Such a developmental age!

Isaac is 11 months today, and he is seriously learning so much everyday! Yesterday, he said two new words, "Night night" and "Book." The word "Book" sounds similar to "Ball," but I knew what he meant because he did the sign with it and pointed to the book. He also blew his first kiss and stood alone to clap his hands many times. He was practicing it over and over! He also finally figured out the sippy cup. He has been very stubborn about trying it out. This is a long story, but he just wasn't getting it or something until today.

He's really getting over his stranger anxiety too. Yea! He has taken very well to Mimi too.

A great big OOPS!

During our movie night tonight, I was getting Isaac ready for bed. There was a pile of all the kids' pajamas and I grabbed a top and put it on him without paying attention to which top I picked up. All I can say is, Sorry Brian, but I had to take this picture!

Patriotic Kids

Here are my Red, White, and Blue Sweeties!

We had people over for the 4th. Hot dogs...my dad says you can't have an Independence Day without them! When in Germany, brats are a must too. Since I have yet to learn to use the grill, a friend of mine did the grilling.

I also made these Martha Stewart inspired patriotic desserts, but Hannah pointed out that they did not look exactly like the ones in the magazine. Apparently, the proportions of sorbet to ice cream were off a bit. That's my perfectionist for you!


Then we went to the firework festivities. Isaac stayed home with Mimi so he didn't miss his bedtime. The girl's got their face painted. I did Hannah's since they were about to close it down while Genna was getting her's done. Then we played a couple games and headed to the funnel cake line. Two hours later...The fireworks are well underway and we finally get our funnel cake. Why wait in line that long for a funnel cake? I really wanted that funnel cake.

What did the girls think about the fireworks? Hannah said, "God must be doing something!" Genna said after the first good bang, "I think I want them to stop now."

A little too much!

We all got our hair trimmed yesterday, but they took a little too much off of Genna's. I wanted hers to be evened out since it went down to a V in the back. But I think it just curled even more without the extra weight and when it dried...


It was just much shorter than I had expected, and it still kind of makes a V in the back because I guess her hair just curls more in the front than in the back. Brian likes the girls' hair to be long and he is not thrilled. Oops! It does look cute though, and it will grow back!

Penelope

That's what the girls chose to name this Kestrel falcon.

Brian is nursing it back to health at his clinic and sent us a picture with a request for the girls to come up with a name for her. The girls were having trouble thinking of names other than their own names, so I suggested they think of something that flies like a bird to help them find a name. The first thing Hannah thinks of is this Pegasus from a story we read named Penelope. And so she was named.

Aunt Kristen

My sister left today. We miss her already!

She really enjoyed holding her first and only nephew.

Bruges, Belgium

We had a great time in Belgium! The hotel was super hot with it being so warm lately and no A/C, of course. We all got a bunch of mosquito bites as well. Here is a mini photo album of our trip...

Waffles are a specialty in Belgium. Here we are enjoying them!

Riding the canals is a big thing here too. I love the swans and the breeze was great to cool us off a bit. I thought the kids would love this, but after about 5 minutes they were not paying much attention.

We did more sightseeing and shopping, of course! We got tons of truffles and chocolates. I got my sweetheart of a husband some of his favorite beer for when he comes home next month for his little visit. My absolute favorite thing was seeing and touching the relic of the Holy Blood of Christ in the Basilica of the Holy Blood. We walked in at just the right time and it was so amazing! Such grace and peace!

This statue (in the background) is in the Market Square which is where our hotel was located, and we ate our first dinner in the square as well. This little guy had just about had it with sitting since we had been in the car and stroller for most of the day. So, I actually had to sneak out with him and hang out while we waited for the food to arrive. He ended up falling asleep on me when the food did come which was probably a good thing. You can tell he is tired in the picture.

Speaking of Isaac, he learned a few new things on our trip. He started saying, "Thank you," signing "Please," and pointing to my nose. Way to go, Buddy!