Summer part dos

Well it's about time I posted a few catch up posts.  I loaded these pics into the posts awhile ago but never got around to writing much for the rest of the summer, Lainey's bday, the fall or Wyatt's birthday.  I figured with Tiegan's birthday just a few days away and Christmas next week I better get moving and get this thing caught up by the end of the year!

Summer 2015 treated us well.  Life with 3 kids got a little more manageable and Tiegan was the easiest go with the flow baby which helped a ton.

After a morning playing at the park or swimming at the pool or splash park, many drives home ended like this.

We went to a wedding in August - Jed accompanied Lainey as his date and I met them at the reception after nap time with the littles.

Wyatt loves a wedding -- mostly for the cupcakes or cake.

Kiddos and the guys cuttin loose on the dance floor.

This picture cracks me up.  Everyone is looking, but not everyone is smiling.  But they were all dressed so cute for church I had to at least try.

Lainey has not always allowed us the easiest bedtime routine (ahem, requests of us singing Christmas carols on repeat, every stuffed animal and doll in JUST the right spot, etc) but as of late it's gotten a lot easier.  I never necessarily enjoyed that hard season and hoped and prayed it would indeed be just a season.  And now she barely needs tucked in but one night in particular the week of her birthday she asked me to lay with her and scratch her back.  It was easy to comply with such sweetness.

Tiegan didn't struggle with stranger danger until about 10 months so all summer she would pretty easily go to anyone, let anyone touch her or talk to her, etc.  We love our chiropractor Dr. Ann and love seeing her for our monthly visits.

With Lainey loving the sweet summer splash park days most of all, Tiegan came in a close second.  

We took a trip to Minnesota right after Lainey's birthday in August.

"Enjoyed" a suuuuuuper hot morning at the Como Zoo.

T didn't seem to mind the heat.

We took in the seal show while we were there!

Naps typically go real well at Ma and Papa's house!

Ma went above and beyond grabbing some party decor to celebrate our big girl along with the other lovely August birthday gal, my Grandma Carey.

Sweet August birthday girlies!

The last morning there we hopped over to Farmington to the Dakota County Fair!

Lainey talked Papa into letting her do a pony ride.

Wyatt was in heaven among all those tractors!

Ice cream "lunch" at the general store!

More splash park fun!  Lainey and my friend Allison's daughter Gwen would literally swim and play all day if it weren't for those pesky afternoon naps their moms insist on!

We did a lap around Gray's Lake one evening.

Lainey rode her little heart out around the whole lake!

Summer in all of it's splendor requires lots of baths!  Not sure how much longer I'll fit 3 in that tub but I'm gonna keep trying!

Summer Part Uno

We have been enjoying ALL of what summer has to offer around here.  I've vowed to let go of rigid nap schedules, let the kids run and be dirty and say yes to lots of popsicles and ice cream.  I started this blog post awhile ago, but today is August 5th and sadly I can feel summer slipping away from us faster than I wish it would.  I love that we live in a place where we have seasons and truthfully, fall is my favorite but summer is a close 2nd place.  There are only so many weeks of splash parks and pools and hot evenings outside and cookouts and sweet corn and ripe watermelon... so we are taking full advantage while we can.

We enjoyed a BBQ with our community group to kick off the summer back in early June.  We are so thankful for a group of faithful 

believers and so many kids for our kids to run around with.

SOOOOO many rides home end this way and it is amazing.  He transfers nearly flawlessly to his bed and sleeps long and hard after a morning outside!

We were fortunate enough to win a summer pool pass from our awesome pediatric dentist through a Facebook contest and we have tried to take advantage of that as often as I feel up for the challenge.  And a challenge it is.  Swim suits, sunscreen, swim diapers, puddle jumpers x2, dry clothes x3, towels x3, picnic lunch or snacks x3, pool toys, etc. etc.  

But each time has been SO fun and SO worth it and I love watching my kids getting more and more comfortable in the water.

Tiegan equally loves our pool and splash park days!

Lainey doesn't transfer quite as flawlessly but every once in awhile Mom has the touch and I'm able to plop her on the couch for a quick snooze.

We have hit a few garage sales this summer too.  I usually let my kids either choose 1 book or spend $1.  This Mack truck from Cars was probably the best buy I've found so far this summer.  It comes out every day.  Lightning McQueen is huge over here.

When we added one more baby to the family, we started implementing the "divide and conquer" strategy a lot more.  I love observing the unique relationships each kiddo has with another.  They are precious all 3 together but it's fun to watch Wyatt own the big brother role a lot more when Lainey is gone.

Summer mornings should look like this!

I'm thinking we are nearing the end of Lainey napping every day.  She almost always will when we structure our day that way but many days she can go without and I let her and she is just fine.  Makes me both slightly sad but also excited to have a little extra time with just her in the afternoons.

Tiegan has gotten so good at sitting up and can do the bathtub with the big kids now!

This is how our Target trips look sometimes.  Yes, I know about the giant 2 seater carts and we use those frequently too but L loves to ride under there and if she's under there then she's not seeing the merchandise,  And if she's not seeing the merchandise, she's not asking for it.  See what I'm getting at here?

T learned to sit up early this summer and has officially entered my all time favorite baby stage.  Sitting and playing but NOT moving.  As long as she has a few toys within reach, she's happy as a clam for quite some time.

We have played a lot this summer with our neighbor and both kids just adore her.  The girls love to play pretend and dream up funny scenarios and Wyatt just runs behind and plays along and begs to ride in her giant battery powered pink truck.

Lainey had a fabulous time at the Arts Festival this year and hit all of the kids craft tents.  I hope some day she appreciates what an awesome place Des Moines is and all of the fun opportunities we have near by!

Lainey and her besties, the three musketeers who have been friends since before they were born!

After the all congregation service, Celebration Sunday, there were kids games and face painting - L LOVES getting her face painted but this was Wyatt's first time and he was so stinkin adorable and proud!

After reviewing all of these pictures, which only represent a small, small part of our summer so far I"m definitely leaning towards not wanting summer to ever end!!!!

Part II to come!

Our Dancing Queen

Lainey finished her first year of ballet this spring.  Her class, for 3 year olds, is appropriately called "Dance To Your Own Tune" as most kids her age do just that.  She loved her class, loved her teacher and the assistant, came to really enjoy meeting a few new friends and REALLY loved her sparkly pink costume for the recital.

I was a little nervous all year about how Lainey would handle the chaos of the end of the year recital.  Even though she ADORES dancing and dances all of the house all of the time, I just wasn't sure but I was hopeful.  It's one thing to dance in the confines of a studio with a mirror and your teacher right in front of you but for recital, there's a huge stage and a huge auditorium and bright lights!  I remember the butterflies of performing so well.  Thankfully, there was a dress rehearsal so we could try it all out and get comfortable before the big day.

I'm not even that good at doing my own make up, let alone attempting to modestly apply make up to my wiggly 3 year old.  Mascara was the hardest (girl has some serious lashes!) and I didn't even attempt eye liner.  She thought it was so fun and I thought it was so weird (and also pretty adorable in a way).

These are a few of the little darlings Lainey danced with.  It was fun to meet and get to know a few new moms.  We had good conversations every Monday for 30 minutes while the girls danced!

The girls were "Carnations" and looked sooooooo tiny on that big big stage!

The big day finally arrived!

Papa drove down and stayed one night, came to the recital and then left right from the show to head back to Minnesota for my cousin's wedding.  What a sweet Papa he is!  Lainey loved having him there.

There is no doubt.  She is a Daddy's girl.

I have yet another new appreciation for my mom as I began to learn the ropes as a dance mom this year.  When I was young, I never really took the time to consider what a sacrifice dance was for my mom or our family.  The time commitment each and every week (multiple times a week as I got older), the gas to drive to and from, the tuition, the shoes, the tights and costumes... all for 2 minutes on stage at the end of the year.  Was it worth it?  I think my mom would say yes... dance was a huge part of my life growing up and into adulthood.  I have no way of knowing if it will be that way for Lainey, or Tiegan, in the future, but I am starting to understand that as a mom, I will gladly spend some of my time and energy on activities they enjoy and learn and grow from.  It's been something so special to watch Lainey do something independent from me and to begin to navigate that in her own way.

You can see, she really was excited! I was so thankful for that smile and that there were no tears (for her, but there maybe were for me!).

We reluctantly brought the whole clan but it went pretty well!

If I remember correctly, we often would go out for treats after a recital or performance, usually Baker's Square for pie if my memory serves correct.  We took the kids to Smokey Row for ice cream.

She felt pretty special waltzing around in that get up all over the place.

Wyatt will do just about anything for ice cream so it worked out pretty well to use that as some motivation.

Overall, the first year of ballet and the recital were both a huge success.  We have Lainey signed up to dance again this year and we are looking forward to watching her learn and grow even more!