Fun Trip to Loon Lake

We headed to Loon Lake over 4th of July week and we had a great time. While our day of travel was long (12 hours door to door), it was honestly about as good as can be expected. Connor was pretty pooped by the end, but we made it in one piece and Avery was a trooper too. She slept for a majority of the time and seemed to do alright. At just three months of age, she's already been on an airplane twice. Wow! The Houston airport didn't board our carseat, so we had to rent one, but they delivered it to my parent's house the next day, so all was well. They let us borrow one in the meantime. 

When we first arrived, my sister Julie and her new husband Brian were there with his son John. They left the next afternoon, but while they were there Connor and John were like two peas in a pod. It was adorable to see them play together. It was really nice for me to have my sister even if it was just for the night. 

Once they left, we still had some family in town who were staying in the area. We got to see my Aunt Joan, Uncle Dave, and my Aunt Linda. That's always a nice part of being at Loon Lake, since it was always such a fond family location for me growing up. 

The weather while we were there was fantastic. The highs were in the 80's and the lows were in the 60's, but it was never too cool or too hot. The one day it was a big muggy, we fixed that by spending the day in the lake. It was perfect and it made me feel so happy to see Connor playing outside all day long. In Sugar Land, that is just not an option in this terrible heat, so it was just so nice to see him explore and play outside again. 

Avery was having a bit of a fussy evening on the 4th of July, so we missed out on fireworks, but Grandpa, Jeff, and Connor went down to the lake to watch the fireworks go off. They said it was great and if the mosquitoes weren't so bad they would have stayed even longer. 

We managed to fit in everything we wanted to do in one week. We ate a lot of yummy and sinfully delicious food, we swam, skiied, tubed, and floated around the lake, we climbed Stewart Mountain, we played miniature golf, we had campfires, and we relaxed. It was a great trip and it flew by. We all miss it. Now enjoy the many photos and a few videos I included from the trip. I had trouble deleting any since we packed in so much fun.

When we arrived Friday night, we were greeted by the Noyles and my parents. Immediately, Connor and John had a blast.

We had a little birthday celebration for John and Connor. Ice cream cake...yummy.

Connor was cold after getting in the lake on the first day so he wore Jeff's shirt. Somehow he pulled his arm through the neck hole and wore it like a toga. Ha! Luckily, the lake warmed up each day so he was never this cold again.

Brian, John, Connor, and Jeff go on the Super Mable tube. It is really fun.

A happy sailor.

Meanwhile, my Aunt Joan got some quality snuggle time with a sleeping Avery.

John and Connor decided to use Jeff as a pillow as he laid on the boat.

My Dad discovered that if you sing to Avery and rock her gently at the same time, she calms down. He even created a little song just for her. It goes, "Avery, Avery, you are so wonderful. Avery, Avery, you are incredible. Avery, Avery, you are a beautiful girl...you are a beautiful girl." You just keep repeating it over and over again. Below is a video I took of my parents singing the song. It's a bit quiet, but turn up your volume and you'll hear it. Avery loved it. 

http://youtu.be/zkfPXOYcRnk

It was my parents wedding anniversary so we had them go out to dinner, so we were on our own. Jeff found this nearby pizza place and it turned out to be a bit hit, even with Connor. It is amazing how happy seeing Connor eat makes me and Jeff. So sad really.

On another beautiful morning, we went over to the town little league field so Connor could play some baseball. He probably ran the bases 10 times and still had energy to burn.

The water was still a little too cold for Connor early in our trip, so here he is on dry land throwing a football to Jeff and Grandpa. My Mom was the catcher. He is still happiest when throwing some type of ball.

Sweet sailor Avery. She seemed to like the rocking of the boat. She took some good naps on the boat.

Enjoying a boat cruise.

I thought this picture was pretty cool with the blue sky and the boys sitting on the back of the boat taking it all in as we floated in the lake.

We found a good spot for Avery on the floor of the boat sort of snuggled up in the front. She happily kicked and cooed.

Pretty girl.

Taking a nap on the boat all swaddled up.

We had many meals outside on the patio. We really tried to enjoy the weather as much as possible.

Avery was forced to sit at the kids table. Hee hee.

My tough mountain men gathering wood for campfires.

The baby whisperer strikes again. Grandpa could somehow always get Avery to calm down and go to sleep.

One afternoon we went to Lake George to the Pirate Cove miniature golf course. Connor had been talking about this place since last summer and it didn't disappoint. We all had fun and he even managed to get a hole in one!

Of course he loved the eye patch and flag he got at the end too. Doesn't he look like a happy pirate?

Afterwards, we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Friendly's. It is kind of like Chili's but it is known for it's ice cream sundaes. Connor was in heaven.

Mommy looks pretty happy too. Poor Avery didn't get any. Maybe next year sweet girl.

Fun times with Grandpa.

Grandpa and Avery are having a heart to heart as my Aunt Linda holds Avery. We had my Aunts over for dinner one night and we all had a great time.

On one of our lunchtime boat floats, Connor had a good time "pushing" Daddy into the water. It made him laugh every time.

The boys kicking their feet in the water.

A sweet patriotic baby on the 4th of July.

Avery was being sweet so Jeff took some pictures and the video below. She had some fussy days while we were at Loon Lake, so this was a nice moment.

http://youtu.be/4XcZ1sO4D9s

Hanging in the shade on the 4th of July.

Now it's nap time. We set up a towel on a tube as her "bed."

Hiking up Stewart Mountain.

This tree at the top of the mountain has a hole in it. This is a traditional photo op.

As the days continued to be warm, Connor liked swimming more. Here he is smiling a silly smile right before he jumped off the dock. The video below is of Connor jumping into some pool noodles.

http://youtu.be/1m1fitwBl5Q

We took a row boat ride one morning and Connor pretended it was a pirate ship.

Avery chilling in her bouncer and smiling. Her hair is still pretty wild.

Jeff water skiing like a champ on our last day. It was a little rough, but we both skied.  The video below is of me skiing.

http://youtu.be/4jJEey6npqA

Avery with a hat on (looking a bit like a boy), as we went back to that yummy pizza place on our last night.

Waiting for our pizza.

Connor giving his little sister a hug. He continues to be a great big brother. I'm so proud.

Milestone Alert: Avery Rolls Over

Avery has rolled over a couple of times today and I sort of caught the end of a roll on video. Enjoy! She is 11 weeks. Big girl, big girl.

http://youtu.be/qAFmvcONUBA

Connor turns 3 years old!

Connor turned 3 on June 19th. What a big boy.

At his three year doctor appointment, Connor continued to be on the tall and big side. At 40 pounds 3 ounces, he was over the 95th percentile and at 39 inches tall he was at the 90th percentile. Since he's always been big, my doctor didn't see any cause for alarm and she said he looked very healthy and proportionate. He really is just a stocky kid.

Although it sounds kind of weird to say, I thought this doctor's appointment was kind of cool and fun. I don't normally describe going to the pediatrician as fun, but it was the first time Connor was weighed, measured, and tested like a big boy. For example, he actually had to pee in a cup and take a urine sample like a big boy. No more little apparatus they stick to him in his diaper. Also, he stood on a real scale (not laying down on one) and he had to stand against a measuring stick, versus getting his height measured on the exam table parchment paper stuff. He also got a vision screen where he had to identify pictures he could see from a distance. They said he has 20/30 vision, which is average for his age. He also got a hearing test and passed in both ears. It was also fun to see him do the agility tests that the Dr. had him do like jumping and doing different things with his arms. She thought he was a really sweet boy and usually he is. :)

Oh and he didn't get a single shot, but he did get a finger prick and wouldn't you know it, my tough boy didn't even cry. The nurse told him it was like a mosquito bite and when she pricked him he looked kind of startled but didn't cry and then when she started pushing out the blood for the test strip, he started smiling in a "wow, that's cool" sort of way. He said, "Look at the paint." I mean, to be honest, I still think finger pricks hurt, so I was very impressed with his toughness. She gave him a Captain America sticker afterwards, so all was right with the world.

As far as Connor in a nutshell, I think he is a pretty typical 3 year old. He is definitely trying to assert his independence and likes to be a little director (as in telling us what to do all the time). He likes to go first and try to do everything himself. Unfortunately though, he can get frustrated easily and fly off the handle. That's not fun. He can also be pretty winy, but Jeff and I try our best not to give in to his appeals.

Ok, so with that said, he can also be a bundle of cuteness and sweetness. He can be the most jolly little boy I've ever seen. He can also be the sweetest. For example, last night at dinner, he said "This food is yummy. Thank you Mommy." Jeff and I just looked at each other and I almost died. So sweet. Also, when he is having fun with a friend or with me and just laughing and smiling, it's contagious and adorable. He can just be so silly and full of life.

His language skills are such a big help these days. Of course some of his words are used to say, "No" or "Stop that," a majority of the time they really help him communicate with us effectively. He also has a lot more fun phrases like, "how bout that", "back in the game", "I've got an idea," "Wow," "Are you serious?", "No thanks," "Pretty cool," "Here's an idea," and many more that I can't think of right now. It's just cool that he can carry on full conversations and of course he still has a baby dialect that Jeff and I can understand best (yellow is "yayo"), but I am still pretty impressed by his language skills.

Since Jeff has been getting home later from work and our dinner time is now closer to 7pm, Connor's bed time has been pushed back to about 8:30 most nights. We start the bedtime process for both kids around 8pm. It is good, but it seems like our evenings are so short now, because sometimes Avery doesn't get settled to bed until almost 9:30 pm. Oh well, hopefully that will fade with time. Connor usually gets up around 7:30am and if we're lucky naps from about 2pm to 5pm. He has been fighting his nap or not taking a nap at all lately and it's a real challenge, especially when I expected him to nap and I planned on getting something done and he doesn't nap. I know it's pretty common at this age, but I just wish he'd nap more consistently.

Connor is still a pretty picky eater and each night we make him a separate meal from what Jeff and I are eating. Sometimes he eats like a champ and other nights he won't eat at all. It's frustrating, but we are trying not to push him too hard, because they say that just makes it worse. It's easier said than done, but we keep offering him vegetables and always try to get him to take bites of what we have, but he is still very picky. We're not giving up yet.

He has been in underwear since March I think and is still doing well. He continues to have accidents, but for the most part he is staying dry throughout the day. It is still a struggle to get him to go potty though, which is really frustrating, because it just doesn't make sense why he fights it so much. It takes 2 minutes and then you're done. For some reason, it just always seems like this huge imposition in his busy day. Granted, sometimes he tells me he has to go or he is very willing to go, but most times it's like pulling teeth, especially right when he gets up or after naps.

He is still very interested in sports and right now I honestly don't think he has a favorite sport. He likes them all and seems to excel at them all. He can throw a football clear across the room and punt it too. He can hit a golf ball straight and far. He can shoot a basketball in the hoop. He can hit a pitched ball and when he makes contact it goes really far. He can also serve a tennis ball. He's pretty well rounded and he seems to enjoy them all. He also sometimes just likes to run. We play a game where he toots his recorder horn and we run races from the living room to the front door and back again. He loves it. Let's just say, he's all boy. Of course he likes trucks and is just starting to show an interest in dinosaurs, but sports are his main interest for sure.

As is common with this age, he is also getting a lot more into imaginary play. He likes to have his stuffed animals play games with us or he'll make up scenarios in our games. We also play with our toy food from time to time and make meals and feed his toys.

Connor still really loves singing the Michigan fight song and he will sometimes put different words to the Michigan Fight Song tune. For example he'll sing, "Hail to the Mommy Mommy" or not use any of the actual words at all, just the tune. Or sometimes he'll be singing a different song and then it magically transitions into the Michigan Fight Song. It's kind of funny. He likes the Aggie War Hymn too, but it always comes back to the Michigan Fight Song for some reason.

This past weekend we had Connor's third birthday party at Iron Cross Gymnastics, where he takes a weekly gymnastics class. There were about 10 of his friends who attended and they all had a blast. At first they did a one hour gymnastics class. Afterwards we went upstairs and had food and cake. Upstairs we had a pirate theme, because Connor loved Pirate Day at school and to hear him say, "Argh Matey" is really adorable. I think the birthday boy had a blast. Enjoy the photos! I can't believe our baby boy is three.

On Connor's actual birthday, I just bought individual slices of cake from the grocery store so we could sing to him. Here he is patiently awaiting his birthday cake. I have a video of us singing and him showing you how he says he's three with his fingers. It's pretty funny. It's not how you normally show three, but hey, he's unique.

Opening presents from Mommy and Daddy and his grandparents.

He got a mini trampoline and loved it.

Before the guests arrived we took some pictures of the pirate party. Connor was very excited to check it all out.

Pirate party favors.

Pirate birthday cake. It was so hot that day, the cake melted a little in the car. Oh well. It was still really tasty.

I added some iron on's to his pirate shirt. Now it's official. He's three.

Our big three year old ready to party.

Enjoying the trampoline at his party.

Stretching with his friends and one of the coaches.

What balance.

Swinging across on the rope.

Now doing some jumping on the long narrow trampoline into a foam pit.

Balloon and parachute time.

Can you tell how happy Connor is?! My goodness.

After the class the kids ate food and cake. Connor got a special pirate hat and the kids got hats made of paper. I brought a face paint marker and decorated the kids faces too. Connor loved being a pirate.

Decorating the kids faces.

Happy Birthday Connor. What a fun day and what a special boy.

Singing Happy Birthday to Connor and Connor showing off his cool way of doing "three" with his fingers. 
http://youtu.be/ZTXac1lGRIM

Avery turns 2 months old!

Avery turned two months old on June 10th. Boy is time flying. It's amazing how big she's getting. She's already starting to look more like a baby than a newborn and that includes some very serious leg rolls and growing cheeks. Her cheeks are still smaller than Connor's, but I'm pretty sure she's trying catch up with him. 


She had her two month doctor appointment last week and she passed with flying colors. She was 14 pounds 7 ounces and 24 inches tall (2 ft.). Both numbers put her in the 97th percentile. My doctor didn't notice anything that gave her cause for concern and if you recall, her belly button was kind of raised and that seems to be going down all on its own.

She is still not on much of a sleep schedule during the day, but at night she seems to be getting better. We put her down between 8:30 and 9pm and then she'll get up once in the night typically around 4am or 5am. She'll then go back to sleep and get up for the day around 7:30am. After that, she starts seeming tired after 1 to 2 hours of being awake. I have started swaddling for naps and that seems to help keep her resting longer and more restful, because she doesn't wake herself up with her hands in her face.

She still eats about every 2 1/2 to three hours and so far she doesn't seem quite as "spitty" as Connor. She will certainly spit up a lot right after she eats, but then as the day progresses, she doesn't continue to spit up like Connor used to. Thank goodness. We shall see on that one though.

She still kind of needs bibs or burp clothes nearby though, because she is already starting to drool. Connor got his first teeth at 4 months and my pediatrician thinks Avery could be similar since she mouths everything and because of the drooling. Oh great. I don't miss teething, which basically means a fussy baby until the tooth pops through, which could take a while. Hopefully sweet Avery won't be as bothered as Connor was. 

She doesn't seem to like any "tools" like the swing or the bouncer, but we keep trying. She will lay on her play mat for a little bit, but she really is happiest being held or walking around with me in the Ergo Baby Carrier. She just started rolling onto one side, but since she isn't laying down all that much she hasn't shown signs of rolling yet. I'm thinking that's closer to a 4 month trick though, so that's OK.

She has really started kicking a lot though. It's so cute to see her in the bouncer just kick, kick, kicking. She still has her hands in fists most of the time, which Jeff lovingly calls her fists of furry, because she always has them near her face like she is holding them up in perfect boxing pose.

Avery continues to be a sweetheart and while she has had fussy periods or fussy days, for the most part she is pretty chill. I love her so much it hurts. She is such a wonderful part of our family. Enjoy some photos of our two month old.

Avery's thighs are getting chunkier by the day. Here you can see her bandaids though from her first shots. She was a trooper and cried when she got shot, but got over it pretty shortly afterwards.

Just a cute picture of Avery smiling. She really has a sweet disposition. We used to call Connor Mister Serious and I'm thinking she'll be a little more silly.

Avery at two months old and Connor about to turn three. You can see the size difference here pretty well. I can't believe how fast they grow.

Little Avery with her fuzzy hair and chunky cheeks.

She looks a little grumpy in this picture, but it's the best one I got. She's still pretty cute though.

I tried to take one mid kick. She kept kicking the sign off of her so I put it next to her. Maybe she'll play soccer like her Momma.

Giving me a coy grin while doing tummy time. She doesn't like it very much, but it will make her big and strong.

Avery hanging out
http://youtu.be/Fw4_1sXNt4s

Avery kicking

http://youtu.be/KdwrkoftE-M