Bright Eyes

Easy to see how he got this nickname. Rolling back to tummy now, too! Good job, Josh!

"Shhhh! My baby's sleeping!"

All around our house we find closed doors...and if we open them to, say, go to the bathroom or change the laundry, we instantly have Gracie at our heels with her finger on her lips, warning us that there is a sleeping dolly in that room. She would prefer that we stayed out of said rooms, but if we assure her that we'll be quiet as we go about our business, she usually thinks it's okay for us to enter and plays along.

Our favorite is when we find sleeping dollies in random places after Grace has gone to bed. We know where she's been playing!

Daddy!

Daddy gets the best greetings when he gets home from work. Pair this little wiggling guy with a sister that runs to the car, arms extended, squealing, "I missed you, Daddy!"...and Jeff's day is made!

(Papa Greg thinks that Josh is the spitting image of Jeff--so much so that he calls Joshy "Mini-Me Jeff." I love the resemblance!)

First Day of School Survivors!

We had such a fun morning having Kai come to visit on his family's first day of school! Gracie thought it was pretty fun having TWO babies and kept running between the two of them. It was kind of fun to experience "twins" knowing that it wasn't for keeps. :) (LOTS OF RESPECT FOR YOU MOMMIES OF TWINS!!!) We had one very memorable moment when they both wanted to eat at the same time...nursing AND bottle feeding at the same time made me laugh! Kai was so excited to play that he didn't sleep the whole time he was here...this picture was taken when his mom came to get him. He wasn't even buckled in before he was sleeping!

This boy is the sweetest thing! Thanks for playing, Buddy Kai! We love you!

Flying Exersaucer

Josh's expanded world now includes a swiveling seat surrounded by twisty, clicking, colorful gadgetry. He's in heaven!

It's fun to look back at what Gracie looked like in this crazy toy... Do you think they look at all alike?

Bookworms...

...seen feeding in their natural habitat.

The Many Faces of Joshua Scott...

The constants: drool and cheeks.

Grace's Latests...

The other day we were driving by our neighborhood's school and we hear Gracie say from the backseat, "Oh! We're driving by my elementary school!" As Jeff and I looked at each other with dropped jaws--counting on our fingers how many syllables 'elementary' has in it--she continues, "When I'm five I get to go to ___ Elementary." (She's TWO. We'll be hearing this for a while...)

All of a sudden Grace has a fear of loud vehicles. I am constantly telling her that she's safe where she is and reasoning with her that there's nothing to be afraid of. The other day I see her looking out the living room window at the garbage truck on the curb, and she is saying to herself, "The garbage truck won't get me. It can't fit through the door! Silly garbage truck."

We keep trying to get Grace to go potty on the potty chair, but she is quite resistant. Jeff invited her to come read a book while sitting on her potty. After she considered, she accepted the invite...but on the way up the stairs with him she adds in, "But I'm not going potty!"

We're pretty sure Grace has an imaginary friend named Ella. Lately she can be seen carrying my decorative candles from coffee table to coffee table, "...for Ella's birthday." After she sings Happy Birthday to Ella we ask, "Gracie, who's Ella?" She replies, "Nobody."

I taught Gracie the Zachheus song after I saw that they'd told that story in Sunday School. (She loves to shake her finger and boss Zachheus down from that tree!) But one day she couldn't remember his name, and therefore couldn't start the song. She tilted her head up at me and asked, "Mommy, who's that wee little man?"

"Good Job, Daddy."

Taking out the trash. Putting bunks together. Velcro-ing little girl sandals on just right. Not many dad-efforts go unnoticed by Gracie.

Trading SLEEPING Spaces

Over the summer, Gracie was quickly outgrowing her crib while Josh was outgrowing his bassinet at a similar pace. Big kids in little beds! Yikes! Something had to be done in the Lochhead house.

Enter: BONK beds. At least this is what Gracie calls them. Jeff and I found a great deal on bunk beds and took the better part of a week to put them together--we found out they were probably a good deal due to manufacturer error on bolt hole placement. But, a couple trips back to the furniture store later, Jeff had them put up. He had lots of good help. :)

The first night Gracie was very excited to sleep in her BONK bed. And she was also excited to pass on her crib to Joshy. So after prayers and snuggles...

...she was ready for bed. Doggy and Bunny and her pink blankie found spots in her new polka-dot sheets under her quilt from G'ma Linda.

She looks so little! :) She woke only twice during the night due to her binky falling on the floor, but ever since she's slept like a rock.

Joshy is WORKING on sleeping like a rock...he is proving to be a night owl, currently. I captured this picture the morning after his first night in the crib.

She's so big! How did this happen? Sigh. Look at lucky Doggy in this pic...how great to be loved by a little girl.

To Our Joshua

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Mikey Likes It!

I mean JOSHY likes it!

Now that summer traveling is behind us, it's been time to start some routines...one of these has been to introduce rice cereal to Josh. He likes it! If I don't feed him fast enough he makes little pterodactyl screeches until I give him another bite. Now if only this would help him get back to sleeping through the night! :)

Happy Birthday, Miss Megan!!

Five

feels

so

good!

Heidi's Farm Birthday

Happy Birthday, Heidi! We were so glad that we got to celebrate you so close to your actual birthdate! :) Thanks for coming down to the farm with your clan--we loved our time with you!

Blowing out candles at Sage Bakery in Uniontown. This was right before we explored the town's annual Flea Market. So fun!

This is when Matt was actually seated with us and not chatting with the locals. He could thrive in a small town.

Gracie had so much fun having Kalei, Alea, Abby AND Megan at the farm to play with. Poor Kai is the center of diaper-changing attention.

Brooke helped the girls find NINE frogs and put them in the kiddie pool. The Van Sickle girls LOVED their time at "The Frog Farm."

What was this frog's name, Alea? I forget...

More Harvest Pics

Papa Greg...having just replaced his alternator, now enjoying the A/C and seat in his cab--oh yeah, and the freshly placed Diet Pepsi in the coozy on the window ledge

I always liked to watch the combines as they cut that first ring of wheat right by the house. These pics were taken through the living room window.

Look at that field of wheat! So glad it's all in now.

Jeff joins in on the fun...or is it Jerry?