Sleepy Boy

News alert: NATHAN SLEPT ALL NIGHT!!! Friday night he woke around 10 but was pretty willing to go back to sleep with a little rocking from David. Next thing I knew, it was 6:30 am and I was praying that he was alive. (Alive he was, and mighty hungry, as he let me know with a holler just a few minutes later.) Hurrah! Then he was up three times last night, but now that he's shown us what he can do, we have great expectations for our lad. So thank you for all your sleepy prayers. Please keep them coming!

What a good sport!

Some have predicted that Nathan will be late to talk, because he'll never get a word in edgewise. I'm not so sure. It's also quite possible that he'll be motivated to talk early, if only to stand up for himself! I give you Exhibit A:

Here's the backstory: Rachel found two long pink ribbons. She wanted one around her head, to make herself "pretty for a street infestival." (She saw a street festival last week and has been quite intrigued with the idea ever since, except that now it apparently involves some sort of plague.) Then she wanted one around Nathan's head so they could get married. This is their wedding picture. He looks pretty happy here, doesn't he? I wonder how long she's got to dress him up in ribbons and tutus.

And for those of you who haven't yet gotten to see Nathan wave (because he's still rather stingy about showing off his new skills), here's your chance:

Rachel's special letter

We're working on learning as much as possible before school starts. Rachel can already write the letter...well, watch and see!

Mmmmm...o's

Do you remember the scene in Charlotte's Web where Wilbur stands in his feed trough and revels in the sensation of the slops running down around him, getting caught behind his ears, etc.? We had a similar (though not as, well, sloppy) scene in Nathan's Kitchen this morning. While I was in the bathroom, Helpful Big Sister decided to pour more Cheerios for Nathan. It was a nearly full box. It is no longer so. I just heard the cereal cascade...and cascade...and cascade. By the time I arrived on the scene, the tray was full of o's, as was Nathan's whole seat, as was the floor surrounding him. He was like a cereal dispenser--every time he moved his legs, more o's trickled out of his chair and down to the floor. It was funny! Nathan was quite amused, too.

Water Babies

Both Rachel and Nathan have discovered this week that they love playing in water. For Rachel, it's a rediscovery--she and water were on the outs for a while, but they're back together now. And for Nathan, this is a glorious new thing. We've had a lot of opportunities to play in the water lately, with visits to the beach and the fountain in quick succession.

Rachel fell quickly back into her fountain routine--if this pose doesn't look familiar, take a look here.

And Nathan showed us how much he liked it, not just with his huge smile (which is seldom far from his face, anyway) but with this awesome dance:

Our two Things finally wore their matching Cleveland shirts--and even matched in being pantsless at the beach! Thanks to Grand-Merr and Grandpa for these cute shirts!