Is it already time to eat again?

I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, this is just a journal entry for myself so I can look back on it and be grateful I am past this stage (although I think this activity lasts for years...) It seems like I get both girls cleaned up (which includes hands, faces, ears, necks and hair) after they eat, along with their trays, their chairs, and the floor and I turn around and it's time to do it all over again! Also, other than the fact they are adorable and great eaters, the actual activity we do 3 times a day isn't all that enjoyable for me either. I haven't figured out how to feed three kids and myself all at the same time. Usually Caleb is whining, both girls are screaming for more and I'm running around the kitchen like a maniac. So, does anyone have any helpful suggestions?

A Mover and a Sitter!

A mover and a sitter! It's a good thing it's not two movers because I have really needed the refresher course on what a mobile baby means - and I'm glad I'm relearning before I have TWO eating dog food, going for the staircase, hanging onto my ankles and getting caught under the furniture!

Good purchase!

Because I can't realistically take all three kids to the swimming pool, I thought it would be fun to purchase this water playmat I saw in a catalog...I think it's going to be the best $19.95 I'll spend all summer! And yes, I bought the fun water thing before I bought bathing suits for the girls! When the hose is hooked up to it and turned on, water sprays up everywhere. That was Caleb's favorite part of course but the girls couldn't decide. They loved just hanging out in the little pool of water after the spray was gone, kicking and splashing. We all had a great time!

Our neighbors have a great swing set that they let us use whenever we want and in the late afternoon the trees in their yard provide some shade. So we braved the humidity and the mosquitos (yes, it's only the first week of June!) and had some fun taking pictures. The girls love to swing, especially when Caleb pushes them!

Here are "during" and "after" bathtime shots of Avery. Don't you just want to squeeze her? (I do all the time!) Now that the girls are sitting on their own I think I'll be able to give them baths more often (I think). The poor girls hardly know what it's like to be in the water cause I don't get them in the bathtub more than once a week! I still can't bathe them together though and I didn't feel comfortable taking my hands off Presley yet to get a good picture of her.

An eventful couple of days

Our good friends Josh and Kristina Rolph came to stay with us over the weekend. They live in Virginia, near DC and they made the 5 hour road trip down with their 17 month-old twin boys, Michael and Sam. So, we had five fun kiddos in our home. Caleb loved the boys and they loved him back. He definitely got a taste of what it's like to share all his stuff with busy little toddlers, which he'll be doing a lot of in the next year! We had a great time catching up with Josh and Kristina (after all the kids were in bed of course!)

Then on Monday afternoon Caleb was trying to tell me there was a hole in the carpet at the top of the stairs. I kept telling him there couldn't be a hole, and he kept insisting. It turned out the hole was the indentation in the carpet from the water drip that was coming from the ceiling. To make a long story a bit shorter, it turns out our water heater has caused a lot of damage. The ceiling and wall by the girls room and even the carpet was soaked. So some insurance restoration guys came this afternoon right after the girls had fallen asleep. I had to wake them so they could cut the wall, pull up carpet and install huge fans to dry everything out. So tonight I put them both to bed downstairs in the playnpacs in the guest room and we are still waiting for the water heater people to come and install a new one (they were supposed to be here 3 hours ago!). Who knows how long the fans and the mess and people coming to work on everything will be happening, so I guess my girls will learn to sleep together again...:)Anyway, we're a bit misplaced, but fine, and thankful for insurance and thankful that it didn't happen Saturday morning when our guests were arriving. We all would have had to go and get a hotel room together, ha ha.

I love this stage!

I've decided that my 6 1/2 month old girls are at an ideal stage that will disappear at any moment. They both love to sit up and play. Avery is the best at it, Presley still takes a dive once in a while. It's a perfect moment in their lives because they are happy and entertained easily while sitting there, and more importantly for mom, they SIT there and aren't moving all over the place yet. It is a fleeting moment...if Avery is on her stomach she is getting very good at rolling and turning and even scooting backward.

This was a very unlike-Caleb thing to do. He very rarely likes to get messy but I guess this banana split was just way too delicious. After he finished using his spoon, he gave it to his dad and picked up the bowl. We couldn't help but laugh out loud and of course that was all the encouragement he needed!