Nine Months

Wow, this month seems to have gone by very quickly! But just as I predicted, Wyatt has figured out how to pull up to standing... he just squeaked it in too - he started doing it the day before he turned 9 months! Here are some pictures:

Um, this is the face you get when you try to take a picture and it's naptime.

After a nap, we just feel so much better!

Here's Lila at 9 months.

The standing comparison shots.

Close-up. Can you see the three teeth he has on the bottom? Notice my daughter in the background wearing her shirt and a pull-up? :) Potty-training is going pretty well these days... still have a little trouble wanting to go #2 in the toilet but she's getting better.

Lila wanted to take her picture with Mr. Moose too.

Lila's 3rd Birthday

This past weekend we celebrated Lila's 3rd birthday with a Curious George party. It was our first time to have a party with her little friends... games, activities and all that. We had a great time! Her birthday was made all the more special by Grandma and Grandpa Amey's visit... and they brought her cousin Rachel!! 

While everyone was arriving, I had Curious George coloring sheets the kids could color. Then we played some games: knock the bananas off the tree, put the butterfly on George's hand (pin the tail on the donkey), and "Monkey Around" (hot potato with a stuffed monkey). Lila did NOT want to put the mask on for the butterfly game but she participated in all the other games. The tree game was a big hit. After the games, I read "Curious George and the Puppies" using a plush George and some stuffed doggies. It kept the kids' attention quite well (and adults too).

We had pizza for lunch, then cake and ice cream. Lila opened her gifts and then the party was done! I think all the kids had fun. I know Lila was super thrilled that her friends could be there. I was a little nervous about "entertaining" the young crowd, but it went well. Here are some pictures.

Aunt Janina brought the bunch of balloons in the center, including the huge Curious George balloon... pretty neat!

Here they are throwing the monkey at the tree, trying to knock off the plastic bananas. Lila got it on the first throw, but then nobody could do it again, including her.

Reading the story.

The cake. White cake with buttercream frosting and lollipop "balloons". When I asked Lila what her favorite part of her party was, she said, "the cake." (So that made me feel pretty good about the 5 hours or so I spent on it!)

Happy Birthday, dear Lila!

Blowing out the candles.

The party guests.

Wyatt even dressed for the occasion!

Eight Months

Well, once again I've gotten behind in my blog. We have been busy. I have other posts I'd like to put up but I'll have to settle for this one... since Wyatt is almost 9 months old! I'd better get this up quick! I meant to put his pictures before Lila's but got it backwards... oh well. 

Just in the past couple weeks, Wyatt has gotten very good at sitting up on his own. He still does his worm scoot to get around but now he just sits right up when gets to where he wants to be! He's also pulling up to kneeling. This week he learned how to wave, which was fun.  In another week (can't believe he will be 9 months by then!!), maybe he will be standing... or feeding himself Cheerios. I'm sure there will be something new to report. I'll have new weight/height stats by then too. Here's the comparison shots.

Lila

Wyatt

Lila

Wyatt

Our First 5K

Recently Ben has gotten into fitness, specifically running and biking. He wants to do a triathlon in August. Last weekend he signed up for the Dadfest 5K run. Apparently, you did not have to be a dad to run in this race, as there were a lot of women participating. The race was at eight in the morning so it was relatively cool yet. Originally Ben was going to run with Lila in a jogging stroller (that we had borrowed). But when we got down to the site, she decided she wanted to sit in our regular stroller and eat her snack & juice. Since Wyatt doesn't yet have a vote, into the jogging stroller he went. Then all the racers got behind the start line.

It's always easy to find Ben in a crowd. (Note the yellow arrow if you're having trouble.)

I took this picture right as they fired the start gun. A couple of things to notice: First, the serious runners are in the front row... and they're all setting their watches (something I didn't notice but Ben did.) Again, note the yellow arrow. Second, Dadfest has a mascot... a large-headed Dad (to the right of the yellow arrow). I guess it wouldn't be a "fest" without a mascot?? After the runners went past us, I asked Lila if we should go to the finish line to watch for Daddy. To which she said, "And the man with the big head?" So apparently, the mascot made an impression on somebody.

Here's Ben and Wyatt at the start of the race. I figured Wyatt would enjoy the ride and watching all the people. What I hadn't counted on was the stroller being a wee bit too big for him and the bouncing motion pushing him farther down in the seat. So after Ben crossed the finish line, this is what I found:

Wyatt had scooted all the way down and was hanging on with clenched fists!

Peek-a-boo. 

Seriously, isn't that cute or what?

They had some other random activities for kids. Home Depot had simple wood projects and kid aprons (which the little boy in the picture is holding). Above, Lila is petting Elsie, the Borden cow. They were there to promote the health of drinking milk. And because what kid doesn't want to pet a cow? (That's my sis next to Lila. She came over to watch Ben race too.) We also snagged a balloon animal for Lila before we left. All in all, it was fairly entertaining for us watching, and Ben had a good time. Plus I learned that my daughter will not go potty in a Porta-potty. And really, who can blame her? :)

Little Crayon Apron

This past fall at our church's Women's Retreat, a group of us ladies were talking about how we'd like to try our hand at sewing. Or, in my case, try my hand at sewing again. Yes, that's right... I made a pretty stylin' pair of hot pink & purple shorts when I was in the 8th grade. April, a very dear friend of mine who QUILTS (which takes a master's degree in sewing) volunteered to give us a sewing lesson. Now, what kind of project did I want to tackle? Fortunately for me, I stumbled across this little sewing project, the crayon apron. I thought it would be cute and not too difficult.

Of course I can never keep things too simple so I decided to add a little embellishment - some button "cherries" - to the pocket which I hand sewed. I borrowed my sister's sewing machine, which she uses to sew on scrapbooking projects. As nice as it was of her to lend it to me, I decided I didn't want to attempt sewing this skinny rickrack with that machine (let's just say it's ideal for stitching on thin sheets of paper!). April was kind enough to let me use her sewing machine to finish my project... and continue to tutor me along the way. 

Here's my little artist, modeling her apron for me! It really was a fun project and not too difficult at all. I think if you had a boy, you could make a waist-apron (getting rid of the top half) and with some tan fabric, it would sort of be like a man's tool belt. Hmm... maybe when Wyatt's a little older I'll have to try it!

The Worm Technique

Well, here's the video of Wyatt's "worm" technique to getting around. He seems to be in no hurry to actually crawl -- but he also has no problem getting to where he wants to go :)

Starting Early

You've heard of the Von Trapps? Meet the Von Halens :)