thou shalt not

Joseph is a "strong-willed" child and has recently begun responding, "Don't tell me no!" when met with opposition. Obviously we are working on nipping this in the bud, so we have paraphrased "Rule #4: Do what mom and dad say." He questioned back, "What's Rule #6?" Oh boy!

sunflower

one small step

Yesterday, he was up one step, today, the entire (unfinished!) basement stairs!

Halfway there

I love his little tongue!

Victory!

Waving to his adoring fans (Joseph and Aunt Nicole)

Hooray!

on the road again

The boys and I, along with my sister-in-law Nicole headed home today while Jude ventured east on I-90 to his final summer in Winona, MN. This year he will only be gone two weeks instead of three, but we are already feeling his absence. Here are a few photos last photos from our trip:

St. Leo, we hope!

Joseph with the Taco John donkey. He takes such care for fake animals!

We stopped at the ice cream capital of the world, Le Mars, Iowa for a tour of the Blue Bunny Visitor Center.

Joseph had to make sure the cows in the gift shop were taken care of too. Luckily, he chose a non-breakable, non-destructive activity! The clerk said in her time working there she had never seen anyone else "feed" the cows!

We had some ice cream too!

Final photo-op, the boys and some of their cousins with the bison next door. Joseph was so excited!

village west

Day 3 of the family reunion was centered on activities at Village West Resort, where Jude's grandparents had a time-share. We spent the morning at the beach and discovered, if given a shovel, Leo will not eat sand as he is prone to do!

Joseph made a friend building sandcastles:

We went to a vigil Mass at the beautiful St. Joseph's Church in Milford, IA:

A fajita fiesta, piñata and slide show topped off the activities:

Leo made himself into a burrito with the blanket!

arnold's park

After a morning at the pool in our hotel, a stop at the consignment store for jeans for Joseph (oops!) and lunch at a local cafe, we headed out into the chilly weather. We explored the Maritime Museum:

At the Amusement Park, Freddie the Fish was Joseph's first non-carousel ride. He also really liked going on the train with Papa and the crazy Tipsy House. He was fascinated by the Log Flume, but it was cold enough without being wet! Jude's pose is dedicated to his brother Zach, the real body builder in the family!

We also visited the original Nutty Bar stand, which we found out is a cube of vanilla ice cream on a stick, dipped in chocolate and rolled in peanuts (not the Little Debbie treat). Leo was very vocally jealous so he got a scoop of vanilla too!

Boat ride on the Queen II Excursion Boat, which had been charted for a family tour of the lake.

Joseph, the worker, stacking every unoccupied chair at the Nutty Bar stand where we met some friends who live in nearby Milford. Luckily it was close to closing time!

Joseph and Leo procrastinating bed time at the hotel.

surveillance camera

Backseat antics on the way to Jude's family reunion at Lake Okoboji:

Whoever started it, they were both laughing hysterically :)

kid #3

Leo's a big brother! We found out today that we are expecting. March 25 is the due date. My progesterone levels are miraculously high-zone 3, hooray!!! Joseph has begun the naming suggestions: Leo, cow, frog and Clifford are his proposals thus far-no mention of Bob (his name for Leo in utero) and none that have stuck so far...
***

Prayer For a Successful Pregnancy

Powerful is your intercession with God, Mary, for you are his mother. Tender, too, is your love for us, for you are our mother. Confidently, then, I come to you as a child, poor and needy, to seek your aid and protection. In every trial of motherhood, I beg your aid. For the grace of a happy delivery, I come to you. For your holy assistance in guarding and directing each tiny soul with which God entrusts me, I call to you. In every sorrow that comes to me in my motherhood, I confide in you.

That I may have strength to bear cheerfully all the pains and hardships of motherhood, I lean on you. That the sweetness of motherhood may not through my neglect be embittered in later years by pains of regret, I trust in you.

That the will of God may always be fulfilled in me through each act of my motherhood, little and great, I beg your aid. Never forsake me dear Mother, my hope, my consolation, my confidence, and my trust, but ever be at my side to aid and protect me, your needy child.

Amen.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pray for us!

b is for beans

J is for Joseph!

eleven months

Leo is teething, and trying to chew everything in sight, including his toes! So far he has three bottom teeth but none on the top. He is pulling up a lot and has a particular propensity to the toilet-so far he has not reached the water! His words include mama, dada, brubru, hi and bye. He signs for a drink and responds to the sign for all done by pulling off his bib! He loves to wrestle with Joseph and will pat his head/pull his hair given the opportunity. He laughs his hysterically when Jude tells him, "Leo's going to be one!" He has an infectious and frequent giggle, as his rolls are oh-so tempting to tickle!!!

night at the museum

Taking advantage of Morrill Hall's free Thursday evening hours during the month of July, we made our first visit there since college! It has been partially re-modeled in the last decade, and is definitely more interactive. The boys LOVED it! The bison exhibit was Joseph's favorite, of course. He even acted as a docent, inviting other kids to pet the fur on display and pointing out the badger hole in the exhibit. Don't miss it :)

hooray for independence day

Leo loves to clap!

Parade in the park near my parents home-Joseph won a $50 savings bond!

Saltdogs vs. Witchita Wingnuts (7-3 victory)

After the game the kids are able to run the bases. When Joseph took off toward the outfield, the staff sent Jude with him. He had a great time running and then wiped out at home plate. Thinking he tripped and might be upset, Jude swooped him onto his shoulders to the applause of the crowd awaiting the fireworks display.

And now, the rest of the story...as we were leaving I asked Joseph what he had tripped on. He replied, "I didn't trip. I did it like the baseball players. They showed me how!" He slid into home plate on purpose!

God bless America!

we do grow 'em big

Joseph's three year check-up yielded the following stats:
Height 41" (>97%)
Weight 41.6 lbs (>97%)
Head circumference 20 3/4" (97%)

He continues his box-like growth, and according to the BabyCenter Height Predictor, will be 6'4" at age 18!

Not to be outdone, Leo's unofficial weight is 24.4, bumping him into the next ibuprofen dosage range-he is working hard at getting his third tooth. I thought for sure we would see something pop through on the top but it is the second lower left tooth. Soon he will be our three-toothed monster!