Rolie Polie Jovie!

My Little Chunk (as I call her) is 6 months old. She is so precious! She is a content and happy baby. She smiles constantly and brings smiles to those around her. As you may remember, she didn't like sleep when she was a wee one and she still doesn't seem crazy about it, but, life goes on! Here are some things Jovie loves:

1. Mommy- "Mama" was Jovie's first word. She much prefers Mama over anyone else.
2. Big Sister- Pear: Jovie lights up anytime she sees Pear. Pear can make her laugh easier than anyone else.
3. Daddy- Jovie loves to give Daddy kisses.
4. Eating- She is a great eater! She eats fast and always wants seconds.
5. Being Naked- If she's upset, just strip her down and she'll cheer up.
6. Rolling- The title of this post indicates 2 things, the fact that Jovie has many rolls and the fact the Jovie rolls many times! She travels anywhere she wants by rolling. She's been doing this for the last 6 weeks. I lay her down, the next minute she's on the other side of the room!
7. Toys- Jovie is good at entertaining herself with toys. She likes variety- who wouldn't!
8. Being outside- Since Jovie was born in November, she didn't see the sun until about a month ago. Ever since then, she wants to be outside anytime she can.
9. Paper- If you want to pick a fight with her, give her a piece of paper or a page out of a magazine and then try to take it away- not fun.
10. Binky- Jovie loves her binky. She only gets it when it's bed time but oh boy does she like it!

a dream?

I just read this article and it stirred up in me a desire, that both Stephen and I have had since we got married, to live abroad. Sometimes I wonder if and when it will really happen. You see, the goal is to learn either French or Italian and then live in either France or Italy for somewhere between 6 months to a year. Now, if only I could make the time to learn the language! And then if only we could finish all of these darn house projects and focus a little on ANYTHING else!

The picture I'm dreaming of now is this: Blue skies above, a slight breeze in the air, Pear and Jovie in perfect little sundresses holding hands behind Stephen and me on the sidewalk. We arrive at the boulangerie to order pastries. The girls give a sweet "merci" before leave and go to the cafe to order deux cafe au lait and enjoy a lovely Saturday morning. After this, we take a bicycle ride to Tuilleries Garden before our stroll through the Louvre....this is just the start of a lovely day in Paris.

For those of you who haven't been to Paris, oh you've got to go! The food, the shopping, the parks, the history, simply the atmosphere is amazing!

Daddy...

Here are some reasons that I love my daddy:

He has fun ideas for birthday cakes and knows just what I like.

He holds my hand.

I am his big helper and he loves having me help!

He gets the best Christmas trees.

Daddy takes me outside on adventures!

He snuggles with me and sometimes (if mom lets him) he takes a nap with me.

I'm proud of my dad.

Dad lets me play computer games with him. Shhh. Don't tell mom!

He brings me special treats. I love doughnuts, ice cream and cookies!

My dad knows how to sympathize with me.

He always greets me when he comes home from work. Then we get to jump on the bed!

When I don't have a coat, daddy lets me snuggle in his. Daddy's is soft and warm.

Daddy loves Jovie too. She'll get to do all of these fun things and have her own special moments with daddy as well. Thank you, God, for such a wonderful daddy!

A trip to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Yesterday morning, I woke up determined to go to the zoo. So I did! I packed up the girls and we headed to the zoo. I was excited to see that it only took me 40 minutes to get there. I put Pear in the stroller, Jovie in the sling and grabbed a diaper bag full of goodies. We began our trek by going to the Northwest Aquarium where Pear got to pet the starfish and see other Native fish in the large tank. We then headed to see the monkeys and elephants which were both easily visible. Pear's favorite part though, was the walrus. "Mr. Walrus" would swim right up to the glass. He camped out right in front of Pear for a good 5 minutes just staring at her and the other kids.



We had a great time. I was a little leery to go to the zoo by myself with the girls but I can now say it was a success and we will definitely be going again as I bought a year pass. My pass is for myself and another adult. Children under 3 years old are free. Anyone want to join me next time?

"Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun..."

"Please shine down on me.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree
These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you.
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on,
please shine down on,
Please shine down on me"

Slumber Party!

Last week, I invited my little sisters to come to my house for a slumber party. We had so much fun! Let's see, we started the afternoon off by going to Blockbuster to rent some movies. Then we came home to prepare burritos for dinner. Aspen helped me with dinner while the younger girls played. After dinner, it was time to paint fingernails, do makeovers and put curlers in our hair. As you may be able to tell, Taffi and Libbi are quite the cosmetologists! Once we all got dolled up, we got into sleeping bags on the air mattress settled in to watch a movie and had popcorn and chocolate peanut butter milkshakes. In the morning we got doughnuts for breakfast. Then we played Candy Land, did a craft and decided we were all pooped! All in all, we had a great time. We will definitely be doing more slumber parties!

Melina Kastle

My sister-in-law, Melina, just came out with an amazing album. I am thoroughly impressed with it. You can check it out and buy the cd at CD BABY. A couple of my personal favorites are Smile & Breathe, Lovely Afternoon and Grapes.