Big Daddy's Birthday Party

This past Saturday we had a semi-surprise birthday party for Big Daddy (my dad's dad).  I say "semi-surprise" because he knew the immediate family was coming for his birthday lunch, but we had invited a few more people (his mother, brothers and sisters from out of town) than he and Nana knew about.  Everyone had a really nice time.  We enjoyed hamburgers on the grill, baked beans, pasta and fruit salads, chips and drinks.  Leah helped him blow out his candles.  Big Daddy has been a very special part of my life.  We are so thankful that Big Daddy has celebrated another birthday in good health and that our girls are going to have special memories with their great grandfather.  Happy Birthday Big Daddy!!

6 Month Check-Up

On Tuesday, Anna had her 6 month check-up with the pediatrician.  She did beautifully and got an A+.  She weighs 20 pounds, 3 ounces and is 27 inches long.  She is at the very tip-top of the growth chart, but she is proportional.  She received a shot in each leg, which made her a little cranky for the rest of the day.  Praise the Lord for our healthy girl!

Little Teacher

This evening while I was cooking dinner, I noticed Leah taking chairs out of her room one at a time into the living room.  I went to see what she was doing, and turns out she was playing school with her animals.  She told me that she was teaching "pink monkey," "bear," and "Elmo" how to color.  Each stuffed student had his own chair and plate with crayons on it.  Pretty funny.

Sunday Mornings with Daddy

Big Girl Cup

This week Anna started using a big girl sippy cup at meal time.  We give her a little water in it so she gets used to drinking from something other than a bottle.  I showed her how to hold it and drink from it ONE time and she looked at me like "Mom, I got this."  She does really well with it and looks so grown up when she uses it.

Odd Garden Specimens

I went out to pick from my hay bale garden last week.  Apparently I had missed a cucumber for several days (or maybe weeks).  This extraordinarily large cuke measured over a foot long and was about 3 inches or more in diameter.  Sadly, when they grow this large they are no longer good for consumption because they are too seedy and "woody." Also shown in this photo is another cuke that looks like something from another planet.  I have done some research and it looks like my garden has become infected with Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV). 

My yellow crookneck squash have completely died and my cukes are misshappen and pale.  The disease is spread by aphids, which I have certainly been battling this summer.  My tomatoes appear to be okay at the moment, however they too are succeptable to this virus.  Oh well, so is the life of a farmer.

Basket Full of Cute

While making my bed the other morning, I put Anna in the clothes basket so she wouldn't fall over.  Of course, Leah had to climb right in with her.  They both seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.  I think all parents have a photo of their child(ren) in the clothes basket at some point.

Sister Milestone

Since the moment we found out we were expecting Anna, I was thrilled (and slightly terrified) that our girls were going to be less than two years apart in age.  I  was already envisioning them as best friends, confidants, and being downright inseparable.  Well tonight, was a milestone for them as sisters...their first shared bathtime.  We bought this baby bathseat at a yard sale last weekend and it provides Anna with enough "protection" from Leah that I was comfortable with the idea of them being in the bathtub at the same time.  Of course, they both loved it!

Special Visitors

My cousin, Erin and her daughter Elizabeth were able to come to visit in NC the past two weeks.  Erin lives in Washington and Elizabeth lives in Texas.  We didn't see much of them since they were very busy during their stay, but thankfully we were able to have a meal together Saturday before they left to go back home.  Leah enjoyed having new people to play with.  We really wish we could see more of these two!

Sprinkletastic

It has been sooooo hot.  We set up the sprinkler last weekend and let Leah play in it.  She even convinced her Daddy to get wet too.  We have well water and it was freezing cold coming out of the sprinkler, but she loved it.

6 Months Already!

Our darling little Anna banana turned 6 months old yesterday.  My, how time flies.  Her sweet, gentle spirit brings balance to our nest.  It makes my heart glad to see the love and adoration that is developing between our girls, as sisters.  One of Leah's favorite things to do in the morning is accompany me to Anna's room and run up to the crib exclaiming "Da -Mooring, Anna!"

Anna can now sit unassisted and play.  She is more advanced physically than Leah was at this age.  We expect she will crawl and walk sooner, too.  Her favorite veggie is squash, and she prefers all veggies over fruit.  She is still breastfed, and we are working on getting her to sleep longer stretches at night.  I have been quick to nurse her if/when she awakens during the night because I was afraid she would wake up her sister.  So, as a result, she has come to rely on being nursed back to sleep everytime she wakes up....not good.  But we are working on correcting that.  Another new phase we are dealing with is stranger anxiety.  She has started to cry when she is held by people she doesn't recognize.  We see this often when we take her to the nursery at church.  I pray this phase is a quick one, because it breaks my heart to hear her cry.

Anna will go to the pediatrician for her 6 month check-up on July 19th, so we will see how much she's grown then.