June turned into July

Jeremy and I ran the Town Crier 10k/5k in Saugatuck (he did both, I just did the 5k).

Stella: are you going to stay here forever? 
Abby: where?
S: at the house.
A: no, it is almost time to leave for the race.
S: ice cream store?

The kids and I went to a park while he ran the first race.

The kids mostly fought over who got the swings

because the slides were wet.

Finally I convinced Leila to go on the regular swing so that they could all go at once.  I ended up placing 3rd in my age group, but didn't find out until after we got home.  I did however get to pick up my prize - a town crier bell...which the kids love to ring!

Magic carpet ride.

Stella to Leila: you get the paper, I'll get the crayons. We work together, don't we?
Then Leila started to make up a working together song. Sunday morning cuteness.

Riding in the car...
Stella: mama don't go fast, I might lose my shoes.

Leila, Stella, Henry, and Norah are playing house. Leila, the mom, is putting all the kids to bed. Norah is not cooperating.
Leila: get in bed or I'm gonna call the jail.
Then soon after...
Leila: I will give $10 to whoever goes to sleep first.

We have had a stomach bug going through, it has been about a week and a half going through each kid and finally hit Jer and I.  Here Henry is snuggling with as many pacifiers as I will let him have.

Doing Leila's hair...
Leila: what could be fancier than a ribbon rubber band? An apron headband I suppose.
Me: what is an apron headband?
Leila: a headband you use for cooking, silly mom.

Leila: if there were no rules, I would eat all the cheese I could. And be queen. The cheese queen, and everyone would throw fake cheese at me. (Giggles)

Potty training adventures with Stella:
Sitting on the potty holding her special bunny
Stella: if I pee on him, we have to wash him, that's the rule.

Wearing her Dora pull up:
Stella: I pooped but not on Dora, inside it.

Stella: but my toes aren't ready to go potty, so I don't want to.

Here is poor Stella, missing the holiday breakfast, she told me she needed to take a nap, so I had her take her puke pail with her and she fell asleep like this.

Leila went with Grandma & Grandpa to the Graafschap Fire Department's Summer Celebration, when she got back she told me about how she went on a Buffalo Swing.
me: what is a buffalo swing?
Leila: you know, it is round and has three chains (describes a tire swing)
me: why is it called a buffalo swing?
Leila: (points to her mouth, full of banana...makes me wait)
me: *thinking this is totally going to be worth it*
Leila: Because sometimes it hits people, like a Real Buffalo would. It hit grandma while she was pushing me. So it's a buffalo swing. (said in a voice that makes it clear that this should have been obvious)

Henry turned 18 months!  I can hardly believe it.  He is starting to talk more and more which is really a blessing when it comes to food.  I can ask him if he wants meatloaf or hot dogs and he will say something like, "oof" and I know what to get for him.  It doesn't really count as a word because I would have no idea out of context, but I am happy with the improvement in communication.  While he was sick it was hard to get him to eat, and he managed to throw enough fits and only relent to eat at the table in a booster, so I gave in. We moved him up earlier that I would have liked, but he seems to enjoy being at the table with everyone else so much that I couldn't say no.

He was so cute, I was planning to have him in the white and maroon booster and Stella in the blue, green, and white booster, but he kept switching their bibs, staking his claim.  Stella will soon be graduating to no booster as well, she was promised as soon as she is potty trained, one more incentive can't hurt!

Henry's 18 month words (24):
Bob (as in Bob the Builder), book, bowl, buckus, dada, doggy, done, duck, go, hi, me, mom, mommy, more, mouth, nana, ny-ny (nuh-night), no, papa, this, uh huh, uh uh, up, waffle
Sounds: baa, moo, quack, roar, car/train