Sullivan at 12 months

It happened again. I blinked. Another baby turned another year older. If I can figure out a way to get it to slow down, I'll let everyone know. Birthdays are such sentimental, bittersweet milestones. I've heard it said that when it comes to motherhood the days are long but the years are short. Oh how true that is! I hope I'll always remember how sweet and squishy this littlest one is at 12 months! 

At 12 months: 

He weighs 21 lbs 5 oz and is 30 inches long. That puts him in the 96% for height and 55% for weight. At this age, he is our lowest weight and longest length baby. He still prefers only purées and isn't loving the texture of many foods. He appears to be lactose intolerant and is much happier on almond milk for now. He is crawling very fast and pulling up/cruising, but not walking yet. Still 1 tooth. Loves stroller walks, chasing his brother and sister, Lola, being outside, his blankie when falling asleep, his paci, throwing socks out of his crib and getting into anything and everything! 

At the Fair

Even as an adult, I still think the fair is every bit as magical and exciting as I did as a kid! Ok, so maybe it's a little dirtier than I once realized (side note: that moment when your children are licking cotton candy off of their fingers and you realize they haven't washed their hands after many rides and petting cows definitely questions your abilities as a mother. Oops. And gross.!) but still just as fun! (Side note 2: holy cow on prices of fair food! That corn dog, fries and lemonade rivals the price of a fancy dinner. Like Ruth's Chris fancy. Geez!) 

We were shocked at how brave Porter was with rides! He rode his first roller coaster. Twice! He rode the tilt a whirl (want to see how old you really are? Ride that thing!) and asked to ride again immediately! He was giddy! Savannah wasn't as big on the rides, but loved the shows. And the baby calves! Oh those baby calves. They were only hours old. (Side note 3: watch out mama cows, those babies will be 1 before you can blink! I speak from experience!) Sullivan did really well and loved looking around. He is such a curious little thing. If I had let him down to crawl around and put every last thing in his mouth, he would have been nothing shy of elated! He did get to try cotton candy. He wasn't a fan! Don't worry, we ate his. 

Until next year fair! You cost way too much, but we still love you! 

Playtime

I firmly believe in the power of play and letting kids be kids. I think it's the very best way for them to learn! Therefore, we take play very seriously around here ;) Having time together to play with toys and get fresh air outside makes for our favorite days! There will be plenty of time for serious...later! 

Falling Creek Camp

We asked Porter recently what one thing was that he really wanted to do. He said fishing with Daddy. On Sunday, he finally got to! We went to a BBQ fundraiser with Sean at a wonderful place nearby called Falling Creek camp. The kids got to try several new things and it was such a fun family day. Mimi was able to stay with Sullivan, which allowed Sean and I to do more "big kid" stuff. We fished, canoed, square danced (Porter was a great partner!) and made s'mores. Savannah was a little leery of the canoeing and asked the guys "if sharks were in the water". Girlfriend is much more on the "indoorsy" side of life. We didn't catch any fish, but that hardly mattered! He got to fish and that was all he cared about! 

Sean even got in on the dancing for a while :)

Park with Pals

After nearly a week of passing around a stomach virus through every member of the family, a day at the park with friends was exactly what we needed! We packed a picnic and headed out. While the fresh air was nice, we have had our share of hot weather and are more than ready to see some fall temps! 

I asked Savannah to get her things ready for the park. These were the items she deemed essential: 

These sweet, happy faces were delighted to be outside and spend time with their friends! 

Photo catch-up

Some photos from the last few weeks...

Sean and I had a wonderful (kid free, thanks mom and sisters!) weekend in Atlanta watching the Yankees play 

You "might" be homeschooled if getting dressed for school looks like this...

Steak 'n Shake milkshakes after a hot day at the park 

Her ham sandwich had ham in it (this girl!)

3 sweet babies in the tub

Girlfriend shopping 

Loving Daddy 

Caught this sweetie reading 

It's a good thing she's beautiful! 

I could just squish him! 

"Dressed for the day" (all 3 outfits are entirely typical)