Candy Land Man

 Jackson received Candy Land as a birthday present, but we have yet to play it.  Everytime he sees the box, he starts talking about candy and asking for a sucker.  He got into the box today and tore into the little men.  Zach made up a song about Candy Land Man and Jackson walked around singing it as well!

Then Jackson got the box of cards that are in the game and put all the men on it and called it their boat.

So, the Candy Land Men had a new adventure out to sea today

Yum!

Well, sort of! 

Katherine had her first taste of cereal tonight and she really wasn't so sure about it.  She's a little younger than I had planned to start on solids, but over the last couple of weeks, Zach and I have noticed that she is constantly watching everything we put in our mouths.  I was holding her while I was eating the other day and as I took every bite, she was straining her neck to see where the food was going.  After that, Zach and I decided it was time.

She did well, but I think she was really concerned whether or not she would ever see that bottle again!

3K

Jackson had his first day of 3 year old kindergarten on Monday.  He's been going to Kid's Day Out since February, so thankfully, it was pretty much like he was going to that for the day rather than it feeling like the milestone that it really is!  One main difference of  preschool is that he has to wear a uniform.  His "uniform" includes certain color polos and khaki pants or shorts.  Since he's in the younger group, his shirt doesn't have to be tucked in nor does he have to wear a belt.

Chapel is on Wednesday, so they all the boys must wear a button-up shirt, slacks, and brown or black shoes. 

Such a handsome little fella!

I'm sure his teacher loves the fact that the shirts must be tucked in on Wednesdays--this was what happened just from walking 10 steps from the front door to where he's standing.  A belt would have probably helped, but his age doesn't have to wear a belt yet . . . that probably has something to do with bathroom breaks!

10 Days

We've just returned from what seemed like a whirlwind trip, but was really a trip to just a family reunion in Alabama, followed by a night in Mississippi.  Jackson, Katherine, and I were gone for 10 days and Zach was with us for part of the trip . . . someone in the family needs to make some money, so he headed home early to get back to work.

Jackson and Katherine did great on the ride over.  Since Zach needed to meet someone in Batesville for work, we went a different route this time and got to see some new scenery.  On the ride over, I gave Katherine a new little toy.  She is just starting to reach and grab, and of course everything goes straight to her mouth.

While she is trying to figure out her new toy, this is the look she's getting from a few feet over . . . someone is a little jealous.

He's jealous even though he has toys scattered all throughout the vehicle and not to mention the fact that our house is just his giant toybox.

Once she quit playing with it, I handed it to him so he would calm down.  I can only imagine what we're facing with him when she actually has more than just one toy to play with.

The Reunion

The weather was less than perfect--it sprinkled some, then quit, sprinkle, quit, you get the idea . . . and then it poured.  And we're in the South, so once the rain finally stopped, the humidity took over.  Despite the weather, I think the pictures show everyone had a good time.

 

Patiently waiting his turn

finally

Sleepy little girl

It seems like everytime I turned around, this is what I found Jackson doing

While at his grandparents, this is what Jackson talked about every morning, noon, and night

Picking out some tunes

I think he looks like a  pilot here

And on the way to Mississippi and playing with her new bunny.

Yes, Jackson noticed the bunny as well.

Katherine said to tell Aunt Gloria how much she loves her bunny!

We had a great time while gone, but there's just no place like home!

The End Result

Thanks for voting for Katherine in the post below!  I entered the picture on a Friday or Saturday night and by the next morning, she was a "Fan Favorite."  I have no idea how many votes it took for that status, or how many votes she ended up with total, but she came in 115th out of 1,774 entries!  She wasn't chosen as a finalist, but we had a little fun in the process!

Pretty Please!!

I entered a picture of Katherine in a contest to which I have no clue if there is really a prize except having the photo featured in an upcoming sales catalog.  By doing this, I now feel like a beauty pageant mom . . . and begging for votes of a photograph of my child is really not up my alley, but I'm doing it!  So, I'll cut to the chase and ask for you to vote!
Pretty please!

You must have a facebook account in order to vote . . . just click on the link below and when her picture appears, look to the right and click "like."  It's really that easy!  And, her little description is really quite silly, but I just put what immediately came to mind and hit enter without thinking twice about what to write.

Voting ends August 15.
Thanks so much!

http://apps.facebook.com/potterybarnbaby/entries/2092?ref=mf

Just for Size

Well, Katherine is already 4 months old!

Getting pictures of her today has been the most difficult I've done so far.  She was truly a wiggle worm--if she wasn't trying to lean forward and ultimately falling over sideways, she was constantly kicking her legs while arching her back and ending up on her back.

And, I had a "helper" for a little while . . .

Looking at Jackson and falling over

This is what 99% of the pictures looked liked today

All 4 of the month pictures together for a comparison

(click on it to make it larger)

I took Katherine for her 4 month check-up a few days early while we were going to at the doctor's office anyway for Jackson's 3 year check-up.  Thankfully Zach was able to go with me and the waiting room at the doctor's office wasn't too crowded while we there, so the trip wasn't stressful as some have been in the past with just Jackson.

Katherine's stats are

11 lbs., 15 oz.

23.5 in. long

15.5 in. head circumference

(In the doctor's words, she's "petite."  Jackson was this size at 2 months.)

Usually, this post is just a picture of Katherine, but since Jackson just had a check-up, he needs to be included as well!  He is weighing in at 30 lbs., and is 38.5 in. tall.  He has really started to eat in the last month and I was surprised he was just 30 pounds . . . he feels at least 45 lbs. when I pick him up!

And, to end, this was a picture of the two after their doctor visit.  Jackson wanted to "hold" Katherine, so I put her in his lap.  He only likes holding her for about 2 seconds, so this picture was obviously afterwards.  He humored me and sat by her a little longer!

Party!

Although Jackson had a construction theme birthday party, we also had a "train" for a little entertainment!  We came across this man almost a year ago (right after Jackson's 2nd birthday party which was train themed) at a local restaurant.  He saw Jackson and started talking to him and asked if he liked trains . . . well, like is an understatement.  He said he has a couple of trains he built for his grandkids and he also takes them to parties.  We kept his contact info and gave him a call recently!  We didn't really know what to expect on Saturday when he arrived!  He has several different trains (one being 85 feet which I think is more "train-like"), but for this party, he brought this "train" which was perfect for the number of kids we had.  They seemed to enjoy it!

Katherine stayed inside the whole time and was pretty spoiled with all of the attention!

Katherine with Cassidy (cousin), Mimi (her great grandmother), and Lynne (her great aunt)

and with her great grandfather, Pop

We headed back inside so we could all cool off a little, sing Happy Birthday, and blow out some candles!

Taking a break and not quite sure what do next with all of the excitement

Time for the pinata!

The pinata took forever to break.  I really thought it would break once the bigger kids hit it a couple of times, but it lasted for at least 10 minutes before we helped it completely break open!

We've been noticing the kitten has found herself a nice shady spot on the roof, and certainly out of the reach of Jackson's hands!

The train was still at the house when all the guests were gone, so we let Jackson and Emma ride around again for awhile!

Zach and I had a pretty good time with this party and hope our little Birthday Boy did as well!  It's hard to believe we now have a 3 year old!