Tate's First Meal!

I finally fed Tate some big boy food!!! With the others I began them right at 4 mos to take some of the pressure off of me to pump so much milk to send to daycare- so I knew with Tate I'd wait until closer to the rear end of the food-introduction recommendation :) Just because I can!!! 

He got steamed/puréed sweet potatoes with some baby rice cereal and freshly squeezed breast milk. Yeah, you read that right. The kids had a hay day watching me do that. I even squirted them a few times for good measure. Ada said I was "just like a cow!!!"- she has no idea how often I feel like that myself!!

Anyway, back to Tate and his first meal. He loved it!!! He grabbed the spoon and kept shoving it at his mouth (face)- and would cry in between every bite because I wasn't going fast enough!! Here are some pics of my big 5.5 month old!!

Tate the Lady Killer!

These made me laugh!!!

BUSTED Tate!!

Dax's Firetruck Interview Video

After I finished filming Tate's first crawls in the last post, Dax asked that I film him discussing his firetruck.  Here's his firetruck interview.  I think he'd make a good fire chief, giving out public statements to the news!  ;)

Tate's First Crawls- 5.5 Months

The moment I've been sort of dreading since I found out I was pregnant with #3.  The day they realize they can move around. Independently.  And touch things they've been longing to feel.  And go places they've been longing to explore.  And do things they've been longing to risk their lives doing.  *SIGH* But, it is pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen- and as much as I like my babies to stay immobile, it sure is neat to watch them grow, learn, play, and develop!  

So, here is a video of some of Tate's first crawls.  5.5 months.  Lord help me. 

I love his exaggerated right arm rotation- he crawls with vigor, that's for sure!  I took a TON of videos yesterday, but haven't gotten around to uploading them to YouTub yet (see yesterday's post regarding the snow-globe-flushed-down-the-toilet incident!)

Clogged toilet

I'll let you come to your own conclusions ;)

Tate Giggling at Peekaboo- Video

I came down with a NASTY case of some sort of flu last week (who gets the flu in the summer?  And who gets the flu when they get a flu shot??)

Anyway- Grams and Papa were SO NICE to take the kids, and Tate was more than happy to relax and nap and nurse in bed with me for 2 days :)

Tate- 5 Months

Omg how's he 5 months already??? Next month he'll be 6 months, and before I know it, in kindergarten! This month he's rolling the opposite direction- although I've yet to catch him in action, so for all I know it's a sibling pushing him, ha. He's getting up on his hands and knees and rocking. And he screeches. A lot!!! So darn adorable. 

New Back Patio!!

We have been saving saving saving to extend out back patio slab- and we finally did it!!! Yay! I love it. I got a new patio table and umbrella while we were at it- one that can fit my fam for meals outside once its not 108 :) The patio furniture is just from WalMart- it's exactly what I wanted. Super cute, super cheap, and super no big deal when a bird poops on it or a kid scrapes it up!

Before-

After (the contractor's wife had a baby last week, so he still needs to return to remove the perimeter wood beam!)-

The kids have already been belligerently pushing trucks around on all of the new concrete space- with 8 months pent up truck pushing energy!! 

Piano Camp Recital

Ada's piano camp has come to an end!  I can't remember if I've posted pictures of her throughout the week to the blog- if I haven't I will do that in a separate post in a second. For now I have videos- even better!  

She had a recital the last 15 minutes of class on Friday- and Daddy was able to make it!  They played 2 songs together as a class, and she had 2 solos.  The "Ruff Ruff" song and the "Elephant" song.  We practiced them at home and - BTW- she has a new keyboard! 

Enjoy-  ;)

The class song, "Meow Meow"-

Another class song- showing off their finger dexterity-

Ada's solo #1- "Ruff Ruff"- 

In this one her teacher Ms. Irena hurried her to her seat, and another mom got a big kick out of that... which kind of riled Ada up (you may not be able to tell but I can spot that hyper-grin a mile away!).  Then this total hooligan kid (coincidentally the inappropriat -laugher's son... probably not coincidence) makes a massive ruckus -you can see him in the bottom of the frame- which distracted her, making it even harder than it is normally is for her to keep the beat!  

She kills the Ruff Ruff song at home, just FYI.  :)

Ada's solo #2: "Elephant Song"

In this solo another little girl kept saying "left, right, left, right" the entire song- it was pissing Ada off (again, you may not be able to tell- but watch her give the girl "a look" at 28 seconds in- HA!).  She's not a pro with this song anyway though, so it's not much of a difference than at home!

So, all in all piano camp was enjoyable and a good experience, but it's not time for lessons just yet.  She wasn't crazy about practicing (already??)- so we might let that dream go, or try again in a few years after Kindergarten when her fingers are longer and stronger!  All of those students in piano camp with her had already been in Kinder for a year, and you could tell a HUGE difference in their motor skills.

But- what a CUTIE! :)  Next camp: theatre camp.  She is beside herself excited!  

And we have a swimmer!

Ada is killing it in the water these days!  We went for one more swimming lessons session to try to make that push to get her swimming- and on DAY 1 she learned how to do FREESTYLE!  This is the video of her swimming like a real swimmer!  So proud of her.  

Today at Grams and Papa's pool she swam from the stairs to her "Ada Pad"- which is just about the long length of the pool!  She is obsessed with getting in any body of water lately and working her skills. :)