Grandpa Dan, Grandma Kati, & Aunt Anna Visit + 4th of July Trip to Lake of the Ozarks

We had a great time getting to see Grandpa Dan, Grandma Kati, and Aunt Anna again just a month after going to visit them in Idaho for Uncle Tim's wedding.

Patrick cuddles!

The kids loved their Aunt Anna, who bravely read to them while being told about favorite colors the entire time.

Eleanor was delighted to get to help out with a card game when she woke up from naps before Bradley.

 

And we're going to be the coolest place around now that we have a super fun parachute to play with! The kids LOVED this, thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the great gift!

 Going to the park with fun grandparents is always the best.

And oh the reading time. These kids could sit cozy on the couch for ages cuddled up with a grandparent and a good book.

Our community pool is so fun, the kids loved going there with family

Patrick got to play in the water with Grandpa and Grandma and enjoyed it tremendously. Apparently he kicked his little legs a lot!

We got to go to Lake of the Ozarks for what is turning out to be an annual 4th of July trip to see a lot of family. Bradley's trip highlight was probably this moment:

That is Micah, a second cousin whom we love very much. Bradley had many other beautiful moments he got to share with Micah.

We all had such a good time at the lake. Patrick was held every waking moment, which means all is good and right in the world as far as he's concerned, and Bradley and Eleanor got non stop attention and play time with grown ups and cool cousins.

Patrick loved Aunt Tammy and Cousin Jessie

Smiles for Jessie!

Cousin Nicole aka "The Baby Whisperer"

Cousin Jamie with kids on the deck

I don't know why I ever put clothes on Patrick. Sweet baby skin is the best!

Patrick enjoys being "fed" by Eleanor

Bradley was less appreciative of Eleanor's efforts

Daddy cuddles

I've been enjoying lining all three kids on the couch lately. Lots more of these pictures to come!

More Tammy time. Patrick was popular.

We got to swim quite a bit at pools at the lake which was very happy times for the kids.

Patrick tried out his swim trunks for the first time

He didn't last long in the pool because Nathan DUNKED him in the cold water so he got upset and needed Mommy cuddles. Poor Patrick.

We passed around naked baby for cuddles. He was very popular at the pool. 

Eleanor and Bradley had a blast at the pool being waited on hand and foot by their many attendants.

Micah was the surprise favorite of Eleanor in the pool. He came up to her and had her give him a high-five and then flung himself back in the water when she gave his hand a light tap. She cackled and he did it over and over again, eventually just having her push his face and having that be what made him fall into the water.

She got very enthusiastic about the pushing ...

Eleanor also loved additional floaties, not pictured here is the giant one that allowed a girl to be in the water without getting wet.

 Sweet Ava helping Eleanor use a water gun with her foot.

I found Eleanor running back and forth to the kitchen area from the pool deck and came in to discover she had grandparents feeding her little bits of cheese

Baby bird

How does one not feed this cute and ridiculous face?

Once again, Eleanor got everything she wanted and was greeted with "awwws" when she walked around in her swim cover. It's a rough life.

Bradley and Eleanor even got to share a closet as their bedroom. There was great joy over this. We were just going to put Bradley in there originally but Eleanor let her feelings known on the matter so she was quickly included in the closet slumber party.

Her face ... we're in so much trouble

We love going out to the lake. Here's hoping we get to make many more trips, especially when the kids are interested in actually getting on a boat and going out on the lake!

Cousins picture

With Grandpa on the deck

More deck cuddles. The kids are always so happy to have stories read to them.

The kids were a little tuckered on the way home. And if we never have to make a long drive again with an infant that will be okay with me!

During one of stops for sweet Patrick boy

You can't tell, but even Patrick is asleep in this picture. So much tired.

We're home and settling into routine now, although Eleanor is not quite as well sleep trained as she was before and now requires someone to sit in her room with her until she falls asleep roughly an hour past her previous bedtime. And she is not calm until about 10 minutes before she falls asleep.

This is what sleepy looks like, right?

Eleanor oh Eleanor. This little girl certainly has a strong sense of self, although much of that is tied into following Bradley around.

Here's a video where we talk about who is a boy and who is a girl and Eleanor copies Bradley climbing things and gives me a heart attack.

 

I love how brave Eleanor is. I'd much rather teach caution than try to get a nervous child to try new things.

And when she needs a helping hand, Bradley is there for her. I did not tell him to help her in either this picture or the next, he did it all on his own. Bradley is such a perfect older brother (when he's not tackling her or stealing her toys but hey, a boy has got to have at least a little fun).

Bradley started calling Eleanor his best friend this past week and I LOVE it. Eleanor will repeat back that Bradley is her best friend too. And then Bradley says that he loves Eleanor and hugs her around then neck until she cries. Because that's just what best friends gotta do. (We're really working on gentle and quick hugs around here). 

They've been playing with their piggy banks together lately, which has been a lot of fun for all involved.

 
I love our park outings. It's so great to be out of the house and it's amazing how little it takes for us to have a seriously good time. 

These adorable little curls make me so happy

We've recently started throwing nuts in the creek again. What isn't to love about collecting a bunch of nuts in a net and then throwing them in water?

Eleanor has ideas now and I can't ever hear enough about them. This video is long but I could listen to Eleanor stories and ideas all day.

Patrick is growing up by leaps and bounds and I am LOVING getting to see his little personality come through. He's chatty and he loves everyone and he just wants to be held, darnit.

The kitties are rather desperate to be held as well ...

 Talking to Daddy ...

Patrick is also quite impressive and can scoot forward already. No, I'm not kidding. The last thirty seconds or so of this video have some serious forward motion.

He's actually been able to do this since he was about two months old, he'll scoot from one end of his crib to the other and then wake up in the night. Yes, we let him sleep on his tummy. He loves it and we keep the crib clear of extra items so it's very safe for our strong little boy.

Bradley's Patrick love fest has not abated in the past few weeks.

 Three children on the couch together.

And this is what happens when Bradley discovers Patrick is near him.

This is what I get during "scary" episodes of My Little Pony. I'm going to show them The Shining next, I'll do whatever it takes to get more of this. 

 And yes, Patrick ended up next to Bradley. In other news, horizontal stripes may not be his friend.

 You can tell the cuddles are going well when the baby has a look of mild terror in his eyes.

We finally got all three kids in the bath together and it's becoming a regular event! I don't understand children though, neither of our older children seems to give a rip that Patrick is joining them.

 Patrick has a good time though, and that's what counts.

Sweet Patrick. He is the smiliest and chattiest baby.

 
Nathan had to work from home for quite a bit of this weekend, which normally would be rough but he was fortunate to have some good help this time.

And we got to break for more pool time, so we got at least a little play in.

Too bad it tired out the older two. For the record, they only get to sleep like this when Eleanor falls asleep while she's being read to in Bradley's bed. I tried leaving the two year old and the three year old alone to fall asleep for a nap together the other day and it was a minor disaster.

Bradley keeps picking new things up and I have no idea where he learns about half of these new tricks, can I keep blaming things on church? Is that where a boy learns how to cross his eyes?

The video where he is figuring out how to do it is pretty priceless. And no, I was not incredibly supportive.

Lucky us, all these sweet and hilarious and adorable kids. We're quite the crew these days!