Picnic in February

So my blog is going in reverse - but I really wanted to post this video. Its from February on a snowy day when Liam decided he wanted to have a picnic. We decided to have a picnic on the living room floor. Watching this video reminds me how far he has come with his vocabulary and sentences these days.

Easter

This video from Easter shows just some of the insanity. Liam received so many Easter baskets that the candy weighed in at a grand total of 10 lbs. He also received toys and clothes - I don't remember Easter being such a big deal! Needless to say Liam was overwhelmed by the sheer amount and then they keep giving him more. In the video you can hear him say his basket is too heavy!

Summer Highlight Reel

This has been a very crazy and wonderful summer so far even if we have been stuck inside a little more than usual. Here's Liam chasing bubbles in the front yard.



Teresa and the boys came home to celebrate a day we thought would never come - Uncle Rob's Graduation! To mark the occasion we bought him an a amazing pair of waders we he immediately changed into. Only my brother can look this cool in chest high waders. Luckily only the fish will be around to laugh!


Liam took swim lessons for the first time. He's starting to get a little better about putting his face in, but he has yet to exhibit those Herdeman swimming genes. Slowly but surely as the summer progresses we have him kicking and jumping in to me. I'm thinking this kid is going to play land based sports.




Here is Liam lined up around the baby pool on the 4th of July waiting for the juice box grab. They throw a bunch of Capri Sun in the pool and the kids run in and grab them. Sadly they only put in enough juice pouches so that there weren't many more pouches than kids - and Liam wasn't very aggressive. The bigger kids all beat him and at the end he was standing in the middle of the pool crying empty handed. It broke my heart. Luckily Peter Schildnecht (lifeguard) talked one of the kids into giving an extra one to Liam. Its a cruel hard world out there.

We took Liam to Symmes Fest and he loved these little cars that went around slowly in circles. After the car ride he decided he wanted to ride the Dragon Rollercoaster. I had a feeling he would hate it - and boy did he! He cried and screamed "help" the entire time. Luckily childhood trauma like that is easily remedied with a big bag of kettle corn.






Marky and Jack were here for three weeks before they went to Vermont for vacation. Before they returned to Alabama we took them to Red Robin for dinner and had the waiters sing Happy Birthday to Chick. Then we ended the night in the perfect summer way - with trip to the whippy dip! Its really kind of crazy for me and Teresa to take our FIVE kids to the Loveland Creamy Whip. Only three made this picture because Charlotte was strapped to my chest in a carrier and Michael is too little to climb up there. These three are best of friends....when they are not trying to seriously injure one another.

Our New Addition

Charlotte is almost two months old and I've shared very little of her pictures or videos. I'm a bad mom, but I'm trying to play catch up now that we are settled in.

Here is Charlotte's First Bath at home:



Charlotte and Liam:


Charlotte at 7 weeks:

Jorie - The Little Monster in Liam's Pocket

My sister's two oldest boys, Marky and Jack, were in town last week. Liam loves to play with the boys even though he takes some abuse as the smallest. One day when we were over at Grammy Sue's Liam came crying to me two times for injuries; one large scratch from his nose down to his lip and another time he received a swift kick to the jaw. So when he came crying the third time I assumed it was more of the same - but this time it was a little different.

"Jack hurt my little monster!" Liam holds out an empty hand to me.

"Your monster?"

"Jorie, the little monster that lives in my pocket. Jack hit him and now he is hurt!" Liam is crying hysterically now - and its not at all fake - there are real tears.

After administering some monster medicine, and a little TLC, Jorie was "warm and safe" back in Liam's pocket. This was the first I'd heard of Jorie, but I've since kissed him goodnight and searched for him in the car.