This & That

Lyla helping sissy take a bath

Our big girl

Miss Maggie, Pearl, and Lyla

Silly little blueberry muncher :)

Corn maze

Punkin'

Back to School

Lyla's first day of school...

Beloved Mrs. Sue :)

Off she goes!

It's also Joel's first day at his new job in surgery. Phew!

August!

Pearlie in the pool

Sci-fi sky on my way home from work

Lyla and Daddy watching the Olympics~Lyla really loved the Olympics!

Lyla went to her friend Lyndon's super-hero themed birthday party. Each kiddo that attended had to give their own original super-hero name along with their super-hero power. Lyla was Heart Melter. Beware! Her superpower is that if she looks you in the eyes she'll melt your heart! (pretty close to true) Lyndon's mom, my friend Janet, made awesome super-hero outfits for all the kids and custom-made t-shirts too. So fun!

Baby mini horse at the fair

My mom took this neat shot. Love my girls.

Sister kisses. :)

Pearlie and Papa being cute.

We went to a friend's wedding and Lyla absolutely LOVED the dance! She would've danced all night! Sooooooo cute!

Uncle Faz and Auntie Bryana were both in the wedding but spent a little time with their nieces too. :)

Let the football begin! We love our Packers!!!

My mom and I went garage saling and found this great bucket swing. Papa figured out a way to hang it safely! Thanks Papa and Grandma!

The girls love it. :)

Grandma & Papa with the girls~it was such a blessing to have them around for awhile!

We had a fun visit with my parents, as they were here before and after staying in Marshfield for a few weeks to help my grandma and my uncle.

Well, Lyla starts another school year on Tuesday 9/4. I think she will really be happy to be back! She just enjoys school so much. She continues to improve with her mobility and language skills. We are comfortable enough with her walking that we aren't having her wear her helmet and knee-pads as often anymore. Once in awhile she still catches her foot on something or loses her balance and falls, but almost always on her butt or knees. She is getting really good at getting up to standing using furniture or even just a cupboard or mom's leg. :) Also, she can stand in one place without having to constantly be on the move, which is progress showing that her balance is improving. She is also getting really good at getting down from standing without having to hold something. She just puts her hands down to the floor and sits down. The transitions are the hardest to master. She is getting better at walking up steps with her hands being held too. She has started to do a silly little dance once in awhile when she's really excited ~ it is so, so cute. I'll try to get it on video. :) As far as talking, she is saying too many words to count, for the most part in imitation. Though she does sometimes say "yeah" and "more" at appropriate times, without prompting. We keep working on it!

Pearl is doing many new things too! She is starting to feed herself things like cheerios, small pieces of banana, and small pieces of crackers. And she's is starting to master the sippy cup. She sits up unsupported, and is starting to think about scooting while on her tummy. She is just so much fun and is always making funny faces ~ both serious and silly. :)

Pearl and the Pizza

She seemed to like the taste of the pizza sauce. Funny thing is, she's 7 1/2 months old and I cannot get her to eat any solids! We've tried rice cereal and oatmeal baby cereal several times each, green beans, sweet potatoes, and sweet peas. She just scowls and pushes the spoon away and shakes her head like it's the most disgusting thing in the world! Oh my~we may have a picky eater on our hands. :)

July in Review

Pearl is sitting up so well these days!

Holding hands :)

Lyla love, love, loves the new pool in town!

We have been frequenting it to help beat the heat.

Our dear friends Mark & Karn had a healthy, beautiful baby girl! Her name is Maggie and she is a miracle, as they were told they wouldn't be able to have children. God is good. :)

And here is Maggie's big brother Nelson, wearing Joel's glasses :)

Grandpa and Pearlie with sissy's hat on funny :)

Our 7 year anniversary dinner...yum

7/22/12

Super Daddy

Sitting on a dock on the Mississippi...it was a beautiful evening to enjoy God's creation

Lyla likes going in Daddy's bow case :)

Movie night with Grandma & Grandpa

the doe and fawn who live in our backyard

4th of July

This is how Lyla fell asleep one afternoon...too much fun will do that to a girl. :)

Lyla playing with her friend Evan

My friend Susan and her three kids came for a visit~we had lots of fun and craziness with five kids in the house!

Louella, Pearl, Lyla, and Vivianna (Grayson was sleeping)

Lyla went on the pony ride at the fair!