Jason: 8 Months Old

 Jason is growing up fast!  He's had many new developments over the past couple of months.  We were so lucky with his eating--he took it very easily at 5 months and there hasn't been a food he hasn't liked!  His meal plan consists mainly of:  fruit and cereal for breakfast, fruit or veggie for lunch (2 containers), and a protein with veggies for dinner (like apples and chicken with mixed veggies).  His favorites so far seem to be blueberries, prunes (!), applesauce, sweet potatoes, and peas.  He has added wheels and puffs to his meal times too.  They give him something to teeth on and help introduce more solid foods.
Jason is sitting up like a champ now.  We can plant him in the middle of the rug with a pile of toys and he is happy as a clam for about 20 minutes.  Jason has decided that crawling is overrated.  He can push up on all fours when he's on his tummy, but he usually just collapses down and looks like he's frantically swimming.  His tried and true method of getting across a room is rolling!  He keeps his eyes on the prize and just rolls over until he gets there!

 Jason was making an absolute mess of my kitchen at bath time (and contributing to some costly water damage to the floor) so we got him an inflatable tub for the downstairs bathroom.  It seems to be doing the trick of keeping him happy AND keeping the water in the tub.

 Sizes:
Clothes:  12 months, some 18 months
Diapers:  3, but it's getting snug
Weight:  21 pounds

Gym Fun Class

 Emily took her first gymnastics class this past winter, which I signed her up for because of the snow and ice (and inability to run off our energy outside).  She started in January and by April was hooked.  When the class ended right after spring break, we were deep in Garrett's baseball season and the weekends were packed.  So Emily went on "hiatus" while Garrett finished out his season.  We didn't want her to lose all her skills so we signed her up for Gym Fun, a class (and very cool teacher) who come to her daycare every Tuesday.  Yes, a little pricier than the parks and rec class, but it's only for a couple of months until her other class starts back up in July.
Emily had her recital on Tuesday and it was great!  She did her "routines" on the floor, bar, beams, and vault.  A medal and certificate later, and you would have thought I had Gabby Douglas up there!

Introducing Emily!

balance beam

Bars routine

Waiting our turn....

Yay for us!

Caroline's 11th Birthday

 When I asked Caroline what she wanted to do for her birthday this year, she immediately said "Slumber party" and named off the four friends she wanted to invite.  So we made narwhal-themed invitations and she handed them out to Anna, Claire, Emma, and Lauren (LoLo to Emmy and friends).  Two were able to stay through dinner and cake (prior commitments) and LoLo and Emma were able to spend the night.  The girls kept it old school by watching "The Last Unicorn" and playing Dance Party on the Wii.  Caroline got to pick the menu (above) which consisted of dino shaped chicken nuggets (Emmy's choice), Bagel Bites, watermelon, pasta salad, and....bacon.  Yes, bacon.

Jay got kicked out of his seat at the table since there were so many girls.  He enjoyed his view from the counter.

Did you know that icing on  an ice cream cake will run after it's frozen?  Yeah, me  neither.  So here is my "fix".

Happy Birthday to You!

We LOVE Carvel ice cream cake!

Caroline and friends turned the melted icing into face paint.

Ummmm, yeah, the sugar is kicking in!

Present time!

Gift cards are always good!

"melon" colored headband (Caroline's current favorite color)

kitchen/baking themed presents from Aunt Carrie!