SUMMER LOVIN

I know I know.  I haven't blogged in almost a month.  But I loaded pictures and created like 5 or 6 blog posts that I am going to get out here in the next few days. There are about to be some big changes with Elle starting school and Walker starting PDO.  The start of school always kicks me into overdrive and I am determined to enjoy the business of it and the looming football season this year.  So it is time to get up to date! First up.  A post about the end of the summer.  We are still enjoying the last of our summer days!

Every Thursday night at the Country Club they have Bingo Night and it is so fun! A ton of people come.  A lot of families and a ton of kids. You get there early to get a seat and then eat dinner and wait for Scott our golf pro to get out to the table and sell the cards.  All the kids line up with their cash and most people by multiple cards.  Every time a new person buys a card he say "Good luck to ya."   There are usually 5 or 6 different types of bingo games we play and all for cash.  So far our family has not had very good luck when it comes to the cards.  We have only gotten close to a bingo. Elle doesn't seem to mind losing though and it really is a fun night spent with family and friends.

After a few rounds of bingo they have a ice cream break and all the kids run to get in line to pick different ice cream out of the case in the pro shop.  It is so funny.  They get so excited about ice cream break! Elle and Abigail with their popsicles one night!

I took this picture one day when we went up to the club for lunch.  Elle and Walker might have my hair and eye color but they sure do look just like Kenny. I really notice it in this picture.

Kenny had to go to Wisconsin for training with work for an entire week in the first week of July so I asked Kenny's mom to come stay.  She was such a big help and of course the kids loved having her visit. Ann took Elle to see a movie and get her nails done and kept Walker some mornings so I could run errands and I even managed to get in a girls night! So lucky she was able to come!

Breakfast with Gramma

These pictures seem random but with Walker eating real food these days Lena is loving all the dropped treats.  She was hanging out one morning around Walker and I wanted to try and get some pictures of the two of them together since Lena is getting older.  Lena didn't really want to cooperate but I still thought the pictures were cute anyway.

This rag tag crew!

One Saturday we got a babysitter for Walker and took Elle to the pool for a long day. One this particular day our friends Margaret and Jay joined us because it was Margaret's birthday and then our friend Jack brought two of Elle's closest friends, Audrey and Elle up there too.  These girls and Elle had the absolute best time playing and swimming all day.  A lot of other friends showed up and it was such a fun day. We came home a little sunburned.

This was just after Audrey and Ella arrived and Elle was already wet so they 

weren't wanting to get to close for a picture.

Ice cream break!

Mollie and I rode over to Jackson for an afternoon to see Tracy and take her to a movie and dinner for a birthday.  I miss my friends from Memphis so much!

One of Elle's loveys was stinky so it needed a ride in the washing machine and she stood machine-side for the washing and drying process.  It was so incredibly precious.

Another night of bingo we sat with our friends and neighbors the Rackleys and it was another fun night but still no winning cards!

James and Elle

Elle with some friends celebrating our friend Amelia's birthday!

WALKER MONTH 8

Happy 8 months Walker.  Oh my goodness do we adore him! He has transformed into an predictable happy and funny little baby boy. He is finally sleeping through the night most nights.  If he does wake up it is usually around 4AM for a bottle and then back to bed until I get him out of the bed at 7.  I can totally handle that! As much as I wanted to fight it, sleep training has made him happier and made it easier to manage our household. Walker rarely cries unless he is tired or hungry.  Both of those things are so easy to fix!

This month is all about food! Walker knows what he wants and he gets it.  We tried and tried with purees.  And I was so late starting him on any food besides a bottle so I thought he would be starving for them and gobble them up.  He hated them and me shoving the spoon his mouth.  So once we got our new high chair (the Boon Flair -love!) we strap him in and give him huge chunks of table foods. We started with things that he could gum. Pancakes, waffles, bananas, green beans, avocado, that sort of thing. I was worried about getting protein in him so we do scrambled eggs and meatballs that I found at the grocery store. I have also put peanut butter on bread for him and he does not seem to be allergic and his absolute favorite thing is a cheese stick. Still no teeth but I think he might have a bottom tooth poking through but he will not let me get a good look.

I will say that I think our Walker man might be following in his sister's footsteps of being a lazy late term preemie.  He is doing way better than Elle did. But he isn't sitting up for long periods of time or his own.  He isn't crawling yet but he has made some good efforts. We might get there in a few weeks.  I am okay with lazy babies though.  I can already tell Walker is going to get into things more than Elle did so the longer we are immobile the better.

Here are some pictures from the last month.  Some repeats like always! You will see Elle in a lot of these because they are the cutest thing together.  They love each other so hard it is so fun to watch.  She has started playing with him a good bit.  She loves to make him laugh and he always laughs the most at her.  And he just loves watching her play with her toys and be silly. I can't wait to watch their friendship grow.

Elle asks to hold Walker a good bit.  Now that he is bigger and less delicate 

she does a great job and I am not a nervous wreck.

Can't you see the love.

We go over to Aunt Ava and Craigs house a lot to swim and hang out.  Walker adores his Aunt Ava!

Playing outside. It must of been a cooler morning because 

Walker does not really like being outside and hot.

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND

We enjoyed our Fourth of July weekend so much! Friday morning Kenny and Elle packed up and went to Columbus with Mr. Craig (Kenny's partner-sells motion) so that they could grill out and throw the employees of two accounts a BBQ to celebrate the holiday. Kenny had been out of town for business most of the week so Elle was super thrilled to go to work with Daddy and Mr. Craig! She was a great little helper and came home tired!

Elle and Mr. Craig meal prepping for the account.

Saturday was the actual Fourth of July and we stayed in our pajamas all morning and relaxed at home. We colored and watched Little House on the Prairie.  I made two appetizers for the party and got everything ready to go for the party.  That afternoon our friends met at our house and we had a large passenger van pick all of us up to take us out to Old Waverly in West Point.  We wanted to be safe driving to and from and able to enjoy a cocktail or two too. Plus Elle thought it was the best thing ever!

The back of the bus!

Elle was enjoying the ride next to me on the front row.

The rest of the front row.

The party was at our good friend Margaret's parent's house.  We spent our Fourth of July there last year and it is so perfect.  Their house is on the 16th green.  It is beautiful and once it gets dark we just walk out to the green and watch Old Waverly's great firework show from there. No hassle and no traffic. Once we got there we started snacking on yummy appetizers and sipping on cucumber jalapeno margaritas that I made. The kids went right to playing and having so much fun. We had barbecue for dinner and the kids had hot dogs.

Taking a break inside and doing some coloring.

Walker goofing off with Kenny.

My friend Emily makes this beautiful flag cake every year.  It is so delicious too!

When it started to get dark we all headed outside and Marget had bought these cute glowstick flags and headbands and things. We all walked out to the green and waited for the show.

Me and my sweet all American girl!

The girls watching the fireworks

Kenny and Elle loving the finale.

All the grown up girls

Sunday morning we rested again after getting home very very late the night before.  Sunday afternoon we went over to Craig and Ava's house (they live in our neighborhood now) to swim and watch the Women's World Cup Final. The USA team won so it was extra exciting.  It was a fun night to end a great weekend!

Kenny and Walker loading up to head to Ava's.  No sir Walker!

A LITTLE THIS AND THAT

Before I post a humongous post on the Fourth of July weekend I wanted to post a few random pictures.  Pictures that were just too cute to not post but totally random pieces of our slow and easy summer days. 

First up! Here is Walker.  I will talk more about this in his 8 month update but he flat out refused baby food purees so we jumped into baby led weaning and he is so happy about it! I am not sure how much food he is actually ingesting but oh my goodness he loves big boy food so much! And I cannot resist taking pictures of him covered in his messy glory.

Avocado is one of his faves!

Cheesticks are another fave.

Also in big boy news, Walker has graduated from his infant car seat to a a more permanent seat! I know he is happy to have the space and is more comfortable.  I am a car seat stickler so he will be rear facing until 2.  That is my goal! 

Happy boy!

We started watching Little House on the Prairie with Elle and now she is a little braid obsessed.  I am enjoying them too.  I think they are so sweet! She is begging me to braid them one night when she gets out the bath so she can have curly hair in the morning.  

My little Laura Ingalls.

Elle has been sneaking into our bed on a nightly basis. We know it is a bad habit but she won't be little forever so we are letting it happen for now.  We secretly love it.  I snapped this sweet picture of Kenny and Elle sleeping.

Sleeping loves!