Kaleidoscope

One of the great things about living in KC is that it is home to the headquarters of Hallmark! Kaleidoscope is a wonderful place that Hallmark created for kids to be crafty, utilizing all of the scraps from Hallmark's manufacturing processes. And, unbelievably, it's free!
We ventured out for the family art session this morning with cousins Hilary, Colin, and Maria, and friends Lindsey, Madison, and Hannah. Each session is 40 minutes...just enough time for kids to move from station to station and experience puzzle-making, painting, coloring, and even a glow-in-the-dark room!
What a fun time!! Lily loves coloring and crafts, so this was right up her alley. We will definitely be going back for another session soon!

Painting...

busy at work with friends Hannah & Madison

concentrating on coloring her puzzle

assisting the Hallmark lady with operating the puzzle-making machine

Hilary, Colin, & Maria

we hopped next door to the Visitor's Center and found a bow-making machine
her very own Hallmark bow!

Jackson- 9 month update

Our little man is growing every day and with all the movement he has been doing, he is losing a lot of his "baby chub" look :-(
Jackson is still quite adventurous and has been exploring all the areas of the house. One of his favorite spots is an area by the window with some house plants. As you can see from his expression below, he finds it quite humorous that I do not approve of him picking the leaves off of my plants! In fact, this is the exact expression I receive EVERY time I tell him "No". And, if you can see in the background, the plants are looking quite shabby at the moment thanks to his consistent "pruning" :-)


He is standing very well on his own now and has started to squat from the standing position. We have recently caught him taking 1-3 steps unassisted, however he only does it when he thinks we are not paying attention.
More than likely, in the next few weeks he will be walking. Yikes!

starting him early with the house chores

had to get the "spaghetti shot"

Still no teeth! You would think that since I am still nursing, I would be happy about this fact. However, I can see the teeth under the gum line and they seem to be causing him some pain...especially at night.

Here he is climbing out of one of the bar stools. It really is amazing how different he and Lily are. There are many things in the house that Lily never paid attention to and he can't get enough of! It's either the difference between boys/girls or 1st/2nd child...who knows, but he is definitely one we have to keep our eye on. We have had many friends and some family tell us we have our hands full with this one!

Play-date with cousin Addie

Last weekend at the lake, Lily and her 2nd cousin, Addison really hit it off. So much so, in fact, that Addie's mommy (& Daddy's cousin LeAnn) called us over for a play-date. The girls had so much fun making necklaces, playing dress-up, and coloring. We even had a chance to see Addie's horses too!
What a fun day! We can't wait to do it again.

Even Addie's dog Levi got to wear a necklace! :-)

4th of July

We spent another fun 4th of July at the lake with the whole Bolinger clan! It was filled with swimming in the pool, eating great food, fireworks, and just plain fun!
Here are some highlights:

Jackson enjoying some veggies and cheerios

Jackson's 4th of July attire

Pool time!

Even the "big kids" enjoyed the pool!

Enjoying Grandma's homemade popsicles

Jackson and Daddy in the pool

Breakfast for the boys

All the kiddos ready for a fun day at the lake

Anniversary

Daddy and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last week. The morning of this special day, we were up drinking coffee when Lily woke up. Almost immediately after entering the room for her morning hugs, she said "I'll be right back!" and left to go back downstairs.

When she came back minutes later, she gave me this picture and said "Happy Anniversary Mommy!":


In case you cannot see it clearly, it is me (pink, with her version of "hair" that sticks straight out the sides :) and Daddy (blue, with just a few hairs on top of his head...hee,hee) in a heart. And also a heart down below.

I teared up when she gave this to me. She didn't draw it that morning either. It was something she had done earlier in the week that she was waiting to give us on our anniversary. The fact that she knows how much her Mommy & Daddy love each other is so important to us. And that she can communicate that to us in a picture means more than words can say.

Thank you Lily for this special anniversary gift to us! We love it...and love you more.