Kiss and Make Up

Skool.

Happy first day of school!

Its 3:00. I haven't heard from Dan yet but he's almost done with his first day back. His 4th year teaching 4th grade! Ari and I sent him off with a big breakfast (including bacon!) and a fruit smoothie. He seemed excited but I could tell that he was a little nervous. We'll see how it goes.

Ari started school today too. She's practicing her words like mama and dadda. She isn't as interested in her literature class because the books taste too good to read. She is an avid listener and observer and I'd give her an A for participation.

Introducing:

Teeth 1 and Teeth 2

Visitors!

Thank goodness for visitors! Ari totally forgot about her tooth coming through. There were many hands and many smiles for distraction! We had so much fun: farms, food, games, school cleaning and tons of Ari-loving.

Yah for Aunt Katie!

Grammy was here to visit and helped with a lot of baby food making and cleaning! Thanks Mom/Shelley!

Grandpa stopped by for a short time and fed our great eater! They both loved it!

Baba read, played, bathed and loved on Ari. They both especially loved swimming in the pool! Thanks so much for supporting and helping Dan in his classroom! We really appreciate it.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any quality pictures of Bill (sorry!). I'm sure someone does with as many cameras as we all had. But, this will do for now! Thanks Bill for mowing the huge field for Nate (our Worship pastor) and his chickens!

These next few weeks will be super busy! School is starting and we're getting ready!

The Tooth

The tooth is cute

But causes much strife.

From the sounds of it,

It's cutting like a knife.

She's handing it well

As any girl should.

By chewing on metal,

Sharp objects and wood.

With her spirited smile

She's still a joy to be around.

We're just hoping this tooth

Doesn't put us in the ground.

Ari, stop growing!

We aren't ready for this.

Your cute little self

We will soon very much miss.

(look closely, you'll see it!)

A few things to report

I growl. This is a picture of it. No video yet... We're working on it.

I fell asleep with my ladybug paci clip... as evidenced by the dots on my face!

Lastly (and most importantly) I cut my first tooth!!!

Just you wait to see it; I'm hiding it for now.

Happy Birffday Aunt Shell!!

YAH! Its your special day... and I'm sending 3o sloppy wet kisses to you! Love you,

-Ari Taylor :)

Happy 7 Months, Ari Taylor

Okay, it is August! When did this happen?

Ari is 7 months old and practically driving already. Goodness.

We are celebrating by having family naptime today!

Milestones/Development

• Eating solids twice a day; 4-6 servings (ice cubes of pureed food) and rice cereal; her favorites include sweet potatoes, South Carolina peaches, avocado, apricots, peas, and bananas.
• Nurses 5-6 times a day; usually including one mid-night session around 3 or 4 am.
• Sleeps 2 big naps and sometimes takes little cat-naps around the house or in the car. She sleeps 7-8 hours at night, but has slept 10 or so hours a few times.
• She sits up on her own for long periods of time and plays well by herself.
• She rolls over to get a toy and then continues rolling until she hits the wall. This is quite a show to watch. You leave her at point A and return with her at point B, 5 feet away!
• Falls asleep on her side and frequently rolls to her tummy; she is so sweet and cuddly with her bunny.
• Her speaking is still high pitched squeals but has recently starting growling. We did name her lioness!
• She can feed herself teething biscuits.
• She laughs and smiles all the time.
• Pooping has become unique and much more substantial. Ask Dan about that! He graciously volunteers to change her and then I receive a play-by-play on color, texture and weight of her ...uh... stuff. :) (thanks, Daddy, for changing diapers!)
• We are seeing the beginnings of crawling! Scooting, kicking, and sprawling out and flapping arms (think beached whale)
• She chews on almost everything (see below)

This is what happens when you take away the paper:

She is such a joy. A very beautiful blessing in our lives and we love her!