Sam & Julia

Julia hit the 4 month mark on Tuesday! I can't believe how fast the time is going by. She has started doing some cute new things lately, one being that she has started finding her "voice"--she's squealing, cooing and laughing quite a lot. She will get the biggest smile when she is near Sam and can watch him playing. Sam is also starting to get more interested in interacting with her, now that she's getting more of a personality. Of course, he's also the cause of her poochy lip quite often, as he gets a kick out of scaring her by being loud and rambunctious! Here is evidence of one such occurence:

Some other things Julia is good at: finding her hands so she can suck on them; reaching for and grabbing the hanging toys on her swing; trying her hardest to sit up; standing up for long periods of time while being held; kicking like crazy in her bouncy seat. She has the sweetest little grin and just loves being talked to, played with, and cuddled. She is outgrowing the bouts of colic and is generally happy and easygoing. She still sleeps 6-8 hours most nights, except for the past week while she's had a cold.

Sam will officially turn 2 1/2 on Sept. 5. He is 100% boy, maybe more like 200%!! He loves to climb things (like ladders--yikes!), always wants to climb into the Suburban all by himself, and actually wants to do most everything by himself! He has this very independent streak, and he's also very stubborn. Hmmm, wonder where he got that from? :) When I was little, I had a famous saying that went, "Do it SELF, SAID!" I'd be surprised if Jim didn't have a similar saying. :) Sam's is, "SAM do it by SELF!" He's getting to have quite a good vocabulary now, which is thrilling to me--it shows me that all the hours spent reading to him are truly paying off. He still loves all his books, his Thomas DVDS and also a couple train documentaries which he will watch over and over. He's also started to enjoy the Andy Griffith Show, and can correctly identify Andy, Opie, Barney and Gomer. :) We do try to limit his movie watching, though. He still loves playing with his trains, tractors, and trucks. He has just recently really started to enjoy building train tracks by himself. As he plays, I often hear him quoting passages from his favorite books and Thomas shows, which is so cute. One thing he has started saying a lot lately is "the big old _______" . . . could be anything, whether or not it is big or old! He is usually quite loving and sweet, but he also has plenty of challenging moments! He loves being outside, helping Daddy with chores, or helping Mommy in the house . . . anything from dusting, to husking corn, to baking cookies. He is still not fully potty-trained, but we are progressing slowly. He is a ton of fun.

I thank God for giving me these two precious children to raise for Him, and for giving me the privilege of being a stay-at-home-mom. Even with all the challenges, motherhood is an incredible joy and blessing. I pray that I will treasure every moment and never take my little ones for granted.