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A few days ago I busted out the play-doh for Jonas, and Xander was reaching, pointing, and grunting for it. So, I sat him down in his high chair, and buddy, he went to TOWN!!! He figured out really quickly that he didn’t want to eat it (haha). He loved investigating all of the different play-doh tools and trying to get the play-doh back into the container.

We had an absolute BLAST on our family vacation to Lake Anna!!! Grandpa Phil and Grandma Jackie graciously rented a big, beautiful lake house for the whole family (the northern Seyfrieds, the Longs, the Paccassis, and the southern Seyfrieds) to share for a week.

Here are some highlights from our wonderful and very memorable trip: Xander riding in a “big boy”, forward facing car seat; visiting with the Jonases in Lynchburg; taking rides on the pontoon boat and in the inner tube; kayaking; running with Phil and Dave on country roads; enjoying delicious family meals; having good conversations; going to King’s Dominion (the boys and I enjoyed staying home that day and getting to spend some quality time with Tree and Gianna); celebrating Kaitlyn, Audrey, and Xander’s July birthdays; having fun with games of Euchre and badminton; reading on the porch; playing with the boys (they loved playing in the sand and water); fishing; watching Jonas and Xander play with their cousins (a delight to the heart); helping the boys do fun artsy/craftsy things (spin art, tie-dye, and ice cream making); experiencing the family variety show; and roasting s’mores.

For more pictures, click on the “Family Vacation: Lake Anna” picture page to the right.

What a blessing it was to have Darren and Rueben here for the 4th of July, celebrating with family!!! Here are some pictures of our time together…

It was SO good to see my brother, Darren, and my nephew, Rueben (now 23 whom I hadn’t seen since he was 10) who flew in from Norway to spend a few weeks visiting with the family. We had fun times…sharing meals, playing frisbee golf, enjoying good conversation, celebrating the 4th of July, and visiting the Grand Ole Opry. We miss Darren, Rueben, Kaia, and Marina so much…maybe we’ll pack up the boys one of these days and head off to Norway for a visit.

It is hard to believe that our little Xan-Man is a year old. He lights up our lives with his open, sweet, and joyful spirit…endears himself to our hearts with his sensitivity and depth of soul…amazes us with his keen observation and investigation of the world around him…and in the words of his father, “He’s a leader of men, and I would follow him into battle”.

Yay for Xander!!! He had a blast on his birthday weekend…eating chocolate cupcakes, opening presents, and seeing family. Here are some pictures of our weekend-long celebration…

So, the boys fingerpainted in their diapers yesterday and had a blast. (It was a good thing too because after all was said and done, I had to scoop both of them up and put them in the tub…Xander tried to eat the fingerpaint and Jonas tried to wipe off his fingerpaint-y hands on his belly). Yay for messy art projects!!!

Here’s a picture of Jonas with his new favorite thing, a bug catcher (the best $2 I’ve ever spent…thank you, Dollar General!!!). Mommy and Daddy might even have more fun with it than he does. HaHa!!! We busted it out in the front yard for his first go around, and he caught two beetles and a caterpillar right away. He loves using it to collect “treasures” from our walks on the neighborhood trail through the woods too.

In his fifty-first week, Xander is: trying and loving eggs and strawberries; doing okay with a preliminary re-introduction to dairy (here’s hoping…); saying “na na” for “banana”, “nih nih” for “night night”, and “mmmm” when he likes what he’s eating; climbing out of his exersaucer (he was never a big fan anyway…too much to see and do); figuring out how to blow kisses; and perfecting his walking skills every day.

I took the boys to the Discovery Center again…this time for the Parents and Tots program. Mrs. Joy read “If You Give a Pig a Party” and the kids came dressed in their pajamas, wore party hats, and made noise makers (out of paper plates, beans, and streamers). The boys had a blast…they love that place…it’s custom-made for little explorers.

So, I took the boys to the zoo for a visit with our neighborhood mom’s club…they, of course, loved it as always…it is so precious to watch them discover and enjoy life…here are a few pictures of that sweetness.

Tom and the boys and I enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa here for a week long visit. Grandpa helped DaDa build a beautiful, paver stone patio at the bottom of our deck (see during and after pictures below). Grandma went with us to Shipwrecked (a fun indoor play area that the boys enjoy on really cold, rainy, or hot days), storytime at the local library (Baby Signing) and at the downtown library (complete with puppets, juggling, singing, and more), and Moms & Tots (where the boys and I go twice a month to say the rosary and play with friends) at our church. Tom and I were thankful, as well, to have a little bit of “us” time while Grandma and Grandpa kept the boys for us and to have a nice dinner out, just the four of us (while our dear neighbor friend stayed with the sleeping buddies). It was fun taking Grandma and Grandpa to the neighborhood pool, where we take the boys several afternoons a week for a swim, too…reminds us how much we’re looking forward to our Lake Anna trip in July.

Here are our newest family pictures…courtesy of my dear friend, Marcie, a gifted photographer (www.marciekindred.com) who gave Jonas the best birthday present ever back in November that we just redeemed in May…a free family photo shoot.  A picture is worth a thousand words…

We took Xander for his first haircut today, and he did great!!!  He sat on mommy’s lap, watched daddy and Jonas being silly, ate his snacks and a comb, and was transformed in seconds from a little baby to a little boy.

So, I took the boys to the Hatcher Dairy Farm today for a tour with the mom’s club, and they LOVED it.

Xander was windmilling his arms and saying “dah” for “dog” every time he saw a cow. Jonas was running ahead of the group, checking out the next best thing on the tour, and (smilingly and head shakingly) being dubbed as a “Curious George” by tour leaders and followers alike.

It was great fun seeing and learning about the pregnant momma cows and the newborn baby cows, checking out the milking station and the creamery, and tasting farm fresh butter and chocolate milk (nothing like it).

The boys have gotten a lot of mileage out of the tent that Grandma and Grandpa bought them for Christmas. They LOVE chasing each other through the tunnel.

The boys and I went to visit my dear friend, Lizza, and her precious baby boy, Bennett and had so much fun playing in their backyard. Xander and Bennett rode in the wagon and crawled around in the garden, and Jonas helped water the plants and turn the compost pile. Dexter (their lovable golden retriever) was, of course, a big hit as well. I was so inspired and hope to hit Lizza and Michael up for a garden/compost tutorial soon.

The boys and I loaded up in the car and headed to the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro with our dear neighborhood friends, Honora, Kenzie, and Spencer. We definitely have to go back and check it out again…it was so cool!  Here are some pictures of our little explorers…

Easter egg hunting with the boys…