Thank You, Grandpa

While we were in Bear Lake, my dad sat down to breakfast one morning, held up a piece of bacon and said, "Mmmm. Dead pig."

Leah, who had no idea that bacon comes from pigs and thinks that "real chickens" are different from "dinner chickens", has been fixated on the idea ever since. So we've had quite a few conversations about where fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats come from. This morning's conversation went like this:

L: (holding up a piece of bacon) Mmmm. Dead pig.... Mom, why did Grandpa say bacon is dead pig?

M: Because pigs give us bacon.

L: What else do pigs give us?

M: (Realizing there is no turning back now) Ham and pork chops.

L: What do cows give us?

M: Beef and milk and cheese and yogurt and ice cream.

L: No! Not cheese!

M: No? Where does cheese come from?

L: Mouses!

Ha! Wouldn't that be a delicacy!

My Summer Vacation, Part 1

Grandma Morales and Auntie Emily came out to visit a few days before we left for Utah. The kids had a great time with them, I know I had a great time having such fabulous baby-sitters on hand! It made getting ready for our trip a breeze. We really love having family come out to visit us. Even if we don't have many pictures to show for it.

But the best part- all visitors get a complimentary tour of the corn fields!

Yes, it really is THAT exciting.

First Things First

Mr. Man turned one! We had a tiny little birthday party for him before we left for Utah. Grandma Morales and Auntie Emily were here to celebrate with us, along with Adam's good friend Michael from next door.

But no matter how small the party, it had to be done right- with invitations,

lots of presents,

and a cake, which Adam was clearly unimpressed with.

My little voracious eater wouldn't even touch it. After I smashed his hand down into the frosting, he gave me a withering glare and then courteously ate a crumb or two.... with a fork.

We had another party in Utah that was also filled with cake (similarly received),

well-received presents,

and lots and lots of smiles.

I am probably feeling especially sentimental about Adam's birthday today (a full month after the party) because we are in the process of weaning right now. I'm not sure if Adam has caught on to that yet, but it's time. For me, anyway.

We love Adam so much- he brings so much joy into our family- his mischievous giggles, his open-mouthed smiles and kisses, and his adorable old-man walk.

He has been so patient with me over the last year- from our first days together crammed into our packed up apartment, to figuring out how to be a mom of two in a new state, to learning what the best boy toys are so he's not stuck playing with dolls and tiaras all the time.

And he is so patient with Leah every day as he calmly lets her rip toys out of his hands and she complains about how he "hit" her again.

And he loves Jason. Oh, does he love Jason. There is a special bond between the two of them that I love to see developing.

I never would have guessed that such a little guy could possibly have such a hold on our hearts, but our family is not complete without Adam.

We love you, Mr. Man! Happy, Happy Birthday!

Family Bike Ride

I'm still feeling so completely overwhelmed by all of the catch up posts that I'm just continuing to ignore them for now. But they'll come eventually, I promise.... I know, I know, now you can sleep tonight.
You're welcome.

We went on our first family bike ride yesterday. Leah got her bike for Christmas, and has ridden it all of ZERO times since then. Up until yesterday, it was just hanging from a hook in the garage, and she was content to ride around on her tricycle.


She looked a little goofy with her knees hitting the handlebars, but she got really good at peddling. Then yesterday out of the blue she asked me to take her bike down so she could ride it.

And she did great- she can peddle, steer, and even brake like a pro. So we ventured out as a family for a no-expectations bike ride, and had a great time riding around the neighborhood.

Leah only fell into the grass once, we rewarded the kids with popsicles and we high-fived ourselves for not dying of a heart attack every time another car went zooming past our sweet little tiny on her big-girl bike!

The Regularly Scheduled Program

We're back from vacation, and sloooowly readjusting to normal life (whatever that means). Back to laundry, bills, cooking, dishes, yardwork, and seemingly endless piles of stuff to put away (thanks to Leah's "Don't touch that! It's my very important basket of mermaid jewels!" phase). No wonder vacation looks so good. But we're glad to be back.


I have hundreds of pictures to sort through and just as many memories that I want to preserve. But I wanted to start with these pictures- just to remind myself that life in Indiana is good, too.

Imagination

It takes the imagination of a 3-year old and the love of an auntie to understand that this is a survival scene- Leah's "scarf" is keeping her warm while Emily makes the fire.

I haven't seen much of Leah since the arrival of her Grandma and Auntie. And that's okay with me- when I do find her, she looks like this!

One Small Step...

I'm not sure at what point you declare that your child is walking, but Adam is almost there! He can confidently take 5 or 6 steps toward his desired destination, and he showed me and Leah this morning that he can even walk around in a little circle.

And the words are coming, too! This is probably my favorite baby milestone. It's just so nice finally know what is going on in that little head! The word of the day is "ball", and other favorites include "hat" and "da" (for Daddy- my goodness is he a Daddy's boy!). The best one is "Leeeaaaahhhhh"- and it makes sense that it's the first name he can say since it's the name I call out the most.

And for the times when the words don't come, Adam has become a master at signing "more". If there are bananas, strawberries, or blueberries in sight, he will fling aside whatever is in his hand to frantically sign, "more! more!". I just love it.