August

August was a wonderfully busy month!  We went on vacation to Townsend, Tennessee--thanks for the cabin stay Joel & Alzina and Rachel :)  First we stayed at the cabin with the Millers, then the Weedmans came and stayed with us.  Baby Darby was a trooper, but on this trip she really dug in her heels!  A little nursing strike, coupled with refusal to nurse "on the go" kinda cramped my style.  Admittedly, I did not take as many pictures as I should have--I am missing pictures of the Millers and the Weedmans.  Arg. 

I should say more about this wonderful baby.  Darby aka dew aka dewdrop aka junebug aka dee aka deedee is the BEST.  She is so, so, so sweet, always smiling.  Even when she fusses she sometimes tries to smile through the tears.  She likes to sleep a lot, but not in the car (YIKES).  She gets overstimulated pretty easily, but a little cuddle with her binkie usually gets her through any situation.  She has blue eyes--if they stay blue, she's the only one of us with baby blues.  Guess she gets it from her Pop-Pop and/or Grandpa.  She is very alert--the comments I get most are--"she's so alert," "look at those bright eyes," and of course "look at all that hair."  She is constantly chomping on her fist, fingers, or any blanket she can grab.  

Beck and Ramsey ADORE this child.  I honestly thought there would be more jealousy and resentment since I spend so much time with Darby.  They are truly thrilled whenever Darby wakes up, and are easily distracted by whatever awesome thing Darby is doing (kicking her feet, smiling, drooling, anything really).   

Let me say here that having three kids feels super crazy.  I am exhausted.  But my heart is so full most days, especially since Beck turned four and transformed back into my sweet boy (YES!).  We had such a fun birthday party for him at our house.  The party featured water balloons that I spent quite a while blowing up and using a turkey baster to add water--apparently, this method is totally stupid, and it leads to the balloons only having a tablespoon of water in them--big dummy!  But all's well that ends well, I suppose.  One of Beck's friends commented, "this is the best party I've ever been to."  This was clearly an overstatement, but really the kids did have a blast.  Throwing water balloons off of our deck was a real thrill for them. 

              

Here is Beck, watching a Beck video :)

Cousin time is so precious.  

Look at those crazy eyes!

 Matt and Darby during Sunday School.

Happy birthday Beck!

The dishes, oh the dishes.  

 We did our summer reading!  

Lunch in the clubhouse :)

Frying Pan Farm--love those Erbs.

Beck's birthday party--I printed out a zillion superhero coloring pages.

Water balloon relay race.

Food and cupcakes.  Beck loves Jack West, who is totally 8 years old.  Beck doesn't seem to notice.

 These two with the posing!

Games with Grandpa and Tommy.

LOVE :) Aunt Emily

Wrestling with Uncle Jon

 After Church with Grandpa

A picture capturing the constant chomping

Playdate with reading?  Ok.

You gotta watch Bella--she loves to sidle up to Darby.  Bella even stands outside Darby's door when Darby is crying.  She is really protective of Darby, it's cute.

Wrestlemania

Baking time

Pool baby

Matt showed off some of his awesome diving and flipping moves

Beck wanted to jump so badly, but in the end, he couldn't.   I was proud because he fought off some pretty intense peer pressure.  Way to stick to your gut son!

We enjoyed biking to the pool this summer.  Beck and Ramsey rode their bikes to the pool, and Matt rode his bike with the bike trailer.  I walked while pushing Darby in the stroller.  Then after our time at the pool, Beck and Ramsey rode home in the bike trailer.  It was a good system.

Our sleepy, precious baby.  She falls asleep with her binkie in her mouth and the sleeves of her wearable blanket on her face, then after she is "out" she puts her arms out in a "T."  Did I mention how sweet she smells?  It is intoxicating!

Ramsey's picture of me, "Christine."

A little summer ice cream at Cold Stone.  Once we got there, they said they were not accepting credit cards because their machine was down.  Well, I didn't have cash, so I asked if they could accept a check.  The clerk initially said no, but we were persistent, so she called the manager and he agreed.  Phew!

Tummy time!

Look at those chunk-a-dunks!  This was after her 4-month appointment when she got shots in both thighs.

Fierce!  When practicing with the kids, I tend to focus on how fierce their faces look.  Luckily, Matt has helped them with their swings!

All 3 kids have worn this outfit--Aunt B and Uncle John gave it to Ramsey as a gift years ago.

Beck hit his front tooth when he was 2, and unfortunately when he visited the dentist in August, she discovered that it was slightly loose and infected.  So, we had to go to an oral surgeon and have it removed.  He was so brave.  They used laughing gas, and he was so excited about the tooth fairy's visit.  This was the first time the tooth fairy visited our house, so he was pretty proud--he doesn't get to have many "firsts" around here!

 A familiar scene--this is Matt leaving for work on a Friday in his blue jeans.  So handsome!

This picture is almost beyond description.  I don't know how this happened.  Angela came to pick up Sloane and Ezra, and while she and I were chatting, this scene unfolded.  Clothing was shed, and they somehow climbed on top of her van.  And they seriously wouldn't get down.  Crazy kids!