Cooking up Fun in the Mud Kitchen

It had been over 2 years since our last mud kitchen, but Eli remembers it fondly and eagerly requested it as a Friday Funday activity. The boys did not hold back. Both boys are amazing when it comes to finding mud or water to get messy in. This was perfect.

Isn't this what being a kid is all about? A definite joy of childhood.

Lots of pouring, mixing, and even a little cooking for Mommy. 

They made a mess and they got messy. Yes! Success! 

This is not an activity for the faint of heart. But even the clean up was fun! I sprayed them down and we got out sponges and soap to scrub the dishes. I have no doubt that there will be more mud kitchens in our future.

Month 5 in Pictures

Jonah is 5 months old and no matter how hard I try to keep him a newborn, he finds ways to remind me that he is growing up...whether I like it or not. Sigh.

This month brought lots of sweet sounds and cuddles. Jonah has enjoyed discovering how to talk more, blow those raspberries, and giggle, giggle, giggle.

He loves being held and carried around, but has discovered toys a bit more as he gains control of his hands and arms. He will play a bit more on his playmat and is enjoying his exersaucer.

Fingers remain his favorite--yours or his! Jonah loves to gnaw on some fingers. I believe he is teething and am guessing we will have a tooth before too long. You will notice that he is sporting a new accessory this month as I ordered his teething necklace to try to get a jump on the pain. Hoping it works for him like it did for Jude.

This month, Jonah was baptized. He cried the entire ceremony as he was hungry and tried. Once he got some milk in his tummy, he was ready to celebrate!

Jonah was sick for the first time this month....he had an ear infection and a nasty cough that we ended up treating like viral pneumonia. He had a fever for a week that finally broke. Throughout the bug, he was pretty miserable and ended up needing to be held a lot. It is hard to sleep flat on your back when your airway is so very compromised. Poor pitiful thing.

Those sick eyes get me every time. And because of all of the congestion, Jonah lost his voice. His cry, laugh, and squeal were muffled. Pitiful....and kinda cute...all at the same time.

Though he is still waking 1-3 times a night, Jonah remains a really great sleeper. This month, he moved to his crib, dropped his swaddle, and puts himself/soothes himself to sleep for naps and at bedtime. I put him down awake and happy and he will "talk", play with his blanket and hands, kick his feet...maybe fuss...not cry...until he falls asleep. I think thumb sucking helps a lot. I know he's tired when he finds his thumb.

He can sleep just about anywhere, but is beginning to prefer his crib and is transitioning to two long naps instead of 3-5 catnaps throughout the day. As much as I enjoy him napping so well, I'm not sure I'm excited about feeling confined to the house during nap times again.

I am really trying to cherish each moment and savor the baby stages. I find myself forgetting how old Jonah really is and how much he should be able to do or almost do at 5 months old. I am doing what I can to keep him a baby for as long as I can. I can't believe he will be ready to eat food soon. Nooooo! He is obsessed with food and watches every bite I take. He swats at whatever type of food or drink is in my hand....successfully covering his fingers in peanut butter one day. He was miffed when I wouldn't let him get those fingers to his mouth.

Little things I don't want to forget, but I know I will:

• the way Jonah rubs his feet and toes together
• the way he pulls his knees up and leaves them there

• the way his arms make little circles when he is crying
• the way he scratches my shoulder when I am holding him....it is so affectionate
• the way he claws at my shirt or grabs my fingers while nursing
• the way he clamps his jaw down and smiles at me when he is finished nursing (ouch...cutie!)
• the way he tries to eat my hair.
• the way he gives open mouth kisses after I smother him with some of my own
• the way he blows raspberries when talking to his brothers, so much so that Eli swears that it is Jonah's way of saying "Eli" and "Jude."

• the way he watches his brothers' crazy play and gets excited too
• the way he smiles when he sees his daddy, brothers, or even his own reflection--such a friendly, smiley baby
• the way he smiles at me when I come to pick him up from his crib
• the way he stretches when he's naked
• the way he "planks" when I try to put him in his car seat
• the way he gives a squeaky giggle, almost belly laugh when you get his sugar

• the way he grunts when you tickle him...he isn't sure he likes it
• the way he chews on his blanket 

I don't want to forget any of it. 

I catch myself looking at him a lot and thinking about how incredibly cute he is. I can't help it. Such a sweet and happy babe. Really.

My Little Loves

♥ ♥ ♥

still can't believe I managed to capture this sweet and perfect moment

Soggy {but fun} 4th of July

Our family looks forward to the 4th of July all summer long. Daddy gets extra days off of work, we head to the beach, we spend time with family, Daddy puts on a fireworks show with Uncle Steve, we eat tasty food and snacks, and it is overall....a fabulous holiday! We were all looking forward to the long holiday weekend. To gear up and get excited, I had the boys help make matching tie-dyed t-shirts.

Well, Mother Nature tried to ruin our fun, but we didn't let her. We got down to the coast late Tuesday night to be sure we had as many days as possible at the beach.....but it rained. It rained and rained and rained. It rained when we got there. It rained on Wednesday. It rained on Thursday. It rained on Friday. And it rained on Saturday. There were breaks in the rain each day....and we were sure to get the boys out to play during those breaks, but we also played in the rain a lot too. 

this is what happens these days when I try to get pictures of these two nuts.

Needless to say, there was a lot of time spent indoors each day. We found a lot of ways to stay busy and have fun inside too. We don't have a TV at the beach, so it is just a lot of old fashioned fun and together time.

By the time the actual 4th got here, we were holding out that the windy and rainy weather would break before it was time for fireworks. The island had already decided to postpone both their fireworks and the parade. Once again, we had to make the most of the weather and make our own fun!

I think Jude did this puzzle at least 15 times throughout the week.

Sometimes the boys just had to get down to the beach despite the rain and wind. Crazy boys!

And wouldn't you know it, we got what we wished for....a break in the weather. Around dinner time, the rain stopped and the winds slowed down. Daddy was getting excited about fireworks and shot off a few bottle rockets....

 

Jude was NOT a fan. 

Now we just had to hope that the rain would stay away and that it would clear up enough for fireworks later that night. In the meantime, we had a yummy cookout with a festive red, white, and blueberry dessert and sangria. Mmmm!

Yay for clear skies at sundown. And yay for Daddy and Uncle Steve's Stupendous Fireworks Show! 

Jude requested an early bedtime and no fireworks, but the rest of us were dazzled by the awesome fireworks. Great job, boys! It was the best one yet! Happy 4th!

The icky skies were back on Friday morning, but there were several breaks in the weather for some 5th of July fun. The island parade came by and soaked the boys and showered them with beads and candy. Our boys tried to fire back with a hose, but it didn't quite reach. We also got in a little bit of beach time before the winds shifted (just enough to blow away and crash our canopy) and brought in another round of storms.

Jonah had been congested much of the week, but on Friday, he began to run a fever as well.

Jude is modeling the outfit we won from Sammy and Max.

Saturday was rainy for the bulk of the day. Jonah was down for the count and spent much of the day being cuddled. We busted out some old school games that Eli loved to be big enough to play. Lots and lots of reading and even some IPad play time.

Aha! Finally another break in the clouds in the late afternoon which meant a break for the beach. The boys loved digging...I think they were trying to dig to China! We had two turtle nests to be careful of as we played.

I think this was the longest stretch of time we were able to play on the beach. Daddy cuddled sick little Jonah while Eli and Jude played and played. Digging, throwing seaweed (watch out, it will give you a rash!), running, splashing, finding shells, fishing (for seaweed and the occasional catfish), making faces, and more. They were in their element and so happy to be outside. I think the whole island was out at the same time....the sun came out and the beach was flooded with people.....and birds too! After as much rain as we had had, everyone and everything was celebrating the sun by playing outside.

That night, the island put on their fireworks show, and it was really great! Much of the island got in on the action. We watched fireworks up and down the beach for much of the night. Jude watched a couple, but quickly requested to be put to bed again. Maybe next year he will be a little more into it. Happy 6th of July!

Sunday, our Getaway Day....which means cleaning the house and packing up....was the first sunny day of our trip. We decided to stay for the whole day and enjoyed a visit from the Pope family before we finally packed it all up and hit the road.

Beach living is grand. It rained at home the whole time we were gone too....so I think we got the better end of the deal. Rainy days at the beach are better than rainy days at home. Even though it was a soggy week, it was a great one.