Precious Cherubs!

I just HAD to have Derek take a picture of the boys this morning before church.

So, so precious!

This makes a mama's heart smile.

Chandler, Brighton, and Maverick were singing in the choir.  Unfortunately, Jamie had a cold (and we later found out....thrush) so he and I stayed home.

The reward for posing nicely, is silly faces!

Pumpkin Time!

We decided to visit a local road-side pumpkin stand to get some pumpkins for decorating the front steps with.  This was an on-the-fly decision, so we didn't bother with cute, festive attire.  Not that we really have any of that anyways!

We managed to wrangle the boys into one picture with the four of them.

Jamison, on the other hand was happy to oblige for pictures with the pumpkins.  

The other three ran around like hooligans in supposed search of a pumpkin.  I'm not sure how they managed to find one they liked because they never stopped to look at them...just run, run, run!

Jamison posing in the "patch"

Baby-led weaning works for pumpkins too, ha!

As for carving the pumpkins, well....it may not happen.  Derek is traveling a lot this month, and I don't know if I'm up for it alone.

Jamie Starts Solids!

Jamie started solids today.

We tried a banana.  

I'm not sure how much of it was actually consumed, but that's not the point.

As I mentioned before we are trying things differently this time.  We are doing what is called, baby-led-weaning.  Basically you give the child/baby foods that are nutritious and wholesome and let them lead the way.  This way they learn to chew and eat at their own pace instead of "feeding" them purees that you never really know if they are full or not.  

So far he seems to be enjoying his food.  He has also tried, mango, cucumber, and some Mum-Mums.  I'll keep you posted.

Fall in the Mountains!

This past weekend we were able to take a trip to go and visit my Aunt and Cousin in the mountains of NC.  My cousin and her husband are "Aunt Erin & Uncle Joel" to my boys and are also their Godparents.  It is always a fun time when we get to go and see them, so I was glad it finally worked out.  We had planned to go in the summer, but with all of Derek's traveling we had to reschedule.  Luckily we were able to fit this trip in before Derek leaves for Mexico and Chicago, later this month!

We stayed with my Aunt Elizabeth and enjoyed walking around her neighborhood later that afternoon. She has two dogs, and the dog above is named Renly (sounds like Friendly).  He is just a neighborhood dog that roams about and the boys couldn't get enough of him.  You would think they've never seen a dog before.

On Saturday, we went to Todd, NC for a festival.  It was sparse with booths, but lots of people.  I think the boys just had fun walking around.  That night for dinner we went over to Erin & Joel's for spaghetti.  Here's a pic of all our boys with their Godparents, and also the silly one:

Erin & Joel are in the process of trying to adopt a baby.  No luck yet, so please keep them in your prayers.  I should have taken some pictures of the nursery they have all set up and waiting.  It is so cute!  Hopefully it will have a little one in it soon that they can call their own.  

Take your Parents to School Day

Yesterday, Chandler was the "teacher" and we were the "students" on take your parents to school day.  Chandler was so excited to show us all that he is learning and frankly, I was glad to check it out as well.

Chandler has adjusted better to first grade than I have.  Derek takes him to school each morning since the carpool with 4 little ones is too much for me 2x a day!  At Chandler's school, carpool is for grades 1-8, so Kindergarten (and younger) are walked in (and picked up) by a parent.  There is much more interaction with the teachers, and frankly I miss that.  I feel so disconnected from Chandler's class this year :(  Also, since I'm not able to get there much for volunteering, that's not helping....

Back to Chandler's special day:

Here Chandler is showing Dad how to do some math.  Since this is a Montessori school, they do a lot of their work on the floor on rugs.  Chandler does have a desk arranged with 3 others students.  I know there is one other first grader, perhaps a second grader, and a third grader (maybe two) that sit with him.

Here, Chandler shows me how to do "metal insets"  This helps with many different things, and I think currently it is helping him with his cursive.  Yes, cursive in the 1st grade!  

Here's an angled shot of the classroom.  It doesn't show it all, but you get the idea.  Not at all like a "traditional" classroom.  It is so bright with the skylight above and the windows that line one wall.  There are so many different materials and manipulatives that the children are allowed to use.  I just love it!  Hopefully I'll be back soon.

Six Months!

Jamison at 6 months!  Look at all that blonde hair!

Yeah!  My favorite baby age has finally arrived.  He is super cute and I could just love on him and hug him and squeeze him (just not at midnight when he wakes up and should be sleeping....)

Jamie's Stats:

Weight: 17 lbs (43%)

Length: 27" (62%)

Head: 45.5 cm (95%)

Jamison is still not officially "crawling" but he can move to just about anywhere he wants to go.  He LOVES shoes and will mysteriously end up chewing (gross) on any pair he can get his hands on.  He is babbling a little bit here and there, but nothing really discernible.  He loves jumping in the Johnny-Jump-Up and can entertain himself for short periods of time.  

He is still pretty much on the same sleep schedule that he's been for a few months now, 3 daytime naps, and one mid-sleep feeding.  I hope that with the introduction of solids and being a little older that he will soon drop the night time feed.  As for introducing solids, I plan to do that mid-month once we return from our mountains trip.  I've been getting lazier smarter about how I choose to introduce solids and have pushed back the introduction with each child.  I mean, why do I want to mess up a good thing?  Solids, well they just complicate things.  I plan to try "Baby-Led Weaning" which is really a mis-nomer because it has nothing to do with weaning off the breast.  Basically you skip all the purees and spoon feeding and just hand the baby a pork chop a manageable sized piece of soft food.  I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.

Boone Family Reunion

It's that time again...

The last Sunday in September at 1 o'clock means it's the annual Boone Family Reunion.

We headed out to White Oak Church for the annual get together.  I attended many of these reunions as a child, and it's even more fun to bring my family and my kids back each year.  The weather was beautiful with a few clouds in the sky and a nice breeze.  This year marked the 74th Reunion.  Wow!  That's pretty amazing when you think about it.  Since this was started with my Great Grandfather's siblings and parents, we are much further down/up the family tree.  I only know my Great Grandfather's branch with some accuracy but it's nice to see the dedication of all the family members to get together for this annual event.  

This was the best picture we could get of Granddaddy Bob, Mimi, and our boys.  Multiple complaints were heard about the sun being in eyes, and other adults were not looking at the camera (yes, we mean you, Mimi!) But that's how it goes...

Now just the boys...

We didn't know how Jamison would do since this event began at his normal afternoon nap time, and this boy likes his schedule!  He hung out in the ergo mostly and finally conked out about 2 p.m. when we were getting ready to head home.  I don't think he napped much in the car, but wasn't overly cranky, so it worked out.

Now here's a picture for comparison.  This is Maverick and his great, great uncle Warren, two peas in a pod.  Warren is my grandmother's baby brother.  His hair looked much liked Maverick's is now when he was little, so we wanted a comparison shot.  Uncle Warren talked about how he didn't wear shoes as a child, and doesn't like wearing them much now.  They called him "cotton top" and we have a little cotton top, Jr. on our hands.  He refused wearing shoes the next day.  Maybe Warren is rubbing off on him.