Kinnick--8 Months

I seriously can not believe how much my little boy has grown up in the last couple of months. He has changed so much! Last week he was crawling around the kitchen as I was cooking and he pulled out some Tupperware bowls that Sadie used to play with a lot. When I saw him do that I wanted to cry b/c it was such a reminder of how much both of them have grown... Kinnick is ALWAYS on the move. He doesn't sit still at all. He still does his funny crawl (he gets on hands & knees and thrusts himself forward onto his belly), but he has become VERY efficient at it. He also bear walks on his hands & feet at times. He continues to be smiley & laid back--we really enjoy him a lot!
He finally started sitting up by himself... Yeah!

...and about a day after he started sitting he pulled himself up. He not likes to pull up on everything and has even started cruising a bit.

Kinnick LOVES table food. He reminds me of his sister in this aspect. He eats it faster than I can get it too him and he yells if he is not getting food fast enough. Since he started table food, he doesn't really like anything that I have to feed him w/ a spoon (besides yogurt--he really enjoys that!) If he sees anyone w/ food he gets himself to them quickly.

Since he has started sitting, we've been putting him in the big bathtub (although he is usually on his belly kicking up a storm!) He loves the bathtub and Sadie loves taking baths with him.

His favorite summer activities are swinging & swimming. He went in the sandbox for the first time today and enjoyed that also. We go for stroller rides everyday, but he is usually pretty mellow during those times. Yesterday we tried the bike trailer for the first time--he enjoyed that also.

Hotel Fun

Last week my Mom had a conference in Bloomington. It was Monday thru Friday so she invited the kids and I to come stay for a couple of nights. We had a great time! We went Tuesday after naps and came home Thursday morning. We did a lot of shopping and a lot of swimming. On Wednesday while my mom was at her conf. Kassie and I took the kids to the spray park for a picnic. (This is where we went a few weeks ago and Sadie loved it!) We had a great time. Naps in the hotel room didn't go so well, but bedtime was (thankfully) not too painful.

Kinnick likes turkey sandwich from Subway! (He usually out-eats his sister at most meals!)

Sadie loved running around in her swimsuit. At one point a bucket of water dumped on her head and she closed her eyes and went running (and crying) away from the water. After I explained what had happened and pointed out the water buckets, she was able to laugh about it. She retold the story many times that afternoon & evening!

Sadie also LOVES to climb. She's pretty adventurous and will attempt most anything. She enjoyed all of the climbing equipment and the BIG slides!

Kinnick loved the swings as always!

Swimming w/ Aunt Kassie. The water was a bit chilly, but it didn't phase Kinnick at all--he LOVED it!

Sadie is enjoying the special "treat" that Grandma & Aunt Kassie picked out for her--pinnacolado drink and chocolate chip cookies--she was a huge fan!

Happy Anniversary!

On July 16th, Marc and I celebrated our 4th anniversary! I can't believe how fast it's gone by (and how much our life has changed!) It's fun to think about everything we've accomplished in only 4 years and also fun to dream about what our future holds...

On the day of anniversary, we celebrated with a quiet dinner at home. The kids went to their sitter's and I picked up Olive Garden--it was super yummy. For dessert we had cupcakes from Coldstone Creamery--delicious! The next weekend my Mom & sister were here for a visit and they watched the kids while we went to see Harry Potter.

These were so yummy! (Thanks for the suggestion, Lindsey!)

Hancock County Fair

Two weeks ago, my niece Jadyn was in the "Little Miss" pageant at our county fair. The kids and I spent a few days at my parents' house so we could go watch her. We had a fun visit including a trip to Grandma Sue's school. It was neat to take to Sadie to the school playground where I grew up (although it's been updated!) I also had fun taking both kids to the fair I looked forward to attending each summer... When you live in a small town county fairs are a BIG deal!

Here are some pics from our trip:

Sadie & Jadyn after the pageant... Jadyn looked beautiful and did a great job!

Jaren & Kinnick

It was also arm-band night at the fair. Sadie LOVED riding rides w/ aunt Kassie and her cousins. They would run from one ride to the next and loved riding them over and over again!

See more pictures on Trista's Blog.

Cool & Creamy Chocolate Fondue

I had to share this recipe that we enjoyed at JoniKay's shower... It's SUPER easy and great in the summer w/ fresh fruits. (From Pampered Chef)

• 3/4 c. chocolate chips
• 1 container (8 oz.) cool whip--thawed
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• Assorted fruit dippers & pretzel rods

Place chocolate chips and 1/2 of cool whip in microwave and cook uncovered on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir and continue to microwave in 20-second intervals until smooth. Fold in remaining cool whip, cinnamon, & vanilla. Serve w/ fruit (strawberries, apple slices, pineapple, grapes, etc.) and pretzel sticks.

From Pampered Chef, All the Best Cookbook

Girl's Weekend

The 2nd weekend in July we had a girl's weekend. Jennifer, Stephanie and I (along w/ our 5 kids) met in Bloomington to go to the Miller Park Zoo & Spray Park. The zoo was fun... it was small, but a nice size to visit w/ little kids. Sadie was very excited to see the giant turtles. She also enjoyed the sea lions & otters (we were reading a book tonight w/ sea lions and she said "I saw them at the zoo w/ Grace & Faith & Hannah!")

This is Sadie showing Kinnick the otters!

All the girls (& Kinnick!)...

Grace & Sadie

They had this tropical rain forest exhibit that you could walk through--it had birds and a few monkeys. The girls enjoyed the little waterfall.

They had a small petting zoo w/ goats and a chicken. Sadie was a bit timid at first, but really got into brushing the goats along w/ Grace & Faith.

The girls had a good time at the spray park--I failed to get a picture of all the kids together.

The next day, we had JoniKay's shower. We got all the kids down for naps and actually had some adult time--it was perfect:

Me, Stephanie & Hannah, Jennifer & Faith, JoniKay

Sadie enjoyed the yummy drinks we had after her nap!

Garage Sale Success

Back in June we had our 3rd annual garage sale. We've been doing garage sales for the last few years with our friends, Ryan & Liz. I must admit that I really look forward to this weekend--in fact this year I woke up early on both Friday & Saturday! Our big money maker is always kids clothes and items, but we have some of the "typical garage sale junk". I love it when an older couple will walk up, take one look at ALL the tables of kids clothing and turn around to leave. This year Sadie helped me make baked goods to sale and all the money went to her and Kinnick's piggy banks--she LOVED putting the money in and even made the suggestion to share with Kinnick all on her own! For our two days of work (plus a few hours of set up) we made over $500 combined--not too bad. I think I'm getting better each year at learning how to organize ahead of time, price items, set-up, etc. We're thinking this year we will make it a bi-annual event!

Carson & Sadie decided the cooler of ice water would make a good swimming pool.

I had wanted to buy a new umbrella stroller with some of our profits (Sadie had a pink one). I splurged a bit on this stroller (although I did get it for $20 off!) and have already got ALOT of use out of it. I love how lightweight it is and how small it folds up, yet it is still sturdy and easy to push with a bit of storage underneath.

Ozarks Vacation

Over 4th of July weekend we took a trip to Osage Beach for a Henry family reunion. All of my immediate family (except my sister's fiance, Jack) were there; as well as my Grandma, all of my aunts & uncles and most of my cousins (and their little ones!) We were quite the crew!

Our plan was to do dinner Friday, dinner Saturday, and church/lunch on Sunday ALL together. The rest of the time was on our own... We had a great time (even though two of our cook-outs got rained out.)
After we got soaked at 4th of July evening cookout...

Kinnick now enjoys sitting in the big booster seat and eating as much table food as possible!

Jaren, Jadyn, & Sadie at 4th of July cook-out. (I failed to get a pic of all 4 cousins. I also did not get any picks of Sadie w/ her 2nd cousins b/c of all the rain!) Daddy & Sadie--our condo was right on the lake.

My little cutie :)

A big family game of dominoes. My parents, Jason & Trista, & Jordan stayed in this 3-bedroom condo. Marc & I, Jessica & Kassie (along w/ Wrigley, Denver, & Chloe) stayed in a 2 bedroom condo where we could have the dogs w/ us.

The kids did sparklers and we watched fire works from my parents' balcony.

On Sunday we rented jet skis. (We had planned to rent a boat also, but it was overcast and rainy so we decided on just the jet skis...)

Marc bought Sadie this little life jacket during our trip--she was very excited about it!

Marc, Sadie, Jadyn, & I rode together and Jordan, Kassie, & Jaren rode on another. We went for about an hour then let Marc and Jordan take them out alone. Sadie LOVED the jet ski. She kept saying "Faster!" I think she has inherited her daddy's love of water activities...

Hanging out...

On Sunday night we went out to eat, putt-putt golfing, and for ice cream. Kinnick enjoyed the golf game from his stroller.

Sadie really liked having her own club and ball.

Aunt Kassie and Sadie

See more pics on Trista's Blog!

Mom's Apple Crisp

This is a super-easy cobbler recipe from Pampered Chef. I love it b/c you can make it in the microwave (15 minutes!) and you can do it with any kind of fruit you want...

• 6 cups Granny Smith Apples (about 8 c.)
• 8 graham crackers, chopped
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. butter (melted)

Peel, core, & slice the apples in place in 9 x 13 stone. Place chopped grahams, b. sugar, flour, oats, & cinnamon in a large bowl and stir together. Melt butter and pour over top. Add butter to dry mixture and mix well. Sprinkle crumb mixture over fruit and microwave on HIGH for 14-16 minutes. Serve warm w/ ice cream!

Marc's parents came to visit this week and brought some delicious peaches, so we made this w/ peaches. You can use just about any kind of fresh fruit or even a can of pie filling. You can also make this in a 8x8 pan and do 1/2 the recipe.

From Pampered Chef, All the Best Cookbook

A Pleasant Surprise

Last week as I was packing for one of our trips, I got some coloring books out for Sadie and left her in room to entertain herself. I took Kinnick upstairs and we continued to pack. After awhile I got sidetracked on the computer. When I looked at the clock, I realized that I had not checked on Sadie (or heard from her) in over 30 minutes. I was a little bit nervous as to what I would find... nevertheless, I decided I should go check it out.

To my surprise I found her quietly sitting in the same spot I left her--peeling the wrappers off of her crayons!
Let me explain: The week after school got out, I brought home a tub of peeled broken crayons that my Kindergarten students had peeled for me. I also had a small bag of crayons that still needed peeled. I enlisted Sadie's help to peel, break, and sort the crayons into muffin tins by color. I had no idea that this activity would become a treasured past time! Ever since the crayon peeling activity, she cannot do any coloring unless her crayon is peeled.

I was very impressed with how neatly she lined up her crayons and made a little pile of all of the peelings... I wonder where she gets that trait from?


Who knew a 25 cent box of crayons could provide this much entertainment? A quarter well spent!

Nap Time...

or lack of. That's what I feel like sometimes! I shouldn't complain b/c my 2-year-old still takes 2 hour naps most days (and some days longer!) And typically her brother naps at the same time. From what I've heard from other moms, I should be happy with this. Sometimes I feel like it's a struggle to get this to happen (but totally worth it!)

I let Sadie take a few books to bed w/ her. If she gets out of her bed, I take the books away. Usually this is enough incentive for her to stay in bed...

Usually Sadie goes down for a nap first and I get some alone time w/ Kinnick. We play for a while, then he nurses and goes down for a nap also. Sometimes when I'm upstairs with Kinnick and I hear Sadie out of bed, I just ignore her and figure she'll fall asleep eventually (she always does!) On one of those occasions, I made it downstairs to check on her and discovered she had fallen asleep on the floor in front of her door. Later, I discovered why...

I guess it's hard to fall asleep on your bed when it looks like this!