Time at the Pool

I love the sun and water and if I had it my way we'd be at a pool every day during the summer....but with 3 small kids it's rather impossible. However, recently we were invited to the Hoffman's house (a family in our care group from church) to swim in their pool. We were there as a care group but then the following Monday and Tuesday Matt and I took the kids when he got off work and we had the whole pool to ourselves. Matt enjoyed displacing much of the water as he performed cannon balls and the kids and I loved just floating around on the inner tubes. Here are some pictures from our first time there.



Next time we'll make sure Sam brings her swimsuit!

Jason...7 months

At 7 months Jason weighs 18 pounds 13 ounces. He is now sitting up well as you can see in the picture below.



But you won't see him sit for any length of time because he doesn't like sitting still. He quickly leans over gets on his belly and is on the move. In the video below Madison is coaxing him along but typically he needs no coaxing. He sees something he wants and he's off. I just love how Carson is showing him how it's done in the video.




He is also eating very well. We've graduated to the number 3 foods and he loves them. I also just gave him his first biter biscuit today and he was so happy. He was covered in it by the time he was all done.

Jumping Beans

Why is it that jumping is not something you ever have to teach your kids? Especially when they get on beds!! Recently we bought a twin bed for Madison and in the process of moving the toddler bed out of the room and downstairs the new twin mattress was brought into the foyer and placed on the floor. Madison was immediately in action. After we get her new quilt I'll post some pictures of her new room.

Talking and Singing

Madison barely said 5 words at the age of 2 and I was a bit concerned. Slowly she added more and more words to her vocabulary. She now spends her days talking in full sentences and singing many songs. Here are some of her latest phrases:

"Mommy, you okay?" said with much concern after she hears me say "ouch" if I've just tripped over something or banged my knee on the gate.

"Mommy, too bright." said as she sits at the dining room table in the morning with the sun streaming in.

"Carson, 1, me, 2, Jason, 6 months"

"Jason Pier, Carson Pier, Sam Pier, Me Pier, Mommy Pier, Daddy Pier" said as she rehearses our last name.

And the latest...one I'm not particularly proud of..."I not share, I'm being selfish" as she hogs many toys on the couch so Carson can't get them.

Some of her favorite songs are "Jesus, Loves Me," "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider," "Happy Birthday," and "The ABC Song." Here is a clip of her singing the ABCs.

The Montgomery County Fair

After long days at Dutch Wonderland and Wheaton Regional Park we took it easy at the county fair. We were only there for about 2 hours and we didn't go to the ride area. We just took our time looking at all the animals and we enjoyed a nice lunch while we were there.

One of my favorite spots was Old MacDonald Farm which has nearly every animal in one area and you can touch most of them. Here Madison poses next to the large mama pig with all of her little piglets. They were so cute!

And a very big highlight at the fair is all of the John Deere tractors that the kids can get on. Carson was too busy checking things out to pose for the camera.
Madison, on the other hand, gives us a great big cheesy smile.

Wheaton Regional Park

Following our long day at Dutch Wonderland, we headed to Wheaton Regional Park the very next morning for a more relaxed outing. We arrived around 9:15 which was perfect--hardly anyone there and it was still nice and cool. The kids (Matt included) enjoyed all of the playground equipment including the giant slides.

Here Madison is emerging from one of many trips down the slides.
And Carson pretending to drive.
Daddy and the kids taking a break by the elephant.
The Park has a wonderful carousel that only costs $1.50 each. We all enjoyed the ride. Someday this carousel will be back in Clarksburg at a park right up the street.
And they have a wonderful little train that gives you a nice long ride through the woods. It was so relaxing. Again...only $1.50 each.

A Day at Dutch Wonderland

Last Thursday, Matt, the 3 little ones, and myself loaded up the van and headed to Lancaster, PA to Dutch Wonderland. We had heard from some friends that it was a great place to take little ones and they were right. We had a terrific time. Carson really enjoyed riding the little kids rides for the first time and he loved the water area where he went down the little slides over and over again. Madison was a little more timid than she was at Cedar Point or even last year at Hershey Park, but still had fun. I realized that I didn't take near the amount of pictures that I took last year at Hershey Park but 2 adults with 3 small children and 2 strollers was a lot to keep track of.

Here are some pictures of our day. Carson and Madison enjoying their first ride of the day.

Carson readying himself to descend on the slide.




















Another little ride that Madison and Carson enjoyed together.















What a day! This is what Matt and I were wishing we could be doing on the way home too!

Carson...18 months old

Carson just had his 18 month check up a few days ago so here are the stats...25 pounds, 8 ounces (56%), 32.5 inches long (50%), and one huge head (90%). He is the energizer bunny. He never sits for long, unless strapped in his carseat, and he enjoys copying everything Madison does.

On Saturday we went to Gravely Point, a great place to see the planes land and take off at Washington National Airport. We weren't there long, but long enough to get our fill of big planes. Here Carson is saying..."where's the plane?" I just love him with his hat on. He's finally more than willing to wear it. If we say that we're going bye-bye he starts tapping his head and saying "hat, hat."
Today the boys were in their matching outfits so I had to capture the moment. Carson just loves his baby brother. Whenever we're coming down the stairs with Jason, Carson climbs up in the rocking chair and puts his arms out so he can hold him. So sweet. He probably won't think Jason is so sweet in a few more months when he starts getting into his stuff.
And a little video to see Carson in action. He is so funny when he tries to jump. His feet never quite leave the floor but he gets so excited doing it.

Rocking and Rolling

My oh my, are we in trouble now. Jason is determined to crawl...at 6 1/2 months. Madison was almost 8 months when she crawled and Carson was almost 8 1/2 months. Since Madison and Carson both walked early (10 1/2 months and 11 months respectively) we could be in trouble. Jason isn't even sitting up on his own yet, but boy can he move around quickly. Here are a couple of videos I caught of him today in motion. In the first one he demonstates his ability to use rolling as an advantage to get around quickly. Do you hear Madison in the background telling me to move?...she was watching her favorite show--the Big Comfy Couch. In the second video Jason demonstrates his ability to rock back and forth on all fours. I'm sure I'll have a video of him crawling within the week.