Josiah's 1st Birthday

Guess who turned 1?!?!

We had fun giving Jojo his first cupcake. 

He was very serious about it--no big grins--but definitely dug into it. 

 Yum...frosting!

Frosting fingers

 I had an image in my mind of how to decorate the cupcakes--I wanted to do cute little orange goldfish on a blue frosted cupcake. My execution did not match my vision. At all. Sigh...

TJ really enjoyed his cupcake. And he wanted a candle in his cupcake too. 

 Here's our big 1-year-old with his teddy! 

 With the age blocks

Silly face.

Josiah is a pretty steady walker now. He has to be, trying to keep with (or get out of the way of) Thomas! He's eating primarily people food, and as of his doctor's appointment the other day, is now on soy milk rather than soy formula. We have an appointment with an allergist next week to find out if he is truly allergic to dairy. He's got a grin that lights up a room, a silly, scrunched up nose camera face, and a determined personality. He has 5 teeth, with a 6th on the way, weighs 21 lbs and is 30 in. tall. We love our sweet boy!

At the beach

Every other summer, we do a big Ruble family vacation at the beach with Alice's siblings and their families. This year's group numbered 35, staying in 3 beach houses on Atlantic Beach, NC. It's a relaxing, family-filled week that we all love.

Aidan and Jojo hanging out in the shade of our beach cabana. Jojo took his morning nap each day on the beach in this tent.

 The view from our rental house. Gorgeous!

This is my second favorite photo of the boys from the trip. What's my favorite, you ask?

This one.

A couple evenings after dinner we walked down to the beach to play in the tide pools. They're perfect for skim boarding, little kid boogie boarding, and general kid fun. Plus, the sun is setting, so no need to lather everyone up in sunscreen!

 TJ tries to keep up with the big boys. They are great about playing with him and letting him in on the fun.

 Giving Jojo a ride.

 Loving the gentle tide pool!

Giving Lauren a ride.

 TJ and Lauren were buds on this trip, which was so nice to see. In the past, TJ sort of beat up on Lauren and was more interested in the bigger kids. They loved standing in the ankle-deep ocean together and digging in the sand.

Digging in the sand was hands-down TJ's favorite activity. In fact, all the kids loved it. Some castles were built, but mostly they just dug holes and moats.

The kids buried Ed, and then TJ wanted in on the fun too.

TJ wasn't always real sure about the waves; he'd cling to me like I was hanging out over a steep cliff if I carried him waist-deep into the water, but most of his screams were screams of joy as we jumped waves. Jojo, on the other hand, didn't ever want to leave the water.

He started walking more on his own during the beach week, but the sand was a tough surface to conquer. He was perfectly content holding onto a finger and walking on the beach, but he constantly led his finger support into the waves!

 We also celebrated Alice's birthday at the beach. Not a bad way to spend a birthday!

 Aidan and Jojo usually sat next to each other for meals. This resulted in a lot of food and cup sharing.

The kids enjoyed hanging in a kiddie pool on the deck when they needed a break from the ocean.

 All the kids at the beach. Happily, the adults still outnumber the kids. 

Mary Beth feeding Aidan and TJ goldfish crackers. They look like little baby birds. But when your hands are sandy, getting fed is a good alternative!

 Jojo gets a lift. We have a similar photo of TJ from 2 years ago.

 Alli and Micah swing Aidan.

Friday afternoon, Alice, MB and I took all the kids (except the babies) putt putt golfing. The 3 bigger kids and Grandma played together, and MB and I kept score for ourselves while TJ and Lauren usually did a first hit and then either hit or dropped the ball into the hole. TJ had a blast!

 Our family of four

The immediate family--all 15 of us! 

Flops, Bonks and Flips...

...just part of a typical evening at our house. Every night when Ed walks in the door, Thomas runs to him, requesting "flops, bonks and flips." These used to be termed magic tricks, but the terminology has gotten more specific. I'll let the video at bottom speak for itself, but let's just say that roughhousing is VERY popular at our house. That rough and tumble attitude is reflected so well in Jojo, who in addition to loving flops and bonks (he doesn't get flips yet), has also become quite the climber. Here are the two spots we've all found him in recently.

And here's the video:

The 4th of July

I was excited about the 4th being on a Wednesday this year for one reason (otherwise, like the rest of the world, I prefer the opportunity for a long weekend rather than a random day off). Because it was just one day, we were in town and could do small-town holiday things like parades!

Our township had fireworks, and we thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch them from the bed of our pickup truck. TJ wasn't sure about them, as you can see. Jojo wasn't fazed a bit. TJ ultimately did like them, but only while his ears were covered.

Ed had to work on the actual 4th, but I took the boys to the best parade in town, in nearby Schoolcraft. It. was. HOT. And the parade started at 11 am, under high sun. I seriously underestimated the amount of water to bring, but enterprising teenagers were selling water and more from wagons, and we found a fantastic seat next to a family with a tent, and used some of their shade and their water. I'll know better next time. TJ loved the parade. He spent most of his time announcing what was coming next (fire trucks! tractors! Model As!) to the other kids. 

People also threw candy. I hoped that by strategically positioning us at the end of the parade, they'd be out, or at least almost out, but there was no shortage. I let Thomas eat a piece or two, and we "saved" the rest to eat later. (You know, kind of like old pets go to happily live out their lives on a farm...)

Being a farming community, there were a lot of tractors. Little boy heaven! 

Jojo more tolerated the whole event. He was only slightly interested in what was going by.

Me? Though it was hot, I too was thrilled, at least for the first 30-45 minutes. I've always wanted to do this with the kids (and by always, I mean the last 3 years...seriously, though, I've always thought it would be fun to take kids to a parade). However, the parade was 90 minutes long! I guess that's what you get when you go to the best small town parade in southwestern Michigan...

It was a great day. 

Enjoying summer

Even though our first summer in Michigan bears more resemblance to the steamy, muggy, rain-free summers we grew accustomed to in St. Louis than the comfortable weather we expected, we've been spending some time outside. We borrowed a tagalong bike for TJ from my aunt and uncle and have been taking family bike rides. He just fits--the seat is as low as it can go. He and Ed took a trial ride.

That was successful, so we started going out as a family. We haven't gone too far yet (20-30 minutes?) but hope to lengthen that bit by bit as the summer goes along. 

Slightly random picture...this is how TJ napped one Saturday afternoon.

Popsicles with Rowan one hot evening

The boys going for a wagon ride...the wagon was an early birthday present for Jojo.

The water table: It came highly recommended from my friend Angie, who also has 2 boys and a newborn little girl. She was right--it's a huge hit! 

 Thomas loves to dump cups full of water on Jojo's head, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Dustin and Abbey drove over from Chicago one weekend, and Kathy met us as well, and we went out on the boat. We started on a bigger, wavier, busier lake, where we drove around, ate lunch, and swam, and then found a little treasure of a lake just 8 miles from our house. At 4 pm on a Saturday, it was deserted. Pretty small, but gloriously smooth skiing water. We love the lakes in Michigan!

Abbey really liked the dip. Apparently veggies were optional.

Daddy and daughter time.

TJ floating with Aunt Kathy

The perfect spot for a nap...under the driver's seat!

First kiss...Dustin must be loosening up--he didn't even get nervous!