Catching up (again!)

So sorry that I have gotten behind again! What's the saying? "The faster I go, the behinder I get"?? Plus, I am still figuring out my new camera and transferring pictures.

Last Friday night, one of the nurses on the other Stoughton team had everyone from the two Stoughton teams out to her place for a potluck picnic. We had absolutely fabulous weather. It was even coolish enough after the sun went down that it felt good to be close to the bonfire. The kids had an absolute blast! Both Bug and Bean hooked up with the big kids right away. The big kids were sweet and seemed to enjoy helping out the little ones, and our two little ones would have just followed those big kids to the end of the world!

Kitty Daddy's coworker lives on 5 acres out in the country, so they have a little farm, complete with chickens, ducks, barn cats and kittens (almost stuck one of those in my pocket to smuggle home!), horses, and dogs. It also reconfirmed how wonderful Kitty Daddy's coworkers are now. Even though there have been bumps along the way, we are so much better off than we would have been had he stayed at the VA.

Bean has been streaking more than usual due to some bad diaper rash. We thought that her dairy sensitivity had mostly cleared up, but after having frozen custard two nights in a row, we are right back where we started. Both Bean and I are once again completely off dairy and her hiney is clearing right up. Just about every time I change her diaper, she insists on going into the bathroom and brushing her teeth in the nude. She usually stays in there until she pees on the potty. Note I said "on", not "in." She is definitely getting the bathroom/potty concept, but progress is slow. She has been doing this most mornings, so it is only a matter of time before she gets the part about opening the lid and sitting down.



The weather all weekend was just MAH-velous, so we spent as much time outside as possible, including cooking out multiple times. We are still learning the ins and outs of charcoal. One night we tried soaking hickory chips to get some smoke, but the result was putting out the fire. The burgers got a little smoke taste and there was enough residual heat that they were cooked through, but all-in-all, not one of our finer cookouts.

The beautiful weather had continued into the week and the kids and I walked to "Close Park" to play yesterday morning. Bug met a couple of older boys and had a blast. He is just becoming so social and interested in other people. One of the boys was just taken by Bean. He was so proud of himself when he "taught" her to go down the slide. I didn't have the heart to tell him that she had been going down those very slides since last fall!

Today, Bug request a trip to the zoo. We visited all the usual suspects and had a great time. There was also a zoo person near the polar bear cage that showed us a polar bear skull and foot print and told us what the bears eat. Very interesting!

When Bug holds Bean's hand, he always tells us "I a fweet big brudder"! Too cute!!!