Poolside

With all of the birthday fun around our house in August, I realized that I'd neglected to post about some of our other summer fun. So before the summer is technically over (hey, it's not Labor Day yet!), I'll try to fill in the blanks.

Thanks to several sweet friends of ours with pools, we had our share of swimming this year. Jake & Mal were so much easier to corral in the pool this summer, partly due to age & partly thanks to their puddle jumpers. I love those things! Haylee hosted us several times, & my chaotic crew had a blast.

Me & my two little swimmers
Sometimes Beau joined the fun, sometimes he just napped on the porch. Either way, he was a sweet boy.Jake & Mallory loved having picnics on the porch after swim time.We also enjoyed a morning of swimming with friends one day at Sharon's neighborhood pool. It was such a great set-up for kids! They had a fun little wade pool with fountains that connected to the big pool. Mallory, off in Malloryland. Jake had fun being a bit mischievous with his friend, Sully.Me & my pool buddyWe also swam at Michelle's house, but I failed to get pictures that day. Thanks, friends, for adding to our summer fun!

Beau's First Bites

Beau had his first taste of rice cereal on Thursday. I had been planning to wait until he was six months old to start cereal, as I did with the twins, but he has started waking up around 5:00 in the mornings instead of sleeping until about 7:00. He seems famished when he wakes up, & I can't get him settled back down without feeding him. Not cool. I'm hoping that adding some sustenance to his days will keep him full through the night (& early morning). We'll see!

He was rather messy but seemed to be a fan of his cereal. I've also tried oatmeal cereal since then, & he also likes it. I'm planning to ramp up his eating pretty quickly & try some veggies this week. Hopefully, we can get on some sort of a schedule before the big kids start school in a week and a half.
Yummy!J was out of town the day I began this venture, so I managed to feed him, take pictures & video the event all on my own. How's that for multi-tasking? Here's the video:

A Toy Story Birthday

A week and a half later, I'm finally getting around to the kids' birthday party! Jake & Mallory have both been rather obsessed with Toy Story for the last several months, so it was the obvious choice for our party theme.

As all Chamblee family occasions do, this party had a Haylee Cake! Haylee replicated this cake idea I'd found perfectly, & it was oh, so yummy. The kids had been rattling off every character of the movie each time they talked about who would be on their cake, so this was a great solution. The figurines allowed us to have fifteen of their "friends" included in the decor. Much to the dismay of a couple of their guests, we didn't serve the cupcakes because I wanted Jake & Mal to get to keep the characters. What is it that kids love so much about a cupcake over a piece of cake? Oh well.
Here's the whole table setup. Thank you, Mimi, for your decorating ideas & help! We went with movie-themed food & had several theater candies out for sampling. All of the kids in attendance were hilarious once they found the candy. You could tell by the look in their eyes as they stuffed their mouths that they were wondering how long this bliss would last.
I managed to entice them away from the candy with some fun games. Everyone took a turn pinning the badges on Woody & Buzz.Then they tried their hands at Toy Story 3 Memory. Jake was a wee bit eager, if you can't tell.This station was supposed to be Potato Head races to see who could put the pieces in the fastest. The kids ended up just playing with them instead of racing, but everyone was happy with that. Everyone except for Jake, who didn't like sharing his Potato Heads.
Jake didn't hold back in letting me know when he was ready for cake. Here's the birthday boy being sung to.Make a wish!And here's the birthday girl enjoying the spotlight during her song.Make a wish!
All of the kids were so cute huddled together at their little tables. Sugar rush!Our friends who are a bit too young for the big kid table enjoyed some sweets as well. Emmie & Charlotte are sweet friends to the twins, & I know they'll all get even closer as they get older & the age gap isn't such a big deal.
Finally - presents! We asked Jake & Mallory's guests to bring toys to be donated to patients at Medical City Children's Hospital, & everyone was so generous. I can't wait to take the kids along to deliver them soon! There was still a lot of loot from family members & friends for the kids to open.Once the crowd left, Justin & I gave the kids their gift from us. They each opened a basket of new sand toys & then were directed out to the back yard where they found a new sand box. Their party day happened to be the only nice day we've had here in a long time since it had rained a bit, so they got to play for a long time without getting hot.



After the party, their cousin Brody stuck around with Nana & entertained them for a while longer. They follow him around like little puppy dogs!Little brother was in the action, too! I love this pic of him & Brody.Pops & Mimi had flown in for the birthday weekend, & we enjoyed getting to spend a few days with them. Here are the kids reading a new book with Mimi while holding new toys & a new pair of princess panties. Mal is very into her new panties & marvels at their awesomeness often.
Jake insisted on having "the collectors," as he calls them, join him for snack time that day.
These floor puzzles from Uncle David & Aunt Debbie have also been a hit!
Their actual birthday was on Monday, & we headed to the mall to spend some birthday money they'd received at the Disney store. They each proudly lugged a huge Disney bag through the mall after picking out three new stuffed animals/characters each. Jake chose Lotso, Wheezy & Mr. Prickle Pants, all from Toy Story. Mallory settled on Ariel, Woody & Bullseye. Then we enjoyed lunch at their favorite spot & had a low-key family dinner that night.
I can't believe my big kids are three! I'm hoping to put together a post about each of them & what they're up to at this age soon.

Jake & Mallory are 3!

Wasn't this just yesterday? Shouldn't they still be tiny babies? Though there have certainly been days in the last three years that felt like they would last forever, time really has flown by.
I've blinked & my babies have become walking, talking, hilarious little individuals with personalities & opinions.
Happy birthday to my two favorite three-year-olds! Your daddy & I couldn't be prouder of the big kids you're becoming.We hope that this birthday held all the wonder & excitement you both deserve. We sure had fun celebrating it with you!These last two pics were taken on their actual birthday yesterday as they enjoyed yet another cupcake after dinner. More on the festivities to come!

Beau Harrison at 5 Months

My sweet boy is five months old! He is growing & changing so much each day, & we're having so much fun with him. Here's his studly, contemplative pose with the hippo chair.
And there's that charming smile!He had fun trying to sit in the chair, but he needs some work on his balancing skills.
See what I mean?
Beau continues to be quite the big boy! He now weighs approximately 15 lb, but his length is what really makes clothing a challenge. Depending on the brand, cut & style of the clothes, the sizes in his closet range from 3-6 months to 9 months & 6-12 months. I don't know what I'm going to do when cold weather comes & we actually have to cover those long legs!

He has really changed in the last month in the way that he plays. Beau is now much more adept at grabbing & pulling on toys, bringing things to his mouth & rolling to get something. Sometimes, he hangs on just for fun, like he's doing here in his swing. Silly boy!Steam rolling is in full force, until he hits a piece of furniture. :) One day this week, I saw him draw his legs up under himself while laying on his tummy. He then scooted forward just a tad. I'm crossing my fingers that those pre-crawling skills don't develop too quickly. I'm not ready for a mobile baby!Despite the look on his face here, he loves his jumperoo & is learning how to bounce more on his own.
Handsome dude all decked out for church! He has become very attached to his lovies, especially the monkey he's holding here. It has made sleeping without a swaddle much easier. Beau usually goes to bed around 9:00 & sleeps until 7:00 or later. We have to go in once or twice a night to give him a paci when he wakes up, but he usually goes right back to sleep.
My ticklish boy loves to giggle, & gets cracked up by the littlest things! The other night, I was reading him a bedtime story, & he laughed as I finished each page.
Beau has outgrown the infant tub & is now using the duck tub. He loves to splash!
We've started practicing our sitting, but he isn't really close yet. He's plenty strong enough to hold his upper body up, but he doesn't like to bend in the middle.
Having fun trying!
The last month has also brought a lot of changes in the interactions between Beau & his older siblings. Jake in particular has started to enjoy playing with Beau much more, & I think Mal is finally starting to find him interesting. They're thrilled when Beau smiles or laughs at them, & they like to make him happy for me when he fusses.
Oh, how I love this chubby-cheeked boy!