Standing?

This video has a lot of Bethany and Jonas in it, but you have to pay special attention to Rebekah. She is trying to stand on her own!

Assembling the Tree

I know there's a lot to be said for a real tree, but I wouldn't have had one this year for $1,000,000. Bethany loved helping us get the branches ready, and then handing them to me to put together. She is getting to be such a good helper.
Look how proud she is of her work!

Big Girl

Bethany tried out her big girl bed yesterday. She was great through her naps, and loved being able to just walk out to us when she woke up. Nighttime was not so smooth. She fell out around 12:30, and not knowing how early it was I went to sleep with her and block her from falling out. Of course, then she woke up at 6:30, and fell out again trying to get over me to climb out. So... I think she'll be in the crib for nighttime again for a little while!Way to sweep Northwestern, Buckeyes!!!

Hairdresser

I have the sneaking suspicion that my daughter is going to be a hairdresser. Yesterday she had a grand old time brushing Jonas's hair. Then today Daddy and I were laughing at her while she spent 20 minutes putting all my hair in front of my face and then fixing it. Only slightly off-topic - she is getting to be so methodical in everything she does. I love watching her brain work!

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.

Quite a Character

Some days everything Bethany does just makes me laugh. Today was one of those days.

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!!!!)

New Cousins and Food

Bethany finally got to meet Geoff and Claudy on Wednesday - and she's getting a new cousin in January!! Congrats! Bethany is oh-so-excited. Yesterday we went to the park for lunch. Bethany enjoyed the end of my sub, and loved being able to see Daddy in the middle of the day!In the evening we went to watch Uncle Mike's hockey game. When he lost, we all went out for ice cream to cheer him up. (At least that was our excuse.) Grandpa gave Bethany the bottom of his cone... yummy.Come on, Daddy, don't you want a kiss?

Kissing Cousins

Bethany and Jonas have been kissing cousins for some time now, but today was the first time Bethany was dishing out the hugs!

15 Month Checkup

Bethany is still weighing in under 20 lbs. She's 19lbs 13oz, and 31.5 inches. Tall and thin as usual. Besides the doctor appointment, she had a few other mile markers last week. She can WALK down the stairs - it was driving her crazy not doing it the way grown-ups do. She can also climb on and off the couch pretty easily. My baby's turning into a monkey!

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!

Brown Butt

Bethany was so tired after our long day of decorating yesterday. She was very thankful when Grandma came to pick her up so she didn't have to stay at church all evening. But, good news! It's all done!P.S. Notice her brown bottom in the second picture? Yeah, she sat down in brown paint before I could stop her...

A Wild Ride...

Bethany has been such a trooper "helping" me decorate for Vacation Bible School all week. There's so much stuff to play with...

Summerfest

Bethany is trying to save her cousin...he was put to bed in the shower! For some reason that door just won't open!


Bethany had a blast hanging out with Aunt Sarah while Mommy worked in the food tent!

Oh, Look Who is Here

Ok, so we're driving back home from Mentor yesterday, and at some point I remember that my parents are sleeping over at Camp Pioneer, in Angola. So, because it would shorten our trip a bit, I called my mom inquiring about her room, etc. Turns out, Sarah and Jonas were already there sleeping over. Of course, that sealed it. We got off the Angola exit and spent the night at Pioneer. What a little party we had going. Bethany and Jonas had to sleep in the bathroom! But it worked out perfectly because we were already there for Summerfest this afternoon. Bethany went on a non-hay ride, and got to play with me in the bounce house. She didn't really understand the bounce house, but that's ok.

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.

Summer Concert #2

Yesterday was a busy day! Bethany got to see lots of kids while I played The Woman at the Well for Trinity's VBS. Then we went clear across town to see Daddy on his lunch break. We visited Amherst Nature View Park for the first time and really enjoyed it, and it's minutes away from Matt's work, which is perfect!
In the evening, we headed over to the park to see the Doerfel Family, a bluegrass band. They have 10 kids and are soon to be living out of an RV! And you thought I was crazy wanting a bunch of kids!

Piano Duet

It's not unusual for Bethany to give up on her piano to be closer to her daddy, as you can see!

Premature 4th

We decided to go see West Seneca's fireworks last night, too. We got there early to get a good spot, which turned out to be a little too good since we got firework debris all over ourselves. It was worth it, and Bethany thought the show was amazing. Despite being super tired, she had a great time!

Parade!

Grandma Miriam is up for the weekend, and we spent the whole day outside with her yesterday. West Seneca had a parade, so we packed a picnic lunch and camped out along the street to watch it go by. Bethany loved all the marching bands!P.S. I can't believe how long I'm going without a taggie picture!