September 2016

September was a fun month with beautiful, hot weather most of the month so we were able to enjoy a lot of outside time this month!

The first day of the month was the Grand Event at Dawson's school where they celebrate grandparents and anyone grand in the students' lives.  We started with the Dawson showing us a few things in his classroom-his seat, his iPad, etc.  He loves to show off what he does at school.  This year Grandad, Nana, Lolly, Carter, Nora Kate, Clayton, and I all got to attend!  After seeing his classroom we all get to eat lunch with him in the cafeteria.  He loves having so many people come eat with him! (It was the day of Tennessee's first home game (it was an odd game-Thursday evening?!), so we were all decked out in our orange.

That evening John and Pop attended the Tennessee game.  Dad had gotten some great seats for the first game of the season, and he took John with him to the game.  Here are a few pictures they took at the game.

They were SO close!

No month is complete without at least one visit to Dollywood...

Now Nora Kate is big enough to ride the sky rider too...she has no fear when it comes to rides!  That's my girl!!!

She does look little though as the ride is taking them up and dropping them!

Carter was SO THRILLED to finally be tall enough to ride the bumper cars...this was a big, big deal!!!!  Now he tells NK, "one day you'll be big enough like me, Nora Kate!"

My big boys are in the green car at the front of the kid coaster and John and Nora Kate are in the yellow car.  They all love this kid coaster! It is pretty fun.

Clayton's always such a happy camper at Dollywood...and everywhere really.

Dollywood selfie with the brown eyed family members.

After we left Dollywood we did a little shopping in Pigeon Forge...Nora Kate could spend HOURS in Claires!

She got this whistle at Dollywood.  I said, "Nora Kate, don't blow that whistle because it will scare Clayton and make him cry."  She disobeyed and blew the whistle a foot away from her baby brother....he laughed!  I guess it takes more than that to scare the 4th born child.

September also meant time to start making baby food for Clayton.  I have made 100% of the baby food for Dawson, Carter, and Nora Kate, and I have intentions of doing the same for Clayton.  These are sweet potatoes and yellow squash to start out.

He's big enough for his walker now too!

Why is he growing up so fast?!

But look at the joy on that face his first time in his walker.

I just loved this picture Carter drew for me of "happy birds, a sun, and lots of flowers in pots with Carter letters on them."

We went to Gym Bugs a couple of times this month.  Always a fun time....Carter was excited to hold Clayton on his lap for a minute at Gym Bugs.

Even though Nora Kate turned 3 last month in August, her check up was in September.  She is so funny about going to the doctor...she loves it!  Sometimes she will beg to go to the doctor when nothing is wrong...seriously I don't get it!  But she was so excited, she picked out "a fancy dress" to wear and was bouncing around all morning with excitement...you would have thought we were going somewhere fun.  Here she is holding up 3 fingers for her "3 year check up."

This month for some reason, Carter started telling me he didn't want to go to school sometimes.  (He only goes 2 days 3 hours each day, so it's not that long...so I made him keep going.)  I tried to do a few things to make him want to go.  This particular morning we were running early, I got him laughing taking "silly selfies" which he loves making funny faces...I felt better getting to see him smile before school.  Love this sweet boy!  I hope he will get happier about school soon.

Grandparents day was this month.  We made these fall scenes on burlap covered canvases to give the grandparents.  Dawson's handprint was the farmer, Carter's was the pumpkin, Nora Kate's was the owl, and Clayton's made the acorn. 

As with tradition, John and Grandad take the kids to the fair every September.  We made a rule a long time ago that you have to be 3 to go.  Nora Kate talked for months leading up to it that she was going to get to go this year!  She did great and had lots of fun...actually they all three did.  It was hot, but they did lots of rides, cotton candy and other fair foods, seeing animals...etc! They had lots to tell me and Clayton when they got home. 

Carter got to being his first sport this month, SOCCER!

He was so excited!  This picture was when he was getting ready for practice...

Can you tell he's excited..caught him mid-jump!

Of course, I had to label a few things for him.

We always love eating lunch at Dawson's school. He gets to pick a friend and sit with his friend and his guest(s).  This time he picked Alexa...love these sweet friends!

One morning outside having breakfast on the patio we happened to see a hummingbird which was odd because we don't have a feeder.  The kids thought it was so, so neat! So their Lolly gave them a hummingbird feeder, and we have seen SO MANY hummingbirds! It's amazing!

One Saturday Lolly and I took the kids to a festival in Friendsville.  There were games, inflatables, and these barrel cars...they loved it all!

While we were at the festival John got to go to another football game...this time with his dad and he sat in the skybox.  Such a neat view from the skybox.

This just made me laugh.  We were playing in the water on the driveway and Dawson put on his lifejacket...in 1ft deep water! Hah!

Clayton continues to be our sweet, happy baby.  So easy going and ALWAYS smiling!

Lots and lots of soccer this month.  Carter is AWESOME at soccer.  I know I'm bragging on my own child, but I have been so amazed at how quickly he's picked it up.  He understands defense, the concept of the game, isn't afraid to get in there and get the ball...so proud of this boy!  And most importantly, he's enjoying it!

Another trip to Gym Bugs.  This guy was stretching on a little mat and looking at all the décor on the ceiling!

While Carter and Nora Kate jumped!

Early, early one Saturday morning John went fishing with one of his co-workers on his boat and took Dawson and Carter! They still talk about Mr. Nick's boat and what fun it was! These boys love fishing.

We enjoyed making s'mores at the firepit out back this month too.

The boys insisted on making me a s'more, and who am I to tell them no?! (haha!)  When they gave this one to me, Clayton was smiling and smiling like he thought he was getting some...sorry, Mr. Baby...you're too little!

Carter talking to one of his soccer buddies on the side of the field.

Clayton is 6 Months

This month was a big one for Mr. Baby's tummy! :)

And yes, Nora Kate has still been calling Clayton, Mr. Baby and it's kind of stuck...meaning we call him Mr. Baby a lot!!! 

But back to the tummy...this month Clayton got to try drinking water out of a sippy cup of which he is not a fan.  He will suck the water into his mouth with no problems whatsoever, then he has absolutely no interest in swallowing it.  So at this point he just opens his mouth and lets it all roll back out.  We will work on this an improve, though I'm not too worried for now since he still nurses really regularly!

Also, for his tummy...he has been eating rice cereal and baby oatmeal cereal and enjoying them.  This month I got back to making the baby food again.  I made 100% of the baby food for D, C, and NK, and fully intend to do the same for Clayton.  First up were sweet potatoes and yellow squash.  Both are hits! He does his "motorcycle hands" the entire time he's eating!

Clayton is becoming a really efficient roller these days, meaning he rolls over and over and over across the room.  So sweet to watch him.

Also, this month he had his 6 month check up.  The doctor said he's doing GREAT!  He weight is in the 90th percentile at 19 pounds 8 ounces.  He is 26.5 inches long.  Definitely growing and healthy according to the doctor.  The appointment was relatively uneventful (other than shots), because he was doing great!

Clayton loves watching his brothers and sister more than ever this month.  He is still such a smiley happy baby.  He is so fun! I absolutely love having a baby anyway, but having one this happy is so great.  We love our sweet baby boy so much, we are just a little sad that he's already 1/2 way to his first birthday.  Can time slow down, please?!  I want to keep our Mr. Baby a baby!

Probably one of my favorite pictures of these four.  They were were just laughing and laughing! True smiles.

Clayton is 5 Months!

Our sweet baby is already FIVE MONTHS OLD?!  He is the happiest baby I have ever seen!  Clayton is all smiles all the time.  His brothers and sister get the biggest smiles out of him, of course, but he smiles at everyone all the time!  Clayton rarely ever cries....we know if he is crying something is really wrong.  Even when he wakes up in the night to eat, instead of crying we just hear him grunting and grunting and making noises that get louder and louder, but rarely every crying. 

Clayton is also a happy car rider.  He can easily see Nora Kate, Carter, and Dawson from his rear facing seat, so he has more entertainment that he knows what to do with!  Clayton LOVES watching his siblings all the time!

As I mentioned last month, Clayton does not take a pacifier.  He prefers to suck his thumb....his left thumb.  It's so sweet.  We have never had a thumb sucker before, so I'm sure it will bring it's own challenges as we eventually have to break the habit, but for now I love seeing him poke that round little thumb in his mouth.  So sweet!  It's also nice not always having to remember if we have a pacifier in the diaper bag, car, etc.  Thumbs are much more convenient!

I think Clayton slept through the night two times this month...yay!  The majority of the nights he got up 2 times-occasionally 3 times to eat.  Thankfully even though we are still not sleeping through the night, he does just wake up, get a diaper change, eat, and then I lay him right back in bed and he goes back to sleep on his own.  So we aren't awake for long period of time each feeding at night.

We moved Clayton to sleeping in his crib in his own room this month.  First of all he was WAY to big for the bassinet and had moved to sleeping in the pack and play which honestly just doesn't seem as comfy to me, and second because we thought he might sleep better not being near us.  Well, it didn't help him sleep any better, but he seems to do equally well in his crib in his bedroom. 

His daytime schedule is to wake for the day around 7:30.  Then nap from about 9:30-11.  Then another nap from 1/1:30-3/3:30.  He's a good napper and amazes me at what noises he can sleep through.  His afternoon nap aligns with Carter's and Nora Kate's, but during morning nap he's the only one sleeping and it's usually loud with the kids playing but he never seems to get woken up by them!  Then he goes to bed at night at 7:30. 

This month's big development was ROLLING!  Clayton can now roll over, and he loves his new "trick!" The kids are always amazed and cheer him on each time he does it...it's so sweet!!  In honor of him being able to roll now, we had to take a picture in his "Ready to Roll" outfit!

Clayton's first trolley ride in Downtown Knoxville.  See his little leg and head poking out of the Ergo baby carrier I'm wearing.

The Knoxville Museum of Art is in the Clayton Building...so we had to get a picture.  Clayton looks less than amused (blame the bright sun).

What's tummy time without entertainment.  These two are always happy to provide entertainment. 

We brought out the walker this month too!

He loves it, and can only go in reverse at this point.

The kids think it's hilarious that he "backs up," but I remind them that this was exactly what they all did first in the walker too!

Now that Clayton is a regular roller, he rolls over to sleep on his tummy every.single.time I put him in bed for a nap or night time.  I think it's sweet how he has a preference.  He loves to sleep on his tummy just like this, you can see his left thumb in his mouth, and his right hand is rubbing his hair as he goes to sleep.  Oh, I love this sweet little picture of him sleeping.

We started Clayton on rice cereal and then baby oatmeal cereal this month.

His first time eating we took a few pictures and let everyone have a turn feeding him.  (Nora Kate was freshly up from nap-hence the hairstyle).

Clayton loved the food, and everyone loved being part of the excitement of feeding him for the first time!

And now for our traditional, monthly pictures...

I'm not going to lie, getting this month's pictures was the biggest struggle.  Now that Mr. Baby (as Nora Kate still sweetly calls Clayton), but now that Mr. Baby can roll he didn't really want to sit propped up in the corner of the chair.  He kept arching his back to slink down to be on his back so he could try to roll.  The kids thought this was hilarious and got really silly before their group pictures. 

I do LOVE some of their true expressions I caught this month though because they were all so tickled from laughing at how Mr. Baby was so wild during my attempt at his picture!

Here they are...