Minnesota State Fair 2012

Ellen recently made her second trip to the Minnesota State Fair. (June stayed home with Omma so we could have a special day with just EVB.) We LOVE the Fair! It was especially fun this year since Ellen was able to really enjoy everything she did and ate. I'm already looking forward to taking her next summer! (And, Ellen did an awesome job using the public restrooms at the fair, which I was pleasantly surprised about!)

A quick list of the food Ellen tried:

• Mini donuts (yum)
• Ice cream cone (an obvious hit)
• Pickle on a stick (her favorite!)
• Milk (can't go wrong; this is Ellen's beverage of choice)
• Cheese curds (not a huge fan)

A quick list of what Ellen did at the Fair:

• Took her first ride on Ye Old Mill (loved it!)
• Sat on John Deere tractors (like last year, Ellen really enjoyed this)
• Took her second trip down the Giant Slide (first trip with Mom; Dad watched this year)
• Rode the merry-go-round
• Got a (temporary) tattoo in the sheep barn
• Looked at sheep, rabbits, goats, ducks and fish

Ellen also thoroughly enjoyed riding the bus to and from the park & ride!

Click here to see Ellen on a John Deere tractor last year!

Ellen crashed in her stroller before we left Fairgrounds :)

First Teeth & First Food

June got her first two teeth the day she turned 5 months old ... Unlike every other baby I've ever known, Junie's first teeth were NOT her upper or bottom center teeth. Instead, June's first little tooth buds were her upper canines! We have a vampire baby! :) Fortunately, I don't think she'll be sporting the fangs-only look for long since I can feel lots more teeth beneath her gums that are on the verge of popping through.

Now that June has a couple of teeth, is 5.5 months old and weighs more than 15 pounds (I think), I thought it would be a good time to try rice cereal. Ellen started on rice cereal around 4.5 months and liked it right away, so I figured June was bound to enjoy it ... I thought wrong. We've tried on two different occasions and, both times, June pushed the cereal out of her mouth and started to cry. We'll give it another shot in a week or so. :)

 Bib on and ready to try cereal!

Big sister Ellen was on hand to offer moral support.

Looks delicious, right?

Well, not so much.

EVB: 2 Years, 10 Months (34 Months) Old!

I cannot believe that my "baby" is going to be 3 in just two months! Ellen is as crazy as ever and we're enjoying (just about) every minute of her antics. Here's what Ellen is up to these days:

• Exercising greater self-control (read: tantrums have diminished!)
• Becoming even more imaginative (We love listening to the conversations she has with her toys and watching the "scenes" she acts out with her dolls and stuffed animals.)
• Walking to the "acorn tree" with Dad (Our rental complex has a few oak trees on the property ... Ellen and Adam have a very specific routine of walking to these trees, collecting acorns and bringing them home for Mom. Even though this is an almost-daily event, Ellen is SO excited each and every time she presents me with my acorn presents.)
• Continuing to rock at potty training (Ellen is getting even closer to being trained during waking hours. For the most part she stays dry and when she's not dry, she can tell us that she's going or has just gone. She's even initiated the trip to the bathroom a few times, which is huge!)
• Making June laugh out loud (EVB does this mostly by running into the room and screaming in June's face while she's in her jumperoo.)
• Getting ready to go back to "school" (Ellen took a couple of classes at the Minnesota Zoo in recent weeks to get reacquainted with a classroom setting ... She starts a new ECFE class Sept. 11!)

Big girl (with crazy hair!)

Touching a starfish during a class at the MN Zoo (She also touched a frog!)

 

Ellen loves to sit on the turtle at the MN Zoo ...

and the similar one at Como Zoo

 Lunch with Boppa (Ellen is wearing a gold medal she got from Kids' Hair in honor of the "lymstix")

Ellen still loves to hold June whenever she can :)

JEB: 5 Months Old!

Junie Bug is 5 months old! This past month has been filled with milestone for our little lady ... In the past few weeks, June has:

• Mastered rolling from her back to her tummy (she finally got herself over that arm!)
• Figured out how to grab her toys, transfer them from one hand to the other, and bring them to her mouth
• Learned to pull herself up to a standing position by holding onto just two adult fingers
• Attempted to sit up in her swing (we may need to retire it soon!)
• Started teething ... On her 5-month birthday I discovered two little white pearls in her upper gum :)
• Decided that she loves Ellen and will look follow her with her eyes and smile and just about anything she does :)

June continues to eat about every three hours during the day. She wakes up in the morning at about 7, takes naps at 9 and 1 or 2 and then goes down for the night at about 7:30 or 8. She's still waking up at about 3 a.m. to eat (and has been up more often in recent nights because of this teething business). June Bug is still wearing size 2 diapers and size 3-6 months clothes, but the bottoms continue to be a bit large on her.

With all the excitement of this past month, I can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring for our little peanut!

Realized while taking this month's full-length photo that I forgot to do it at 4 months. Oops!

 

June's Baptism

June Bug did a great job during her baptism ... She didn't even make a sound when the water was poured over her head! She did, however, drool and blow raspberries throughout the entire ceremony. Ellen did pretty well, too. She was thrilled to be at church to see Jesus, Mary, "Jophes," the angels and the sheep, and she was happy that Junie got "bathtized."

Deacon Jerry & the fam

June with her godparents, Corey & Lisa

June's yummy cake!