Popsicles

Last week we had a few really warm days here in Oshkosh...not that you would have guessed based on the weather today, which was cloudy and chilly...apparently we can't quite put all of our long sleeves away just yet...I digress.

Justin decided that it would be good to make some popsicles from some berries and yogurt. We thought that would be a healthier summer treat than regular popsicles and Justin enjoys experimenting with new recipes.

So, on one of those warm days I mentioned, we decided to head outside and enjoy our homemade treats. I'm pretty sure Garytt thought we were tricking him into eating something horrible because he was pretty skeptical at first. In fact, he wouldn't even hold it, so I had to hold it for him.





Once he realized how good they were, he was all about eating his popsicle!





I ended up holding the popsicle for him again because he looked like he was about to drop it at any moment. Once he didn't have to concentrate on holding it, he really go into eating it...and his face shows it!





All done!



I think Garytt decided he likes popsicles!



Ellie also enjoyed the warm weather...in her lazy dog sort of way.

Westyn is Four Months Old!

Westyn is officially 4 months old now. He had his 4 month well baby check on Friday. He is doing well in all areas except sleep. I have just decided that all of my kids will have difficulty sleeping their first year. I just hope that he turns a corner like Garytt did and eventually becomes a good sleeper!

Westyn "has a strong trunk" according to our pediatrician. He holds his head up really well, sits with only a little bit of assistance, and is rolling front to back. Westyn is extremely vocal and is overall a happy baby with a huge smile that just melts my heart!

Four Month Stats:

Height: 24 1/2 in (37th percentile)
Weight: 15 lb 7 oz (65th percentile)

When Garytt had his four month photos, we captured some pretty funny faces. So, we attempted to capture some of Westyn's funny faces around the same age.













Here are a few more of my favorite photos of Westyn at four months.







And just for fun, here is a picture of each of the boys at four month old.

Rookie of the Year

As the weather has warmed up here in Wisconsin, we have been spending a lot more time outside playing. So, we decided it was time to get out the t-ball set that Garytt's Great Aunt Kathy gave him for his birthday.

Justin tried to show Garytt how to use the bat.





He was so excited about using it that he didn't really want to learn the proper stance. So, the first evening playing t-ball, he spent the whole time hitting the ball with the wrong end of the bat.









Justin and Westyn watched as Garytt played.



Garytt has been asking almost everyday to go play baseball. So, several afternoons we would go outside and I would set up the t-ball stand for him. I really worked with him to at least turn the bat around and hold it properly. He still tries to swing it with one hand occasionally but he is doing much better already!













Thanks Great Aunt Kathy for such a fun toy! We will be getting a lot of use out of it!

Westyn's Baptism - Revisited

A couple weeks after Westyn's baptism, we took more "formal" pictures of Westyn in his baptismal gown. It was hard to get a good picture of the gown on the actual day. So, we did a little mini photo session at home.

Westyn did a great job at the photo session!













The baptismal gown that Westyn wore is the same gown that Garytt wore for his baptism. It is a gown that my mom made back when Garytt was getting baptized because I couldn't find a baptismal gown for a boy (I could only find little suits). I was happy to be able to use it again since she did such a great job on it!

Anyhow, I couldn't resist pulling up the old pictures from Garytt's baptism and comparing them to Westyn, especially since I wasn't really blogging much back then. I definitely think they look like brothers!




Garytt does look a little smaller than Westyn does but he was also a few weeks younger than Westyn at the time of his baptism.

I also wanted to share a few videos that I didn't post in the original baptism blog.





Such blessings!

Mother's Day 2012

On Mother's Day, I requested that Justin take some pictures of me with the boys. I am with the boys 90% of their days and I blog tons of pictures and, yet, I only have a handful of pictures with me and them together...it's the curse of always being behind the camera. So, we went out in our backyard and took a few pictures. Here are some of my favorite ones.














Yes, the last photo shows Garytt giving me a dandilion...apparently Justin taught him to pick them when they were working in the yard the day before.

After we had our short photo session in the yard, we packed the kids up and headed to Mulberry Lane Farm, which is about 45 minutes from our house.

Now, when I told a some of my good friends and family members that we were going to a petting zoo/farm for Mother's Day, I had some interesting reactions. Apparently, people think of a spa day or brunch for Mother's Day, not going out to a farm. My attitude is that I can go have a spa day when the boys are older and don't want to hang out with me anymore...for now, I want to pack in as many fun experiences with them as possible! (It doesn't hurt that I had a Groupon!)

We met up with Becky and Kaitlin. Then, when we arrived at the farm, there was a bit of discussion about whether or not we should bring the wagon and the stroller. I thought that Garytt and Kaitlin could just walk and we would have the stroller for Westyn. Justin thought we should take the wagon for G and K to ride in. He won the debate and I just want to say, it was a good idea to take the wagon. The kids enjoyed the ride and they actually had wagons for rent there, so it is common to bring wagons along.





We had to wait a couple of minutes for the tour to start. So, Justin occupied G and K by walking in circles in the wagon. Becky was happy to hold Westyn for a bit.



The first stop on the tour was the chickens. Justin caught several and showed them to Garytt but he wasn't interested in actually holding one.





Kaitlin, on the other hand, did a great job of holding the chicken all by herself!



Westyn and I opted not to mess with the chickens.



We then moved on to the goat pen. They started by allowing everyone a handful of feed to give the goats through the fence.





Then we were able to go inside and see the goats. There were several babies in the pen as well. The babies liked to jump around quite a bit...this caught Garytt's attention. So, instead of petting the goats, he was very into jumping with the babies, which just frightened them, making them jump more, making Garytt jump more...you see where this is going.







He did eventually go hang out with Kaitlin, who was feeding some of the bigger goats grass.





Then it was time to leave the goat pen...G and K held hands to leave.



The next stop was the pigs...surprisingly Garytt wanted very little to do with the pigs.





We then moved on to the sheep pen. This was one of Garytt's favorite stops on the tour. In fact, he was so excited to go in, he practically pulled Kaitlin with him.



It was a smaller pen, so I stayed outside with Westyn but Justin said the whole time he was in with the sheep he was saying "baa baa baa." He also loved kicking the straw arond...yep all boy!









Westyn decided to take a little nap by the time we got to the sheep.



The next stop was one of my favorites...it was time to milk a cow!! I was so suprised that Garytt was willing to do it! I didn't have a great view of it but he did a great job milking the cow!







Becky was able to take this picture from the other side.



Then we went to see some brand new pigglets. You could go touch them because the mamma pig is pretty protective but it was neat to see them.



Finally it was time for the pony rides! This was obviously my favorite part of the tour...and Garytt really seemed to enjoy it too! He did have a little breakdown about having to wait his turn though.







Kaitlin seemed to enjoy the ponies as well.





The next part of the tour was a "relaxing" hay ride. It was a fun ride but extremely bouncy and I was a little nervous that Westyn could bounce out of my hand while I was trying to keep G and K from bouncing around too much.





When we finished the hay ride, we were on our own to explore the rest of the animals. They did suggest that we go into the kitten cage. Apparenlty, the kittens just loved Garytt! We did have a little bit of a difficult time convincing him to be gentle a few times.







Westyn woke up for his bottle while Garytt and Kaitlin played with the kittens.



Then there was a little barn with baby ducks and chicks. So, we stopped in there for a bit. Again, it was difficult to convince Garytt to be gentle.





We then decided to try to get some pictures with the moms and the kids...it's fairly difficult to get all the kids to look happy and look at the camera at the same time.



Yes, Westyn looks terrified...he is actually crying...not such a happy baby at the time. He has the same look in this photo of me and the boys.



By then, it was time to take a lunch break. I had called the farm ahead of time to see if they had concessions or if we needed to pack a lunch. They said either would be fine. So, as a group we decided it would be easier to just get lunch out there...big mistake. Apparently, when the lady on the phone said they had hamburgers and hotdogs, she meant that they keep them in the fridge and microwave them...yummy.

After a quick lunch break, Kaitlin and Garytt headed out to play in the giant tires that were near the picnic tables.









Westyn and Justin decided to relax in the shade.



Then Becky took a picture of me relaxing on the big red tires.



I am pretty sure the kids would have played in those tires forever had we let them. We convinced them to get out of the tires and go climb through some hollowed out tree trunks.





By that time, everyone was getting tired. So, we packed everyone into the cars and headed home. Garytt took a short nap on the way home but definitely went straight to bed when we got home and he slept for several hours! I also took the opportunity to take a nap on the couch while holding Westyn...he's not quite asleep yet or the camera flash woke him up...not sure which.



I had a wonderful Mother's Day! Thanks to my guys for spending such a fun day with me at the farm!