Outside

Another great day to be outside.

Bath Time

Rebekah gets her baths with Bethany now. She's finally big enough to sit up on her own without me worrying about her falling! I figure if she can pull herself up to standing, she can sit!

Crystal Beach

On Sunday we headed to Crystal beach for a day in the sun. Bethany eventually warmed up to the water enough to play with Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah, but Rebekah cried the instant she hit the water. She'd rather just relax back on the sand.

Water!

Bekah likes the water fountains too!

Bath Time

Rebekah got a special treat yesterday when Daddy gave her a bath!

Hot and Sticky

My girls have been braving the heat this week!! Lots of baths, nakedness, and popsicles! (Ok, no popsicles for Bekah, only Bethany.)

Potty Time

Bethany is starting to really enjoy her time on the potty, and she'll finally do it with no diaper. Too bad we still don't think she knows what she's there for!

Naked Egg Hunt

Part of our Easter celebration was dying eggs. (Hence the nakedness.) After we made such beautiful eggs, we had the brilliant idea to send Bethany on an Easter egg hunt. She doesn't really understand that you have to be careful with hard-boiled eggs, so none of the eggs survived. Ah well, it was well worth it!

Chocolate Mess

Bethany and Jonas got into one of Aunt Sarah's valentine's, and boy were they excited. It's not often that Bethany gets to polish off a candy bar!

Painting!

Bethany and Jonas had a great time painting together! They are both pretty talented.

To NYC!

The second half of our vacation was spent in NYC. Thankfully, Bethany slept the whole plane ride. (Her first time sleeping on me in over a year, by the way.) Why is she naked, you ask? Because as we were taking off I felt my shorts become warm and wet. So we changed Bethany in our seats halfway through take off. Honestly.We stayed with U.Tim, A.Jane and Evann, and got to see a Yankees game! Saturday we went to the children's museum - one of Evann's hangouts. Bethany had a great time figuring out all the toys and watching the other kids play. She's a smart girl, my Bethany.

What IS This?

Bethany found one of my old cassette tapes today... and with that, you should see where this is going. (Jonas thought she was pretty funny. Bethany's going to miss him a lot these next 2 weeks!!!!)

Wading

We've had a wonderful family day today! We were outside all day exploring the Niagara region. Bethany had lots of fun in the wading pool at Niagara-on-the-Lake. My, she's growing up!

Mentor!

So much has happened this weekend, so I'll give you the short version and the long version. Save the long one for when you have time to do some reading!


Short version: Friday night we met Grandpa and Grandma Lafferty in Mentor, Ohio. We got a lot of good use out of the hotel, introduced G&G to letterboxing, and stopped by Mentor's Festival on the Lagoons, where Bethany went on her 2nd boat ride. (The first being the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls.)Long version: Friday night we met Grandpa and Grandma Lafferty in Mentor, Ohio for our first meet-in-the-middle of the season. OK, second if you count the Indians game. Staying in the hotel was a completely different experience with Bethany than last year. She was all over the place, and had Grandpa taking her all over the hotel exploring. She even took advantage of the outdoor pool and did some splashing around! (It was a tad too cold for actual swimming.)We took Grandma and Grandpa shunpiking around Mentor looking for letterboxes. The first was in Wildwood Park, which had a beautiful Manor House that was designed by Pres. Garfield's son. People were setting up for a wedding while we were there! The second box was in Veteran's Park, which has the largest inland pond in the country.


After letterboxing, we went to see the Festival on the Lagoons. We got some real kettle korn, and Bethany was very stealthy and got a few kernels. We also had Captain Max come and show us some cool magic tricks. And then the coolest thing of all! We were able to get a free sailboat ride on the Jambalaya. Bethany was not too fond of having to wear the life jacket, but loved the water.
Before heading home, we explored a nearby beach (where another wedding was being set up!), had a yummy dinner at Smokey Bones, and ice cream for dessert! Bethany snagged a tiny bit of ice cream on her spoon... what a lucky girl.

Funny Faces

Bethany and I took some more funny pictures for you to enjoy!

Squatter

I don't know what is up with this new squatting position, but Bethany loves it. She does it a lot now, especially when she's leaning in to look at Jonas. I actually think she's doing just that in this picture - Jonas is on the floor in front of her.We tried out the sprinkler from G&G Lafferty today. It completely bombed. This is Bethany's I'm-about-to-cry face. So... we resorted to just spraying her feet with the hose, which she found very amusing.

Mid-Week Update

Bethany, Aunt Sarah and I visited the nursery this week and picked out lots of plants. Bethany and I got a triumphans spirea, whatever that is. I guess we'll find out! She helped me repot it and got dirty, which is always fun. (Check out how she's holding A. Sarah's hand in this picture!! There's a first time for everything.) Bethany and Jonas's adventures included another bath time and fun in the sandbox. And of course walks outside and playing in the backyard.

Randomness

This week in random pictures:
Bethany really enjoyed the peacock that wanders around Buffalo Zoo. Check that weird bird out!
Also, she's already turning into a little girl and loves lugging around Aunt Sarah's purse! (And sitting on it for an occasional break.)

Hot Days

Bethany has enjoyed her time in the pool these past few days. It's a nice chance to cool off after playing so hard. Of course, she doesn't stay in the pool long - not being able to stand is a huge drawback for her!
I love this picture...

Sick Bug

Pray for little Bethers today - she has the flu! So much for the flu shot keeping her from getting sick this season. I guess you can't prevent all flus, huh? Anyway, she's pretty tired out, and has been sleeping since 6:00. Hopefully we won't have a midnight rendezvous.