Pet Day

We went to Pet Day at OSU a couple of weeks ago. We got to pet llamas, goats, chicks, turtles, snakes, ponies, sheep . . . We also saw dogs, ferrets, lizards, rabbits. . . . it was great. This is why I love living in a university town.
Petting goats:

We took the opportunity to let Lizzy ride a pony. She wasn't scared at all. In fact, I think she loved it.

We also got to take a ride in a wagon pulled by a goat. That's right, a goat. It was seriously the biggest goat I ever saw, too. Awesome.

Lizzy won a fly swatter at one of the booths, and it is now Barak's favorite toy. He had a great time watching the animals and swatting at things. I wonder if there is a Pet Day equivalent in Eugene.

Random pictures

These two play together pretty well most of the time. Lizzy likes to teach Bear funny things to do, and Bear likes to follow her around, copying her every move. Here they are "eating ice cream."

To encourage Lizzy to go to sleep without us in the room, I often give her a couple of books to read. Usually she reads quietly and then tosses the books on the floor before going to sleep. Sometimes she doesn't quite finish her book, however.
Sleeping and reading. That's my girl.

Growing up

About three weeks ago, we were all sitting around watching television, when Bear crawled over and did this:I guess he wanted to see the TV better. Doesn't he look proud of himself? He is crawling so much earlier than Lizzy did. He also pulls himself up to stand every chance he gets. Although he can keep himself up for long periods of time, he has not yet figured out how to get down. Usually his little feet start to slide apart until he is practically doing the splits. And then he starts to whimper. Bear also loves the bath. Anytime he hears someone going into the bathroom, he crawls just as fast as he can, hoping it is time to get in the tub. He splashes, crawls around, and has a wonderful time. He doesn't even mind (much) when I get water in his eyes.

It's great having a big sister. Bear gets to play dolls (he LOVES this dollhouse!),

and the kitchen, too! I hope he's cooking up something yummy for me. A couple of weeks ago we went to the beach with my sisters. The kids had a great time. Bear got to explore the sand, which he enjoyed. He played with it for a long time before he tried to put any of it into his mouth. Then he was in heaven. Apparently, the boy likes sand.

I can't believe how fast my little man is growing up. I sometimes wish time would just stand still and we could stay in this moment forever. He and Lizzy are so much fun! They are such sweet, happy children, and I love them so much!

Upstairs

When we moved into this apartment, our upstairs neighbors had two-year-old and three-month-old boys. Sometimes it got a little noisy. They moved out after we had been here about six months and we had blissful silence above us for several weeks. The next family to move in had a two-year-old boy and they were pregnant with a little girl. They were LOUD. We liked them a lot, but sometimes I was certain that little Benjamin was going to come crashing through the ceiling, dragging an elephant or two with him. Pretty much everyone who visited us would look up at some point with shocked eyes and ask if it was always that noisy. Yes. Yes, it was. They lived above us for two years, and after awhile we mostly were used to it, but when we learned they we moving, Isaac and I couldn't help but be excited for a little bit of quiet. They moved out last week, and I was anticipating uninterrupted nap times. I did not anticipate the workmen that came in today to get ready for the next occupants. Or that they would have to apparently tear out the carpets. And all the appliances. And the counter tops. From the sound of things, I'll be surprised if there are any walls left when they are done up there.

Going for walks

Lizzy, Barak, and I go for a walk just about every day. There is a road close by our home that has very few cars and is perfect for letting little ones run, while passing fields of sheep, cows, and alpacas. Every time we walk it, I am reminded how lucky we are to live in beautiful Oregon. (Especially on sunny days.)Midway through the walk is this lovely old covered bridge. The kids love playing on it.We almost always go with our friends Jason and Angie. The kids entertain each other, leaving the moms some time to chat. Lizzy has recently developed an interest in taking pictures. She took the rest if these photos (with a little help from me). I think she's pretty good. Here's Jason: I wish the picture showed off this kid's eyelashes. They're gorgeous.

And Angie (seriously, one of the prettiest women I've ever met):

Barak was there, too, of course.

And me, too. Lizzy had to get a picture of us all.

Boy with the super-long tongue

I wanna post something, I really do, but I can't think of anything interesting to write. Life is good, but normal. Barak cut his first tooth and is trying so hard to crawl. Lizzy keeps trying to tell me she's Mommy and I'm Lizzy. That kind of thing. I don't think I've taken any good pictures recently, either.