The JOY in having a growing family...

The last several weeks have been filled with great times for our family. Justin and Rachel brought Megan to visit last week for a week-long visit; Matthew and Annette did this a few weeks earlier. Uncle Dave loved having his nephew and the nieces here! (not to mention Granny and Granddaddy's swell of excitement!)

NEWSWORTHY:

Sophie is a little sweetheart!   She began to CRAWL just before her 7-month birthday! She can really move it along, and is cheered on by her parents and her big brother Austin. What a sparkle in her eyes as she stops and sits up, turning back to see "if you were watching me"!  Her other latest talent is to "say no" with her head, in the method taught her by Austin.   See the videos here.
Sophie, you have given us great delight, and we can't wait to see what you learn next!


Megan is a little learner - and is eager to share her knowledge as well.  At just 21-mo-old Megan taught Uncle Dave a new thing which he tried out today. :)  Dave loves to be on the screened porch as often and long as we will allow it. He prefers to have "alone time" out there, so we allow it. He can come and go as he pleases - but today had more difficulty than usual getting his body to respond to his brain's command to twist-and-push simultaneously - so he felt "stuck" out there.
I was swapping laundry loads and heard someone knocking at the door. I rushed to the front door, but no one there. However, at the french door to the screened porch, I saw my youngest son, standing and knocking on the window pane - just as he had observed his niece Megan this past week. THANK YOU Megan! We knew you three cousins would start teaching Uncle Dave a few tricks - we just didn't know who would "go first"! Megan was the FIRST winner! : )  
Megan showed us the side of her personality that loves to tease... she is so imaginative!  Megan was also talking a great deal more on this trip, and strung together words in 2- and 3-word sentences.  Going to be a communicator like her Daddy - but in almost every other way she reminds me of her lovely and talented  mother. 
Megan, you are a precious, interactive teacher and entertainer! : )  Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve next time!  : )


21-mo-old Austin is quite the dude this month. What a great grandson he is! Bright eyes and smile ALL THE TIME, and so loving towards his baby sister! He's an all-around good sport. I love it! In the last few days he showed us a neat trick of his own, showing special ability. His Daddy, Granddaddy and I were talking via Skype... hoping for Granny to catch a glimpse of Sophie doing her thing, CRAWLING. The two computers and the stretch of connections and Internet between us were NOT cooperating, and so we had to hang it up - giving up on my great desire to SEE Sophie traveling on all fours. Granddaddy went to the kitchen to get some ice water, and Granny(me) stayed in the LR with our laptop. Within 5 minutes, we got a call on Skype... FROM OUR GRANDSON AUSTIN!!!! Daddy was in another room with Sophie, and had left his laptop there in Sophie and Austin's playroom...  and...   AUSTIN CALLED GRANNY BACK !!!      WOO HOO!!! What excitement around here! the two of us "talked" for about 2 minutes before his Daddy came in from the other room and caught us!
Austin, I hope you didn't get in too much trouble.    : )  Tell Daddy you are going to be as interested in computers as he always was!

I could never explain with words how much these three grandchildren and our interactions mean to me... so I won't waste the words here. These were just highlights of the past few weeks - I just had to brag! : )

Sophie - 6.5 months old

Megan - 21 months old

Austin - 21 months old