Lucy is now a crawler! She is in love with exploring and can play on the floor, if I'm nearby, by "herself" for quite a while. She's pretty cautious and pretty quick at the same time. She reminds me of when Ariel gets her legs in The Little Mermaid. (can you tell I have little kids?) I can see her little mind concentrating on each move forward as she tucks her legs beneath her. Then she'll see something she wants and take off for it.

She is also quick to laugh. Today she was in the high chair while I was making some cookies for book club. She was crying for several minutes as she waited for me to finish mixing in the last few ingredients and come give her some more bread. I think I made a sudden move that startled her and all of a sudden, she started to belly laugh. I did it again and she laughed more. We kept at it for a while and she remained in high spirits after that, even though I wasn't able to grab her from the high chair right away. I was impressed that she went from so sad to so happy so suddenly. It really almost seemed like a choice, even though that would logically be a thought much too advanced for one so little. I tell ya, the sparkle in those eyes! If she could just verbalize how it feels to be so childlike! What must it feel like to take everything at face value, with no hard feelings, no guile, so humble, meek and forgiving?! So unable to hold a grudge. So curious and excited for each new thing she encounters! I want to be like that! And in that realization comes the thought that this is just one more reason why God's design of families is so perfect! Once we reach adulthood and start to think we've got things figured out, we get to turn around and "teach" our children, through which very humbling experience we learn again that we really know nothing!

Proof we live in the Amazon Rainforest

Okay, so that's maybe a little dramatic but we have some of the biggest, craziest bugs (and other creatures) here. This one was way bigger than humming birds that have gotten trapped in our garage before. This Luna moth was also found in our garage. We weren't sure if it was alive because it stayed in the same spot for at least 48 hours but then I guess it just decided it was time to move on with its life. It's pretty, really. If I have to have a moth that size in my garage, at least it was beautiful. We live in a neighbborhood but we have woods behind us and a retention pond across from us so we often find bright green frogs on our front windows and door. We also have lots of skinks, birds, and snakes, which is a story for another day. Oh, and we just caught a mouse in our garage. Just keeping things interesting I guess!

And how about this villianous spider? I was totally freaked out when I found this! (the picture really doesn't do it justice) Luckily all three kids were sleeping when I found this, also in the garage, so I could dispose of it without worrying about it jumping on them.

Lucy Lou and I having a grand old time swimming at Grandma's house!

I'm trying to recall where the other kids were, as no one is loving on Lucy and she was able to sit up unencumbered for quite a while. I love those quiet one-on-one moments I occasionally get with each of the children.

Busy, busy Boy!

Jillian and Grandma at one of Jill's favorite sections at the children's museum- the fashion center where you can design your own outfits for paper dolls. She also loved the letter writing center and would always come home with lots of notes, signed sealed and ready to deliver!

YUCK, Peas!

pleasantly surprised

in the last few days my kids have delighted me by doing two things very well. (do they realize how happy they can make us and how easily? they, of course, might ask the same thing of us.) we went grocery shopping after swim team one afternoon. this, in and of itself was a mark of insanity on my part. three kids close to dinner time. three kids tired from swimming and playing all day long. one peter who i can't nap or he won't sleep until 11 p.m. i had very little snackage with which to bribe. but it went perfectly. they were ALL angels. the day before i had asked them to clean their room. it was COVERED in toys. wall to wall helter skelter, as Mama Bear would say. I wasn't really expecting much, which i guess is reaching a new low on my part:) when i went upstairs it was SPOTLESS! my chin dropped before i could catch myself. i'm not really sure why i'm recording this. they were just two tiny, little sweet moments when you're so surprised that something so small from your child can make you SO happy. these kids are awesome!

recording this reminds me of something Jillian said when she completed a task i had asked her to do. she beamed up at me and said "Mom, I like doing a good job and making you happy when i do it!" I was busy with something else and almost didn't hear her. It felt like time physically rewound and then paused so I could check in to my daughter.

and lastly, a peter moment. one night before family prayers we were trying to calm down the troops in a renewed attempt to invoke some reverence during such occasions. we posed this question to peter "what if Jesus were here, Peter? how would you act?" to which he responded matter-of-factly "if a dino were here...long pause while we anticipated the inevitable...He would EAT Jesus." then he calmly closed his eyes and folded his arms, so, i guess, whatever works.

Family Vaca 2011

Classic Dad picture

A friend Jillian made that week. She kept going up to people and introducing herself, and our whole family, in one sentence, and then asking if they wanted to play with her.

We loved this hot tub!

Nothing better than summer fruit!

Morning Yoga