"Blueblerries" and pancakes are still favorites

Yes, we love our "blueberries", as Cai likes to call them. With the sun setting later and later, Dezi is having a harder time getting up and ready for school. It doesn't help when Ryan has to travel for work and I am left to juggle soccer academy, soccer practice, and swimming lessons with helping two boys with homework and reading, feeding three boys, nursing one, and tucking all of them in on time! We manage it, but sometimes bedtime gets pushed back a little later than I'd like and that makes mornings a challenge.
 

 

Tiago 7 month milestones

Yes, it is true. I finally started feeding Tiago food after the trip to Hawaii. Not that he was starving or anything, but we were both quite content with having him survive on breast milk along. Why? Well, it is always there for starters :) Seriously, it really is the most 'convenient, fast food' I can think of for a baby, only it is still full of the best nutrition he can get. I had to wait for there to be less sickness and busyness in the house to have time to start a sit down routine. His first experience was less than lovely. I think I made it too watery and it was a mess! The next time was better and he has gotten the hang of it now. Such a cutie! I did rice, wheat and oat cereal for a few days and then started pureeing right away. One week into 'real food' and he was eating more ratatouille than his big brothers! Gotta love the VitaMix!

Our big 7 month old is still a pure, little joy to have around. Always smiling, laughing, and wowing people everywhere we go with his happy, bright blue eyes. He loves watching his brothers do swimming lessons, thought the new jumper was fun until he hit his head (how are you supposed to avoid that?!), is still falling asleep like a little angel at church, and yes, has started to army crawl in earnest. We love him so much!

Return of the ducks

The boys were very happy to see the friendly ducks return this year. Hopefully we won't have any chick disasters like last year when they fell in the grate in the alley! After explaining to the boys that bread is not good for ducks and that it actually gives them lots of stomach trouble, they have been so good not to feed them. The sad thing is that everyone around us does. They try to explain to them, but I think feeding ducks bread is too engrained in people's minds, even adults, that it is hard to get them to stop. So now they miss out on the fun of feeding the ducks, while worrying as others continue to feed them the wrong food! Sometimes, ignorance is truly bliss.
 

Let it rip!

Aw yeah, beyblade times are back! Warm weather calling the beyblade battles outdoors again. Good times in the green court.
 

 

 

Sunday sunshine

After church, I got Tiago down for a nap and took the boys on our first cruise around the lake. I was excited to finally ride my awesome bike without a belly! We rode around the entire lake for the first time and the boys had a great time. We found 'gold' in the rocks, watched the ducks (which prompted a 'mating' discussion), and helped a friend retrieve a lost shoe in the river. Our return took longer than I expected due to the fact that Cai insisted on riding my scooter instead of his bike. If that didn't slow him down enough, the huge goose egg on his shin from trying to do a 'trick' sure did! By the time we got home, Tiago and Ryan had been awake for some time. Luckily, Ryan's guitar playing skills kept Tiago happy even though he was hungry for mama.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back home and back to normal with the Bake Sale

Cai quietly crashed in the afternoon after the long trip home. I didn't even notice he had fallen asleep because I was busy baking for the Garden Affair Bake Sale. In the end we made a couple hundred dollars at the sale to benefit the Daybreak to DebreZeit Project. I was exhausted and jetlagged and crazy, but it all worked out. The boys even helped that afternoon to sell the leftovers in our neighborhood. They are such goo little helpers and I'm so grateful that my volunteering has brought them to a greater understanding of the needs of others in the world. It doesn't mean they are as unselfish as I'd like them to be, but they are kind enough to sit out in the hot sun for a couple of hours to help out some kids on the other side of the world. It makes me feel proud.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kauai Warning Signs

Dezi collected some of these images for a school project he did when we got home. I thought they'd be fun to include in the blog so the boys can always remember the dangers of Hawaii!