Gator Fun

Our next door neighbor Jimmy got this Gator for his 4th birthday this past June. He gladly takes Rachel for rides on it and most of the time she loves it. Her and Jimmy have been playing together a lot this summer and it is so nice to have a playmate so close by.

Cool Chick

Rachel decided to put her hat on backwards by herself with her new Diego sunglasses. She is one cool chick.

Strong Little Guy

I had to post this picture because it shows how strong our little guy is. Jake is holding his head up so well and you can even see he is trying to push up on his hands slightly in this picture....

Daddy's Back!

After 10 days in France, I think the whole family is glad that Daddy is back. I know I sure am glad to have a break especially this weekend when Mike spent a lot of time with the kids...

Crazy Kids

Here's the two little ones having fun together. They love each other so much although sometimes Rachel gets a little too rough with her love (not on purpose; she is only 2). The other day we were all on the floor right next to each other and before I could stop her Rachel did a somersault and her legs knocked right into Jake. Luckily, she didn't get him hard only startled him.

Today was an interesting day for naps. Rachel sat in her room for nearly 2 hours (her normal nap length) and talked the whole time to her Dora and Diego figurines. She never fell asleep. I thought we were headed for a major meltdown tonight but after a quick catnap in the car she did OK. Jake had his own interesting naps today in that he only napped for 30 minutes each time... I thought for sure he would be crabby too but he was happy and awake each time... he slept pretty well last night so maybe just wasn't tired... here's hoping we have another good night tonight!!!

Smiley Guy

Our little man is smiling all the time now. He is just such a content and happy baby much of the time now. I can't believe what a difference the medicine has made with his reflux! I really think it has helped him feel so much more comfortable. He is sleeping better both during the day and at naps now. The doctor had recommended giving him a pacifier to help with the reflux but to be honest he became obsessed with it (if it fell out at night or at naptime he would scream to get it back). Finally I just couldn't handle it and I got rid of the pacifiers for the most part. And to tell you the truth both Jake and I are much better off for it!! He is learning to put himself back to sleep on his own and when he does wake up at night I know he is truly hungry and not just searching for the paci... I never thought I would actually want my kids to be thumbsuckers but I think it is so much better than the pacifier. Maybe some babies don't become so dependent but he was getting to be too reliant on that for comfort. Jake has definately gone through a growth spurt the past week. He has been feeding a lot more and you can just see him getting bigger. He has already started to grow out of the 0-3 months clothes. I was so surprised the other day when I put him in a 3-6 mos. outfit just to try and it fit him good!!! WOW!

Rachel Gets a Haircut

We took Rachel today to get her hair cut. She has very thick and curly hair so it can get pretty wild. It looks so cute and stylish now so we took this picture of her new 'do.

Trip to the Pool

We took a trip to Beechwood Swim Club this week. It was a beautiful day. Rachel loved the kiddie pool and playing with her noodle. Jake had a good time outside getting some fresh air as well. He looks so handsome in his little sunhat. Hopefully if the weather is nice we will go to the pool another time during our stay in Troy.

To Mimi and Papa's House We Go

While Mike is in France for his last week of MBA training, Rachel, Jacob, and I are staying in Troy with Mimi and Papa. I am so glad to have their help as it would be really hard to be alone with two kids for 10 days (especially with a newborn!). We are having a really good time here. Rachel constantly is playing with her Papa. She loves her toy golf set that she has while she is here. Jake is doing very well too and Mimi loves giving him a daily bottle to keep him used to taking a bottle (helpful for when Mom goes back to work in a couple months). We are having a great visit.