typical breakfast

Lu is in love with her little baby doll. Today baby ate with us somehow. I don't think baby will eat with us again...she had just as much yogurt as Lu, but she didn't have a bib. Lu loves to give her a bottle, sit her on the little potty, and give her a pacy. Getting her dressed is a bit of annoyance, but I'm sure that will come with time.

 Sleepdog is of course Moo's breakfast buddy. He, however, is much older and knows to sit at his own spot so he doesn't get messy. Before sleeping time, we are currently mixing real stories (from books) and "ten' stories" (pretend stories) about the misadventures of Moo and Sleepdog. Moo loves to put Sleepdog in his own bed as well as give him tea to drink. He has nearly jumped into the kiddy pool several times, but we keep telling Moo that Sleepdog doesn't like to get wet. We'll see if that sustains dryness.

our little twirler

Haha! Finally captured! Our little girl's typical pre-nap (and post-nap) pose: thumb in mouth, pointer finger crooked on the nose, and the other hand twirling the hair on top of her head. If she grows up with curls in only one spot, the cause is now documented.

Around home

Lu has finally grown enough hair for a barrette. Here are the dragonfly ones Moo picked out for her at the market.

 We are all thankful that we bought a cherry-pitter last summer when we were home. Bed Bath and Beyond truly does carry everything under the moon. Anyway, for two fruit-lovin' kids, it is a God-send. Otherwise, one of us would be "momma-birding" it all day long. Lu's favorite way to eat cherries is off her thumb. I remember experiencing the same delight with those butter finger cookies when I was little....stick a finger in and eat one petal at a time. Yum.

 So, I took the kids to the beach last week thinking we would play in the sand. The water was too irresistable for both parties. Lu came home naked (except for her bumgenius) in the front carrier, and Moo would have come home in just shorts had he not insisted he wear a shirt. The only dry shirt left was Lu's pink size 12 month sweater. It was not a good look. But hey, whatever gets them home, right? My hubbie thinks my son will not forgive me for posting this picture when he reaches his teen years. I figure I have lots of time to delete it before then. :)

 Our latest purchase and the perfect way to make that last hour between post-nap snack and when Dad comes home...a kiddie pool for our balcony. The kids love it and while I wish it were a bit bigger for Mom to fit in, I am content with my feet in the water watching my munchkins pour cup after cup of pool-tea.

church fair

Last weekend was the annual church fair. This year, a friend of ours created a special photo booth complete with costumes and a faux fancy portrait wall. Moo has reached the age of not-believing (in family photos that is), but the rest of us had a splendid time. (We'll also make a concerted effort next year to do the photo at the beginning of the day rather than the end - when meltdown has set in.)

rainy days

 And how do we pass the time on these beautiful and yet sometimes insidious rainy days? Home gym! It works surprisingly well, so long as Moo doesn't sit on top of the cushion that Lu is crawling under.

 Another favorite, is emptying mom's jewelry drawer. There's not much in there, but it is worth at least a good hour of entertainment.  Thanks to Carine for the added pieces!

Rainbow!

We have had a handful of thunder storms since we moved overseas and yet lately we have had quite  a few. What a delight to see this beautiful rainbow last week, right over our park. There were actually two rainbows, but the second one was hard to capture on camera. PTL for refreshing rains, fun thunderstorms that make you curl up with your kiddos and silly books, and the covenant promise of the rainbow...reminding me of hope and security even in times of difficulty.

The Strawberry Gobbler

Lu's new nickname, deemed by Dad. She can pack away a pound of strawberries the day it comes home from the market... thanks Dad for cutting them all nice for me!

 And I can vividly remember a few years ago seeing a mom of two with a one year old eating a snow cone. I only had one child at the time and thought, "woah! That is some serious junk food for such a little guy." And hear I am now...mom of two...and my daughter loves pizza. Please refer back to the picture above to note that she does pack away the healthy food as well. :)