Grammy and Opa left yesterday, leaving this new family of five on their own. We had such a great time with them and Opa took the boys out for an adventure at least once a day! But now, we're back in our routine of things, and that means Saturday's Family Work Day!

Growing up with two older brothers, it's kind of eerie to me how much my children mirror my childhood, does that make sense? Now, as I prepare the picnic lunch for the hard-working men in my life, I can't help but process the flood of memories preparing lunch for my hard-working Dad and brothers! Although we always loathed Family Work Day, I look at my children now, while they love helping, and am happy to have had such a tradition in my home growing up and am more than happy to instill pride of ownership in my own children.

A special finding while doing some shoveling:

Little Sister joined her brothers catching all the Vitamin D we've been missing out on these past few weeks... I love this shot as Bee was wanting to snuggle her so badly, but was forbidden due to his ratio of dirt and clothing.

Something else that happened today: Haircuts! Bee just lost a pound or two! Daddy Mock calls him his little Esau. He had so much hair!

We had our first family outing this evening, and I have to say, between the two of us, it still took twenty minutes to get everyone in the car and loaded... it was a success, though, and a joy to look back in our car and see three full seats!

I hope you were able to experience some sun today as well, it's good for the soul!

Strike a pose, darling... she's got the pursing of the lips down already!

Here's little Honey G enjoying her sheepskin mat:

Benefits of Sheepskin (Lambswool):

"Medical studies at Cambridge University have shown that lambswool pads have a soothing, swaddling effect on babies, resulting in better sleep, reduced stress, greater contentment and improved weight gain. Studies showing similar results have also been reported in the BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, LANCET, and THE AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL. Researchers find when babies lay directly on lambswool, their activity rate is lowered producing a deeper, more restful sleep and promoting a faster growth rate. This is especially beneficial for premature and low birth-weight babies. Hospitals in England, Australia, and New Zealand have used lambswool pads to line their incubators for many years.

Wool has become a year-round mainstream nursery item. In the summer babies stay cool and dry when they are on wool because of natural air circulation through the fibers. In addition, wool absorbs perspiration and moisture more than any other material. Of course, wool also keeps babies warm in cool weather. Pure lambswool soothes and comforts baby with a soft, swaddling effect, reduces stress and restless movement, and promotes sleep. Wool fibers also limit the growth of harmful bacteria and are naturally fire retardant. It's hard to get all of these properties in one fiber!"

It's also gentle on baby's skin because it consists of a similar basic substance as human skin.
It helps heal sensitive or inflamed skin or rashes, because baby's skin can breathe naturally.
It's always dirt and bacteria resistant. For centuries it has been known that natural sheepskin, because of its lanolin, has self-cleaning power when left to hang in fresh air.

If you have a restless babe, I highly suggest one... the second we put Honey G on hers, she curls up and falls asleep!