Everybody Loves The Bouncy Chair

Lily and Jesse

Gretchen, Ben, and Lily

By some miracle of planning, we were able to get our wonderful friends the Larson-Wolbrinks of Tucson to visit with us this past week -- during the hottest days we've had all year (which seems to happen every time we do this). Here's a glimpse of what we did to beat the heat:

Too Hot For Clothes

Hats

I think these pictures are even older, taken sometime in the late fall of last year. Here we are at a church playgroup playing with the hat box, one of Lucas's favorites. He's changed so much since then! (He still has a scar from that big cut you can see on his forehead after a nasty accident.)

"Baby"

Yikes, this picture is more than 7 months old, but it shows a favorite blanket sewn by Lucas's Abuela last year. I would wrap him up in it like a burrito and call him a baby, and ever since he has slept with it every night and has called it "baby."

Laura

More old pictures... I think these are from the end of January, when our friend Laura came to visit from Chicago for a couple of days. Lucas was smitten with Laura, giving her ga-ga eyes (like in the last picture, where he's watching her go down the slide) and flirting with her during the entire visit. Then he talked about her for weeks after she left.

Come back soon to your little boyfriend, Laura!

Overalls

The best childhood wardrobe staple, don't you think?

Putting The Fun In Dysfunctional

(We were cleaning up our computer a bit and came across a series of old pictures that I think I'll post over the weekend.)

----

That's our kid.

The one who decided to repeatedly roll along the thick grass and down the hill during our little neighborhood art fair last month...

...and into the walkway and lamp post (where dogs pee and poop, I noted, but to no avail).

...and with his crotch half exposed. (Apparently it's the best way to find out that your child's pants are ready to be retired.)

The one who kept throwing the ball at the fence, even though we told him that we wouldn't be able to retrieve it each time.
Oh, Lucas.

Cute Onesie (And Baby) Showcase

Tie Dyed (handmade by Karla and Ben):

Peace-Full (handmade by Marcey and Eliza):

Vino Fino (a gift from Mema and Grempa):



Firefly (a gift from our midwife):



Funky Chicken (handmade by Molly):

Which one's your favorite?

Gymini

Jesse has so many neat toys: a Gymini, a swing, a bouncy chair, and we have an exercauser and a doorway jumperoo on their way as soon as we say he's ready.

When Lucas was a wee baby, we just had a bouncy chair and, well, our bodies. We basically wore Lucas in some sort of sling for the first 6 months and otherwise kept things simple.

This time, with two to juggle and a back-breaking bruiser for a second child, we figured we'd need all the help we could get.

So hurray for friends and strangers (ebay!) who pass on such helpful junk to us!

Cracking Up

Say Hi To Jesse

(Hi, Jesse.)

Now Jesse, say Hi to everyone.

(Hi, everyone.)

Photos By Lucas

I've been showing Lucas how to use the camera, and these are the first shots he took last week while we were waiting on the porch for Tio and Tata to arrive. Not bad at all, Lukie!

Jesse and Joan

Jesse and I went for my 6-week (or 8-week - whatever) postpartum visit at our midwife's office this past week. I promised myself that I'd get a picture of Jesse with Joan. When we tried to take one of Joan with Lucas during the very same visit two and a half years ago, he was screaming his head off and the picture that resulted wasn't exactly bulletin board-worthy.

So here are the pictures I'll be sending her to put up on her wall -- right next to the picture she has of a serene, sleeping Lucas that we took later at home. :)