Cold Turkey

Can you tell I've been busy this month? It's been over a month since I've posted and I know everyone is going crazy for more pictures and updates.

A lot of changes have been going on these last few weeks. This stuff may not seem like a big deal to some, but to us, it's very huge. First off, we ditched the swing. We folded it up one day and didn't use it again. Not even in an emergency. The swing was used every night and day for over a year to put Payton to sleep in. It's now been passed on to our new nephew who is arriving on June 18!

Then, we dropped the afternoon bottle (weaned off), then the evening bottle (cold turkey) about 2 weeks later. They actually did fine with this. I think the first night without it was confusing to them, but they don't seem to miss it at all. So, now they are down to only one bottle a day; their morning bottle. I think they really enjoy this one the most, and it may be the most difficult to drop. I plan on doing that cold turkey when they turn 17-months old.

And now the big news.....Okay, are you ready for this!? Payton is actually sleeping through the night. Yes, it's official, she's slept through for 7 nights now! And not only that, but I can actually put her down in her crib at bedtime and she falls asleep! Chris and I decided to just bite the bullet and do it cold turkey. It took 4 nights of her crying in her crib for an hour, and waking Killian up in the process, and then on the 5th night, she fell asleep without crying. Now I can put her down after the bedtime routine and she falls asleep in her own crib. Not once in over 16 months has she done this, so this is a very big milestone for her! It's been life changing for me, too.

They had their first fast food chicken nuggets and french fries this month. Not something I'm very proud of, as I was hoping to keep that away from them, I much rather they have a veggie burger or even grilled cheese sandwich. But we had a busy day one day and we were all hungry, so they lucked out and got some chicken stars. I don't think they loved them, and definitely won't miss them if they don't have them again for a while.

I figured out a way to get Payton to eat foods she doesn't like- which is anything that doesn't have carbs or cheese in the main ingredient. Ketchup! She loves to "dip". She'll dip anything and everything in ketchup and actually enjoy it. Her chicken, sandwich, veggie burger, broccoli pancake, and she dips her waffles in applesauce. The girl loves to dip! Killian does it too, but not because he enjoys the taste, it's only because Payton does it first.

The babies enjoyed a day a the pool (about an inch of water in a small pool in Grandma's backyard) recently. Killian loves to put his face in the water. He thinks it's hilarious. They'll probably be doing that a lot this summer.

Killian got his second haircut, and Payton got her first. Pictures were not taken this time. I'm surprised child services wasn't called, actually. The screams they let out were not like anything you've ever heard. I'm going to need to learn how to trim hair. There is no way I'm taking them to have their hair cut again. At least not by strangers.

The girls are finishing up 5th and 6th grade and have been very busy with year-end projects and events. They were in music this year, Bryleigh in clarinet and Jacey in percussion (drums), so they had a music concert and then a choral concert a few nights after that. They've had year-end fundraisers and carnivals at school, lots of assemblies and field trips. I'm freaking out a little that Jacey will be in Jr. High next year! Jacey's softball season is officially over, but they are continuing in the playoffs. They won the first game of the playoff knock-out tournaments and are having their second game this weekend. Hopefully she makes the All-Star team and can continue to play through the summer. If not, she's done with softball until Fall.

They will go to a day camp that will keep them busy during the day, and they'll go on a field trip every week and swimming every day. They will also be going to specialty camps; which include a Girl Scout camp, a YMCA week long sleep away camp, and a horeseback riding camp.

My very big news is that after 5 attempts at finding the "perfect" double stroller, I have found what I think to be the closest that exists. I love love love it! It's a Baby Jogger City Mini Double, in orange / gray. I can highly recommend this stroller to anyone looking for a lightweight side-by-side double. Chris is also very happy, as I will not by purchasing then selling strollers in all my "spare time".

Here are some pictures from the past 6 weeks.

Another reason we got rid of the swing:

My cuties (their stickers say "Kiss a Cutie"):

Night-Night faces:

In the pool at Grandmas:

Summertime watermelon: