Baby laughs and slides…

"James just put his shoe in the refrigerator."
-Mom, said at Lowe's

Nothing makes Isla laugh more at the moment than her big sister.  For some reason Isla couldn’t get enough of Ashlyn jumping back and forth at the edge of the driveway, she laughed non-stop for roughly five minutes.

Luckily Isla laughing makes Ashlyn happy so we often get to hear Ashlyn entertaining Isla one way or another around the house.  Someday I’m sure this will change once Isla is mobile and begins following Ashlyn around the house.  But it’s fun at the moment.

Apparently the kids did not get enough of the festival life last weekend so we were back to our old neighborhood for Grand Prairie Main Street Days.  Slides, merry-go-rounds, cars, bikes and more were in store for us there and along with music from several different stages.  Isla enjoyed hearing Def Leggend, the premier Dallas Def Leppard tribute band, warm up while Mom took James and Ashlyn up on the big slide.  She especially liked the drummer warming up.

Sunday was more low-key while we fixed up some things around the house.  The kids were distracted by Cousin Heidi coming by in the afternoon to play.  Isla mainly sat in the living room and teleported around.  We’re note quite sure how she does it.  She’ll be in one spot and if we turn around and then look back she’s in a slightly different spot.  How she does this is a mystery.  Maybe she’s magical.

Trains, teeth, and ducks…

"I want to be called Sparklefly Thundershine when I grow up."
-Ashlyn

It’s hard not to smile when you’re around a happy baby.  And when Isla’s happy, she’s really happy.  She’s not happy all the time of course, but that only makes the better moments that much more memorable.

Isla’s first tooth has been right on the edge for weeks now and finally decided to make an appearance.  Only 19 more to go and we may get a good nights sleep!

The new tooth has not changed Isla’s eating habits.  The only thing she’s really opposed to is still peas, but everything else is fair game.  When she’s done eating she’s discovered the joy of picking food up and dropping it on the floor.  Rusty is appreciative of this new behavior.

Ashlyn decided this week that she wanted to be a lion tamer in the circus.  Due to a distinct lack of lions in our house she was forced to find a backup trainee.

It was Day out with Thomas on Saturday and we were fortunate that Nina and Papa bought tickets for the kids.  The kids really enjoyed their first train ride, even Isla woke up and seemed interested in the whole experience.  After trains, corn dogs, snow cones, trains, a petting zoo, a sandbox, and trains, they were tuckered out.  That didn’t stop them from coming home and playing with trains of course.  Thanks Nina and Papa for a great time out!

On Sunday evening we went to Grandma and Grandpa Wolfe’s house to celebrate ducks.  Sorry, not ducks, it was Brian’s birthday.  We went for a birthday dinner but when Heidi brought in three ducklings the kids were hooked.  In between the tiny quacks we were able to enjoy a good dinner and dessert, but for the most part the kids just chased around the fuzzy creatures.

Happy birthday mommy!

"As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two."
-Sir Norman Wisdom

When Ashlyn and James are getting along they are a lot of fun to be around.  Whether they’re chasing each other around with masks, lounging in the media room playing on their tablets, or having an epic balloon fight, their laughter will fill the house.  We’re looking forward to adding a 3rd laugh to the mix when Isla is older.

Isla still refuses to crawl, like many babies she hates being on her stomach.  Instead of crawling she has learned to use nearby objects to reach out and grab things out of her reach.  She’s beginning to scoot around a little bit though, and with a little work I think she’ll be crawling soon.

Saturday was Mommy’s birthday and the kids wrapped presents for her.  Of course they immediately took the presents after they were opened so they could play with them, but it’s the thought that counts.

While Ashlyn was at gymnastics James helped decorate some desserts.  We went out with friends for the evening so the kids celebrated with a post-lunch singing and candle blowing event.  Happy birthday Mommy!

James is getting old enough to start dressing himself in the morning but he wasn’t quite tall enough to reach the clothes hanging in his closet.  This weekend we installed a rod and he was excited to pick out and put on his own shirt.  I’m glad he’s excited, hopefully this will make the morning routine easier.