June - a month of celebration

June is JT's favorite month. His birthday is in April, so why June? Well, June has 4 celebrations in it for our family - Father's Day, my birthday, JL's birthday, and JMC's birthday. I was so excited to share with you the pictures of JL's birthday (and  know I promised some from her party that I still have to post) that I forgot to share about my birthday. I had a great day, as always, Papi and the kids made sure I felt special and celebrated.

Papi made the birthday pancakes, and he forgot that I turned a year older! I appreciated the oversight. :)

JL got 11 meses (months) for her breakfast. JT thought it was hilarious that she received two #1's and then a few days later on her birthday would only receive one #1. :)

We walked a trail I had been wanting to explore. Every so often there was a bridge going over a stream or a pond. It was beautiful, and HOT

Someone was able to nap during our walk. :)

Along the trail there were exercise stations with quotes.

JT wanted a picture of this one.

The kids played in the sprayground after our hour long walk. Then, they were too tired and hungry to be happy in a picture. :)

My Lilla Rose T-shirt arrived on my birthday. 

Buscando a Lincoln

So, we live in one of the many towns with a claim to President Lincoln. Since last August, when we began studying American History, JT has been interested in learning about President Lincoln. And then, while driving through downtown one day in September, he saw the sign that said, "Looking for Lincoln." I promised we would check it out when we got to that part of History. A couple of weeks ago, after our school year was already over, we finally had a free day with beautiful weather, and we went looking for Lincoln with some friends. We did the rubbings tour, which is free(!) and also seemed to be the best suited for a group of 7 children, ages 11 months-9 years, and 2 moms. :)

How many shots until everyone looks at the camera? Also, we dd this at the beginning, before we were all tired out. :)

One Year

It's hard to believe, but JL turned one year old! The first 6 months were so difficult, and they followed an extremely difficult pregnancy. The 2nd half of her 1st year was a story of continual improvement, her health, growth, sleep, personality. Now, here we are with a 1 year old, who sleeps at night (a feat accomplished the week before her birthday!), eats what the family eats, and s beginning to talk. She is also beginning to stand without holding on, though we haven't had any unsupported steps yet.

words: hola, mama, *her name*, papa, agua
teeth: bottom 2 with about 6 looking ready to poke through any day now
size: small, but are you surprised? :) 6-9 months in clothes

On her birthday, we celebrated as a family. JA even chose to stay home from camp in order to not miss her sister's 1st birthday! We had birthday pancakes, and presents, and then we had our family pictures taken, along with JL's birthday pictures. We had sorbet for a treat, noodles and ground turkey for dinner, wen swimming, and cupcakes for dessert. Also, in our family, we sing "Las mañanitas" in the morning before eating our birthday pancakes, and then we sing "Felix cumpleaños" before eating our birthday dessert. "Happy Birthday" is for when there are other people celebrating with us. :)

I'll do a separate post for her party, as that has even more pictures, and a couple of videos. :)