slow down kid!

We joke that Noah is an advanced baby because he's been doing everything earlier than the girls did and earlier than the "average" baby. He's been ahead of the curve on size and weight, rolling over, crawling, and getting teeth. So here's my super baby at a week short of 6 months old, pulling up to stand in his crib. Time to lower the mattress!

last day with grandparents

My parents were with us for about a week, then went to visit my grandparents for about a week, then came back for a few days before heading home. On the last day we went to a park by our house before taking them to the airport.
Grandma may or may not have been climbing all over the playground and sliding down the slides just like a little kid. Here's my evidence, you be the judge:
Madilyn climbed on some rocks and the boy in the background told her she couldn't because she had a dumb face. I thought HE had a dumb face, rude kid!
Everyone took turns pushing Noah.
It was fun but also a little sad knowing we were just killing time before going to the airport. We sure loved having them here and look forward to anyone else coming to visit us!

teeth trouble

Look at Madilyn's beautiful even teeth:
She always likes to chew on things (usually her nails, but sometimes her hair, toys, or anything else around her). She had been chewing on a rubber exercise band that Abby found in my room. Abby realized Madilyn had it, wanted it back, and yanked it away from her. It must have been wrapped around her two bottom front teeth, because this is what her beautiful smile looks like now:
It amazes me some of the things she'll put in her mouth to chew on because she won't even consider putting most FOODS into her mouth, she's so picky. Anyway, I had just been on her case about chewing on something else so when her teeth were ripped out of her mouth she initially tried not to show me. She opened her mouth just enough for me to see lots of blood, then I saw a tooth on the couch next to her. It took a long time to find the other one.
I wasn't super worried, aside from all the blood, because they are just baby teeth, but I called the dentist anyway. They had taken x-rays just a week or two before and confirmed that the permanent teeth were on their way up anyway, so it was no big deal (even though her teeth hadn't even been loose).
Here's innocent little Abby. You wouldn't think such a sweet little thing could rip out her sister's teeth, but you'd be wrong!
In happier, slightly related news, Noah's same two bottom teeth poked through on the same day! I hope to get some pictures shortly.

to the rescue

I'm a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts in our ward. We asked the local fire department to do some fire education for Pack Meeting and lucked out by getting the fanciest truck on the force and the tactical response team. These are the guys and the truck that rescue people from all kinds of emergencies. They showed us all the cool things on their truck and talked about the training they had and some of their experiences helping people in trouble.
Madilyn tried to lift up the "Jaws of Life" they use to cut people out of mangled cars or collapsing buildings. It was a bit too heavy for her :)
All the kids got to climb into the truck to see inside the cab.The grill on the front had this cool flag that is a custom design.
When they drove away they turned on their lights and sirens. Madilyn said that was her favorite part! Very fun and impressive!

visiting

My parents came to visit because we couldn't go out to Utah this year. I took very few pictures while they were here, so I downloaded some that my mom took (all hers have the date stamp on them).
Here are the girls before church on Sunday.
Waiting for the bus with Grandpa Monday morning.
Grandma even got a picture of Madilyn in her seat on the bus.Noah woke up ready to play after the girls went to bed Monday night and Grandma was determined to take some great shots of him scooting around (by the time my parents left he was crawling!). Here are a few of the few dozen she took:

delicious!

I've always been a big fan of anything with Oreos, so when I stumbled on this Cookies and Cream cupcake I had to try them. I found the recipe here but hers look a lot better than mine. They're super yummy, have cream cheese frosting, and half an Oreo on the bottom; what more could you want!

solids

I wasn't too anxious to start Noah on solid foods, but figured I should give it a try since he's nearly 5 months old (dr recommended doing it between 4-6 months). I thought I'd just see if he liked it/seemed ready, and he sure is! After the first few bites he tried to grab my hand to get the spoon in quicker.
I always have lots of help in doing new things with Noah. Madilyn got to pour the rice cereal into the bowl.
Trying to figure out what I'm sticking in his mouth.
Abby watching after Noah successfully pulled the spoon out of my hand.
The girls thought it was hilarious how much he liked it. Much more of the cereal stayed in his mouth than came out so I guess it was a feeding success!