Lately

We've been trying to get the most out of our summer, and that has included lots and lots of time playing outside with neighbors. These aren't the best shots, but Miles loves when the Masseys get out the slip and slide. On days that we're home, Miles is outside pretty much the entire day, playing with Tommy.

He also did basketball camp last week at Wheaton South and seemed to really enjoy it. He also did a random tennis clinic that some of his friends were doing. I don't think he's met a sport he doesn't like to play, although he definitely likes the ones that come easiest to him the best.

 

We're also in the swing of golf season (pun intended). Brooke is in the 3-holers, which means that she plays an actual 3 holes of golf each week with other girls her age. She's really enjoying it, which is fun to see.

Miles is also doing Lil' Chippers, which is just an hour of practicing golf skills with other kids his age. It always takes a little motivating to get him there, but he always says that he had fun.

With all of the swimming, golf and other activities the big kids have, these two are troopers and really good sports.

 

Paige is loving the new ponytail style that Aunt Kiki tried with her in St. Louis. Every morning she asks me if I can give her an "Aunt Kiki piggy."

Not the best shot, but they had a "Sisters Makeup Shop" one morning with Brooke's makeup kit. I don't want to jinx it, but overall the kids have been playing really well together this summer.

Paige is such a character. She's still always carrying a bag around and has really elaborate play schemes. She plays really well by herself and when I ask what she's playing, it's almost always some form of "shopping." Not sure what that says about me...Anyway, it's so fun to get a glimpse into her imagination.

I can't believe summer's 1/3 over, but we're looking forward to two more months of fun!

Graham at 10 Months

This easygoing little boy turned 10 months old yesterday and I don't like it. Time is moving way too fast. He continues to be adored by his sisters and brother and as long as they're around, he's usually very entertained and pretty happy.

He continues to be incredibly quick to return a smile, even mid-tears, and he loves to flirt and charm strangers.

He started moving a little right after 9 months, and in the last couple of weeks has really started getting around. He's still just army crawling, but that's enough to cause a lot of trouble. Back to baby-proofing!

He's also super-chatty and I sometimes have to pop the binky in his mouth if it's a bad time for a loud baby. "Da" is his favorite sound and is actually what we named "his" fish when we got pet fish last week. He's waving, but doesn't have a lot of other consistent party tricks at this point.

He's still nursing in the morning and late afternoon, and taking a formula bottle at bedtime. He's become quite a fan of mealtimes and eats solid - and baby - food well. He's napping twice, for about an hour in the morning and for a couple of hours in the afternoon. He's been sleeping through the night for about 6 weeks now. Hallelujah! He's an early riser, but so am I, so it usually works out okay.

I really can't say enough about what a happy little guy he is or how much joy he's brought to our lives. You're a blessing, Graham, and we love you SO much!

St. Louis Visit

 
Matt and Miles headed home from St. Louis a couple of days before us so Miles could do a basketball camp with a couple of his friends and so Matt could do a golf tournament with a couple of his friends. Matt and I agreed that in the future, we probably would not do the same thing. Miles had fun, but missed out on a couple extra days of fun with his cousins.

Speaking of fun, on Monday, we were still a little worn out from the wedding, so we decided to do something relatively easy and went to Mastadon State Park to swim in the creek. It was a beautiful day and the kids stayed busy for a couple of hours, exploring and catching fish.

My dad is not a "creek guy" - he says that humans were made to swim in clear, chlorinated water - so he hung out on the opposite bank. The kids took turns sitting out with him.

Graham and Aunt Kiki got some cuddles in, too.

 

With Miles gone, Graham and Luke got in some male bonding. Seriously, though, Luke is great with babies.

The next day we went to Purina Farms. Again, it was a fun way to spend a few hours.

Luke and Brooke were very smitten with this chicken. They went back to pet it multiple times.

They also played in the hay loft upstairs.

Graham is usually anti-stroller, so he chilled with me in the Ergo the whole time.

That night, we took the big kids to the Muny while my dad stayed back with Graham.

It was "The Little Mermaid" and was great, as usual. We left with about 3 songs left because Brooke was the only one still fully invested and it had been a long week.

Special thanks to Tim and Krissi for their hospitality and another great visit! See you in August!

Joel's Married!

Earlier this month, my baby brother married his amazing fiance, Jenn. We were in St. Louis for a couple of days leading up to the event and got in lots of family time. The whole wedding went pretty perfectly - the kids all crushed their jobs- and was such a joyous occasion. I was legitimately sad that it was over.

On Friday before the wedding, the girls got together for breakfast and mani/pedis. This was Paige and Grace's first time getting their nails done and they loved it.

Brooke and Lexi loved it too, of course.

All prepped for their flower girl and bridal attendant duties!

That evening was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. Paige has always had a special relationship with Uncle Joel, but she was turning on the charm extra strong all weekend.

Family pic at the rehearsal.

The morning of the wedding, we divided up. The girls all went to the hotel early to get ready. The guys stayed back a bit longer. Matt kept Graham so he could get his morning nap in, then my grandparents watched him until the wedding while Matt headed to the hotel. The kids were excited to get frappuccinos at the Starbucks in the hotel lobby.

Ready for showtime!

We got to get ready with Jenn in the presidential suite. It was a pretty amazing room, complete with a great view.

Paige and Jenn enjoying refreshments before getting ready.

Gracie, ready for her makeup.

Brooke, getting her hair done. She was very specific about how she wanted her hair done and thankfully, the girl was able to oblige.

Paige, getting her makeup done.

Dressed and ready at the church!

The cutest bridal attendants you've ever seen, right?

She knew she was looking extra cute.

This little guy was such a sweetheart all day. He hung out with Courtney, a babysitter we'd gotten from Tim and Krissi, during the ceremony. He turned on the charm for pictures, napped during the interim time, then was ready to go again for the beginning of the reception. He headed to bed about the time the dancing started.

Grandma and Paige.

Jenn with the flower girls right before we headed out.

Joel and Jenn with the kids. Hoping the photographer got some better smiles from Miles and Paige...

My heart. Could they be any cuter?

Graham with my cousin's son, John. Another great thing about this wedding was getting to see so much of my family that I hadn't seen in a long time.

The whole wedding was wonderful and we were so honored to be a part of it. I didn't have my phone on me at the reception, but rest assured that we all danced the night away. Miles and Paige lasted until about 10 and Brooke made it until we went to bed at almost midnight! Congratulations again to Joel and Jenn!