Jude is 7 months old!

Should I even say anything? Its getting depressing. Ha! This last month was so busy that I almost forgot that the 11th came and went.... Seven months old. More than half a year now. This little mile marker stings a little more than the others. Not only that, but he's a built in countdown to Christmas. Gah! Five months people!

A little about Jude at 7 months:

Jude is sitting up all by himslef now. He used to just kinda flop over after a few seconds, but he is now in control and sits happily playing and using his hands to"bang" on whatever is in front of him.

He loves his little chain link toys and is constantly chewing on them. He likes to hold them with both hands and cackle in delight as he flings them about.

Drooling has significantly increased due to teething, but no teeth yet.

He is now eating baby cereal mixed with a fruit or vegetable. He has been the most picky of the three. When we introduced the cereal he gagged every time! Now he sees the bowl and spoon and gets very excited. Phew!

Jude has expanded his rolling from just across the room, to wherever mom goes. He's getting really good about turning corners!

He still loves his jumper and we've had to up its level from a 2 to a 3 because he has grown. Sigh.

He adores Owen so very much that it melts your heart watching them. Sweet brothers.

Emma loves to hold Jude and Jude thinks his big sister is great! He always smiles for her and he gets excited when she enters the room. She is the gentler sibling. hehe.

Jude still doesn't have much hair. It has mostly fallen out. Cradle cap hasn't helped. What he does have is very soft and fine silk. It still appears more brown than blonde but the more he loses the harder it is to tell.

His eyes are still very piercingly blue. The question still remains if they will turn hazel like the other kids. I hope not. They are so bright!

Jude loves his mama. He loves to snuggle and get loves and even nap in moms lap. Mom enjoys every second!

Dad is still the man! The reaction Daddy gets when he comes home from work is literally happy squeals of delight. His arms wave and his legs kick! He loves his dad! (Que the song,"I'm so Glad When Daddy Comes Home")

Jude has been, and still is, the most pleasant and happy baby. He is such a sweet little guy! We love him so much, and our lives are so much fuller with him in it! We love you, Jude!

And this just shows his cute personality! He's thinkin,"What on earth are you guys doing?" While Emma and Dad talk silly and jump up and down trying to get his attention.

Fourth of July!

For the second year in a row, we had the pleasure of going to ND and visiting Nana and Popo (Phil's parents) for the Fourth of July weekend. And as before, we had a blast! Austin and his family went again as well, and we got a good 24 hours of playtime before they headed down to Ashlynn's harp camp. I did my best to capture everyone in there somewhere! The only thing I failed to capture was the taste of the delicious food that Wade and Brenda made. Don't know if it was nostalgia or not, but it sure was dang good! Steaks, potatoes, green beans, chicken, crumble burgers...all delicious! 

But the company was best! It was so nice to visit and see them! We are counting ourselves lucky that we have already seen them twice this year, and are hoping for a third in the Fall. Crossing our fingers they can come see Spokane while there is sun instead of snow. Ha! We loved seeing everyone. It goes too fast!

Fire works time!

Please note that Owen would not come out of the house because it was too "loud." and Emma wore a hoodie because she was afraid of mosquitoes even after we sprayed ourselves. Ha!

On Saturday before Austin's family left we got to try out the new indoor pool!

On Sunday we walked down to the little community park to stretch and play. Fun little equipment! Kids loved the teeter totter.

As always time goes by too quickly and we found ourselves headed back home.

We also got to pop in and say hi to our cousin Shaelynn in Bozeman, MT! We don't get to see her often either, so when we can, we do!

Until next time!!!! We miss you and hope to see you soon!

Family photos 2014

My sister Rachel came up for a visit to see Baby Adelynn and while she was here I handed her my camera and asked her to snap some new family photos. We went up to Manito park and walked around for an hour and she captured some fun ones! I then edited them. The collaboration produced new printable family photos for my wall. I am very happy with the result! That's all the matters right? So here they are...Fleming Family 2014!

Jude is 6 months!

Um.... I just did the 5 month post didn't I? What can I say? Time flies when you're having fun!

A few things about Jude at 6 months:

Jude is our sweet sweet boy who loves to play and roll and laugh. He is such a mellow fellow!

He is now eating baby cereal and it is hysterical to watch! He gags on the first bite EVERY time, but by the 3rd or 4th spoonful he is leaning in with mouth wide open! 

Jude is now a determined roller and will roll over to me, Owen, or a toy he sees. He bounces like crazy in his Jumperoo and cackles in excitement. 

He jibber jabbers and is mimicking talking. He will try to "reply" or even try to do what you are doing with your mouth such as rolling your tongue or making popping noises. 

He LOVES to watch Owen and I can just see how much he wants to play. He adores Emma and she holds him and sings to him. He loves it! 

Jude LOVES LOVES LOVES his blankies. All my kids have had the love of blankets so its been passed down to him too! 

Jude is so HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!  And of course healthy. He weighed 16 lbs 14 oz at his 6 month visit and was 27 inches long! He has gained almost 8 pounds since he was born and has grown 5 inches in length. That's amazing to me! 

He likes to give mom kisses which translates to slobbering on mom's face.

He is a Momma's boy, but loves the cool fun guy named Dad! 

We love Jude so much and can't believe how lucky we are to call him ours! I really wish I could slow these next few months down, but we know that how that story goes. With that said, I look forward very much to seeing how much Jude grows and learns these next 6 months! The first year of growth and change is amazing! We love you Jude!

Emma's last day of 2nd Grade!

I know I sound like a broken record, but where does the time go?! I now have a 3rd grader?! Oie vey!

Every year this seems to happen. The school year starts, 9 months breeze by, and then we are having the last day of school again. My efforts to slow time down have had no effect. Ha!

Emma loves school and has loved all her teachers. This year was no different. She ended the year with the same sentiments of, "I don't want a new teacher!" Then I remind her that she has said this every year. :)

As usual I do the end of year favorites! So here it is, our omage to 2nd grade!

Air show!

It has been an incredibly long time since I have been to an air show. As a kid, my dad took us to the ones at Nellis AFB whenever they were held. I look back on those fun days with fond memories! So when I found out that the Thunderbirds were going to be at our air show here in Spokane, I was pretty excited! My mom and her husband drove over and our friends the Normans met us there as well.

I was pretty sure that Owen was about to have the best day of his life! He is so into cars, planes, and trains, so all this was going to be right up his alley. As we pulled onto the base there was a prop plane flying and he immediately turned into a jibber jabbering chatterbox. So excited! We were led to our parking spot and as we got out an f-15 jet flew over. I thought Owen was going to love it, but the loud noise immediately sent his hands to his ears and he became a permanent attachment to my leg. For about 20 minutes after the jet had landed and we walked into the show, I tried to convince him that it would no longer be noisy. Eventually he realized that indeed it was now safe to take his hands off his ears. I, however, knew more noise was eventual. hehe.

We walked around and saw those huge cargo planes, smaller prop planes from World War II, some helicopters, and of course a Thunderbird! We also saw a parachute demonstration and got to meet the men in the jump. The kids got to help pack back up one of the parachutes. Emma thought that was pretty cool!

Of course the finale was the Thunderbirds. The music, the atmosphere, the show itself, all made me very nostalgic. Everyone enjoyed them and even Owen who had his hands over his ears the entire time, watched in awe. So much fun!

Owen talked about the air show for a week and if you mention it even now, he will tell you all about the planes! Emma enjoyed it and asked if we could go back the next day. :)  Safe to say everyone enjoyed the air show! Hope to go next year!

A New Cousin!

My sister Laura had her baby on May 16th. The baby was a few weeks early and born not breathing. For what seemed like hours, she did not make a sound and you could hear a pin drop as the doctor and nurses and NICU rushed in and then out. I have never been good at emergency situations. I can't think straight when my adrenaline gets pumping. Just before they rolled the baby up to NICU they got her breathing. When I heard her little cry I immediately became dizzy and had to sit down before I fell over. Then I felt like breathing took a lot of effort and my hands began to shake. Looking back, I realize that while we waited for those sounds of life, that I myself had been holding my breath. I was trying to swallow my panic. They rushed her off and for 4 to 5 hours, my sister didn't get to see her. Luckily, they had her breathing, and while she spent some time in the NICU, she did not have anything wrong with her. It was just a prolonged delivery that caused a bit of stress and she was cleared to go back to Laura that evening after passing some tests. It is, however, an experience I'd not like to repeat!

Now she is a month old and is a thriving growing baby. She is a little doll and looks just like Laura! So here is a few photos of our newest niece and cousin!

1 day old!

  

1 week old

1 month old

This last photo could pass as a photo of Laura when she was this age! I have to find one to compare!