Last week was my Papa's 77th birthday. We celebrated with fried salmon patties, banana pudding, and watermelon! Very Americana! We talked him into telling us stories from his childhood and some of his early jobs. Working as a lineman, to being a milkman, to having a country tv show, to being a county agent, he is full of entertaining stories!
It turned out to be a nice evening so we enjoyed our watermelon outside. The three boys all LOVED watermelon and were silly, happy, sticky, cute messes!!
Monte talked Papa into swinging him, although I don't think he had to try very hard!
We used to take pictures on the front porch fairly often but haven't in a long time so Penny talked everyone into doing it again! We've added another generation and a few spouses to the picture now!
Like herding cats....
1 out of 3 littles looking is not bad ;)
Gran and Papa with the original 4 Criner grandchildren
Papa and I cut up the watermelon and it was very very juicy!
Cutest Nephew Ever!
No idea WHAT this face is!!! haha I think Penny told him to smile but I think I'm kinda scared haha
Not looking but hey, I'll take what I can get!!
Kit turned into a watermelon monster!! He would start freaking out whenever he couldn't reach it!
"Hey you got some more watermelon in there?!"
All in all it was a wonderful evening and I hope it made Papa feel blessed and loved! We ended up using their bathtub and getting the boys clean and pajamaed before heading home. So. Much. Stickiness!! They, well Monte and Jax, thought that was great fun! I don't think Kit knew there was any difference.
River Trip 2017 was a little different this year. Because of Emily's wedding, which I have failed to blog about, only about half as many people as normal were at the river. It was still a great vacation and a wonderful getaway! The trip coinsided with Gunnar's normal 4 days off so he ended up being off work for NINE whole days! We sure enjoyed all the extra time with him!
These pictures are not in order and are just a small taste of all the pics we took! Monte loved the rapids, throwing rocks, tubing, swimming in the deep with his floatie, and digging in the dirt for doodle bugs with Grandad for HOURS!!
Kit loved eating rocks and leaves *eye roll*, splashing in the water, swinging, and all the extra attention.
This picture cracks me up. All the grown men are focused on the bugs and Monte is not interested! hehe He really was SOOOO interested, I just happened to catch this moment and it keeps making me laugh.
Grandad and Annie bought Monte a truck at the Dry Fifty and he became OBSESSED with it!! Like it's almost been two weeks since we've been home and he is just now becoming slightly less interested in it! It has to go everywhere with him! Outside, to bed, to bath, in the truck etc! hehe
One evening almost everyone else went up to the cabins and it ended up just being us and Ann and Sid at the play place. I love the moments we were able to capture!
The first time I saw this picture I thought, "Oh my gosh!! I am such a MOM!!!" hehe
"Ooooh rocks!"
Next generation of River Rats
Kit's face in this one is just the BEST!!!
Another year in the books! We sure did miss everyone though! Here's to next year!
Kit turned 9 months old on our vacation so this post is a little late. At least I have a valid reason for it being late this time!
- Wearing 6-12 month clothes. He's all over the place!
- Weight - 17 lbs.
- Started eating real food. He LOVES broth! Everything else seems to be hit or miss day by day. He has liked prunes, pears, apples, chickpea pasta, and sweet potato. He sometimes likes packets, we don't use them very often but they are handy in town or on trips. He usually likes when I take the veggies from making broth, mostly carrots, and puree them.
- Has developed quite the chub! I love it!
- Goes to bed between 7:30-8:00, wakes up once between 3:30-5:30, nurses, and goes back down til 6:30 or 7ish usually! Sometime if he wakes up later like 5:30 he has a hard time going back down. I mean by that point he's been down 10 hours. Naps 9:30 and 2ish. Unless something is going on, like he had a teething fever about a week ago he sleeps like a champ!
- This hallway is still his favorite place in the house I think!
- Loves crawling around in the water and and puddles outside.
- I think he may like gymnastics more than Monte. He gets to crawl around and pull up on all the mats.
- Thinks it is so funny when you gentle tickle around his mouth and nose.
- Still only has four teeth but I can see three more trying to peek through.
- Loves getting to go in the truck to check waters! I even buckled him into his own seat once!
- Plays well alone.
- Loves mirrors!
- Loves Sister and Trooper!
- Still spits a lot!!
- Has started laughing and giggling at himself more and more! He also jabbers and talks a lot.
- Seems to love water! It doesn't matter how fussy he is in the evening, when he hears that bath water running he gets his little chubby arms going and beelines it for the bathroom. He doesn't even have to be in to bathtub to be happy, just pulls up next to it and bangs on it happily and excited!
- Had his first busted lip, gums, and black eye! He has gotten braver and slaps both hands at the same time while he's standing and has missed his hand placement a few times.
- Started to REFUSE to nurse on the left side but a trip to the chiropractor has remedied that!
- Loves "playing" with Monte.
- Went swimming in pool for the first time and had a wonderful time!
- Still says, "mamamama" quite often, especially when he's tired.
- Had the WORST day of his life a couple weeks ago! It was so sad. He SCREAMED angrily for an hour and wouldn't stop no matter what I tried! It was so sad! I am still not sure what was going on. Gunnar got home later that afternoon and finally tried wore him and got him to sleep. They were able to nap together for about an hour and he was semi better after that. Man! My sweet baby, happy boy! It was so weird!
- Gets excited when Daddy gets home!
- Has started a new game or trick. Whenever he crawls over a blanket or pillow, or sometimes even just on the carpet, he lays down like he's going to take a nap, then he grins and looks at you like he just pulled off the most clever trick ever!
- Has started biting... He got Gunnar good on his shoulder yesterday! I guess we'll have to start working on that.
- He likes to snuggled up into your shoulder.
- We realized the other day that we don't ever read to him. I have tried before and he was way more interested in just eating the book. I tried again the other day and he was fascinated with the pages so we are reading to him more often now.
- Went to the river for the first time!! He actually turned 9 months at the river so I'll just include it in this post. He got lots of Uncle time!
- Got to ride in the swing for the first time and it was the best thing ever! It did to Kit what Benadryl does to me! haha The second you put him in, he would almost become lethargic and just relax!
- Liked the river and eating rocks!! ahhhh it was the worst sound ever! And he was so quick! I'd glance up at Monte or to talk to someone and he'd have another one sooo fast!
- Bear crawls outside or when he doesn't want his knees to touch.
