Let the Summer Fun Begin!

With the warm weather we have been swimming in my parent's pool lots already!!  It's been a fun preview of the summer afternoons we have ahead of us!

Tommy playing in the water- he is swimming all on his own this year and getting better and more confident each time!  It's fun to watch!

My mom set up a kiddie pool for Henry to splash in and he absolutely LOVES it!  He plays and plays until he finally gets too tired to sit anymore.  Of course, big brother felt a need to try it out too :)

My cousin Katie brought her 4 month old daughter, Ella.  Henry and Ella played nicely in the baby pool until Henry splashed her in the face!  Oops!

Tommy's Preschool Program

Tommy had his preschool spring program on Tuesday night.  It was fun to watch him perform- he knows all of the motions and words to the songs and is very serious about doing all of it!  It was fun to look back and reflect on how much he has grown and developed over the year.

Grandma and Grandpa Batts with Tommy at the program.

Papa and Debbie with Tommy and Henry at the program.

Tommy with Mrs. Long- the helper in his classroom this year.

Tommy with Mrs. Eley- his teacher this year.

Tommy's 3's Program from Trisha Batts on Vimeo.

Eight Months Old!!

Henry Christopher- 8 Months Old

Our little boy is developing such a fun and happy personality!  He is just adorable and it's great to see him grow into his own little person.  He adores his big brother and daddy and will whip his head around to watch either of them if they are in the room.  He loves to listen to Tommy, but every now and then he has something to say and he isn't shy about telling his stories as loudly as possible.  He is so happy and just sort of "goes with the flow" most of the time.  He has such a great laugh and smile and it's so fun to listen to him wake up in the morning- he just babbles to himself in his crib.  We love our little Henry-bean!

Henry's unofficial weight at 8 months is 18lbs.  (which is less than his unofficial weight a month ago- so somewhere my 'unofficial' method is off!)

What is Henry up to at 8 months?

• 
  
  He sleeps from 7pm- 7:15am every night.  He goes to bed without any fuss and sleeps all night!
• 
  
  He drinks about 24-32oz of formula a day and eats 3 meals of solids.  At each meal he has 2 containers of baby food or a bowl of cereal and a container of baby food. 
• 
  
  He's moved on to stage 2 baby foods and even tried puffs- his first finger food.  He loves bananas, prunes, apples, sweet potatoes, and squash.  He hates peaches and the garden veggie mix.  He has started spitting the food everywhere and then laughing when he eats.  The more upset I get about it the harder he laughs :)
• 
  
  He naps from 9:30am-11am and then again from 1:30pm- 4pm.  He has dropped the 3rd nap.
• 
  
  He is still in size 3 diapers and 12 month clothing.  He still fits in some 6-12 month clothes, but he is starting to wear more of his 12-18 month stuff.
• 
  
  He rolls and sits.  He can't get into the sitting position on his own yet.  He is so close to scooting and can get up onto his knees when he is laying on the floor, but hasn't gotten anywhere yet! 
• 
  
  He is starting to clap and has waved 'bye-bye' once or twice.  He loves to play so big and pat-a-cake.  He enjoys the excersaucer and loves nothing more than sitting on the floor with a big pile of toys!  He says "da-da-da," "ma-ma-ma," and "ba-ba-ba."
• 
  
  He still has just the bottom two teeth.

Jammies!

Before Henry was born, my mom and grandma each purchased a pair of matching jammies for Tommy and his baby brother.  Tommy was so thrilled that once his brother arrived they would be able to be twins.  Now that Henry is outgrowing the jammies- Tommy wanted some pictures to document their days as "twins."  It's so cute to see them dressed the same, but in such different sizes :)

We'll have to take pictures of the other "twin" pair a different day.  It is amazingly difficult to coordinate them getting into the same pair on the same day!

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Tommy drew a picture of me in school and painted a shoe with a flower planted in it.  All of my boys bought me new running shoes which I desperately wanted and a beautiful bouqet of flowers.  I loved all of it!

We were able to spend the morning at church together and then celebrate at lunch with the Plaisier side of the family.  We wrapped up the day by having the Batts side over for dinner.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful mothers! 

Me and my boys!  Mother's Day 2010

Outdoor Fun

With the nicer weather we have been trying to spend more time outside.  Here are some pictures of us enjoying the sunshine!

We usually head out to play in the yard right after Henry's nap- hence the jammies :)  He is at a great age right now where he can sit and play with toys, but can't get anywhere on his own yet.

Yesterday we picked Bridgette up and headed to the park for a picnic.  These two thought they were hot stuff riding around on their bikes together!

Henry's first time in the swing- he loved it!

The two bikers- Tommy talking and Bridgette listening (as usual).

Field Trip to the Fire Station!

Today Tommy's class took a field trip to the Portage Fire Station.  They were able to see the fire house and the trucks.  They had so much fun, but it's amazing how shy they all become when their moms are around :)

Tommy was NOT into having his picture taken while driving the truck.

There are so many things that I love about this picture of Tommy and Molly Kramer that I can't even begin to put it into words.  All I can say is that it sure will be funny to pull this out when they are headed to prom together in 2024.  :)

Tommy in his fire hat- he wanted me to make sure the picture was of the hat mostly and just a little of him.

Sitting in the Highchair and Puffs

I delayed bringing out the highchair for as long as possible, knowing that once the beast was in my kitchen, I would be staring at it and the mess it creates for the next 2 years (at minimum!)   I finally brought it out a week ago and it's been going pretty well.  Henry loves to sit in it and bang things or drop toys unto the floor. Luckily, Tommy hasn't grown tired of picking the toys up for him yet :)  A few days ago I let Henry try "puffs" for the first time- they are little disolving cheerio-like things.  He absolutely loves them and has already goten better at getting them in his mouth.  They definitely keep him occupied for a few minutes!

Memories

As I was uploading some REALLY old pictures off of an old camera I came across some pictures of Tommy as a baby.  Most of them were not worth saving, but I was struck by how much the two boys look alike, and at the same time, how different they are from each other.  Here is a picture of Tommy at about 8 months old.  (so about the age Henry is now)

And here is a recent picture of Henry:

What do you think?

Fishing

Tommy has been begging to go fishing since last summer, so a few weeks ago Nathan took him to Gander Mountain and bought him his very own fishing pole and tackle box.  Upon returning, they immediately had to head to the pond behind our house to see if the fish were biting.  They tried for about 20 mintues, but didn't have any luck.  Maybe when it gets a little warmer (and if they find a more promising spot!).

U of M Spring Game

So, here I am playing catch-up with my pictures again- sorry!

  Back on April 17, Nathan, Tommy, and Uncle Dan headed to Ann Arbor to check out the University of Michigan spring football game.  Tommy thought he was SUCH hot stuff and has decided to add football player to the list of things he wants to be when he grows up.  Here are the boys in their gear at the Big House:

Nathan said that Tommy was so mad that he had to wear his coat over his jersey :)