Squirrel

 
Gma and Gpa Kons brought Kyrie some corn to put on the feeder (that came with the house). Here is a squirrel enjoying their generosity thoroughly. 

Classic

 
Why does every daddy do this? Why do all mommies take this picture? 

"Elmo is a big boy now..."

 
"...he's learning to use the potty..." 

Elmo sits on the potty

  

Tea Party Anyone?

  

 
Father's Day 

Father's Day

  

Father's Day

  

 
You ain't nobody if you haven't been in the tent. 

More Mommy Kyrie

 
Kyrie burping (one of) her baby(ies). 

Batting

 
Yes, she is reaching for the moving toys. Not quite perfected, but she is doing well. 

 
Attempting to get away with something 

Lovebug

 
I probably say this too much (can you do such a thing?), but I love this kid. 

Got it!

 
Kind of a funky shot, but at least you can see the smile! 

Silly Monkey

Today, Grandma Kons came over to play with Kyrie. She arrived to Kyrie jumping around the playroom yelling, "Five silly monkeys jumping on the bed...bumped their head...call the doctor...NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!" Or, something along those lines (she gets pretty darn close to exact-quoting the book). Anyway...later on in the evening after having a bath Kyrie ran into her bedroom naked and began jumping and yelling, "Silly monkey jumping on the floor!" Then she turned to me and said, "Mommy, can the monkey jump on the floor?" I was like, "Sure Honey, the monkey can jump on the floor." She smiled and started jumping again. Then she stopped again and turned again to me and said, "Mommy can the monkey scream?" To that I replied, "No Sweetheart, the monkey cannot scream. She can jump on the floor and spin on the floor, but no screaming monkeys." To my surprise and delight she began spinning and jumping, but no screaming. What a silly (and good) little monkey.

Beanie No More?

 
Lariska Jean at 5 weeks old 

Lariska - One Month Stats

Lariska had her one-month checkup today and here is what we found out:

Length: 21.5 in. (75th percentile)
Weight: 8 lbs. 8.5 oz. (50th percentile)

Our pediatrician said she has good head control and was surprised at how long Lariska is. She jumped from the 50th percentile to the 75th, thus confirming my suspicion that either they measured wrong at the hospital or she wasn't meant to be such a beanie baby. She also jumped from the 25th percentile in weight to the 50th percentile. Yeah....we grow them good over here.

Just to compare, Kyrie was a 1/2 inch longer at the same age (still 75th percentile) and was 1 lb. 6 oz. heavier (but she started 1 lb. 5 oz. heavier as well) at one month old. (Kyrie was in the 75th percentile for her weight at one month old! She dropped to 25th percentile sometime later.)

Anyway...I am happy to report that we have a healthy, happy baby who is smiling and beginning to coo. She sleeps very well and is starting to spend more time awake to enjoy those beautiful smiles. We are quite the proud parents...of both our girls.

Mommy Kyrie

  

 
One of our theme songs for Kyrie is "Tupelo Honey" which has the line, "She's an angel of the first degree" in it. Do you see that angel anywhere in this picture?!?! 

 

I walked into the family room yesterday and even though I had probably walked past it several times earlier, I finally noticed something unusual. There was a "baby" under the Learning Gym. Kyrie has been quite the little mimicker lately so it did not surprise me too much. I did, however, think it was adorable and had to take a photo of Kyrie's baby playing where Lariska often plays during the day.

Something I would like to know from any child psychologists out there - today Kyrie wanted to feed her baby and even though I handed her a bottle, she lifted her shirt to give the baby the milk. Yeah....I tried to hide my laughter from her, but in the end I was laughing uncontrollably. Luckily, Matt kept his cool. Is it bad that my daughter is trying to breastfeed her baby doll? I am going to take a guess that "no" it isn't bad, that she is just doing what she sees mommy doing and it's perfectly natural. Still, it was darn funny.

The other photos are of my cutie-pa-tute Lovebug. She is quite the big sister these days. This morning she wanted to help me put Lariska down for a nap. She kissed Lariska and said, "I love you, Lariska". My heart just about melted. Sometimes you think that having two kids is WAY overwhelming and then there are moments like that when you know it is worth it to have another person to love. 

Chocolate Face

 
Kyrie after eating a particularly chocolate-y chocolate chip cookie. 

Caught it???

 
Post-smile 

 
Pre-smile 

Smiling

It's official - Lariska is smiling. Last week, I was fairly certain I got one out of her, but as of yesterday it is 100% for certain. Not only has she now smiled several times at me, but once for my mom, and even once for the pastor of our church! She still is quite stingy with them (seems like she only has a couple in her per day), but she is gaining experience!

I think that first smile is something every mother anxiously waits for and when it finally happens it is like a breath of fresh air. All of the late nights and early mornings are forgotten and all that matters is that your child is SO beautiful and has rewarded you with a wonderful gift. It definitely makes my day. Of course, you will have to wait for a photo of this day-maker, since they are currently difficult to capture. I will do my best, though.

My Pixie

 

Kyrie got her haircut on Monday evening and the woman after us at the stylist just fawned over her. She went on and on about how she always wished she could have a pixie haircut like Kyrie. It made me feel very nice as "the mom" of the pixie. These days, I think they call it a "bob", or maybe that is even my mom's generation now. Regardless, I have never heard a simple haircut like this referred to that way, but here is a photo of My Pixie (with a strawberry shake moustache). 

One Month Old

 

 
Butt Mo-o-o-om! 

Lariska is an entire month old today...sigh. Can you believe that?! Already an entire month has flown by. I can never believe how fast life moves these days. Unfortunately, Lariska's one-month Dr. Appt. is not till next week, so we will find out all of her official stats at that time. But, she definitely has grown. The newborn diapers are not so comfortable anymore and where she used to drown in the 0-3 month pajamas, she is now fitting into quite comfortably. I am anxious to find out how much she has grown. I kind of have this feeling that she wasn't
supposed to be such a small baby, but that she was in the womb at a weird angle and just couldn't get any bigger....or something like that. Or, maybe she will just be my Little One always and that would be absolutely fine, too.

The photos are of Carrie, Will, Lariska, and I. We had lunch together today and showed up with our babies wearing the same outfits (though, in different colors). Quite the coincidence! We had lots of fun being bombarded by children at the park and then playing later at my church's playground set. It was nice to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful weather. 

Brookfield Days

 
Kyrie's favorite - the Carousel 

 
Look at me!