Calla is just "like daddy"

Calla (my niece) has become good friends with one of the girls I watch. One day I had some Dora the Explorer tattoos and both Calla and Eva got one. They were both really excited and cute about it. Once Calla's tattoo was done she smiled so proudly and said that she is "like Daddy". I had to laugh for two reasons.... 1. It was so cute that she was so proud to look like her daddy and 2. I really want to see Shawn's Dora tattoo

Big Kids...

We got rid of the high chairs ... Bella and Jack now sit in booster seats at the table with us. They use forks and spoons (kinda) and are officially no longer babies. It is kind of neat to have them sit with us, for some reason it makes me feel like more of a family.
Such big kids (breakfast of waffles and yogurt)


Remember how I said that they are "kinda" using forks and spoons? Well Bella does pretty well and really enjoys her fork. If she can not get the food on the fork she will normally pick up the food with her hand so she can more easily put it on the fork. If Jack can not get it he just goes for the easy way and will use his hands. Normally there is no issue with this..... except for the days when they eat applesauce or yogurt.
Here is Jack offering me some of his yogurt

Where did my baby go?

Bella is not a morning person...

I so wish.... I mean I really really really wish Bella would sleep past 6:30... 6:30 is a treat actually as she usually gets up around 6:00.... I hear her talking and I just groan. I LOVE her and all but the girl just doesn't like to sleep but silly me I do.
But to turn it into a positive I do get some one on one time with her which is hard to come by and the one thing that I wish I could have done more of with both of them. Most days she will sit there and there and eat her O's (Cheerios) and watch Ne How Kai Lan (a cartoon) but then there are the days where she is up early but still doesn't want to be and will throw fits for being tired... so what do I do?? I take pictures because I think Grandmom might think it is cute....

even her awesome glasses can not put her in a good mood

Popsicles....

This past Saturday Jack, Bella, and myself went out back to pick some raspberries. It goes something like this.... one raspberry in the bowl, one raspberry for Bella, 10 for Jack, repeat except for the fact that I may get one somewhere in there. Jack LOVES raspberries, he loved strawberries and did the same thing when we had them. Jack is not a big fruit and vegetable person so when he wants something healthy I try to give him as much as possible.... the problem with that is that Jack doesn't say "No, Mommy I do not want anymore" he instead squishes the uneaten raspberries in his hands resulting in this:


Well what do you do on a hot Summer day after running around playing and then picking raspberries.... well of course you have a popsicle!
They will bite them and chew them, they don't understand licking them yet. Well of course it is cold so they end up with a face like this

Here are a bunch of pictures of them eating their ice pops.... they are my kids so I can not just just choose 2 or 3 to post because they are so darn cute.

awww.... Bella is sharing

she actually let Jack have about half of her pop

Jack wondering why Bella is actually taking a bite

Well Bella finished hers and wanted a bite of Jack's

But Jack does not share sweets well.... at all



Bella and I then went to play while Jack finished his ice pop.
Gotta love Summer time

What a sweetie....

Jack was laying on the couch with Jason and he kept going up behind him and hugging him....

Jack really does give the best hugs. He puts his head on your shoulder and wraps his arms around you... I literally melt a little every time his does it. He will randomly come up and hug my leg. Yup, my heart totally melts.

Nope, it does not get easier....

Just different. For some reason I have had several people ask me over the past couple days if it is getting easier as Jack and Bella are getting older. I just kind of laugh. Sure they sleep through the night, don't require bottles, and can walk BUT they can walk (and get into EVERYTHING), they can feed themselves (but you would not imagine the mess they can make... they get a cup of yogurt most mornings and I still find yogurt splattered somewhere as the day goes on), they are able to start telling me what they want (at the top of their lungs if they don't get it NOW or the the tantrums that ensue if I don't understand whatever gibberish they are saying), they take one nap a day so it is easier to get out and do some things (I have braved the grocery store, the craft store, and Target alone with them.... but if they decide they don't want to do something Bella finds no problem with placing baby on the ground and laying her head on it, doesn't matter how dirty the floor.... ick, sends shivers down my spine.)
Having said all of that I wouldn't trade them for the world. We ventured out to dinner the other night, to a smaller family place and they did so well! An older couple even stopped by our table to tell us how well behaved they were.... I was BEAMING with pride for my GENIUS children (how them being well behaved equates with them being a genius I really don't know... but they are :)
Well I know none of you come here to hear me talk so here are some pictures of the kids:
Jack LOVES himself (he is kissing himself in a mirror)

Jack can fall asleep anywhere (just like his Daddy)


and if he can't sleep he will at least make himself comfortable (he brought a pillow and blanket out of the play room and sat them on the fridge and made himself at home)

Did I mention that he is a genius ? Okay well not all the time

Bella loves to read (and she is fancy with her "pearls")

While Bella does like her "pearls" she is not afraid to get dirty (here she is with Jason and Mel "helping" them to plant the garden -she is the little white blob sitting in the middle.... this reminded me so much of Grandpop Newman and made me realize how much "Newman" is still in them)

I tried to capture how dirty she was but couldn't capture the true dirtiness that was Bella

Her hair was pulled up before she went out but the ponytail did not survive the planting


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So while I haven't talked to many of you in NJ in too long, it is not that I am not thinking of you, because I am, but I can not tell you how tired these two make me. They are the best way to spend the day

One Word....

Cute!!!