Sack of Topatoes

We've been reading a story where a dad lifts his little boy and puts him over his shoulder & calls him a sack of potatoes. I did this to Jacob the other day & I called him a sack of potatoes. He said, "Mom, I'm not a sack of topatoes." It was so cute I almost didn't want to tell him we were really talking about potatoes.

Great End to a Hard Day's Work

Oh the good ol' days - watermelon in the summer (updated by the cultivation of SEEDLESS watermelon). Patrick talked them into eating watermelon this way for the first time instead of cutting it in chunks. I think they enjoyed it. This was the end to a full Sunday and after the successful construction of...their very own STAGE for live concerts by our very own crew. Now the fun will really begin!

Princess Leah

I simply cannot believe how much Leah has changed in the last couple of weeks. I mentioned her crawling & starting to pull up on her knees. Well, in the last couple of days, she has sure been showing how much she enjoys crawling...crawl a little, get what she wants, sit back up proudly with a smile & look of accomplishment, and then playing some more. In addition, she pulled herself up onto her feet, and she also climbed one step. At any moment, she'll really be off to the races. I just can't believe how quickly she's changing. I have to remember each day (with all the kids) to really take a moment and enjoy the stage she is in and the great things to absorb. She loves to wave and smiles while she waves. It is so amazing seeing her personality really showing. What a beautiful girl (I'm very biased). Tonight she & Jacob were in the bath and I was watching them interact. Her brothers truly love her. Jacob was talking to her sweetly and she smiled and squealed like crazy. Leyton & Nathaniel do the same thing & she really gets going. It is just so enjoyable to watch. The only thing that probably doesn't make us all smile is the "T" word. Teeth that is. Her first two bottom teeth are really becoming apparent. I can tell she's discomforted by this, but honestly is handling it pretty well. They're not quite in yet, but maybe in the next day or two, they'll officially break through. I'll miss that gummy smile!

On the lookout for a rainbow

I think every parent wants to be able to give their child(ren) so much. Most things they ask for at this age really aren't too difficult to provide: the ice water, milk, a snack, lay by them at night, read to them, etc. However, sometimes things become a little more difficult. Nathaniel is my example right now. He wants so badly to see a rainbow. Every time it rains, he asks me if there will be a rainbow. So we talk about the conditions necessary for one, but he still hopes for one every time. Making one with the hose in the sunlight just doesn't cut it - he wants the real deal. It made me start to think about how few I've actually seen in the sky & I can't even recall the last one I saw spanning across the sky. Yesterday it was raining and the sun came out right after the rain, but not enough to give us a rainbow. Nevertheless, we had the discussion about how a rainbow is visible, etc., and he again, said, "Mom, but I really really want to see a rainbow." I give him hope for another rain shower, then I thought about how sweet he is and how rainbows are such gentle, beautiful, and special creations...I guess I actually see my own right in front of me each and every day. My cup runneth over.

What we've been doing - New Edition

Wow, June has been flying by too quickly! It seems like a whirlwind. With getting ready for vacation, actually going, then settling back in, I can't believe how it seems like the whole month is vanishing before my eyes. It's a good busy, though, I suppose, although I feel like I'm not keeping as good of tabs on the little things. Anyway, I figured it was time to take a few minutes to think about what the kids have been up to lately.

Leyton: definitely a fish. He's become so brave in the water. Jumping in with me not even close, diving underwater to pick up diving sticks, constantly going underwater just to show he can & how much he enjoys it. He has been very content lately despite the fact that he must be tired - we all are - from constantly being on the go. He's been very much the sweet talker big brother to Leah lately, too. He is very enjoyable to watch sing and dance because of how he puts his whole act together and sings with such great facial expressions. He is very rehearsed and does a great job. He has also been working a lot on his sports - mostly basketball and golf. I have to say he is very coordinated and can pick up on things very quickly. He pays attention and studies things and seems to be able to apply himself to master what he's working on very well. He is so sweet with always ending his day telling me that he loves me "so so much, always and forever."

Nathaniel: always thinking ahead. Sometimes this is difficult as he is not always content with the task at hand. The challenge being it seems he just isn't happy with the current thing, but always wanting something else (until it happens, then again, moving on). I have to admire the planning and forethought, though! He has also been amazing me with his reasoning and logic. He is figuring a lot out and continues to enjoy helping with projects. He is also unbelievably imaginative. You just never know what is going on in that little head & I always love to hear his thoughts. He has also really been a rough tumbling boy lately - wrestling anyone he can, tackling, etc. Leyton & Jacob aren't always receptive, but you can't blame a guy for trying. Whenever I need help, though, he's always the first to help with cooking dinner, baking, etc., or helping Patrick with household projects.

Jacob: well, I guess you could call him the hunter-gatherer. You can often find him secretly hiding somewhere - usually behind the dining room curtain or underneath the kitchen or dining room table. Why you ask? Usually because he has swiped something he obviously knows he shouldn't have - Leyton's markers, my cell phone, Nathaniel's keys, etc. It's quite amusing, really. When you find him you can usually get a pretty cute grin & then the chase begins. At least he knows whether he should have the items, right? He also continues to have a bit of stage fright about performing. Like you can catch him really singing & dancing to Jim Cosgrove, but the moment you make eye contact, he becomes bashful and just smiles the cutest smile. We still think of him as passionate, as well, when he demonstrates the power of being two.

Leah: our sweet little princess - changing too quickly right before our eyes. Wow, I can't believe she's 8 1/2 months. Last week Friday, she officially started crawled and left the somewhat uncoordinated scooting behind. It's cute to see her deliberate, but somewhat turtle-paced, coordinated crawl to get what she wants. Then she sits back up happily and plays with whatever it was she chased down. She's also eating all sorts of baby food - I think she's enjoyed the meats the most of any of the kids. That takes some gusto, doesn't it? I don't always think the meats are very appetizing. But, she opens up easiest for those. I would say least fond of sweet potatoes, which is unusual in our house. Still no teeth, but that's ok with me. I think she'd like to have some...she really has a lot of interest in everyone else's food now. You really have to watch closely or she'll knock your cup, plate, etc., right on the floor with her quick hands. Give her a few cheerios or goldfish, and she'll shove them in her mouth (they usually fall back out, but she enjoys trying). Still sleeping great and pretty much always a happy baby.

The Florida Vacation, Part 1

Last week, we enjoyed a wonderful family vacation to the Orlando area. We left on June 6 & returned on June 15. We primarily drove each way in 2 days. We spent a night in Villa Rica, GA to break up the trip. The kids actually did very well in the car; we had help from the new portable DVD player. We enjoyed a nice resort, and great family company. This year's trip included our party of six, Grandma Donna & Grandpa Jerry, and Aunt Bethy & Robert. Our simplified itinerary:
Sunday: arrived at resort, goofed around, swam a bit
Monday: drove to Tampa for Busch Gardens
Tuesday: Chef Mickey's for breakfast, rest of the day: swimming/relaxing
Wednesday: Sea World
Thursday: Relaxed at resort; girls shopped a bit
Friday: began traveling back home; pit stop overnight in Villa Rica, GA (outside Atlanta)
Saturday: finished driving back to Washington, MO
Sunday: Happy Father's Day, back home to KS
I need to expand on some of these sections, but in smaller doses & I want to add some pictures.
Some favorite things we saw: lizards, frogs, sea lions, roller coasters.
More on these later...

Goldilocks & the Beeps

Well, we officially arrived back home today after a wonderful trip to Florida (I'll have more updates & some pictures on that later). We had a great time & the kids were great, too. On the way home, we were talking about whether we remembered our house & our rooms, our beds, etc. I asked the kids if they thought maybe Goldilocks had been sleeping in our beds while we were gone. When we got home, Leyton said, "Mom, I don't think Goldilocks has been sleeping in our beds"

"How do you know?"

"Because we had the beeps on; she couldn't get in."

(He's referring to our security system - since it beeps when you open the door. We always talk about it in terms of whether or not "the beeps are on.")