allie's half birthday

six months

This girl ... she hit the six month mark on August 7, 2014. She started eating food as soon as we got back from our trip up north. We began feeding her butternut squash ... she loved it! She wasn't as big of a fan of the acorn squash, but if we mixed them together, she ate it all much better. Since she has begun eating solids, she's had yellow squash, butternut squash, carrots, acorn squash, pears, and sweet potatoes. She likes sweet potatoes the most. I threw pears in to soften up her (warning: T.M.I.) poo. This week, I'll puree some green foods ... peas and green beans are on my list!

She had her 6 month check-up on August 14th. Here are her stats:

Height: 26 inches (50th percentile)

Weight: 17 lbs. 11 1/2 oz. (75th percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 1/4 inches (90th percentile)

Love this gal!

Lately, she has learned to sit up, roll over from her tummy to her back (HUGE success), and scoot backwards. I am most happy about her rolling from tummy to back. It was super annoying to have her only be able to roll one way. She would get extremely frustrated after spending too long on her tummy, but she had no idea how to fix her situation. Now, she just rolls back over ... and I can't tell you how happy I am to see that she has figured that out. Next ... she really needs to learn how to army crawl! That will make everything perfect! We're working on it ... but not too unlike Colton, she isn't really the "go getter" that Khloe was when she was little. Alice is just too happy and chill to get moving too quickly. 

We are working on talking, too ... just starting with babbling. The kids love to help teach her to talk. They babble to her ... which, I won't lie, is super annoying. Have you ever listened to three kids speaking in very loud voices lots of nonsense babbling sounds? No? Well, it's not lovely. But I know that they are helping Allie ... and soon, she will be chatting away. I do love to hear babies babbling ... just not too fond of four year-olds doing it! 

Such a big girl!

I snapped a few pictures of Alice in my dress. I wore this dress for my six month pictures (as you will see below), and I wanted to get some of her. I wish I had this dress when Khloe was six months old, but my Mom just found it ... so, Alice gets to show it off.

Little Tasha at 6 months old

Mommy and Alice ... I guess we share some DNA.

We're still feeling super blessed by this little dolly-girl ... she's just the sweetest, as I'm sure you can see in the pictures ... and they never lie, right? ;)

Love that smile!

squealing!

chew, chew, chew ... gnaw, gnaw, gnaw

She loved the ribbons on the dress ... just wanted to chew on them!

That giggle!

This picture happened when brother and sister walked in ... distracted!

tulsa and the long trek home

Our last stop on our 5th Annual Heinrich Summer Road Trip 2014 was in Tulsa, OK. We always stop to see my grandma and my aunt. My grandma is still getting around really well, and we always enjoy visiting and playing games with her. 

We arrived in Tulsa a little later than I had planned. I ended up having to stop by my sister's house the morning that we left KC, because we didn't get a chance to say goodbye the day before. We were supposed to get together for dinner, but there was a terrible thunderstorm that evening. We all decided it would be better to stay inside for the night. My unscheduled stop got me thinking about how I didn't get a chance to have any Lamar's donuts on my trip, so I swung by one in Olathe ... and the kids and I had some tasty donuts on our way out of town. These unscheduled stops had me in Tulsa just before 1 p.m. ... I wanted to be there by noon. 

But the kids did really well, and they waited until we arrived to have lunch with their great-grandma. We picked her up, and we went to lunch at Abuelo's. I love that Mexican restaurant! Thanks to my grandma, we had a delicious lunch together! 

That evening, the kids played outside with their cousin, Henry. They raced, pet the horses, played with the dogs, and enjoyed being outside a little bit. I won't lie, though ... it was hot ... well, it was mostly very humid! 

After the kids went to bed, Grandma, Aunt Patty, the boys, and I played a new game: Quiddler. She always teaches me how to play new games when I visit ... and she ALWAYS beats me! Quiddler is a very fun word making game, and I enjoyed learning how to play. We finished the night playing cribbage. I needed a refresher on the rules, so I could go back and teach Billy how to play. For the first time in the history of me playing cribbage with my grandma (which is a lot), I WON one game! It felt great. I have to hold on to that, because who knows if I'll ever do it again! 

We had to leave the next morning after breakfast. It's difficult to be on the road for too long with three kids by myself, but we did enjoy the time we spent with my grandma. I'm so glad that we stopped in to visit ... even if only for a short period of time. Grandma sent us off with homemade jams and fresh peaches. She is good to us! 

Thank you, Grandma and Aunt Patty for a fun time! We'll see you next summer!

The kids with Grandma and Henry.

The kids with their great-grandma.

Cole and Allie with Aunt Patty ... Koki was napping. 

I always enjoy my visits with Grandma.

Khloe loves those dogs!

Colton was looking at the horses.

Gotta love a midwest sky!

Racing in the yard!

Sweet love.

We were enjoying being outside ... and out of the car.

A gorgeous sunset.

We left on Friday morning after a delicious breakfast. We had a long day of driving ... that first day is longer than the second day. My plan was to make it to Little Rock, AR for lunch. We did not get that far! We had to stop just before ... about an hour or so earlier than I wanted to. We still got to our dinner spot when I planned to get there, so we kept my timing as best we could. I can't say it's easy for three littles to be in the car all day long! 

Me and my road-trip buddies! 

Okay ... a small side-story about this semi. This picture shows us in stopped traffic. We were at a dead-stop. That semi is NOT in a lane. He is in the emergency lane on the right-hand side of the road. Originally, he was driving behind me. When the traffic slowed and we had to stop ... he was driving SO FAST that he had to swing beside me and that is where his truck finally came to a stop--almost completely ahead of the truck in front of me! Luckily, I saw him coming ... so, as best as I could, I swung into the left lane that was blocked off with cones just in case he wasn't planning on swinging over onto the side of the road. I'm glad he did ... and we all lived to tell the story. Angels were watching!

We stopped for dinner where we always do ... at Panera just south of Memphis in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Just over three hours left to our destination ... Birmingham, AL. 

This girl makes me smile!

We had been in the car all day ... we were feeling nutty!

We ended up in Birmingham just after 8:30 p.m. The kids were sleepy, and I was, too! We all got a good, long night's sleep. We ate breakfast at the hotel the next morning, and we headed off to Tampa. We stopped for lunch just south of Atlanta, and we arrived home at 7:30 p.m. The kids were so happy to see their Daddy! I was so glad to be home ... and out of the car. We had a very fun summer trip this year, and by next summer, I'll be recovered enough to try it again!

6th Annual Heinrich Summer Road Trip 2015 ... coming soon ...

kc ... bbq, petting zoos, and family fun

We got to KC at 6:30 p.m. ... just in time for supper! I was worried that traveling with Alice would make our drive so much slower ... but I estimated that we would arrive in KC at 6:30 ... and we did! I felt pretty good about that.  

This was the first time that my Dad and Step-Mom had been able to meet Allie, so they were pretty excited to see us.  

My Dad holding Alice for the first time.  (He's healing from rotator cuff surgery.)

My Step-Mom, Rose, getting to know Allie.

While Colton went to the restroom ... Grandpa thought he'd try out his game!

On Thursday, my Dad and I went to meet my sister and her family. My older sister had a baby just three weeks after Allie was born. I was pretty excited to meet my nephew, Ethan! I had made him a blanket (like I do for all of my nieces and nephews). I couldn't wait to give it to him. But before we went over to visit, we stopped off for some lunch at Oklahoma Joe's. Delicious! I'm always in the mood for some KC Barbecue!

Meeting Mr. Ethan Brady!

Cole with baby Ethan.

Khloe holds her baby cousin.

Alice meets her cousin, Maddie.

Zion is so good with babies! Allie loved her big cousin.

Alice meets Aunt Dana!

All of the grandkids on the Reynolds' side of the family.  Zion (14), Madison (5), Colton (4 1/2), Khloe (2 1/2), Alice (6 months), Ethan (5 months)

Alice and Ethan ... three weeks a part. I always have the big, chubby babies! Look at her 'ham hocks', as my friend Kelly would say!

Maddie dressed Khloe up like a princess ... Koki loved it!

The blanket I made for Ethan. It got a little wrinkly folded up in my suitcase on the trip. Whoops!

Mom H saved me with this blanket! I can never get my sewing machine to stitch correctly through these fabrics to finish the blanket. That minky is tough to sew! But Mom H taught me how to hand stitch it ... and for that, I am so grateful!

Playing outside in the AMAZING KC weather ... Khloe found some leaves for me.

Cole and Khloe racing outside ... she is pretty fast! 

As per usual, we decided to go to Deanna Rose Farmstead. We do this every summer ... it's free ... it's fun ... and we always have a good time. The kids love to see the animals, and I love that they get to be outside. It had been a cool few days since we had arrived in KC, but this day turned out to get a little hotter than I would have liked! So, we only stayed for a few hours. Just since last summer, they really added to the Farmstead. There were a few more stores for the kids to look at in the town section, and I saw plans to make it even bigger by next summer. Always something new for us to see when we go to Deanna Rose.

At the farm with Grandpa Reynolds!

We headed out on the trail ... 

Our first stop was at the old school house (my personal favorite part).

Trying out the school chairs.

Petting some goats in the barn.

She loved the goats!

Had to stop by the Indian house ... the buffalos wait outside.

Buffalo Colton

Colton liked to drive the tractors around.

Poor little Khloe had legs that were just a bit short ... but she did alright. 

Khloe got to see what it would be like to get a haircut in the 'olden days'. 

A bowl cut?

Maddie got to try, too!

The kids had the best time feeding the goats in the petting area.

Cole feeding the goats.

She might want a goat.

After touring around Deanna Rose, we decided to grab a bite to eat at Red Robin. My kids always love to eat there, and we were all pretty hot and hungry!

Grabbing lunch at Red Robin.

That afternoon, the kids and I went to visit my Aunt Phylis and Uncle Tom. They got to meet Alice, and we chatted for a while. It was a very nice visit, and I'm so glad that we got to stop by. 

Aunt P entertaining Allie.

On Sabbath, we got to see Russell and Amber at church. Colton LOVES Maecy, and he is always talking about their time in the chicken coop ... last summer. It's so funny how shy everyone is when we see them again ... but I'm glad they get to be a part of each other's lives.

Maecy (5), Nolan (3), Colton (4 1/2), Khloe 2 1/2), Alice (6 months)

That afternoon, my sister and her family came over to my Dad's for lunch. It was fun to visit and enjoy each other's company.

I love this picture that my sister took of Zion and Colton ... Cole thinks he is great!

Beautiful sunset in KC.

 On Sunday, we went to another place we always try to go on our Heinrich Summer trips ... the Louisburg Cider Mill! It was a rainy, cool Sunday, but we just had to go ... I love that place! I stock up on my jams and apple butter ... and I get some Apple Cider for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed some apple donuts and cold cider. After our visit to the Cider Mill, we went to Sky Zone. The kids had so much fun jumping their energy out on the trampolines! It's a great place for kids! We grabbed barbecue at a place nearby. It was a busy but fun day!

Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds with the kids at the Cider Mill.

On Monday, we got together with my cousin Kristie and her two girls at my sister's house. It was so nice to see her, as usual. Her kids are so sweet! They are both great with kids. I love to watch them grow each summer. It was nice to chat with her and to have them meet Alice.

Alice really liked Brooke.

BriAnna is always so good with my kids ... I have pictures of her with each of them as babies.

We, also, got a chance to see my Uncle Denny and Aunt Dottie and their grandkids. We visited with them on Tuesday evening.  It's always nice to see family ... especially those you don't get to see very often!

Aunt Dottie with Allie

Uncle Denny with Allie

Until next time! Thanks for letting us visit!

On our last day in KC, I met my sister at the mall. We just took the kids to the carousel and the play place ... I had to go to the Disney Store ... I'm looking for an Elsa doll for Khloe's birthday (they are NOWHERE to be found in Florida), and I found one! Perfect! Then we grabbed lunch at Noodles and Company (I wish we had one in Tampa).

A fun day with Allie.

Riding the carousel with Khloe-girl.

Maddie and Colton on the carousel.

Maddie, Colton, and Khloe in the play area at the mall.

We were supposed take Rose out for her birthday that night, but it stormed so hard ... that we stayed in. Well, it's the thought that counts!

Grandpa and Grandma with my kids! What a nice visit we had!

We had a really nice time in Kansas City! I wish we could see everyone more often. I'm glad we got to meet Ethan and that all of my family got to meet Alice. I always enjoy hanging out with my Dad. It's nice to stay up talking to him at night. We usually have one or two (or more) nights where we stay up late (usually midnight) chatting. I'm glad to have memories like that with him. Until next time!