Counting down!

Last week we got back from our amazing Frost family reunion in Florida! We had an incredible time at the reunion and spent 4 LOOOOOONG days in the car traveling to the reunion and back(2 twelve hour days each way). I cannot say enough that my kids did amazingly well on the drive. Even Miss Emery proved to be a great little traveler.

One of the fun things about this trip was seeing so many states that we had never been to. The kids knocked 5 new states off their lists and Allen and I got 3 states each. Both Al and I are on the tail-end of visiting all 50 states so we had to stop at each state line to get a picture to document it.

Louisiana:
6th last state for me, 9th last for Al:

Mississippi:
5th last for me, 8th last for Allen

Alabama:
7th last for Allen, 4th last for me

The states I have left: North Dakota, Alaska and Maine. Good thing they're close to each other and super convenient to get to! I have big plans to knock them off my list in the next few years.

The south was breathtakingly beautiful, green and smelled like a swamp! We loved it. I have almost 500 pictures to go through from our trip so expect lots of updates over the next week!

5 Months

Another month has gone by and I just wish time would SLOW DOWN! Emery is such a happy and delightful baby and I can't stand how fast her babyhood is flying by. This month Ems did a lot of the same things as last month but is now doing them better.

She is:

- sitting up on her own for quite awhile. We sometimes have to help her get her arms in the right place to balance but she is getting so good

- rolling from her back to her stomach. She can do it but she hates being on her tummy so she doesn't do it often

- getting on a MUCH more predictable nap schedule. She usually takes a morning, afternoon and early evening nap and is in bed by 8 p.m. most nights. She also loves to sleep with her blanket over her face. It freaks me out but anytime I pull it off of her face she immediately reaches for it and pulls it back on.

- waking up 1-2 times per night to eat. Better napping has meant less predictable sleep at night but it is a good tradeoff for me

- talking up a storm. I don't think we've ever had this verbal of a baby. She loves to make noise with her mouth and I can actually tell what she needs by the kinds of noises she makes. For example, I can always tell when she is poopy because she does a funny screech that she reserves just for that. So fun!

- putting everything in her mouth. She loooooooves her feet and is always trying to get them to her mouth. She also loves to suck on her clothes and will always pull them into her mouth.

- playing with toys. She loves her interlocking rings, Sophie the giraffe and her playyard

- laughing up a storm. She loves to have her belly kissed and will laugh forever afterwards.

- trying solids. So far, no luck, but she is warming up to the idea. She has tried rice cereal and pears so far and acts like we are trying to kill her with every bite.

- still very attached to me. She still cries if I walk out of her line of sight and often cries when strangers pick her up or talk to her.

- still spitting up a ton. It's so gross. It seems to be tapering off a bit but it is still bad. She is also the diaper blow-out queen.

- happy, happy, happy baby. She is the squishiest, most snuggly, loveable baby ever. I just love her to pieces and think she is our best decision ever! {I can say that because I was SOOOO on the fence about her even when pregnant and I still can't believe I considered my life complete without her. I knew I WANTED 3 kids but didn't know I NEEDED 4.}

4th of July

We enjoyed a super low key 4th holiday this year. We drove back from CO on Sunday evening and had made no real plans for the 4th. We did attend our annual ward pancake breakfast which was delicious and fun! After the breakfast we headed out to get some much needed groceries and then hit a movie. In the late afternoon we went swimming and had a super yummy BBQ with just our family. We contemplated throwing together an impromptu party with some friends but decided just to be together since we hadn't seen Allen in 2 weeks! We headed to Allen's office which has an incredible view of the fireworks and enjoyed a spectacular show (I've decided I'm obsessed with firework production. Allen said it's all chemical engineering - maybe I missed my calling in life). The kids were crashed out by the time we got home.

There were so many fun dessert, craft and party ideas that I saw for the 4th but this just wasn't the year for me to pull it off. My mom and I did make this cute wreath that I had seen online and I love how it turned out:

It is astounding to me that our summer is already more than half-way over! We head back to school on August 8th and we have lots more fun to squeeze in before then!

Colorado Trip

We spent two glorious weeks in Colorado in June while Allen held down the fort here at home and attended to his many Young Men's responsibilities this summer. My sister was also able to meet me there for 10 days and we got to relax and play and enjoy being together. It was a really relaxing trip and we didn't do a ton of BIG activities but we managed to squeeze in something fun every day and lounged at the pool every afternoon. I also read a couple books, did some shopping and caught up with a few of my favorite CO friends. It was really nice to get out of the desert heat and enjoy my parents amazing lush, green, beautiful yard. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Emery meeting her aunt and cousins for the first time:LOTS of swimming at the pool:{including the kids performing various stunts and making the moms rate them}Visits with "old" friends:{My kids with Melissa's kids, eating the YUMMIEST homemade fudgesicles ever}{My kids with Kayla's kids performing one of 3 plays they made up for us}{My close childhood friend Jenny and our 7 kiddos. We used to play on this trampoline together and our kids did the same - it was actually pretty surreal!}

A day spent at Belleview Park -

Playing with Grandpa's "friend" that was found in the backyard:Playing night games including egg tosses and a pinata:A day at the American Girl Store:A trip to our favorite candy store in downtown Littleton:A trip to Pirates Cove Waterpark:

The kids played endlessly in my parents fab backyard, we went to the movies a couple times and had a ball being together! It was a great time in CO that went way too fast, as usual.

{For more details on most of these activities, check out my 365 blog ----------> over there}

4 Months

I know I say it every month, but I can't believe Emery is already 4 months old! I have forgotten how quickly babies change at this age and it never ceases to amaze me how much I love watching my FOURTH child reach her milestones. It just never gets old watching a baby grow and develop.

This month Emery:

• Found her feet and loves trying to get them in her mouth



• Found her thumb. We're not sure if she'll be thumb sucker since she doesn't suck at night but she likes it during the day.



• Has mastered rolling from side to side but hasn't made it all the way over yet (she's SO close)



• Figured out she only likes to sleep in very dark places. We moved her into our closet a few days ago and she is a different baby sleep-wise. It's making for a much happier baby and mom! She is also no longer sleeping in her carseat!
  


• Weighed in at 17 lb. 1 oz. at her 4 month appointment and is off the charts in both height and weight



• Graduated to size 3 diapers and size 6-12 month clothes



• Learned to put her binky back in by herself



• Learned to squeal and "talk" really loudly to get our attention



• Laughed for the first time. Addison seems to have the real talent to getting her to laugh but it is sure fun when we all try.



• Graduated from the baby bathtub since she will no longer fit in it



• Still loves mama most and gets very sad when I am not around



• Loves putting everything in her mouth

She still loves to sleep with me and that would be her preferred method if only I didn't have 3 other kids to take care of during the day. She is beyond sweet and we all adore her.

Oh, and the cutest part of her outfit is the back {The front says Fairy Princess}:

I'm hoping it still fits her for our Disney vacation in a couple months.

{PS - I'm trying desperately to get my 365 blog up to date before our first vacation of the summer. It should be done sometime today and shows what we've been up to so far this summer}

Summertime Fun Bucket

Aaaahhhh... we are finally out of school. I'm so relieved and happy that we have 8 weeks of summer fun and relaxation ahead of us.

On the last day of school I took a cue from my sister-in-law, Tracie, and decorated my car for the last day of school. The kids were so surprised and loved it! For $5 I was the coolest mom around.


I decided to put together a bunch of new, fun summer stuff for the kids this year. Because of Emery's nap schedule we will need to spend more time at home than the past couple of summers. I know I will need LOTS of stuff to keep the kids busy and happy this year. This was waiting for them after school:

The bucket included:

fixings for s'mores
homemade popsiclemolds
a huge roll of newsprint
water shooters
pool toys and dive sticks
a new sprinkler for under the trampoline
glow bracelets and sticks
a new board game (already played and so fun)
waterballoons
shaving cream (to play with on the wet trampoline)
summer fruits candy
activity jar
summer checklists
rootbeer extract + homemade rootbeer recipe

(I would have also put in new craft supplies, bubbles, goggles, beach towels, sand toys, sidewalk chalk, etc. if we had needed any of it)

Like last year, I made the kids summer checklists. I know we won't do everything on the list every day but it is a good guideline. As an extra incentive I included "Piano Pizzas" that C&M will mark off a pepperoni every day they practice and earn a trip to our favorite pizza joint. The kids will have to work together to fill their reading rainbow every day and they will be working toward a trip to the water park at the end of the summer.

Finally, I made an activity jar that they can choose from every day. I know these are on about every blog out there for this summer but I made sure that all of our activities would be able to be completed without help from me. You won't find "bake cookies" in the jar I made, even though we will also do plenty of those types of activities. I'm hoping each activity will keep the kids occupied for at least 30 minutes every day.

The activities:
Write a letter to the Tokyo Frosts
Write a letter to the Cobia’s
Write a letter to the NC Frost’s
Write a letter to the Jacksons
Write a letter to the Lewis’
Write a letter to the MS Frost’s
Write a letter to Jake & Erica
Write a letter to the Stradlings
Write a letter to G&G Baldwin
Write a letter to Gma Frost
Play a board game
Play with Play Do
Draw targets on the wall in the backyard and squirt with water shooters
Play with the marble track
Play a board game
Play with sidewalk chalk
Make Snowcones for everyone
Make a craft with a paper plate
Paint something
Build a blanket fort
Make a music video
Jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler
Make up and perform a puppet show
Make up a play
Do an ABC scavenger hunt with a camera around the house.
Draw a family portrait on the wall outside
Finger paint
Play with bubbles outside
Look at your scrapbook
Write in your journal
Build a sandcastle
Make something with Tinker Toys
Have a beauty parlor and do each other’s hair/makeup
Do a self portrait
Have a tea party with your stuffed animals
Wash the car
Play with water balloons
Have a water fight with your squirt guns
Make paper bag puppets
Splatter paint
Clean coins with Salt and vinegar
Have a picnic lunch inside
Work on the dance for the family reunion
Make up an obstacle course and time each other
Finger paint with pudding
Shaving cream fight on the trampoline in your swimsuits
Jump on the trampoline with bubbles
Organize a talent show & perform for mom & dad
Make a structure out of toothpicks and mini-marshmallows

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I am officially ready for summer

Dance Pictures

Whoa. I need to catch my breath. The past couple of weeks have been C-R-A-Z-Y with recitals, programs, parties, projects, field trips, etc. I have so much to blog about and feel so far behind! So let's get started!

Makenna and Addison both took dance this year and loved it! Being a dancer myself, I just adore watching my girls dance and discover a love for it. I hope (fingers crossed) that my girls want to dance for many more years! The studio they dance for had their recital last week and both girls did great. I will post videos of their performances when I get the professional DVD I ordered. My videos were terrible because of the low light in the auditorium. The weekend before the recital I decided to do my own pictures of the girls in their costumes.

Addison's class danced to "Spoon Full of Sugar" from Mary Poppins. Her costume included a giant lollipop prop that I didn't have for the shoot.








Addie's little friend was there during the shoot so she was pretty distracted and I had a hard time getting her to cooperate. However, going through these pictures I am reminded that you only really need to get 1 good shot to make it worth it. I probably took 200 pics on this day and only a handful of them turned out, but that's all you really need!



Kenna's class danced to "9-5" from the musical/movie 9-5. Man, she rocked it on performance night and we are so proud of how hard she has worked this year. She has improved a ton and has expressed an interest in dancing on the competitive team. We'll see next year how she feels about it.








Her friend from our ward, whose name is also Makenna (yes, spelled the exact same way even) was in her class with her so we took a few pictures of the girls together. They are two peas in a pod right down to that crazy, gorgeous, long blond hair.









Finally, a picture of my girlies together!

They are both going to ballet camp this summer and I can't wait to see how much they love it!