The Park is back in town

Ashley and Parker came to visit us for a few days this week. Parker is so so darling - we are all in love with her. And it was pretty nice to have my sister around, too. Here are some random shots of our fun three days.





The slide sequence....nice Ash



Their first cousin bath - Ian and James were splashing each other like crazy and Parker was trying to get away from them.



Not only does ian have an awesome tongue - but awesome hair as well.

Jamesy's first pear

Things we LOVE about this little girl:

1. the way she sits on her knees and bounces up and down
2. her obsession with the stairs - ashley didn't appreciate this but it was really funny
3. her cute rosy cheeks
4. miniature feet
5. the way she still prefers curt to me - and is so content in his arms
6. she gives kisses - not the suck on your face kind that james gives
7. she waves and says buh-bye
8. her dislike of grass - she made the funniest faces when she touched it with her hands or feet
9. she charms. everyone.

My favorite part of the trip was seeing all three cousins playing together - Ian took every toy away that he could and james watched longingly as parker crawled away but they made eachother laugh and kept each other company in the back seat of the car. It is going to be so fun at the lake this summer.....

The McKinneys were in town again

This will be funny to pull out someday.

Baluga Whales

On wednesday we went to the Point Defiance Zoo - there was a whole area of the zoo that we had never been too, where we saw baluga whales, gigantic fat walruses, seals, and a polar bear. The whales were my favorite - here is one swimming past Ian and Grant.


For the kids, the animals were merely a distraction from the play area - they had fun.





I finally broke out the double stroller for the first time. I usually carry Jamesy in a sling, but I have to say that he really enjoyed riding next to his brother. Thank you cherie for the stroller!

New Tricks

James can sit up by himself.

Ian can touch his tongue to his nose, which is actually pretty gross.



Unfortunately, he still hasn't learned how to be quiet (i.e. stop talking) - ever.

Laughing

They were doing this when I came downstairs - Ian jumping on the couch and james hysterically laughing.

Poor James

Everything is so different for the second child - I never realized how jipped I was by not being first. For example - last night James had his first real food (other than the twizzler my mom gave him to suck on while she was here - bad bad grandma - and the piece of pineapple that he devoured the night before at dinner because he whined until we finally gave him something). When Ian had his first food it was this huge ceremony - he wore a cute shirt for the pictures and a new bib and we documented every breath - let alone bite - he took for the first ten minutes. I had brand new baby spoons and bowls and made sure I read the directions 10 times on the rice cereal box. We were thrilled that he was getting big enough to eat real food.

Fast forward to James - he has been begging for real food for a month now (he turns 6 months in a week) and I have been avoiding it because it takes so much longer than nursing him. After another night of whining through dinner, on a whim, on his way to bed, I figured we would try out some rice cereal. I didn't even put him in the chair or give him a bib (which I did end up regretting) and I haven't found Ian's baby spoons yet so I used a dessert spoon. I gave him a few test bites before I even called Curt over to go get the camera.

It doesn't mean I love him any less. I guess what I enjoy more this time around is the interaction I see between Ian and James, and the moments when I appreciate the stage he is in now instead of always anticipating what he will learn next. I feel like James is a much less demanding child - but maybe I am just a different mom.

Aunt Julie!

Curt's sister Julie was in town this weekend and we got to spend lots of time with her. Infact, we had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa Leonard's on Friday night after staying up late talking. We can't wait until she brings Uncle Eric and Olivia back with her in a couple of weeks.

James showed Julie his new trick of "nursing"his big toe. Yum - spicy feet.