Six Months Already

Time is just flying by with Levi....it's hard to believe he is already six months old. He's still getting used to eating solids but seems to enjoy sitting at the table and participating with us. He's suddenly very strong on his tummy and is getting on all fours, army crawling in a circle, and scooting backwards. He's sitting for longer and longer periods and is really having fun playing with toys. He continues to be a happy baby and a blessing to our family.

Here are his stats:

26.75 inches (63 percentile), 17 lbs 4 oz (46 percentile), 17 inch head (34 percentile)

compared to

Caleb: 26 inches long, 17 lbs 3 oz

Lina: 26.75 inches, 15 lbs 13 oz

It's amazing that Levi is exactly Caleb's weight and Lina's height at 6 months. Comparing pictures of the kids is always fun....Levi is such a good mix of the two.

Peach Picking

With Hurricane Irene looming, our plans to pick peaches this weekend seemed unlikely, so I took the kids to a local farm this past week. We got 1 1/2 pecks of peaches and had a great time doing it. The only downside was the peaches weren't quite ripe, so we are just now starting to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Raspberry bush

Our raspberry bush that we planted back on Earth Day has far exceeded my expectations and has been a lot of fun for the kids. We've been steadily picking a few raspberries every couple of days for the past month or so. It is so thrilling for Caleb and Lina to spot a ripe raspberry and then get to pick it and eat it. This week has yielded some of our biggest harvests to date and by the looks of the bush, we have lots more to enjoy.

My year of canning so far

It was my goal to learn how to make pickles this summer and I actually did it and then some. Once I learned that canning is not so scary, I've tried making several different things and before I knew it, had a little stockpile forming. So far I've made 4 half-pints of salsa verde, 6 pints of hot salsa, 5.5 pints of mild salsa, 3 quarts of tomato-basil sauce, 3 quarts of crushed tomatoes, 3 pints of pickled hot peppers, 5 quarts of dill pickles, and 3 quarts of bread and butter pickles. I just got a pressure canner from Mom and Dad, so I'm hoping to try that out soon too. Who knew canning could be so fun and addictive?

Levi's First Food

Levi has been getting increasingly fussy and grabby at meal time, so we finally decided to give the boy what he wanted....food! We had gazpacho for dinner tonight and I had an extra avocado, so we decided to mash it up and see what he did with it. He immediately put both hands in the avocado (which for whatever reason sent Lina into tears). Randy gave him a few tastes and he seemed to like it okay. Caleb and Lina are now so excited and can't wait until they can feed him. A part of my heart was overjoyed for Levi to start this new experience, but the other part is very sad. My last baby starting his journey into eating solids. I guess I can't stop him from growing up. Bon Appetit Levi!

Beach with the Boretti Bunch

Last Thursday, Kristen and I took the kids to Crane Beach for the morning. It was an amazing day. The weather couldn't have been better and the kids had the time of their lives. Levi enjoyed his first mouthfuls of sand and enjoyed splashing in the water. After the beach, we took the kids for ice cream. I'm not sure what happened to Caleb and Lina, but they were absolutely covered in chocolate ice cream by the time they were finished.

Randy and Caleb's trip to NC

Randy and Caleb traveled to NC last weekend to visit Grandma GiGi and PaPa. They had a great time and got to visit with Matthew and Beth, Tate and Emily, and cousin Hal and his wife Jamie and their son Grayson. Caleb spent lots of time drawing pictures, walking down by the creek, and picking cucumbers out of the garden. He had a truly wonderful time.

Lina, Levi, and I stayed home and held down the fort. Lina had a pretty tough time with Randy and Caleb being gone, but we did have some fun times. We went blueberry/raspberry picking, shopped for Fall clothes, made matching bracelets, and watched Beauty and the Beast.

This week Caleb and Lina have seemed very happy to be back together. Here they are watching a little Sesame Street side by side.

As I was rushing the kids out the door the other day, Caleb was a good big brother and helped Lina get her sandals on. It made me slow down, grab the camera, and savor the moment.

This is a terrible video. I was nursing Levi and trying to capture this moment, but it's not the best. Caleb was reading a book to Lina and is was really sweet.

Why Levi is smiling...

Caleb and Lina definitely keep Levi entertained all the time. He gets the biggest kick out of watching them do just about anything. Of course when they are acting crazy, that seems to provide the most enjoyment.

Why I need a bigger kitchen...

Nap time

Lina is sadly giving up her nap, so I often find her playing in her room when she should be sleeping. Here is one such moment.

Splashing Kids

We went to the pool last week and the kids were on fire! Caleb had shaken his fear of the water and was ready to show off.