Playing with Balloon

Cute as a Button

He's so sweet. . .

I guess Julia has heard us and other people say that Joseph is "So Sweet". So now she often goes to him, kisses him, and says, "He's So Sweet". She caught him right after a bath when he was smelling good.

Art Project

Julia and I built a house using recycled materials then decorated it with markers, chalk, crayons, paper, and stickers. I think she had the most fun playing with the scissors and learning to cut. This project kept her occupied for quite awhile and we still didn't get finished.

Sitting in My Bumbo Seat

My Big Sister

Joseph loves watching his big sister. Whenever she is in the room, he turns his head to see what she is doing. Julia also loves playing with him, showing him toys, and tries to include him in her activities.

Eating Cereal

Joseph began eating cereal yesterday. Big sister wanted to help feed him and wipe his mouth.

Friends

Julia's friend, Anniston, came over to play with her. They had so much fun dancing, singing, playing with baby dolls, cooking in the kitchen, etc. We really need to get them together more often. All of her other friends are boys. Julia needed some girl time.

They decided that Joseph needed a baby doll to play with too. Holding Hands.

Playing with Dora's backpack.

Dancing to Old Mac Donald. . .

All About Me at 4 Months

Isn't he a cutie??? Joseph had his 4 month doctor appointment this week and he weighs 14 lbs.,

3 ounces and is 25 1/2 inches long so he's gained over 2 lbs. and 2 inches the last couple months. He is eating about 6 ounces of formula every 3 hours during the daytime and will soon begin eating rice cereal. The doctor said that everything looks good developmentally and physically. He is holding his head up extremely well, can lift his head high when lying down, and can even stand on his feet. He can now roll over from stomach-to-back and back-to-stomach. He also can scoot himself all around and won't stay on a blanket in the floor. He can almost sit upright- He leans forward and holds himself up with his hands. The only issue that he is having is that he is a major spitter-upper, which the Dr. says is caused by reflux. He has been on an acid reducer for awhile but the Dr. increased the dosage since he has gained weight. Hopefully, this will get rid of the raspy sound in his voice caused by the reflux. Even though he spits up all the time, this does not stop him from smiling and even laughing out loud. He is the happiest baby ever! Whenever anyone looks at him and smiles, he will smile back. He also likes to coo. He is happy whether he is in his Bumbo seat, Exersaucer, swing, or on the floor. He is truly an easy baby, what I call an Angel baby. He is also a very good sleeper and sleeps through the night nearly every night, sometimes not waking up until 8:30. He is on a schedule and when it is naptime, I just lay him in his bed wide awake and he turns onto his side, grabs his blanket and goes to sleep. (This is something that Julia would NEVER do). One of Joseph's favorite pasttimes is pulling hair. He likes to grab big handfuls of Mommy and Sissy's hair. I'm sure this is just the beginning of how he will pester her. Today I think they had their first fight. Joseph was playing with a burp cloth and when Julia pulled it away from him, he started crying. He'll pay her back someday.

Life in the Fast Lane

We went to Fast Lane and played games, rode a couple kiddie rides, and did Glo bowling. Joseph enjoyed riding his first pony ride. Julia loved shooting baskets and bowling for the first time. She cheered when she knocked down pins. She scored 93 for her first game ( of course, she had bumpers and a stand to help).

Playing in the Exersaucer

Joseph loves playing in the Exersaucer. He can turn himself around to play with all the toys.

Jump Zone

Julia had a great play date with her friend, Noah today at Jump Zone, which is an indoor play center with inflatables. The kids had fun jumping around, doing flips, and sliding down big (and I mean big) slides. I had to rescue Noah from the top of one because he was too scared to come down and I was scared because it was so steep. It didn't seem to bother Julia. She went down it repeatedly. It was so fast that I wasn't able to get pictures.

Our Trip

We spent the last week visiting family, friends, and old familiar places. We took the kids to Current River where Curt and I spent many weekends while dating and early in our marriage. Just like the lake, Julia was hesitant to go into the water because she didn't want to get in with the fish. She did wade into the water up to her knees, playing on the gravel bar, and on the hammock. Joseph spent his time chillin in the shade under the umbrella.

Hangin' with my Cousins

We spent the day with our cousins. Aside from playing in the floor with Joseph, Julia went to the park and played on a merry-go-round, slides, and play drums.

Keeping Cool

The Kiddos

Corning Picnic

A 4th of July wouldn't be the same without a trip to the Corning picnic. Curt and I went for years as kids so we wanted to continue the tradition with our kids. Last year, Julia rode one ride and was done so we thought this year might be the same, but boy were we wrong. She made fast friends with Emily Selig (the girls are about 10 days apart in age) and they rode and rode every ride in sight. They rode two different kinds of airplanes, motorcyles, jeeps, and the bears, which were like a mini Tilt-a-Whirl. They also went through a maze of mirrors. It was so cute how the girls held hands as they walked from ride to ride. Finally, we convinced the girls to leave the park because it was so hot. Joseph kept in the shade and slept most of the time. I'm sure next year he'll be right in the middle of the action.