A VERY big day!

July 29th marked Gabe and my 4 year anniversary and Macy's 7 month birthday! What a day! We started with my very good friend Jamie and her son Mason coming over to stock up on home-made baby food.

Mom gave me this cookbook called, "Deceptively Delicious" that has some wonderful pointers on pureeing food. We ended up making banana squash, sweet potato, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. There are several steps, but definitely worth it.

Happy 7 month birthday sweet baby girl! (This was Macy patiently waiting for her friends to get here!)
Yeah! Macy loves Jamie. :) (And her new whisk")
Our little "helpers" took turns in these stations, as well as the floor and taking naps at the same time. They were very very good and I love having friends that have kids at the same stage Macy is at. They totally get taking "breaks" to feed!
These 2 are 6 weeks apart. Mason is almost walking at 8 and a half months, sits perfectly and has 2 teeth, says Mom, Dad. Macy... smiles on demand! She also moves, rolls constantly and scoots. Mason prefers sitting in one place or standing holding something. They are sooo cute! Macy looked at Mason dreamy all day. She admires all he can do and gets a kick out of him. Notice too, their color difference? Crazy! Mason is one tan little man and Macy is as pink as a rose!
Mommy with Mason. Love this picture!
Look how excited Macy is just to watch her friend! Cracks me up!

After making loads of baby food, and having some lunch, Jamie and Mason left and Mom and Katie and I headed to Hovander Park in Ferndale. This place is so beautiful. I haven't been in years and it was just like I remembered. It was a perfect day to head to the park! We saw a bald eagle driving in and then enjoyed everything else. They have gorgeous gardens, animals and several fun buildings.


Macy was checking out Mom's jewelry... :)

Katie, Macy and I. Check out that view of Mt Baker! Gorgeous!
Playtime in the shade... Then when Macy hit the wall we headed home to do the trade off. Mom took Macy home with her, Katie went too, and I headed to grab a pizza so Gabe and I could celebrate our anniversary when he got home!

Gabe and I headed to Boulevard Park, where we went on our first date and had a ball. It was a PERFECT night to just sit, ALONE!!!! and chat, enjoy each other's company and relax. I loved it!!!! We had pizza, played backgammon and people watched. Our first "date" in a very long time.
My perfect date: Gabe, pizza, a game, nice weather, being outside... Couldn't have been any better!

We even saw this couple doing who knows what moves. Gabe thought they were ice skaters. We couldn't help laughing about how in Bellingham parks people just randomly start doing gymnastics. Happens every time. This time, I caught some on film!


Happy 4 year anniversary honey. I appreciate all you do for our family and all the little ways you show me you love me. This has been a very big year for us and the best so far as we welcomed Macy into our family!!! She reminds me of you in so many ways and I'm so thankful you gave her to me! I'll love you forever.

Cocoa

Although Gabe is working more than ever it seems these days, he has been really helping me out as much as possible with errands and the grocery store/Walmart/Costco "shuffle" as my friend Tanya calls it! I used to love doing errands and hitting lots of places in one day! I would actually save up my list until I could make a day of it and loved checking each place off as I finished my list. These days? Not so much. I DREAD the thought of three places to go in one day as it throws Macy off schedule and isn't nearly as "fun" to wait in line, realize that the first grocery store doesn't carry golden mushroom soup, or pectin, get caught in a downpour, have to go to the bathroom somewhere outside Target and how DOES someone do that with an infant in a carseat?... All that to say, life has changed and now I think Gabe is being incredibly romantic when he offers to go to Costco or anywhere else for me!

So, the other day after he finished getting everything on my list (on night shift no less) I was unpacking the bags and came across the hot chocolate above. I was a little puzzled as it's July and Gabe isn't much for random purchases. I said, "Hon, are you bringing this to work?" He goes, "No, you had COCOA on your list." I died laughing. I wanted to make those no-bake cookies using cocoa powder!!!! He just shook his head. Katie was there and we were laughing and laughing as I said, "I wondered why you would want to drink hot chocolate when it's 80 degrees outside!" He finally got it and laughed too. It was by far the funny of the day!

Macy is in her high chair!

Officially, about 4 days ago Macy dived out of her Bumbo chair. Thank you Lord I was standing right in front of her re-packing the diaper bag and caught her as she was in the Bumbo ON the counter and would have dove right off. I announced to Gabe no more Bumbo and from that day on we've been using this high chair. She LOVES it! I love the straps, and the fact she is sitting up, and I can give her all kinds of toys (or her favorite thing- my orange measuring cups) and she is happy to watch me putter in the kitchen and bang on her tray.
She looks like such a big girl in her very own high chair!
We had a good day today. This morning we went and visited Holly and Harper (we call her "The Harps") and I put Macy in this top because The Harps has one identical to it that I saw the last time we visited and loved it and copied!!! Holly gave Macy the shorts that go with because Harps is out of them already! She, along with all of Macy's little buddies is higher on the scale than she is (Macy was 14 lbs 13 oz at her 6 month check, Harper was 18 lbs 6 oz at hers) and her darn cute little legs and bootie wouldn't fit in these shorts! Score for Macy!

My phone died on the way home. Literally turned black and was done, so I dropped Macy off at home with Gabe for a nap (and heard later she didn't sleep a wink!), and went to Verizon, got a new phone, headed back, fed Macy, put her down for a real nap, went out to dinner with Gabe's parents and then home for some fun.
We practiced sitting up with Holly and Harper this morning and it encouraged me that Macy is doing better sitting than I thought! She sat up in this boppy pillow for a long time tonight just playing with toys and smiling for my camera. I don't even have to make faces anymore, folks. My daughter LOVES to get her picture taken! She sees the light go on and smiles or poses every time! Love it!



I just posted every picture I took I couldn't decide which was the cutest! :) We did an outfit change for bed and I wanted to show you my favorite pajamas. They have monkeys all over. I love that since Gabe and I have called Macy "Munkers" ever since she was born. Monkey, morphed. :)

Sweet dreams little Monkey! We love you!

Finally caught up...

It's been very busy around here mostly just taking care of Macy while Gabe is at work. He has been doing tons of overtime and out of this week off, worked 5 days. He starts nights again tonight and hopes to at least get Tuesday off before another 5 days. It's crazy!

I just blogged about the applesauce (I took home about 25 quarts and 11 pints) and Mom and I made raspberry jam last week (41 jars). I hope to continue on with pears and peaches too. I also want to make my own baby food using fresh veggies and have my Magic Bullet out ready to rock! It's unbelievable how much you pay for packaging of baby food and I'm sure the real stuff tastes better anyway. I'm thankful I have the energy and time to do it!

My Master's application for Graduate School is in! I hope to hear if I get in by September, maybe sooner. It wouldn't start until January, so I was pretty early, but that's the way I like to get things done!

I have used my spa certificate from Gabe on Mother's Day up! I had a facial and a pedicure the other day and it was WONDERFUL! Katie watched Macy and it was sooo nice to have some time by myself.

Applesauce Day!

My Mom is one of those Pioneer Women who can do anything. She can cook, clean, bake...she can even shoot. Seriously. My old boss, Dr. Craig used to tell people my Mom was Annie Oakley. He got such a kick out of my stories of a gunshot waking me up in the morning as Mom was trying to kill a crow out the kitchen window. No joke, folks. My Dad purposefully left a screen off a kitchen window doing their kitchen remodel so Mom could continue to shoot birds.

All that to say... growing up, my Mom was incredibly resourceful about canning and making healthy food for her family on the cheap. I always swore I would NEVER can, freeze, hot water bath anything and give my kids preservatives up the whazoo to avoid all that sticky, hot, exhaustion!!!! Well... I now have my first child, and realize canning is actually a lost art. I told my Mom I would love to make Macy applesauce this year and she was thrilled!

We started off the day saying goodbye to the triplets, picked two more large boxes of apples off my Grandpa's tree (to add to the 3 Mom, Dad and Katie had already picked), a quick walk-through at Front Street Furnishings Liquidation Sale (Very good prices if you are looking for anything in particular), the grocery store for lids and sugar and then back to Mom's for lunch, put Macy down for a nap and... WORKED. OUR. REARS. OFF.
This was after 2.5 hours and about 20 quarts. Macy woke up and we let her sample our product. She loved it!



She was trying to lick the bowel! She had two helpings! I just put a little rice cereal right into it and she ate it right up. So great.
Mom and I weren't even half done at this point so I fashioned a little "jail" for Macy to play in and she had a ball rolling around and playing with her toys.

There was applesauce EVERYWHERE!
So. For the record. 5 boxes of apples= Mom and I working 7 hours straight (Dad about an hour at the end), and 66 QUARTS OF APPLESAUCE! I want to record this for next year to see how much we need to do.

It was a very long day but we had perfect canning weather and Janice stopped by towards the end and played with Macy, which was wonderful. I think it works out to about 20 cents a jar and it's all healthy and completely ready to eat. After doing this, I thought, "Why not do pears and peaches too?" That would wrap up all the fruit Macy would need for the rest of the year and cost very little. I'm realizing I may have the makings of a Pioneer Woman after all!

Thank you Mom for all your help! Love you!

A quick triplet...and Luke visit!

Heidi came to Lynden for the quickest trip yet this week! Her friend was here from Idaho and they hadn't met all of each other's kids yet so she took her helper Rachel and braved the mountains and a 4 hours drive with 4 kids and they stopped by our house for a pit-stop! It is always SO GOOD to see the Gales and I love to watch the kids grow.

After lunch and play-time in our neighborhood's little kid park thing, we were chatting and Luke came into the room saying, "Hey, Guys! It's a cape!" He had found my Hooter Hider! So funny! I said, "It's Captain Hooter Hider!" We laughed pretty hard at that darling boy. He is taking swim lessons this summer and told me all about "Monster Arms" and "Ice Cream Scoops." Luke helped watch Macy and let her jump on him in her Jumperoo for at least an hour. The girls loved seeing the "BABY" and kept trying to say Macy.
Ellie had a turn with the "cape" and I even got a smile! I think first time ever! Ellie is still very into books, and I think she's past 100 words. She knew everything from shirt, airplane, to what a horse says. I couldn't believe how many words she knew and how she was saying so much on demand. Amazing!
Annie is doing wonderful too. She is so quick to smile and knows every single body part! You say, "Where is your nose?" and she scrunches it up! So darling! Annie wasn't feeling the best this day and was more cuddly than usual. She still loves her Mommy and was a little bothered when Heidi was holding Macy. She was probably thinking, "Oh no you don't, we are enough!!!"
I think Abs is the funniest triplet right now. She is incredibly adventurous. She is always thinking, trying to figure things out, exploring, seeing new stuff and learning how it works. It seems like all the girls like shoes but we looked over at one point and Abbie had found Gabe's sandals and was wearing them around! I was late with the camera but you get the point.

The picture above is one of my favorites. About Abs being so funny. They have this joke with her, she is always happy, smiling, trotting around doing her thing and when she comes to you, you can say, "Abbie, give us THE FACE" and she goes from this happy, darling girl to the biggest grump you've ever seen. We laugh and laugh and laugh and she'll HOLD the face for a good minute before cracking up! It is the funniest thing I've ever seen! We made her do it at least 6 times and it was hilarious. I have got to get it on video.

Heidi thought Macy was much louder than she was a month ago. Macy is making all kinds of dinasour sounds and lets you know she's there, she's happy, she's hungry, she's tired! It's still cute, but she's not the silent wonder she used to be!
For once, Annie got to borrow something of Macy's! She needed a shirt since all their stuff was packed away and I thought this looked darling on Annie.

It was a very quick trip but so good to see them all. Next time will be another month at the family reunion in Wenatchee. I'm sure I'll have 100's of pictures after that weekend!

"Sir Softie"

Macy has a favorite blanket. It's official. The blanket came attached to this bear, which my Dad brought Macy the first time he saw her. It is the softest thing you've ever felt and she sleeps with it at every nap, and it goes in the car seat wherever we go. We have some other blankets that do the job, but she KNOWS her "Softie" as my Dad and Mom named it. :) Just for fun the other night I took the bear that goes with the blanket out to see if Macy liked it... She was in love! Gabe played with her for the next 45 minutes making the bear dance, sing and walk. She thought it was wonderful. Katie helped me name the bear "Sir Softie!"
Play-time with Daddy.