Colorado Visitors!

We were so so thankful to spend some time this summer with the Vanberg crew!  They did a two month trip to the midwest and spent a few days of it with us.  It was a little crazy having FIVE small kids in one house, but so worth it!  The kids played well and it was just so so nice to see them.  We are hoping to make a trip out there next summer when Isla is older!

We went to the zoo one morning!

Playing at the park!  Emma and Eleanor are only a few days apart.  Bennett and Isaac are a year apart.

Leah and I! Love this girl!

Backyard playing!  Thanks for visiting Vanbergs!!

Up North!

In mid-July we spent a week up north again with Brad's family.  We did it last year and loved it, so decided to book it again.  I knew having a 4 month old baby would make it a little tricky, but we managed to still have fun and relax a bit!  And the big kids absolutely LOVED it.  It was great having Brad around for a whole week to help with Isla, and Brad's family helped tremendously with the big kids.  I even managed to get some water skiing in!  We're booked for next year already too, and can't wait for Isla to be bigger so she can play in the sand/water with us.  She was not a fan of the sun/beach this year which was a bummer, so we took full advantage of naps for sure.  Probably the best part was that there was hardly any cell phone reception up there, so we were pretty much forced to relax, read books, and slow down.  It was really nice!

Eleanor mostly played in the sand this year.  She was not a huge fan of the water.

Bennett was a FISH this year.  He loved the water and helping Grandpa clean the beach up. :)

My sweet big kids!

Camping!

Bennett has been talking and talking about camping!  Brad took him for one night last summer and it obviously was a hit!  So this summer Brad decided to take both big kids for one night nearby at Pike Lake state park.  Camping is A LOT of work with kids, especially just for one night, but both kids really really enjoyed it.  Isla and I went for the day for a few hours and did some hikes and hanging out.  Elle and Ben were super excited to sleep in the tent on sleeping bags.  They also played at the beach and went for lots of hikes.  Both kids also enjoyed the campfire and roasting marshmallows.  We had quite a few visitors (chipmunks!) and one Bennett lovingly nicknamed "Chippy".  Clearly they've realized people drop lots of food and so they got close and stole anything we happened to drop or leave out for awhile.   We are looking forward to camping more as the kids get older!

They wanted to practice for camping by sleeping on the floor in their bedroom.  Adorable!

Elle is 2.5!

Eleanor is officially two-and-a-half, although she's been saying she's two and a half since Ben started saying he was three and a half. :)  She seems SO BIG lately - talking so much, having opinions, and really getting into pretend play.  Some days it seems like I have two 4 year olds, Ben and Elle just play so well together.  She loves him so much and parrots everything he says and does!  She's also really into doing everything by herself, which truly tests my patience many many days.  Often she'll insist upon doing it herself (twisting a cap on a sippy cup, strapping her carseat straps...) and then get frustrated and cry or ask for help once she realizes she can't do it.  

Eleanor is our good eater. Thank goodness after our struggles with her as a young toddler!  She LOVES meat and snacks the most.  Other favorites are pizza, gold fish, strawberries, and anything I'm eating, lol.  She is not a big fan of milk or dessert items in general.  She's still fairly messy with spoons but of course insists upon doing it herself. :)  

Eleanor sleeps really well at night!  She goes down easily around 7:30pm and wakes around 6:30am. She naps maybe 1-2 days per week, but otherwise refuses to go down and I don't fight too hard because it's nice for her and Ben to play together.  She needs her flash light, babies, lovey blankets, and water bottle for sleeping.  Plus her Doc blanket from my friend, Laurel. 

I know I already mentioned how much Eleanor LOVES Bennet and thinks he's the best.  She often says, "Bennett is SO funny!" while laughing.  I overheard her this morning say, "Bennett let's play mommy and baby.  I'm the mommy and you're the daddy."  :)  So so fun that they can play together so much now!  Although this also definitely leads to lots of fighting and tattling too.....  And I cannot say enough how much Elle ADORES Isla.  If she could kiss her all day long she would.  She's super helpful with the nuk and getting me things (diapers, etc), but I usually have to watch her because she will just get right up in Isla's face (hair in baby's mouth) and talk to her really loudly in a baby voice.  Sometimes Isla gets overwhelmed.  Elle loves to hold Isla too, which Isla is moderately tolerant of.  

Eleanor loves going on errands with Brad or I.  She loves to play outside.  She is obsessed with babies/dolls, and also loves animals (tries to pet every dog she sees).  She LOVES singing and probably spends 75% of her day singing.  She doesn't care if she doesn't know the words - she belts it out anyway.  She loves movie night and getting her nails painted.  Her favorite shows are Sofia the 1st, Goldie & Bear and Doc McStuffins.  Her favorite movies are Frozen, Tangled, and Moana.  She always wants her hair like Mommy's (pony tail or bun! Haha!).  She loves her mama and cries if I leave to go somewhere without her.  She always wants to hold hands when we are out and about.  Eleanor also loves doing anything Bennett is doing (pumping on the swings, riding a bike, blowing bubbles, etc). 

Eleanor's 30 month check up went great!  No concerns about her at all.  Her heart murmur is really soft (we'll go to cardiology in November for hopefully our last check up!).  She's still on the smaller side but following her curve and eats a lot so she is doing well.  She was VERY excited to go to the doctor (she LOVES Doc McStuffins).  At her appointment she was 35 inches tall (39%) and 25 pounds 13 ounces (17%).

~~~Interview with a big girl!~~~ (my answers for her in parentheses)

What is your favorite food? Banana (meat, snacks)

What is your favorite snack? Cheese (goldfish)

What do you like to do outside? Swing (agreed!)

Who is your friend? Maya (Maya & Bennett)

Who do you love? Missy (and all her family!)

Where do you like to go? Children's museum (Target, museum, zoo)

What is your favorite song? Doc McStuffins song (Moana song)

What is your favorite TV show? Doc McStuffins (agreed!)

What is your favorite color? Pink (agreed!)

What is your favorite book? Bear (No David! - she knows the words!)

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A mom (yep :))