Life's A Beach!

Miller's preschool follows the local school system calendar. We're finally a part of Cherokee County's fall break schedule! For several years, we've watched our neighborhood vacate the third week in September wondering when our turn was to enjoy such a break. We decided to ring in our first fall break with a trip to the beach.

New Smyrna was our destination of choice. We haven't journeyed back to this beach since Miller was a wee 17 months old. The little miss now has two beach trips under her belt just shy of five months old. Miss EK was such a trooper on this trip. She tolerated the 8 hour car ride, the pack n' play, the sand, nursing on the shore and sleeping in her tent on the beach to name a few. We know how fortunate we are to have such a relaxed cutey.

This vacation was special because it was spent with Grandmama and Poppy. What a huge help to have eager arms to pass the little miss around, extra laps for Eliza Kate to lounge under the umbrellas, help toting all our gear to the shore, and fun company. Landon and I sure didn't mind the afternoons by ourselves at the pool sans kiddos. We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. This vacation had a much different personality from our solo family trip in August.

We love New Smyrna beach! The temps were perfect in the mid 80's. Low humidity...and large waves for Miller and daddy to splash in. Without fear, Miller was tossed and tumbled by these hurricane sized waves. He loved riding with daddy on some shallow waves unto shore. Landon loves venturing way out into the water, diving under and sometimes hiding behind a wave. He about gives me a heart attack when I can't spot him from the shore.

Poppy and Miller were up to their usual antics... feeding the seagulls by the shore, playing on the luggage carts, wrestling on the bed back and forth. Poppy taught Miller which button to push for our floor to the condo, where the emergency telephone was, and how to keep the door open or closed. Miller relished every minute of taking our family to the appropriate floor. He was our little elevator man. Miller thought that the automated elevator voice was talking directly to him when the floor number was announced. It was very entertaining watching him talk back to the voice through the speaker carrying on their own private conversation.

Special dinners out, Grandmama's smoothies on the balcony, and evening swims after dinner for Miller were all special memories that we brought back home. Goodbye Fall Break! We're enjoying this September vacation that you gave us away from the busyness of the season.

Five Months

Here's a sneak peak into the five month mark with sweet Eliza Kate.

Our routine has shifted to the four hour mark..hooray! At the end of four months, she let me know that she was ready to make the shift from three hours in between feeding to four. I was feeding her every three hours and she didn't seem interested. Every little noise distracted her and she would only nurse for 12 minutes. I knew it was time to make a change for the little miss. She's downing 6-7 ounces each feed. We feed at 7:30, 11:30, 3:30 and 7:00 p.m.

I've been delaying starting oatmeal until we were planning on being in town for a good stretch. Little cutey pie just experienced her first oatmeal cereal this week and it was too cute watching her sample the new texture in her mouth. She didn't love it, but she put up with it. Today, I mixed it with sweet peas and she liked it a lot better. My goal is to sample veggies first and then introduce EK to fruits. Pictures of meal time are in the works!

Eliza Kate is a champion sleeper at night. We're working on fine tuning the nap schedule. EK naps from 9:30- 10:30, sometimes nods off in the car around 11:45 when we pick up big brother, and then 1:30-2:30 while Miller is napping. She still needs her mini nap around 6:00. I'm wondering when her 2 hour nap stretch will get here? We were at home all day today to whip this girly in shape. She skipped her mini-nap at 11:45 and still only slept one hour in the afternoon...ugh! Hey I guess I shouldn't complain because she IS such a great nighttime sleeper.

We celebrated the five month mark introducing Eliza Kate to the jumping johnny. She's in love. It's evidenced by her dimpled, gummy grin, and coos. It's too cute to watch her chubby legs bouncing up and down in the door frame. When she spots her new favorite toy her legs pump up and down in my arms. Miller gets a kick out of the whole situation too! The exersaucer is the other entertainment option that's been gracing our living room. EK enjoys turning around to play with all the different toys. She's grabbing rattles, her feet, my shirt and plastic keys. It all ends up in her mouth! She still uses her thumb to self soothe. Eliza Kate rubs her eyes when she's sleepy. It's heaven to watch!

The little miss is a supported sitter and is well on her way to sitting up for 10-15 seconds at a time. I think she's going to bypass Miller with this one. She likes tummy time for about 3 minutes. When it becomes too much work, she whines and whimpers with her bottom lip down. Her "big boned" frame makes it challenging. Needless to say, we're still not rolling over. I will say I'm partly to blame. Poor baby spends most of her mornings when big bro is at school in her car seat and stroller running errands. She's shuttled to and fro and misses tummy time on a lot of mornings because of the second baby curse.

Eliza Kate adores Miller. Her baby blues follow his every move. She belly laughs at him playing. All of the action provides visual entertainment to her. Today Miller and EK enjoyed rocking and giggling together in her chair. My heart was warmed over watching them interact. When I was feeding the little miss her oatmeal today, her head was looking over her shoulder the whole time trying to find big brother. Finally, Miller had to come sit in front of her so she could see him.

We're loving life with our growing baby. I wish time would slow down just a little bit! I held her just a little more snuggly tonight after thinking about how fast this first year is flying by.

Family & Me Picnic

The Busy Bees hosted their families at a fall picnic on the grounds in September.


An added bonus...we got to tour Miller's classroom before the picnic. It was nice to see him in his element with his two teachers and friends. It felt very warm and inviting. I enjoyed seeing his name printed above his spot at the table. His "Family & Me" poster with pictures of all his extended family members was on the wall of his classroom welcoming us.
I got a few comments from the teacher that made me laugh. Some comments, I'll keep private because only a mom and grandma would be proud to hear them! Apparently, they moved a more feisty girl across the table from Miller because he kept touching a shy boy's paper and the boy wouldn't speak up. She said that Miller is so smart but sometimes refuses to do his work and wants to play. As a former teacher, you really read into comments and compliments. Teachers tend to soften the blow and dance around what we really want to say. I'm already having visions about what Miller will be like when he hits K. Fortunately, we have two years of preschool to get him into the swing of things. We're proud of Miller for learning how to sit in his chair and conforming to the routine of the classroom structure...it took a few weeks!



Miller hopped from quilt to quilt naming all of his buddies and introducing his momma to his new friends. One of his gifts is memorizing names. I wish I had this gift! He will put it to good use one day just like his daddy!

Miller LOVES school, his classmates and teachers. He rambles a mile a minute about his day from the moment his fanny touches the carseat. We're thrilled that he gets to experience it all! And, I'm pinching myself that I get to participate in his school events this year. Grandmama is enjoying it too!

"D" is for Dumptruck

Miller is already enjoying many milestones this first year of preschool. On Wednesday, he was thrilled to participate in his first show and tell. Hmm..what could this boy bring in that started with the letter D to share? After a quick "I Spy" game in our playroom, Miller chose just the toy...his favorite dumptruck

On this day, Miller got to be the class leader and bring in a snack to share. We thought it would be fun to coordinate the snack with the letter of the week. I researched high and low for snacks that started with the letter "D". To top it all off, it was picture day so we wanted to be considerate and not bring anything that would stain the kiddos dressed up best.


With cookie cutter help, suggestions from friends and an hour of prep time...voila! "D" is for duck mini sandwiches. I think they turned out pretty cute!

Labor Day 2010

Our Labor Day weekend was spent attending several BBQ's with friends and family. We always look forward to the Cibula family's annual "Babies and BBQ" every September. The kids loved playing all over Jack and Maggie's backyard.



Take a look at these two cutie pies. Eliza Kate was enthralled with baby Maggie. Someone just her size to play with! Maggie entertained EK with her toys. It was just a short three years ago that two older brothers shared some Bumbo fun at Babies and BBQ back in 2007.

I dug in the archives to locate this distant memory. Aren't they cute? Now they're all grown up and too busy to pose for a picture at the 2010 BBQ. Stained shirts, juice box spills, swinging legs and action shots are how these two are photographed now. My how time flies!
Miller had a grand time exploring the sandbox with Caroline. He misses his pal from Miss Karen's that he's played with weekly since he was 18 months old. This has been their longest stretch apart in many months. As you can see, they pick back up right where they left off.

Here is the show stopper: the younger siblings' group shot: L to R ( Lucas, Corbett, Maggie, Eliza Kate, and Bradley Elisabeth)

Can't wait to watch the stair pose grow when these infants are out of their carriers!

So Long Summer

Cousin Meredith joined us at the Sprayground a few weeks back. I couldn't resist posting such a fun family outing. She just loved crawling and splashing in the fountains. Miller even got into the spirit and chased his little cuz around on his hands and knees. They were having a grand time playing cat and mouse while Eliza Kate innocently napped in her stroller a few yards away. These two really are cute together in spite of their age difference. The older Meredith gets, the more interactive they can be. As soon as she's walking, they will be on a more even playing field. We're so thankful for cousins.

Could it be that our summer of FUN is over? No more lazy day pool playdates, trips to the park, cookouts, music class, Saturday excursions, sand table fun? I'm afraid so. Labor Day pretty much signifies the end of unscheduled fun. We are looking forward to our fall break beach trip in a few weeks. After this get-away, we'll be packing away our suits and getting into fall mode around here.

Bathtime Buddies

Miller and Eliza Kate enjoy a "double bath" on most nights now. It definitely is a huge time saver. Big brother likes to squeeze the washcloth on the little miss to rinse her off. He pats her belly and even tickles her toes. When water gets splashed from the cup and it gets a little rowdy in the water, out comes the little miss from the double bath. For the most part, big brother is considerate of his little bathtime buddy.

Multitasking with these two is the name of the game these days. I'm usually exhausted by bathtime. The hours from 4:30-7:30 are the longest stretch to our day. Do you see the bags under my eyes? Hearing bathtime giggles and having big brother help definitely bring a smile to my face.

Eliza Kate's Song

Bumbo Time

Four months brings the addition to many fun entertainment options around our house. We recently dusted off the Bumbo in attic storage for the little miss priss. I can't leave her alone unstrapped in her Boppy Chair as she wiggles and squirms her way out. She really puts her back into it. Miss Eliza Kate is a strong little thing! I wouldn't say the Bumbo has won her over yet. EK's not exactly a fan, but it has opened her eyes to a new perspective on the world around her. Big brother likes to sit next to her too!

I swear this girly girl wants to sit up. She has gained more independence while sitting in my lap and is quite comfortable with head support. Eliza Kate loves to be bounced up and down on momma's knees. Our chunky monkey weighs 18 pounds already! Dr. Gold thinks that her belly is keeping her from rolling over. We need to practice more steam roller moves on the floor with this one. Our next toy of choice will be the Jumping Johnny.These two give us SO much joy!