baby hugs

out of his shell

Most recently Tyler has broken out of his shy shell. He used to hide behind our legs (and still may in the future) and say, "I'm going to be shy Mom." Of course it was only a matter of minutes before his boisterous self emerged. But yesterday while walking in the neighborhood he was happy to call across the street to another boy. And then today he couldn't stop chatting up the workmen who were in the house to fix our granite.

roll over

Jenna rolled over this morning! From tummy to back. I was so excited I kept putting her back on her tummy to see her do it over and over again. Tyler and I had fun watching her and caught it on video, although she was crying by the time we got it on tape. Poor girl was exhausted from the workout!

errand boy

I could really get used to this -- Tyler doing errands! Alex's flight home was canceled and I wasn't mentally prepared for another night alone with the kids. I was juggling all that had to be done and feeding Jenna upstairs when Daisy began to bark from the kitchen wanting her food. Ooops, another task I had not accounted for.

Tyler to the rescue! I asked him to go downstairs and feed her. "OK!!" Sure enough, he popped off the bed, headed down there and in a minute or so I heard him closing the food container and cabinet where the dog food is stored. He ran back upstairs as proud as can be. And Daisy was happy too that she didn't have to wait any longer!

thinker

Jenna does this all of the time! Fist to chin or cheek.

acting crazy

This morning Alex was trying to entertain Tyler by putting a toy car on his head. Tyler looked at him and said, "You're acting CRAZY!"

just so pretty

smiles

visit from joy

Tyler (and Jenna) really enjoyed seeing Joy. As she was leaving he asked if he could "take a kiss." Isn't that so sweet?

who's boppy is it?

visit from lea

Ahh, someone who wholeheartedly supports pink, pink and more pink!

floor fun

We had our new area rug delivered today. When Tyler came home from daycare I told him to check out the living room. He walked in and you would have thought it was Christmas. "New carpetttt!" Daddy, Tyler and I tested out the rug by racing around the border. And soon Jenna joined the fun. (The rug went back to the store days later.)

cousins

As if they couldn't get enough of us while we were in Boston... the Kriskos came to Maryland for the weekend (sans Perrin). We had missed out on seeing a lot of Andrew because he went camping with a friend, but he made up for lost time with his Campbell cousins.

2 months

Jenna's stats are:
Weight: 11lbs, 10oz (75%)
Height: 23 1/4in (75-90%)
Head circumference: 15 1/8in (50%)

big brother love

Jenna admires her brother so much. She loves to watch him and I snapped this picture of her when Tyler unexpectedly walked into the room. And the feeling is mutual. Tyler ALWAYS wants to be hugging and kissing her. Let's hope they always want to be around each other so much. ;-)

orioles

Tyler's most favorite new toy: an Orioles truck and matching sports car. By chance the sports car nearly fits in the back of the truck. Tyler loves to open and close the back doors of the truck and he uses both to act out scenes from the movie Cars. "Mack! Mack! Wait!"

hello camera

back on schedule

The trip to Boston reeked havoc on Jenna's feeding/sleeping schedule. As a result I wasn't always getting my eight or more hours of sleep (I know, boo hoo stop complaining). But I was thankful that all went right back to normal once we were home. Ahh!

rockport

We couldn't get enough of MA so we decided to extend our stay one day so we could head to Rockport and get in some family time once Alex was finished with his conference. Perrin tagged along too. We had a great time checking out the quaint shops and the views... until Tyler had a meltdown at Top Dog. This funky small shop sold the craziest hot dog combinations and had chalkboard walls. Tyler skipped lunch in order to create masterpieces. No lunch plus no nap equals a cranky toddler who doesn't want to stop drawing. Uh oh. But we loved the area and are sure we'll go back again!

Once home, my mom also informed me that Rockport is where my dad picked up our family's vintage harpoon that hung over our fireplace while I was growing up. Neat!

goodies

Each time we visit Danvers we've got to head to Goodies, a retro ice cream shop. Perrin, the kids and I went there for some sweets... uhh, I mean lunch. Tyler comes by his love of ice cream honestly! While there Tyler was checking out a poster behind us that featured Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe. He paused, pointed to Marilyn and said, "I like THAT one mommy!" Look out ladies!

beverly airport

We headed over to a nearby small airport to check out the planes. Unfortunately, it was overcast so no planes were actually taking off and landing, but we did see one pilot gassing up his small plane. And the highlight ended up being a vintage helicopter bolted to the ground at an angle.

salem wharf

So our trip to Boston wasn't all fun and games. Alex had to stay in the city for a conference part of the week. We had planned to drive him into the city, but as fate would have it his friends Craig and Judy, who live in Florida, were in town on vacation. We met up at Salem's Wharf for lunch before Alex hitched a ride with them into the city since they were headed that way for their flight home. Craig and Judy hadn't met Tyler yet so they were able to meet both kids for the first time. It's ironic that our meeting took place in MA considering neither of us live anywhere close to that state!

him and her

Not his and hers... but him and her. Those would be his cousins, Andrew and Perrin. "I need him." or "I want her to come with me." (As if I control them.) It took a few days but he finally got used to calling them by their names and he sure had fun dragging them around and playing.

fireworks

We celebrated the 4th of July (well, it was the 5th actually) in Danvers, MA this year. I was eagerly anticipating Tyler's reaction since this would be the first year that he would see a full show and be able to communicate his thoughts on the event. And also because I have so many fond memories of watching fireworks with my dad.

I wasn't disappointed. Tyler was so thrilled to hear the booms and see the beautiful bursts of color. Tyler started out in Daddy's lap and jumped with anticipation each time a nearby home firework shot off. He would put his hand on the back of Alex's head and push it in the direction of the noise and say, "See Dad!" Then as the big show got started Tyler chose to sit on my lap so I got to snuggle with him as he listed each color he saw. And when the sparkly ones trickled down we said together, "sparkles, sparkles, sparkles." After the show I asked him if the sparkly ones were his favorite and he said, "No mom! Those were your favorite!" He favored the red ones. And many thanks to Deb for staying home with baby Jenna so I could witness Tyler and his reaction to the fireworks!

trampoline

Other than his cousins, Tyler's favorite thing about Uncle Hugh and Auntie Deb's house is their trampoline! While tentative at first, Tyler learned quickly and was soon jumping wildly. Perrin remarked that he was fearless and better than most of the kids five times his age.

headed to Boston

We set out for our trip to Boston to visit my sister and her family while Alex had a conference in the city. We hadn't even left our street yet when Tyler asked, "We almost there Daddy?" Only 10-12 more hours buddy!

supporting dad

Doesn't Tyler look cute sporting his shirt with dad's company logo on it?