Good Ol' Summertime

Can you guess what this is? It's not peas or green beans. Scroll down for a closer look.

Isn't she precious? I have to say I was grossed out at first. I never let my first two get this messy but life is too short!

Abby did great in her high chair for about a week and then for some reason she started screaming. I always thought it was a burp so I'd pick her up and try to burp her. On this day, I decided to try to feed her in my arms. We started with sweet potatoes and moved on to mashed avocado. Both of these were suggestions by my friends because they are high calorie foods and Abby is still not gaining much weight. 2 weeks ago she was only 9 lbs 14 oz. I have friends who give birth to babies that weigh more than that. So I asked everyone I knew for ideas to help fatten her up so I would not have to give in to the bottle. Moms know best! We've been giving her avocado and lots of rice cereal with butter, breastmilk, or formula. 10 days later she weighed 10 lbs 13 oz.

We've had a few playdates with friends from church and it has been wonderful for all involved. Mommy needed to bond with more wonderful women from church and Lauren and Caleb needed to play with other children their age. We'll be enrolling Lauren in Sunday School and ballet today. I just can't wait! Anytime we see VBS craft kits, Lauren says we need to buy them for her Jesus school. It's hard to believe she will be 4 one month from today and that this time next year we'll be getting her ready for Kindergarten.

Last Friday Granny and Grandpa stopped by on their way to San Antonio. It was a really quick visit but I managed to capture this precious moment. Abby will be crawling in no time and I can't wait.

We made it out to the neighborhood pool last Sunday. It was only the 2nd time since we moved in. We skipped the kiddie pool and went straight for the deep pool. All of the kids did great. Lauren and Caleb let go of us and Abby kicked the whole time in her little floatie. We know we have to give Lauren and Caleb more opportunities to gain confidence out there. I had plans for friends to come over and swim today but Hurricane Dolly's aftermath is here and it's pretty gloomy outside.

I can't help but think about how summer break is almost over. I won't even go near the back-to-school section at Wal-Mart. I report back to work on August 15 and it depresses me to think about being away from my family. I had to go to a staff development on Tuesday and I thought of my babies all day long. I just hate to be away from them, they bring so much joy to my life. It's hard to believe that 5 1/2 years ago I was still a single woman. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family.