We're going on a date!

Parker has been asking to go on a date with me forever, but we haven't gotten around to it.  So, this Saturday, we all got dressed up and went on a date.

Cecily LOVES kitties, so Keith took her to the pet store to see all the animals, and then they had dinner at the Ram.

Parker has been begging to go back to the Playdate Cafe since we went there over a month ago.  Unfortunately, they close at 2 on Saturdays, so that didn't happen.

But, we did get to go to Red Robin for Mac & Cheese, and then out for ice cream.

And, yes, we took two cars and both drove to different restaurants at Northgate, but it's not really a date if we all go in the same car now, is it?

These children are crazy.

These two are constantly keeping me on my toes.  Cecily's latest "favorite" trick is to head-butt me when I tell her something she doesn't like (which is often).  No matter how many times it happens, she always seems to catch me by surprise the first time.  So, if you happen to see me some day with a large shiner on my forehead, you'll know where it came from.

Cecily is also IN LOVE with her "baby", her favorite game is to play bedtime with Baby.  First Baby cries "wah, wah", we get Baby some "milk", then "bed", and "all done" (which means Baby is done with her nap), usually with several diaper changes thrown in for good measure.  It's all adorable, except for the 15 trips I have to take to the crib since Cecily isn't tall enough to put Baby in the crib, or get her back out, and apparently Baby can only sleep in the crib (a trick I'm sure she learned from all the other babies in our family).

We've been working with Parker to try & tame his tantrums a little bit.  He seems to go totally postal at the slightest provocation.  We haven't had much success at it, but recently, he's started saying "Oh Man!" when he's disappointed or frustrated.  It's adorable and far preferable to a 20-minute screaming fest.

Parker decided to go for the summer mohawk this year.  It was mostly my idea, and I was the one holding the clippers, so I don't have anyone else to blame, but it ended up a little more punk and a little less hipster than I was going for.  But he loves it, although he always gets shy whenever anyone tries to talk to him about it.

So cute when they're sleeping...

Happy Birthday to Me!

For my birthday this year, Keith arranged for me to go out for Afternoon Tea with three of my friends.

We had a great time chatting, drinking tea, and enjoying fancy sandwiches.

It was such a great birthday!  And, to make it work, Keith watched our two kids, plus three others all afternoon so that Joy could join us.  He's a pretty great husband, huh?

Cecily is...expressive

Cecily is 21 months already, we're getting remarkably close to her 2-year mark.

She is turning into such a funny little girl.  She continues to be all attitude, but more & more often said attitude is happy, which is a nice change from her first year of life.

Some funny things about Cecily right now:

She loves apples, and her favorite part is the core.  I'll slice an apple up for the two of them and she screams until I let her gnaw on the center part.

Her current favorite word is "bum" and she's become remarkably adept at fitting it into conversation.  She uses it to indicate: going potty, needing a diaper change, wanting/needing to sit down, wearing pants, getting dressed, you name it.

She learned a few new words while we were on vacation: airplane, PApah (what she calls my Dad), pool, swim, cake (I blame Dad for this one)

Cecily has become a super-duper sleeper, she usually sleeps about 11 hours at night with a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon.  I think she's trying to catch up on all the sleep she missed her first year.

She loves her big brother, toddling after Parker wherever he's going...until he tries to hold her hand or get her to do something, at which point she is totally not interested.

Cecily loves to color, and I am constantly reminding her that we don't color on the carpet, walls, etc, and that markers go on paper only.  It's a good thing we're not too attached to the carpet in the play room since it is now notably more colorful than it was originally.

Cecily is a fun little lady and we're excited to see how she grows up.

Time for the swimming pool!

They didn't get out to the pool until some time after 5, so it was a little cold for sitting in the water, but they spent about an hour throwing rocks in the pool.

Jail

Parker has been obsessed with "good guys" and "bad guys" lately.  Here, he's the "big brother bad guy", so he's in jail under the trampoline.

I have some entertaining photos of him "encouraging" Cecily to join him in jail.  It's just a matter of time before Cecily learns to say "Parker, please take your finger out of my eye."

Cecily's Baby Dedication

We had Cecily's baby dedication on Sunday.  She woke up in a cranky mood, so she wasn't real eager to be friendly, but otherwise it went well.

After church, we had the whole family over for brunch.  I didn't get many photos, but everyone had a good time.  Especially these two:

They were jumping on the bed and putting on "a show".  Look how happy Parker is, this boy does love his cousins!

After everyone left, Parker & Daddy went fishing in the front yard.

Cecily & Mama

Parker took this photo.  Not too bad, once you crop out the half that's just the couch & ceiling.