Four Months.

I used to say that my favorite stage of "babyhood" was, without a doubt, when babies learned to sit up on their own.  I think I might be changing my mind.  Your four-month-old self is pretty doggone cute. :)

You smile all the time.  You laugh (especially when we tickle your armpits).  You LOVE when Babe and Harry talk "baby talk" to you...you smile with your whole face and that sweet little dimple of yours becomes so noticeable.  It's pretty awesome.  You suck on your entire fist.  You've found your feet, too, and can get quite a few toes in your mouth at once.  You can roll from your tummy to your back and from your back to your tummy but haven't yet mastered the art of rolling in succession.  We've had a few rough nights lately, though, because you'll roll onto your stomach while you are sleeping and wake up extremely angry (and with a couple of limbs sticking through the slats of your crib!).  You're definitely most content sleeping on your side.

You weigh 15 lbs 3 oz and are 25.5 inches long.  You're still a big baby (wearing 6-12 month clothes and finishing up the last size 2 diapers-the next box we buy will be threes) but are starting to average out on the percentile chart.  You continue to do a great job nursing as well.  Not much has changed with your schedule: you're still up around 7-7:30, nurse every four hours (with a "topping off" session right before bed), and sleep from about 9:00-7:00 each night.

You reach for toys, shake rattles, can get your head and chest off the ground when laying on your stomach, LOVE to "stand," while being held (we'll be breaking out the jumpy seat soon), nap whenever you need to (regardless of where you are), coo and babble constantly, and continue to enjoy cuddling.  You'll smile at anyone who speaks to you.  We've started wearing you in the Baby Bjorn whenever we're out (at the grocery store, at the ballpark, etc.) and you never complain.  You still take your paci but aren't nearly as attached to it as everyone else was.  And, in case I haven't mentioned it yet, you're absolutely adorable.

Your newest nickname, given to you by Hadley, of course, is "Little."  "Thatchy-Buddy" and "Thatchy Doe" are still hanging in there, too...but Babe is always saying, "Hey, Little" anytime she sees you.  I love the way she says it and you do, too.

So Happy Four Months, Little. We love you!

The Grandkids.

Granti really wanted a picture of all the cousins at Chick-fil-a tonight.  I'm not so sure these are what she was hoping for:

Also, Harris really wanted to stand in the back and be a "creeper."  So that's what he did. :)

Kindergarten Graduation.

Harris has been bringing home information about a "Kindergarten Awards" ceremony in his Friday folder for the last couple of weeks.  To be honest, I really didn't think much about it.  We've been super busy and Babe's formal graduation (which was on a Friday night) pretty much overshadowed Harris' middle-of-the-day school program.

Of course, Ben and I adjusted our schedules to attend (we try our best to attend everything) but I really didn't expect it to be that big of a deal.  I was honestly quite surprised to show up and realize it was, in fact, a type of "graduation" ceremony.  The place was packed.

The kids started off by singing a few songs as an entire grade level.  I'd already had the privilege of watching the Kindergarteners perform the songs at the Kindergarten Roundup, but it was still fun to watch my crazy boy sing his little heart out from the stage.

After the singing, the six Kindergarten kiddos with perfect attendance this school year were recognized with a certificate.  Harris was one of them!  I love this picture of Ms. Conoley holding his hand as he waited for his name to be called. :)  Ms. Conoley has been the perfect teacher for Harris this year...we will miss her like crazy over the summer!

The Perfect Attendance certificate was the only "real" award that was handed out.  Each Kindergarten teacher called the names of the students in her class and each individual child was presented a "graduation" certificate by the Principal and Kindergarten Administrator.  It was simple and quick and pretty perfect.

After all the students were recognized, the classes hosted a small gathering back in their rooms.  They served cookies and juice and Ben and me had a few minutes to hang with Harry before we had to head back to work.

I couldn't be more proud of this kid and his accomplishments this year.  I still can't believe that after tomorrow, he'll officially be a first grader...I know I'll blink and he'll be in high school.

It really is true:  time flies when you're having fun.

Side Sleeper.

Now that Thatch is semi-mobile and can roll and move and shift and "get comfortable," it's easy to see that his sleeping preference is most definitely on his side.

And he's one cute side-sleeper. :)

Saturday Morning at Mema's.

Mema moved into a new place not too long ago and we've been anxiously awaiting a free weekend to visit her and see her new house!  We finally had some time this past Saturday and had such a wonderful morning spending time with Mema and exploring her fantastic new space!

Mema had all kind of snacks ready for us (deviled eggs, Chick-fil-a nuggets, grapes, crackers and pimento cheese, ginger ale, and lemonade) and the kids had such fun playing "restaurant" while sitting at the bar area in Mema's kitchen.  They also had fun playing with all the toys in Mema's "relaxing room."  I think the highlight of the morning, though, was when we decided to go for a "hike" in Mema's backyard.

Mema's house is in the back of a neighborhood and is built on lots and lots of land (I think she said 37 acres?!?!).  There are lots of woods surrounding her house along with a small waterfall, fairly large creek, and a lake.  We had a BLAST checking everything out.

Babe even found herself a great walking stick that she asked Mema to store in her carport.  We seriously can't wait to get back as soon as possible!

Ben, Auntie, and the biggies hiked quite a bit farther than Mema, Emmy, Thatch, and me did.  The babies still enjoyed being outdoors, though-even if they didn't get to stay out quite as long.

After leaving Mema's, we stopped by Aunt Rosie's new house before leaving Athens and heading for home. We had such a great time visiting everyone and playing outdoors and are already counting down the days until we can get back!

Ben's already packing up his hiking gear for the next trip!!!  :)  

Our Newest Graduate.

What fun it was to celebrate Babe's Pre-K graduation with our family last Friday night!  I know I say it every time I write about this girl, but she LOVES being the center of attention and we love watching her in her "element."  Friday night was no exception.

We made it home from school and work in time to clean up a little, change clothes, take a few pictures, and pick up Chick-fil-a (Hadley's choice) for dinner before heading over to the church where the ceremony was held.

For the sake of time, we ended up taking our dinner with us to the church and having a semi-picnic in the parking lot.  Once we finished eating, we headed inside to grab a good seat and had a few minutes (once again) to snap some pictures before Hadley needed to get ready with her class.

The ceremony itself was long.  There were two Pre-K classes and two Kindergarten classes and each class sang two songs followed by a few Spanish songs as a collective group.  My Haddie did a fantastic job!

After the singing, we watched a cute slide show of pictures of the kids (and quite a few of Ben!) throughout the year while the graduates got dressed in their caps and gowns.  Emmy was restless by this point, so she, Auntie, and me snuck back into the gathering area and got to watch Had waiting in line for her big moment.

She did so well walking down the aisle!  I think she might have been a little bit nervous while she waited, but once her name was called, she strolled down like a pro.

She even made sure to pose for plenty of pictures once she accepted her diploma.  Man, I love that girl. :)

After the ceremony, we made sure to get picture of all of Hadley's fans (to include her "boyfriend," Aaron).

We finished off the night with the reception hosted by Primrose in the fellowship hall.  We didn't stay too long  but did manage to pick up Had's goody bag and diploma and eat a few snacks and some cake before calling it a night.

I can't believe she'll be starting Kindergarten in the fall!!!  She's grown so much this year...I can't wait to see what's in store for her future.

How 'Bout Those Rangers?!?!?!

Not only did Harris' T-ball team walk away as regular season champions, they also had the opportunity to play in the inaugural season tournament championship game last Thursday night.  Actually, because of the way the double-elimination tournament worked out, his team ended up playing a double header and WINNING both games!

While we ended up spending a very late night at the ballpark, it was tons of fun and very exciting...especially because Harris continued to hit off the coach pitch and slide into home plate every chance he got!  

Even Pop made the trip up for the big night!  Hadley was thrilled.

We started playing at 6:00.  Because both games were technically "championship" games, there was no time limit, which meant we played five full innings...twice.  The last game ended around 9:30 (waaaay past weekday bedtimes), but we still managed to stick around and celebrate for just a few minutes.

Even Sam and Emmy got in on the celebration action!

While Harris isn't completely in love with baseball, he did fall in love with his team and said he'd love to play another season if he could "stay with his same team."  I'm thankful for the friends he made and the fantastic coaches who poured into his life this season.

I'm pretty sure the Rangers will always hold a special place in our hearts.  This boy definitely will:

Can't wait to see what extracurricular activity he picks next!

Pre-K Field Day.

Last Thursday, Primrose hosted a field day and family cookout to help close out and celebrate the year before graduation on Friday night.  I was able to sneak away from work in time to watch Babe participate in a few of the field day games.  Watching her interact with her peers confirmed what I know to be true:  the girl is silly, silly, silly.  And she loves her some Ms. Audra. :)

The weather was perfect for spending the day outside.  Ben showed up just as the field day games were ending and the cookout was gearing up.

Neither of us was able to stay for the entire lunch, but we enjoyed eating with our girl and her friends and their families.  Ms. Audra gave each child a candy "award" and certificate that best represented their personality while we were eating.  Hadley earned the "Bubble Yum" award for her bubbly personality. :)  

She was so excited to be given a pack of her very own bubble gum and to have her picture taken with Ms. Audra.  All the other parents always comment on Babe's big personality (I refer to it as "dramatic"), so I have no doubt she was the number one choice for this particular prize.

Ms. Audra always goes above and beyond and is so incredibly creative...the candy awards were a perfect example of how much she invests in each and every kid in in her class.  We are most definitely going to miss having her for a teacher next year!