Lake Geneva Waterpark Weekend

We headed out to Lake Geneva last Sunday for a short night getaway at their indoor waterpark, and it was just what the doctor ordered! We had a blast swimming (and not worrying about sunscreen, lol) and it made me all the more excited for summer and the pool! Micah spent most of his time playing basketball in the water, Reid enjoyed the monkey bar obstacle course, and Gemma loved the slides. It was a great weekend and I'm so thankful for the time away. The kids truly got worn out - so much so that they ALL fell asleep in the car on the way back...that never happens, EVER with us, and tells you just how much fun they had!

Big Girl Bed = Bye Bye Paci

Gemma has officially moved out of her crib. She's been climbing out for some time now, and it just took us a bit of time to make the official transition to her bed and take the crib down for good. Part of me has held back due to the idea of her being out of the crib. The fear of that next big girl step and acknowledging her growing up as well as not knowing just how things would go once given a bit more freedom. The other part of me holding back is the emotional roller coaster I have been on accepting that my crib is coming down, for the first time in 7 years (since it was up 6 months before Micah was born 🙊.) That's the crib that gave Micah a place to sleep, Reid a place to sleep and Gemma a place to sleep. It's housed all 3 of my babies and I can't believe that era has come to a close 😢.

In addition to the bye-bye-crib, we also did bye-bye-paci. The third thing that was holding me back. Was I really ready to take this next step and take that comfort (and therefore quietness and sleep) away from us? How would she transition out of that crib in addition to being done with the paci? Well we're a week in, and she's done phenomenal! I can't even get over how well she did getting rid of the paci. She did fall out of her bed 2 times for 3 nights in a row, but hasn't since, and I'm thinking we're past that part. And she's just done amazing. That first picture is the last of her with her paci. Amazing, Gemma Jams! Such a big girl 💜

Kids Race and Animal Kingdom

I surprised the boys with a race for themselves, and they loved it! Especially Micah, probably given his age, he really put his heart and soul in to the race. What an awesome moment to watch both boys, making this mama's runners heart very proud!

After completing their races, we headed over to Animal Kingdom for our first experience at the Disney parks. Grandma and Grandpa came with us on this day and we had such a great time, even getting rained out at the end of the day. Gemma was all out of sorts, poor thing, as she hadn't been sleeping well and then wasn't able to get a good nap in either...and let's just say she was a trooper! Thankfully the week turned around a little for her (she didn't get to a park for the next two days, allowing her to catch up on some sleep) and Animal Kingdom was just a taste of what was to come!  The boys loved the rides, Reid's genuine excitement at the Dinosaur ride, while Micah was slightly more timid and reserved. They couldn't get enough of the characters and autographs and overall fun. What a great start to our Disney experience!!!

8 months!

Amazingly, here we are again, celebrating another month gone in Gemma's short little life so far.  She's inching closer and closer to that one year mark, and it's coming all too quickly for this mama!  I want her to stop growing, to slow down, to savor each tiny little moment...and yet I look forward to her getting bigger, becoming more expressive, enjoying life in new ways than she can in her infancy.  It's such a mix of emotions, that all boils down to this intense love that I have for her that is so hard for me to express in words or actions sometimes :)

Month 8 - you've brought personality, joy and excitement.  I don't have doctor stats, so we'll just have to wait until next month to see we're she's at.

Things to remember:

• how you've started waving this month - saying "hi" with arm flails, and it's awesome!
• how teething has started wrecking havoc on your sleep - you had 2 different occasions where you came down with a fever and were extremely needy (whimpering, sad, pitiful) for a couple of days...can't wait until teething is over - in 2+ years :)
• how you like to growl when you're happy - such lady like sounds!
• how you cock your head to the side, like you're flirting ever so slightly...it's adorable.
• how you started crawling this month baby girl!!!  
• how you've become quite vocal - and even say "mama" when you're starting to need some attention
• how you've started giggling/laughing in your car seat - what a change from your earlier months of life!
• how you started puffs this month and love them - as well as lots of roasted veggies we cook!
• how you've mastered going from a crawling position to a sitting position - another thing that's impacting your sleep just a bit.

You're such a joy Gemma Jams!  You provide such happiness and you're a perfect piece of our family!