Reading

Laine loves to read, and Mead has recently discovered the joys of reading too. We have books scattered all over our living room, and normally both girls are sitting in my lap handing me books as fast as we can go through them.

It's been especially fun lately to see Laine "read" books to Mead. Laine can't actually read yet, but she has several of her favorite books memorized. So she and Mead sit down together to enjoy their books. What a joy to see!

Citygarden

This summer we've been joining friends from church on weekly Wednesday morning outings around St. Louis. It's been a fun way to interact with church families and enjoy the wonderful activities around town.

This week's outing was Citygarden in downtown St. Louis. The girls had a great time playing in the water spouts and swimming in the wading pools. (Notice Laine running in the background of this picture.)


Then we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade with friends. What a fun morning and a great way to beat the heat!!

Carrots

Our carrots came and went in our garden. They tend not to grow well in this area, but we planted some seeds anyway just to see what we got. We ended up with probably 20 carrots anywhere from 1-6 inches long. Not too big, but edible none the less.

So what did I do with this small batch of carrots? I made my first carrot cake. It was a three-layer cake that was completely messy but absolutely delicious! I still need to learn the trick of getting extremely moist cake successfully out of a cake pan without breaking it. But I pieced everything back together as best I could and slapped lots of yummy icing on it. And Penny and I have been enjoying it all week!

Sharing

Laine and Mead are becoming better friends all the time. Laine still beats up on Mead quite a bit, but they also have their moments of joy and laughter.

Thanks to Laine's coaching, Mead has learned how to drink out of a straw way before Laine ever did at that age. Mead is so anxious to be like her big sister - it's sweet to see Laine help her along.

The carousel

I took the girls to the zoo the other day for the first time in a while. And we arrived early enough to have a few free turns on the carousel. Mead had never ridden it before, so I was eager to let her try it out.

Her first impressions were hesitant, but she soon got excited and enjoyed going round and round. She kept looking up at the ceiling (hence the smile while leaning back) watching the mechanisms go up and down. Maybe we've got a little engineer on our hands!

Reconnecting with friends

On our drive to and from Canada we had the privilege of staying with our seminary friends, Corey and Janet. Laine and Ty grew up together at Gulf Drive, meeting when they were just a few weeks old. It was so fun to see them jump right back into play time as though we still lived across the parking lot from one another.

Corey and Janet, it was great to see you. Thanks for letting us stop through and spend the night (not to mention destroy your house in various ways!) We look forward to the next time we see each other again, whenever that may be.

Doug's Wedding

This past week we went to Canada for Penny's brother's wedding. It was a long drive, but well worth the time and energy.

Laine was the flower girl, her cousin Brennon was the ring bearer, and Penny was the pastor. It was his first wedding, and he did great.

We had a good time visiting with family we hadn't seen in almost four years. And everyone loved meeting Mead.

I was so proud of Laine for successfully making it down the aisle, and both the girls had a fun time throughout the evening.

Doug was beaming as he watched his bride come down the aisle.


It was very short, but beautiful at a country club overlooking the golf course and lake.

Linda is a wonderful woman, and we're excited to have her as a part of the family. Thanks, Doug and Linda, for letting us be a part of your special day!

Last day of school

Laine's last day of school was last Thursday. She got to bring in show and tell and be the line leader, and she also got to celebrate her birthday since it is in the summer and her classmates will be scattered.

She had a good time being crowned with her birthday crown, and she got a bottle of bubbles from her teacher. We sent in yummy cupcakes for everyone to enjoy during snack time too. What a fun day!

Curls

Believe it or not Mead actually has a few curls on her head now. She's the only one in the house with anything other than straight hair. I love it, and I'll probably wait entirely too long to cut it as a result!