Big Love...

This post has nothing to do with the TV show.

Which, thanks to Netflix, I think is hilarious.

But, throughout the course of the day we had recently, I giggled to myself several time that it's what we looked like :)

This week BFF took some hard earned vaca time.

She and her family had a "Staycation" and invited me and the kids along to a new aquarium not too far from home.

(Hubs had to work)

So, we loaded down her minivan (because, yes, she's that cool too), with 5 kids, 2 moms and a dad

and headed out.

The day consisted of touring the huge mall, a little clearance shopping, the aquarium and dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.

Here's the gang after BFF's hubby dropped us off at the curb...

The aquarium was pretty cool!

A little crowded, but the kids didn't seem to mind at all.

Probably the neatest part was the tunnel...

There was water above, below and around both sides!

Don't they look like a big happy family :)

BFF's hubby was a trooper.

Totally just went with the flow and tolerated the extra work and hassle my kids and I brought along on his day!

Totally loving our Moby wrap.

It's a little bit tricky at first, but we're getting the hang of it, and he seems to love it!

Couldn't resist a quick foot pic.

This was another neat area where you're above the sharks...

The bright pink toes are complements of a "girl date" with Bug and BFF.

We all went glittery hot pink, just because :)

My sweet Bug...quite the character.

(The snake was choking her :)  )

and of course my monkey!

I'm so glad that we got the chance to tag along.

It's been a fun week, full of some much needed and fun time with family and friends and this was a great way to wrap it up!

We can't wait to go back and take Hubs along.

One Month...

Well, a few days late, but just for Grammy...

Our precious baby boy is 1 month old!!

(Gram blog stalks a friend of a friend who did these monthly pictures and has been insistent that I needed to do them too...I tried 2 different locations and will prob stick with the bed.)

This was actually the first time he has ever been in his bed.

I'll be real and just admit that I had to take a bunch of stuff out of it before we could get the pic.  Currently he's still sleeping in a bassinet in our bedroom because he insists that eating between the hours of 2-3 is necessary.  

(I'm totally not complaining either, I KNOW it could be a lot more frequent!)

This one is in the glider (with the ever present help of ACE).

You're also getting the standard "bored and awake, so lets nurse" face.

Also, because this seems to be the random facts post, the John Deere hat that Carlos is sporting was actually a baby shower gift of Bug's by my life long friend/brother "Coach Kraig".

If I was really on top of it I'd hunt down and scan the pics I have of Bug and Ace wearing it and go all sentimental on you, but I'm not, it's late, this post is 3 days behind and I'd probably cry.

I threw this one in, because, it's the first time I've captured this, my favorite face, on camera.

FYI, it's even cuter when you see it from above while he's snuggled in your arms.

Anywhoo, we celebrated Carlos' one month bday by catching up on blog stalking together...

This was my view.

I've been a tad worried that he's getting a little spoiled when it comes to being held...

but then I remembered that this is the last time one of my babies will turn one month old and decided we were going to soak it all in while snuggling.

So, what have we accomplished in 1 month?

Carlos has...

taken his first road trip (4th of July weekend)

visited Grammy & Grandpa's camper

been back to visit our work family, whom we LOVE

sent Hubs back to work...for a couple of weeks

been eating like a champ

weighed 11 lbs the last time we checked

is wearing size 1-2 diapers

filling out 0-3 month clothes

(we'll be lucky if they fit at 2 months)

been to the movies twice...

this is the two of us on our way into HP part 2!

He did great in the movie, only made a few noises,

and thanks to a slow weekday we were able to sit far enough away from others to nurse ad lib.

(yes, I swore I'd never be an out in public nurser...but I REALLY wanted to see that movie!)

So, the moral of this late night story is...

we're doing great!

Love this boy and can't figure out what we did without him!

Good Mornings...

We've had some slow lazy mornings around here the last couple of weeks.

There's perks to being that way...

we're getting to know our new guy more and more!

Here's one of my favorite parts...

Bug and Ace have done better with all of this than I every imagined!

So proud of them!

Fun Weekend Recap...

I love 4th of July!

It's probably my favorite holiday of all times.

Even though I didn't get to swim and ride jet ski's this year,

Hubs and the "big kids" did and had a blast!

Our weekend was cram packed.

We started on Saturday with a 2hr car ride to my aunt and uncles house on the lake.

I was very unsure about the ride.

It was going to be our first trial run for our Colorado trip in August.

Yes, we're that crazy.

(and have been anticipating that Carlos is as good of a traveler as Bug and Ace have been)

Anyways, back to Saturday...

I actually took pictures!!

Aunt Bec and Uncle K were there,

Aunt Bec monopolized Carlos most of the day...

she had some time to make up  :)

The kids spent most of the day in the water...

this would be why Ace fell asleep about 30 seconds after we put the car in drive!

(and yes, that's our Sweet Girl, jumping off the dock just like the big boys!)

(the girl is fearless)

This is where I spent most of my day, when not feeding Carlos.

The covered porch, with the help of shade and a fan, was actually quite a comfortable place to sit, visit and watch the kids.

We had a great time with my dad's side of the family.

There's always plenty of kids and lots of visiting.

On Sunday, after church, we had family nap time and headed to "Nana's".

Nana, is not actually my kids Nana, but the funny thing about growing up in a close knit church family is that you actually feel like family.

Nana is one of Gram and Grandpa's friends that they've know since before they were married.

Any-who, Nana has a pool, and a big 4th of July fellowship every year.

There was lot's more swimming, visiting, and fun.

Carlos stayed in the living room getting loved on by all of the ladies, which I was thankful for, because it gave me a chance to watch Bug, Ace and Hubs in the pool.

(They always bring him straight back at feeding time :) it's the funny thing about nursing!)

And guess what...I took more pics!

Bug with her friend Mac.

My crazy boy!

Sweet Girl with BFF.

Our goofball nephew Ry.

Ace had a great time being tossed in by "Napin!"

Anybody who has tried to pick up Ace lately now knows how strong "Napin" is!

Just a few of our church family hanging out, enjoying the entertainment.

And my sweet Bug, who wanted nothing to do with the diving board, but has proved herself as a fearless pyrotechnic this year!

We wrapped up our weekend with the actual 4th of July.

We made our way to Granny and Poppy's small town for their festivities.

Hubs grilled burgers and hotdogs for a late lunch/early supper, then we pulled our lawn chairs out to watch the parade, that went right by the house!

Why yes, that is Uncle Sam...in his golf cart!

After the parade, there was a mean game of baseball...

Everybody got in on the fun!

I anticipate that next year Carlos will be in the thick of this next year...

but this time, he just chilled!

And, probably the funniest part of the afternoon,

Bug giving Hubs ballet lessons!

Cracked me up!

She became quite the ballerina this year!

After all that fun, we cooled off in the house before heading a couple of blocks over to watch the fireworks.

It was a great show, and we had the best seats!

I am so proud of Ace for finally conquering his fear of fireworks...he ended up having the best time next to his Aunt LeighLeigh!

It was the most fun weekend in a while.

I'm so thankful for all of the family time!

Hubs and I have gotten so used to not spending holidays together because of our weird schedules, so this was a real treat.

Hope you all had a great Independence Weekend!

2 Weeks!

Yesterday marked 2 weeks of having Carlos in our arms.

Also, marked his actual "due date.

I already wonder what we ever did without him in our family...

well, except for sleep more than 3 hrs at a time :)

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Hubs bought a new camera in anticipation of Carlos, but honestly, I've not been using it like I should...it makes me nervous.

It takes great pictures, but I'm scared of caring it around.

But, this weekend, I decided to keep it out and use it.

I'm trying my best to soak in all of our moments this  summer.

It becomes more and more real every day that these are the last of our baby days and I want to be able to remember all of this time together.

So...

Carlos is 2 weeks old.

He's in size 1 diapers

Nurses like a champ

Sleeps a lot

Has about 2 "awake"stretches a day

(We appreciate when the last one takes place BEFORE 11pm)

Makes funny faces like ACE

Is the best snuggler

Is just a sweet boy.

And I feel like, over the weekend, he grew 2 inches.

We are loving this boy!

Oh So Random...

Friday we had to travel "to town" for some errands.

After hair cuts, a Dr. appointment, and a run to Sam's we were all ready for lunch.

Hubs decided to head to one of our favorite BBQ places.

What happened next will go down as probably one of the most random, exciting things for him ever.

I'm worried it may trump the recent birth of his new son.

OK, so as we walked in one door, Josh Hamilton and his wife walked in the other.

I'm not joking...Hubs could barely form a complete sentence.

He might have peed his pants.

Josh is his most favorite baseball player...

he spent the night outside in the cold with his brother and SIL for the chance to meet him this winter.

I had to take over ordering and paying for lunch, because he couldn't quit staring.

It was really cute :)

Turns out, the guy is super nice.

Hubs let him finish his lunch and took the kids out to meet him, and he spent about 5 min talking to them.

SIL drove like a mad woman with Uncle J's Josh Hamilton jersey and bat.

Here's a few pics we got...

This is ACE finally finding out who Hubs was talking about

It was priceless.

Ace loves to watch Josh hit "bombdiggities" aka homeruns!

Thank-you Josh Hamilton for deciding to eat lunch at our favorite BBQ joint...

you made my family's day!

Staying Busy...

One of our biggest challenges being at home as a family of 5 has been...

being at home.

We are normally a very "out and about" family, 

so I shouldn't be surprised about Cabin Fever.

It's been made worse by 100 degree outside temps.

So, we've done a lot of chilling in the AC...

and have gotten creative with at home activities...

We've turned the sprinkler on the trampoline

and I even bought Play-dough...

(for those who don't know me well, I HATE the stuff...

however, it keeps the "big kids" occupied and busy for extended periods of time)

This is Bug's Solar System...

Yes, those are all the planets.

She specifically demanded requested a picture be taken and

"put on Facebook or the Internet".

What is the world coming to??

We've also been trying to spend as much time in the evenings, after dinner, when the heat is tolerable outside.  Ace loves to play baseball and golf.  Bug has taken an interest in basketball and been practicing her dribbling up and down the driveway!

Last night some of our neighbors were shooting fireworks down the street.

Ace headed indoors (hates them), Bug and I (and Carlos) watched for a few minutes...

the poor guy was getting a little sweaty snuggled up to me, so I plopped him down in Ace's chair for a few minutes...so cute!

That's what we're up to lately...

hope all of you are finding fun ways to stay cool and avoid Cabin Fever! 

We're looking forward to a busy holiday weekend...

lots of family and friends will be meeting out new guy for the first time,

we're going to try out a long day trip in hopes that Carlos is as good of a traveler as Bug and Ace were,

and Oh, do we have a fun story to blog for later!

On another quick note...

Carlos had a well baby visit this morning.

Here's his new stats...

Up to 8lbs 14oz (from 8lb 9oz last week)

and has grown a whole 3/4in!

He's a perfect, growing, healthy boy!