4th of July

The 4th was on a Wednesday this year and Dan didn't get the rest of the week off, so we had to skip the traditional Kenwood Footrace near Santa Rosa for something more local. We decided on the Woodside Youth Rodeo for the cooler morning hours. Woodside is so gorgeous and feels rural and secluded from the rest of the busy bay area. Mounted teens, western attire, and rodeo princesses everywhere. I didn't know there was so much "country" in this area. We were glad to get there early and beat the crowds and heat.

Checking out the cows that were yet to be roped.

 Petting zoo.  Miniature horse or donkey? Newborn chicks were adorable.

In the stands watching the rodeo events.

 We saw a lot of cow roping and barrel racing. Jackson was most concerned that the cowboy/girl's hats kept flying off and he wanted someone to retrieve them.

 Hanging out with the sweet horses.

  We ended the day with a BBQ in the park with our church small group. So fun to hang out with all the kiddos. Our neighborhood had a lot of illegal fireworks going on and freaked the kids out throughout the night with a lot of loud noises and bangs. We ended up with scared kids in the bed with us all night :(

On Her Way

Cosette is getting close to crawling! She's up high on her hands and getting her knees under her. So far she can only back up, but she's so adorable and I'm not ready to have a mobile baby! She's only 6 months. Jack didn't crawl until 8 months. Either way it's a short time away.

Going after toys 

Got it!

 Backing under the couch

 Get those knees working!

 She seriously plays it up for the camera. She stops what she's doing to smile and pose.

 A little rolling fun.

 Brother jumps in there to "help"

 I don't know why they're wearing snow-flake and polar bear PJs in mid-July.

 He likes to press his forehead firmly into her face. It is very hard to rid him of this habit, we've tried.

 "If I push her head, she tips over."

 Not gentle.

And then the wrestling begins...

 She's a tough lady

 Trying to escape

 No concept of personal space

 Pinned! My sister and I used to do what was called "midget wrestling" for the enjoyment of our older cheering cousins. It has already started with these two.

 Matching her pose

 She's very tolerant of getting pushed around, as demonstrated by the fact that she's not crying in any of these pictures.

 We secretly call this "riding Baby like a dino" because he has tiny play dinosaurs that he tries to ride in this way. I'm constantly saying "get off of Baby!" She usually doesn't mind too much until she's feeling very squished. He thinks he's being sneaky.

 Face to face, sharing secrets

 The brother-sister play has only just begun!

Two in a Cart

Very cute, but they found many ways to bother each other. Jack was giving aggressive hugs and grabbing her scull, Cosette likes to grab hair and cloths. And then there's my favorite: she shrieks, he shrieks, where Cosette screams in annoyance and Jack successfully matches her pitch and volume until we have a symphony of piercing yells echoing down the aisles of Costco.

Whole Foods

A couple of firsts. Cosette's first time in the front of the cart (she loved checking all the shoppers out), and my first real shopping trip to Whole Foods. I've always longed to shop there but was intimidated by the prices. Some friends advised that it was not too bad if you stayed in produce and meats. Other than some very pricey fair-trade bananas it's wasn't as expensive as I thought and it's so wonderful to park right next to the entrance!

Now on to the doc for the 6 month check. She's 14lb 8oz, 19% for weight, and 26 inches, 67% for height.

6 Months!

Wow, what a big girl. Cosette's at an age where she's changing daily. It feels like overnight she's all grown up and sitting, babbling, eating anything we put in front of her, grabbing furiously at everything in her world, and smiling, smiling, smiling.

She seems to be a very friendly and outgoing girl and is extremely adaptable and sweet. She snuggles and loves her mommy best of all, but her big brother is a close second, even though he roughs her up a little bit. She is very tough and rarely minds. We love you Miss-Priss!

Rolling Cosy

At 5 months Cosette started rolling across the floor. She loves to push up on her belly and check out the world. Also you can tell from these pictures that her outfits, even the 6 month sizes, are getting pretty tight. She is growing so fast! Her skin is so fair and her hair and lashes are finally coming in but are very light. She's such a Little Beauty.

She is a stable assisted sitter and now that she's up at eye level with Jackson, they play so much more. He shows off for her and talks with her non-stop. Here he's spinning her in the jumper.

 Jackson's current favorite toys are his dinos and he spends hours each day lining them up around the house. Here Cosette is a prop for holding dinosaurs.

 She just likes the attention

 A little pool time with our playgroup at their community pool. Cosette's a little water baby while Jackson is pretty timid and particular in how he likes to be in the water. He'll let you know if he wants to be in shallower water by saying "I don't like it!"

She's still working that thumb all day.