So far this summer...

 I don't think this ever made the blog, but back  in January I got the counseling position at AES which means I am now a 10 month employee as opposed to the 9 months teachers work. Ideally I will work 10 days after schools gets out in May, and go back 10 days before everyone starts back in August. Vacation Bible School interfered with that this year because it was the week after school got out and I was helping in Reese's class. Anyway, I say all of that to say that last week was our first real week of summer.

Memorial Day weekend we went to the Grand National in Auburn for a few nights because they have an amazing swimming pool, and we knew Reese would love the tunnel slide! The water was painfully cold, but she still had fun .

 For some reason I was reminded of the movie Dirty Dancing when they organized games for the kids to play  on Saturday morning at 10:00.

 Reese had so much fun at VBS. We are still listening to the songs and doing the motions every time we get in the car. Reese is also currently OBSESSED with the movie Frozen and the song Let it Go. Y'all she. is. obsessed. We will be going to Disney simply to see Ana and Elsa.

They were being secret agent spies, not having to be quiet. ;)

We have spent all of our time at MeeMaw and PeePaw's pool where Reese has perfected her swimming. She only wears her floaties in the deep end. She dives in the shallow end to get diving sticks, and jumps off the side and swims to the steps, and does back flips in the water. She even tried to teach Addie how to swim last week when they came over to play. 

 This kid right here....that face! And she sucks in air and blows it out really fast when she does this. It is my favorite.

I always like to look back and see what we did during our long summer days together. Today this is what we have done. Let's start last night. 

Elynn went to bed at 8:30

After laying with Reese and playing with glow sticks for an hour, she finally went to sleep at 9:50. (That's at least an hour past her bedtime. Plus that's after a day of swimming at Anna Kate's party and no nap. I really don't think she needs much sleep because most kids would be fast sleep after a day like that.)

Around 11:30 Elynn was up again. 

Elynn was up again sometime around 1:45, and again about 3:30.

Elynn was off and on awake from 6:30 till 8:30 this morning. (Clearly, I never made it to REM sleep last night. Or any night in the past eight months. Sigh.)

Reese came running in my room and jumped on the bed at 8:30 requesting milk and "cim-ma-mon rolls." (We were fresh out of cinnamon rolls so we had biscuits instead.) At exactly 8:50 Reese started whining about something, I never did figure out what exactly. I met with Jesus for a minute and begged for his mercy because momma could not hear all the whining today. Jesus heard and granted my wish because Reese straightened up after that. Now Elynn on the other hand....The thing about having multiple kids is this- somebody is always whining or mad or hungry or needing to use the bathroom, or tired. 

We played from 9:00 till 11:15 when we packed up and headed to town. I dropped them off with Adam's unsuspecting Aunt Janet while I went to the gym. Allegedly Elynn wasn't exactly a cupcake while I was gone, but when I picked them up she was content. 

We got back home at 1:15 after a trip through McDonalds drive thru where Reese wanted "unsweet, unsweet." Adam and I drink half sweet/half unsweet sometimes and she thinks we are saying "unsweet unsweet."

Elynn napped until 2:30 while Reese watched a few carcoons and I tried to upload pictures to the blog. Nothing like living in the middle of nowhere and having the likes of dial up. I swear we may move back to town. 

After that we spent the afternoon painting, coloring, and cooking dinner.

Adam got home around 5:00 and we ate, cleaned up dinner, and gave the girls their bath. 

Since Elynn didn't get an afternoon nap, she went to bed at 6:30 (I will pay for that around 4 in the morning.)

Reese is playing in a tent she built in the living room while I have myself shut in the pantry writing this blog (and hoping they forget I'm in here for the next 30 minutes or so;))

If I'm lucky Reese will go to bed quietly tonight after I read somewhere around 32 books of her choosing. 

And tomorrow we get to do it all again. And for that I am thankful because even with all the whining I adore them and am beyond blessed to get to be their momma. 

Elynn: 8 months

At 8 months

Weight: 15lbs 12 oz

Height: 27 inches

Wears size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothes. 

Still prefers orange baby foods likes carrots and squash. 

She has not cut any more teeth, so still only the 2 on the bottom. 

About 2 weeks ago I was beyond exhausted from her sleeping on top of me all night, so I bit the bullet and let her cry it out. We were very successful with this method with Reese, so I knew it would be our best bet. Her initial cry-it-out lasted 21 minutes. Reese kept begging me to "go feed her Momma!" or "Momma that baby's cryin' is killin' me. Go pick her up!" She came back to our bed after a few days because she got a cold, and was so fussy. But she is back in her bed now. I still get up to nurse her once or twice, but we are going to try to cut that out soon too. Reese and Elynn's rooms are right across from each other, so it makes crying it out during the night very difficult. 

Elynn is at the stage where if I walk by her and then out of her sight she gets very upset. Then I get very upset because all the fussin' is killing me- as Reese says. 

Elynn got her first spanking a few days ago....From her sister, of course. I walked out of the room while Reese was playing school. From the kitchen I heard Reese demanding, "Say the pledge! Say the pledge!" Then I heard skin slapping skin 3 times... I ran into the room and asked if she had spanked Elynn, "No momma! Her had a bug on her!" It amazes me how lying is something they don't have to be taught!

Anna Kate told me at her party yesterday that "Reese's baby sister looks like an elf." HAHA! Her little ears stick out like an elf. ;)

Elynn: 7 months

I'm behind on the monthly updates. Again. 

Elynn was 7 months on May 29th. I always make the pictures on the 29th, but I don't seem to be able to get around to posting them. 

 

Weight: 15 lbs

Height: 27 inches

Size 3 diapers

6-9 month clothes. 

On May 24th I felt 2 little teeth on the bottom. I knew she had been extra fussy that week, so I assume that was why. 

Mrs. Liz says she cries anytime adults at daycare speak to her when they come to get their kids. Maybe she isn't going to be a social butterfly??

At 7 months she was still sleeping in our bed/ on top of me. (But stay tuned for the 8th month update...) She nurses several times a night- I think this is a habit, not a need. But in order to keep her quiet and not wake her sister, I continue to allow it. 

She likes orange baby foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, squash. She doesn't seem to like the sweet ones like apples and bananas. 

She refuses to take a paci which makes me very sad. 

She and Knox got together for their first date. She went straight for his hair. She is her father's child. 

:

Elynn: 6 months

I'm falling behind on the monthly updates, but in my defense there is a constant "Momma, I need some stwawberry milk," or "Momma can I watch carcoons," or "Momma, I'm doonnneee" going on at my house. It's exhausting. 

So let me think way back over a month ago. 

I didn't get a chance to weigh her, but she was somewhere between 14 and 15 pounds and about 25 inches long.

Month 6's claim to fame is that she rolled over (April 3rd- it was my spring break week so I got to witness it). I guess that actually means she was 5 months old, but anyway. 

She wears mostly 6 month clothes and size 3 diapers. 

She also got baby food for the first time. She wasn't a big fan of baby cereal, so we moved on to carrots, sweet potatoes, pruns, apples, and pears. Reese loves to feed her, and most of the time Elynn eats more for Reese than she does us.

She goes to sleep between 8 and 9 every night and still gets up a couple of times at night. She is just a tiny  little bit spoiled and likes to be held a lot. She will only entertain herself for a few minutes then wants to do something different. 

She loves her big sissy though. When Reese walks by she smiles so big.