7 Months

It's amazing the things that can happen in the course of a month's time. Avie is seven months today and is blowing me away every day. From a month ago she is crawling all over the place, sitting on her own, loving solid food (especially bananas and pears), and sleeping through the night.
Her eczema is still raging, I'm afraid she'll have it for a while, but her skin looks much better than it used to. What an amazing little person she is, I know her skin makes her itchy a lot of the time, but she smiles through it all. She got the big bruise on her fore head trying to retrieve her binky from underneath the armoir.



She is becoming more and more interactive with Danielle and Rayce, and they absolutely love her to pieces. Danielle seems to have this special connection with Avie that is all their own. I hope this bond continues throughout their lives.

I am so grateful for my kids! They frustrate me and challenge me and complicate things and make things worthwhile and beautiful and meaningful at the same time. So many emotions, but mostly just love. I love them!!!

Very Important Question

Rayce just got his first haircut (first real haircut other than Dan shaving it all off).

And something struck us shortly after.

Does my son look like...Lloyd Christmas?

Oh No!

Let me preface this entry by saying this, I knew from the moment I found out that I was pregnant with Danielle that my kids would ride motorcycles, or that they would at least try it. Dan's dirt bike is a big part of his life, not as big as he would like it at the moment with school and all but anyway, I knew he would get his kids on a dirt bike in time...I didn't realize that time would be now.

My husband came across a great deal on a little fifty. He couldn't pass it up. He bought the bike thinking he would hide it until Christmastime. He also had one of his teachers at school give him an older bike that they weren't using anyone. So all of a sudden we go from zero motorcycles to two in two days. Dan decides to hide both bikes in the garage draped in shop towels and behind boxes. Well to make a long story short both bikes were found by Rayce within the span of a couple of days. I'm pretty sure Rayce now thinks about motorcycles 24/7. That first day he wouldn't get off of it, and since he wears diapers and hardly eats, he really had no reason to. He tells everyone he knows or will listen about "his" motorcycles. Apparently Danielle has no ownership here whatsoever. So here we are, I'm sure with more blogs to come of mishaps and injuries although I know how seriously Dan takes the safety of his kids, so that makes me feel a tiny bit at ease, but I'm sure any mother understands.

Not the best of hiding places.

Dan "test" riding the bike.

Danielle smiling while Rayce is throwing a fit that she is on "his" motorcycle.

Labor Day

We had a great Labor Day weekend. I love three day weekends, although they seem to go by faster than regular two day weekends.

Saturday we finally got a substantial amount of rain. It cooled temps down enough to where we could be outside for more than ten minutes. We spent most of the day outside riding bikes, playing with sidewalk chalk and eating popsicles.

On Labor Day we met up with some Dental School friends to have a BBQ. The house had a really great pool with water slide. Danielle spent the first half of the time contemplating whether she had the guts to go down it. After a little peer pressure she gave it a try. She then spent the rest of the time going down the slide.

Here is Danielle assessing whether or not it is worth the risk.

Here is Danielle conquering her fear.

And again...