Katie: 5 Months

Five whole months with our Katie bug, it doesn't seem possible! She is the happiest, sweetest little thing I've ever met, and our last month together was full of fun with her.

Katie got to visit two different pumpkin patches this month- Possum Patch and Schaeffer Pumpkin Patch. She enjoyed most of it from her stroller, but we did get her out a bit to feel the corn pit and look at the animals. Next year she'll be running around trying to catch up with Brayden and Ashley!

She also enjoyed her first round of trick or treating during Scare on the Square. She is the "Boo" to Brayden and Ashley's "Mike and Sully" (the twins were on a huuuuge Monster's Inc. kick this summer). And while I did buy the twins' costumes, my mom made Katie's costume. I came to her with a photo and an idea and she whipped it up for us. She is just amazing and does so much for us- thank you mom! Look out next week for a dedicated Halloween post. 

Katie's three favorite things this month are to smile, giggle, and talk. I know Brayden smiled a lot at this age too, but I feel like Katie smiles even more than he did. You just have to look at her and she will bust out in a smile, and it doesn't take much more to get her to start giggling. And boy does this girl love to talk. It's mostly still screeches/screams with the "ah" sound, but she does it a lot. We are a little worried we won't get her to stop talking once she can say real words.

We moved her up to 6 month clothes this month. She is in size 2 diapers. 

She is still taking five 6 ounce bottles and is awake about 2 hours between naps. Overall she has been a rock star sleeper, but the past few nights we've had issues with her not wanting to go to bed. I don't know if it's because we are trying to transition her out of a swaddle or what, but I hope this little phase passes soon!

Katie is enjoying the squish ball, being up in her sit me up seat or jumper, playing with the monkey on her play mat, and being sung to.

She still despises loud noises and being stationary in the car seat. 

And while she really loves the twins, she is not a fan when they show her too much love (read Brayden smothering her with his hugs and kisses or the two of them rooting her off her play mat). 

At home she is weighing 14 pounds 4 ounces and measures just over 24 and a half inches long. 

She had been so close to rolling from her back to her belly, and just this last weekend she finally did it! And now that she's done it, she won't stop. You put her on her back and she almost always rolls right to her belly, and then gets mad that she's there. It's like she forgot she is able to roll from her belly back on to her back. She'll get it figured out eventually. 

Our easy days with her are about to be over- it won't be long before she's rolling everywhere, then crawling, then walking. We are trying to soak it all up while we can, that's for sure. Three cheers for seeing what's to come!

All the Fall Things

October is nearly over and we've already enjoyed all the wonderful things that fall has to offer- family, friends, and FUN!

Family. 

We've enjoyed lots of family time the past few weeks. The kids love to love on each other, which makes life with them pretty sweet (as long as we are all getting along ha!). Poor Katie just takes it all, bless her heart. I know the twins can overwhelm her at times, but she also really loves them, which makes my heart so happy. 

Uncle James even came for a visit last week and the kids rough housed with him all night long.

Friends. 

We've also spent time with some good friends so far this month. Ashley and I met Kaci in Champaign for coffee and lunch a few weekends ago, and it was some much needed time together to catch up, though it's never long enough. Hopefully next time Kendra can join us, too!

Last night, Eric and I got a rare date night away and met up with Brian and Mara at Irene's Vineyard for some yummy food and wine. Our time with them is always filled with great conversations and countless laughs. We definitely treasure our friendship with them. 

Fun! 

This month has not been short on the fun. I started the month taking the kids to Possum Patch with my mom while Eric had his deer hunting weekend. They loved the animals and anything you could ride on. We also spent a lot of time playing in the rock pile and in the water tub fishing.

A few weekends later we met all our cousins at Schaeffer Patch for even more fun! Ashley did not want to get out of the corn pit, and Brayden went down that slide a hundred times. The wagon ride was a hit as well. 

Then on Friday the kids (and I!) finally had our first combine ride! I know what you're thinking, how have I not had a combine ride? I will just say that me and soybean dust do NOT mix. I don't think I stopped sneezing once I squeezed in the cab with dad and the kids. But Brayden, Ashley, and even Katie had a really great time during their ride. They even got to ride in the tractor too. 

At one point something jammed up the bean head and we had to stop and get it fixed. I decided that was the perfect time for me to bail from the ride to try to stop sneezing, and I hear Ashley saying that she's not done yet. So I think it's safe to say they will go on as many combine and tractor rides as they can. Katie was mesmerized by the beans getting cut, and Brady and Ashley really loved watching them fall down into the hopper as they were cut. We even got to watch them get dumped into the wagon before we left. 

Fall has really only just begun, and we've already packed so much into it. Here's to seeing what else fall has in store for us!