Dance Party!

We have at least one daily dance party at our house.

The kids love to dance and sing to the music...even Lia!



In these pictures are two of my daycare boys, Sam and Cooper.
And, no Jessica is not mad in this picture - this is her "serious dance face!"




(I'll try to post some video footage of the kids dancing in a later post).

Brother-Sister Bonding Time

Jackson and Jessica are now at an age where they can interact with one another in a fun, happy way... as opposed to being each other's worst enemies (which still happens from time to time)!

I've noticed this change on both their parts. For example, Jessica will step up to meet Jackson's intensity and energy levels when they play "super heroes fighting the bad guys." And, Jackson will gladly come down to meet Jessica's lower intensity/energy levels when they play "house" or "ponies" together.

Here is a picture of the two of them playing "beauty shop" with their pony and house with their baby:



It is quite fun to see the two of them switch gears and respectfully learn how to play with one another. Or, as the kids would say, they are learning how to play "like a girl" or "like a boy."

Neighbor Friends.

Picture of the girls with their friend, Ali:




Over the summer, the kids have spent A LOT of time with their neighbor friends, Ali and John (from across the street).

We joke that Ali and John spend more time at our house than their own because they're always here!
Jackson and Jessica love the time they spend with these two friends. Jackson and John spend time being power rangers, sword fighting, and playing Wii sports. Jessica and Ali enjoy playing dress-up, house, and tea party. The four of them will play together quite a bit as well - usually they are outside playing around in our yard and riding bikes in the church parking lot.
In fact, the kids get so busy playing, they think very little about eating; so, we have to remind them to come inside to eat something every now and then.
This was the first time Jason and I felt the need to install a curfew for Jackson and Jessica as well. We agreed upon 7:30 p.m. as an age-appropriate time to say goodbye to friends, and then hop in the bath tub to clean off all the sweat and dirt from the day. The kids played right up until the last minute, and their goodbyes were always followed up with, "we'll see you tomorrow!"

I can remember our neighborhood friends, Randi and Tim, when Laura and I were young; these two friends played a huge part of our young childhood years.
What fun we had! Ah yes, childhood summer fun...



...there's just nothing like it!

Bad Hair Day!

The other day, Lia woke up from her nap looking like this...

Lia walks!

Ok, so, mom's a little late with this one...

Lia's first steps actually occured around July 24th (daddy's birthday), but we've been so busy lately that I'm just getting some pictures on here now.





She's an old pro at this walking business already! Since she waited until she was 15 months old to take her first steps, we believe she was so physically ready, she just took off. Looks as though she's been walking for months.

Way to go Lia! Such a big milestone. Mom and Dad are so proud of you!

Shorts or underwear??

The other day Jessica had her six month follow-up appointment to get her ear tubes checked. While I was getting myself ready for the day, Jason got the kids dressed. We were in a bit of a rush to get out the door, so I didn't take a good look at Jessica until we were in the waiting room at the clinic.

And this is what she had on...





Um, yep, those are Jackson's boxer briefs...which Jason had apparently mistaken for Jessica's shorts!



What did your daddy dress you in today? Poor girl!



~We got a good laugh out of it anyway~

Jellystone, summer 2011

The kids were so excited to go to Jellystone this year, they were bouncing off the walls --and the furniture (literally).
So, I thought a craft project of some kind might help them unwind a bit before bedtime. The best thing I could come up with using the materials we had around the house was to make the three bears - Yogi, Cindy, Boo-Boo - out of brown paper bags. I drew outlines of the bears onto the bags and then cut out eye and arm holes; the kids had fun coloring them!




This was the first year Jackson was brave enough to stand under the basket dump at Jellystone:




Lia loved the water!



Hanging out at our campsite:




Cousins, Maddy and Logan, were with us at Jellystone too!



Swimming with Dad...




Lia hanging out poolside with Mom:



Getting some pictures taken with the bears is definitely an important part of our Jellystone trip...






Until next year...