This Boy.

I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect little boy. God hit the mark on the head when he created this one.

Sweet, tenderhearted, smart, joyful, brave, caring.

He has such a zest and excitement towards, well basically anything. He gets his enthusiasm from his Dad no doubt.

He loves being active, following in his daddy's footsteps, sports, reading, writing, trucks and playing games.

He is an amazing big brother. I knew he'd fit the roll, but he far passed any and all expectations I had of him. He's loving, engaging, protective and sweet with her. And boy does Lainey love him.

Dawson mastered many new things this summer: riding his bike with training wheels, swimming like a fish, reading like a pro, writing books and conquering the playground.

 

He's got such an appetite, I can't imagine what that will look like when he is 13.

And those big brown eyes. I melt when I look into them. He's such a lover.

...and today he started 4K. This boy is growing so quickly before my eyes. Trying to drink in each moment before it slips through my fingers. I was telling him how proud I am of him today and how he was growing so big. He replied, "Well Mom one good thing about be getting bigger is that I'll have longer arms to wrap around your neck when I hug you." And I hope he'll do just that.

Lainey: 5 Months

This sweet little thing is 5 months old today. 5 MONTHS. It was a big day today in the Allen house as big brother Dawson started 4K today as well, more on that in the next post...

Lainey is an absolute joy. I still can't believe she is here and that she is a SHE. Lainey is a dream baby and very content 95% of the time...although when we are in the 5%, everyone knows we are in the 5%!

She's become so interactive with her surroundings this past month. She is constantly reaching for anything in her path and trying to put it in her mouth. Including...her thumb! It's adorable.

We've started feeding her some food (oatmeal and applesauce). Nothing consistent yet. Some days she eats a ton, other days she has no interest.

Most days look like this:
6:30am: Up for the day
7:00am: 6oz. Bottle
9-10:00am: Nap
10:30am: 6oz. Bottle
12:30pm: 6oz. Bottle
1-3:30pm: Nap
4:00pm: 6oz. Bottle
6:30pm: 6oz. Bottle
7:00pm: Bed

Post nap with cousin Weston!

LOVES her brother so much!

Then she's out til the next morning. So thankful she is such a great sleeper...will never take that for granted. She sleeps without her swaddle and is great a self soothing (for the most part) by falling asleep on her own.

At 5 Months, Lainey...
- is 17.5lbs
- Is not rolling over...and still not motivated to really even try.
- Can almost sit up on her own
- Like her jumperoo
- Loves grabbing her feet while lying on her back
- LOVES to smile and giggle
- Has enough hair for bows! **Squeal!**

One of my most favorite photos of the two of them...

Dawson loves touching and holding her hands. So sweet.

Such a helper boy.

Lainey with her lovey.

Rock Lake

Our Crew (plus Mom & Dad)

The Dudes.

Captian Jessi and her sidekick.

Cousins and best buds.

Air Time!

Notice the blurry picture...they didn't sit still much!

The Ladies.

Their sandcastles and 'pancakes'

This past weekend we spent on Rock Lake at Jessi's cabin with my family. It was so refreshing and relaxing. We all loved out time with the sun and in the water and especially the company. We spent lots of time paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, boating, playing games and laughing a whole lot.

It's so much fun to see Dawson and Weston's relationship really grow. Each time they spend together they have more and more fun together. It makes my heart smile to see how much fun they have together and the special bond they've already formed. I love thinking about how their bond will continue to grow as they do.

This was our sixth summer doing this as a family and it's always a highlight. I love seeing how are family grows in numbers and more closely together. We are so blessed!

Frankfort, Michigan

July has been a travel-filled month for our family. It been so special to create such memorable experiences with our family and to unplug a bit this summer.

Our first trip this month was to Frankfort, Michigan. It was the cutest, tiny town on Lake Michigan and the beach fronts were beautiful! Lots of parks, swing sets on the beach, great food too! We spent many days at the beach. Mom and Lainey 'relaxing' on the shore and Daryn and Dawson swimming in the water. Dawson's grown so confident in the water this summer and is a total fish. He spent lots of time exploring and gathering rocks and other treasures for his collections.

The scenery was breathtaking. We kept saying to one another, I can't believe this is Michigan! The white sand beaches and blue waters would have lead us to believe otherwise.

We visited Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore a few days and ran the sand dunes, drove the 'Scenic Route' and played on the beaches.

Dawson and Mom went on a river trip and floated down the Platte River into Lake Michigan.

The kids did so great. There were a few moments in the car and that one moment when Dawson melted down about a few near by dogs (he's unfortunately terrified of dogs) and Lainey projectile vomited all over all while Daryn and I were hauling our beach items, etc....But their flexibility and attitudes were amazing.

Floating down the Platte River into Lake Michigan.

Frankfort Beach Sunset

Sleeping Bear Dune Climb

Adding to his unending 'collections'

Lainey: 4 Months

Lainey's fourth month has been a busy month for our family to say the least. We've been gone the last three weekends and the weeks have been filled with fun activities, outings, trips and the like.

Each day we get more of a glimpse into this precious little lady. Her big, blue eyes have a story to tell. She appears to be very reflective and observant. She is very laid back and content with the exception of long car rides and when she needs to get your attention. ;) Lainey is finally warming up to people and once she does, she loves to lean into some extra snuggles and wants to keep your attention.

She loves, loves, loves her brother. Is so sweet to see their relationship grow each day. Dawson is such a great brother to her and is very protective. One of the sweetest things he will stop what he is doing every 10-20 min and come check in on her by squeezing her hands. It's so endearing.

Thankfully she's been very laid back the last few weeks and flexible with our schedule as we've traveled!

At 4 months, Lainey...
- Is 25" tall (72%) and 15lbs, 14oz (81%)
- Loves to be swaddled, however breaks out of it most nights and wakes up as a result...she's one strong lady!
- Really starting to coo and chatter
- Has found her feet and loves to grab them
- Enjoys sucking on her hands rather than a nuk
- Smiling and is cooing lots
- Her happiest time of the day is mornings
- Has a very strong core and sits up on her own for brief moments (and lots of supervision)
- Loves her bumbo chair...the look she gets when she sits in it is so sweet. She's so proud of herself and feels like such a big girl and part of the gang.
- Has not rolled over and doesn't appear to be very motivated to

Lainey: 3 Months

Little Miss has hit the 3 month mark! It feels like our new normal and we are definitely in a good groove. She loves her Dad and Momma and little brother. Other than that she screams whenever anyone else holds her! I always give the 'Don't take it personal, she just hates people' warning before I pass her off. Without fail, a few minuets later she's back in Momma's arms. She does prefer to be home as well and certainly is not a fan of her carseat.

Other than those few little things, she is a total dream baby. Lainey is full of smiles and occasional coos and giggles. There is nothing better than baby giggles (well except for maybe baby snuggles)! Her eyes are very blue and appear to be lightening around her pupils. This brown eyed family is very surprised that they seem to be staying blue, but time will tell.

Lainey's daily patterns seem to be as follows:
6:30am: Wake Up
Cat naps her way through the morning if anything at all...maybe 3 15 minuet naps?
1:00-4:00pm (or sometimes 5): Nap
6:20pm: Like clock work, gets fairly fussy and is out for the count. If she doesn't fall asleep during this feeding she does put herself to sleep in her crib. Bless her!
10:30 or 11pm: Dreamfeed
Then she sleeps til morning.

She eats 4-6 oz. every 2-4 hours and loves her swing a lot. She does seem to like to observe rather than be in the mix of things. We can't believe how fast she is growing! I am not sure how long she is but is somewhere around 14lbs. That girl is all cheeks and rolls. Love that squishy girl.

Dawson seems to still be fairly smitten with his little sister. It's safe to say his love language is touch (like his Daddy's) and loves to be up in his sisters face. Lainey is very hot and cold about the idea. :)