I love "spaghetti faces"

Not sure how he learned to eat like this!

Hear him say "cheeese" for the camera?

What goes up...

"balloon, balloon, balloon, balloon!"

More photos from the zoo

Just a few more photos from the zoo that we went to a couple of weeks ago.

You know it was a good day at the zoo when they both sleep for the 1 hour drive home!

Lorikeet Landing

We had fun at the zoo last weekend. It was a gorgeous day, and the kids were so interested in all of the animals. Brielle walked through most of the zoo by herself, and learned about some new animals, such as emus, porcupines, and panthers. This part of the zoo was called "Lorikeet Landing." As the pictures will show, it sure lived up to its name for John!

For $1.00, you can buy a cup of nectar for the Lorikeets--- who will quickly find you as you enter their area.

The cup of nectar will last about 5-10 minutes, depending on the number of birds drinking from it.

These lorikeets definitely aren't shy :)

John was looking around to find out who was tapping his head.

"I think I know how to solve this problem..."

I love the look on his face in this one... as if he's thinking "Whew, whatever was on my head, bye bye, all gone" :)

A little more summertime

The weather was beautiful this past weekend, so we made sure to enjoy it!

John, on repeat :)

New shoes

Brielle has been so excited about a few new pairs of shoes-- that she insists on wearing them to bed. AND... they are so special, they each get their own pillow.

The shoes are actually hand-me-downs from Josie, but they are new to Brielle!

"John, what does a lizard do?"

"Hey Chicago..."

A few times this week, Brielle has said,

"Mom, take a picture of me-- I say Go Cubs Go"

Brielle learned this one from Pierce & Becky :)

Fun photos from Becky

When I'm at work during the day, I often think... "I wonder what Brielle & John are doing right now?" Well, we're so lucky that Becky takes (& shares) photos of the fun activities that the kids do with her.

This 1st photo is actually before the school year started. Brielle joined her cousins & some of their friends on a trip to the farm. Here are Brianna & Brielle sitting on Star:

Yes, Brielle puts her headband on this way, all by herself. This is the way she prefers :). No, that's not the way her mom would put it on, haha. When I showed Brielle this photo and asked "What are you doing in this picture?" Her first comment was "That's Brianna!" Her next comment was "I'm wearing my headband." After that, she finally told me about sitting on Star.

Here's the daily crew, oldest to youngest (with the exception of Willa)

Pierce, Willa, Brielle, Easton, Karley, Lincoln & John

"John the Bruiser" This week his face found the cement step in front of Becky's house, and his forehead ran into a corner wall in our hallway at home. The bumps & bruises don't slow him down-- he is still a happy guy.

Brielle & Willa. Brielle's favorite topic of conversation after a day at Becky's usually has something to do with Willa. Such as, "Mommy, WILLA was at Becky's house!!" She tells us that frequently, and I act surprised every time, "Really?! Willa was there? What was she doing?" Brielle: "She was sleeping." ...or... "I touch Willa's hand, Mommy" ....or... "Becky gives Willa a bottle." ...or... "Willa's cuuuute."

Brielle brings home a lot of fun artwork from Beckys house:

A beautiful afternoon at the farm

John is learning his way around the farm. He says "tractor", "cow" and "moo."

Johnny helped Tim cut the grass. You can see he likes the steering wheel :).

Elly & Brielle were checking on the Jersey calf.

The one-year-olds: Karley (18 1/2 months), John (14 1/2 months), & Lincoln (18 months).

Brielle's favorite pal at the farm, Amy. As soon as we get out of our car at the farm, if Amy hasn't come to greet us, Brielle will call for her.

Brielle likes to follow Amy all over the farm. If Amy gets too far ahead, Brielle likes to call her back "Amy, come here, Amy, come here!" Brielle has even started to hang onto Amy's collar as they are walking around... Brielle has figured out how to keep her close by :).

Hugs for Amy!

Taking after Grandpa John

On Sunday, Brielle & John were playing outside with Tim. Our neighbor, Ted, offered us a fresh red tomato from his garden. It would have made perfect BLT sandwiches, one of our favorite summertime meals. Ted gave it to Brielle, who carried it around for a little while, brought it inside, and then passed it off to John who had followed her in the house.

Kristen was in the kitchen when she turned around to see John munching on the tomato like it was an apple, just like Grandpa John does.

After a few bites, he tried to share it :)

Then he tried to turn it into tomato juice:

The result:

Then he tried to scale the refrigerator saying "more, more".

Tea Party

On the tea party menu today: water, crackers & clementines.

John used this orange block as his cup:)

Brielle & John really enjoy playing together. It's neat to watch them interact and entertain each other!

"The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades"

Brielle chose this outfit today, including her accessories :)

Brielle's shades are right out of the 80's, literally!

Recognize these glasses, Jenny?

They used to be yours!

While we were eating dinner tonight, without any prompting, Brielle was telling us about Jenny's glasses. I grabbed the camera and asked her to tell me again. :)

Happy Birthday Tim!

Tim had plenty of helpers for blowing out his candles:)

Emma & Josie playing with bubbles.

At one point there were 9 kids in this pool! The water was very warm and the kids were calling it their "hot tub", thanks to Ted for getting a hose hookup to the outdoor shower.

Becky & Kristen taking Pierce for his own canoe ride, while the girl cousins were out on a boat ride with Ted.

Becky and Bob and... no kids! :) (They have 6 kids)

Kristen, Willa, Brielle, & Ellen.

Wilson, Sam, & Carter taking a quick break from playing in the sand.

Ted returning the boy cousins-- Pierce, Sam, Carter, Connor & Max-- from their boat ride.