Sam's 1st Birthday Party

I totally don't get this.

Looking like this might be fun...
WAY more interested in the water bottle my brother has.
What would I do without sisters?

We had Sam's 1st Birthday party on the actual day (the 14th of June for those of you who aren't keeping score). It was a beautitful day...until party time! We stuck out most of the rain/drizzle in Brad's parents' backyard, but decided to move inside for cake. Sam was pretty clueless to most of it (it didn't help that he didn't really have a chance to figure it out on his own either -- ahhh, siblings), but really enjoyed the cupcakes. I believe he had two and maybe even part of a third!

He's still quite a peanut for being a one year old and shows no interest in walking on his own, although he does scoot along furniture and has gotten pretty good at climbing onto boxes or low furniture. His weight and height were in about the 5th-10th percentile when we had his one-year checkup about 3 days after his birthday (compared to his siblings, who were almost always above the 75th). He had just hit the 20lb mark, meaning we could put him in a front facing car seat! I'm actually glad he's not a 30lb one year old that's already been walking for 6 months...it's fun to enjoy him more slowly. :)

An Ostrich Egg & The "Shy" Boy

Well, for only having been to a zoo in WI once in 5 years before having gone with my sister and family in May, we made it to the Madison Zoo again in June, this time with some friends. We most definitely need to slow down this pace! :) Anyways, since I just did a zoo trip blog entry, I'll keep this one to the highlights -- namely an ostrich egg (I think it may actually be real...) and Nathan hiding behind the tortoise statue. He thought he was being pretty funny. He really does have a playful sense of humor, but a lot of times if you're not paying attention, you'll miss it.

Emilie's Dance Recital

Grandpa and Bekah barely holding on to consciousness while awaiting Emilie's performance (she was towards the end of the first act).

Emilie's first ever dance recital was Sunday June 1st (I know, I know...that was awhile ago. Sorry!) Her pre-school class included instruction in ballet, tap and tumbling, but her recital was just a tap routine. Their song was "Good Ship Lollipop" -- a song that seemed to be perpetually stuck in my head for months on end! :) Her class did very well overall and she wasn't nervous at all (or if she was she did a good job of hiding it!). She especially liked the roses from Daddy afterwards and is pretty sad that roses don't live forever.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow...

We had a wonderful time with my sister and her family while they were here. It was so nice that they were able to come (given the fact that they were in the middle of moving from AZ to CA), and that they could come for a longer stay. In fact, they were here such a long time that it seemed like they're always here...something I wish were the case -- at least for one of my three sisters (I miss them!). :) But all good things must come to an end, and after two and half weeks that flew by, it was time for them to head back to AZ.

Practicing for the Big Show

Emilie had her dance recital the Sunday after my sister and her family left. She had practiced so much in the car that Bekah and Nathan were pretty familiar with the words and motions to "Good Ship Lollipop". Shortly before the cousins all left, the kids put on their performance. Emilie was much more stage-shy in front of her cousins than she ended up being for the big performance on the stage with all the bright lights!

American Girl Place

In an effort to catch up on my blogging, here's what should be one of the last entries from when my sister and her family were here.

Mom took Sandy and I and our oldest daughters to American Girl Place in Chicago on the last Wednesday in May. We ate lunch at the cafe -- complete with little chairs, cups and saucers for the dolls. They also have a doll salon there and, as you can see, our two dolls were in desperate need of some hair care! I've actually had those two dolls for probably 15 years and have passed them on to my two girls. When I was younger, I never really played with them, but just had them up on doll stands on a shelf. Can I say I cringed just a bit when my girls begin actually playing with them (and not always so gently)?

We ended the trip with some shopping (including some covert Christmas purchases). They sure have a whole lot more to pick from than when I was young!