Spring in Instas

I have completely separate posts (here and here) to insta-document the brand new member of our family, but the rest of us have been keeping busy as well (though admittedly we aren't as adorable).

Blake welcomed us home from the hospital with some art on the fridge. I can't believe how many people are listed - suddenly a family of five seems huge! The adjustment to the new baby has gone really well. As long as the older boys can experiment with the baby equipment.

Nash and Blake both got very sick right before school let out for the summer, which isn't really a novel thing. They are sick all the time. They both fell asleep under our kitchen table.

We wrapped up the school year and gave Jamba Juice gift cards in drinking glasses filled with Skittles to all of the teachers. We kicked off the summer with dentist appointments. Blake insists on wearing sunglasses for his sensitive eyes every time.

We joke about having "no shirt Sunday" because Blake's shirt is the first thing to be removed after church on Sundays. And he usually remains that way for the rest of the day.

Blake always wants to be involved with what's going on. He voluntarily mops the floor when I am cleaning. He also figured out how to compete for my attention while I am feeding the baby. He just records videos of himself playing sports in the basement and then comes up and plays me the clips.

The boys sure can't get enough of their dad. No matter what he is doing, they gravitate towards him and he becomes the main attraction (especially when he sits down to read Wheel of Time). Blake honored Father's Day by making a trail of all the shoes that were piled up by the back door.

During one of the first lawn-mows of the season, the mower flung a rock into our sliding glass door and shattered it into a million pieces. It actually looked pretty artistic until it came crumbling down during a wind storm a few days later. It definitely put a wrench in any backyard activities we had planned when glass scattered throughout the yard.

We launched our summer fun; splash pad, book activities, waterpark, swim lessons and sno cones.

It's going to be a very busy, fun-filled summer and this is only the beginning.

Little Fish

The last two weeks have been consumed, in part, with Blake's first go around at swimming lessons.

He was so excited on the first day that he appeared in our room at 6am, dressed in his swimsuit for lessons that weren't till 11am.

He was pretty confident in the water before, but now he is entirely fearless. I am shocked at how much he dunks himself underwater. I hated to get my face wet when I was a kid (still do).

We decided to try out lessons at an indoor pool even though we could be outside during the summer. It was actually so nice to not have to worry about sunscreen and windy days and our other little ones running into the pool. 

Plus, Blake got to swim with his cute friends everyday.

The boys spotted the sno-cone shack everyday on the way to lessons. I finally treated them on the last day. Blake wasn't so sure if it was worth all the hype.

He loved swim lessons so much that we signed him right up again for two more weeks. We're going to try our local outdoor pool this time though, and see how the two compare. However, I don't think Blake is going to care either way. As long as he is surrounded by water, he is one happy little fish.

Crew | Two Months in Instas

Crew | Two Months

At two months, Crew has gained a reputation for being the easiest baby ever. I thought that our lives would slow way down with a newborn in tow, but we haven't skipped a beat. In the last two weeks alone, he has accompanied us to all of the following:

4 swim lessons

2 friends' houses

3 movies

1 waterpark

2 trips to the airport

4 parks

1 car wash

6 restaurants (only because we celebrated our anniversary, a friend's birthday, and grandparents came in town)

2 three-hour long church meetings

1 Primary activity

1 five-year-old birthday party

1 High Priests social (where we brought down the median age)

2 grocery stores

1 trip to the library

And through it all, he didn't make one peep or fuss. He falls asleep easily on his own, wakes up to eat, and is happy the remainder of the time. 

He could be hanging out in his carseat or in someone's arms - it doesn't really matter to him. He's content either way.

I'm probably jinxing myself since I know that all children have their rough patches, but for now, Crew is an absolute dream. 

This is about the point I started putting the other boys on a schedule, but I don't really feel the need to yet with Crew since he is so adaptable. Plus, I'm carting the other boys all over town so they can have a productive and enjoyable summer, so I couldn't put Crew on a strict schedule even if I wanted to.

My one gripe is that I was informed yesterday that he no longer looks like a newborn, just a baby.

It breaks my heart that the newborn phase is already history. But we are thoroughly enjoying his nonstop smiles.

A Hose

All it takes is a hose to provide little boys with hours of entertainment.