Everly's First Food

Well, now that Everly is 5 months old, we decided to start trying some solid foods. So, last night, we gave her rice cereal and she was happy about it! She mostly liked chewing on the spoon at the end of the meal. Here's to a new style of mealtimes, diapers, and foods for Everly!

Everly is 5 months!

*I'm backdating this, because I wrote it a month ago and just never uploaded the picture to go with it! So, here is is! The 6 month post will be up soon too!*

Our littlest love is already 5 months old! Here is some info about her right now:

• She is getting better and better at sleeping. We just moved her to her crib last week. I'm afraid it gets cold, so I'm still swaddling her body and arms until she breaks free at night, but I have a sleep sack on it's way here to try to keep her warm instead so she can still move around. She sleeps, on average 10 hours a night plus a couple of naps during the day; sometimes those naps are good and long and sometimes they get interrupted by me so we can go pick kids up from school. But, he goes with the flow!
• She also finally rolled over front to back and back to front. Sometimes she likes to roll around on the ground a little to play, but mostly prefers to be sitting up to play. Or held. She always wants to be held.
• She loves playtime. She is getting so good at grabbing at toys and sometimes getting them and she is so cute to watch focus on things or show so much interest in things. I think her favorite toy right now might be her little lovey bunny that she immediately shoves in her mouth. She also likes the caterpillar, the stacking rings, and the little webbed pink ball. She really likes sitting up against the boppy too. 
• She is getting close to sitting up on her own. 
• She reached for Vic the other day when he got home. It could have been reflex, but that is always the sweetest when they start to reach for you!
• She is pretty quiet but can get to cooing and talking sometimes.
• She likes her jumperoo or she just isn't in the mood. Totally depends. Once she gets occupied with it, she is happy for awhile!
• She is just so sweet and cute! (am I her mom or what?) But, she will still just look and focus on my face and her smile right now is pretty much a grin with her bottom lip tucked in. She has kind of stopped the mouthed smiles, but mostly just gives us these sweet little grins! And her little face is so round and that red hair is just growing! Cutest thing!
• She loves her brother and sister. But, mostly they love her. They LOVE to talk to her, touch her, make her laugh, help with her, etc. I don't think I've ever heard either of them complain about anything to do with Everly.
• Everly finally likes baths!! It took putting her in the bath flower in the tub with Atticus and Grace to enjoy it. I think she just didn't like laying on her back in the baby bath or even not feeling upright in the sink. She has never loved laying on her back and between that and the water, I think she just couldn't get comfortable. But, now she is totally happy to watch the other two and sit in the big bathtub. 
• She just cut her first tooth at 5 months! They bother her off and on, but a little tylenol seems to help. HOWEVER, she has bitten a few times now with that one little tooth and it hurts! And having her gnaw on my fingers is no longer quite as cute, unless I escape getting pinched with that little tooth too. 
• She is still taking the paci.
• She is still in 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.
• She still does not love the carseat. 
• My favorite moments are just snuggling her. I've been laying her down awake quite a bit for naps and bedtime, but the other night I just had to snuggle her in bed with me for about an hour before I put her into the crib. I just love holding her so close. That sweet little head and skin and fingers that lay on my chest while she sleeps. I want to remember every moment of my kids, but my goodness I love these baby days. And I just want to remember them so much and recreate them in my head when I need a baby snuggle. Babies don't keep, but oh how I wish they did!!!
• The other sweet thing is her giggles. One day, Grace dropped a toy loudly on the floor while Everly was in her jumperoo and Everly just burst into laughter! So, the kids kept throwing toys down and Everly just couldn't stop laughing! Also, I can blow kisses and bubbles in her neck and she just giggles and giggles. The giggling is just going to get more fun!
• So, those are some updates on our little girl!

Pa's 90th Birthday

Pa turned 90 on September 5, 2016. Wow!! I hope Vic and I both live long lives like Melbo and Pa! I can't wait to celebrate Melbo turning 90 and then Pa 95 and then Melbo 95 and then Pa 100 and the list goes on. PLUS, they will be married 70 years next July. My goodness; we have a lot of parties in our future!

We decided to do a big family party to celebrate this year. Ana and Charley hosted the event at their brand new home and we had a swimming party! Pa, the honoree, was the only one not to swim, even though Melbo brought his swimsuit. But, he still hung out poolside and got the first bites of the fried fish, his favorite food, as Vic cooked them so he was happy too.

The day before, we took Erwin family photos (and I'm still dying to get them back from the photographer so I can share them!) so we had all gotten together on Saturday morning. From there, we all split up and Vic and Atticus came into Lewisville to help Ana and Charley hang some things in their house. Then, on Sunday, we all went to Lewisville around 3:00 and jumped in that pool. It has been SO hot, so this was so nice. Also, I love Ana and Charley's new house! It is so cute, has so many bits of character here and there and they have already re-done a bathroom floor, had it painted and started decorating. It is going to be even homier the next time we are there. So, we snacked; we swam; Vic fried fish; we ate dinner; we had party games; and then we had story time with Pa recounting stories of the past about his time at sea, when they got married, some of their jobs and homes they lived in, his favorite story about Melbo and the pigs, stories of the Knob, and more. We are trying to get some of these written down because Pa remembers them all and so does Melbo, and we want to keep them all for family history. People do not do things today, the way they did them 60 or 70 years ago. It was also special because Ana made Pa a birthday cake and I wonder how long it has been since he has actually blow out candles for his birthday? Family usually gathers, but I don't know that we always do candles for all the birthdays. And, while Pa may sit back sometimes, he is so funny at Christmas Game Day and even on his birthday party when it comes to games. He sits back, but really he wants to win if it's his team and he will participate in almost any game we play. Pa has raised a really good Erwin family and comes from a great and big Erwin family. My heart is always full after an Erwin gathering. We spend our time visiting and doing things that are not always fancy or extra exciting to others, but special and meaningful just because everyone is happy and together. Our family loves us and our kids and even though the kids and Vic and I are in the middle of learning how to grow up and how to parent, it's always nice to feel supported or like we are doing a good job. So, here are some photos of that special celebration for Pa's 90th birthday!!

 Everly loved touching Pop's beard.

And Grace loved being pushed back and forth between GG and Charley. She was so funny in her puddle jumper and also the floatie. Sometimes her head would just barely push out of the top, but she either wanted only the floatie, which she could easily just slip out of and it made us nervous, or both things.

 Ages 90 and 5.

 So, we realized Everly had been in the water so long that her little feet had turned into raisins. Look at those cute little toes!

Vic fried fish and we got to eat while he was frying. Fried fish is Pa's very favorite food and what's so funny is that Melbo can't stand fish or shrimp, so it's not something she makes often...if ever maybe!

 Grandma and Pop with their 3 grandkids! Can't wait to give them more one day!! ha!

 If you are turning 90, you NEED these balloons.

 A cozy table for two for the birthday boy and his bride!

 If this is not a festive, fun cake full of goodies for a 90th birthday, I don't know what is!

Atticus and Grace can never pass up helping blow out candles. 

 I think he was a little embarrassed to have us sing!

 Then, we played a game where each team (boys vs. girls) had to blow up 20 balloons and stuff 10 into each leg of panty hose and then whoever finished first has to put them on top of their head like reindeer antlers. This was a game we didn't get to do at Christmas, so we just added it in to the party!

 The girls took awhile to get their system down, but the boys were fast! And the boys won!!

Of course, Charley and Vic had to play with the results too!

 Ana's face was perfect. The girls failed! But, Melbo tried it on anyways!

 And this picture was the best! I quote Pop "Look! I'm Vic!" hahahahahaha!

 Then, we tossed rings onto eachother. Ana's faces were the best, as always! And I'm not sure Pa or Ana had much confidence in their partners tossing rings onto their heads!

 Then, storytelling time began. This was a great part to the evening.

The only thing we ran out of time to do was play 42! Pa's favorite game is 42, but by the time we got to this point, people were tired and ready for bed. So, we said goodbyes and will just have to play next time we are all together. Happy 90th Birthday Pa!