The Algeras

Sara and David took a bath together tonight. Sara didn't want a bath, but we persuaded her to jump in with Dave. Much laughing and splashing and cuteness occurred.

I can't seem to get much of a story together tonight, so here are some highlights of the past few days.

On Wednesday we drove down to the beach to watch the sailboats race. They were inshore on Lake Macatawa so we got a good close view. Sara and David loved it.

I worked on Thursday and the kids had a good day with Kim and then Daddy. They were fairly clean when I got home and half ready for bed. Good job, Dad!

Sara has been enjoying "helping" Ben build his boat. Check his blog for current progress and a very cute Sara pic.

David has learned how to give kisses and hugs. His kisses are very slobbery but I love them. He gives a big smile and smacks his mommy! I love getting him out of bed in the morning and getting a morning kiss!

He is also doing very well with crawling, having discovered that he can get around much faster on all fours than by scooting around. He's also working on pulling himself up and taking some steps with someone holding his hand. Tonight he and Sara were dancing together in the kitchen. I couldn't get to the camera fast enough, so you will just have to believe me when I say it was adorable.

The kids are snuggled in bed on this rainy night. Ben and I are watching hockey. The Red Wings are up 5-0 at the moment. Go Wings!

"I want some too!"


Sara drives the new car


Dad helps Sara plant the garden

That's David's happy giggle - "guy, guy, guy!!" I've never heard a baby giggle like that, but it is really cute. He's such a happy dude, and always dimpling at something. Here he is, sitting on his beach chair supervising Daddy's boat building and chatting away.

Ben and the kids had a great Memorial Day; I had to work. I had a good day working and everyone else had a good day together. Ben took the kids to the parade in Jenison. It goes down Baldwin, right near Nate and Ellen's house. The group gathered early and walked down to watch. The kids had a great time. This parade still lets people throw candy and Sara was amazed. They saw Clifford, Curious George, Ronald McDonald, firetrucks, cars and dogs. Sara has been listing the fun things in the parade all day long. She doens't mention the dogs - she is still being afraid of them. After the parade, it was time for lunch and then all the kids took naps together and the adults relaxed. My contribution was a devil's food cake I made for Ben's birthday. He's 31 now!

Sara and David were up early and back to their normal routine today. They have been so amusing! Sara has been explaining camping to David. "We will pack toys and books and food and sleep in a tent and get dirty! We will swim and have a flashlight!" She can't wait. I hope she enjoys the actual camping as much as the talking about it. What's really cute is how she ticks each fun thing off on her fingers as she lists it.

David had his first experience playing on dirt today. He scooted off the blanket in his efforts to get to Sara's pink ball. He was one dirty little dude by the time we came inside to escape the sprinkles! He can't move very fast but he certainly is persistant. He gets to what he wants!

After baths the rain got a little harder and there was some thunder. Sara told me "sometimes it storms in the nighttime and I wake up. But the thunder does not come in my bed so I just go to sleep. Sometimes I find mommy if it does. I think I will be OK tonight." Since things have calmed down, I think she will be. She also worries about David a little; "you need to check on Davy if it is loud tonight, OK? He might be scared. Maybe he should have Dolly tonight." I reassured her that he would be fine and I'll keep an ear out for him.

What a fun day. I'm sure I'll have more quotes by tomorrow. And David should be warming up to some new tricks soon!

Oh dear. Dave is mobile. This causes much glee on David's part and much angst on Sara's. "Davey is in my STUFF! Mommy! Help!!" Yes, its true! Dave has learned to crawl. It's still a mix of crawl/hitch/scoot, but he's getting where he wants to go. Way to go little man! He scoots himself all over the rug. The floor is a little harder because he loses traction with each forward movement. But now that he's got the forward motion figured out I'm sure his crawling abilities will improve rapidly. Time to check the baby-proofing!

David had therapy today and Sara went to Allison's house. They had fun playing. Ellen says it's pretty funny to listen to the kids playing together. They really have a great time. Dave did well at therapy and didn't even get to fussed.

After short naps we went to visit Great Grandma. She's finally feeling a little better and was glad to see all the grandkids. Dave showed off his crawling attempts and the older kids gave hugs and hung out. David really eyes the cookies he sees everyone munching on. Soon you will have enough teeth to get one, Dude!

After dinner Sara helped me make cinnamon rolls for Ben's birthday treat for work tomorrow. She likes to measure and mix and especially to punch down the dough after it rises. She packs a pretty good punch for a two year old! This is the first time I've fridged them overnight, so I hope they turn out well.

David went to bed after that and Sara and I had a girl picnic for bedtime snack. We made lemonade with ice and sat out on the patio chairs. I showed her how to do a toast; she calls it "knocking sippys." We chatted and played some catch until she started to get sleepy.

Sara got a package from Grandpa Algera that had a new bedtime story in it! She was so excited to get an envelope with "my own name! See! S-A-R-A! That means it is mine!" It's the story of the Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. She loves it. Thanks Grandpa! She got some pictures of Grandpa by the lighthouse on the Hudson and has to have them with her when she reads her book. She wants to go see this lighthouse for herself "some soon day with Grandpa"

I got her into bed and quick finished up the rolls. Dave started bawling towards the end of the job. I let him watch Daddy boat build for a bit and then tucked him back in. Both kids are sleeping comfortably now that the air conditioning is running. They were both unsettled and I finally noticed that the house temp was 80 degrees. Too hot! It was really warm today. I'm finding that I don't have enough summer clothes to keep from doing kid laundry every other day. Time to find some deals!

It's been a good day. I'm so glad David is learning to move. He gets so frustrated when he can't get where he wants to be. Go Davey, keep it up! He's a happy dimple face through it all. Oh, he learned another trick today too, speaking of happy flirt faces. He waved bye-bye to his therapists. He tried waving to Grandma but just ended up staring at his hands. It's very cute and I'm sure he'll master it so we can catch some major cute video soon. He's such a little man!