A New Look...for the girls

Here is Mom sporting her new look.  I like it Mom.  Kathlena below with her first pair of glasses.  She picked them out herself...purple of course.  ;)  I didn't think it was possible for Kathlena to look any cuter, but she does.  Best of all it seems she can see better and seeing small things like bugs in a new light.  Exciting times for Kathlena.  A whole new world just opened up for her...yeah!

Calvin 8 months

(By Gina)
Calvin you are growing up to fast.  Now that you are crawling you immediately wanted to stand.  After one week of crawling you began to pull-up on everything.  Then after two weeks you began to try and stand holding on with only one hand.  What happened it seems only yesterday we were waiting for you to arrive and now you are trying so hard to begin walking.

 Calvin did finally figure out how to roll over this month.  It would make him made to put him on his back because he couldn't turn over and crawl, but he finally got mad enough to do it.  Now he flip flops like a fish out of water.  Calvin is understanding "no, no" and will shake his head no when he hears you say "no,no Calvin".

Calvin is eating solid food very well now.  He eats liver, cooked blueberries, peaches, raspberries, carrots, green beans, chicken, quail (loves this!).  Mango-avocado-kefir water also is a favorite.  I have so enjoyed making baby food combinations in the Vita-Mix one of my favorite kitchen tools.  Calvin seems to just enjoy food and is not picky.  I am trying to follow Nourishing Traditions for babies.

Calvin has made a new friend.  Our dog, Chase is such a good dog and loves kids. 

Here is Calvin playing with our friends dog, Jackie who is also very kid friendly as you can see below. 

A Very Special Swing...

...long, long ago, before my three youngest siblings were born, my family lived for two years on my grandparent's ranch in Hillsboro TX. I was four when we moved there and it was love at first sight. At around 765 acres it was the world to me back then. We had a white picket fence around the little ranch house, a storm cellar, several cats and dogs, a little garden and a swing set. That swing set still remains on the ranch though no one lives in the old, run-down ranch house now. My uncle and grandfather recently moved the swing set near the lake along with a real retired merry-go-round from an old park that was remodeling their playground. They don't make em like this anymore. On our last trip to my grandparents my littlest brother, Calvin got to sit in the very swing I used to swing in when I was little...and I think he liked it. :)

What was funny was that we didn't even have to push him. That's the beauty of swing sets of antiquity, as long as somebody's swinging on it-albeit on the other side-the whole set rocks back and forth in unison. :)

Kathlena's Favorite is the merry-go-round.