Happy 4 months Leo!

Our little Leo is now 4 months old!! He is such a joy; we love him so much. It is amazing to listen to him laugh and watch him learn new things each day. Right now he weighs 16 and 1/2 pounds (75th percentile), he is 28 inches long (50th percentile), and his head size was in the 90th percentile.

Here are some things that Leo enjoys right now:

He still LOVES to smile. His Grandpa Ken and Grandma Karan nicknamed him Smiley because he never stops.

Leo loves attention, but does very well on his own. He can entertain himself for quite a while rolling from his back to his tummy, or playing with his toes.

He likes to swing, sit in his vibrating chair, or his bumbo seat.

Daddy makes Leo laugh the most by doing funny dances or even just talking. Mama and Max also make Leo laugh by singing songs or tickling him.

He wears size 3 diapers and is in 6 month clothes (some of his 3-6 month or 6-9 month stuff also fits).

During the day, he eats every 3 hours taking about an hour nap before his next feeding. Leo is still waking up about every 3 hours at night to eat. He goes to bed around 9:00 and wakes up at 2:30- that is his long stretch. Then he wakes up again at 5:30 and then he is up for the day at 8:00 or 8:30. The past few nights he has been falling asleep at 8:30 before his last meal-- then he wakes up around 11:00 to eat. I am hoping that once he starts cereal he will sleep a bit better.

I love to grab my toes!! 

                                                  We love you Leo Michael!! 

Mommy's Little Tiger

My mom and I went shopping for some 6 month clothes for Leo the other day. Not only did I buy an outfit that I already had (I apparently really like it, hehe) but the clothes already fit him perfectly! Which means, he is going to outgrow them soon. I thought this outfit was particularly cute, especially since the Detroit Tigers made the playoffs. Leo is also sporting some super adorable long stockings his Aunt Emily got him. She bought some leggings for Johanna from the same company. Since Clint would never let me dress Leo in leggings, she thought he would look good in these cute socks. I agree! I love how these photos turned out. He is getting so big! He is also very expressive. Clint and I notice something new about him each day.

Bumbo Brothers

Leo has been enjoying his bumbo seat lately, and Max loves watching Leo sit in it! It is hilarious how excited he gets when his little brother can sit up in a seat next to him. For a few days Max continuously asked me if Leo could sit in his bumbo, or he let me know that Leo wanted to sit in his bumbo. Of course, big brother is just really happy that Leo is getting bigger and is able to do more with him. I got some pictures of the boys hanging out in or by the bumbo, lol. We'll see how long they can fit in it!

Max fits in this better now than he did when he was Leo's age! 

Final Lake Days of the Summer

Clint, Max, Leo and I just got back from one last mini trip up to the lake this season. Luckily, Ken and Karan were able to join us! We had been planning on going up with them for a few weeks now, and everything worked out for us to go the past two days. We had a wonderful time.

Ken and Karan had never been before. It was fun showing them around and spending time together. After a competitive game of cornhole (Clint and I won :) ) Max decided that he was ready to try going potty for the first time. So random! It was awesome!! He just said he wanted to go and for the rest of the day, whenever he needed to go he would tell us and go on the potty....or in the grass, lol. Surprise for us! We ended up getting him some treats and I think we are finally on our way to getting him potty trained. I guess people are right when they say kids will go when they are ready.

My parents were able to come up for dinner on Wednesday night. Karan and Ken bought us all delicious Rib-eye steaks and Karan made some fried cauliflower. After the boys went to bed we all played a game of Skip-Bo. I was horrible! Well @ least my cards were. 

The next morning was sunny, but really cold and windy. We went for a short walk and hung outside for a little bit before heading home. 

Three generations of Hill boys. 

Shoulder ride!!

Happy family :) 

Not the greatest picture, lol, but I don't get many opportunities to be in any since I'm usually taking them. 

My little Leo Michael loves to suck his thumb. So cute!! I always wanted a baby that sucked his thumb, haha. 

Amma's got you!

Napp's and Leo.

I'm so glad we were able to spend a couple more days at the cottage. Looking forward to next summer! 

Happy Birthday, Ma!! (GiGi, Mom, Carol)

Last Friday we drove down to Noblesville, IN to spend time with family and celebrate Clint's mom's birthday. It has been so long since we've been able to visit. It was really nice! We took a walk to the neighborhood playground and then Drake wanted to pull Max in the stroller- hilarious.  Drake was so strong! I can't believe he was able to pull Max for as long as he did.

After the walk we went home and the boys watched Polar Express. It is Drake's favorite movie- he couldn't wait for Max to come sit next to him on his bean bag chair. For some reason Max would have no part of it. I think he was just really interested in playing with all of the new toys. Drake loves dancing to the Hot Chocolate song in the movie-adorable!! He sings and jumps around like the characters in the movie. This little guy really likes to perform. Singing, dancing- he loves it!

When Brandon and Kelli got home from work Brandon made some hamburgers and then we had some extremely fancy cupcakes for Carol's birthday. They were even made in Gigi's Bakery! So fitting. Kelli bought a dozen- all different flavors. They were all gorgeous. Definitely rich and filling!

Hi Uncle Wood! 

Malted Milk Dud Cupcake

Chocolate Lava Cupcake 

The inside of the Chocolate Lava cupcake- Clint and I split it. Yum Yum!!

                                                                Happy Birthday, Carol!!! 

Max Moments

Lately Max has been cracking Clint and I up with what he says. My friends recommended writing down some of these funny sayings, so I thought I would start. I have probably forgotten some of them, but as I remember, or he comes up with new material, I will post them here.

• "Where did that crazy old guy go?"  A man was here patching up some of our walls for our one year new house inspection...not sure where he got this from....lol
• "Mom, you are my best pal." He said this as he was going to bed- melted my heart. Clint always tells him that Max is his best pal, and Max agrees. It was cute that he said it to me as well 
• "No Way, Mom!"  His new favorite saying....not funny after awhile, hehe. 
• " I love Mama, and Daddy, and Leo..." and all of his other family members at random- so cute! 
• Clint was getting ready for work one morning and Max was going through his bathroom drawer. He started pulling random things out and asking Clint what they were. He gets to the toothpaste, pulls it out and says, "I bought this for you daddy." Clint asked him where and with who. Max replied, "At Walmert (that's how he says it, lol) with Naps. It was 30 bucks." Then when Clint was telling me about it Max started saying it all again, but also added that he bought daddy some corn and toothpaste with Naps. 
• "Puuulease, Mama!" He tends to say this after he has said something like, "Get me some chocolate milk. or Get me something to eat-- get me some grapes, get me some cheese, get me a piece (chocolate)."
• "This is my favorite!' or "That's one of my favorites!" He says this about his favorite cereal (Lucky Charms) favorite books, favorite snack, and lately it has been anything new that he really likes, lol.  
• "Naps took it!" Max left two of his favorite stuffed animals at his grandparents house one night and he wanted them for his nap the next day. Clint and I told him that Naps wanted to keep them with him for a little bit because he missed Max. A couple week later we left a pair of binoculars at their house. When we got home Max asked where they went. Once again I had to tell them that we left them with Naps. From that moment on, whenever Max can't find something he will say, "Naps took it!" 

I love my Maxadoodle!!

Day at the zoo.

My friend Missy and I decided to take the kids to the zoo one last time this season. Our zoo in Fort Wayne is really nice, but it is only open from May-September. I think it will be open on weekends in October, so maybe we will get another chance for their costume and candy walks.

I was so excited to see the lions this close. They are usually sleeping way off in the distance, so this was pretty neat. 

Same thing with the giraffes! If they weren't eating lunch I thought they might walk over and see us. 

Max chillin' in his egg. 

Dress up time in the Australia House. 

Max is in love with trains. We had a coupon for a free ride for our entire party, so we took advantage of it. This was our first time riding the zoo train- he really enjoyed it!

Leo enjoyed himself as well :) 

I have never seen this turtle move before! I was shocked. 

We also got to take a log water ride. Another first for Max and I. I kind of felt like we were going on a safari or something, lol. 

On both the train and the log ride, Max really liked the tunnels. I think this must be common for kids-- I remember getting excited about an underground tunnel at the the Toledo zoo EVERY time we went there! 

I love Kangaroos! :) The first time I saw them with Clint all of the mama's had little joey's in their pouches- adorable. 

The kids had a great time playing and looking at the animals. It was much cooler, so most of the animals were out and we were able to stay a lot longer. It was the first time we were able to go to all of the exhibits in one visit!