7 months

Wow what a busy month. I know it probably won't slow down for the rest of my life, but I sure wish it would slightly! My baby has been up to so much this month, so much that it took me days after his 7 month birthday to write about it... and really I should be doing school work instead of blogging as we speak. Oh well, don't tell Drew!

Peyton can get up on his knees, and has started crawling forward!! He's already a pro at sitting, and scooting backwards and in circles

playing with mama's hair is a huge comfort thing - and he celebrated his 7 month birthday by becoming mr. clingy. :) I don't mind too much!

eats great!! milk, zucchini, squash, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, peaches,blueberries - YUM-O!

LOVES to stand up while holding our fingers

sucks his paci upside down, sucks on his fingers, and holds his blankie when he first wakes up

reaches for mama or daddy when he wants us

hates to have his diaper changed/put clothes on

sits like a pro

went few a few weeks of not sleeping well, but the past several nights his back to sleeping through the night [knock on wood]

Has a facination with playing with his empty food bowls. He makes quite the funny faces while playing!

LOVES being snuggled in a towel, maybe more than getting in the bath!

visited the zoo, although he was just as happy with the rock walls 

 Reading the Bible together

believe it or not, his rash that has been around a long while, is getting much better!

hung out with many friends - Mason, Kylee, Mia, Finley, Kaehlen,Turin... he tolerates the craziness pretty well, but definitely enjoyed coming to his home in the evenings and having us to himself

 goof ball

 first time in the big bathtub [mama or daddy swims with him]

 first time swinging

watched his first olympics... future gymnast?

He sure is a ball of energy but still loves his down time. Lovin' him more every day!

I've missed these kids

 I've gotten to hang out with my 'babies' a lot lately and boy am I lovin' it! The are as fun as ever even though they are growing up before my very eyes! We have made a trip to the zoo, to Nay Nays, played in the sprinkler, and braved the pool. I'm so glad I get to spend the last few weeks of summer with them before they head off to school!!

mid-month check list

no sodas while eating out - check

recycling bins filled to the brim - check

less dish water, laundry, and paper towels used - check

less grocery store runs because we're eating what we have even if the food doesn't really go together - check

cookies purchased on accident - check  whoops

money saved - besides 'stay-cation funds' - check

time well spent - working on it (Olympics interfered with that... I know, excuses excuses.

stay-cation

 Drew and I wanted a vacation. We looked around to go somewhere but everything seemed hard. When to take off, where to go, how much money to spend when we knew we would be exhausted with Peyton. We decided staying home would be the wisest option for us. It is waste month after all. :) Drew took Wednesday through Friday of last week off and we spent time just being together. We were able to have some fun dates and spent the rest of the time enjoying our little family. Some of our outings included :

going to a movie
lots of dinners out at our favorite restaurants (no money spent on hotels = bigger budget)
perusing the mall with no time table
walking the Greenway
swinging/sliding/picnic at the park
playing volleyball
sleeping
lounging
swim time in the bathtub
watching the Olympics

Drew still had to clean pools put other than that no work. I think it was a perfect 4 days spent before I head back to work. And that is when a lot of the things planned fell through!! My family makes me giddy! :)

Snuggling comes first

 I'm a fan of snuggling. Yes, there are times I want to put Peyton in a crib and accomplish things. Yes, I know routine is good for him. He loves it. But he also loves laying in our arms in the quiet. He loves staring into my eyes as I sing to him, or Drew and I pray with him. I love the fact he makes content sighs when he touches Drew's face with one hand and mine with the other. I love that when he cries at night, sometimes giving him his paci isn't enough and he needs me to console him. Sure it gets old and I get exhausted some nights, but I love it. I love that right now, Drew and I can protect him from this messed up world we live in. We can teach him about Jesus and he can rest in His arms. I go back and forth about letting him 'cry it out' because I know getting full nights of sleep consistently would be wonderful. I choose not to yet because I love snuggling him too much. I love comforting him when he cries. I'm trying to be grateful the nights he sleeps all the way through, and rejoice that I get to snuggle my little boy one more time whenever he wakes me up at 12, or 3 or 4 or 5.... ;) I know I'm going to miss this one day, so for now,

snuggling comes first.

splish splash