Sunday, July 25, 2010

[overheard] no. 4

I must start writing things down more. I know there have been three or four moments this week when I collapsed in giggles at what came out of Aaron's mouth, but darned if I can remember most of it now that I'm sitting at my computer to get it recorded. Here's a little taste of his hilarity.

Before lunch, the prayer went like this:
Aaron:"Dear God, 
Thank you for food,
and our bodies,
and Rosie,and Anderson,and James and Eli
and all our blessings.
Amen."
Mom: "Is James a blessing in your life?"
Aaron: "Yes, he's a gentleman!"


A new favorite expression: Holy Moly Cow!!!


And from the pool this afternoon: "Susannah is getting baptized again!"




Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Birthday, America!

Our town's July 4th parade is becoming an annual tradition for our family, and it's fun to look back at photos of years gone by and see how small the kids were. Look at these pics of Aaron and Jacob on their very first Fourth...



It's so unbelievable that Susannah is now this age, celebrating her first Fourth. Time is flying!!

This year we joined a few other families from our church and hiked to the parade route together. We found a great (shady!) spot, and the kiddos collected tons of candy. I'll probably post a few photos later on, but will share this one with you today:



Our weekend is full of cookouts and fireworks and celebrations with friends. Hope yours is, too. Happy Independence Day!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Summer's half over already???

Hello, July! The holiday weekend has always seemed like the unofficial half-way point of the summer, and I just can't believe it's here already. I kind of feel like our summer is just getting started! Every summer, I talk about making a list of things I want to do before the warm weather disappears, and a day at the beach is always near the top of that list. Whether it's the shore of Lake Michigan, the beach at Crystal Lake, or one of our long treks north to Cedar Campus, there's something about spending some time on the sand that makes it really feel like summer.

Here's a look at two of our beachy moments from the past:

credits:
Drift Away  by Graham Like The Cracker and By Becca
Gold Rimmed Alpha by Trixie Scraps


credits:
Drift Away by Graham Like The Cracker and By Becca
Stash Staples Solids paper pack 1 by Britt-ish Designs

And just so I stop talking about it and actually write it down somewhere, here's my summer activity wish-list:
  • a day trip to Lake Geneva (we found a really fantastic beach last year - can't wait to go back!)
  • a few trips to the zoo (must make good use of the membership we purchased)
  • a day on the Lake Michigan shore. We wanted to do this last summer and never got around to it, so it's a carryover from last year's wish-list.
  • a trip to Portage Park pool (Mike's old neighborhood pool)
  • a neighborhood fest or two, complete with ice-cream cones and pony rides.


What makes it feel like summer for your family? I'd love to hear about some of the fun things you have planned for the second half of the season.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Just a peek into our lives...

Two short videos that capture so well what's happening at our house right now. First, a moment from the dinner table:



This just makes me melt! Aaron is the best big brother I could have hoped for, and he has such a genuine love for his sister. I love that he's so excited by her success - and I'm praying that this kind of enthusiastic mutual  encouragement gets woven into the fabric of their friendship for a lifetime. (I also love that he wears a firefighter hat at the dinner table. What fun to be two!)

And here's a little clip I caught of Susannah's new mobility. Again, starring the red hat. :-)



Lookout world, she's on the move!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Goodnight, Sleep Tight

Getting up in the middle of the night is just a way of life these days. Whether it's for a midnight feeding or to soothe a toddler after a bad dream, someone is always waking me up. So it was a bit of a shock when I woke up yesterday morning and realized I hadn't heard from either child since bedtime the night before. Even more shocking was that it was 9am! (update: the shock continues... today's wake-up time was 10:15, when I went in to get both kids up. They would probably have kept right on sleeping without the mommy wake-up. CRAZY!!)

Ironically, I had just finished a scrapbook page about Susannah's sleep habits.


credits:
Ticket To Dreamland by Wyld Web Designs
template by Emily Powers

So maybe there's hope that I'll make inroads on my sleep deficit. Goodnight, all!