Fun with the Family

John, Sarah, Gerret & Anneke flew out from Texas for a visit and to meet Elyana for the first time!  Ayden was so happy to have attention from so many people!

 

Swimming with Gerret in the backyard

a little cuddle time

 

Uncle John helping to build a trio block barn

 

Gerret had a little snooze on the couch

 One of the days they were at our house, we drove to Vallejo and took the ferry into San Francisco.  We walked around Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, and Ghiradelli Square. 

The cousins on the ferry

 

Gerret and Anneke loved holding Elyana!

A delicious meal at Pier 39!

 

Elyana was great!  She alternated between hanging out in her stroller and in the sling, snoozing here and there, but mostly just looking around

We visited the arcade museum

Ayden took a ride on the second story of the carousel

Elyana's Baptism

We celebrated Elyana's baptism on July 22nd.  We were lucky enough to be able to schedule it while the Boers were here visiting!  It was a wonderful service and we had a nice lunch at our house afterward with the family!

 

Such a proud big brother

Grandma Newton with her grandchildren

We got a big family picture (minus Dee and Daniel)

with Pastor Mike

Elyana and her godparents, Unce Matthew & Aunt Dominique

Gerret and Ayden goofing off after church

Our famly

Three Months Old

Our little sweet pea....

At three months old, you are laughing and smiling more and more.  You are still a very mellow and easy baby and sleep great at night, usually about 11-12 hours.  You take 3 naps a day that are anywhere between 45 minutes and 2 hours long, plus a little catnap from about 6:30-7:00 pm. You sleep the best in your bed, but will take naps in your car seat too, if we are out.  Your big brother loves you so much.  You laugh at him sometimes, but squint your eyes and "brace yourself" when he comes in for a kiss.  You are still a cuddle bug and will curl up in anyone's arms!  You like to play with the dangling toys on your play mat, bouncer, or rocking chair.  You have started sitting in the "bumbo" type seat to watch us in the kitchen and join us at the dinner table.

Fourth of July

We got up early to get all ready for our annual Neighborhood parade! 

Elyana was all ready to celebrate too !

Ayden and Zachary led the parade of kids

sidewalk chalk + bubble = a big mess!

 Elyana was all tired out from the morning festivities!

After a relaxing day and burgers on the grill for dinner, we headed to a local park to do sparklers and watch the fireworks with a bunch of neighbors. 

Two Months Old!

Elyana, I can't believe you are two months old already.  While these past two months has flown by, it seems like you have been a part of our family forever!

You are still such an easy-going baby.  You started sleeping through the night about a month ago and lately have been sleeping 11-12 hours at night.  Your naps are a bit unpredictable, though - some days are long and others you wake up after 15 minutes.  That's ok, though, I'll live with inconsistent naps since you are such a good sleeper at night! 

You have fun tagging along to all of our summertime play dates.  You either sleep or are content being held by just about anyone!  You love the sling and it will almost always put you to sleep within a few minutes!

You are happy most of the time you are awake.  We can get you to smile all the time and even get a few giggles sometimes now!  You like to talk to the animals on your swings and are starting to bat at the hanging toys on the bouncer and rocking chair.

There are a few things you don't like....the biggest being your car seat.  If you are not sleeping in the car, you are generally screaming. 

Summer Fun

We are definitely enjoying summertime around here!  I think I am in denial that eventually (7 more weeks actually) I have to go back to work.  I am making the most of our time home before life gets even crazier!

Thank to Pinterest, we have lots of fun projects.  This one was a big hit - baking soda, colored vinegar, and an eye dropper!

It ended with quite a mess!

Ayden is more helpful this summer than ever.  I can trust him to help unload the dishwasher, put away his laundry, and much more...

On his day we took his car seat apart to clean - he hosed and scrubbed it down. One more thing I didn't have to do!

His biggest accomplishment to date this summer is learning to ride his bike without training wheels!  He is a quick learner - it was so fun to see how proud of himself he was!

And what has Miss Elyana been up to?  Being cute, of course! 

  

Elyana went swimming for the first time with cousin Violet at Beth's house!

 

We were able to have a fun play date with a few friends from Holy Cross to visit the new playground at the mall!

 

We put the boys in the hurricane simulator!  Poor Jayden didn't like it very much, but the other boys thought it was cool!

Happy Father's Day...

...to the best Daddy my kids could ever ask for!