He's 6 Months Old Already?

I know I constantly say I can't believe how fast he is growing, but I'm going to say it again...I can't believe how fast he's growing!!! Noah is now 6 months old and shows no sign of slowing down! He is so close to fully sitting up, I can smell it. He can do it for a few seconds and then he slumps over into his comfy tripod position. He is also scooting everywhere on his back and covering a little ground while on his tummy. He also likes to roll over both directions, utilizing many modes of transportation. He is still a really calm baby, smiles and laughs a lot, loves to be held and is able to just hang out on his own for a while so I can get some stuff done! Car rides are now enjoyable with the little guy; he rarely cries in his carseat anymore. In earlier months, car rides were so stressful because he would scream the whole time, complete with Sophie and Tim imitating his funny cries.

I am really looking forward to these next few stages. I think he will be a very happy baby once he's mobile and Sophie can interact with him more. Right now, you can really sense his frustration when he wants to move but hasn't quite figured out how! I'm also looking forward to find out his statistics (I was a little late making the appointment, so his 6 month check-up is in a couple of weeks....oops!)....he's my little chunky monkey!

All Star Fanfest

We went to the All Star Fanfest a couple of weekends ago (so maybe I'm a little late updating on this one) and had a great time. Lots of great memorabilia and fun stuff to do. Here's a picture of Tim posing...not sure the body is to scale....and where's his neck? Anyway, we kinda wished Noah and Sophie were a little older so they could participate in all the fun games.

Sophie Thinks She's Funny

About 10 pm last night our smoke alarm went off. A candle was going crazy and set it off. Anyway, it naturally awakens Sophie and she is asking what the sound is from her bedroom. Tim goes in to check on her and says, "It's okay Sophie. It's just the smoke alarm. Everything is better now." Sophie then asks, "Is Mommy cooking?" Low blow, Sophie, low blow.

Remember Me?

Here's our lovable Sierra after taking a swim in the Pacific last weekend. She turns 5 next month; I cannot even believe it! Our little baby is growing up! We really lucked out with finding the perfect family dog. Our neighbors cannot believe she can just hang out in our front yard without being tempted to run away or wander. Not the best guard dog, though, because she's so friendly with everyone. And it doesn't matter how much Sophie tortures her or teases her, Sierra's always right by her side. Such a great big sister!

Differences

Sophie is learning very quickly that people come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. I'm trying to teach her as best I can, but it's a bit challenging to find all the right words to describe people and their differences. Tonight, while we were at the store Sophie sees another child with, how shall I say this, a higher than average BMI (body mass index, for you non-obsessed folks). I don't even know what is or isn't PC anymore. Anyway, Sophie blurts out, "Hey Mommy, who's that kid? The BIG one?" Thank goodness the poor kid didn't hear, but I was in no place to sit her down and give her a lesson on what is and isn't appropriate to say about others. Instead, I hurried her along into the next aisle and told her to, "Sshhhh!" with every intention of addressing it when we got to the car. And then as we are leaving the store, she turns around and sees this guy who, in all honesty, even frightened me at first, and she immediately runs for cover, practically hiding under the shopping cart. Now this particular situation is where I had difficulty explaining...."Um, well Sophie, some people have only one working eye. He might have hurt his eye...or something."

I know she's only two and can't quite grasp all the reasons why people are different, but I figure the sooner I start talking about this stuff, maybe it will save me some embarrassment later??? Oh, I mean, it will help her learn how important it is to accept and embrace the differences in others. Yeah...that's it.

4th of July

We went to the Danville parade on the 4th of July. It was over 100 degrees and I almost passed out. Maybe an exaggeration there, but it was ridiculously hot! Sophie loved all the floats and free candy!
Quite possibly the best purchase Tim and I ever made. When Noah can fully sit up (he's like a little tripod right now), this wagon is going to get some serious miles!
Daddy and Sophie walking amongst the 40,000 attendees. This was towards the end of the parade...thank goodness!!!

A/C Update

Nothing but cool is radiating through our house now....the air conditioning guy is our new hero!

Turn the Heater Off!

It's 107 here today in Cali. Our air conditioner has impeccable timing...it is broken. The air conditioning guy is here running back and forth between our unit and the thermostat, sweating, as Sophie and I stare at him with puppy dog eyes, "Please help us, please." I gave Noah a 30 minute bath and now he lies next to me with only a diaper on. I gave in and shared an otter pop with Sophie. Well, I better go...hotels.com is calling my name.

Look At My New Cradle!!!

A very special thank you to Uncle George and Aunt Cricket for the gorgeous cradle. Uncle George handcrafted this cradle just for Sophie and it truly is a beautiful piece of furniture. Sophie is in love with it and loves to take care of her baby. At night, she rocks the baby, sings to her, feeds her, and tucks her in. Now if only I can remember to not trip over it when I go in to check on Sophie.....ouch!!

Here's Sophie folding the sheets to the cradle. Included with the crib were sheets and a pillow, beautifully embroidered and once belonged to her great-great grandmother!

Here she is making sure the bed is perfect for her little baby.

Frogger

I'm in the kitchen for five minutes doing my absolute favorite chore, washing dishes, and I turn around to find out why I keep hearing loud thuds on the floor followed by laughter from both Noah and Sophie. It seems Sophie is honing her leapfrog skills and decided it is tons of fun to jump over Noah while he's laying on the floor. She clears him by at least 6 inches so this exercise should be okay, right? I mean, Noah IS laughing and seems very entertained! The image of her landing right on top of Noah freaked me out, so I had to stop all the fun and be the bad guy. I'm such a killjoy.