Babysitting Silas

Today we got to play with Cousin Silas while the girls went out... so we got plenty of 'guy' time. i loved watching him and learning how to be a big boy-- playing with trains and riding bikes and eating PB&J. He made sure I had plenty of toys to play with from the moment i arrived. AND he gives me all his old clothes after he grows out of them. That's what cousins are for! We had a great time, and i even took a nap in my Pack N Play with no problem! Babysitting is lots of fun :)

Baby. Sitting.

Playdate with Isaiah

Today I went to Isaiah's house to play. Of course Mommy had to take a million pictures because we were so cute together. Isaiah is 6 weeks younger than I am, but his cheeks are definitely bigger-- and we weigh about the same! We both have blue eyes and brown hair and pale skin. . . and even though we don't look that much alike, those similarities, along with the fact that we are so similar in age, make us look like brothers in the pictures. Mommy says there are too many to choose from, so she's putting them all in a slideshow.

Fall Slideshow

Unfortunately slideshows cannot be posted under "posts", but i wanted to showcase the latest photos of our little pumpkin.... these are some fun shots from the past couple of months... as summer has turned to fall... there were too many to choose from, so a slideshow is, of course, the only answer-- enjoy...
i may be adding more as the weeks unfold...

Proud to be an American!

Bubby and i decided, since it was a rather warm day for November, to hike to our local polling place (about a 20 minute walk)--

I expected there to be somewhat of a line at 11:30am, but apparently people took their lunch breaks early or something, cuz it was snaking around the parking lot by the time we arrived!

2 hours and 15 minutes later (with a few passing showers!, and a nursing break!) we filled in our little circle, and hit the road... making it home before dark (ok, long before dark, but still!)...
crazy!

at least people are exercising their right to vote. and most people seemed to be in relatively good moods...considering the wait. it helped that the volunteer people were handing out sandwiches, snacks and coffee... although i think they should have been offering to act as "placeholders" about a half hour after they give you a cup of coffee. there were several other women there with small babies, and one who was 8 months pregnant. i think there should have been a special line for us too!

next time i walk 20 minutes to vote with a baby i'll be sure to bring an umbrella and a bottle... and if i can carry it, a chair!

O Wow.

have you ever had one of those "Oh. Wow." moments when you take a bite of something delicious? i had one of those moments tonight when i finally got the bubby to sleep and realized i hadn't eaten since lunch time (about 6 hours previous). fortunately i had just pulled a lasagna out of the oven, whose recipe i had to improvise with a bit.... i threw in some shredded cheddar with the shredded mozzarella-- and added a half cup of sour cream to the 2 cups of ricotta to thin it out (it seemed too stiff once all the shredded cheese had been added), so it made the filling extra smooth and creamy! then i ran out of lasagna noodles for the top layer, so i made a layer of elbow macaroni (all non-boiled noodles) and covered it with sauce.... oh, and i threw in some sage sausage with the ground beef so there was a little kick to it...
anyway, i'm not sure if it was just my empty belly, or the eclectic nature of the entree, but it was heavenly to bite into! and as if italian heaven weren't enough, my o.wow. moment turned into a hedonistic rush to get my bread toasted so i could eat it WITH the meal (what was left of it by that point.) in my haste i forgot that you're not supposed to cut the bread with the knife blade toward your hand. oops. a little reminder to enjoy what you have, and not be greedy for more. fortunately it's nothing a bandaid can't fix.
and now i'm basking in the "so full i could burst" afterglow of a perfect meal.
ahh, the american way....

Brown Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Ancestors - Pedigree

6 month milestones

proficient roller-over-er: he's finally got it down (both directions)-- those muscles are doin their job-- time to get that changing pad nailed to the wall, and start using the seat belt attached to it!

sitting up with very little assistance: in the boppy, or by himself, he's getting the hang of it... it's so amazing, one day he topples over and the next day he can sit (almost) by himself.

sippy cuppin' : the first sip was quickly interrupted by a grin of delight -- i wish i had it on video-- the sheer joy of having a dribble of water enter his mouth by his own hand(s)-- was too much for his little face to contain! i'm definitely a fan of the 'no spill' kind.

belly laughin' : i turned him upside down yesterday for the first time and he laughed hysterically. a little later i was holding him and suddenly pretended to drop him, but 'caught' him half way down-- even more hysterical laughter, as if he loved it more than life itself!

merciless flirtin' : he's suddenly vying for everyone's affection. especially his father's. it's too cute for words-- dave says it's weird to call that flirting-- but he stares at him across the room and coos and squeals in anticipation--and when dave finally looks at him, he grins from ear to ear and sometimes even turns his little head away and looks back at him out of the corner of his eye. SO CUTE!!!!

self-expression: the high pitched scream. gotta love it. especially in church.

resisting nap time: i'm 1/2 a year old-- i don't need a nap! I SAID, "I DON'T NEED A NAAAAAAAAAP!!"

word recognition: well, kind of. Sometimes if i say, "where's daddy?" (looks at dave) or, "do you hear a car?" (looks out the window), or call him by name (turns toward me) ... but not every time... we'll have to keep up the repetition.


before we know it, he'll be off to college.......