Happy Birthday Jim!

Today Jim is 35 years old! He had presents at his place at the table this morning and the kids could hardly contain their excitement. We watched him open and then he promptly made french toast for everyone. Mmmmm.....sounds like that should have been my job today!

We are also taking advantage of the Farmer's Market here in town and loving fresh Iowa corn! There's nothing quite like an ear of corn fresh from the field.

What's in a name?

Nana's rose, Sweetie pie, Prom pink, Pink frenzy, Pink whisper...these are just some of the different shades of pink we've been thinking about for the girls' rooms. I've been pouring over swatches for days now trying to decide what to choose. Sara's room is PINK! Not just any kind of pink, but PINK!!! It's a little overwhelming at first but it's growing on me. Ella Jane's room will be pink with purple polka dots. She's so excited. Pictures to come...

VBS...

Matthew decorating his heart cake

Our new friend Gwendolyn

That's Sara in the stroller...she looks a little shocked. Matthew and Ella Jane loved pushing her around. You can tell Matthew cheeks that he's laughing!

Bundled her up before a cool morning run

And another thing...

So happy
Grandma and Sara

Matthew and Ella Jane are at VBS this week. Ella Jane was VERY excited to be able to attend something that Matthew got to do. Ella Jane is now old enough be able to start participating and she couldn't be more thrilled.

Meanwhile, Sara and I are either home doing projects, napping or running. It's so peaceful! She continues to be a very happy little girl. Bless her little heart, when I wake her from a nap to put her in the car she just opens her eyes and smiles. She is getting so strong now too! She rolled over for the first time last week. Her expression was a little shocked but I think she liked it. She's also turning out to be a little stander just like Matthew. He LOVED to be upright as a baby and she seems to be following in his footsteps.

Oh my goodness! Sara just grabbed for her pacifier that was sitting in the johnny jump up tray. Her face was so focused. I love to be able to watch these first milestones as they are happening!

Just life...

One final post for July. Grandma and Aunt Mary have gone home and we are back to regular schedules. No more company for awhile and we set are sights on the upcomoing school year. It will begin in less than a month and Matthew is for sure ready for Kindergarten. He had a jump start program this week and had lots of fun with it. I think Ella Jane was wanting to join him. She'll get her chance as she heads off to her own program this year 2x a week leaving me with just Sara. Mmm....I sense some good running time in our future!

Make a wish...

We had birthdays this week. Matthew is now 5yrs. old and Ella Jane is our big 3yr. old girl. WOW! It was a little bittersweet for me since last year at this time we were in Maryland and were able to have a WONDERFUL party with all of our friends. The memories are still fresh, in fact last night I was just telling Matthew about the day he was born. That day involved our good friend Liz; we had to borrow her car to go to the hospital and I asked if he still rememberd her. "Of course!, I remember everybody from Maryland!" came his enthusiastic reply.

Grandma and Aunt Mary are visiting this week so along with two of our new little friends, they were our special guests this year. We put swim suits on the kids, set up the pools and the slip and slide and let them play.

Among Matthew's gifts...a spiderman lunch box, a spiderman t-shirt, a remote control helicopter, and a scooter. Among Ella Jane's gifts...a Dora magnet playset, purple nail polish, her very own "towel" to hold all of her toys, and a scooter. What fun they are having with these new treasures!!

Changes...

Sara is not the only one changing around here! We've painted two rooms; the office and dining room. Don't they look great?

"That's not cool..."

We had a fly in the house just now and Matthew hates it when a fly gets in. The kids were at the table having a snack and of course the fly was buzzing around. Ella Jane says to Matthew, "you can just take your hand and shoo him away, how cool is that?" Matthew's reply? "That's not cool." They are so funny.

Romona Quimby Age 2

The kids got haircuts yesterday and the first thing I thought of when Ella Jane's hair was finished was Romona Quimby. If you grew up on the Beverly Cleary books then you know what I'm talking about. She's pretty cute. No more baby hair whispies. Matthew looks really sharp too. The professionals can do so much better than I can!

While Jim was gone we had a fun visit with Maria, Nick and Isabel. They were such a huge help and Nick even tackled some of Jim's projects in the garage which helped us out tremendously.

We've pulled out the slip and slide this week as the weather has become warmer. Below are pictures...you can see how much fun Matthew has with this. I will say slip and slides have come a long way since I was kid. No longer are they just a piece of yellow plastic that you have to keep straightening out!


Maria, Isabel, and Nick on the Mississippi River

Ella Jane with her new haircut

Go Matthew!

More fun on the slip and slide