Busy Summer Days...in reverse

It's been really busy around here these days! I've made a few attempts to sit down and update the blog, but haven't been successful! And, boy, do I have several blogs waiting to be done! :)
But, here's a quick picture update to catch you up on our summer so far. And to make it a little different, we're going to go in reverse order!

Our little man is now 8 weeks old in this picture! By the time this blog posts, he'll be 9 weeks. This was his first time in the Bebe pod chair. He did pretty good and lasted several minutes in it before getting worn out from trying to keep his head up. He's getting stronger everyday, holding his head up longer, kicking his feet to move his body, and he's also cooing and smiling all the time! It melts my heart when he smiles and coos at me. I'd give him the world if I could every time he does that!


Our big girl is now sitting at the table instead using a booster tray. She's also pacie free! The day she turned 21 months old, we said bye bye to the pacie. Jay and I had decided it was time since she was starting to chew through them. Not wanting her to choke on them, we said goodbye. I let her put it in her mouth one last time as she and I walked to the trashcan that night at bedtime. I opened the trash lid and said for her to throw it in. Normally, she's really good at putting the pacie back in her crib or on the shelf (so she can't get it when it's not naptime) when mommy or daddy picks her up after naptime. But, there was no way she was going to throw it in the trashcan! She knew she wasn't getting it back once it went in there! So, mommy had to do it. And although, Jadyn complained a little bit that night, she did really good and fell asleep pacie free. The next morning, she even woke up with a smile! It's been 3-4 days now without the pacie. She's asked for it a couple of times, but all I have to do is remind her that pacie's all gone and she's fine. Now, she asks for her 'bwankie'. :-D It's funny that she's always had the blankie and the pacie, and it was always the pacie she asked for. She didn't skip a beat in now asking for the blankie since there's no more pacie.

Here's the pacie collection the night we said goodbye to them. (Can you say A LOT! LOL) Not pictured are the 2 I had already thrown away since they had been chewed through. I didn't have the heart to throw these away and have safely hidden them in a drawer high out of reach of Jadyn. They are one of my several reminders of my once baby girl....
The Sappington Family enjoyed a night at Six Flags on Aug. 7th. It was Jadyn's and Eli's first trip there. It was a very HOT and HUMID evening, but it was a fun one spent with family and friends!

Relatives come a calling!


Aunt Kim and cousin Heidi came for a whirlwind visit a couple of weeks ago. The picture above shows siblings (Eric, Stephanie (my mom), and Kim. Uncle Eric lives in Dallas and my mom lives in Mansfied. The picture below shows Aunt Kim getting to meet Eli for the first time. She had lots of smooches for him! We loved getting to see her and Heidi and look forward to our visit with them when we go to Phoenix in January!!!
We have had many playdates with our buddies this summer. One of Jadyn's best buds is Andrew. One day, we went to the mall to stay out of the heat and to play in their playplace and ride the carousel.


Going to the mall is fun for everyone and it's great at wearing out little bodies before naptime. :-D


Jadyn LOVES shoes! She likes to 'walk' around in daddy's and mommy's shoes. See the big smile on her face? Yup, my girl's a shoe lover! I can already tell she's going to also a lover of shoe shopping!!

I got to join my sister, Sara, and buddy Liz on a girls' weekend getaway. It was great to take a break and get away (Eli went along with us). We drove to Avinger, TX and stayed in a cottage where Liz's in-laws own property. We enjoyed the shops and sites in Jefferson, TX while there. Lots of laughs and smiles happened that weekend!

Jadyn also LOVES to dance! :)

She's quite the girly girl! She likes, shoes, dancing, hats, and...


jewelry!

My little Pigtail Pie is also a cleaner! Here, she's having 'fun' cleaning the floor! I wonder if that'll continue as she gets older....? hmmmm?

Eli's getting bigger all the time. He's more alert now...cooing and smiling. I love to just hold him and 'talk' to him. One of my favorite things to do is to lay in bed and cuddle with him.
Jadyn has become quite the copycat these days. She's such an observer and quick to learn. I 'caught' her one day (and several times after that) trying to pump just like mommy does. LOL!!! I had never even shown her how to do that. She learned just by watching mommy! I thought it was the funniest thing!
Chunky man snoozes while his Aunt Jenn graduates from culinary school.
He's our little pea pod...in more ways than one! This kid sure goes through his diapers! :-D
Here, he's chilling in the backyard while his big sister plays. Our times outside are short as it gets hot FAST!
Jadyn loves to play on her playground. Thank you to cousins, Josh and Rebekah, for passing it on to her after they outgrew it!!!


So, that's a quick update on some of what we've been up to! We've had many more playdates and friends come to visit us. Go to our Picasa web page to see who we've seen and what else we've been up to!

I hope to have more time to blog soon. One blog to come soon...how much Jadyn's baby pictures compare to Eli's... :)

Love you all! Goodnight