Weekend stuff

Saturday, we brought the kiddos to the Touch A Truck event that's hosted every year. We haven't been since 2015 when Leah still had her baby teeth, Jac had chubby cheeks, and Elias was just a little bun in the oven. When we first arrived, I was getting Cole out of his car seat when it started raining. I had an umbrella, thankfully, but once we handed in our tickets, it started pouring rain. Luckily, we were pointed in the direction of a tent to keep dry for a bit. A man was telling a story about giving a mouse a pancake and finished up right when the rain stopped. Elias had the BEST time. He's obsessed with all things on wheels and it was basically his Disney World.

I dropped the fam off and decided to go to PetSmart to pick up a new Betta fish for Jac. There were so many pretty ones to pick from, but I decided on a black-mustard one since Jac was wanting a yellow one. I bought a few new decorations and he's got a fancy new home outside of his tiny cup. Jac has named him Squidward, but I call him Colonel Mustard.

Jena popped over Sunday after church and hung out for a few hours before she headed back to Nashville where she now lives. I haven't seen her in a year, but it was refreshing to catch up.

 

Cole: 4 Months

Cole is now 4 months old!

This little boy is teething like crazy. He gets excited and kicks his feet when Zac gets home from work or when we pick him up from the church nursery. He loves being outside, but I've realized he's allergic to pollen. He's had a runny nose and been sneezing most of this week and our pollen index is high. He isn't sleeping through the night just yet, but sometimes I get a four-hour window to sleep before he wakes up hungry. Tummy time is more interesting for him. He can hold his head up for longer periods of time and is fascinated with Jac's big red dog toy from when he was a baby. Zac just discovered (nearly 13 years later) that it barks when he squeezes its tummy. He's very cheery, smiling at all the silly faces and sounds and can sort of laugh. He also wants to stand up. I can't hold him without him straightening those legs out.

Biscuit

Leah's been asking for a hamster for about three months now. I told her to wait until Albus, her fish, passed away and then we'd think about it. I had wanted to wait until we moved to a bigger house so she had her own room. Well, Albus passed away earlier this week and after some consideration, Zac and I agreed to go ahead and let her have one. She picked out a little brown teddy bear hamster and named her Biscuit, though I call her Ginny (short for Ginger, as well as Ginny Weasley). She's a sweet little thing, though still timid and getting used to her new home. Jac and Leah have both been nipped, but nothing severe. She makes me miss having hamsters like when I was younger.

St. Patrick's Day 2019

The big kids spent Friday night at church for a lock-in, so Zac and I ordered sushi for two (and shared with Elias) and planned to go to bed early. However, the shower malfunctioned, so Zac spent an hour repairing it, then bathed the dogs, THEN came to bed after I knocked out (accidentally, woops).

Saturday morning, we picked the kiddos up and headed to Sean's to drop the dogs off. Our day was a little crazy because we went to see Kyle for a little while, then went to see Marie, then went back to Kyle's before going to Sean's for the night. The visit with Marie was nice. Zac and Frank talked about the shower being broken, World of Warcraft, and work. The kids played outside on the trampoline and nobody stepped in dog poop.

We headed back to Kyle's for pizza and hung out for a while. We haven't actually been able to hang out with him in a long time. Usually, it's a brief visit while he's on a break from work or stopping by his place without getting out of the van. It was nice to just sit and relax. His dad came by for a little while, also. I don't think we've seen him since Elias was a tiny baby.

Sunday, we packed up the van, except for the dogs, and headed to Metairie to meet up with Jessie and Natalie and followed them to our spot to watch the parade. Luckily, they knew some people that set up a tent with some snacks, so we weren't starving to death. All I wanted was a Moon Pie, but didn't catch a single one. Oh well. Next year!

Jessie invited us to her house for dinner and to hang out. She made homemade sangria and her boyfriend, Grahamm-two-Ms, grilled burgers. It was such a fun day. They even shot a few fireworks. Leah had a girl to play with, thanks to Natalie's step-daughter, Madison. There were eight boys, otherwise.

Easy like Sunday

After church this morning, Zac and I were stumped for what to eat for brunch. We all missed breakfast, having slept through my alarm, missing Sunday school, and making it just in time for the morning service. Our favorite doughnut shop had just closed for the day (they open at 3am, though!) and remembered we had a gift card to Cracker Barrel. I pumped a bottle this morning for the nursery and managed to pump another while we drove around. Cracker Barrel was an hour wait, so I suggested Fernando's. We requested a booth, which was super cozy because I hate sitting at tables in the middle of the dining area. The TVs are too loud and our Party of Six gets spread out too far. In the booth, we can sit close and actually hear each other. It also makes having a small baby more manageable if he's upset that he's got plain ol' breastmilk while the rest of us have fajitas.

I decided to drive us to the park without telling the kids. They usually don't pay attention to where we're driving if we're headed home, so they were excited to be at the park when we pulled in. I even swung with Cole strapped to my torso and he loved it so much, he was upset with me when I stopped. We took a small walk to the pond behind the park. We hadn't been there since 2016. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous this weekend, so I've been craving the outdoors. Cole is even at a height in the harness where I can discreetly breastfeed conveniently.