Jack's Big Boy Haircut

Jack has never had a "real" haircut, mostly because I was scared to try to give him one, but after a pep talk from my friend today, we decided to go for it. Ben actually did the haircut with the clippers (with the #8 guard) and it went pretty well. Jack didn't give him a very hard time, although clippers really weren't designed to cut baby-fine hair.

Before:

(Long enough for pigtails! But, no, I didn't actually put pigtails in his hair. Tempted, yes.)

(Sometimes I'm a little jealous that men have it so easy when it comes to haircuts!)

After. He looks so much older! My baby's all grown up.

Visiting Cousins

Last weekend my cousin Becca came to visit, with her husband, Thad, and 1-year-old, Nancy. We haven't seen them in over 3 years, so it was fun to catch up and to meet Nancy (who was born the day after Jack).

Cat loved having a new little pal to play with

and Jack became fast friends with Thad, particularly enjoying his elasti-glasses!

Cat's 4th Birthday

Cat was SO EXCITED to turn 4! She's been looking forward to this birthday for months, and loves telling everyone that she's 4 now. Her birthday was also special because her Grammy and cousin Colin were visiting.

She opened her presents right after she woke up in the morning, then we waited to have her birthday cake until after dinner. Why not spread out the celebration?

She was very excited about this Tinkerbell dress, and wore it around the house for several days straight. She also loved getting her very own Princess balloon, since every time she asks for one at the grocery store, her mother tells her no.

Jack discovered watermelon the day before at our friends' 4th of July BBQ, and couldn't be happier!

Cat asked for a rainbow cake several weeks ago. She's been very excited about rainbows recently, even asking for them in her prayers most of the time now!

Birthday Quotes

Uncle John: I love you
Cat: I love me too

Grammy: How does it feel to be 4?
Cat: Better than 6

"I got a booster seat! And I can use a seatbelt just like my Mommy and Daddy!"

"Uncle John said I'm all grown up and I can get married!"

Pops: What was your favorite part of the day?
Cat: My birthday!

Mom: Did you make a wish?
Cat: I WISH!!!

(singing) "Happy birthday to me..."

"This it the best princess birthday ever!"

"The marshmallows are white like the temple is true."

Odds & Ends

Jack just discovered the sit & spin... can't do it by himself, but likes it when we help him.

He also just learned how to climb up the slide on this little playset, and he can climb onto the platform on the back, too.

Cat has done this several times over the summer and it cracks me up every time! She will be talking to someone on the phone and notice the letter pages we have on the wall (for our alphabet celebration we've been doing all summer) and start walking along the wall, holding the phone up to the pages, reading the letters, and letting the person on the phone "see" what she's been working on.

Celebrating the 4th of July

We started 4th of July Week by making these fun star cookies for our "Liberty" FHE (which I got from this great site) treat. It ended up being more work than I thought it would be, but at least they turned out cute! And Cat LOVES to roll and cut out sugar cookies, so she had fun.



On the Fourth we had a wonderful time grilling out with some friends, then watching the husbands practice their pyrotechnics skills at a nearby parking lot. Fun, family, and friends: the perfect way to celebrate our Nation's Birthday.

Cat and her cousin, Colin, who was visiting for the weekend, were covering their ears before the fireworks even started! They soon got up their courage and were able to enjoy the show sans-ear-coverings, though.

(Does she not look just like Ben in this picture??)

Jack kept trying to crawl to the fireworks. Just wait a few years before you start playing with fire, okay, Jack?

Cat Goes to the Temple

While we've been to the temple many times, and Cat has seen the temple many times, when we made the trip down to Orlando in June we decided to make it really meaningful for her too. So we put her in a cute dress, and when we arrived, she and I walked into the foyer, looked at all the pictures of Jesus, and saw people wearing white. Later, we walked all the way around the outside. Cat was particularly excited about the fountains, and we talked some about how Christ is the Living Water and seeing fountains helps us remember that. She also got to see a couple of brides taking pictures outside, which she was excited about too! I was surprised at what a difference it made in my temple experience to be making it a special time for Cat. We culminated the day by letting her take home a postcard-size picture of the Orlando Temple from the distribution center, which is now in her room.