Happy Birthday, JD!

We celebrated JD's birthday and here are a few pictures from his special day!

We bought him a zebra bouncing toy. After a few minutes, he became very good at getting on and off. His big sister and cousins showed him how to really make it bounce!

I love the awe of balloons!

I made him a teddy bear cake. He looks very calm in this picture, but the reality was that in all of the other pictures I took, he was grabbing for it with both hands and Nana had to hold his hands back!


Happy birthday to you!

What a polite little man to eat with a spoon! Who taught him that? :)

Happy Halloween

A enjoyed trick-or-treating for the first time. At a couple of houses, she knocked, and, when they didn't come to the door fast enough, she asked, "Is anybody in there?" At one house, she actually opened the door, as the man was opening it. Thankfully, he laughed and said, "Well, yes, I am!"
On the 29th, we took the kids to the Harvest party at church. Both of the kids' costumes had hoods, but they were too hot to keep on with all of the excitement.

In this room, A and her friend H, made dirt cups and enjoyed a little snack together.

The week before Halloween, A's preschool class had a party, so she got to wear her costume three times. She had so much fun wearing it, that I think it will end up in the costume box in the playroom.

One of the stations at the Harvest party was a fishing booth. A caught some glow-in-the-dark fish! How fun!

The Pumpkin Patch

I took the kids to the same pumpkin patch we've gone to the last few years. J was at work, so I had my hands full, but they seemed to have fun. They both seemed to like the farm animals, and A enjoyed the hay bales. One of the biggest switches was that you couldn't walk right out to pick your pumpkin. You had to wait in line, get on a wagon, then go out to get your pumpkins. I decided that was a little much for me, so we went home with a very little pumpkin from the launching station. A didn't mind though.

A little walk in the park

Just a stroll around the house

I've noticed that A wants to be in all of the pictures and videos, haven't you?

Just a little glimpse from Sept.

Playing inside the ottoman. Why do we buy toys, when our furniture is so entertaining?
JD, all clean, after his bath.

I think he looks like such a little man with a polo shirt on, don't you?

A's first day of preschool

You know how people say that they catch themselves doing what their parents did to them? Well, ta da! I couldn't help myself. Mom took pictures of us until I think I was a sophomore and said, "That's enough." But I know, now, exactly why she did it. First days are huge! A's been ready for weeks. We went shopping for her backpack and school supplies, we packed the backpack and put it in the trunk, and then I endured about 3 weeks of, "Tomorrow, do I go to school?" My little social butterfly was ready to go. And even though this is just preschool, I felt so sad. She hardly looked back, but just marched right in, ready to go and conquer preschool, and I was left standing there thinking, 'Where did time go?'

Where did summer go?

I went back to work yesterday. And tonight, I'm feeling sorry for myself. So, I thought a little reminiscing over some summer events might make me, and maybe you, smile.

Last year, A got this bike for her birthday. She couldn't ride it until early this spring, and now look at her go! She loves to ride around in the garage while J works out on the treadmill.

JD has had two, count them TWO, bloody noses in the last two months. Before you think I'm not watching him carefully enough, just be aware that this little guy is a mover and a shaker. Both times, he was trying to walk or climb and found the floor instead. Neither bloody nose has left him leary of attempting to walk or climb anymore. In fact, last night, A was making a "fort" with the pillow cushions, and this little guy crawled over the cushions and was bouncing on top of the couch. I think we need better insurance.
The morning after his second bloody nose, he smeared dried strawberries and bananas all over his face. Who could resist that smile?


A is still in love with slides and asks to go to the swings and slides (a.k.a. park) almost every day.
A and I attempted our first craft project together -- this being a lion mask. Not that I had to clarify, I'm sure. :) She had learned about Daniel and the Lion's Den in Sunday School, but the project she came home with looked nothing like a lion. So, I attempted to one up the "lion" she came home with, and this is what we made.
Summer would not be complete without a trip to the beach with J's family, this year being no exception. The girls had a great time together, and the spent quite a bit of time digging in the sand. I am not a beach person, so I spent most of my time watching JD and shopping at the outlet mall (hurray for me). And, even three weeks later, we are still vacuuming sand out the car, stroller, etc.
This is one of my very favorite pictures from the beach. A and her cousins S and A running on the beach.






And where was JD during all of this beach excitement? In the stroller, of course. I didn't even attempt to put him on the sand. One - he still puts everything in his mouth. Two - he's a very fast crawler, and I didn't want him to escape.

Almost 9 months - July 2008

11 months - August 2006

I intentionally took this picture because it reminded me of A's first trip to the beach. Where does time go?

ND Vacation - July 08

We spent much of our visit enjoying the quiet peaceful afternoons and evenings on the porch.
Dad, a.k.a. "Papa", got some bonding time with both kids. I have a feeling at this moment JD must have gotten into something, so Papa was helping to keep him out of trouble. JD has a knack for finding the smallest items. . .
As you can see, high chairs and doors are no match for him.
One of my favorite kid moments of our visit was the evening A came out onto the porch and asked Mom, a.k.a. "Grandma", if she could wear "the hats." She gave us quite the fashion show! At the time, I didn't think the spaghetti on her face was too noticeable. Apparently, I thought wrong! At one point, she was very concerned with the mess she was making with all of the hats, and she told Grandma about the mess she was making. But Grandma assured her it was okay. :)
A and JD enjoyed visiting Great Grandma and Great Grandpa while we were in ND. They played catch together, shot baskets, played puzzles, played the organ, saw wild turkeys and bunnies, and ate snacks. Good time had by all!
One of A's highlights of the trip was her truck that Papa put together. Here they are before she had any idea that it actually moved!
I guess A couldn't resit a good swing!
One morning, we all gathered in the library for some down time. I don't think Papa had any idea that his down time involved some good old fashioned wrestling. I think Papa has been a wrestling magnet since we were little. In fact, our childhood pictures look pretty much the same, don't you think?
JD loved being outdoors on the porch, although we didn't have a moment's rest. Flower petals, loose wicker, water, and the stairs were constant amusements for him.
A enjoyed eating lunch with Great Grandpa and Great Grandma one day at The Rose!



I love this video, because Papa did his very best to explain the rules of the road to a toddler. (Unfortunately, they were testing the emergency broadcast system at the same time. Sorry about the extra noise.) Maybe it was the extra noise that distracted her?

And, here is the result of Papa's well-intentioned explanation of how to drive the truck.

Thanks for a great three weeks, Mom and Dad. We had a wonderful time!

June

Now that school is out, I have the pleasure of updating my blog ON A MONDAY MORNING! Hurray!!!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Thanks for the Sand and Water table, Grandma and Papa.

JD and A LOVE to take baths together, especially now that I realized he's big enough to not need the infant bath tub any more. Let's just say I'm a little slow with making transitions.

Moses in the bull rushes? Nope. JD in the laundry basket.

This was JD's first trip in the red wagon. They both loved having a riding buddy.

Now that JD is crawling, pulling himself up and standing, etc., I wasn't surprised to hear "thunk" yesterday. He gave himself about a 1/2 inch cut on his forehead, thanks to the futon. I think this will begin a long relationship with Neosporin and bandaids.

April and May '08

What Were We Doing in February?