Couch Potatoes

When we weren't visiting with Daddy's friends or hitting our favorite spots in Crown Point, we were sitting deep on Gramma Sue's cozy couches. Here's Marci catching up on her Guidepost stories, just before trying to rip said magazine to shreads, which is one of her new favorite pasttimes that she recently picked up from her brother!

One day, Mommy and Daddy took a quick trip to the mall to find some sandals for Daddy. We came home with no sandals, but we did find some great hometown sports gear for the kids!

Here's a family shot, on the couch, of course!

And here are Daddy and Osten catching a Cubs' game and sharing some caramel popcorn - Osten's two new favorites activities - popcorn and baseball!

Hoosier Daddy?

All you have to do is take one quick look at these two kids, and it is utterly clear who their daddy be! But, I have to give credit where credit is due and hand it to Rick for crafting a clever little quibble for two little kids whose daddy will make sure they know all about the Hoosiers. By the way, here are a few more pictures from our trip to Indiana. Marci enjoyed lots of floor time on her new activity mat.

And Osten had a great time building forts in Gramma Sue's living room.

Of course, we met Louise for our traditional dinner of pizza and Old Style draft beer at Bronko's. This was Marci's first visit, but she won't be ready to sample the pizza until next time!

At the end of a fun-filled day, there is nothing quite as nice as good, long soak in Gramma Sue's tub!

All-American Weekend

We had a great time on the Fourth of July and in general, we had what amounted to an all-American weekend, even though Daddy was the only way to stay awake late enough to see any fireworks! We had a great time swimming in the pool (Marci's first swim).

We also enjoyed a family hike Saturday morning.

Here we are getting a little education, too!

Even the big rain storm Saturday afternoon was fun, as it offered us the perfect opportunity to make some home-made chocolate chip cookies!

All-American Weekend - Part Two

These ain't no break 'n' bakes, that's for sure! I had forgotten just how many cookies a homemade batch of Nestle dough makes, and we were baking cookies until dinner time.

Meanwhile, Marci stayed busy with her activity table . . .

. . . and she also enjoyed showing off her dimple while downing some Cheerios.

And it was raspberries all around for dessert!

Baby "Bow"-Tox

They don't stay in place for long, but Marci finally has enough hair for bows. This is big in a little girl's life! And bows go with everything . . .

like baby cheetos . . .

and face paint!

I See the Moon

And the moon sees me! Who knew potty-training would involve so much, er, lunar activity. It's a full moon at our house pretty much around the clock these days!

Even hand-washing is a good excuse to get naked! Sigh. As the song says, God bless the moon (cute as it can be!) and God bless me . . . (and God bless potty-training parents everywhere!)

Deux Petit Esquires

Marci came to work with me yesterday, and we took some pictures in my cushy, office chair.

Coincidentally, Osten was also nine months old when he posed in the same chair. This is still one of my favorite pictures of him.

Well, there is just no doubting that they are related. Without any coaxing or posing from Mommy (I swear!), Marci naturally slung her arm over my chair . . .

. . . just like her brother!