Lucky Charms, Here I Come!

We tried cereal last night--it wasn't exactly a hit! Here is a video of Ollie eating...he didn't get much down, but it was pretty cute. We'll maybe wait a few days and then try again...

Guess What?

I got a shot today! In fact, I got 4 shots today! Mean mommy and daddy brought me to the same place as two months ago...I thought I made it quite clear how I felt about those! But, I do have 4 shiny band-aids...

On the bright side, that means that I AM 4 MONTHS OLD TODAY!!!!!! "Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday handsome Oliver...(I added that part), Happy Birthday to Meeeee!!!!!!"
Since I am now 4 months old, I begged mom and dad to let me try solid food. So, tonight's the night! Rice cereal, here I come! (watch for video tomorrow to see how that went...)

Random Thoughts

To be honest--we don't really have anything exciting to write about...but the "gassy" video has been on far too long. I'm glad so many of you enjoyed that...
School
I've been working in my classroom a few hours a week now. It's nice that Ollie can lay on the floor and just watch. He's pretty content that way. I'm job sharing with a wonderful friend this year--I'll teach afternoons, she'll teach mornings. So it's been fun to set up a room with someone else.
Random Itchy Spots
I have this spot on my hip--Joel says it's poison ivy--that itches like CRAZY! It's red and bumpy. That's been a minor annoyance this week. (don't worry, I'm not including a picture)
Reading
I started re-reading the book "Here I Stand" about Martin Luther. (the reformer--not MLK) I remember liking that book when I had to read it in college--and then Sunday our pastor mentioned something about him, and it sparked my interest in reading it again. It's so far been a great book.
Gardening
We have a garden this year that's doing pretty well, despite two April snowstorms. For the month of June, we had spinach coming up. It was delicious! That's died now, with the heat. (or the rabbits) Right now we are enjoying our tomato forest. Seriously. I pick 4-5 ripe tomatoes each day...and there's lots of green ones still growing! I'm trying to freeze salsa. We also are growing jalapenos (tempting to spell that "halapenos"), raspberries, green onions, basil and parsley. I havent' really used parsley yet. A friend gave those herbs (also tempting..."erbs") to us, and I've loved the basil.
Lunch
I just enjoyed a nice lunch of pb/jelly sandwich, chips and HOMEMADE salsa, and a peach. Mmmmmmm.

Do you smell something?

Listen very closely...you may want to turn your volume up...but don't forget to plug your nose!
I'm afraid this is just the beginning of these sounds! Enjoy! (Kendall doesn't have a chance in this house!) -Joel

"Holy Gleaming Cabinets, Batman!"

I'm not usually one to endorse cleaning products. As my family and roommate from college know, I can be a less-than-par cleaner. But while Joel's parents were here, they insisted I buy the Magic Eraser cleaning sponge. So I bought one (actually the Great Value brand--there are 4 for $2!) Anyway--they are AMAZING! It cleans marks off our white kitchen wood cabinets that had been there for years! I am a believer.

"..hmmmm...."

(...that silly taxi dog! Making faces at the custo-) Oh. Hello! I am reading a super book by my good friend Lynette. She is the one from New York City. Along with a taxi and taxi outfit--she gave me this silly book about a taxi dog! I'm enjoying it thoroughly. As for why I'm laying on a towel without pants--that is a long not-so-silly story. You'll have to ask mom about that...


But here I am playing with dad. I am really holding my head up. In fact, I'm getting really good at turning over, too! As soon as mom or dad lays me down for a diaper change or to sleep--"whip!"-- I'm on my stomach in no time! It really is impressive.

Weekend with the G-Parents

We had lots of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Smith. They left just this afternoon. We played cards, ate good food, rested, walked, and went through a large tub of clothes from Joel's sisters! Thanks to them, we are stocked for another year! :-) Here are some highlights of the weekend:
Grandpa Smith holding Ollie.
Playing with a toy (and really holding his head up!)
Walking the Sand Creek Trail (yes, this is in Kansas!)

Leaving Ollie at the Temple

Okay, well maybe not literally. But we did dedicate him today! That means that we decide as parents to raise him in a God-honoring way. Unlike Hannah--we will not leave him at Grace Community Church for them to raise. We like him too much! But here is a picture of us...notice the big screen???

Special Guests

We've had two special guests come this weekend! Yesterday, mommy and daddy's friend Dzino came over. He lives in New York City!! He was Daddy's room mate in college for a while. Dzino liked me a lot. I think he wants a little baby, too!


Then today Grandma and Grandpa Smith came over. I hadn't ever seen Grandpa, so it's so exciting to meet him. Except, he's already sleeping...but grandma is playing with me! We are going to have so much fun this weekend!!!

Our Whirlwind Week

Wow! This has been a busy week. Last Tuesday I drove with Oliver up to Salina to visit my BEST friend from highschool Chelsie. (in black) Our good Spanish friend Lynette came from New York City (the Huxtable's house!) to visit us, too. We ate at Carlos O'Kelly's and had a good ole' time. They enjoyed seeing Oliver. He got his first taxi cab shirt, book and toy!

Then, Wednesday Aunt Courtney came up to visit us. We went to Wichita and met my parents for lunch and went to Hobby Lobby where her car flooded....again. We also went to Super Target. Fun fun.

That night, we went to our friend's house for a party--and got rained out. It was quite a storm! Luckily, they had room for all 30 of us in their house!
Thursday we left for Branson with our friends Amanda and Dave and their little girl, Taylor. Taylor is almost 9 months old. We enjoyed Dixie Stampede, eating out, mini-golf and go-carts, Tablerock Lake, and much more. Here are some pictures from our trip. We found a nice quiet area to swim and jump from high rocks.

We got home last night around 4:30. I hosted a Bible study at 7pm. This morning, we awoke early to get ready for VBS--I'm helping one-on-one with some kids. That goes until the end of this week. Then, Saturday morning Joel's parents are coming down from Indiana! We are quite busy! But it's all fun stuff.

Weekend Getaway

We are leaving here this afternoon to travel to Lake Taneycomo (near Branson, MO) with a couple-friend of ours. We'll be right on the lake! We'll boat, tube, jet-ski (maybe) and eat lots of good food. We are looking forward to taking some time to relax. Oliver is coming, too. This is his first trip! It's amazing how much you have to pack--and we're keeping it to bare minimum!!! (He's even sleeping on the floor, instead of our pack-n-play!) Funny, I'd never been to Branson before last summer, and now 3 of our last 4 trips have been there!!!!! We'll talk again Monday.

Daddy's Boy

Joel comes home each day for lunch. We sit and enjoy sandwiches and chips, while watching Ollie entertain us in his swing. Lately, he's been trying so hard to get Joel's attention! It's hilarious. Today was no exception--and we caught in on video. I'll explain: first off, realize that we're still a little iffy on "baby-ese", so these translations may not be fully accurate. Here's what happens...Joel eats, watching his food or me. Ollie, realizing Dad's not watching him anymore, kicks and kicks FURIOUSLY. "Watch me, watch me!!!" Joel looks at him, and he starts talking to Joel. "Today I went on a walk, ate food, watched TV, had tummy time..." Although I spend most of my day with Ollie--during this lunch time, he is ALL JOEL's! Watch and see...(I did try to commentate a bit so you'd see exactly what was happening.)