Got Giggles?

From time to time our little Ike will get a serious case of the giggles. Usually toward the end of the day when he's feeling a bit tired and is finding things to be particularly funny. Sometimes it starts with someone jumping off the couch, or a toy being tossed into the toy bin. But tonight it was a bouncy ball ... a super duper, ricocheting back, giggle inducing bouncy ball.

I show this clip, inspite of the frightening double-chin camera angle, and include a warning: These giggles are contagious!

eNjoyIng cLasSic mOmenTs

What is it about a bLacK & whiTe photo that can turn even

silly moments into classic moments?

Enjoying a Sunny walk ...

Enjoying a thoughtful moment ...

Enjoying being home from school ...

:::::Water Park:::::

"And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down and the floods came up, up, upper."

These pictures made me think of one of my favorite movies,

"Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day."

A classic for sure that contains one of my favorite songs about rain storms and flood waters ...

"Pooh too was caught and so he thought, 'I must rescue my supper.'

Ten honey pots he rescued, enough to see him through,

but as he sopped up his supper, the river sopped up Pooh.

And the water twirled and tossed him

in a honey pot ... canoe!"

This is one of our favorite parks that was flodded out by the weekend's massive rain fall.

Sunny's response was, "I guess we'll just have to call it a water park now."

Ha! I guess so Sunny.

I love you, Mommy ...

This cracked me up. Sunny and I were testing out our new camera with video capabilities and all I did was say, "It's recording you Sunny." The rest was her own doing. I must admit ... I'm touched that she thinks of me even when she's feeling silly.

Zoo Day

Time to visit the local zoo with some Michigan friends. It was a day filled with food, friends, and fun!!

Up close and personal with this pacing tiger ...
Ike and mom ... NOT loving the effects of humidity on my hair!
Ike and pacing tiger ...
Sunny at the bronze giraffes ...

The goats were Ike's FAVORITE part ...
Sunny by the "girl lion."

I asked Sunny what the lion was thinking and she said, "I think she's thinking about coming on this side of the glass to play nicely with us." hmmm ... maybe!

Sunny and Ike at the fish exhibit ...
Sunny, Alex, Noah ...

Deer Crossing

I was finally able to capture a picture of the family of deer that live in our neighborhood. They wander in and out of yards that are connected to the nature preserve on our street but I never seem to have a camera around when I see them. So there you have it, more evidence that this is a beautiful place to live (or visit - hint, hint).

Hurricane Ike

While I guess it's not technically a hurricane any more, Tropical Storm Ike passed over Michigan this last weekend. I've never seen it dump that much rain for that many consistant hours before. I don't even know what the official inch count was for our area, but we have a gallon ice cream bucket out in our yard that was empty and is now full. That's a lot of rain for an Idaho girl.

Here's our conversation about "Hurricane Ike" ...

TV newscaster: "Hurricane Ike is nearing the Texas coast."

Sunny: "Hey, that guy said 'Hurricane Ike'. That's funny."

Gage: "What's a hurricane?"

Mom: "A hurricane is a big storm that blows in over the ocean and breaks lots of things and makes a really big mess."

Sunny: "Then it's a good thing they named it 'Ike'."

Law School

I have to admit that every time I drop Steve off, or pick him up from school I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face. It thrills me that he has found something to be passionate about. Don't misunderstand, Steve is passionate about lots of great things (me, the kids, the gospel ...) but this signifies the beginning of something quite different and something quite exciting for our whole family. When his classes get tough (which is more often than not) or he's buried in his books, he just resolves that much harder to find a way to make this all work. I find his motivation, enthusiasm, and optimism thrilling.

Steve, you ROCK!!

Look Mom ... NO hands!!

Ike is becoming a pro at free standing! It used to be that I could lie on the floor to stretch out after dinner for a moment of peace and relaxation but not any more! My body has been transformed in my 11 month old's eyes, to a magnificint jungle gym designed specifically for his free standing practice. He'll army crawl over, all elbowes and toes, grab a hold of my shirt mid chest, pull him self steady with feet planted in place and then ... tadah ... a perfect release as he straitens out into a stand. My favorite part is the look of accomplishment on his face when he realizes that he's done it once again. If standing up were an Olympic sport, Ike would think he deserved the gold medal. Love this kid!!!

Lake Lansing

We tried out another lake this week ... Lake Lansing. It is much closer than Lake Michigan but not nearly as big. It had a great beach that backs up to a grassy park. The shallow, warm water was perfect for little swimmers.





Ike and Sunny had a great time playing in the sand and chasing the fishies.

1st Grade

Gage is a big 1st grader now! There is a public Montessori school in our neighborhood that had a spot in a first grade class for Gage. He has really been enjoying it so far. I asked him how he liked having a mix of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in his class. He said it was "good because the older kids help me with stuff sometimes." Gage and Steve get to share their school stories with each other at the end of the day and I think that has been fun for both of them.