Leah was baptized Sunday, and we captured it for all of you to share that couldn't join us (and thanks to all who did make it).
While trying to explain to Molly why we were having a party at Grams' house, she asked if it was a birthday party. I told her that it was America's birthday, and she then asked, "But who's America?"
Before heading over, we posed for a picture. Molly made sure that Leah was smiling.
Leah's doing a wonderful job modeling her new pillowcase dress. She's already learning to look just a little taller by standing on her tip-toes!
Some of Aunt Caroline's friends came to the party and played flashlight dance with Molly. Molly thought it was lots of fun, and didn't want to stop. This picture doesn't do it justice, though, so if you haven't already, make sure you check out the video.
I made red, white and blue chocolate dipped strawberries for the celebration. Molly liked them so much she even ate the stem! Guess we're doing a good job of convincing her that leafy vegetables are good.
Pull out the musical table and you'll get this reaction! And Molly kept saying, "We're playing together!"
You can spend a lot of money on toys, but often the simplest things can be the most fun for kids. Leah got a kick out of the packing materials from this box.
I love my Hotsling. I was introduced to it from my friend, Emily. I've had people stop me at the zoo and while shopping to ask me about it. You can carry your baby three different ways, but Leah was not a fan until I could wear her on my hip. My sister has been asking to see Leah in her sling, so this one's for you, Michelle.
And if you're the sewing type, I ran across this video tutorial to make your own sling. I passed it on to a friend a few months ago and she's already made two. They look just like my Hotsling!
We went to Highlands, NC to visit Grammy (Chad's paternal grandmother) for her 80th birthday. Molly was very excited to get to see Grammy's house, though she was confused when we arrived and she discovered we actually weren't staying in her house but rather in a rented house nearby (there are a lot of us, now).
Leah was enamored with Will (and Stephen Colbert) throughout the trip. I'm not sure which one she's interested in here.
We had a bunch of family over to the house Saturday to celebrate. At times, Leah was of course the center of attention.
There were so many people there, Caroline and I decided to make more room by squishing Molly.
Molly was responsible for the card on our gift to Grammy.
And Grammy thought the bag I made for her was a great surprise.
The house was pretty cool much of the time, which meant blankets were in frequent use. Unfortunately, though, we had a blanket thief occasionally stealing them.
It was so nice out we decided to have dinner on the back porch one night. Yes, that's the dining room table and chairs.
Monday, we went out to lunch at Wild Thyme to celebrate Grammy's birthday again on her actual birthday. They brought Grammy a big piece of caramel cake for her birthday, but she didn't want dessert. So, Molly ate almost the entire piece for her.
Leah didn't get any cake, so she seemed a bit bored.
Though she perked up when we pulled out a toy phone for her.
The drive down and back both went really well. We only had to stop 5 times each way and managed to make the trip in 11.5 hours both times. To maximize efficiency, we packed a lunch and ate at a rest area in both directions. Here's Leah hanging out at the rest area.
Molly preferred to run around during her brief break from the car.
Leah likes to keep her mouth open.
Shopping with her mouth open (of course).
Most people open their mouths to smile; Leah has to actually close hers somewhat.
A few other fun pictures of Leah: This was an attempt to get a shot of her first tooth, but her reaction was better than any picture of her tooth could have been.
Leah makes this face while breathing hard through her nose. It makes me laugh every time she does it!
Our normal Saturday soccer practice was cancelled due to a tournament going on. This was supposed to be Simon's first Saturday joining us, so we improvised and met them at the field nearby to have a bit of a soccer practice of our own. Zach had to keep moving the goal away from them, for reasons that will become apparent in the next picture.
Once Zach set down the goal, the kids decided it was more fun to play in it than to play soccer. They did this over and over when the goal was out.
It wasn't just 3 year olds and dads out there. Moms and little sisters joined the fun as well.
Chad has already posted video of Leah crawling and talking, but she has also begun pulling up. One of her favorite things to do is rummage through the book basket.
Her first tooth broke through a couple weeks ago, but getting a picture of it is pretty difficult. Chad finally succeeded. The other one on the bottom is almost ready to break through as well.
It's interesting how closely the girls are following the same developmental milestones. Here is a post I made about Molly's milestones when she was 8 months old. I could have almost copied that exactly for Leah!
Leah is hitting new milestones by the minute. She's now crawling like an expert. She's also much more vocal. Make sure to watch all the way to the end to hear what she has to say.
