"Where Do You Wanna Go, Baylor?"

Some kids might answer this question with, "Disney World!" or "Toys R Us!" or even "Oma's house!"

But not my kid.

No, no. When asked this question, my son always says,

"B Dubs!"

I have a feeling she will someday, too.

Oh, and before you go poo-pooing their food, you should really try the chicken buffalitos ... they are really fantastic!

Thanks for letting the girls come too, Dad!

Independence Day Fun

We had a lovely little 4th of July this past weekend. It all started off with a relaxing morning at home. Baylor and Bryson read the funnies.

And Mollie woke up from her early-morning snooze with bubbles all over her lips.

Once we got them in their patriotic gear, I tried to get a picture of them together. It went marginally well. She's still a bit floppy, so the positioning was tough. But man, she loves being near her big brother.

My kiddos looking at their dad.

After lunch, we headed over to my parents' house for a little fun in the sun. Dad got Baylor all slathered with sunscreen, a task not for those of the faint of heart.

Mollie looked at her brother's antics and smiled ... then she laughed! Her first real laugh! I caught the second real laugh on my camera (on video) and am hoping to post it as soon as I can figure out how.

It was sticky, muggy hot, but the little pool was juuuust right! Unfortunately, the big pool was still an ugly shade of green, so no swimming there. Bad timing, but such is life.

Splashing with Grandpa E is awfully fun!

Then the little man requested bubbles, and my dad happily obliged.

Mollie even got to dip her feet into the little pool, though she had no idea what to make of it.

Baylor wasn't too sure what to make of her being in his little pool either.

He wanted to get in the big pool, but he was satisfied with getting to run around all wet in the grass.

Then he wanted back in his pool, and my dad - ever the neatnik - got him all rinsed off first.

After a little more pouring ...

... the little man took his nap.

Once nap time was through, though, there was more fun to be had!

Mollie got to hang out with Daddy.

She's becoming such a social butterfly these days, just needing to know what everyone is doing.

Baylor and Aunt Christine had fun rolling the masking tape off the island.

Then we ate dinner, and Mollie took her nap with Winnie and Nora.

And then we settled in for what I'm sure will become a 4th of July tradition ... a reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Mollie charmed the ladies, as usual.

It was a wonderful, hot day. Sunshiney in all sorts of ways.

Pip! Pip! Cheerio!

My mom, dad, and sister finally returned from London last Friday, and we decided to take a trip to the airport both to greet them and to ride the elevator. (Because why not, right?)

Baylor was super excited on the way there!

After going up to level 2 in the parking ramp, we made our way across the new bridge to the airport itself. Baylor ran and giggled the whole way.

More elevator action! What a glorious day!

Oh, the buttons! The buttons!

The little man loves testing out all the chairs in the waiting area.

And his latest favorite has been turning the drinking fountains on and off. He was thirsty, though, so Bryson tried to show him how to properly use said fountain. It wasn't as successful as it looks.

Mollie slept through the excitement, as usual.

When they finally arrived, my boy took off running into his oma's arms! I really wanted to get a picture of it, but there were too many people in the way and I was in charge of holding Mollie at that point.

Then it was time to head down to the baggage area, another favorite spot in the airport. Bags in all sorts of colors and shapes coming from nowhere! Fantastic! Plus, it usually means snuggle time with Grandpa E.

When the guys went to get the cars, Baylor gave Aunt Christine a run for her money. Welcome home, little sister!

While I know they had fun in London, I am so glad they are back!

Mollie's Seat

Oma got Mollie the BebePod Plus, a little infant seat for her to use so she can see the world. Her neck strength had finally gotten to the point that I thought she might be able to use this seat, so we busted it out one day during Baylor's nap and gave it a whirl.

She was mesmerized, to say the least.

At times she listed a bit.

But with a little help from Mama she straightened back up and continued to demonstrate her intense ability to concentrate.

Oh, and on a cute side-note, Miss Mollie has loved playing with her hair ever since she was born, but I had been unable to capture it on camera.

Until now!

So cute, right?! She loves getting her little fingers all tangled up in her hair. I think it is soothing for her.

Greenery

Yesterday we went to Frederik Meijer Gardens with my mother-in-law, Paula. This was Baylor's first chance to really enjoy the Children's Garden, and he was excited about it, though I doubt he had any clue what a children's garden was before this.

First up, we visited the Great Lakes, a little raised pool area where kids can float boats and splash around. Baylor was more of a spectator, watching all the kids bustle about around him.


There are fun animal tracks in the pavement in the Children's Garden and these particular bird tracks looked like arrows. Baylor was very excited.

Then we went to the giant sandbox. Baylor didn't seem to want to get too messy, bless his heart, and dug in the sand while staying put on the pavement. It was here that he had his first really negative interaction with another kid. A little girl of about two or two-and-a-half was hoarding all the shovels and sifters in the area near my boy. When an adult took one of the tools from her and gave it to Baylor, she threw sand in his face! Being the pacifist he is, my boy just stood there, while the little girl was whisked away by her Mom to a time out on the rocks nearby. Baylor then just went right back to digging.

All through the Children's Garden there are little places to explore, including this cave-like area. Perfect size for the little man, wouldn't you say?

I just love the way he runs with his whole body!

Then it was back to the Great Lakes for a little more outdoor play time. (Yes, I know he's supposed to have shoes on ... soon after this picture was taken we got him resoled.)

Mollie blissfully slept through all the activities.

On our way out of the Children's Garden, Baylor checked out a little splashing area. The little girl in the yellow shirt there ended up putting her foot over that sprayer and got Baylor all wet! He was not amused.

They have some lovely flowers at the Gardens, and this visit I was most impressed by this throng of newly blossomed Shasta daisies. Just beautiful!

More full-bodied running!

After enjoying a while out in the sun, we headed inside to see the turtles. This, of course, meant a ride on the elevator! Hands down, Baylor's favorite part of the day.

Before we went to see the turtles, Baylor had to stop and check out the drinking fountains.

"Look, Mom! Two at once!"

One lone turtle was swimming around, but that was enough to fascinate Little B ... for a minute or two, anyways.

After we left the Gardens, we went to my parents' house to check on their pool. It was quite close to lunch time, so we snuck inside for a second to grab a quick snack (Scrabble Cheez-Its and breastmilk ... I'll let you guess who had what). While we were in there, Baylor took it upon himself to get the watering can out and pretend water some of the house plants.

Sadly, this is how the pool looked.

Lime green is a gorgeous color in general, but the pool is supposed to be blue and clear. Long story short with the pool, I dumped in two bottles of copper solution today and it probably won't be fixed until at least next week.

Looks like Baylor's kiddie pool is gonna get a lot of action this holiday weekend!