Miles of Stones

Oskar is starting to laugh now, it's the cutest thing.  If only I could figure out how to make him do it more.  

He loves bath time!

He falls asleep in weird positions and sleeps for a good long time.

He can stand!  This just happened this week.  On Thursday or Friday he figured out he could put all his weight in his legs without them giving out constantly.  And he loves it.

He is grabbing and sucking on his toes!  This is another very recent one, he just started doing it yesterday I think.  He hasn't perfected it yet and still gets frustrated because his legs don't always do what he wants them to, like stop kicking for once in his life and just be still so he can grab them.

My awesome friends here threw me a post baby shower since we were in Utah when Oskar was born and had to stay there for so long.  It was so much fun!  We went to a nice little cafe really close to where we live and just got dessert or drinks and talked and had fun.  They also pitched in and gave me money to buy a stroller, which I love.  Now I can go anywhere and just walk around with Oskar.  It's great!

Caught!

Camping Trip

Camping this year was not exactly what I'd call fun and relaxing.  It is difficult for me to handle all the worries that I have with Oskar normally so having all these additional variables completely stressed me out and made me have a bad attitude.  I enjoyed the sitting on the beach, playing in the water, and going on the boat along with sitting around the campfire at night but pretty much everything else I could do without.


Kora looking like a bug with her swollen diaper.

 

I almost blend in with the sand.

 

 

I pretty much only put this picture up because Oskar is looking so sweet.

 

 

Oskar's first dip into lakewater.  

 

I believe this sand creation was appropriately named "The Toilet Bowl" perhaps inspired by the naked bottom they saw on the beach.

 

Joel wanted to take both hats from Grandpa Groves and since I wouldn't wear one of them he wore both the entire trip back including both airports and the shuttle.

A closeup from one of our family pictures.  So sweet.

Love Note

Every once in a while Joel and I have an occasion to play games with each other, since Joel doesn't really like games it doesn't happen as often as I'd like.  Sometimes we play card games or board games (VERY rarely) or we'll play outdoor games (mostly we did this when we were living with Joel's parents) like croquet and catch and then maybe twice in our marriage we've played a friendly game of PIG.  Except usually these games aren't friendly at all because we're so competitive.  In order to appease our competitive spirit and make the boring games more fun to Joel, we make wagers.  If Joel wins he always wants juice or soda or sparkling cider.  I, being the more responsible and frugal partner wager things that will not cost us any money and are much more healthy than sugary juice - like love notes.

This is from when Joel lost at croquet a good two months ago. He wrote it for me this morning.  Finally.

Love Note
for Jamie B, from Joel A


A single note does not a song make,
Not an F-sharp or B-flat or natural A.
But it's not a song I'm s'pposed t have wrote,
Just a simple, sincere, single love note.

So which of all notes, fits my love best?
Surely she knows, and this is a test.

Is it A, for her new name given by me?
Or B, for her old name, now middle of three?
Is it C, for the Christmas she put o her ring?
Or D, for the discount I got on the thing?

Is it E, for eternal, as our marriage is sealed?
Is it F, for our family, and the feelings we've feeled?
It's surely not G, for the G in congealed.
But what of G for the God through whom all is revealed?

Consid'ring these notes, after much thought I say,
The love note for my love can only be J:
Mind-blowing and mythic, like happily ever,
A hard note to sing, but we sing J together.