Apple's for All

Today, we all had the day off! Tim has recently gotten a new job and will have to work some weekends. But, since it's Labor Day, we are all home. And, the weather has finally broken! So what better to do on a day off with perfect weather than to go to our local orchard, Eckert's. As soon as we told Hannah that we were going apple picking, she just kept saying, "Mommy, apples!" When we got to Eckert's, we started with a trip to the orchard to pick our own apples. As we were walking toward the tractor, we had the added bonus of running into my cousin, Liz, and her family from Harrisburg! It was so fun to visit for a bit while we were picking apples. Hannah had so much fun, even though she dropped a few while trying to reach for them. We even had a couple while we were walking around. Cam, on the other hand, enjoyed hanging out in the sling and walking around with Mommy. He was super content all day and loved being outside in the beautiful weather! After picking, we bought some apple goodies from the Country Store. I am so excited to have fresh apple crisp this week, some red hot stewed apples and fresh apple cider -- my favorite fall foods! After shopping, we had lunch at the cafe. It was delicious! It was truly the most perfect fall, family day. We are looking forward to more fall activites over the next few months!

Hannah ready for Mommy to put the apples in her bag -- Cam hanging out!

"Apples, myself, Mommy!"

Yummy apples!

Our Family at Eckert's -- September 2011

Five Months of Fun

Our big boy is 5 months today! This has been another super fun month. Cameron's personality continues to come through. He is so laid back and go-with-the-flow and such a happy baby! He loves to laugh -- especially at his big sister. It is so fun to watch the continued interactions between the two. Once Hannah realizes she is making Cam laugh, she hams it up even more! Her favorite way to get him going is by jumping off of things -- and the higher the better. Cameron continues to be a great sleeper and is really settling into a good schedule with naps and nighttime sleep. He also LOVES to eat! His favorite foods right now are any fruits and orange veggies. He wasn't too keen on green veggies at first, but he slowly is getting better with them. Another new development this week is that he is rolling both ways now! He's been doing front to back for quite sometime, and just a couple of weeks ago figured out how to get all the way from his back to his tummy. We find him this way most mornings when we get him up. We also have a first-class drooler on our hands. I think he could cut teeth at any time, so we are just waiting to see when it will happen. We have had a great month with our son! Can't wait for the next one!

This is what happens....

when Bruba is sleeping and Mommy is trying to clean!

As I was trying to pick up a little, Hannah got out her markers and coloring books and went to town. Then proceeded to give herself some "tattoos." I turn around and she yells, "Mommy....Wook!" Oh, boy! I love our artistic little girl!

Back to Reality

After an extended summer break (I've been home since Cameron's court date), it's time to head back to school. We have had such a wonderful summer and I couldn't have asked it to be any better. For the last few weeks, I've been going up to school a couple of days to get my classroom ready and prepare myself for the year. The kids went to Ms. Sarah's so I could work without distraction. It was good for me and especially to start easing them back into the school routine. I always get excited to start a new year. Here our my own kids posing with mom as we start another year.

Mascoutah Homecoming

Every year, Mascoutah has a Homecoming celebration which includes rides, foods, parades and so much more. Last year, we just stuck to the parades, but we decided to also try the rides this year. Since doing rides is much more fun with friends, we asked if my good friend, Melissa, and her son Jackson (Hannah and Jackson are the same age and go to the sitter together) to go with us. Here are the kids on a "date" to the Homecoming. It was extremely hot that afternoon and we didn't last too long, but the kids did get go on a few rides. Here are Hannah and Jackson driving some cars. Jackson wasn't super fond of the rides, but he did start to like this one a little.

That night we went up town to watch the parade. There were a lot of people, tractors, and candy! it didn't take Hannah too long to figure out how to get candy when people threw it. It was a fun evening and the Casey family enjoyed another Mascoutah Homecoming!

Our Fabulous Four Month Old!

That's right, Cameron is already four months old! We can't believe it either! Cam continues to be our big boy! He is wearing 6-9 month clothes and some of those onesies are even getting a little snug. Cam is eating 4 times a day with each bottle being between 7-8 ounces. He has also started eating rice cereal and we are beginning to introduce fruits and vegetables. So far, he is loving his solid food! He also continues to be one strong little guy! He rolls from front to back and almost has himself going from back to front. He loves to be on his belly! He pulls himself right up to his forearms and wants to check everything out! Cameron continues to be a happy baby! His personality shines through more and more everyday. One thing that we hear the most from people is how attentive he is, especially with his facial expressions. We love watching his eyes! I know there are many more months ahead of watching that personality come alive! We have had an awesome four months with our man and continue to thank God every day for bringing Cameron to our family!

Update: I wrote this before I had Cam's 4 month stats. At the doctor, he weighed in at 19 lbs. 2.5 oz (96th percentile) and measured 26 1/2 inches (88th percentile). The doctor says he looks great and is doing really well! :-)

Our Little Gymnast

Since our first round of gymnastics over the winter, we knew that Hannah loves it! After a break this spring, we decided to sign up again for the summer. We switched to a morning class which gave both of us something to look forward to each week. We were also able to go with some friends I teach with and their daughters. Hannah enjoyed seeing her friends each week at class. It was definitely one of our favorite days of the week! Hannah would wake up every Wednesday and start yelling "Na-Ni!" (her word for gymnastics). I have really enjoyed watching her get better every week. Not only are her skills improving, but she is also learning to listen to her teacher and follow directions. By this winter, she will be in the "big girl" class by herself. She wasn't being extremely photogenic on this day, but these were still good shots of our little gymnast.

One of her favorite things to do each week was climb and jump. Hannah loves going as high as possible and jumping off. She isn't scared one bit! This is one of the balance beams for the little ones. Hannah got pretty confident on them throughout the summer. She even started letting go the last little bit and walking by herself.

This was another big accomplishment that Hannah made this summer. Over the winter, she would only go up a couple of the rungs of this fireman's ladder. By the end of the summer, she made it to the top, over it (with some help from me) and down the other side. What a big girl!

We are already signed up for the next session. I can't wait to see the growth Hannah make over the next 10 weeks!