FIVE!!!

So Mira has been running a fever since Thanksgiving night. It almost ruined her birthday. She hasn't really had any other symptoms, but a REALLY high fever. As long as she's been drugged up, she's been ok. We went ahead and had her party at Edge Gymnastics. She spiked while we were there, but still had a great time, I think. We only invited a few kids and we had the place all to our selves!Sully.
opening her presents.
Mira's big present was a bike from us. She loves it and she's great at riding it! Her fever was down for awhile and we let her go out and ride it.
She got a Barbie car and a barbie from Aunt Molly. She had a good time playing with it.

Opening Presents at our little family gathering.

Mom got her a picture book of their trip to CA. She loved looking at it.
Sully has started to get loud when he wants to be. Still mostly when he's fussing though. He's grandpa's boy.
Cookie Cake! I ordered one for school, but since she stayed home, we ate it last night!
The story of Griff's life. Don't you feel sorry for him?
For whatever reason, it doesn't make me overly sad that she's growing up. Perhaps because she's always seemed so much older than she is to begin with. She's acted like she was 5 for at least 2 years, so now the number matches her attitude I guess!

6 months and a trip to Palmyra

We went to Palmyra last weekend for a wedding. We had a great time and everyone loved meeting Sully. This was the first picture I was able to get of his little teeth!

He was BEAT at the reception. Took quite a nap on Grandpa.
Mara, Reese and Mira. Mira tells me she's posing for this picture.
Sunday before we came home we went to Aunt Margarets for lunch. Here is Griffy playing with Uncle Eric. So fun!
I am literally in awe that he is 6 months old. Where has it gone? I can't remember it! However.....he's starting to get pretty fun and cute!
He's pretty happy and smiley most of the time- as long as you are paying attention to him!
Look at his cute teeth!
He can almost sit up, but not for very long....

Just some pictures.

He likes trains too!!!

Dinosaur.
So sweet and cute.

Ariel for Halloween!!!

Lazy

Sully is growing! 14 lbs 4 oz at his 5 month shot appointment. He's pretty small like Griffy. The problem was G totally stopped gaining after this point, so we'll see what happens at his 6 month check. That will be the true test. I have started giving him food. I didn't plan on doing it this soon, but I started giving him bananas and apples in the mesh feeder and he was totally in love with it so one day I mashed up a banana and spoon fed it. He was in love grabbing the spoon and shoving it in. I still give him finger foods or mesh feeder when we are eating to keep him occupied. Yesterday I mashed up avacado and mixed it with breastmilk. I was nervous because I couldn't get all of the chunks out and I was afraid he would start gagging (GRIFFIN). But guess who DIDN'T?! I am SO RELIEVED. I think he may actually be a normal eater! Giving food to them is so fun when they LIKE it. So far I have made bananas, butternut squash, avacado, applesauce and pearsauce. He has also had some cereal occasionally. I don't feed him every day and it's just about a tablespoon of food or so. I have decided I will NOT buy baby food for Sullivan. I'll make it, or he won't eat it. I did this for G but had to throw so much of it out because he wouldn't eat it. Well, this time I'm not being crazy about it. I just get a couple of pears or something like that and cook them up and freeze. I am not worried about having everything on earth in the freezer. If we don't have anything, I just give him cereal or nothing. It's much less stressful. I had considered only buying the green veggies because green beans and peas have to be strained because of the strings and skins, but I think I'll just wait until he's bigger and can handle them and make them myself. Plus, since he doesn't GAG I won't have to worry about it as much!

Look how happy he is?! He has really become a joy. He still requires a lot of attention. He only will play on the floor for about 5-10 minutes at a time and that's on a good day. The plus of this is that he is NOT crawling. HAHahahah!! It's going to delay his getting around, so I'm ok with that. On the plus side, he will sit in the exersaucer or the jumper for longer. Yesterday I was able to run close to 2 miles on the treadmill while he played. As long as you are interacting with him, a smile never leaves his face. It's quite sweet.
Griffy loves him, but he's pretty rough. He is obsessed with grabbing his extremities and squeezing or pulling. Sully will occasionally scream right when he comes up to him!
Sully is so silly. Here he is trying to drink from a straw.
Eating lunch on Monday. Mondays are pretty lazy around here. We are supposed to have play group with some work girls, but so far, we've only had one. Note the pajamas at lunch time!
So B got me an iPad for our anniversary. Talk about SHOCKED. I usually get some flowers from Hyvee so I about fell out of bed when he gave it to me! I LOVE IT. As do the kids as you can see. They beg to mess with it. I had no idea I wanted one so bad.
Griff playing by himself while M is at school. I got him these Dinosaur Train jammies yesterday and they compliment his hair so nicely. He loves button up jammies and looks sooo cute in them!

Just Me and the Boys

In backward order here is our trip to North Carolina. Sunday we went to Marbles Children's Museum and also the Science Museum. Griffy had a great time at both but he REALLY loved the dinosaurs at the science museum. He is so animated to talk about them.

Here he is looking at something with aunt Molly.
This is at Marbles. He was getting pretty tired. He stole all the fish from the pretend tank and hung out in the dog house. hahahaha
So cute. I know he is mine, but I find him strikingly cute. Also a butthead at times....but cute.

Big legos. He thought this was great fun.

Making a car for racing.
At the children's museum they have a dressup/play area. Here he is in the ambulance putting the IVF in his belly button. I thought it was pretty funny.
Benny wore Sully for a little while at the fair- something Sullys FATHER would NEVER be caught dead doing. It was super super cute.
I got him this little track to play with while we were in NC. He loves it.
Benny was collecting acorns. I knew Griff would love it, and it did turn out to be a fantastic ice breaker for the 2 of them. Unfortunately the next day they had MAGGOTS climbing all over them in the bowls the next day. BARF.
So proud.
Look at how cute and happy he is watching Aunt Molly make some berry crisp desert!!!
Me and my little guy. He did so great on 3 of our 4 flights. His 2nd tooth FINALLY came through today, but by Sunday he was miserable about it. Poor guy.
SO TIRED. He was seriously exhausted all weekend. I put him to bed at 715 tonight in an attempt to catch up a little.
Changing Sully's diaper. The flight attendant told me as I tossed it in the trash, "You can't put that in there. Please get it out and put it in the bathroom trash." Really?
So fun. Spoiled with apple juice and cookies.
He was acting sad, but really, he had a great day.
Griffy just got on the plane and was watching a movie as we waited for the people to board. So excited.
It was a really fun trip. I find as I get older I enjoy my sister more and more. In some ways I wish Mira would have a sister for when she grows up, but I just don't see it happening lol.

I also find that I dislike being away from home more and more. To take the kids is just hard, but also to leave them is hard too.....so it's lose lose. We had a really fantastic time though. No pressure to go anywhere or do anything. We relaxed a lot and also saw a fair amount of things. It was fun to just have the boys. I thought Sully did really well for being as young as he is, and Griffy really did well also.

The only problem is the amount of food my sister and I can take down when together. We are true McGinley's at heart. I suppose it's not all bad.....but we are so much the same it's terrible. Dependent on dessert and so excited about good food!!!

So that's our trip!!

5!

This is our 5 month shoot. Yes, I'm a day or two late. Oh well, such is life.

He is almost sitting, but really only with the boppy around him. He will get there. So proud of himself.
NINJA!

I mean, this kid is HAPPY as long as you are interacting with him. Looking at his animation, you'd think he was really a social baby, and he is, but he is SO QUIET. I can NEVER get him to talk to me. Randomly he'll say a few things, but otherwise, maybe the quietest baby I've ever been around, unless he's crying.

He is starting to play on his tummy and on the floor alone at times.
Looking at his belly, you'd think he was huge!
I don't think he's very big. Maybe 14 lbs or so which is where G was. Oh well. I like my scrawny boys!