Swimming

We went ahead and joined the community pool and have been 3 nights in a row now. Josh, with his swimmies on, goes paddling around the pool. He doesn't seem to mind, anymore, that he can't touch and even let Stacy and Stephanie (our neighbor's daughters) toss him around tonight. I hope to have him jumping in soon. He almost did tonight. He just loves the pool and asks to go everyday.

Mira loves the water, too, but she has been sick this week so I have not been taking her in. When she does get in the water she splashes and kicks. She lets me lay her on her back and doesn't mind when the water gets on her face. When she is 6 mos old we will see how she does going under.

Wall-E

After a very fun and successful time at a puppet show with Memaw, Stephanie and Dylan; I decided that Joshua was reading to watch a movie at the theater. We went to see Wall-E on Saturday and Joshua sat through the whole thing without a problem. Mira also stayed up to watch even though it was her nap time. Afterwards, we had lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then stopped at Lowes so I could buy the new washing machine I have been wanting. It was a good day. We hung out with the neighbors in the evening and then on Sunday after church and nap, we went to swim at our neighbor's house.

We are going to check out the community pool tonight.

Mira is doing great on solid foods and has so far tried sweet potatoes, rice cereal, squash and bananas. She loves to eat! We have also moved the jumper back into the main part of the house because Miss Mira is a jumping bean. The swing will only do now if she is sleepy and ready for a nap. Otherwise she wants to move or play.

Firsts - Happy 5 Months Mira!

Yesterday was a big day for both Joshua and Mira. Mira turned 5 months old yesterday. She is talking so much these days. Lots of umm's, na's, da's and other sounds. She was even trying to push herself to all fours. I know that unlike Joshua, Mira will crawl for a while before she walks. It is just my gut feeling.

After running a TON of errands yesterday (we sold the Accord, FINALLY) Joshua went for his very first dentist appointment. He was talking all about it as we were driving around and even told me that he wanted to be a dentist for Halloween. But, when it came time to be examined, everything changed, as I expected it would and hoped it wouldn't. Joshua does not like meeting new people and especially does not like people touching him so the whole event was very upsetting. Even though they pretty much just counted his teeth and brushed a little flouride on. He is funny though because later in the day if you asked him what he did he would tell you, 'I went to the dentist, today' and if asked how he liked it he said, 'Yeah, I liked it.' I guess he has short term memory loss!

In the evening, during dinner, we tried solid food on Mira. She loved it! She was grabbing the spoon for more! It was great and she ate up the very little amount that I had prepared for her. Her first food was a barley cereal that I made from what we had in the pantry. I picked up rice cereal at the store and sweet potatoes to puree. What a big girl! Guess it should be no surprise, Mira loves to eat!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ellianna

Joshua good friend Ellianna had her 3rd birthday party yesterday. I guess that means that the big three is right around the corner for us, too! Wow, time flies. She had a very nice party in the park near the playground. The weather was hot but since the party was in the morning it was still very nice outside. Mira and I went to Eldersburg later in the day to see my best friend from high school, Reagan. We had a fantastic visit and Mira flirted with everyone in the resturant.


Mira has been rolling onto her belly and onto her back. She pushes herself WAY up on her hands when she is on her belly and her 'talking' is more organized now. She says, 'la la' and I think a 'da da' came out while we were on vacation. She can pretty much sit on her own, she just has the occasional flop back or forth. She has been very interested in our plates and utensils and other eating objects. So, we are going to start her on solids this week. She'll be 5 months on Tuesday.

Joshua has been enjoying the company of all the middle schoolers on our street. We have between 1-4 kids in the house extra on any given moment. It a lot of fun and often feels like camp Joshua.

Cleansing Rain

It is now Thursday. We have been on vacation since Sunday. Sunday was Jason's first autocross and he did great. He finished 3rd out of 5 in his class. From there we headed north to Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara's. Jill was out of town in North Carolina but we had a really nice visit with Tara. On Monday, we had a picnic lunch at a nearby lake and then went to the local high school to fly the cool pump airplane Joshua had received from Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara. Tuesday we were up and out again. We stopped at Wells Beach in Maine and played in a gigantic tidal pool. Joshua loved that. We saw fish, seaweed, a hermit crab and snails. Then it was back in the car to finish our trip out to Bethel, Main and Sunday River Resort. We arrived late Tuesday had dinner and crashed. Wednesday the rest of our gang arrived. We explored the town of Bethel in the morning and then registered for the Mini Meet in the afternoon. We would have gone swimming but we experienced a fantastic thunderstorm on the mountain with hail and everything. This morning we went on a hike up one of the ski slopes and back down. The view was fabulous and the walk was chanllenging but worth every step. I wore Mira in the front pack and Jason and Paul took turns wearing Joshua when he got tired of walking. At the top, we sat on the ski lifts for a break and climbed up a tower for an even better view. The way down was faster but more tricky because it was so steep. Now the kids are down for a nap and I am relaxing. We have had another little storm. They are a daily occurance, this one did not bring hail or even thunder. It was a gentle rain and you could hear the birds chirping in the background. I am enjoying watching the water splat on the porch roof right outside my window. Looks like the sun is peaking its way out now. We will try and go in the pool after nap.

Tomorrow will be the Rallye, BBQ and RC race and Saturday is the Autocross, Funkhana and Banquet. Then we will start making our way back home. Still no moose sightings for us but Mom and Dad saw a bear last night from the resturant at dinnertime.

Prayers, Improv and other stuff

I guess VBS is sinking in for Joshua. Today we were making cookies and Joshua was VERY excited to get to eat one. So when the cookies were FINALLY out of the oven AND cool, he picked one out to eat. He sat down in his chair with the cookie in front of him and said, 'We need to say prayers,' then continued with, 'God is Great. God is good and we thank him for the...' he paused and thought for a moment then finished with, '... COOKIES! Amen.' Then he ate. I just cracked up. In the last week, something has clicked. He is being creative with the things he says and is showing an understanding of the words and their meanings. He is also impersonating as I like to call it lots of objects. He has shown me how a lady bug flies with his hand, how a helicopter flies, with his piece of cheese, how the fire alarm sounds and other noises. He is almost whistling. It is as thought his brain has had a cognitive explosion.

Jason on the other hand seems to be having problems. Yesterday, he was running in the morning with Jack (a first) and going full speed down a steep hill on our community when Jack ran in front of Jason tripping him. Jason hit the ground hard and has road rash and bruises on his arm, hip and leg plus a very bad cut on his finger. He screwed up his iphone in the crash as well. Then tonight while working on his RC car for our trip. He sliced his thumb deeply with the exacto knife. I think I need to put him in a padded room for his protection.

Mira is just being plain cute. She is holding on now when I carry her and likes to talk by moving her mouth and lips as if trying to simulate what we are doing. It is very cute.

Vacation Bible School

We had our first day of vacation bible school today. It is a morning program from 9-12 for a week. I am teaching the 10-12 year olds and have Mira with me while Joshua plays with the other 'too young' kids. It was a lot of fun. Joshua both behaved AND had fun. He and Mira are napping now. I asked him what he learned and he said, 'I had candy.' Well, we'll work on it :-)

Mira is rolling ALL the time! She does it at night and then gets frustrated that she is on her tummy. She is either going to have to learn to sleep on her tummy or learn to roll back over or I am not going to get any sleep!

more rolly polly

After Joshua rolled the first time he rolled again once in a matter of weeks. Mira has rolled over several more times including a time when Jason saw it happen. She is laying on her tummy now as I type having rolled over next to me.

Rolling Over

She did it! She made her way ALL the way over. She has been close to rolling over for a few weeks now and could make it 3/4 of the way or more but just didn't go that final cm. Yesterday though she was frustrated at me with laying her down to tend to Joshua and so in her little screaming frenzy she finally made it all the way. Mira stopped screaming once she made it over since Joshua and I cheered her on. She looked around like, 'How'd I get here?'. It seems that she is either teething or really upset from the shots that she got on Tuesday because she has been in a very bad mood over the last two days. I can see that a tooth is trying to come through and she is shoving her hands in her mouth a lot but it is hard to tell if that is actually what is bothering her.

Today is an errand day, never fun for the little guys but has to be done. We are also planning for our big family vacation. Can't wait to go!

Mira's Four Month Check Up

Mira now weighs 15.2 pounds and is 24.5" long. She is in the 75th percentile for weight and 50th for height. The checkup went fine and she is right on track for developmental milestones. The Dr. asked if we were going to start feeding her solid foods and I said we hadn't yet. I don't feel much motivation to take this step yet. She is doing well on breast milk and we can wait until 6 months or whenever she starts to show an interest in our food.

We ran lots of errands afterwards and Joshua was a good boy in the car, Mira slept. Now we are home and enjoying the cool weather.

Happy Father's Day!

We had a nice relaxing father's day. Joshua had colored a card for Jason and we let him sleep in. After breakfast we were outside playing and saw a little snake on the deck. That was a fun surprise! We had a family nap and then went for a walk along the water. On our walk we saw turtles, geese, ducklings, squirrels and a ground hog. After our walk we check out a new Mexican resturant a couple of towns over.

Last night was Joshua's first night in just underpants (no diaper) and he did it! He was dry! Good Job, Joshua!!

Happy Birthday, Noella!

Today we enjoyed Noella's 2nd Birthday party. We had a nice lunch with presents, swimming and cake. Mira napped while the bigger kids swam. Joshie gets better and better in the water with every dip!

While we were eating dinner, back at home, Mira started just giggling at Joshua. It was so funny! I am really not sure what exactly she was laughing at, most of the time Joshie wasn't even looking at her. But, she does love her big brother tremendously. Joshua is great with Mira, too. He asks us to read stories to her and has even shared his beloved, 'Little Blankie' with her for a few moments.

Mira has taken a very big interest in books and likes to touch and help turn the pages. Looks like we have another book worm in our midst!

I posted pictures from today. I still have lots to post from the party weekend and this past week.

Braving the Heat

We've been trying to make an effort to take a hike every weekend. There are quite a few trails within just a couple of miles of us so it is pretty easy. Joshua 'hikes' for part of the time and then rides in the backpack carrier the rest. I love that he can pretty much run and explore without me trying to hold his hand or correct him all the time. So today we tried to get out of the house as early as possible with the weather being so unbearable. The temp was already in the 80's, humidity was in the 90% range and there was very little breeze. But, the hike was almost entirely in the woods with a lot of foliage. Still, we were just dripping sweat when we finished and pretty grumpy,too. The afternoon called for cool showers and family nap time.

This evening we enjoyed the company of Jason's coworker Richard and his girlfriend Lacey. They also brought her little dog, Otis, along. Jack and Otis were best friends right from the start. Josh loved Otis as well. He was happy to show off for Lacey but did make it through dinner.

Mira's First Swim

Our neighbors, Stephanie & Harry, opened their pool up recently and since the temperatures soared into the 90's with about 100% humidity yesterday (and supposedly again today) we headed over to their house to take a dip in the pool. Joshua, when we last took him, was almost swimming on his own but since it has been a few months I figured there would be a bit of remembering to do. He did great and by the end of the evening we had him reluctently swimming to the pool ladder by himself. Mira we plopped into the water and she was just so relaxed about the whole thing. We have a little floating seat for her and I think she floated around close to an hour. Joshua had a fantastic time as the bigger kids took turns tooling him around the pool. He even went down the slide (and under the water!)... once.





Since moving Mira into the crib we have also begun a little bedtime routine with her of nursing, two stories and then placing her in the crib. She just drifts off to sleep which is like magic to us. She enjoys reading and reaches for the pictures on the pages. She is grabbing at specific objects now and not letting go: the computer power cord, her toes, hair, toys, etc. Her sitting is getting better every day and she is starting to correct her body as it begins to tip one way or another.

Jason let Joshie play with his regular legos and he is having fun with those. He can't always get the little pieces apart but other than that he is building like a pro!

Scary

What a day. It really hasn't been a bad day. Very muggy. We've had thunderstorms this evening. We met Jason for lunch with his coworkers Chuck and Erik but before we made it to lunch that is when the fun started. I was walking with Joshua and Mira up to Kimberly's house to drop off two letters for church. Mira was in the stroller and Joshua was walking and running in front of us. He was doing a good job of staying close so I just let him go. Then in a flash he was running, wasn't looking where he was going and turned his head around just in time to run smack face first into a parked car. He rebounded backwards and hit the back of his head on the side walk. It took him a moment to start crying because he was so startled but I knew it was bad because he did cry. I was expecting broken teeth and a bloody nose but he managed to escape those to things. I carried him and pushed Mira two more houses up to a neighbor that we knew and who was already outside and hollered for ice. Mr. Charlie ran in and got it and by the time he came back out Joshie was fine, no more crying anyway. He has a bruise on his forehead and one on the back of his head. We didn't make to to Kim's. We just went home, I gave Josh tylenol and we headed out to lunch. He seemed fine today, I kept a close eye on him. I am used to Joshua's injuries so most of them do not upset me. Even the ones that are rather bloody but this incident really shook me. He is one tough kid! And... I think he ought to wear a helmet from now on!!

Under the Big Top

Memaw and Grandad took Stephanie, Dylan, Joshua and Mira to the circus yesterday. There were tigers, acrobats, clowns, horses, elephants, and trained dogs among other things. It was fun to watch the kids watching the show. I think even Mira enjoyed all the excitement. Joshua did not like the clown that was standing at the entrance of the tent but once we got around him all was well.

Mira can now move herself 360 degrees just by rolling on her side and back. She hasn't made it all the way over yet but it is fun to watch her wiggle. She is doing alright in the crib. She sleeps about 4 hours and then is up every 2 to eat after that. I've been putting her down for naps in the crib, too. It seems essential to swaddle her to get her to sleep.

I am on a 'green' kick these days and we are looking at ways that we can reduce our waste, gas use and water use. It has been interesting. This week we only had one white bags worth of trash. We'll see if we can keep it up. With raising gas prices the gas usage is going to be critical. Now when Joshua is washing his hands and I turn off the water he says, 'Save the water!'. :-)

Cute and Funny things the kids have done

So, Mira's experiment in sleeping in her crib didn't go too badly last night. She made it 'til around midnight before nursing and moving into her carseat in our room. Then around 4ish she came into bed with me. Tonight, I put her down in her crib around 9pm then swaddled her and shooshed her to sleep.

Mira has been pulling her feet up when rolling on her side. She likes to lay on her back, roll around and talk. She sticks her tongue out of the left side of her mouth and it is really silly looking. Tonight she grabbed her toes for the first time. Maybe they'll make it into her mouth soon!

While on an evening walk with the kids, Jason picked Joshua up because he was having trouble walking on his own two feet. He was holding Joshie cradled like a baby when Josh said, 'Don't squeeze me daddy, you'll make the milk come out of my belly button!'. We both just stopped in our tracks to laugh it was so unexpected.

The weather is cooler today than yesterday after a nice spring thunderstorm last night. I went with Christine, Yana and Val out strawberry picking. Josh picked about 10 berries and did a good job of it before wondering around the rows. I had Mira in a backpack on my back. The berries are great this year and prolific so it didn't take anytime at all to fill our baskets. I made freezer jam tonight and we'll have berries for pies and such, too.

Mira is Baptized

A whirlwind of events and festivities took place these last several days. Let's start with last Thursday, we recovered from being out late the night before for the graduation and Trina and I went shopping sans kids for a few hours. Then Jason and Josh went out to see Indiana Jones. It was nice to have a bit of adult time! Friday, I did a bit of food prep for Saturday and Sunday. Trina, the kids and I went to storytime in the morning and we ordered in pizza for dinner then Jill and Tara arrived. Saturday I put everyone to work on food for Sunday and then we all got ready to go to the big grad party. The party was held at Ron and Christine's as a joint venture. It started at 2 and we had a fantastic day for it. Ron had picked up a keg for the event and we had over 80 people there. They were able to get the keg to float by the end of the evening but there was a lot of beer left.

I think that everyone had a great time. We were so happy to have so many people come to celebrate! Jill, Tara and Trina, brave souls that they are, took the three kids home while I stayed back to help clean up and drive Jason and Josh home around 9:30. I am so thankful that they were here to help!!

Sunday was Mira's baptism day and we had everyone back up this way again for church. Mira did well. She fell asleep during the service and woke up when Pastor Jane place the water on her head. She wasn't happy about waking up that way but fell back to sleep quickly. My mom made the beautiful gown that Mira wore. She looked like a little angel and I cried to see her looking so beautiful. My daughter.

After the service, we had everyone back over to the house for lunch. It was another lovely day and we thoroughly enjoyed the company. After the festivities died down we enjoyed a walk with the JT's, the 'ira's, Jason and Joshua.

Monday, Jill & Tara headed home and we went on a nice long walk along an old rail road trail that has been made accessible for walking, running and biking. We stopped on the way home at my favorite farm resturant for lunch and ice cream then home. After we all took a nice nap we kicked Josh and Trina out of the house so that we could enjoy Kirra on our own. They only stayed away an hour, next time we will lock the door so they can't come back so soon :-)

It was so fun to see the girls together, Kirra and Mira, and to see Joshua playing with both of them. I loved having the house full of family. I wish that we could always be so close and that the kids could grow up together. Maybe it will be possible someday.

For now, I am having empty nest syndrome and just picking at cleaning up the house. We took it easy today after taking Josh, Trina and Kirra to the airport and just watched Bambi.

Mira is currently sleeping alone in her crib for the first time. We tried to start Joshua in the crib at this age. He didn't do so well but I am sure Mira will be fine. She is so laid back. We are also starting the infant potty training with her now and she is getting REALLY close to rolling over. She gets way over on her side but hasn't made that final little bit over yet. She likes to grab things and pull them towards herself and she loves to talk and laugh.

Joshua is enjoying Real Flight Simulator that Uncle Joshua and Daddy showed him this weekend. He can actually get the plane to take off and fly around occasionally.

As usual, pictures will follow when I have a chance to get them all together and posted.

Jason Graduates.

Josh, Trina and Kirra arrived on Tuesday night just after midnight. We had a mostly restful Wednesday as the kids acclimated themselves to each other. The weather was unusual and every time we tried to go outside (because it was sunny) by the time we got our shoes it it would be raining! Jason came home early and Godfather (Chris) came over to watch Joshie then we headed downtown for the graduation ceremony. We met my parents down there. It was a very cool rainy evening and Hopkins had not provided tents for the graduates and their guests. But, just as the ceremony began the rain stopped. The speakers were very good. One acknowledged the sacrifice that is made not only by the graduate but also his family. The other discussed the need for continuous knowledge and requirement to take risks to a advance technology. He also talked on the need to look outside your field for inspiration and answers, that was the president of Bell Labs.



There was a lovely reception afterwards where we enjoyed fresh strawberries, meatballs, cheese, wine and other appetizers. The we headed out to a nearby Irish pub for a celebratory drink. It was a great evening if not memorable.



I am so proud of Jason's accomplishment in spite of a difficult fall for us. Others might have given up but Jason perservered and with my mom's help and the help of other family and friends was able to finish his degree and achieve straight A's. I hope that when Joshua and Mira are older they will recognize the hard work of their father and will be inspired to do likewise.

3 months

Happy 3 month birthday to Mira! It was Thursday but it is never too late to celebrate! I don't have exact numbers but she is between 15-16 pounds and about 23" long. That is just from weighing her with me on the scale. She likes to grab toys now and is enthralled with the caterpillar that we have. It plays musical and has little toys hanging off of it.

Joshua seems to have a little cold now. He is raspy and whiney. I hope he feels better by the weekend. Aunt Trina and Uncle Josh are coming with Kirra on Wednesday and we have lots going on!

I haven't written much but a week and a half ago now Joshua got to see a newborn foal. It was about 12 hours old. There was another foal that was a couple of weeks old. Joshua was just as interested in the tractor that he saw as the horses. We didn't get out for our Mother's day weekend hike but the weekend was very nice anyway. Just a little rainy.

This past weekend we had a yard sale and then Memaw and Grandad came out. We all went together to pick out fabric for Mira's baptism dress while Daddy worked. It was really nice to have them out to visit. On Sunday, I made it to church alone with the kids, a first! Joshua behaved well enough for me to try it again in the future. :-) After church there was a Mother Daughter Luncheon that I stayed for since Jason was working again. Now he is out of town and we are managing on our own. It will just be for tonight and then he will be home very late tomorrow.

Joshua has had 4 days in a row now of being dry after his naps. He is consistently making it to the potty during the day and we are only focusing on nap and nighttime now. Yippee!

Mother's Day Etc

Mother's Day was lovely. We again had Amy and Mom and the accompanying family over for an afternoon tea in the garden. Aunt Jo joined us this year which was so nice. It is great to see so much of her! Grandma was unable to make it though and she was missed. Jason and the kids picked out a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for me along with new gardening gloves, can't get enough of those! I was also treated to a very yummy breakfast Sunday morning and time to work in the garden.

Videos

I have been trying to get a few videos up of the kids. Here is the link:

http://gallery.mac.com/robocoder#gallery

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend and lots of fun things going on. But... I'll write about them later :-)

New Tricks

Mira Jean is adding all sorts of tools to her baby tool belt. She now scooches across the pack n play on her back, mostly when she is frustrated, but it is movement none the less. She is rolling to her side and I don't think rolling over is too far behind. She brings her hands together now to put them in her mouth and chew on her fingers and thumb. She and Daddy have warmed up to each other and they laugh and 'talk' these days. He can get her to laugh in ways that I cannot and it is fun to hear her noises.

Joshua held Mira for the first time yesterday. I sat him in the corner of the couch, propped Mira up on the pillow next to him and took a few pictures. That was about it.

May is a crazy month for us but we have one event down. Grandad retired and had a birthday over the weekend and we had a little bash for him. It was a really good time and the kids did very well. This weekend is Mother's Day and we are having folks over for a Mother's Day tea as we did last year. Then the end of the month is Jason's graduation & party and Mira's baptism & party. Then we get to crash!! :-)

Goin' Campin'...Campin out under the stars...

This week, before we left to go camping on Thursday afternoon, Mira laughed a funny cackle laugh and Joshua enjoyed storytime with Memaw and Stephanie. But, Thursday afternoon we left to go camping. Joshua was super excited since I bought his sleeping bag a week and a half ago and has been having us read "Curious George Goes Camping" every day 5 times a day.

Thursday we headed out to a local state park and set up camp then ate dinner and walked where we could on foot. Driving into the park we saw a deer. We are using my Grandparent's tent and thankfully it was easy to set up. Josh wasted no type starting his search for worms in the dirt with my trowel that we brought from home. We took the swing for Mira which was a very good choice and she spent a lot of time in that. Joshua loved being in the tent and went right to sleep without a problem. Jack made one escape around dinner time and we later changed his hookup but he did come back after running around where we will never know.

Friday, we enjoyed bacon and eggs from the camp stove before heading out to the camp store, playground and our first hike. We started with a two mile hike we had also done before Joshua was born that took us out to a lighthouse and back. It was rated easy and there were lots of other people and pets on the walk with us. Joshua made it over half way before he slowed down so much we had to throw him in the backpack carrier. He was excited to see other dogs, water, butterflies, flowers, and sand. We wore Joshua and Jack out on that hike. So back at camp we ate lunch and headed down for a nap. After a difficult nap (for Joshua) we made a camp fire and dinner. Joshua loved the fire, it was hard to keep him away from it! and enjoyed roasting marshmallows. Bedtime was again easy.

Saturday, we got going on our hike sooner and chose a difficult hike that took us to a beach and back. Soon into our walk, Jason spotted a snake slithering into the root system of a fallen tree. Then just a little bit ahead we saw a garter snake laying across our path. That guy didn't want to move but Jason nudged him with a stick and he finally slithered away. Then a little bit farther up we saw a large black snake sliding away over a log. I was just about ready to turn back at that point but we went on. We saw a marsh, beaver dam, blue herons, lizard, butterflies, a ground hog and ants (a highlight for Josh). This time he made it halfway before we stopped for a snack and put him in the backpack. After the hike we again had lunch and mandatory nap/quiet time, we explored a playground made from used tires at another beach site and had ice cream cones we picked up from the camp store. Saturday's dinner was spaghetti over the campfire and off to bed for Joshua.

It rained Saturday night while we tired to sleep. Joshua slept through the rain but Mira did not like it and Jason and I worried about it coming in the tent all night. We had a little puddle that we sopped up with dirty clothes and were pretty much ok the rest of the night. We just packed up this morning and headed home instead of staying to play on the playground or attempt another short hike because of the mud.

We are all contentedly tired and Joshua is in bed for the night. He had a good nap after a long weekend of sunshine and exercise. It was awesome to be together and trying something new. I can't wait for our next adventure.

Our Walk

The March for Babies yesterday morning was a lot of fun. I carried Mira for the first half and Jason pushed Joshua in the stroller and then we switched. The walk was 4 miles long and we were home by noon. Joshua did get out and walk part of the journey. He was very observant and even found numbers on the road, motorcycles driving toward us and lots of doggies. Mira was awake and alert during the majority of the walk. She even had her photo taken. After the walk, there was food and games. Joshua had his first chance at playing in a big moon bounce. He was a bit skeptical at first and then we couldn't get him out. We ALL took a nap in the afternoon. :-) Gotta love wearing the kids out!





Joshua, in the last several days, has grasped the concept of 'I'. So now we are hearing things like, 'I want that', 'I actually picked it up,' and 'I am done eating'. I think his speech is becoming a lot clearer.

Mira has really found her hands and is trying desperately to suck on her thumb. She will spend a long time at this task while sitting in her swing and all we hear is sloppy, sucking sounds. Her 'coo's are becoming more varied and she is sleeping less and less during the day.

March for Babies

Tomorrow morning we will walk as a family to support the March of Dimes. It is particularly important to us this year with the preterm labor that I experienced with Mira. I am excited that we are walking together and that Aunt Jo is walking with us. I hope that the weather continues to be glorious as it has been this past week. Tonight, we had our neighbors over again for a cookout. The kids in the neighborhood are fantastic with Josh and Mira. Joshua doesn't know he isn't one of the big kids. He wants to do everything they do and they do their best to include him.

Our Team link for the March tomorrow is: http://www.marchforbabies.org/514680 if you would like to help us reach our $500 goal. We are close but not yet there. Thank you to everyone that has contributed so far!

Happy Birthday, Mira - 2 Months Old

Mira had her two month check up today. She weighs 13.6 lbs (90th percentile) and is 23" long (75th percentile). She is right on for milestones. She liked looking at the dr. but wouldn't smile for her. She must have known that 4 shots and one oral vaccine were on their way! Joshua did great at the check up, too, and even said 'hi' to the dr. He has been quite shy up to now with her.

Let's go fly a kite

Mira, Joshua and I went to a kite festival on Saturday. It was lots of fun. We didn't take a kite to fly but instead wondered around watching all the other kites in the sky. Joshua enjoyed following the kites especially the 'whale' (a kite shaped like a shark) and we spent about 1.5 hours walking through the field of kites.

On Friday, Memaw and Grandad came up and we had a cook out with them. Joshua was so excited to see them! On Sunday, we went out to meet Memaw and Nanny for a birthday dinner. Everyone was sick at Memaw's house so we ended up meeting at the resturant. Dinner was yummy and we had Diary Queen afterwards at Memaw's request.

Joshua had three late nights because the weather has been sooo nice we have been staying up late and playing outside with the neighbor kids. We are starting to put him to bed now at 7:30 instead of 7pm. Today we picked up a tent for Josh to have for our upcoming camping trip. He is so excited. He wanted to sleep in it tonight. He is going to have a blast camping.

Tonight we went to sleepytime storytime in our pj's. They hold it once a month at the library. We have really just been having LOTS of fun recently!!

To the Dump

Joshua was so excited today when I told him we were going to the dump. He wanted to ride in a dump truck. I had hoped we'd at least SEE a dump truck but we did not. On the way home, we stopped at a really fun park that has an playground completely surrounded by a fence. It is great because Josh can run around and I don't have to be quite as vigilant about him running off. He had lots of fun playing in the sand, with the other children and on the tall towers. It was great.

The Strasburg Railroad

Yesterday, we drove up to Strasburg for a trip on the steam engine there. The train ride was 9 miles out and back through Pennsylvania Amish country. It was a lot of fun and Joshua was so excited to ride a train. We posted a few photos and are looking forward to going back in June when Thomas the Tank Engine is in town. Here is the website http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/



Today, we enjoyed Yanna's (our friends' daughter) first communion. Mira was passed around and Joshua played with the kids (sans nap) it was a good day.

Mira has found her hands and likes to stare at them watching them open and close. She was very alert and watching everything going on today at the party. I am guessing she will sleep well tonight!!

Hand Specialist

I've been to the hospital where Mira was seen today at least 5 times visiting other's people's children. And even though Mira is a very healthy baby, walking in there with MY child was a sobering experience. We are so fortunate that what Mira is being seen for is relatively simple in the grand scheme of things. Especially when you know the difficulty that some families experience.

Mira's appointment went really well. They were about an hour off schedule to see her but we expected that. She slept through the entire time waiting to see the dr. and then woke up to coo and stare and hold the dr's hands as she was examined. They looked to see that she had full movement of the thumb and that she used both hands equally. They examined her arms, other fingers and asked about her toes. All parts were in good working order. In fact, the extra digit or split thumb that she does have is a relatively minor case. Her dominate thumb is pretty much full sized. When she is over a year old she will have the extra thumb part removed. At that point she will be in a better situation for receiving anesthesia. The only reminder will be a small scar along the side of her thumb. There is still question as to whether or not there is actually a bone in the extra thumb but that will be answered in October when she will be seen again for a checkup. The dr. said that the surgery is fairly simple and quick (30-45 min) but that it is the 'going under' part that is trickier for little ones. Since she is a healthy baby and this thumb does not interfere with her daily life waiting until she is over a year is really the best option.

So, the dr. pretty much confirmed all that we had thought and had been told up to this point. He was very thorough in his exam and explained everything clearly. I think Jason and I were both comfortable with his diagnosis.

Joshua was watched by Mom Mom through all of this and did great. We were gone for about 4 hours. When we got home the weather had cleared up and turned out to be a beautiful day. We spent time out on the swing set before dinner and then joined our neighbors out front for vising and play after dinner.

Race Car and New Play Set

Our neighbors, since their daughters had outgrown it, gave us their gigantic swing set. I thought it was going to take an army of strong men to move the thing. But, Howard arrived Friday evening with one of the large towers attached to a lawn tractor having put wheels on the tower. There is a photo of the scene. I video taped it, too, it was so comical. On Saturday, the rest of the play set made it into our yard. The kids in the neighborhood helped bring all the pieces down and also helped swing on the swings. Joshua is so excited. Sunday morning he didn't even want breakfast. He just wanted to go and play. So, we did.





Jason's new Mini Cooper S arrived on Saturday as well. Now we are all set for the mini meet in July. He just needs his helmet so he can do the auto cross.

Mira is on a smiling kick. She'll smile at anyone that talks to her and she loves to be talked to. She'll through an oooh or ah in periodically, too. Yesterday she started really reaching for her toys while sitting in her swing. Today she reached up and touched my face while I was talking to her.

Videos

We have some videos up now. You can access them through the links to the right, "Family Videos".

Mira is smiling now, a lot. She 'talks' to you and is starting to hold on to items placed in her hands. She was already grabbing Nettie's hair and my necklace and holding on tight! The other day she even laughed in her sleep :-) So cute.

Joshua is getting a new swing set tomorrow. Our neighbors, whose girls have both outgrown the set they have, are giving their old one to us. We can wait!

Happy Easter

Joshua loved Easter! With all that candy, what's not to love! We tried to talk about the meaning of Easter but all Joshua heard was, 'The Easter Bunny brings candy.' We did have a fun time. We dyed eggs on Saturday and colored Easter pictures. He used his new 'cutters' aka scissors from Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara to cut out the pictures we were coloring. On Sunday, we had an Easter egg hunt at home when we woke up. The Easter bunny brought Joshua a new foam airplane that was huge! We went to church at my mom's and they had an egg hunt there, too. After church, Jason and the kids played in the field behind my parent's house throwing the airplane around. Then it was time for Easter dinner, naps and MORE play. Joshua got his exercise that day.

Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray came out to visit this week, too. We were so happy to see them. Joshua was asking when Uncle Ray was coming all morning on Tuessday before they arrived. He called Aunt Beth, "Memaw" even though he knew there was something different.

Yesterday, I took the little ones out to my parent's library for storytime with Stephanie. It is so nice to see Josh and Stephanie playing together now.

Mira is smiling now and really playing attention to what is gong on. She likes to be up where she can see the action. This morning she was batting at the toys hanging down from her play mat. With all her chubs she is quickly out growing her 0-3 month clothing. I think she weighs 11-12 lbs now but I don't know for sure. Her next dr appt isn't for a few weeks but she will see the specialist about her hand in the mean time. We saw the OB who delivered her for my 6 wk checkup today and she got a kick out of how chubby my little girl is. Looks like Mama's milk is working!

Milestones

Today, Mira had two firsts! She found her hand to suck on this evening and then tonight she SMILED! I am sure it was for real. She was looking at a little bear dangling from her bouncy seat and she gave a big grin, then did it again :-) Too bad my camera was downstairs. But I guess there will be lots of smiles ahead.

Last Thursday, we had a visit from Aunt Jo. Mira loves the Peter Rabbit soft book that Aunt Jo brought and will stare at the pages for a long time. She likes you to turn the pages periodically so she can see what comes next :-)

On Sunday, she went to church for the first time. Another baby that was born just 3 days before Mira was also in church for the first time. It was fun to see them together. Miss Mira definitely had Piper beat in the chubs department!

Monday, Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara arrived for a visit. They were at our house 'til today and then Mira, Joshua and I followed them out to Mom's for the day. Stephanie and Noella were home from the sitter's and we took all the kids to a local Nature center. Josh and Stephanie loved all the critters: turtles, snakes, frogs, fish and birds that they could see live and up close. The kids even got to pet a rabbit. It was a lot of fun.

Frisbee

Jason, while out shopping the other day, picked up a frisbee to play with. Joshua love s it! He and Jason have been out every evening tossing it back and forth. To our amazement, Joshua is very good at frisbee. His throwing is great and he can pretty much get it to Jason. He almost caught it tonight, too. We also introduced him to bubble baths. You can see his first bath below. He loves it and looks forward to bath time even more now.



Mira is starting to get out a few 'ooo's along with her grunts and squeaks. She intently stares at toys and faces now and grasps hair, shirts, necklaces or whatever she can find to hold on to.

Alert Time

Mira is having more and more time alert during the day. She likes looking at her toys, being carried around the house and listening to her 'sleep sheep' when she is awake. Joshua has been interacting with Mira more, too. He gives her kisses and touches her. He has to know where she is at all times as well. I asked him what his baby doll's name was and he said, 'Mira Jean' so I guess she already has a name-sake.

Mira had lots of visitors yesterday. My friend Jessica and her boyfriend, Chris, came up to see us and brought a delicious lunch. Then Ron, Christine, Yanna and Val came over in the late afternoon and brought dinner. It was a yummy day :-)

Just the three of us

Joshua, Mira and I have been surviving without Daddy home for the past couple of days. Today we will attempt story time. Thank goodness Mira likes to sleep! I still have time to play with Joshua throughout the day and he has been good about the time I need to spend tending to Mira. We try a good outside to run around for a while each day. I am glad that spring is coming. I don't think I can handle being couped up much longer. The crocuses are peaking through, one has started to bloom and the temperatures have been in the 40's instead of the 20's.

2 week check up

Mira saw the dr today for her 2 week check up. She weighed 10 pounds :-) Taking after her brother and gaining a pound a week. Joshua kept it up for 5 weeks from birth. We'll see how long little Mira sustains her trend :-) The dr was impressed with how she held her head up and tracked faces. She is very strong.

We also had a great visit from Grandma and Papa this past weekend. I'll post photos once we get them downloaded. Joshua was sad to see them leave this morning. He liked the way Papa read books and played games and he liked how Grandma pushed him in the stroller and played puzzles. Mira snuggled with Grandma most of the weekend and was quite content to be held and sleep the entire time.

Photo Shoot

Before Mira was born we had a photographer come out to take pregnancy photos of me with Jason and Joshua. Today, the photographer was back out to take pictures of Mira with all of us and by herself. She was a trooper through it all. She was awake for the beginning and then fell asleep about halfway through. She had just had enough stimulation. The photographer took shots of her naked with her little tushie up in the air and we Jason holding her cradled in his hands. I am sure they turned out great! We'll see in a week or so. We are all pooped from the event. It was a challenge to get Joshua to behave long enough to have his photo taken and then to coordinate that with Mira. Jason and I both needed a strong drink by the time the photographer left.



Joshua received a set of 4 puzzles from Kim, Ryan and Ellie for Christmas that he has really taken an interest in lately. The puzzles each have 12 pieces and no 'frame' to put them in or match the parts to but he can pretty much put each one together on his own. It is one activity that keeps him quiet for quite a long stretch of time.



We went out to dinner the other night with my parents. The meal took about 2 hours and both little ones did great through it. I was very impressed with Joshie's behaviour since he has been a challenge of late. Mira slept through it and Joshua played and ate his chicken and fries quietly.

Time to do a few bills and head to bed. Mira wakes up every 1-2 hours to nurse through the night but twice a night for about 1.5 hours she is up eating, burping and being changed. Usually it is right when we go to bed and then once more about 4 am.

Snowy Day

It snowed a little bit more last night so schools were closed and the library didn't open until noon. Storytime was canceled but we ventured out after nap to try and have Joshie's hair cut and return library books. The barber shop was closed, too. So, when we came home we made snow sundae's with lots of fun toppings. Joshua is enjoying his now but eating everything except the toppings he put on, funny boy.

Mira is sleeping. She was awake and alert this morning for a while and then again after nap. She is already 'tracking' faces, turning towards sounds she recognizes and holding her head up. We had 'story time' at home for Joshua and she enjoyed the books as well, ok so she slept through them but she will enjoy them later :-) Her umbilical cord stump fell off this morning so we will give her a little bath tonight, probably.

We are hoping that Aunt Jill and Aunt Tara will make it down to visit tonight but the weather may prevent that. We'll see!

Mira's First Dr. Appointment

Mira saw our pediatrician yesterday (I think Joshua was thankful it wasn't his turn!) and weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz. She has already surpassed her birth weight. I imagine today she weighs even more. She is a very good eater and I already notice her becoming less wrinkly and more filled out. Her cheeks are getting bigger. She did great at the dr's and was pronounced, 'Healthy'. :-)

She is a very agreeable baby so far. She had a busy time between 10pm-2am when she likes to eat, poop, eat, eat, spit up, change her clothes.... You get the picture. During the day when she is not eating or pooping, we either hold her or put her in the pack n' play bassinet. She loves it and either looks around or sleeps. I think she likes the noise of the house. We have gotten a couple of 3 hour stretches of sleep from her and have hopes that she will be a better sleeper than her older brother.

Joshua is doing great as a big brother and adjusting really well to the change. The toughest time of night is bed time when he asks for a laundry list of things (more kisses, hugs, stories, water, blankets...you name it). During the day, however, he is most helpful bringing toys and other items, asking about Mira, playing nicely, etc. Daddy and I are doing our best to give Joshua one on one time throughout the day. Visitors have also been very good about saying hello to Joshua first, coming to play with him and bringing him gifts. I think he may think all this fuss is about him becoming a big brother.

Sounds like the boys are ready to go, better sign off!

Joshua has a little sister!

Mira Jean, our brand new beautiful baby girl, was born February 15th at 12:39a. She weighed 7 lbs 7 oz, is 20 in. long, and ended up with 11 fingers :-).



Joshua is not quite sure what to make of her, but he knows he's the "big brudder" and carries the little baby doll Mira gave him...

Daddy and Carie were there helping through the whole thing and experienced the amazing event first hand. Kimberly and Ellianna visited first thing Friday morning; Memaw and Joshua came Friday afternoon to visit shortly (since Joshua's attention wanders easily); Granddad stopped by after work on Friday on his way to join Joshua and Memaw; Christopher (aka The Godfather) came later Friday night (bearing much-needed survival supplies); and Tia Amy and Tio Omar visited with Dylan, Stephanie, and Noella Saturday afternoon.

Mom is still at the hospital with Mira, since the attending doctors want to keep an eye on the baby since she "lost so much weight." Ummm... it's quite normal to lose up to 10% (which is what she lost). Nevertheless, she eats like a fiend (absolutely no problem breastfeeding or taking a bottle), and poops like one too :-) We think they are over-cautious, but they put up a fight so we yielded (at least until tomorrow.) Daddy took over Joshua's care (Memaw had him since Thu. night!), and is now back home with him; hopefully, we'll be on our way to pick Mommy and sister up in the morning.

I posted a few pictures on Flickr, check 'em out!

Bit of a Cough

The sickness Joshua had last Monday seems to have just been car sickness so that is good. Now, he has picked up a cough that is going around. His appetite is a bit less and he is coughing a lot in the middle of the night but last night was better. He is a bit irritable but still active and playful. Looks like we have to just wait this one out.

Today, we are venturing out for some 'stock up' grocery shopping. It is REALLY cold out so I hope we don't freeze!

I picked up the book, 'Happiest Toddler on the Block' from the library. I haven't actually gotten a chance to read it yet but I hope it has some insights with how to help Joshua through this hitting and kicking stage. We had to leave story time on Friday because of his hitting and kicking. He is such a bundle of emotions right now that things escalate very quickly from happy, playful child to Tazmanian Devil faster than you can blink. But, I guess that is the age.

On the flip side, Joshua is really looking forward to being a "Big Brodder" (Big Brother) and likes to tell you about it. He is also really helpful now and likes to pitch in with just about every activity. He sets the table, feeds the animals, picks up his clothes and toys, lets the dog in and out, stirs when I am baking and wipes the table.

For updates on the baby progress check my pregnancy blog nettieann.blogspot.com

Chunks

Joshua and I went this morning to take Godfather to have his wisdom teeth pulled. Just as we were about 15 min from the dr. office Joshua threw up all over the place. It was a mess. Chris hopped in back and cleaned up as best he could but the smell and mess were bad. Josh wasn't acting sick so we continued on our way to the appointment. Chris had his teeth pulled and we made our way back home. I spent the afternoon cleaning up the mess. Ick! Joshua called it 'chunks' and talked about the event for the day but again seemed to be in pretty good spirits. He ate and played and so we figured that it was probably car sickness or something since he only had milk in his tummy.

He spit up a little more right before bed tonight so we will now be monitoring him. I hope it isn't a bug! That is just not something we need to pass around right now!

Zero Tolerance

Joshua has been getting more and more unruly. He has been hitting and kicking when either frustrated or just because. We had been counting to 3, giving time out and then giving a quiet time in his room if the time out didn't work. None of it was working. So, we have turned to 'zero-tolerance' policing. If he hits then he gets two minutes in the time out chair or on the step or whatever happens to be close by wherever we are. The ironic thing is that I was discussing this and suggestions with another mom when Joshua walked up and kicked me in the shin. It is hard not to just shake your head and stare in awe of the audacity. He got a time out.

Other than the normal ups and downs, today was relatively good. He didn't get a nap (he went to bed and just wouldn't sleep) but was very good about walking with me around Ikea this morning. He held my hand and explored all the fun things there were to see. His bathroom issues have been pretty under control recently, too. I got the book 'deceptively delicious' out of the library and have been having fun incorporating more veggies in our meals. We are all eating more vegetables and I think that is a good thing. I can even get Jason to eat squash and cauliflower now (unheard of!)

Finger Update

Joshua's finger, although still a little swollen, seems to be healing fine. The Dr. said that kids have an amazing ability to heal themselves and it is true. We had to stop taping Joshua's two fingers together because they were rubbing and causing sores which were very uncomfortable. He seems to be using that hand again for the most part and we are just keeping an eye on it.

Joshua is deep in the throws of the terrible twos. We love the creative things that he comes up with like tonight when he told us he had 'ice cream face' and then when I asked him how he knew he had ice cream face (he hadn't seen a mirror) he replied 'cause you just know!'. But then, he very defiantly answers no to everything else you ask him driving us up the wall. He is just chock full of emotions that he doesn't yet know how to handle and we are trying our best to help him with that without going crazy ourselves. :-)

A week in review

Last Saturday, we enjoyed an afternoon at Memaw's house celebrating Nanny-Grandma's 88th birthday. Joshua had fun playing with his cousins. Tuesday & Wednesday Memaw was out to visit/help again. Jason has been off Friday-Monday. He and Joshie went to story time Friday and read books about cowboys. They boys also had fun shoveling snow and sledding. It snowed last Thursday and Joshua got to use his new sled from Santa. He loved it! The pictures are already up. This weekend, since Daddy has been around he and Joshua have had lots of time to play, read and hang out together.

Never a dull moment

We went out for my dr appt this evening then out to dinner as we have been doing since the beginning of Nov. It was a nice dinner and Joshua ate really well. Then, when we were cleaning up and Jason was taking Joshua to the bathroom to wash his hands Joshua put his hand in the door to the bathroom on the hinge side. I heard them coming back to the table before I saw them as Joshua was screaming a scream I didn't recognize and Jason was sure he had broken his middle finger on his right hand.

We drove to the nearest hospital's ER which also happens to be the hospital Joshua was born at and the one I will be delivery this baby at. We were in and out in less than an hour and a half and received confirmation that the finger was indeed broken. Joshua had calmed down before we even left the resturant's parking lot but all of the interactions he had with hospital staff (weight, temp check, blood pressure/pulse, wrist bracelet, x-rays, application of splint) sent him into hysterics.

We are home now and Jason is up putting Joshua to bed. He is already adapting and using his left hand. He is back to his antics of running around, climbing and just getting into trouble. Nothing slows the child down! We'll be following up with an orthopedic dr in the next day or so since it is a fracture to see how to best ensure the finger heals properly.



And no, this event didn't send me into labor although it is funny that it should happen within the first hour of me getting off of bed rest. But I guess it's good that we were in the right place!

Onyx found a new home

Today, we adopted Onyx out to a new family. The father in law of our pet sitter. We had always known that this day may come and recently she had been getting along less and less with Joshua. We thought about the decision a lot and prayed over it. The man that will be her new parent is a single, older person who can devote all his attention to her. I think she will be happy and I hope that we will receive updates periodically. We sent her off with her bed and some treats. She got right into the car of our pet sitter, which she usually does not do without assistance. It was very hard to see her go. I hope that this makes the care of the animals easier, especially with the new baby on the way.



We told Joshua about Onyx leaving this morning over breakfast so that there was not a lot of build up to the event. As she drove away, he asked, 'Where is Onyx going?' and we explained again. Then he, Jason and Jack went for a walk. They are just getting in now and Jack seems to be touring the house looking for Onyx. It will be hardest on Jack, I think. But I worry that Joshua and Jack both will feel that that are next.

Legos

Joshua and Jason have played legos the past two nights while I cooked dinner. They sit at the kitchen table, Jason with his Star Wars Death Star Destroyer and Joshua with his Thomas Duplos. Last night, they built for about an hour and a half. Tonight, Jason had Joshua help him find the pieces he needed for his project and Joshua helped him place them together.





Although the testing continues on a 24x7 basis, I feel like the past two days have been calmer. It is so easy to react with "NO" as the first response but that quickly escalates into lots of time outs and quiet times and frustration on everyone's part. We have been redirecting, giving Joshua the opportunity to make the right choice and helping him remember the rules. It seems to be working better but requires a lot more thought at the time.

Happy New Year, 2008!

Wishing everyone the best in the coming year. Joshua and we have a lot to look forward to this year. Obviously, the first being the birth of baby #2 but then we also have home projects we are working on, Jason's graduation, a trip to Mini Meet East in Maine, camping and Christmas at Grandma & Papa O. Joshua and I are both thrilled to have Jason around a lot more making family activities possible again.

We rang in the new year last night with friends, Ron & Christine, Yanna and Val. Joshua has slept over at their house before but always in a pack-n-play. Last night, he slept for the first time in a sleeping bag on the floor. He went right to bed without any problems. We are so proud of him! We were able to have a nice evening with friends and were home in our beds by 2.

The Rest of Christmas

So, we opened presents on Christmas morning with Grandma and Papa watching from the video chat. Joshua wanted to open and play with each present he unwrapped at first but then he was just tearing through things to open more presents! He received an easel/desk set from G & P and liked the little bins and places to put things. He also received books, clothes, a computer game and lots of Thomas items. He is really into trains. But, a highlight of the morning was when I opened my gift from Jason. He had wrapped an envelop in a big box filled with packing peanuts. Joshua just jumped right in the box and had so much fun burying himself in the peanuts and tossing them out. We all were giggling just watching him. It was great!

Next we got dressed and packed up and headed over to Memaw and Grandad's house. Josh was tired but didn't fall asleep in the car. He ate lunch when we got there and then we started round two of opening presents. You really had to keep an eye on him because he wanted to open every present he saw. It was chaos with everyone opening at once. But, lots of fun. He received more clothes, books and Thomas train items plus paints, a scarf and slippers AND a new 'little blankie' just in case. After presents, Jason attempted to get Joshua down for a nap. The girls had woken up by this point and it was a challenge to get Joshua to sleep with everything going on but just when we were sitting down to Christmas dinner he fell asleep in the middle of a tall, full sized bed with no rails... He didn't fall off though! We had a very nice dinner and Joshua woke up in time to eat and enjoy desert. Then it was back to playing with Stephanie. Jason built legos with Dylan and played a round of chess that he lost. Dylan is quite the opponent these days! The kids were really enjoying themselves playing together and with Aunt Jill, Aunt Tara & Aunt Amy. Eventually, Josh and Stephanie ended up in front of the tv watching Elmo. Josh was almost catatonic by this point. He was so pooped!

On our way home Joshua spotted the very bright moon and stars and enjoyed watching them through his window. On the radio we listened to Christmas music and stories. 'The Night Before Christmas' came on the radio and Joshua finished every verse with the narrator. It was so wonderful to hear his little voice joining along! He also wanted to hear "Jingle Bell Rock" again but we had to explain that radio was not the same as listening to cds. He was awake when we arrived home but went to bed easily. Jason and I unloaded the car, tried to make sense of the tornado state we left the house in in the morning and then headed to bed ourselves. It was a full and magical day.

Merry Christmas!

It is 10:30 pm and I could probably just fall asleep on the couch here. Water is boiling in the background to make tea for Jason and myself in a little while. I think this Christmas has to rank up there with best Christmases ever. It has been fantastic. Not for one major thing that we have received but for all the little magical moments. Joshua at age 2 understands so much more about what is going on and is excited about it.

Yesterday, we had a fun day of preparations. We colored Santa pictures and cut out shapes to glue on them. Jason and I wrapped presents. Jason did a bit of food shoping with Josh and ran another errand or two. In the evening, we sat down for a nice family dinner. We read the story of Jesus' birth in the Bible. Jason toasted to our family and we ate. After dinner, we chatted with Josh, Trina, Kirra and Cathi on the video chat. Josh was 'showing' toys and books to the camera. Kirra was talking and wiggling around. It is so fun to see her growing! After our chat, we watched Rudolph until it was Joshie's bedtime and then he prepared cookies, milk and a note for Santa. He asked for Santa to bring him cookies. Then it was off to bed for Joshie. But we did get a bunch of really cute pictures of Joshua writing his letter and putting out the goodies. Then Jason and I set to work preparing last minute items for Christmas morning. Jason baked his mom's banana bread while I worked on a project on the couch. When he was done, he assembled Joshua's gift from Grandma and Papa so it would be ready in the morning. We put out our presents and then headed off to bed so Santa could come.



In the morning, I went downstairs first so that I could get Joshua's reaction to Santa's arrival in the night as it happened. Jason brought Joshie down and the first thing he said was, 'Santa ate the cookies! Santa drank it all [the milk]'. We found a note that Santa left for Joshua thanking him for the cookies and crumbs that were left from the cookies. Joshua was excited to see his stocking filled and grabbed out matchbox cars from it. He opened one present, track for his Thomas trains, and we opened our stockings then we had breakfast. Jason cooked up eggs and bacon which we enjoyed along with the banana bread. Joshua was so good and ate breakfast while playing with items out of his stocking. He had already had two pieces of chocolate from Jason's stocking. He swiped them and hid behind me while he ate them. But his expression was so adorable as he gobbled up the chocolate. He knew he wasn't supposed to have it and had the most mischevous grin on his face!

After breakfast we broke into the presents. Grandma and Papa watched from the video chat.

I'll have to continue tomorrow... the sleep monster beckons!

Visitors

Joshua enjoyed a visit from Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara Friday-Sunday. He got in lots of running and tricycle riding time while they were here. He also enjoyed snuggling several times on the floor with lots of pillows, blankets and books to read. It was wonderful to have them here and Joshua took right to them without hesitation. Wish they could stay all the time!

New tricks? Joshua for a little while now, has been able to reach the water and ice in the refrigerator and likes to get them himself. He can also get his own ice when he hurts himself. If you ask him if he wants a kiss on his boo-boo, he kiss it himself. LOL. He is so independent, Aunt Tara thinks he could survive on his own for at least a day.

We have been talking to Joshua about Christmas and Santa coming. He has had some practice opening presents as they come in. It is great when only he is opening and he has only one or two items to open. He gets really excited. But when there are lots of presents he doesn't understand that they are not all his! We asked him what he wants from Santa and he has said presents, cookies and a Thomas Video at varying times. We'll see what he says today.

If I don't get a chance to post again tomorrow .... Merry Christmas!!

Fasteners

Joshua received a fun puzzle from Kim, Ryan and Ellianna for his birthday that he is just loving right now. It lets him practice buttoning, zippering, snapping, buckling and all the other fasteners. He is getting really good at it and likes to put turtle, bunny and Duncan McCloed (his Scottish bear) in the pieces.

Right now, he is out with Daddy running errands. He likes that daddy is around a lot more now and can play games and puzzles. Joshua is also looking forward to the arrival of Aunt Jill & Aunt Tara a little later this afternoon. We are busy preparing him for Christmas. He thinks that Santa rides a fire engine but that is ok for now. There are no presents under the tree at the moment because he would open them but we put his toys under the tree and that is working well.

Happy Birthday, Dylan

Joshua and Jason went out to celebrate Dylan's 11th birthday yesterday. Memaw and Aunt Amy watched the little ones while the guys all went bowling with Dylan and his friends. It was a really fun time.

Today, we are hoping to put up the Christmas tree and decorate it. I think that Joshua will enjoy that. He can help hang the ornaments. Joshua is enjoying having time with Daddy now!

We've been working on a lot of different skills using Joshua's puzzles, which he enjoys. He is learning his letters, colors and numbers. He has taken a new found interest in the alphabet bus we have and the baby leapfrog reader.

Visit to see Santa

Godfather took Joshua downtown this evening to see Santa. He, Josh, was a bit nervous and didn't actually make it to Santa's lap without tears but he did see Santa. Ellianna and Kim & Ryan were there, too. Afterwards, he picked out his ornament for the year, a train, of course. Then it was home to bed.

First Snow

Today it snowed a couple of inches. Joshua went out in the morning with Memaw and rode his trike while it started snowing. Then in the afternoon Alex took Joshua outside to play in the snow and go sledding for the first time ever! We didn't have a sled so they rode on the top of a rubbermaid tub which worked just fine. Judging by the fact that they were outside quite a while, I think Josh liked it.

Joshua has also learned to button. He has a puzzle that has zippers, snaps, buttons, buckles, ties and other fasteners. He was able to do the zippers and snaps before but now he can also do the buttons. He is so good at detail stuff!

His vocabulary is exploding and he is picking up phrases all the time so we just crack up at the things that he says. But, he has also become very ornery and is challenging us at every turn. I guess it comes with the territory. He is very excited about all the Christmas music, videos and decorations. He even rode around the neighborhood in the dark on his trike the other day with Memaw to look at Christmas lights. What a treat!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Joshua and Jason are just now going outside to enjoy the glorious day. It is in the 60's and sunny so they are going for a little bike ride. Joshua is very excited about going to Memaw's house. It has been a long time since we were out there and he loves seeing all his cousins. I can't wait to see how he likes Thanksgiving dinner. He is enjoying eating regular foods now and I bet he will love the Turkey and all the treats! We will hit the road just after Josh wakes up from his nap. I can't wait!

Photo Upload

I finally uploaded the pictures from our trip to Vegas. Yes, the one in Sept/Oct. I uploaded the pictures as a set since there were 91 :-) I also put up a few views from the coach, photos that I have taken of the mischief maker in the past couple of weeks.

Dylan and Memaw are back for the next week days. Amy and the gang were out last night and brought dinner, yum yum! Joshua likes all the visitors since he gets to PLAY!

Little Helper

Joshua has his moments. Sometimes he is completely wound up and unmanagable. Having people come in and out every few hours is challenging for him. He tends to get excited everytime there is a new face and takes a little while to calm down. However, on the flip side he can be REALLY helpful. He will take trash to the trashcan, empty dishes to the table and bring me mail. Of his own accord, he even took the cheese we were done eating and put it back in the refrigerator. It is amazing to watch him. Right now, he is playing with Alex, our neighbor, he loves time with Alex.

Riding my tricycle

feeling so free....Jason took Joshua down to the park and Joshie rode his trike most of the way. He peddles like a pro these days. It has gotten quite cold and so we are digging out the hats and mittens. They are especially necessary on the times that Joshie spends an hour out running and playing and riding. Alex came over yesterday to entertain Joshua while Jason did homework. Josh had a blast while he and Alex play trains and then later went outside to play. It was a really bit help to have Alex here.

Watching Joshua

I think I need to keep my camera with me on the couch. Watching Joshua with Memaw is a lot of fun. He is certainly keeping her on her toes. They read on the fireplace, ride his trike outside and play, vacuum, play trains and run errands. He is doing a good job with all the changes and even helps some with taking things to and from mommy and picking up items up off the floor for me.

Things Change...

Ah the joys of pregnancy and motherhood :-) Joshua, although he has a cold, as been great. I guess this is when the crossover between pregnancy and having a family occurs. As of last night I am on full bed rest until further notice. I will see my primary OB on Monday and hopefully get a better picture of the plan and timeline. I am at 25 weeks and having preterm labor.

Joshua is handling it as well as can be expected. He doesn't understand why mommy can't get down off the couch, why she can't pick him up or play with him. But, Memaw is here and that is an immense help. I imagine the days when I don't have a helper are going to be very challenging but we will get through. We have a lot fantastic family and friends who have already been offering very generous help.

Happy Halloween!

Joshua loved Halloween! We went to a neighbor's house for pizza and other food and then left as a group for trick or treating. It only took two houses for Joshua to get the hang of things. He would walk up, say 'Trick or Treat', take a candy, say 'Thank you' and move on. The scary decorations didn't bother him at all and soon he was running between houses, 'Another House!' he would say. We did about four small streets and then headed home. After we inspected the candy and removed the stuff he couldn't eat we let him have one piece. He chose a mini Reese's peanut butter cup which he proceeded to carefully open and eat, slowly. He, of course, loved it and wanted more.

Today, when we left to run errands he asked if we could go trick or treating again. Ah, Halloween comes but once a year!

Fun & Games with Joshua

When he's not being a typical 2-year old, Joshua is simply pure fun! Tonight, he and I were out riding his tricycle and he actually pedaled for about 6ft at a time... he's done a bit of movement before, but this was the most by far. He also helped me carry in the heavy (50lb) bags of doggy food: after deciding he couldn't lift them them out by himself, he enlisted Daddy's help, and helped carry all the way to the door, held the door open and proceeded to help carry them to the food spot. Excellent helper, grunting and giggling the whole way.

He love watching my new indoor helicopter (from Grandma and Papa) fly as well... it's often a very effective way to get him to eat his food: if you want Daddy to fly the helicopter, take another 3 bites of food... :-)
-daddy

I think someone abducted my child...

and replaced him with a child that eats his vegetables! Joshua has been eating peas, green beans, brocolli, corn and carrots. It is a miracle! He has been eating pretty good meals, it takes him about an hour to eat, but he is getting the food in his little body! Yippee! We are able to 'bribe' him to take bites and try new things so he has actually been eating some of what we are eating at dinner. Life is good.

He's a Fish (Again!)

Joshua and I went to the pool after a long break between our trip and busy time before hand. Anyhow, we were back in the warm pool again, which Joshua just loved! He was smiling and swimming better than I have seen him do to date! It was great to have him so comfortable in the water. I think if we keep up going several times a week then he will be letting go and jumping in in no time. Plus, it was great exercise for me! I'm pooped!

2 year checkup

Joshua had his two year check up this morning. As usual we brought with us a list of all the things Joshua is doing now. As usual the dr was impressed with all his skills. I wonder if this next baby will be more laid back? He is now 36" tall and 28.5 pounds. That puts him in the 80th percentile for height and 60th percentile for weight. The dr. has been please how consistently he has grown. Although he hated the checkup and really hated the flu shot she did get to see him climb all over me and hop around a little bit. Maybe next year will be better.

After the dr appointment we took the dogs for a walk, walked down to the park and filled the bird feeders on our return home. He ate a fantastic lunch of 5 chicken nuggets, peas, a couple of bites of banana and juice. I was shocked to see him eating peas again! I hate to get my hopes up though that he would consistently eat veggies like he eats fruit.

He is back on track potty-wise now. We had a bit of a problem when we got back as it seemed he had completely reverted while we were away but after he got the constipation straightened out the potty skills came back, too. I imagine we might have a little hiccup in February, too.

On Sunday we went to a local farm and took a hay ride out to a pumpkin patch where Joshua was able to pick his own pumpkin. He had fun doing that and has been talking about 'riding the tractor' since. The cashier at checkout gave him an apple and I think that was another highlight.

transition

Well, the return home was very good. I have a fantastic traveler! He was a bit challenging in the airport mostly because he is two and is interested in everything even at midnight and after hours of travel. But, on the plane he just fell asleep after the plane took off. We have been getting back into the swing of things here at home. Daddy's birthday was Friday, Happy Birthday Jason, and we had fun celebrating with him. We are slowly moving Joshua back into east coast time but bedtime has been problematic. I guess he got used to having me sleep in the room with him. I am sure he will adjust. It is just going to be challenging for the next few days.

Joshua was a very lucky boy for his birthday and received LOTS of clothes (his drawers are bursting!) and toys, books and puzzles. Just like his mommy & daddy did/do, he has been loving the legos from Grandma and playing with them a lot. I think we'll need to plan to rotate in the other toys. Even for me, as an adult, it has been overwhelming with all the new fun things.

Today, Joshua went to an Autocross with Memaw and Grandad. He liked watching the 'race cars'. We stayed about 30-45 minutes but Joshie also wanted to run around, not an option. Tomorrow, we hope to go to a fall festival or pumpkin picking. Mommy's favorite!

Happy 2nd Birthday Joshua!!

Wow! Two years. It doesn't seem possible!

Grandma and Papa threw Joshua a fantastic birthday on Saturday with lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. The party was some of Joshua's favorite characters: Thomas AND Elmo! He was in his glory with balloons, singing, presents, toys, cake and Jasper & Sawyer to share them all with.

We have our last day of visiting Uncle Josh and Aunt Trina tomorrow (Tuesday) and then we head home. We can wait to see Daddy!! Hopefully Joshua will continue to be a fantastic traveler as he has been this whole trip.

Story time

We are having a good time out here visiting with Aunt Trina and baby Kirra. Uncle Josh is away for the next day but he'll be back tomorrow. Aunt Wayneen and Uncle Bud are coming for a visit tomorrow, too.

Today, we went to story time and had a blast. There were tons of kids and this library does a great job. Next, we stopped by an awesome park nearby (the same one that Jason, big Josh and little J went to on Friday) and Joshua played in the water sprinklers. He also saw ducks and turtles. Kirra enjoyed the adventures out, too. She was very good in the car and slept for most of the outings.

Now, everyone is resting and the mommies should be, too!

Visiting Baby Kirra

We've been out visiting Uncle Joshua, Aunt Trina and Baby Kirra. It has been fun to see little Joshua's reaction to and interaction with Kirra. He wasn't very interested at first and even came up to me when I was holding her and said, 'Mommy all done the baby.' But now he will bring her toys and blankets. We have to be careful though because he isn't very gentle and kind of 'chucks' them at her. He is not allowed to touch her. We did set that rule. He has been pointing out her features though, hands, feet, hair and today in the car we were working on opposites. I would ask him, 'Is baby Kirra awake or asleep?', "Are her eyes open or closed?" and he would answer.

He and Daddy and Uncle Joshua went to a fantastic park on Friday. They had a lot of fun. As soon as I can get the photos off of my camera I will upload a few. Joshua needs lots of time to let out energy and that has been a little challenge. We have been going for walks, going to the parks, running around in the backyard and playing with Gigi the dog.

Today, we went with Kirra and Aunt Trina to the library to pick up a few books. There are lots of storytimes so we will try and do one of those while we are here. We'll also probably try and go to the park we when to at Christmas when the ducks attacked us.

At the end of the week we are heading out to Grandma and Papa's house. Grandma is planning a birthday party for Joshua which I am sure he is going to love. He loves birthdays, the cake, the presents and especially the birthday song. I think that was one of the first songs he sang!

Everyone is napping but I need to get some work done so I will go for now. I'll keep you posted with pictures and stories as I can.

Visiting Baby Kirra

We've been out visiting Uncle Joshua, Aunt Trina and Baby Kirra. It has been fun to see little Joshua's reaction to and interaction with Kirra. He wasn't very interested at first and even came up to me when I was holding her and said, 'Mommy all done the baby.' But now he will bring her toys and blankets. We have to be careful though because he isn't very gentle and kind of 'chucks' them at her. He is not allowed to touch her. We did set that rule. He has been pointing out her features though, hands, feet, hair and today in the car we were working on opposites. I would ask him, 'Is baby Kirra awake or asleep?', "Are her eyes open or closed?" and he would answer.

He and Daddy and Uncle Joshua went to a fantastic park on Friday. They had a lot of fun. As soon as I can get the photos off of my camera I will upload a few. Joshua needs lots of time to let out energy and that has been a little challenge. We have been going for walks, going to the parks, running around in the backyard and playing with Gigi the dog.

Today, we went with Kirra and Aunt Trina to the library to pick up a few books. There are lots of storytimes so we will try and do one of those while we are here. We'll also probably try and go to the park we when to at Christmas when the ducks attacked us.

At the end of the week we are heading out to Grandma and Papa's house. Grandma is planning a birthday party for Joshua which I am sure he is going to love. He loves birthdays, the cake, the presents and especially the birthday song. I think that was one of the first songs he sang!

Everyone is napping but I need to get some work done so I will go for now. I'll keep you posted with pictures and stories as I can.

Tackle Daddy!

After finishing dinner, Joshua wanted to play with the Daddy... little did I know what I was getting into! We began by rolling a roll of duct tape, then throwing a ball around. Daddy ended up in his usual spot: sitting on the floor of the family room. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Josh comes barreling towards me with no intention of slowing down... and we collide in a bundle of giggles while rolling on the floor. This turned out to be the highlight - so repeat 25 times: Josh runs back to the kitchen, turns around, yells "GO!" and runs to tackle Dad.

The one time I didn't fall over, Josh made a confused noise and said, "fall over, daddy". It was all planned out...

Always something new!

Joshua continually surprises and amazes us. He learned how to paint on Tuesday and loved it. When daddy came home he showed off his picture and was so proud. He layed it nicely on the table and waited for Jason to look at it.

He has leared to count to 15, I think thanks to Sesame Street! That was out of the blue and fun. He can also sing his ABC's now. Don't ask him to though because he will say, NoOooooo. That is his answer for everything these days. We have both been enjoying the cool nights and mild days of fall with walks, trips to the park, riding the tricycle and just playing outside.

On Wednesday we went to the park and when Jason got home that evening he asked Joshua what he did today. Joshua answered, 'Go to the park.' So Jason asked him if it was fun and Joshua said, 'Had fun riding the slides.' That was a surprise! He has also be trying more foods lately and eating a bit more. He is now 36.5" tall but I wonder if a growth spurt is on the horizon.

Soccer out in the 'burg

Joshua and I enjoyed watching Dylan play a fantastic game of soccer on Saturday. He and his team were great, the really kept the ball in the other team's part of the field and it worked! They won! Go Dylan.

I uploaded a few photos from the game and from the little cousins playing on the sidelines.

The Beach

We just couldn't help ourselves! We took one more little escape to the beach with our friends Ron, Christine, Yanna and Val. It was a whirlwind last minute ie planned Wed left Thursday trip but it was great. Each trip we take Joshua loves the water and beach more and more. By the last day he was saying, 'Go to the Woecean, YEAH!' everytime he saw the water. And he would say, 'Ready... GO!' and run into the surf. Next time we will have a life jacket for him since he no longer has water aversion. He loves the sand, too and spent a lot of time digging in it and bringing buckets of water back and forth.

We told Joshua last week that mommy's belly has a baby inside. He talks about it, 'Be careful of the baby belly' and will come up and point to my belly if you ask him where the baby is. Unfortunately, in true kid form, he tried to generalize this information. And he was pointing to other pudgy bellies and saying, 'Baby Belly.' But alas, all those folks were just a little chunky and not really pregnant. So we then explained that mommy is the only person that has a baby belly. That seems to have solved it for now.

Other cute things, Joshua calls music, 'sugick'. In spite of the mispronounciation, he loves to sing along and dance at every chance he gets. He knows "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Happy Birthday" and "Ring Around the Rosy" to name a few. He even sings to the old 'Pac Man' record that Uncle Josh put on a cd for him. Uncle Josh, you will understand this... he says, 'I am shadow' at the right spot.

It is late and I better close. I try and add more soon!

More visits and plans

Last weekend, brought the arrival of my cousin, Bill. He was out visiting on a business trip and came to our home for the night. You can see the photos of the BBQ that we had on Sunday. It was a fun visit. This week there was not so much new with Joshua. Just mostly our regular schedule. Memaw came to visit and help with projects on Thursday. Godfather Chris came for the evening on Thursday to watch Joshua while we enjoy a small cruise for our anniversary. Jason is home for a long weekend and we are celebrating our anniversary, my birthday and painting the deck, which is in much need of repair.

Visitor

We had a wonderful visit from Auntie Heej yesterday (my close friend from college). She won over Joshua's heart early on by brining him a Thomas Train Track set. After that, he thought she was the best! So, we had lunch out, went to the park and then came home to relax. She played songs for Joshua on the piano and he played along, too. It was wonderful to see him connect so quickly with someone new. Today was rather cool and I brought out Joshua's long pants only none of them fit! I am sure I have size 24 mos/2T somewhere and I am going to need to dig them out for cool days like today. After finding one pair that fit we headed off to the barber for a hair cut. It is adorable. See below...



After the hair cut it was story time and then home for a nap. Speaking of which, it is mine turn to sleep, too!

Gone Tubin'

This Friday was Aunt Carie's 30th birthday. Geez, everyone is turning 30 this year!! Her housemate and close friend arranged a day of surprises which we were happy to partake in. The first event was a tubing trip at a local state park. Jason, Aunt Carie and Janet did the tubing while Joshie and I splashed around in the creek. We had fun exploring the water, listening to the birds and sitting on rocks. The water came up to Joshua's waist and he fell down twice, which he did like. But we saw fish, a humming bird, a crane, butterflies and lots of water bugs. He liked climbing on the rocks and stomping up a stream that flowed into the creek. Afterwards we all got ice cream at Rita's. It was a great afternoon/evening!

The night before we attended a baseball game with friends Ron, Christine, Yanna and Val. Josh loves the cheering, music and watching the ball. He is a good baseball fan and claps along with everyone else. The highlight of the game was him wearing his ice cream as a white sticky beard :-)

Antics

Joshua is a riot and really starting to understand the English language. Tonight, he was running around with the squirt bottle and telling us about all the things he was NOT allowed to squirt. "No squirt 'cycle", "No squirt Mommy"... "Squirt Daddy" to which we replied "No squirt Daddy" and he responded, "Squirt Daddy's Shirt" and proceeded to follow through. We were all cracking up.

I am busy uploading photos all the way back to the beginning of June. There are a lot that I missed previously so I will try and get them up as I can. We have been busy the past couple of weeks. The weekend before last we went out to visit Uncle Josh and Aunt Trina and go to a baby shower for them at Grandma and Papa's house. Joshua is a fantastic traveler and did great in the car and on the airplane in spite of the red eye flights. No sicknesses or emergency room visits this time either which was a relief and we got to swim every day! Joshua loved that!

This past weekend we had visits from Aunt Jill, Aunt Tara, Aunt Jo, Memaw and Grandad and we also saw Dylan. We'll have to make an effort to see the Izaguirre Crew since it has been a while since we made our way out to see them! Noella is starting to walk and I hear giving everyone lots of smiles in the mean time!

The Zoo

On Tuesday, Mom and I took Dylan, Stephanie & Joshua to the zoo. I am not sure if the kids had more fun looking at the animals or riding next to each other in the stroller kicking their legs and laughing. They did great and loved the exhibits they could ride, crawl on, slide down or hide under. Joshua loved the farm animals best and even got to hear a rooster crow. He also liked the penguins, they were very playful and were splashing around on their bellies and backs. He left with a stuffed elephant from Memaw to remember the day.

Seasame Street

Joshua has discovered Seseame Street and Elmo and loves it. So every day we watch one that I have taped. He has fun dancing to the music and waiting for Elmo and Mr. Noodle to come on.

He has stayed dry now every day through naptime even for the past three days. He can take himself to the potty which I think he likes a lot. He pushes me away if I try and help him on and for the most part he just runs in and takes care of things himself. It is hilarious. So the only step now is that he learn to go standing up and then that he stay dry at night but I don't think we are very far off since naptime is improving.

I am posting a few pictures of our playground fun with Yanna, Val and Mr. Ron from the other day. He is such a monkey on the playground!

A Monumental Occasion

and I forgot to put it in the blog! On Sunday, Joshua made a leap forward in his potty training. He started pulling his own pants off, getting to the toilet, climbing on and off and flushing all by himself! If the pants are too tight the whole plan is foiled but he is doing a really good job when he can get them off. It is great! Next we need to work on him standing to go but inspite of our recent efforts he has shown no interest in that.

Take me out to the ballgame!

On Friday, we took Joshua to his very first baseball game. The first of many I hope! He loved it! He loved the mascot, the clapping, the music and cheers. He even watched some of the game from our shoulders. He clapped and cheered on cue with the rest of the fans. Because it was an evening game we left at the 5th inning but we all had a lot of fun. I think it was just the right amount of time for him, too.

Saturday, we went to Memaw and Grandad's house (mommy and daddy then went to see harry potter) and Joshua had lots of fun playing with Stephanie, Noella and Dylan. Memaw even took him to see a train!

Today, we mostly just rested but we did go to Miss Christine and Mr. Ron's house for dinner. Joshua did great playing with Yanna and Val and he ate a fantastic dinner. He had THREE drumsticks, some corn on the cob, a piece of water melon and ice cream. I was shocked.

Opinion

Joshua loves noodles ('Noo-noos") but doesn't like ANYTHING on them. They must be unadulterated. So, after finished off what I put on his plate, I gave him one of mine. It had alfredo sauce on it. "I don't like it," says Joshua. Mind you, he hadn't even tasted it but he took his plate and set it on the table (instead of his tray). The little stinker.

He is doing great in his big boy bed and has actually been sleeping until closer to 7 most mornings. Yeah!

At the beach

On a whim we packed up and headed to the beach yesterday. We stayed overnight and came home today. It was a fantastic trip! Joshua loved the sand this time (last year he wouldn't touch it) and we even got him to go in the water. We had a lot of fun playing with him: building sand castles, digging holes, scouring for rocks & sea shells. We are looking forward to our next trip!

Happy 4th of July!

We took Joshua to see the fireworks tonight downtown over the water. It was a late night as the show didn't start until 9:30pm but Joshua loved it! We thought since he liked the fireworks at Godfather's birthday party (small ground ones) that he may enjoy the big ones but the size and noise are so much bigger we just weren't sure. He did great and spent the entire walk back to the car saying, 'Watch the fireworks'. We hope that he will sleep in a little bit to make up for the three hours late bedtime.