4th of July in Hot Springs

This year we went on a Mattern family vacation to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We stayed in a house on Lake Hamilton with Greg's parents, sister's family, and brother (we missed you Mel Mel!) for a week and had a great time.

Hot Springs is a 6.5 hour drive without stops. I was not looking forward to the drive but it really wasn't too bad. We left at 7:30 am and stopped a couple hours in for an IHOP breakfast. We drove a couple more hours then stopped at a small children's museum and Sonic for lunch. Then we pressed on for the final stretch and no one threw up, yay! The kids were so excited to see their cousins.

That evening we all loaded in the boat to enjoy the fireworks show from the water. I was nervous how Colton would do on the boat but he was adorable in his baby life jacket and was so calm and relaxed. Holding my sleeping 8 month old while watching fireworks on a peaceful summer night was the perfect way to celebrate the 4th.

We went out on the boat almost everyday (and sometimes twice a day). Cambry and Hollyn loved being pulled and bounced around in the tube. The guys took turns wake surfing and did great. We all enjoyed swimming in the lake except for Lainey who preferred to just stick her legs in.

The guys went fishing one day and caught huge fish. I think these were personal records for all of them.

One day we went to a really cool children's science museum. Another day we went downtown and toured some of the original bath houses and then ate lunch. We also visited these pretty gardens where they had a fun scavenger hunt bingo for the kids and we got to see a peacock super close. For some reason there were a lot of fits on that particular outing but in between the crying we had a good time.

Colton was a MAJOR mama's boy on the trip. If he even caught a glimpse of me while I was not holding him (i.e. Someone is holding him and I walk past the kitchen) he would start crying. A couple times I tried wearing a head scarf of sorts so he would not recognize me, ha! 

I got mastitis at the beginning of the week and Greg actually got sick on the trip for several days. We weren't sure if it was a stomach bug or food poisoning but thankfully no one else got it. Although no one had to visit urgent care this trip so that's a plus!

Overall it was a wonderful trip and great to spend time together with everyone. The weather was beautiful and the boat was so much fun. The drive home was not too bad either. Colton did amazing. I think he cried for about 30 seconds the whole time and was otherwise happy as a clam. A certain 2 year old was not a fan of being in the car that long but I really can't blame her.

We are thankful for a wonderful vaca with the Mattern family!

July Catch Up

I hate getting so behind on my blog! My last post was Colton's 8 month update and it's about time to write his 9 month update! So much has been going on around here.

First of all, we have been making preparations to move to the Woodlands. We are doing some remodeling to our house up there so there have been a lot of meetings and research. Way too many decisions for 2 indecisive people. What do you mean what kind of baseboards do we want? There are more than 1 kind?? First world problems, I know.

We have also been getting our house ready to sell. We de-cluttered, packed things away, and put it on the market right before we left for vacation. Even though I think this will be a good move for our family, it makes me sad to sell our house.

For the last 2 weeks we have been on vacation. It was such a nice long break from the norm. Both our families planned wonderful vacations that just happened to be back to back. It actually turned out to be the best thing as it allowed us to be gone while our house showed, and we really only had to pack once. We came home for 1 day in between and washed all the clothes then put them right back in our suitcases.

The week before we left on vacation Cambry attended VBS at the church of her preschool. She had a blast and got to see several of the kids from her class. They gave out a CD of the VBS songs and Cambry has been singing them ever since. They also had an open house at the end that Greg took her to where they performed some of the songs. I am going to miss that church/preschool and the fact that it is walking distance!

Our good friends, the Gentrys, moved a couple weeks ago. We have been in small group with them since we were newlyweds. I can barely remember those days when we were all young and wrinkle free and kid-less. We have been through a lot of pregnancies, vacations, holidays, and weekly bible studies with our small group. We will miss them tons, as well as all the couples in the group since we are moving too! Our group had a going away party for the Gentrys right before they left and it was bittersweet. We are lucky to have been part of such a great group for so many years. There were 16 kids there and that didn't include the Attaway boys. Daaaaang that's a lotta kidz. And clearly this is the best picture we could get.

This week it's back to reality after our double vacation-athon. I will be working on those blog posts soon with way too many kid pictures because there was cuteness overload. And I still need to do a 4.5 year post for Cambry and then a 9 month post for Colton. Stay tuned!

Colton 8 Months

Size: According to our scale at home you weigh about 18.2 lbs. You still seem very tall since you are in 12 month sleepers. Most of your other clothes are around 9 months.

Eat: You nurse about every 3 hours during the day. You are very easily distracted so I try to nurse you in another room when I can, but it is not easy to sneak away from your sisters. You still have not expanded your palate beyond milk. You do not eat any baby food. We try occasionally, and you make a face that is a mixture of offense and disgust. Then you no longer open your mouth for more. So, uh, yeah. Not sure what to do about that. Update: You like sucking on watermelon in your mesh feeder. That's a start!  

Sleep: You are a great sleeper. You go down for naps and night time on your own with no crying and you almost always sleep through the night. You are completely addicted to your lovie. You lost interest in your paci but you basically use your lovie as a paci because you find the corners and suck on them. You usually take 2 naps a day (9am and 2pm approximately), but occasionally you still need that third cat nap in the evening.

Likes/Dislikes: You love to be held. You want to be around someone at all times. You love to watch Cambry dance and run around. Lainey's love is still a little overwhelming to you. Her hugs are like headlocks. You like baths, especially now that you are getting good at sitting up and can take them together with the girls. You want to grab everything in sight. You love to be tickled, and "thrown" in the air.

Skills: Your sitting has really improved. Although I still don't leave you unattended while sitting (since you will eventually topple straight back), you can sit for a long time. You push up on your arms a lot and just now you figured out how to get into plank position and all fours. You are starting to scoot a little too. Sometimes you scoot backward instead of forward, but you are trying hard.

Your two top teeth have popped through so your tooth count is up to 4! Your shaggy hair is just the cutest. Although Daddy is ready for me to cut your side "wings". But I told him you were just going for this look. Anyone else seeing the resemblance here?

Maybe we'll trim them up this week.

Love you Colton Brooks!

First Few Weeks of Summer

Lainey went in for her eye check up recently and everything looked great! I can't believe it has been 2 years since her strabismus surgery. She gets her eyes checked every 6 months and it makes me a little nervous each time. But thankfully there was no need for glasses at this time and her alignment looks good!

June 2014

Nana and Pops came to visit us recently. We enjoyed their company and the kids loved all the attention from their grandparents. We didn't do anything too exciting but we ran a few errands and ate at Ruggles for dinner.

This summer we have been spending a lot of time at indoor playgrounds. Our church and another nearby church both have nice play areas that we have been putting to good use. They are much safer than outdoor playgrounds for Lainey, they are air conditioned, free, and provide physical activity for the girls. Colton enjoys watching his sisters run around. I am reminded what a joy it is to have siblings. Cambry and Lainey love playing with eachother when we go places and I know Colton will be joining in on the fun one day too.

Greg and I had a date night a couple weeks ago when our church had PNO. We tried out a new restaurant called Provisions, then ended the night at Black Walnut for coffee and dessert. The kids were all wide awake when we picked them up from child care but they did good!

Colton still hates all baby food. Here is his reaction to applesauce. APPLESAUCE. It was as if I gave him pureed Brussel sprouts. BUT he has been a wonderful sleeper at night so I forgive him for hating all food.

I have been trying to be more active lately and get the girls more active too. Cambry would be perfectly content staying at home all day playing with her dollhouse dolls. She has a wonderful imagination and is very creative in her play. But I know it is good for her to get a little exercise and Lainey too. That's why we have been going to the indoor playground often and we have been going on a lot of family walks after dinner. Greg and I are like the stroller club bringing the single and double stroller since all the kids love to ride. Cambry does get out towards the end and jog/walk a little ways so that's something. Although the first night we tried it out Greg carried Lainey in the hiking carrier, Colton wouldn't stop crying so Greg held him too, and Cambry was grumpy because she wanted to be in the black stroller, not the green. Basically we were all miserable while pressing on in the name of family fun. But all our other walks have been great and I have been enjoying the exercise.

And finally, a big change is coming for our family. We are moving to the Woodlands! I will have to write a separate post about that later with details but it is keeping us busy with all the logistics. I think it will be a good thing for us but we are sad to leave our family, friends, church, neighbors, therapists, doctors, preschool, and everything here.

Memorial Day Weekend

We enjoyed a 3 day weekend with lots of family time. Saturday after breakfast we hung out around the house for a bit and then headed to the park with a picnic lunch. We thought Lainey would love the splash pad but she didn't even want to go in. So the girls played on the playground for a while, then we ate our lunches and headed back home.

That evening I went to see a sweet girl's high school graduation. I was her small group leader 6th-8th grade and she has also been our babysitter for the past couple of years. We are very proud of the young lady she has grown to be and are so sad she will be moving away in the fall! I should have taken a pic at the graduation. Oops.

Sunday we went to church and then mostly hung out at home. Later that evening I went to another graduation of a sweet girl I also had in my small group years ago. It was a special time to celebrate all that she has accomplished.

Monday we went with our friends to their neighborhood pool. It was overcast and the water was a little chilly but Cambry was loving it. Again, we were shocked that Lainey did not want to get in. She loved sitting on the edge and playing with some toys in the water but if I picked her up over the water she went all "high knees" on me. Maybe it was too cold for her. Hopefully she will enjoy the pool when it gets warmer. Although it's not like we will be going a ton. 3 kids + pool is definitely not something I can handle solo. But anyway, there are always weekends. Colton didn't get in the water either but we didn't really attempt to put him in because of the temp. He did rock his super cute swimsuit loaned out from his buddy, Luke, though.

Thankful for all those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Happy Memorial Day!