Lincoln Zoo

We hadn't been to Lincoln all summer, so we went with John for a couple of days----he worked and we played with our cousins, Grandma Kay, and Aunt Nancy!! I had never been to the Children's Zoo in Lincoln--it was a lot of fun. It's not nearly as big as the Omaha Zoo, but everything is geared toward kids, so there was a lot for them to do. They had a chance to see animals and insects up close---Olivia was not a big fan, but she did touch some of the animals. She wasn't quite as brave as her cousin Julia when it came to letting a giant cockroach attach itself to her shirt!!

The kids climbed on this spider web for a long time---Sammy slept:-)
Riding the train was the big finale! Sam loved it--except when everyone screamed while going through the tunnel-Grandma Kay had to hold him close:-)
Olivia and Julia had lots of fun playing together while we were in Lincoln.
Ben and Jack liked the train most of all!

Visitors from Kansas

Dedra and her boys came to stay for a few days. Once again, the kids had a lot of fun playing together. Going to the pool may have been one of the only things we didn't do. It was great seeing Dedra--we got to have a long lunch with some friends from school; I know she enjoyed seeing everyone! Thanks for coming to see us!!

Sam was happy swinging while the big kids climbed and went down the slides. Ben had to try out the "baby" swings--just to see if he still fit!
Miles is quite a character. He liked Olivia---he referred to her as "that girl."
I actually got them to sit still long enough to take this picture. . . . . .
Olivia and Owen finally got the hang of the teeter totter!

Sam's First Birthday!

Sam is ONE! His big day was the 25th of July. He loved his cake and even had his first few bites of ice cream (something our family loves to eat)! He was a good boy while opening his presents--his brother and sister were more than happy to help him. Now that Sam is one, he gets to face the front in his car seat, which makes him very happy. He isn't walking yet, but he likes to stand by himself and walk while holding onto furniture and Mom's leg! He still isn't a fan of his sippy cup. He isn't transitioning from the bottle like Olivia and Ben did. . . . . . . .I took it away the day they turned one and they were fine with it. I can't say the same for Sam. . . . hopefully by the time I go back to school next week, he will accept it:-)

Sam's attempt at using the spoon himself to eat the ice cream. When he finished his cake and ice cream, we stripped him down and gave him a bath!
Sam is working on cutting his 10th tooth-----chewing is not a problem for him.
Sam is full of laughs and smiles most of the time. He is so much fun to have around:-)
He is trying to sit in chairs (his size of course)--no luck yet. . .just lots of tumbles!
Olivia and Ben had a lot of fun celebrating Sam's birthday. They were a big help planning the party!