Happy 5th Birthday Jax!

Jax 5 years ago.....

Jax today.....

Celebrating his birthday with a special treat from Brown Dog Bakery

We love you buddy!

Old Settler's

This past weekend was our hometown's annual summer celebration - Seymour Old Settler's.  It was Lily's first year of enjoying the festivities and she was wide-eyed as usual, taking it all in!

First time trying out the stroller like a big girl - no more carseat!

One of the cars entered in the car show

We got uptown late for the parade - all we got to see were the tractors and horses at the end. :(

Lily with her cousin Gracie

With Aunt Tracy - she enjoyed lots of hugs from her since they don't see each other much.  Aunt Trace lives in Arizona.

Trav playing in the whiffle ball tournament

Justin hitting a homerun, he's still got it!

Lily on stage after she was announced for the Cutie Contest.  She got Overall Winner in her age category!

after being crowned with her tiara :)

And the highlight of the year for Seymour....a performance by Marcus Collins.  Marcus went to high school in Seymour and went on to become a member of the Texas Tenors, who got 3rd in last year's season of America's Got Talent!  It was great to have him back!

Baby Crocs

Lily @ 4 months

We had Lily's 4 month visit this morning.  She likes Dr. Andersen and does such a good job at her appointments.  What a trooper she was with her shot today - she even smiled afterwards when I picked her up!  The above picture is what she looked like while waiting for Dr. A to come in, such a ham! :)

Her stats:
Weight - 13 lb. 12 oz. (25th percentile)
Height - 23 1/2 in. (25th percentile)
Head Circumference - 16 1/4 in. (50th percentile)

What Lily is doing now:

• Sleeps 8 hours a night
• 6 feedings & 4 naps a day
• Rolls from tummy to back & back to tummy
• Smiles
• Babbles/Giggles
• Can grasp toys
• Reaches for objects with both hands
• Recognizes herself in the mirror
• Can sit in the Bumbo
• LOVES being outside
• Likes going on walks in the Baby Bjorn carrier
• Squeals at Jax
• Becoming more afraid of loud sounds
• Loves to suck on her fist
• Plays with her feet (as you can see from the above photo)

4th of July: Part II

During our weekend visit in St. Louis, we stayed overnight with my Uncle Jerry.  He lives in the downtown area so it was within walking distance to the Arch and to Busch Stadium.  On Sunday, he graciously watched Lily while Justin and I went to a Cardinals game.  It was HOT but so much fun!

Family pic before heading to the game.  Lily was an honorary spectator.

I didn't realize until later when looking at pictures how much she actually looks like a boy in this onesie.  We were on a walk earlier that morning and a passerby said "What a cute little guy!" Oh well, she's still cute. :)

 Uncle Jerry & Lily ready to head out on a walk

Panoramic shot of the field

Pujols on 3rd

Later, there was an air show at the Arch.  We were able to see some of it from my uncle's house, followed by fireworks later in the night.

It's amazing how everything feels so much more new and exciting once a child is in your life.  To see the world through their eyes is truly a spectacular thing.  Lots of memories were made on our first vacation as a family, filled with smiles and giggles. Oh, and sleep.......

This is what Lily looked like most of the car rides

Hope your 4th was just as enjoyable!

4th of July: Part I

We're happy to report that our first family vacation was smooth sailing!  We were a little unsure how Lily would do in her carseat for a 4 hour trip but she did AWESOME!  We were even able to pretty much keep her on her normal feeding/sleeping routine, which can sometimes be tricky while traveling.  Success!

 On Friday night, we drove down to Seymour and stayed with my parents.  We sat out by the firepit and lit sparklers and enjoyed each others' company.  Lily got to cruise around in Grandma Connie's

garage sale find.......

On Saturday morning, we left bright and early for St. Louis to visit my mom's side of the family.  We were excited to introduce Lily to everyone and catch up with all of our relatives.  Halfway through, we stopped so I could feed Lily and just take a little break from the car.

Free entertainment

We arrived at Uncle Jim & Aunt Mary's to find Lily still sleeping - she slept almost the whole way!  Trust me, this is typically unlike her.  Her cousin MacKenzie was born on June 16th and came a little early so being a preemie, Lily looked HUGE next to her.  It was fun to see them together.

Grandpa Earl & Grandma Shirley with their two great-granddaughters

Lily splashing around in their pool.  She loved it!

Beautiful fireworks to end the day!

Dinner with Friends

On Monday night, we enjoyed dinner with our friends, the Carsons'.  Scott and Liz were gracious hosts, as always, and Lily had fun interacting with Joel and Molly.

 Lily and Molly are just 6 weeks apart.  It will be so much fun to see them grow alongside one another!

Group kiddo shot

Lily thought Molly's (formerly Joel's) rainforest gym was pretty neat.  This might be next on our "To-Buy list".

Thanks for a great time, Carson Family!