JJ's Surprise

I took this on my phone at the doctor's office yesterday. He got his 4 month checkup, and was so excited he did this:

Two Months of JJ

We've done our best to keep track of our little wiggle worm's growth over the summer. We missed a weeks, but it's super fun to see the small changes that gradually emerge. Tonight he just laughed at Mommy while she read him a story--we think he loved the rhyming and bright colored pages. Being a parent is just so much fun!

JJ has become so much fun! His personality is emerging, and he definitely recognizes mom and dad. He seems overjoyed when we pick him up after a nap, and just loves attention. He is also easy going, and can lay on his mat, sucking on his little fists and completely content.

Here's some of his big milestones so far:

• Typically sleeping through the night (7pm to 6am)
• Rolling over from tummy to back (looks more like falling over when it happens)
• Nearly sitting up on his own
• Standing with a lot less "wiggle"
• Weighs approx. 16 pounds!
• Eats 7 ounces every 3 hours during the day
• Grabs, pulls, and even chews on toys (managed to pull one toy off his play mat!)
• Laughs spontaneously, without being tickled (this is just so cute)
• Rambles and babbles to strangers everywhere
• Has been exceptionally good to babysitters

We love him so much!

Summer Summary

We can't believe that summer is over. We've been super busy with trips around the world, so now it's time to catch up on our blog. We figure this is mostly for us, so when Josh gets Alzheimers, Barbie can show him just how good a life he had, even if he can't remember it.
We made the bold decision to drive out to Utah, so Barbie could have a car while Josh traveled. It was quite fun to stop and rest every two hours, feeding JJ at random convenience stores and parks. He did really well, and everyone survived.
Barbie thought she'd be able to see some cool stuff here, but it turned out to be merely a gas station.

Mitchell, South Dakota is known for having an amazing corn palace. I guess once upon a time it was actually made entirely out of corn each year; now only the walls are covered with corn, while the building itself is brick and concrete. Bit of a disappointment.

Mount Rushmore, however, wasn't a disappointment. We spent a morning here, with Barbie scrambling over rocks and tourists to get the best possible photo. Neither of us had ever been here, and it was worth the extra three hours of driving to get here.

I love this photo. Doesn't her face belong engraved in rock as well?

Summer Summary Continued

Here are the rest...
JJ is getting so good at tummy time!

Josh and JJ on the swing! Wee! I think Josh enjoyed it more than JJ...

Barbie's mission companion got married this summer. Barbie was so excited she was able to be there and catch up with other mission friends! She also got to help throw Clarisa a bridal shower.

It was so nice to be able to get 4 generations together!

JJ's first camping trip! He slept for 10 hours that night! We should live in the woods, we might get more sleep that way!

JJ was bundled up super warm! He looked like an eskimo, with his arms sticking straight out!

I unfortunately missed both Barbie's birthday and our anniversary due to travels. I tried to make up for it with dinner at the Roof, a nice Utah restaurant located on Temple Square. Really elegant!

JJ got to meet his great Grandad Joseph Howard, after whom he got his middle name!