9 months... almost!

Elizabeth and I returned to our regular summer schedule during the last part of the week. Thursday and Friday I Had a lot of errands to run which included shopping at Cost Co and the grocery store therefore Elizabeth went to Sonia's for the two days where she played with her friends.

The weekend brought a first birthday party for a friend's daughter. Elizabeth was tired after swimming so she napped during the rest of the festivities which included opening presents and cake.

In just a few weeks we'll head to Pennsylvania to visit Jim's family. Speaking Jim he is now the ripe old age of 37 - His birthday is today. Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Next week Elizabeth goes in for her 9 month Well-baby check and we'll find out officially how much she's grown in the past three months. Also, next weekend is, hopefully, a long holiday weekend for Jim unless he has to work to help the deploying unit. So far no plans have been made.

Indiana in Summary

Yesterday Lisa, James, Elizabeth and I arrived in Phoenix as schedule with out issues. It was an easy flight with James watching a movie and Elizabeth sleeping quite a bit of the way. The other travelers around us complimented us on how well behaved our children were. Lisa and I are proud. Steve, Lisa's dad, met us at the gate to help with the kids and luggage. After allowing Littel Bits to wiggle around at Jeff and Lisa's house we decided to hit the road for home.

It was a whirlwind of a trip but a great one. When I talked to my mom this morning she mentioned how quiet it was on teh farm. She was thinking of recording children noises to play when its really quiet.

Jeff, Lisa, and James head to Portland for a family event tomorrow, however Elizabeth and I will wait a few weeks before we head off on our next adventure. We are going to Pennsylvania in July, this time Jim will be coming with us.

Indiana, Part III - Father's Day / Merkert Family Gathering

Today we traveled north to Indianapolis to Steve and Melinda's house for a Merkert Family gathering. I have not stopped long enough to count the number of adults present however can tell you that we spanned four generations with Aunt Helen who is the eldest to Elizabeth, the youngest. Six children in our crowd ranged from James, age 3 years and 3 months, to Elizabeth at 8.5 months of age. In the middle are Natalie and Nolan (nearly 3 year old twins), Dylan (13 months), and Nicholas (9 months). It was great to see everyone.

Our trip is winding down and looking back it been a wonderful visit. Although the weather has been horrible - HOT and HUMID!

Indiana, Part II - Southern

The fun continues. On Friday Lisa, Mom, James, Elizabeth and I went shopping at the Outlet Mall north of Columbus. Lisa and I had a lot of fun in the childrens clothing stores buying for James, Elizabeth, and baby K (due in Oct).

Saturday brought lot of visitors to the farm in E-town. First my college friends / Zeta Sorority Sisters arrived for lunch and then Aunt Jane and Uncle Sandy from Tennessee stopped by on their way home via Ohio.

James and dad continue to be best buddies as they play and do various activities. Dad created a pool for James, however he and Jeff have interesting names for the object that our neighbors to the south might take offense to.

Sunday we head to the north side of Indianapolis for a family reunion of sorts with the Merkert crowd.

Indiana, Part I - Lake Maxinkuckee

Its been a whirlwind of a trip so far and does not appear to be slowing down before we leave. Tuesday was spent traveling from Arizona to Northern Indiana with a final destination of Lake Maxinkuckee near Culver. The Craig Lake Cottage (former Kimbrough lake cottage) was again full with three generations.

Wednesday started out rainy and overcast, but ended up sunny with many activities perfect for a little boy. James enjoyed fishing, swimming, boat rides, tubing, a 1st birthday party, and much more. Elizabeth and Dylan explored and swam taking in all the activity of the bigger people around them.

Its a tradition at the lake to measure the children each summer and see how they've grown from year to year. The tradition continued with James, Dylan, and Elizabeth. James was compared to Jeff at the same age; James is taller.

On Thursday morning we loaded up the truck, trailer, and car to head south where it started to get very steamy... HUMIDITY!

8 1/2 months old

Elizabeth will be 8 1/2 months old on Monday... really where has the time gone? Some days it seems like only last week we came home from the hospital.

Today Jim found Angel camped out in Elizabeth's crib during the morning nap; something we decided would not happen again.

I spent the weekend doing laundry, cooking, and packing for our trip to Indiana. I'm excited to see friends and family.

First Tooth

Elizabeth has her first tooth! I discovered it yesterday and after making her really mad I was able to pry her little mouth open to see just the top of it sticking out. Her grumpiness has declined now that its popped out! I'm sure the second is on its way, since I can feel a bump on the right side.

Elizabeth continues to love the water. We went swimming three times this past week; once with Auntie Pat. Each times she kicks her legs constantly and will go underwater without fear or hesitation. She will also sit on the edge of the pool and fall forward into the water laughing the entire time. Another trick of hers is to fall forward when sitting on the steps then swim away. She is an excellent swimmer for only being eight months old. She will kick her legs like crazy with her face in the water paddling her hands when passed between two adults... a natural! While at the pool she is good for about 20 min. in the water then ready for a snack and juice and some people watching. Hopefully this week we'll hang around to see if she wants to do round two in the pool.

Angel and Emily add to the excitement as usual. Angel has decided that she loves Elizabeth's food and likes to help her eat it if not carefully watched. Also, after Elizabeth is finished Angel likes to pre-wash her high chair tray. Dont worry we clean it before its used again! In addition, Angel likes to help Jim do the dishes. She inspects the dishwasher often and does not mind when small amounts of water are splashed. Sometimes Emily is so tired from the activities of the kitten and baby she has to find interesting places to nap.

We are anxiously looking forward to our trip to Indiana with Lisa and James next week. Then our trip to Pennsylvania will follow in July. This summers travels are much shorter and calmer compared to previous years, but I'm not complaining since I'm somewhat enjoying the time at home.