Connor's First Tball Game

Today was Connor's first Tball game. What a joy it was to watch him play ball. He is the very youngest on the team, but man, he can really hold his own! He played hard, hit well, went after the ball, and really hustled. He was attentive throughout the game, even when many of the players were losing focus. The best thing to me was hearing him cheer on his other teammates. You could hear him from the stands saying, "Nice hit!" or "Go Giants!" He seemed to have a great time. Michael assisted the coaches again and I think he's found his niche as the dugout coach. He's great with the kids and just really seems like he's in his element when coaching baseball. I'm so proud of my boys!

*Special thanks to our friends Danielle and Brian who gave Connor his lucky wrist guards and Danielle's mom for the adorable Giants bow for Maddie.

Water Park Fun!

One afternoon last week, we took the kids to the water park and it was Maddie's first time splashing and participating at the water park. She was a little hesitant, but eventually crawled all over the place and splashed around. We all had a great time!

Capital Airshow

We recently went to the Annual Capital Air Show with my parents and Mandy and Chad. It was a fun day, with an awesome show and lots of planes to explore. It was hot, but Maddie and CJ were troopers while we explored and watched the show.

Poppy and grandkids in a plane very similar to the one he rode in as an 18 year old boy headed to Guam in the Navy

Happy Grandparents Day!

Michael and I often talk about how we are so blessed to have such wonderful parents! We also talk often about how blessed our children are to have such wonderful grandparents! Both sets of grandparents love our children unconditionally, nurture and support them like they're their own kids, and spoil them rotten! We are so very thankful for Poppy and Mimi and Grandma and Pops. Connor and Maddie just adore spending time with them. Happy Grandparents Day!

Madeline is 8 months!

Our sweet baby girl is already 8 months old! Wow, time flies! Life is so, so good with our sweet children. Madeline has completely blessed our lives with snuggles and that sweet baby girl charm. Over the last month, she seems to have grown so much. She is exploring lots and really likes to play with Connor's games such as memory pieces and puzzle pieces. I think she just wants to engage with Connor rather than play with her baby toys. She has mastered the army crawl, and on her 8 month birthday she began crawling with her tummy off the ground. She's officially on the move! Over the last couple weeks, she's had the same cold we've all had which included a minor fever and a runny nose. She handled it like a champ and seems to be feeling much better now. She is still not fond of baby food or purees, but enjoys sucking on watermelon, chunks of apple, pear, or peaches, teething on zucchini sticks, and eating bread or cheerios. I still attempt 2 meals a day, but she often turns her head and seals her mouth shut when I present pureed food. She might just skip baby food altogether! Maddie has been sleeping well- usually from 7:30pm-6am. Wahoo! Life is so good when we can all get a good night's sleep. She has become great at putting herself to sleep too... we just give her a pacifier, her blankie, and kiss her goodnight and she gets herself to sleep. So easy! She still naps twice a day... usually one short nap and one longer nap. She laughs often and babbles quite a bit now. She also constantly makes a raspberry sound with her lips which is so cute to listen to. Overall, we feel so blessed to have her in our family. She is our little gift from above!

Back to School

Connor and Maddie started their new preschool/daycare this week. Grandma Jill has so kindly been caring for them throughout August while we waited for openings at Ms. Robyn's daycare. It was so nice to have Jill care for the kids while I transitioned back to work, because I could leave them in the comfort of their home with someone who loves and nurtures them all day long! Jill did fun activities with Connor such as making chocolate cars and jello jigglers. He had a blast! Thank you Jill!

Connor started preschool last Wednesday, but Maddie was still under the weather from a cold, so she didn't start until Thursday. Connor seems to love it at Ms. Robyn's! He's met lots of friends and seems to like the teachers too. He's been doing art projects, singing songs, playing outside, and eating yummy food. He's even been taking naps for Ms. Robyn! I think we've found a good fit for him. Maddie is still adjusting... only taking 1 of her 3 bottles and not sleeping well at daycare yet. It's just a transition and I know she'll get more comfortable soon.