Daniel and Mia playing together. 

Mia wearing her new dress and matching hat. 

YAY PEE PEE!!!

The other day, I was out with the kids and I needed to go to the bathroom. Let me get my point across, I NEEDED to go to the bathroom. If I am on the road and I have to stop, get both kids out of the car seats, put Mia in a stroller, get Daniel to walk with me quickly anywhere, and then return to the car, back in the car seats, and put the stroller away (all of which is at least a 20 minute process), I carefully weigh if I really need to stop anywhere. So if I decide I need to stop for a bathroom break, there is some real urgency.

So we stop at Burger King and we all get out the the car. I do my best to get inside and get our business done as fast as possible. After we are done, we leave the bathroom and step into the restaurant. Daniel, who has been working on potty training off and on, decides to announce to everyone what we have accomplished. "YAY!!! PEE PEE!!! YAY!!! PEE PEE!!!" He claps his hands in excitement and tells all who want to hear (and even those who don't). I felt my face begin to turn shades as I see everyone in the restaurant smiling at me. I'm just waiting until Daniel begins to say, "Mama pee pee." In the mean time, I'll just let everyone think he is the one accomplishing the monumental task.

This is a picnic we are having on an afternoon. Daniel's food is becoming an issue for him. The problem: he does not like "broken" food. If I break apart a muffin for him, he cries and says, "BRO-KIN" as he tries to smash the pieces back together. Broken crackers get flipped off his plate. Tonight, I offered him a beef, bean, and cheese burrito. As he picked it up to eat, some of the insides fell out. "BRO-KIN!!!" he cried as he tried to stuff the insides back in. Meals are becoming hard for little Daniel. Here he is eating ham and cheese, both are in "whole" pieces, so there are no tears. 

We went to the park today. Daniel is wearing his brand new Elmo shirt. He is in love with Elmo, pointing Elmo out everywhere he sees him (and Elmo is around more than you might think). Daniel is talking very well; but for some reason, he used to call Elmo "Emmo", but now calls him "At choo choo". "At choo choo" doesn't even sound remotely like Elmo and Shane and I are at a complete loss as to why Elmo's name has been changed. As with many of Daniel's pictures, he also has a nice bruise on his head. So far, we don't think he has sustained an brain damage from the head tramas; but then again, there is the "At choo choo" issue... 

Mia got her first doll. OK, I have been waiting to buy her a doll ever since I found out I was having a girl at the ultrasound appointment a full year ago. But Mia is seven months old now so I figure it is time to make the purchase. And seeing her play with the doll have made the year wait so worth it. She hugs on it, squeezes it, giggles and squeaks as she plays with it. She is so much fun to watch with her new doll. And I have even caught her laying her head on it a few times when she is sleeping in bed. So sweet... I thank God for my baby girl. 

We went to a pumpkin patch and enjoyed some sun and fun. Getting Daniel to sit still long enough for a picture with the pumpkins was not on his to do list. But Mia, who is not quite as fast as Daniel, sat long enough for a couple of pictures. The round thing dressed in a jean dress is Mia. The other orange round things are the pumpkins. 

This is Daniel testing his strength by attempting to pick up a pumpkin. What you don't see, is the pumpkin sliding out of his hands, rolling down a hill, and Daniel chasing after it. After the pumpkin finally stops rolling, Daniel catches up to it and I can hear him saying, "Kick it! Kick it!", and him kicking the pumpkin like it is a soccer ball. Well, round ball, round pumpkin... I see the similarities. 

Daniel looking rather dashing in his red wagon. The weather has been so perfect for wagon rides lately. 

Look closely and you can see Mia's two new bottom teeth. 

Daniel likes to pull Mia in the wagon. The only problem it that he doesn't steer well and poor Mia could end up just about any where. 

When I ask Daniel to smile, he often runs straight at me, puts his face directly on the camera, then makes this cheesy grin. I just happened to snap the shot before he made it to the camera this time. 

I am suprised how well Mia rides in the wagon. I buckle her in and off we go. The bigger the bumps, the bigger she squeals. 

Daniel and Mia are going for a wagon ride. Daniel gets so excited that he claps his hands and says, "WA-A-AGON!" He climbs right in, then says, "We-e-e-e!" as we pull away from the curb. 

The land behind Daniel is an agricultural area for the school. We are only a mile from our apartment, but you wouldn't know it from the picture. 

Sweet smiles. 

Aunt Mandy enjoying baby Mia. Aunt Mandy traveled from Arizona to see Mia and Daniel (and the rest of the family). 

Grandma Mary with her "sweet baby boy." 

Grandma Mary enjoying baby Mia. 

Mia sitting in Grandma Mary's lap. 

Mia is 6 months old. She already weighs 20 1/2 pounds. She can sit on her own and is becoming very interested in standing. She has two bottom teeth and is using them to explore new foods like green beans, lima beans, avocados, peaches, carrots, sweet potatos, mashed potatos, and broccoli. So far, she loves it all. 

My baby boy is 20 months old now. He is talking so much now, saying new words every day. He is often proving to be smarter than I given him credit, suprising me by repeating song lyrics, copying words and phrases, and eager to learn as much as possible about this big, big world of his. 

Jacob, Vicki, and Asher posed for a picture. This is the weekend that we went to a church retreat and enjoyed some rest and relaxation. 

It looks like baby Caralena is waving at the camera. Jolena and her husband Chris, invited us to the retreat. 

While hiking at Elephant Rocks, we took a break and took some pictures. 

Yum! Daniel enjoyed ice cream with sprinkles at camp.