6 Months Old....Can You Believe It???

Well, he's six months old now! Half a year has gone by? Really? Wow! I find it so hard to believe. Wait...don't I say that every month? This month has brought on some new fun. Baby food! Yes, we waited until he was 6 months before we started other foods. We are still breastfeeding and going strong, which I am super proud of. I breastfed all of my kids, but my older three I wasn't able or frankly didn't try as hard as I could have to bf past 4 months. Either working outside the home, surgery or illness with medication caused the milk to dry up. So this makes me happy. We are both still loving it! I can't say how special it is to me to be able to do this for him. He is such a happy boy!

All that rolling over from last month has come to sitting up. He can't sit himself up just yet unless he is already propped up, then from there he can raise up the rest of the way. He can hold himself in an upright position if you have him sitting up, and he really loves it.

There were just too many cute pictures not to share that we took this month.

This little boy has brothers who play with him all the time, he very seldom is left alone, which I try to give him so we don't end up with a spoiled little monkey, but who can deny him his brothers playing with him? Not me..lol Cody is the one I have to keep an eye on, he's constantly playing with him and trying to pick him up and he's not at the point where he makes sure all of his limbs are in a good postion before trying to move him. But MAN does he ever love this boy!

~Is this not the cutest!!!!!! Aidan was wearing his ACU onesie and Daddy came home from work, picked him up and I had to snap a few.

KISSES

Daddy working hard to feed Aidan.






We are so close to crawling it's killing me! He wants it soooo bad. He can get that butt in the air but then he's face down getting carpet burn on the face, or scooting backwards. He can get the head up and scoot but can't get the butt and legs to cooperate at the same time.lol It's so cute! Ekk, I'm afraid that next month I will be posting about him trying to pull up on things!

Back to School and a Little Catch Up on Mom and Dad.

Well, it's that bitter sweet time of year again.....Back to school! I loved it as a child, the new school clothes, the new supplies, the promises of new knowledge and new friendships....ahhh, I love that my boy's look at each coming year with as much enthusiasm. This year we had a few hitches to get over scheduling and a decision to make about their education. Here at Fort Polk your children can go to the North Polk Elementary which teaches head start-1st grade. Which is the school Matthew went to last year and is continuing there this year since he is in class with lil miss Taylor, a close family friends daughter. South Polk Elementary is 2nd-4th grade. Then for 5th grade on up your kids go off post. Eh, no biggie....so out of curiosity we drove past the school that Michael would be attending due to district lines.............OH HELL NAW! Both Matt and I had the same reaction. At first, as we drove down the street we were silent for the first pass of the school. It literally looked like there were meth labs next too the school. No fencing to keep the kids in and other's out. There was just this dropping feeling.

I sat in the car wondering...." Am I a snob?" is this what this is? I surely hope not. I sat there thinking about Michael going to school where he would be in a school with lower testing scores, and a slightly rougher crowd. Those children are just as deserving of a great education and I know so many families have their children enrolled in this school, but after some more research on the school from friends and online we decided that it was worth it to pull Michael from this school and enroll him in Pickering. Pickering is Elementary-High school, all in one building. Sitting there in the office enrolling Michael I felt so much better about my decision and Cody was so impressed he asked to be switched from South Polk to Pickering (hey this makes my day easier, instead of having three kids in three schools at least two would be at one and make my drop off and pick up a little easier), so....a little more paper work and tada....Michael and Cody are now Red Devils! They LOVE IT! Cody loves it because the classrooms have walls...ooooo, ahhhhh. They each have a homeroom teacher who teaches Eng, Lang arts, and spelling, and then a teacher for science, math and social studies. I could hardly tear them away from jabbering with their new teachers at the open house night. So far I feel GREAT about this. To each his own. And this school is just a better fit.

Michael and Cody about to walk into their new school. Aren't they just adorable!

Oma sent the kids a cute little outfit each and they loved them so much they begged to take some pictures for Oma. They ran off to grab matching balls..lol it was so cute. Take a look at Cody's hair...it's the last time for a while that you will see it like that...lol I'll post about the hair trauma another day.

As to catch up with Hottie Von Sexypants, he had a fun class over two weeks learning how to fly the Raven UAV. He loved it! When it comes time to re-up/ re-class (re-enlist in the Army) he may seriously consider reclassing (basicaly taking another job in the Army) as a UAV pilot. Which would basically have us going back to Ft. Huachuca for a few months ! YAY, we love Huachuca! We are still hoping for Germany too so maybe we'll luck out, get Huachuca for a few months, after Matt gets back from deployment next year (yes I'm already faux planning for Matt's return and he hasn't even left, I'm evidently impatient for it..lol) and then go off to Germany. Ohhhh how silly of my to even pretend to plan in an Army career...but hey I think all Army wives do try.

On another note, I've been very active in our Apache troop FRG, having a blast! We've been doing a lot of fund raisers, and have recently started being the troop "Welcoming Committee" making welcome baskets for our new families to the troop as well as being a POC (point of contact). A lot of the ladies we have are really active and it's nice! Our FRG group leader , Sherry had a little surprise for us at the meeting, a tiny silver spur, and a sweet little thank you/ award. Thanks Sherry.....Don't I look fabulous? Not really, oh well. Who doesn't just love being surprised...lol

What a random day

Michael was reading to Aidan almost all day long on and off and the two of them loved it!

Later when the kids opened a box of love from Nana and Grandaddy, Michael went and put on my heels...lol...BWWHAHAHA like I said.............blackmail for high school suckas!!!

We are lucky we didn't end up with a broken ankle..lol

Nana and Grandaddy's box was full of all sorts of fun! Toy Story silly bands, a skull sippy cup, candy and baby clothes that Hunter out grew! Nana and Grandaddy are always so sweet to make sure that when they send something to Aidan that they send a little something something for the other kids. We love ya'll!

5 Months Old

Well, Aidan is 5 months old today! Sniff, sniff! I love seeing him meeting his developmental marks and learning but it's bitter sweet to see him growing up so soon. He's still my little one and I need him to stay teeny tiny! Since we are still breastfeeding we haven't started baby food yet,(per discussion with pediatrician and researching breastfeeding- weaning to food) that will be a whole other venture in and of itself as I plan on doing home made baby food.....eep! I am tentative and very excited all at once about this.......As for Aidan's goings on this month.....

~Aidan's is sitting up a good bit more, he sits up straight and stays that way if being held, and can sit up unassisted for a few seconds....we are working on that one.

Aidan is SUPER social now. All smiles, giggles and coo's, left, right, and center. He's very into watching others eat so I know he's getting close to wanting to try. He's also a rolling monkey! Roll, roll, rolling all over the place! That and giggles! Oohhhhhhhhhhhh those beautiful giggles! We are such a lucky family to have kids that NEVER (well...have YET to complain about Aidan or helping him) they LOVE their baby brother so much! Michael was playing with Aidan and really had him cracking up. Sigh.....love those moments!!

I'm such a sucker Momma....this little one is still sleeping in our room because I can't bare to be parted with him at night just yet...so we use his real crib for play time and naps ( all the fluffy pillows, blankets, and so are removed before this just so those of you who would be worried about the EXTREME fluffiness of his bedding and smothering chances). Speaking of which I forgot how entirely frightening this movement stage is.....where they roll over in their sleep and could smother on blankets and so on....freaks me out! That and I am NOT prepared for the crawling!!! Must BABY PROOF HOUSE BEFORE MATT DEPLOYS!

Aidan getting a bath from Matty. Aidan LOVES water!!!! He's all about splashing and talking to you during his bath.

Toe grabbing! Soon he'll be sucking on those lil piggies.

There is a ton of squirming and shaking on tummy time (which he isn't hating so much now) he gets annoyed that he can't go and he wants to go, go, go!

See that face!!!!!! Our little punk rocker is just too cute! I am rather prejudiced though..lol

Naps..........sigh...I already miss the days where he would sleep for hours on end. Right now he takes 20 minutes naps all willy nilly throughout the day if you lay him down in the swing, his bed or anywhere else, but will sleep for 2-3 hours in my arms.....spoiled much? Haha...so my own fault!

But once he sleeps.....oh the beauty of a sleeping Angel.

Well.....that's it for now! Our angel is growing up, teaching me all about raising a baby all over again.....and cute as a button while he does it!

Reading Party

One of the fun things we do when Dad is out of town (to keep away the loneliness) is have a "reading party". Each kid grabs a book, or in Matty's case 5 small ones, a treat and climbs in Mom and Dad's bed. Lights go out, except for candles and one lamp, and it's silent, silent, silent (except of course for the rare giggle or oooooo out of the kids).

Michael was reading his "Oceanography" book, (which is massive), Cody is on "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and Matty was reading his "Lego firefighter's" book and I am reading part 4 of the Morganville Vampires series. Love them!

Matty just had to read to Aidan.....omg is that NOT TOO CUTE!!!!

I just love my boy's and I love their love of reading and love for each other (some days they really do care! lol).

Boy's....Mommy loves you all so much~!

Blueberries

This month we went to pick blueberries as a family and I have to say it was a really fun family activity! Suggestion.........uhhhhh where tennis shoes and bug spray..lol there were just a FEW spiders in the bushes...hehe. Our frg group leader Sherry happened to send out an email that suggesting this place (just out chaffee gate) yet another reason to be involved in frg....points for team frg! It was really fun! Even Captian grumpy pants fun. It was almost like kissmet, we (the boys and I) had been watching Food Network the night before, watching Alton Brown make blueberry pie and blueberry buckle and the kids REALLY wanted to try them out, and then there was the email from sherry just sitting there! Fate much?!

So after about 20 minutes in the blazing heat picking berries we had about a gallon (only $3.50!!! can you believe it!) and headed home. So my 1st attempt at a blueberry pie didn't turn out quuuuiiieeettt like I had planned....It wasn't pretty, which is one of my requirments for food to be acceptable for me to serve to my guests. That and I sort of doubled the recipe to make two pies and forgot to double the thickener....DURRRR ...It was a very ugly blueberry soup in a pie crust..lol but the recipe tasted great! We froze the rest so at least I can make another attempt. We are also planning to try the blueberry buckle ( a cross between a blueberry cake and cobbler),whole wheat blue berry pancakes and muffins! It's all in this new quest to try and eat healthier....yeah yeah so pie and cobbler and muffins aren't all that healthy but at least we are making deserts with a healthier fruit..lol