Blueberry Picking

On Saturday we did our annual blueberry picking trip. I always think we will go several times a season, and back when I had two kids that actually happened, but that reality is becoming less and less...hence calling it the annual trip ;) Some friends of ours came to stay with us for the weekend and what better family fun than blueberry picking (or the zoo, which we hit up the next day)?

We actually managed to pick quite the haul of blueberries. We picked just shy of six pounds. Which was impressive, given that Callum ate basically everything he picked and I couldn't bend over to pick because of wearing Willa in the wrap. Really, we have Ian to thank for the bulk of that, though Isla picked a fair amount as well. 

This place has this really neat big tractor that they turned into a play structure. The kids really enjoyed themselves playing on it. And I tested out the strength of that little wagon while the kids were playing, by plopping myself down on it to rest. 

It was a fun time and I'm glad Ian got to join us this time, as oftentimes I go during the week and he doesn't get to join in on the fun...also known as kid wrangling. Because, well, Callum disappeared there for a minute and my mind always flashes to us being on the nightly news. Thankfully he was quickly located a couple isles over from the rest of us.

^^ Connor and Luca. He is Connor's oldest friends, as we all lived in Scotland and met when we were pregnant. And they moved to southern California about a year after we moved back. 

By the way, I don't remember fruit picking being a thing when I was a kid. The first time we went was when we lived in Scotland and Connor was a baby. Some friends invited us. Then we moved back to Modesto and blueberry picking was all the rage. And the thing is, I totally love it. That is all. 

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Willa {three months}

weight: 12.5 lbs (my measurement)

likes: her bouncy seat, being worn, attention from her siblings, nursing, 

her pacifier, people smiling at her

dislikes: gas, spitting up, Callum roaring at her loudly

This girl is still FULL of smiles. Smiles all the time. She smiles when I kiss her. She smiles when I sing to her. She smiles when I smile at her. And I just eat it all up. 

Willa does great with tummy time and can hold her head up really well. And once she is done, she will just lay there for a bit before crying out to be turned over. She has yet to really even try to roll over. If you have her laying, but slightly propped up, she will try to sit herself up, but really can't do much more than lift her head up. Willa spends a lot of her time with her hands and feet flailing about. She is starting to get control of them though and seems to be grabbing things with her hands more and more. 

Willa has developed a sensitivity to loud or startling noises. It started with Callum roaring at her. I had literally never heard her cry so hard and loud. It was funny and sad all at the same time. She has since had the same reaction to a loud noise that happened close to her. 

Sleep wise, Willa is still doing well. She goes down really easily, as long as I am there to nurse her. It doesn't matter if she is hungry or not, she wants to be swaddled and nursed when it is time for bed. I usually get at least a 6 hour stretch out of her before she wakes up. If it's before then, I offer her the pacifier if she wakes and that generally does the trick. During the day Willa doesn't really have a schedule with naps. And honestly, she seems to more catnap then take long naps...which fits my theory that has gone along with all my kids, babies are either a good napper or a good night sleeper, not both. However, if I wear her in the wrap, she will sleep hours. It's crazy. But I think she just likes being cozy. 

Willa is fully in size 0-3 months clothing and even some 3-6 month is starting to work. I think it all depends on brands. She is wearing size 1 diapers, but I will be switching to size 2 when those are out...mostly because I had bought size 2 when I did a stock and save deal on diapers at Target. 

Willa is still nursing like a champ. Sometimes she will start crying when I am nursing her. It just means she has a big burp that needs to get out. And it is usually a really loud burp. But, once it's out, she is ready to eat again. I let her eat as often as she likes during the day, hoping it cuts down on the nighttime feeds. And so far it (or one of the numerous other factors) is working, so I am keeping at it.

It feels like the last three months went fast. But really, I think it's just I would have enjoyed basking in her newness a bit longer. But honestly, I also love this next phase of her interacting with me so much more. Time is a double edged sword, I tell you. 

And, just in case you like to compare like me, here is Connor's 3 month update,  Isla's and Callum's too. All my babies looked pretty similar at this age, but I still think Willa and Callum look the most similar. 

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Isla, the Dancer

Isla had dance pictures this past weekend. She is finishing up her fourth year dancing and says she wants to move on. She actually told me she knows all there is to know about dancing, but I thought saying she wants to move on sounded nicer...haha! The funny thing is though, her getting all done up for pictures had her saying, "Well, maybe I will do it again." The girl likes her some fancy and some performing, so the end of the year at dance is just her thing. 

A week ago, they called all the parents into the dance call to talk about picture day and the recital that is coming up. They announce that girls can wear a small amount of makeup if wanted. Isla literally throws her hands up in the air and yells "I love makeup! I love makeup!" She certainly doesn't shy away from the limelight. Thankfully, Isla has been with the same group of girls for a few years (even went to preschool with a few of them!), so they all know her. In fact, she attended one of their birthday party's last month. I dropped her off and when I picked her up, I was told by a mom that stayed that Isla was the life of the party. Oh man. 

This girl. She is sweet. She is spicy. She is comfortable in her own skin and I just love and admire that about her and hope she never looses it.

Also, for the record, these poses are ALL Isla. I never have to pose this girl. She just gets in front of the camera and works it! Haha!

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Connor's Band Performance

There's a place in town that puts together kid bands. They practice for eight weeks, then put on a concert. Connor's band, Storm, stayed together for a second session in a row. The drummer left and Connor moved from the piano this last time to the drums for two songs and the bass guitar for one song. Their performance was this past weekend at the Gallo Center. 

My favorite song they performed this time was So What by Pink. It helps that Pink is one of my favorites, but also, it was their strongest song. But seriously, every time I heard the little girl say "tool" in the chorus, I couldn't help but chuckle. Quite the word for a little kid.

Connor really enjoys music, so this has been a really good thing for him. It is an activity he always looks forward to and never complains about...which is big for a kid that normally doesn't like leaving the house! He is going to do another session in the summer, so we shall see if Storm stays together or not.

In case you missed it and want to see photos from his last band performance, you can see them here. 

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Callum the Helper

Callum is going through this stage where he wants to "help" with practically everything. 

Cooking? 

Yep! He pulls out the stool and wants to help stir ingredients or even help cook. That one makes me a little nervous with hot items, but so far, so good. He will even run to the playroom and find his little oven mitt when I am baking. 

Cleaning?

Yep! He always says "I help" and proceeds to get out his tool kit and hammer the floor close to where the cleaning is happening. Haha! Though if there is any spray involved, he is more than welcome to spray. 

Watering the plants?

Yep! He is all over this one. I am happy to let him go to town watering the plants in the front and the back yard. And they certainly get plenty of love. Inside the house is a whole other story. 

Laundry?

Well...kind of. He loves putting things in the washer or switching them to the dryer. But when it comes to putting away the clean clothes, he really just likes playing in them...and gets mad when I actually put away the clothes!

Washing the car?

Yep! Callum loves helping Ian wash his car. He will scrub it and rinse it off. I take my car to the carwash and he loves handling the vacuum. 

It really is a cute stage. And though it can slow me down and sometimes I just want to tell him no, I also don't want to discourage helping out, so I try to let him help in some way whenever he wants. 

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School Open House

The kids had open house at their school this past week. It happened to be the same night as Connor has band practice on, so we knew him and Ian would be coming at pretty much the end. I was planning on going late so I didn't have to entertain the other kids there for a while, but Isla was super excited (and all hyped up) about going and wanted to get there as soon as it opened. 

We started in Isla's class. She showed me everything and just as we were finishing up, her bestie came in. They looked around in the class for a bit, then went to get shaved ice together. About then is when Ian's parents showed up, so we went back to Isla's class. Then Ian and Connor arrived. Isla went to the playground with her bestie and the rest of us went to Connor's class to check it out. 

^^ Isla was very proud of the fact that they typed up their reports on their animal all by themselves. She chose a peacock to do a report and diorama on.

Every year I like getting pictures by this wall at the school. I have done it every open house, though apparently when Connor was in kindergarten, I didn't get in the photo too. But, I want to continue taking pictures with whatever kids are students at the time in front of this wall. I think it will be a fun comparison over the years. Which, I figured out that I will have a kid at this school for 17 years in a row. CRAZY! Also, I will be pretty dang old by the time we move on from this school...haha! And I will have two kids in college by the time we are done with elementary school too. Like I said, crazy.

I like these pictures of Connor and Isla because it totally is a representation of their personalities. Connor, a bit more reserved and will do what he is told. And Isla, full of life and lover of attention.

It's hard to believe that another school year is almost behind us. They always go faster than I would like. But I really am looking forward to the summer. Not having to set an alarm, hanging out with friends, pool time, family time, popsicles and more! 

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A Sisterly Comparison

It's no secret that I love a good sibling photo comparison. I've done a lot throughout the years. But the one I can do with Willa in the same outfit as the other three kids is still a few months off...and the poor girl will have to put on a warm winter outfit in the middle of the summer for it too! Sorry girl, but its gotta be done. So I decided to go back through old photos of Isla and see what outfits we still had hanging around. I was actually surprised how few outfits we have left that I have pictures of Isla in. But we still had this one AND the pictures are from around the same time. Perfect. And, perfectly enough, we also still have the same chair. 

I tried to get Willa to sit in the middle of the chair like Isla was, but it could not be done. She must not have the core strength yet. Which I also found photos of Isla sitting up in the bumbo at this age and I don't think Willa is quite ready for that either. So I settled for the side of the chair. Willa smiles so easily, so naturally it is a photo of her smiling. For the next photo, I did one of them laying down. I apparently should have looked at the photo of Isla first because I have Willa laying the opposite direction. Oh well. It's still a fun comparison. You can't tell from this picture because of Isla's big bow, but Isla actually had decent amount of hair at two months, whereas Willa pretty much just has some fuzz. 

Though the girls look similar, I still think Willa looks way more like Callum as a baby than the other two. It will be fun to see what she looks like and who she looks more like as she gets older. Her hair isn't as dark as Isla's was, so the jury is still out as to what color hair she will have too. But the doctor said at her two month check up that chances are she will keep her blue eyes, as they haven't started changing yet.


Here are a few of my favorite comparisons of the older three over the years - 8.5 months old, in the monkey outfit and in their crib at 19 months old. In the last one, I can't believe how much more hair Connor and Isla had compared to Callum at the same age. Connor's hair was just perfect. 

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