there weren't any to pick.  Even so, we still went down to the orchard for the donuts and cider.  They are that good.

 

Sunday, we played outside with a new sprinker toy that Josh's brother got Caleb early in the summer.  We really haven't had weather hot enough to get it out until now and he absolutely loved it. 

 

       

 

Eli maybe not as much but I bet next year will be another story.  The rest of the week is supposed to be just as hot so I'm sure we will have plenty of excuses to get it back out. 

Overall, a great weekend.  It was nice to take a break from all of the work we have been doing on the house and just relax for a bit.  We are almost finished with the playroom downstairs which was the first room that we tackled.  The popcorn ceiling is removed and the walls and trim are painted.  All that is left is the closet and the door and we will finally have one room finished.  Pictures to come soon!

Meeting our new neighbors

Our old house was in a neighborhood full of a wide range of people/families.  Some older single people, some young families, some families with older children.  Even though we lived near a beautiful pond, we didn't really see anyone outside in front often because we all had our own fenced in yards.  Everyone was friendly to each other and we enjoyed living in our quiet neighborhood.

Fast forward to our new house.  From the first day we pulled up with the moving truck, there were kids everywhere.  The whole street is filled with young families with kids of all ages that are always outside in front playing.  We live in a hilly area that backs up to a lake so the yards are smaller than our old neighborhood, we are lucky we have a corner lot so we have a ton more space. It's a nice change and it will be great for our boys to have kids to play with as they grow up.

We moved in on a Monday night and the following Tuesday, the neighborhood had planned a block party.  The family that lived next door came over to drop off an invitation one afternoon as I was getting the boys up from their naps and getting them ready to jump in the car to go pick up Josh from work.  I was just kneeling down to change Eli's diaper when the doorbell rang.  I'm not sure if I have mentioned yet that we also have two small dogs.  Both are very sweet but also very protective.  They bark at anything and everything: people, leaves, bikes, animals.  It drives me flippin' crazy.

After hearing the doorbell ring, the dogs went racing to the door barking their heads off.  Honestly, I had my hands full with two cranky boys and two barking dogs so I figured I wouldn't answer the door because it was likely a delivery service dropping off a package.  As I continued to change Eli's diaper, I realized that our new house has decorative glass next to the door and they could see me sitting there. Not answering the door.  Awkward.  So, I jumped up with Eli's onesie still unbuttoned figuring that I could talk to her through the screen door. 

So to review, I'm trying to talk to these poor people with two dogs barking their heads off, a Caleb crying, an Eli with an unbuttoned onesie, and oh yes, I was wandering around in a nursing tank top and short shorts.  As it turns out, all she was trying to do was hand me a block party invitation.  I attempted to open the door just a little bit to grab it, and one of the dogs slipped past me and out of the house.  Completely out of character, he cornered the four year old girl against the porch barking like a ferocious beast.  I went running out of the house after him (with the baby with the unbuttoned onesie and my short-shorts), the little girl is screaming, Caleb is screaming, it was A. MESS.  The dog gave up on the little girl, went racing down the driveway with me running and yelling after him and finally ran back inside the house.  

I apologized profusely and granted he's literally a 12 pound dog but still.  She was scared and I felt terrible.  We certainly gave the neighbors a show.  What a first impression that was.  Think we will be invited to any block parties in the future?

So what Wednesday... it's my very first!

Excited to be doing my very first So What Wednesday post.  So don't judge people... I'm still new at this!

This first week I'm saying so what to:

* I feel like a drug addict with how much I need my coffee in the morning.  I just need the 'fix' to feel like myself with this little sleep.

* I barely have anything to wear to work these days.  I either have my regular Amy size clothes or my bigger post-baby clothes.  Nothing for this still in between body.

* I literally walk around in yoga pants and a nursing tank all hours of the day/night when I'm home.  It's just easier, more comfy, and let's face it.  Much more practical when the baby is eating all the time.

* I use breastfeeding as an excuse to eat way too much ice cream. Like way too much.

* I talk a big talk to the husband in the morning about everything I'm going to accomplish after the boys go to bed at night. However, what usually happens is a big pile of zombie Mommy on the couch, comatose and watching the DVR.

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Eli- 7 months

As every mother says, it's so hard to believe that my baby is 7 months old already.  Just in the last two months, he has started to develop such a personality.  He's still a pretty chill baby and will usually sit and play or just watch what is around him unless he is tired, hungry, or getting teeth.

Speaking of teething, he has had such a hard time with these top teeth.  His two bottom teeth came through relatively quickly, but he has been battling with these top ones for over a month.  One finally broke through last week but the other one is still bothering him.  Poor baby.  

He is definitely on the move now.  He does this move that we call the froggy where he gets up on all fours but can't quite figure out how to move his arms and legs at the same time to move forward.  That doesn't really stop him at this point though as he can roll/scoot wherever he wants to go.  He so badly wants to pull himself up and will insist on standing (holding my hands) when we are playing. Caleb didn't walk until right around a year but I'm wondering if this little guy is going to be on the move much, much earlier.

                                         

He's made some pretty big advancements in sleeping since my last update 2 months ago.  He has started sleeping through the night pretty regularly and when he does wake, usually if Josh goes in there he will go right back to sleep.  If I come near him though?  He decides he is actually ravenous and MUST eat.  

He's wearing 6 and 9 month summer clothes right now.  There is no way a 6 month sleeper would fit because he has pretty long legs like his Momma, but 6 month summer clothes are just right.  It wouldn't surprise me though in the fall if we have to bring out the 12 month pants.

He babbles like there is no tomorrow and he and Caleb have developed a really special bond.  He will just sit and watch as Caleb talks to him, hands him toys, kisses on him, and tries to follow him around the room.  It is so sweet for my Mommy heart to watch.  

Back to that personality though.  When he is unhappy enough that he wants me to know it, he squeezes his eyes shut and screams like the picture below.  It is so, so funny to watch.  There are no tears, he just wants me to know that he wanted that toy that Caleb has, or he thinks he might still be hungry, or he doesn't feel like he has my undivided attention.  It just cracks me up.

 

  

He's still nursing great and has started solids.  We've had homemade squash, sweet potatoes, peas, pears, peaches, plums, bananas, and applesauce so far.  He does really well with everything but the peas (which I do not blame him at all).

Overall, he's a sweet, carefree, and fun baby and we are so blessed.  He gets cuter everyday and I can't wait to see him grow.

Weekends

Happy Monday!  Is there such a thing?  It doesn't seem like it in my house.  Mondays blow, no matter how you slice it.  As I would imagine everybody feels, weekends go way too fast.  There is never enough time to do everything we plan and I always stay up way too late on Sundays trying to prolong the inevitable.  It's a serious problem.
Our typical weekend involves trying to catch up on house work, playing with the boys, and sometimes visiting our families.  The past few weekends have been focused on the move and we have barely been home. This weekend we actually were able to focus on unpacking... finally.
 
Saturday morning, we grabbed our coffee and headed to Lowe's to pick up some things that we wanted to work on for the house.  Both our walk-in closet in our master bedroom and our linen closet in the bathroom, have oddly placed shelving.  For example, in the entire floor to ceiling linen closet there are only 3 shelves spaced very far apart.  So you either have to put hardly anything in it, or stack up your towels and sheets so tall that it looks messy and haphazard (in my opinion).  Same thing with our closet.  We wanted to move the existing shelving closer together and add more shelving to make it usable, plus add more hanging space.  Holy cow, the price of shelving adds up!  I also got a bunch of baskets/containers for more kitchen organization.  I'm thinking the Lowe's trips on Saturday mornings is going to be a very common occurrence over the next few months as we update the house.
 
We played with the boys for awhile and while they napped, I actually napped too.  (Shock, gasp! I know!)  We've been getting to bed so late every night, trying to do some unpacking that I was/am just exhausted.   We headed to Church Saturday evening and grilled burgers for dinner.
 
Sunday morning we got up bright and early and headed to the grocery store.  I love getting there early in general to get it out of the way, but I also love getting there early because usually the special kid carts with the car attached are available and Caleb is overjoyed to be at the grocery store.  As anyone with a 2 year old knows, that is more than worth it.
 
We spent the morning outside playing while Josh mowed the lawn and trimmed some of the trees.  We realized that along with work inside the house we have to do, we also have a lot to do outside.  The front porch needs some paint along with the door and trim.  The trees, bushes, and plants are totally overgrown and really need to be cut back.  In fact, we probably will remove a lot of the plants.  Some of them have grown over the edge of the sidewalk and get walked on everyday.  It just looks messy and I hate it.  Seems like not a lot of maintenance has been done over the last ten years.  The house is in great condition but it is in desperate need of some simple maintenance.
 
The rest of our Sunday was spent installing shelving unpacking boxes, and playing at the park.  I'm proud to say that we have made a dent but still have a long way to go.  I hope in the next few days we will have enough boxes unpacked that we can at least park our car in the garage, crazy thought isn't it? I mean who actually parks their car in the garage? 
All in all, a successful weekend.  Too short though.  They are always way too short.