Bubble Bath

4th of July

Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Peter came!

We had a lovely day at the Indiana dunes. It was hot, but not scorching. We got there early and as we left the line to get into the park was crazy long!

Rosie was just so content to sit at the edge of the water and dig.

Even Peter had fun!

Sunburst 10k

 I'm still running! Last month I ran another race...

 My training buddy

 The ladies

Our running group! Together for the whole race!

The Funny Things Jared Says

I love this age with Jared. We can have great conversations, but yet he gets enough mixed up to keep it interesting!

At our apartment, he referred to our balcony as the "airporch."

Plain yogurt is "yogurt as smooth as a river." I have no idea why.

A few weeks ago, I was walking with him to primary and he wouldn't hold my hand. He told me, "Mom, you can just watch me." And then he proceeded to walk 5 ft ahead of me.

He warns Ken extensively before he leaves to go anywhere- "Dad, be safe and careful. And don't drive to fast. Don't be dangerous and be safe and careful. And don't be gone forever." And in the car he is constantly telling me to slow down.

Ken told him that sometime he would get him a ice cream cone that had been dipped in chocolate- like a chocolate shell. Jared replied, "Ew, yuck. I don't eat beach shells. They're not food." We could not convince him that a chocolate shell was delicious.

Since he is not allowed to watch TV or movies (usually) until Rosie is napping in the afternoon, he has begun suggesting a nap for her starting around 9 in the morning.

He sometimes won't dance because he only thinks that married people can dance. And he is not married yet, so don't ask him.

He is obsessed with the word powerful. He can open heavy doors because he is so powerful!

Whenever we go by the patio furniture section at a department store, he says, "Mom, it looks like the beach!" And then he has to lounge for a bit.

The past is "last year" and the future is "tomorrow."

Occasionally, he accidentally calls nectarines "submarines."

When he does something a bit dangerous, he yells, "Mom, I'm not hurt or bleeding!"

Happy 4th Birthday, Jared!

 That is right this long awaited birthday (which is really just a stepping stone to 5 in his mind) is here!

He woke up to this:

 Except Rosie was up in the middle of the night, so most of the balloons were on the floor.

 He got some presents:

 

Yeah, Sugar!

I love Jared at this age for so many reasons.

Sometimes he's a bit undressed. Either because of the sandbox, heat, lunch, or because I won't go upstairs to choose his clothes with him.

He is inquisitive and has the most interesting things to say (specialized post will be coming soon!)

He is so sweet and loving to me. He rubs my back when I have a headache and nearly always thanks me for making him dinner. He still cuddles on occasion and needs kisses when he is hurt.

Look at that face!

He is a budding photographer- he took several of the pictures in the previous post. And this is his first selfie.

 I love you, Jared!

18 Month Rosie

With her new baby

Rosie is such an extraordinary little girl. She is sweet and opinionated and sensitive. How I love this little cuddle bug! She is independent, but she knows how life goes around our home; as soon as lunch is over and her hands are washed, she waves bye to Jared and starts heading upstairs for her nap. Rosie's eloquent requests behind earnest eyes just melt us into submission. She is a natural goofball- twirling in the curtains during pajama time, tossing unwanted vegetables away, tickling and dog-piling whenever she has the chance. Anything infant size or smaller get called baby and air kissed. How could we live without our sweet girl?

 

Her smile-for-the-camera face

She is quite the talker and this list probably contains about half of her vocabulary:

All done
Toes
Belly
Eyes
Eyebrow
Ears
Hair
Cheeks
Chin
Neck
Teeth
Beep
Nice
Jared
Mama
Daddy (Da-ee)
Cheese
All done
Help me
Cracker
Juice
Soft
Rough
Walk
Get Down

Baby
Oh, no
Ouch
Outside
Go
Car
Wash

Keys
This
Up, please
More
No
Apple
Water
Duck
Goat
Monkey
Dog (sound)
Horse (sound)
Elephant (sound)

  

Getting hosed down by dad

 They still love each other!

Presenting Our House!

We love our big foyer- good for paper airplanes.

Dining room

Living room

Just half of my our kitchen

 Master bedroom

  Craft room/ eventual nursery

Kids bath

 

 

Kids room

 Guest room

Piece de resistance: our backyard with pirate slide.

We are loving our first week of home ownership!

WICKED!

Ken surprised me with tickets to Wicked for my birthday. It was amazing! The actors, the costumes, the theater was all just awe inspiring!
It was almost as good as Ken surprising me with such a great gift!