Cookies with MJ

On a recent Saturday, Erik helped Meredith mix up a batch of cookie dough and after rolling it out on the table, had a fun time pressing out shapes to bake - a car, bird, pig, kitty, heart, etc.

Mer is really getting into helping us cook/bake these days.  Knowing she is working with the real stuff (not just her play kitchen), she is quite serious about being careful and deliberate in measuring, pouring, and stirring.

After a few dozen cookies had been made, lots of flour spilled and plenty of remnants consumed, we still had a sizable ball of dough left.  Having lost our interest in cutting out shapes, we rolled out one huge cookie - almost the size of the pan! :)

Watermelon

 Last week we had a home play day.  Meredith's little friend, Judah, and his Mom, Rebecca came for a visit and we spent nearly two hours in our backyard - splashing in the pool, pouring water, and playing with balls and chalk.  

We finished the morning with watermelon - just the right tasty treat for both Meredith and Judah!

Meredith barely came up for breath while eating her piece!!  

Gotta love that summertime juicy sweetness! :)

Grandma Baker

Jane's Grandma, Virginia Belle Baker passed away on July 12th.  She died peacefully at home in her sleep with Jane's Mom by her side.  She lived 92 full and beautiful years, was married for over 50 years to H.T. Baker, raised 3 children, loved up her 7 grandchildren (and their spouses!) and lived to see and enjoy 2 of her 4 great grandchildren.  We are thankful she is with the Lord now.

This weekend friends and family gathered in Woodbridge, Virginia (her home of over 35 years) to celebrate and commemorate her life with a memorial service at her old church, Good Shepherd Lutheran.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and praise to the Lord for her life.

Meredith and Lila were thrilled to see each other for the day!

Baby Ellie was of course a highlight of the event and cuddled by all of us throughout the day.

Piano Debut

Meredith and Daddy have a special piece together they perform several times each evening before bedtime. As you will see, Erik is intent on teaching her rhythm and rhythmic structure from the very beginning!  Meredith is catching on quickly and finds many opportunities to cheer for her own success! 

Gotta love those potty training undies too, huh? ;)

Sunday Morning Breakfast

The last two Sunday mornings we've made buckwheat pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup.

YUM TUM!

Meredith was excited about the chunky texture of the syrup.  

It still had a lot of soft, whole blueberries in it. :)

 Breakfast shared with friends is a favorite of ours.  Isaac and Emily move in 3 weeks, so we are squeezing in as much time as possible with them before time together will become much less frequent.

Playing with Friends

We've been romping on many different playgrounds this summer - working out lots of Meredith's energy while trying to keep cool.

We discovered a great park in Mt. Airy that has water play options as well as a wonderfully designed toddler-sized playground.  So much fun!  

The last two weeks we've met Judah there to romp.

Judah is all boy and an absolute pro at water play - AMAZING!!

Meredith prefers to run through the area squealing while keeping as far away from the sprinklers as possible.  HILARIOUS...and so girly! :p

This week we played with little Derek as our "goodbye" play date before the Bucey's move in a few weeks.  We've been going to the Morris Arboretum for walks together since little Derek was a few months old.  We will miss them dearly!

What a cute little go-getter this guy is at 10.5 months and already beginning to toddle around!

Summertime

Amidst a still full and busy summer schedule, we are finding time to relax and spend time with good friends.  Last week the Morris Arboretum had a day where members could bring guests for free!  So, we took the opportunity to introduce Isaac and Emily to this beautiful place and used it as another excuse (do we even need one?!) to spend an evening with them. :)

Our sweet little farm up north had fresh blueberries when I was last there, so I picked up 20 lbs and have been enjoying making all sorts of summer-y dishes with them.  I made blueberry pie and Erik tried a recipe for the crust that was gluten-free.  So delicious!

Meredith, as usual, loved the evening in the garden and ran about exclaiming about everything she saw!

Rainy Day Saturday

(The rare post by Daddy.)

After my plans for a daddy-daughter date were thwarted by rain this Saturday (though I was still happy since it gave our tomatoes a good drink), I decided not to let that keep me from having some quality time with Mer with some rainy day activities.  

After building a tent in our living room, we spent a couple hours bringing her stuffed animals (all of whom she has now named - using the names of her toddler friends) into the tent, reading Curious George, and having a lot of laughs.

This was followed by a painting session before lunch.  After doing one each by ourselves, we collaborated on another (seen below).  MJ loves feeling the paint in her hands and smearing it across the paper (and her nose!). 

I feel as if her hands are as much a work of art as the picture we drew!  :)

Zoo Trip

Some generous friends included us on their trip to the zoo and got us in on their membership pass this week!  So very fun!!  Meredith is at such a fun age for animal viewing/spotting. :)

Of course, my all-time favorite were the giraffes.  How did you guess?? ;)

This guy kept trying to floss his teeth with his tongue....or was sticking it out at us.

Meredith loved watching the gorillas, and they were so active while we were there.

I can't stop laughing at the proportions of hippos.  Look at their ears in relation to the rest of their enormous bodies - hilarious!!

We saw a bit of a kids concert while we were there.  Meredith marched right up with the other kids when the musicians called upon children to "dance" to the music in the front.  What a social little girl. 

(Do you see Meredith holding her doll, "baby ellie?"  This baby doll gets constant attention and royal treatment in our household.  

Just hope it's all good training for Mer when our real baby enters her world) :)

Halfway!

We had our 20 week ultrasound this week.  So thankful for a healthy, strong little babe inside me.

 We saw lots of movement and many open mouth shots - so cute!  

We may have another talker on our hands pretty soon. :)

Here's my 20 week + a few days belly.  Erik took this at the arboretum this week (making me laugh!)

4th of July

We had a "just our little family" day for the 4th of July :)  

In the morning we watched a local parade - very impressive and fun.  

Mer was amazed and perhaps overwhelmed...

In the evening, we kept Meredith up late and went to her first fireworks show.  Erik and I chuckled through the whole display, and I wish we had taken a video to capture Meredith saying: "Oh, WOW!" and  "Oh, oh!" "Boom, boom!"  So fun!

NC Visit

Jane and Meredith enjoyed a week in North Carolina with Jane's family while I stayed home working and doing some home projects.

Meredith had a blast at parks and a lot of pool time throughout the week.

  

Aunt Tricia and Granna always joined in the fun too!