Summer Bucket List: Part 1

It occurred to me at the beginning of May that I always have these grand summer plans and a huge list of things to do.....which by the time the end of the summer comes, we've done hardly any of! And most of you that know me, know that I work off my lists......so this year, I got together with my friend Kelley and created our "Summer Bucket List"! The kids and I have hung this list near the kitchen so that we will see it every day and are reminded of the things we want to do. Here's to hoping that we get them all done this year!! 

This will be an ongoing series of posts throughout the summer to document our activities as we cross them off our list!

Strawberry Picking: It ended up being pretty chilly this day. The kids had a lot of fun and I think had pretty full bellies by the time we left. Each kid had their own bucket and I would say that Simon did the best "solo" job, the girls picked quite a few while spending most of their time socializing of course, and Johnny was operating on a pick one, eat one basis....don't worry though, the half eaten ones made it into just about every bucket...gotta love that boy! 

With our strawberries we of course made jam and then left some for eating. Mellany was a great strawberry "crusher"

Dogs N Suds: We ate hot dogs and corn dogs outside at the picnic tables. Charlie didn't really care for it too much....

Picnic at the Park: We took lunches to one of our favorite little parks and happened to be the only ones there. The weather was perfect that day so that was a huge bonus!

Johnny: #3

This has been a really great, fun year for us with Johnny. He literally loves life and will find joy in just about anything! He's always got a smile on his face and will do anything he can to get you to laugh. To say that he has changed a lot over the past year would be an understatement; he is saying and doing new things every day and I am constantly impressed with how much he absorbs and remembers. We are so proud of our "Baby Johnny"! 

Here's a little bit about Johnny:

• "Why?!" Is all of the sudden his favorite word
• He LOVES all things with wheels
• One of his favorite times is when mama comes home from the grocery store with bags of food
• Getting his hair cut is no longer a dramatic event. He (by himself!) walks over to the chair, sits down and Kate cuts away.....no fuss at all! Of course the 5 lollipops in his hands help!
• Two of his favorite places to go with daddy in the truck: Menards and Camper Barn
• He can recognize the sound of ANY siren he hears
• He is all about figuring out how things work, even if that requires taking the item apart
• He has quite the "country" dance.....this basically entails a foot stomp
• Blaze & the Monster Machines is his favorite show
• He is soooooo clumsy! He doesn't watch where he's walking, he trips over his own feet (usually because his feet can't keep up with how fast he wants to run)
• He's not really a fan of swimming or swimming lessons but really enjoys playing soccer
• His hat is always on and usually dirty and cocked to the side
• His clothes are mostly 2T & 3T with a few 4T thrown in
• Playing on the trampoline, swinging, blowing bubbles and driving his John Deere Tractor & Gator are some of his favorite outside things to do (in addition to digging in the dirt in my potted plants)
• Cooking is one of his favorite things to help me do...he will pull up a chair right next to me from the table and do anything I will let him
• He LOVES to help in general....and with anything....planting flowers, watering plants, putting away dishes, putting away laundry, switching laundry, fixing toys, loading the car, getting food out of the pantry.....literally anything! 
• Johnny is diaper freeeeeeeee!!! He has been going on the potty for a few months now and it was a really smooth transition for the most part. We stopped using diapers "cold turkey" during the day and night and he's been accident free for the majority of the time. The times he does have an accident is usually at night or when he's just too lazy to go to the bathroom. 
• He loves his sister and brother and will play with them at any time
• He no longer takes an afternoon nap for the most part. He does sleep very well at night and will usually sleep for about 12 hours. When he sleeps, he's kind of all over the place, usually ending up sideways in the bed. He has to have his blanket covering his pillow and his puppy right next to him.
• He loves to play games...board games, hide and seek, tag, being chased and he really kind of likes being scared as long as he knows its coming
• He still REALLY loves to eat and will try just about anything. His favorite foods are bagels, chicken nuggets, muffins, donuts, tuna casserole, applesauce, mandarin oranges, plain strawberry poptarts, yogurt, cereal bars and apple juice.
• He has excellent manners and we are working on some "chivalrous" things such as holding the door open for ladies
• His teeth are all in except for his molars still....they are slowly but surely making their way through
• His #1 buddy is another little boy named Simon
• When playing anywhere, he prefers to be barefoot
• He loves dogs and our neighborhood cat "Oreo"
• He can say the ABC song, he knows his colors and can identify most of the shapes but very few ABC's
• He doesn't really care to brush his teeth
• His love for books is really growing. His favorites include: Little Blue Truck, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear and Goodnight Moon
• He really enjoys rolling down the window in the car
• He has recently started taking away toys from his siblings and other kids so we are trying to work through that
• If Johnny does do something wrong, usually a "time-out" takes care of the situation and it doesn't happen again. 
• Johnny doesn't know a stranger, he is extremely social with kids and adults and will share snacks with anyone who will eat them
• It's very possible that Johnny may be left-handed. There are times he colors left-handed, eat with his left hand and he will even walk up stairs starting with his left foot (which I've read is a sign that they will be left handed). 

On our "to-do" list for the next year: Identifying ABC's and numbers, Shape recognition

3 Year Wellness Exam

Weight: 30# 3.2oz

Height: 37.64"

Head Circumference: 50.5cm (19.88")

Things couldn't have gone any better at Johnny's 3 year physical exam. When the nurse called his name, we went straight back to the scales and height chart and he did both like a professional. We walked back to the room and he sat on the bed while the nurse listened to his lungs, monitored his heart rate and took his blood pressure. When she finished, he got down and proceeded to the window to look at cars. There wasn't a single whine or fuss about it! Once Dr. Fahler came into the room he started up a conversation about his birthday and the presents he got, he answered all of Dr. Fahler's questions and then sat back up on the table while his ears, mouth, reflexes, etc were examined. We discussed Johnny's eating habits, his clumsiness, visiting the dentist this summer, his vision and suggestion that seeing the eye doctor earlier rather than later could be a huge benefit for him, his ears/tubes among several other things. After finishing, Dr. Fahler said goodbye to all three kids, the nurse brought back in stickers for everyone and we were on our way--with no major meltdowns I might add!!!! There were no shots at this visit and he will go back in a year.

Birthday Celebration!

The theme this year was "Construction". Johnny has a love for all things dump truck, concrete mixer, excavator, etc and said that's what he wanted his birthday to be; so that it was. We had our traditional cookie cake, opened presents, ate at The Diner (the biscuits at the diner are his favorite meal), and of course visited Chuck E Cheese. Nana, Aunt Amy and Daxton were in town to make the celebration even better! Gammy even FaceTimed the birthday boy just in time for the birthday song which was a double bonus! He had a really fun day and was sure exhausted by the end of it!

(Opening his gift Mellany picked out all by herself)