Molly Jane

We are now a family of five! Molly Jane was born on Friday, July 17. She weighed 8lb 11 oz and was 21 inches long. She is a very easy baby (I'm probably jinxing myself) to have around. She sleeps pretty much all day and night. This can be a problem with getting feedings in, but she seems to be eating better everyday. She has the cutest, chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen. It was funny because in the operating room the first thing the nurses and doctors said was, "Look at the cheeks on her." When she was born Andy and I thought she looked exactly like Abby did, but slowly I am seeing more and more of Layne in her. It will be fun to see her personality develop in the upcoming months.
The girls (Layne and Abby) love her already and fight (literally) over who gets to hold her. The newness of her is waring off, thank goodness and now only ask to hold her like 10 times a day. Layne and Abby had a lot of fun the past week because they got to sleep at both sets of grandparent's house and my sister's house. They also spent three nights at my parent's cottage, so they were very spoiled. It will be interesting to see how this next week will be at home with me and the girls. Hopefully I can keep the older ones entertained while trying to recover from my c-section and take care of a newborn.

Our Last Getaway as a Family of Four

We decided to head up to my parent's cottage for one last weekend as a family of four. We had a great time and great weather. The girls could play in the water all day and night if we let them. Layne and Andy went tubing behind the boat for the first time this year. She was screaming the entire time, but said she had a lot of fun when we got back. It probably would have been more fun for her to go by herself because Andy's tube kept spraying her and making her ride pretty bumpy. Abby enjoyed playing in the water and making sure that I was always by her side (I think she can sense that a big change is about to occur).
The weekend was relaxing except for Sunday morning when I decided to head up to the cottage from the beach to get the girls a snack. I had taken about four steps up the stairs and right when I was about to put my foot on the fifth step, a huge (okay maybe not huge, but definitely fatter than a garden hose) snake slithered off the step and into the trees. I have never ran down those steps faster. I caused a huge commotion because I was yelling so loud (I'm sure people thought my water broke or something). Everyone thought that it was so funny, but I haven't recovered from it yet. My dad tried to comfort me by telling me it probably wasn't poisonous, so if it had bitten me it wouldn't have been a big deal. I told him that dogs aren't poisonous, but it would still hurt if one bit me. I think my blood pressure is now back to normal, so here's hoping I don't have anymore traumatizing events this week.

Abby lounging on the turtle

tubing

Andy trying to get Layne to stop screaming

Look at that lip

Loving the water

Sisters on a pontoon boat ride

Layne warming up in the sun

Abby chilling on her chair

She loves to drive

Wordless Wednesday

The 4th of July

Here are some pictures from this past weekend. We spent it at my parent's cottage on Big Star and had a great time! The fire works were great and we didn't even have to leave our cottage to watch them! Andy also had his own fireworks show that he put on for us with the fireworks he bought at a "secret" warehouse in town. You definitely wouldn't have found his fireworks for sale at any store in Michigan. Abby missed out on the fireworks (maybe next year), but Layne had a great time. She loved watching them, but as she put it, "I don't love the noise." My brother bought some huge sparklers for the kids to use and they were a hit. Layne did get a spark on her foot from one of the sparklers, but other than that, it was a great night.

Fourth of July snack

Enjoying a snack with Zach and Carter

I think it's impossible to get a picture when they are both smiling.

Playing catch with Avery

Watching the boat parade

Papa and Layne watching the neighbor's fireworks (notice the ears being covered and the gigantic pregnant lady in the background)

sparklers

Grandma and Layne

Avery and Layne