Jake is 7 Months Old

Jake has reached a few milestones at his 7 month birthday. The most significant one is that he is crawling!

He likes to crawl/walk with his right foot pushing off and his left knee moving forward.

It is time to baby proof!

He was so proud of himself when he crawled over to the stairs and looked over the edge! Time for a gate.

He has also had his first dress up session with Lucy. She made him "fancy" and he was a good sport through it all.

While he is still my greatest challenge, I love this cute kid! He still doesn't sleep through the night and I cannot get him to eat solid food. This kid just wants to nurse and he is very stubborn! He also needs my full attention at all times and makes it hard for me to get anything done. But we love him and the kids still can't keep their hands off of him! He has started babbling and says "dada". The kids are convinced this is his first word even though I try to explain he is just making sounds. I still love it that he prefers me and that when I pick him up he always gives me kisses. While I find myself wondering what to do with such a stubborn kid, I am so happy that Jake is a part of our family.

Video Game Junkies

Should I really be encouraging this?

It looks like Jake is really getting the hang of it! And Noah's mind is wasting away...

Feeling Patriotic

Cheetos and a comfy chair...what more do you need?

Jake's view from the stroller.

The amazing Thunderbirds! By far the best part of the show.

Lucy's response to the Thunderbirds!

Last weekend we were able to go to the air show and it was amazing! As we watched the planes and listened to the inspiring music I was feeling very proud to be a part of the Air Force. I will admit that when we first joined the Air Force I was a little apprehensive about it. My plan was to stick it out for our time committment and then get out! But I have found my feelings have changed about this job and I am so proud to call our family a "military family."

First Day of School!

Look at my 1st grader!

3rd grade is very cool.

Getting ready for the walk down the hill to the bus stop. Lucy decided she needed her backpack and purse as well. So we loaded up the stroller and headed out at 7:30 am!

On the way to the bus. I am so glad that Noah and Grace have always been good friends. If you can't tell, in this picture they are holding hands. I keep wondering when Noah is going to decide he is too cool for his little sister. I hope that never happens!

I love it that my kids have each other! It makes things like riding the bus seem so much less scary when you can do it together!

We are all so excited for the start of another school year. It is such a blessing that we are able to have 3 years at the same school! Noah was especially grateful when he found out we were not moving and that he would be able to stay at the same school and keep his same friends. My kids love school and that makes the school year fun! They got on the bus Tuesday morning and I had to yell goodbye 3 times before Grace finally said, "bye mom". Noah never even looked back. I guess I should just be grateful they love to go and are not shy about it and not feel bad that they didn't want me to take them on their first day.

The End of Lazy Summer Days

The kids wanted one last party before starting school again. So we had 11 kids plus 2 babies running amuck in the backyard for a few hours. (ok, so the babies weren't exactly running) With donuts and chips and a few healthy snacks that no one wanted to eat and lots and lots of water! Noah and I filled 100 water balloons for this event. (can I just say I hate filling water balloons! The things we do for our kids...) We also filled up the pool to put at the bottom of the slide and had a sprinkler on the trampoline. It was quite the party and a great way to end our summer vacation!

The girls

The boys

Snacks on the porch

Could Not Resist...

adding one more picture! I love this kid.

You really need to click on it to get the full effect.

Without Looking Through The Lens

We went swimming yesterday and I was trying to get pictures of Jake without anyone looking over my shoulder to get his attention....so I decided to try an old trick I learned in my photography class long ago. These were taken without looking through my lens and I am so glad I did not miss these expressions. So cute! A little off center, but more artistic!