Maryn Grace 15 Months

Time slipped away in the busy season of three children.  With summer here, I have time to do the extra things for our household.  One of those extra things was getting pictures taken of Maryn.  She is a bit stoic in nature, but they turned out great!  I'll add an update too, so I can look back and remember life with a 15 month old.

Sleeping: Maryn goes to bed around 7:00.  During summer now, she is sleeping until about 7:00 the next morning.  She takes one afternoon nap around noon that usually lasts about 2 hours.  

Talking: She has lots of words now.  We know Duke, Mom, Dad, dog, up, uh-oh, bye, milk, and me-me (we decipher this to be give me-she says it a lot).

Eating: Maryn is getting better at the eating department.  She pretty much eats table food now. We love string cheese, crackers, milk, yogurt, blueberries, and bananas.  We know she is done when she starts throwing it over the side of her tray to the floor! Oy!

Teeth:  She has 6 front teeth now, and we just cut all 4 of our molars in the back.  They are all peeking through!  Yeah for the ability to chew food soon!

Movement:  Bitty is walking all over the place now.  She's close to running too!  She empties every cabinet possible that isn't baby proofed as well.  If you come over to visit, our house definitely looks like it is lived in, as she strings things from one end to the other end.   We've been to the pool a couple of times this summer, and she is getting braver each time we go.

Maryn Grace~ 6 Months

(I just found this draft in my blogger.  I'm guessing I was waiting to add a picture.  Of course that didn't happen, and she is now 11 months old.  I'm sharing anyways, so I can come back and remember what it was like to have a 6 month old).

Weight: 14 pounds 9 ounces 
Length: 25 inches

Sleep: She goes down around 7:30 p.m, and she sleeps until I get her up around 6 a.m.  She is such a happy little girl in the morning.  It just melts my heart to be greeted by her smiles! 

Talking: She's making lots of sounds now.  I hear a definite "Mmm."  She still loves to blow through her lips too.  I think she just likes the way it feels.

Siblings: We are finding the joy in Bitty now that she is a little more aware.  Isla loves her, and she has really found her maternal side.  She carries her babies around the house and feeds them just like Mommy.  Rowan is intrigued when he doesn't have anything else to do.

Dislikes: She hates to have a wet diaper, and she really doesn't like to be ignored.  She's a social little girl and likes for people to pay attention to her.

Firsts: We are rolling and rolling and rolling.  She starting to push herself backwards as well, which makes me think we will be crawling before long.  

We've moved on to real food as well.  So far we have had oatmeal, rice cereal, bananas, peas, carrots, and squash.  She is so interested in food, that we have purchased the little puff things too, and she is just going to town. She sits at the table during our meals just like the big kids, and she just watches us. 

Student Loan Debt Free

We graduated from college 11 years and 9 months ago.  It seems like a lifetime ago.  Alex and I left our undergraduate experience at K-State with a combined 9 years of education and $50,000 in student loans. Since our undergraduate days, I acquired a master's degree as a reading specialist from Washburn University, and Alex graduated with a master's degree in civil engineering from K-State.  We paid those degrees off long ago, but the undergraduate portions have lingered on.

I am thrilled to say as of February 11, 2016, we have paid off all secondary-education debts!  Woohoo just doesn't even describe it.  The end of a chapter, and a welcomed end at that!

Our financial planner just told us it will cost us a combined total of $500,000 to put our three children through a secondary education in the coming years.  I just can't imagine.  We have long ago established funds for each of them to help.  My only hope is that he is seriously wrong about the projected cost of a secondary education in 2027.

Summer~ The Second Half

I'm not sure where summer went, but this year was a whirlwind!  I think adding a baby to the family apparently does that to a girl.  I'm getting ready to head back to work tomorrow, so I am madly working through my to-do list!  

In the middle of June, we headed to Breckenridge, CO with the 5 of us.  We left at 3:00 in the morning going out in hopes that we could make it a fair amount of the way before the natives woke up.  Rowan and Maryn were rockstars to say the least. Isla was a monster.  We thought that was how it would go, so at least we were prepared.  The important part is that we made it;-)

We visited the Denver Aquarium on the first day.  It was amazing,  and the kids loved it!

Smile, Isla!

Look, Mom!  

They sort of like each other~

 The next day we went to the Denver Zoo.  It is also a great family friendly activity in Denver.  The weather was in the low 90s and sunny.  It was gorgeous.

Cheese~

Pioneer Kids~

Where did he go?

We loved the carousel!

Dippin Dots

Yummo!

 The next day, we made the two hour trip up to Breckenridge.  It was beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing.  We had no plans but to spend the next 6 days together enjoying the beautiful scenery.  We did just that, and I am forever thankful for the time away from the hustle and bustle of life.

Rowan helping Isla with her pole~

This girl loves to fish~

Smile~

 We swam every single day, and the kids loved it!  The pool was half inside and half outside.  You could see the mountains from the deck, and it was heated too!

Making Friends~

Isla the fish~

Swim!

Bitty and I spent a lot of time watching~

Daddy swam with the big kids!

Jump in!

You too!

Sweet~

 We rode a gondola up the mountain to a fun park.  Rowan wasn't so sure about it.  Can you tell in his eyes?

Are you sure this is safe, Mom?

Panning for rocks~

Serious business~

Snow pile~

We aren't in Kansas anymore~

Jump, Row!

So stinking cute~

Uphill climb~

What a view!

Love them~

 The fourth of July came and went as well.  We stayed in our neighborhood and had a yummy BBQ.  Then the kids shot fireworks off that night.  Bitty did not like the fireworks one tiny bit.  I spent my evening inside with her, but Alex assured me everyone had a great time!

It was a little sunny~

Pretty girl~

Slippin Slide Action~

Hi, Bitty...

Oh, the drool on the chin~

 We spent many hours out on the trampoline this summer too.  We figured out that you can put the sprinkler underneath it, and it shoots up through it.  What fun!!

She beats to her own drum~

Brother/Sister Love~