Adelaide Louise is 2

She has officially survived another year with Eric & I as her parents. What a blessing and a joy this little monster is. We love her. Happy Birthday Bitty!

Here she is beyond excited over candles and cake, she was so overwhelmed she couldn't stop giggling and wouldn't take her hand from her face.

Baby LindyJean

Darn, I love her!

Her neck has gotten strong enough to ride on Daddy's shoulders. This is Eric's "yahooooo" face!

Aren't they darling?

Sleeping Beauty. LindyJean is a fabulous sleeper - thank the Lord!

Feliz Cumpleanos Hermanita

Happy Birthday little sister. Here is a series of excellent photos of you...

What are you doing?

Mom was probably flying around the orchard in this truck with us bumping around in the bed and you got a bug in your eye!

We've seen this one before, still can't figure it out.

Does it look to anyone else as if I might be pinching baby Staci?

This one needs to be sold to some greeting card company for major $$$ for some goofy birthday card. Can anybody come up with the witty comment for the inside flap.

LOVE YOU and very, very happy day to my dearest!

Cousin Brandon

Brandon stopped to stay the night on his way to Montana!

He's really quite comfortable with babes & toddlers! LindyJean liked him and he was happy to hold her while I fixed dinner. What a guy, huh?!?!?!

This is the best photo I could get (she was being uncooperative) of the belly dancer outfit that Aunty Cheryl sent along. She really likes it, the jewels that hang off the top tinkle when they touch and she LOVES the way it sounds. Hopefully she doesn't insist on wearing it in public. :)

Remember how awkward & what a lack of confidence he used to have? He looks so good right now! I think the army is good for him. He's in great shape, looks downright handsome (although I'm partial to facial hair, I wish Eric would grow a beard!), and his demeanor is self-assured. He and Bitty got along quite famously, she even insisted that he sit down with her last night for story time before bed.

Forty

Happy Birthday my dearest Eric.

He's 40. Once again, didn't take a picture but for the one below. It captures Trudi, getting choked up, watching LindyJean give us her first round of smiles that I was able to capture on camera. She was very emotional thinking that forty years ago, she held Eric, a tiny infant, and here on his birthday she holds his little baby. We had a wonderful weekend with his parents. We ate like kings, played with the kids, and Trudi dug out the projector and slide carousels so we could have a stroll down Stagg Memory Lane.

I hope you enjoyed your day dear. I love you. You are given me such a lovely family and I can't wait to spend the next forty at your side. It's just the beginning ya'll...

APRICOTS

There is a serious lack of decent photographic evidence of the three days worth of Apricot preservation. I apologize profusely, but it was difficult enough to complete the task at hand, let alone, snap pictures at every move!

The raw material... with Bitty trying to poke holes or manhandle them.

Trudi tossing in jars for processing.

A quart jar, jam packed with apricots, still needs syrup...

We also made a lot of very delicious jam.

I am quite annoyed that I don't have a single decent picture. My mom came down to help, Trudi was our hostess, and there's nary a photo of my children, mom, or ma-in-law (except the one above). We had lots of fun and some really cute moments and I wish had energy/opportunity/forethought to take photos, but as I stated in the last post - Berserkers Bitty was making things a tad rough.

I won't give details, because really who gives a rat's you know what if my kid pees & poops in the toilet - additionally, the details are probably TMI & gross anyway - HOWEVER, this toilet training business has me at wit's end. :)

Long story short. We canned & jammed, it's delicious and I am grateful to Trudi for being such a sport. Can't wait for fall and winter, when it's time to reap the fruits of my labor, that must be where that saying comes from, eh?

Beets & the ButterBean

After our Saturday night campout, we packed up and headed to Gammy's to pickled beets. Let me tell you that canning with a newborn & Berserkers Bitty running about wreaking havoc and pretending she needs to pee every 5 minutes makes hard work of it!

Just before we left the house, Eric snapped this photo of the girlies. I always dress them up a bit to go to Eric's parents... I run around like a dirtball, but my kids look good!

A pile of onions, beets, vinegar, jars, Trudi washing... in preparation for yummy pickled goodness.

The necessary spice mix for the perfect beet brine: bay leaves, salt, cinnamon, clove, allspice, mustard seed, and fennel.

Just because this photo looks nifty and don't you adore this personalized crock - I want one for my kitchen utensils. By the way, a special (and BIG HUGE) thanks to Trudi for being my local canning partner, she is most fabulous and always up for any of my hair brained canning schemes. (pending post on the apricot preservation spree we just completed)

Beets, onions, brine. Ready to be packed and processed. I have no pictures of the final product in jars. LindyJean woke up and was hungry and then I forgot before we left.

Papa & LindyJean

Sorry for the unbecoming photo, my love... but, I just had to. Your "put down the G$% D@*n camera" look gives me the giggles. Plus, the ButterBean is so very cute there on Daddy's lap!

I LOVE this baby. I think that your second child is so much easier to fall in love with, you've lost all that new parent anxiety and the kiddo doesn't make you nervous. I won't lie either, the ButterBean is a Godsend of a baby. She nurses well, has an easy-going temperament, has been sleeping at least 5 hour stretches through the night since she was 2 weeks old, she handles Bitty's regular mauling like a champ, snuggles when you hold her, she's roly-poly, and she's real darn cute. I put away most of the 0-3 month clothing, as she grew out of it a week and a half ago. LindyJean starting smile at us regularly and has even begun to coo a bit.