Favorite Sibling Pic Yet!

Who knew playing in a cardboard box could be so much fun?

The Bs have it!

A forced smile, but so handsome!

Expert Jumper!!! Leo jumps all the time.

Somerset is obsessed with balloons!

11 month portrait with Joy the Owl

Serious messes come from this girl

My boy has a major sweet tooth

Downing a smoothie.
Somerset is a good little eater!

This week has been all about bs. Somerset has had a language explosion and now says ball, balloon, bottle and bubbles. It's crazy how many words she picked up in such a short time. She also is getting really good at mimicking. When I put her on the baby swing at the park, she squeals "weeeee," and she tries to say "I love you," which sounds like Al-lah-lah." It is very heart warming and is so gratifying as a parent.

She has taken a real liking to Angelina Ballerina and Elmo. She is also starting to show a real preference for certain toys. When we take her to the toy department, she squeals at all the girly things. She loves the dolls and anything shiny. She is as much a girl as Leo is a boy.

She still has yet to crawl, but scoots like a real pro. I think I have accepted that this is her chosen mode of transportation and that's just how it's going to be.

Leo is loving swim class! He isn't a very good listener to the swim teacher, but he has such a blast. We will continue to work on the listening skills. The teacher loves him anyway because he has so much spunk and energy . The teacher said that he is a nice kid with a lot of energy.

Leo also got a new tricycle. We have never bought him one, so this is all new to him. Joe takes Leo out and they practice steering and moving the pedals. He loves it!

Leo is my sweet boy. He is filled with so much love. At nap time and bed time, he always says things like, "I love you a million, trillion zillion! I love you soooooo much!" It makes me feel so good about being a mommy.

The kids are really starting to interact. They play together and they can disturb each other too. It usually revolves around Somerset knocking down or breaking a Leo Lego creation or Leo taking away a toy that Somerset is playing with. For the most part though, they get along fabulously. In fact, right now they are playing a game called Smash the Blast. Leo made this up and it involves blocks and balls crashing into each other....typical Leo!!!

Summe rtime fun!

We've had some fun times now that summer has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Leo has been taking swim class twice a week and has been having such an amazing times that I signed him up for another round of classes. He is at the very beginning level, but the best part about class is that he takes it without parent participation, so Somerset and I watch along the side and he feels like a big boy because I am not with him. He is so fiercely independent and always prefers to do things alone when given the chance.

Leo also loves flying balsa wood planes with Joe. They go to the park and fly them down the hill. Leo has always had an uncontrollable urge to throw things, so at least this is a good outlet for that.

Somerset has picked up a few new words. She now says ball and E-lah (Elmo). She has finally fallen in love with the furry, red guy.

She still scoots around on her bottom to get around, but boy is she fast. She leans forward and puts her hands in front of her, so she is so close to crawling if she chooses too.

Leo and Somerset are partners in crime. The both act crazy together. Today we took them to a grocery store that had side-by-side kid seats in the cart. They were both making each other crack up and were acting CRAZY!!! It was cute, but they are getting wild together.

Joe and I went on a real date alone to our friends' Brian and Nancy's wedding. It was a gorgeous Oregon day on a beautiful vineyard. We had an amazing time and were child-free thanks to Grandma.

I was nominated as my work's employee of the month. It was a good feeling and although I tend to be shy about being the center of attention, I was grateful for the recognition.

Joe's hop plants are going crazy. It will be a great harvest for him and I am sure that he will have so much fun brewing beer from his very own hops. Go Joe!!!