Thursday, July 24, 2008

Abby's First Day of Work

(The photo is not from her job. It's from our trip to Des Moines, where she napped while John was watching TV.)

Abby has a job. Ryan likes to say she makes $20 an hour, but only works for 15 minutes. She participates in a test at the Infant Cognition Lab at the University of Illinois. She seemed to do just fine watching a turtle and elephant in a little show they did for her this morning.

We're back from vacation. The drive back to Champaign yesterday was a little rocky from Galesburg to Champaign, but we were glad to see Heidi here when we got to our house.

It was so fun to see some of our friends and family in Des Moines! There is never enough time to see everyone we want. This time we made sure to see Adelaide Tims, Kindle Drost, and Nick and Xander Snodgrass.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

A New Home in Urbana

In other news, we found a place to live next year! We signed a lease before we left Champaign last Thursday. It's a 2-story house with 3 bedrooms and washer/dryer hookups. It's just 2 blocks south of Lincoln Square Mall. We're excited to be done with the search. And now we pack. Move out is August 1 and we have to be completely out and cleaned up by the 2nd!

Discovery




This whole summer has really been packed full of new experiences. And, like most parents, I'm enjoying discovering the world through Stephen's eyes. The most simple activities delight him. In the above photo, he was picking up dirt, watching it fall through his fingers and letting the wind take it. He did this for over half an hour on Grandpa Fay's farm, stopping only to watch the large cement trucks that drove by periodically.


This evening, he sat in the backyard at Dave and Sue's house and played with tractors in the mud. I think we're in for a lot of baths in the coming days.


We went to my cousin's wedding in Omaha this weekend. While he didn't attend the actual ceremony, he loved being with many of his relatives. My dad and his twin brother enjoying hearing him calling both of them "grandpa."


Ryan and I enjoyed taking Abby in the pool for her first swim. Had the water been a little warmer, I think she would have actually liked it.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

The "So Much" Song

There's a song I sang either in high school or college--I can't remember which--that I have started singing with Stephen. He loves it, asking for it as often as Old McDonald, Amazing Grace, and Itsy-Bitsy Spider. The lyrics go like this:

We've got so much so much so much so much so much so much so much so much so much so much so much so much so much to be thankful for.
We've got [insert name here] to be thankful for. We've got [insert name here] to be thankful for.

So we were on the bus today and Stephen asked for this song. I sang it quietly, as I know bus riders are paying to get from Point A to Point B, not to listen to a mediocre concert. First he asked for Will (he always wants to sing about Will first).

We've got Will to be thankful for. We've got Will to be thankful for.

Then it was Bill (Spencer's dog).

Jenn.

Hockey.

Helicopters.

Airplane.

Onions.

Then I was thankful that it was time to get off.

Friday, July 04, 2008

The Birthday Cake






Because Stephen loves trucks and tractors so much, I went looking for a cake idea in that vein for his birthday. I found this in Family Fun, and, with Susan's help, put it together for him. I don't know if he thought it looked like a tractor but he was excited about it anyway! I think the M&M's on the wheels won him over.

The photos show the junk I had to buy to make it (anyone love Twinkies? There are 10 left.), the process (Ryan made the dirt), and then the end result. Stephen RAN to it when he saw it. We celebrated with him at the hotel where my parents and Ryan's parents were both staying. (Ryan's recital had been the night before.)