Sledding!

I can shoot a basket!

We bought a potty chair!

So Jael is growing up so fast! She talks all the time! One of the things she has started to do is tell us when she is going to poop. Crazy huh?? She started by coming up to us and saying "poop" after she had finished. Now she comes up to us says "poop" and will go like 5 minutes later. I'm starting to sit her on her potty when she says poop just so she gets the idea. I won't make her stay there until she actually goes but hopefully this way she'll start to understand that if she needs to poop we sit on the potty.

Also, daddy has taught her how to make a basket. He put a small toy hoop on our banister and Jael will walk over to it when asked to make a basket and throw the ball in. She takes great pride her in accomplishment and loves to hear us praise her!

She is also clearly approaching the terrible twos. Or maybe if I start believing it's the terrific twos I'll make it through. She threw her first public tantrum in Walmart yesterday. What is it about Walmart and kids throwing tantrums. I guess I can kind of understand because Walmart makes me want to throw a tantrum! Turns out it's pretty embarrassing when they do that and it's pretty impossible to "reason" with a 14-month-old. She's old enough to throw a tantrum but not old enough to understand a strict "talking to". How convenient!

Despite her little quirks, we are loving her more and more everyday as she develops into her own little person. It's so fun to watch her grow and learn.

I turned 1!

I had a great birthday. My grandma Benson and Aunt Michele came for my party as well as some of mommy and daddy's friends. I got to have my first taste of cake (well ok it was banana bread cake with cream cheese icing because my mommy doesn't want me to have a lot of sweets) but it was still yummy! I got lots of cute clothes and fun toys to play with. Now I get to go have Christmas with my family in Minnesota AND Iowa. I'm so excited and from what I hear they are too! I am walking all over the place, talking a lot and learning new things everyday. Mommy and daddy have even taught me how to go up and down stairs! I have 5 teeth already! Boy those aren't fun to get in! I'm working on getting 2 more right now! I'm on whole milk now which my mommy and daddy love because they don't have to buy formula anymore! Well, I guess they do still spend a little more money because it's organic whole milk but it's still cheaper! I'm a pretty picky eater which can drive mommy and daddy crazy sometimes but I eat enough and my vitamin takes care of the rest. I still need 2 naps a day which mommy loves! But very soon I'll only need 1! Speaking of naps, I need one right now! More later!

We didn't fall off the face of the earth!

Hello all! We are still alive and kickin. Life has just been pretty crazy. We moved to Edgewood, MD and Luke is working at Mountain Christian Church as Pastor of Community Impact. Jael is growing like crazy! She has a 30 word vocabulary (yes Luke is keeping a list). She's a little parrot and it's so fun. She can tell you what sounds a duck, sheep and cow make and will show you what a koala bear and duck look like if you ask her! She crawls all over the place, pulls herself up on anything she can get her hands on and has started to stand by herself for a few seconds at a time. It won't be long before she will be walking and daddy and I will be in trouble! She has also learned the art of throwing small tantrums when she is told "no". She certainly is a strong willed little girl!

We got to see the family for Delaney's 1st birthday which was so fun! Now it's time to start planning Jael's 1 year party! It's hard to believe she's already almost 1. Time sure flies by!

Well that's the scoop from Maryland. More later!

Sad News

Grandma Simons passed away August 6th. The whole family went up for the funeral which was held on August 12th. We will sure miss her and are so glad she was able to see her great grand babies. It was nice to have the whole family together despite the occasion. Jael and Delaney continued to play together although now they fight over their toys. Yes, fight. On one particular occasion they both wanted to play with a teething toy. When one pulled it away the other cried or yelled (in Jael's case) and would yank it back. It was rather amusing! Hopefully they will grow to love each other and share!

Tons of Updates

Well Jael and I got to spend two whole weeks with Briana and Delaney. Mom B also got to be with us for two weeks and one week was spent with family in Illinois. We had lots of fun despite the difficulties with Grandma Simon's health. Jael and Delaney had a blast and taught each other a thing or two. For example, Jael taught Delaney how to YELL. Delaney taught Jael to drive her mother crazy by not finishing her bottles and taking short naps. (Thanks Dee) During our time away Jael learned how to roll all over the place and sit up for more extended periods of time without toppling over. I also learned that Briana does not know how to spell despite her degree in political science. (Hansom) Peanut Butter Pie is now my favorite dessert and Avocados make Jael gag. Nice! All-in-all it was a great trip! Now we head to Iowa in a couple of days for Luke's brother's wedding. Jael+learning to yell+plane ride=UH OH!