tractor

miles is saying MANY words these days, but his favorite is "tractor". he practices it in the backseat of the car and I can't believe how clearly it comes out. he's also saying "airplane" and "all gone" quite clearly. not too shabby for a 15 month old!

thursdays on first

rochester has a little downtown gathering every thursday during the summer where businesses set out food vendor stands and local artisans sell their merchandise in tents along first avenue sw. miles and I have met kyle down there for lunch a couple of times this summer. yesterday we met up with our friends, the shroeders - kate, kylin, and grace. we set up our blanket in the peace plaza and ate lunch and then the mommies went shopping. all three kiddos were so good and we rewarded them with a trip to the park. miles was in awe of the giant wooden cow (big shock) and he had fun chasing the girls around. good practice huh?

sharing peas
miss kylin enjoying her cotton candy ice cream cone
three muskateers - notice miles scratching his brain - proud mama here
gracie
ky
holy cow!
grace and miles are 12 days apart - I think miles may have more hair!
loving the horsey
what a little helper

hello baby

we had our big anatomy ultrasound on wednesday and got an up close and personal look at the little munchkin growing in my (big) belly. he/she was breech and had its little legs curled up underneath it. the tech said it was a good thing we didn't want to find out the gender because it may have been challenging. speaking of tech - we were "lucky" enough to get another chance to experience the "teaching" part of the mayo clinic. that's right, we had a student come in to do the ultrasound first and then the pro. meaning I had my belly examined for an HOUR! yoinks. I was a bit sore after it was all said and done. however, we did get to look at the little tyke a long time! it's crazy to see how much this little one is moving. I'm feeling some movement but it's dulled because the placenta is located in the front and acts as a pillow between baby and my belly. speaking of belly - I included the most recent belly picture to show you all how enormous I've gotten. I guess they weren't lying when they said you grow a LOT faster than the first time...yikes. in any case, baby k.2 looks great and everything was "normal" and developing perfectly. I visit the doctor next week for the official breakdown, but the techs said we have a beautiful baby...thankyouverymuch!

"hi everyone!"
the arms were covering his/her face "do you mind?"
not as much of a "button nose" as miles
"check out my leg"
buddha

becker family vacation 2009

we're BA-ACK! ok, so I'm sure you have all figured that out by now. I've been overwhelmed by the sheer number of photos we took while on vacay with my family and couldn't bring myself to figure out which ones to post. hence the photo slideshow :) we had a wonderful time in tony, wi with the becker clan. everyone had ample time to relax and it has been a bit of a shock to come back to reality - darn alarm clocks. we managed to fit in a few pontoon rides, some swimming and sand castle building, campfires complete with s'mores, and (of course) MANY games and cases of beer (for the guys, that is). miles ate up all of the extra attention and I'm not going to lie - it was quite nice to have all of the extra hands around to give him that attention. it gave me time to hold josiah and remember how it was just last year on vacation that our walking/talking toddler was an immobile little loaf. as you will see by the pictures, he was a big fan of the "beach" that we visited. I use the word beach lightly as it was more of a hole at the side of the lake. either way, it was a big hit. toward the end of the week we ventured to a state park to view some pretty little waterfalls and get back in touch with nature. miles really liked hiking through the woods and picking up sticks along the way. we were also lucky to squeeze in a meal at El Rancho Motel & Restaurant (thanks to scott harms for his recommendation to visit his aunt & uncle's non-mexican eatery). they do not like you to leave feeling hungry and therefore offer a cracker basket, soup, salad, AND potato with every meal. one would have serious weight issues if this was a weekly stop for dinner. oye. miles was an angel the entire time and I have to admit that I miss waking up to see him standing at the foot of the bed in his pack 'n play giggling and saying "mama...dada"!! a special thank you to cindy and seth for watching our furbabies. enjoy the show!