the 4th's failed photo shoot

the kids were looking oh so patriotic today. (surprisingly, i didn't plan it- kate's dress, i did, of course!) mommy and daddy attempted a photo shoot. we tried getting them to both look (and smile) at the camera at the same time.

it's funny that the one who can't understand a word we say is the one who was actually following instructions. (could be that we bribed her with cheerios?)

and the one who was being rewarded with m&ms just wasn't havin it.

still got some cute shots, i suppose. not sure where kate gets the "flare your nose and show your no teeth" smile. not from her mommy!

bon voyage and happy 4th

i couldn't find a recent picture of the 2 of you, so that's why you each got your own! guess we need to do that when you get back!

my mom and step-dad left this morning for a 4 week trip to Belize. they return there every year to assist in a teacher training seminar at the Presbyterian Teachers College of Belize. they will be updating their travel blog at http://www.buenosdiasbelize.blogspot.com/ but in the meantime have left us with some things we can pray for as they are away:

• Pray for our final preparations, smooth flight connections, and processing through Customs & Immigration.
• Pray for our adjustment to the climate (hot & very humid!). Especially for Linda who struggles with the heat more than Dale.
• Pray for our interactions with the many friends we have in Belize - that Christ and the light of the Gospel would shine through us.
• Pray for Dale’s work with Ismael Vallejos, General Manager of the Presbyterian Schools, as they work to develop a new board structure and governance model for the schools.
• Pray that we can overcome cultural differences about how to approach education.
• Pray for Dale and Linda as they work with Carla Stevens on the new Teacher Training Modules.
• Pray for Linda as she will be helping to organize the teaching modules materials and putting them in final form.
• Pray for Cornerstone Presbyterian High School – Pray for transformed hearts, renewed vision, and a sense of God’s strengthening presence. Pray for Albert Zantingh, principal, for his strength and refreshment.
  

thank you for joining us in praying for them as they minister to the believers and non-believers in northern Belize.

HAPPY 4TH to everyone! have a safe and enjoyable holiday. and let's hope it don't rain!

happy 8 months to kate!

she's 8 months old today. can't believe how time is flying!

here are some of the things kate is doing:

• eating solids- her daily meals consist of pureed fruits and veggies and rice cereal. her favorite things to eat, however, are sweet potato puffs and cheerios.


• spitting up- yes, she's following in her brother's footsteps. she still spits up all day, every day. jacob didn't stop spitting up until he was at least 15 months. :( let's hope not that long with kate!


• sitting up- she can go from belly position to sitting position all on her own- just started this last week!


• smiling- she loves to smile and usually has one ready for you at any moment of the day. :)


• clapping- on demand clapping. it's ah-dorable.


• splashing- just found this out tonight, as her and her brother had a splashing/giggling fest in the bathtub while mommy was trying to get them clean. water everywhere in the bathroom!


• crawling- she has perfected the "army crawl" (see following video). she gets around pretty fast for only being 8 months. she is across the living room before i can get a drink from the kitchen. gone are the days of leaving her alone in a room! here she is heading for the dog bowl:

we enjoyed some time outside today with the cooler weather. here she is on her 8 month day...

because aunt brianne doesn't have a blog

aunt brianne and uncle kevin came for a short visit this weekend while they were in town for kevin's family reunion. it was SO good to see them and spend some time with them -we went to bass pro and out to the Creation Museum pond for some fishing. brianne got some more pics of the kiddos with her super awesome camera, and since she doesn't have a blog, i get to be the one to share a few.

kate being cute with her new ouchie (mommy doesn't want to talk about it)

jacob being a ham

jacob with his "new one" puppy

a cool shot from the museum gardens

welcome to the 21st century

the pié family has finally arrived in the 21st century. we just got our internet installed yesterday- 1st time having internet in our 6 years of being married. (yes, happy anniversary to us on june 7th) i guess it was about time.

and now we're experiencing internet shock- wondering how we ever lived without it. kind of like cell phones- how did we survive before all this technology?!

so, here's to more blog posts now that i won't have to squeeze in internet time on my lunch breaks at work! (right, j baker?)


in other news, kate achieved a couple milestones today...

• crawling! (for nothing other than the TV remote!),
  
• pulling to a sitting position from laying down,
  
• and eating her 1st french fry (ok, maybe it was technically her 2nd- she had a sweet potato fry at dinner a couple nights ago and lah-oved it!)
  

and i'd love to share this moment i caught on camera, of jacob trying out his newly learned skills of putting on shoes. notice he picks mommy's shoes and not daddy's, which are right beside him. oh jacob....some day the boys will make fun of you for stuff like this!

happenings

we've had a lot happen since my last post- yea, sorry that was a long break i took!



since then...




*we almost lost our bedroom from a car accident that happened in our neighbor's yard last wednesday night. we are so thankful that the Lord protected our home! here is a link to the story: http://www.wlwt.com/news/19653663/detail.html
and a picture from our bedroom window



*our son has become a famed guitarist (and singer). not sure who he got his amazing vocal talent from?? here he is singing "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There's just something about that name."




*and kate has NOT started crawling yet, but has become accepting of the idea of getting up on all four's. she still prefers to roll everywhere she can go!

dedicated

this past sunday we had the privilage, for the 2nd year in a row, to go forward in church and dedicate our child to the Lord. kate was well-behaved on stage, and even fell asleep on my shoulder during the prayer- unlike her brother, who, last year, squirmed and wiggled the whole time, and eventually projectile spit-up on stage. fun times!


we didn't get any pictures this time, but i got some of kate when we got home from church. i thought she looked so cute in her dress (dress borrowed from isabel :) ).



we enjoyed a restful memorial day weekend. on monday, the kids both slept in until 8:45, which was just what mommy and daddy needed!!


our weekend included jacob's 1st corn on the cob experience and kate's new bathing suit: