PicVids - July 2011

So I discovered that I can upload videos (as well as photos) to my Photobucket account. This resulted in me inserting them into my blog post in a different way than usual, the upshot of which is mostly that everything came out a lot larger. On my screen, the photos and videos actually get covered up slightly by the sidebar, but those of you who aren't accessing my blog through a mini-laptop might not have that problem. Let me know, though, if it works well for you. Photobucket is also a little less clear and more choppy on the videos, when I access their site; please let me know if the embedded versions here are any different from what you normally see on my blog. Also, I'm posting today instead of tomorrow because I will be leaving to drive up to Seattle for a family reunion.





A cute moment.





The things they make up, man.




Ah, brothers.




Apparently Ken and I felt the need to get a lot of photos of Julie in her dress. Maybe that was the first time since her baptism that she'd worn a dress?




She actually is standing with both feet, but I was greatly amused by the effect here.




Notice how Kyrie is the one most interested in what is actually going on.




Gabe has since learned the word "Fire works", which he says something like "ayer wuh".




Something about low-light plus kids-who-won't-sit-still doesn't lend itself to quality 4th of July photos.




Ok, this is kind of long, but it's so cute that:
(a) She feels a need to take a break from playing the ipad in order to suck her fingers.
(b) She actually got some of the Aces up halfway through, plus moving the cards around.

From the time she was 6 months to the time she was 9 months, she learned that hitting the ipad with both hands is generally unsuccessful and that the best approach is to use one finger at a time. Pretty good, I think, for someone who isn't even a year old yet.




The kids got very excited about having their own cookbook.





There was this whole project where we moved all the VHS tapes (that we haven't used in years because we never bothered to hook the VCR up to the TV when we got the entertainment center) off of the shelf they were on and into that space you see there. Now the shelf is Gabe's cubby, right underneath the cubbies that the other kids have.




My cousin Lisa came into town with her husband Dave and son Toby, so we got to see them. My cousin Kim and her husband Nick and their girls Lana and Maya also came over; clearly I've been slacking for not having gotten together with them before now (since they live in town). Savi showed off some of her reading skills here.




Kim holding Lana.




And Nick holding baby Maya.




We tried to get all the kids on the couch, but Gabe refused to go sit on Elijah's lap. On the left there is Toby, then Lana holding Maya, and then all mine. Go check out Lisa's post about her visit, too. (She's got pictures up too).



Elijah the goofball can make Jules laugh by doing something of the most random things.




Behold the power of chocolate. The effect was ruined somewhat when I stepped away from her at the very end, but I am still very amused by her reaction to chocolate.




Picnic in the backyard with Brittany & Shane.



Good times, good times.