Jakob

It's time to talk about the eldest Bell, Jakob.

Jakob, the first Donaldson (and Bell) grandchild, broke us all in. He introduced us all to the world of being grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents. I went on my mission a few weeks after he was born (he was due after I was supposed to leave but was kind enough to come five weeks early so I could met him-- he's been accomodating and obedient from the start) and he was the hardest one to say good-bye to.
Emily was really blessed to have him first. He is obedient, tender, and very nurturing. He is also fun loving (Aaron passed this on to all his children), careful, and obsessed with animals (mom says that he goes through plastic animal withdrawl after a few days without his toys).

I am constantly reminded of Christopher Robin when I look at Jakob.

Jakob wanted to take care of Noah the whole time I was there. He carried him around,

helped him play in the pool,
fed him (he didn't realize how quickly Noah can grab things),
and generally tried to be as close as possible to the baby.

It was so fun to be around Jakob and see how much he has grown. He looks out for his siblings, teaches them things, and ensures that they know and follow the rules. His place in the family is well defined; he sets the example and the rest follow suit.

It was really neat to be around Emily's kids this past weekend. They are really enjoyable-- it gives me something to look forward to. I told Emily that it seemed like her kids were intense for a long time but now are mellow and very pleasant to be around. She told me that it's the age-- big kids are just easier than babies and preschoolers. Ian is well balanced by his older sibs. Emily and Aaron have created such a delightful family.

Emily's Kids Part 2: Ian

It's Ian's time in the spotlight. Even though he is the third child in a busy family he has somehow managed to charm his way into being the center of the Bell family's affections. Ian is in a word, boy, boy, boy (I know, that was the same word three times)!
He is exactly what a two year old boy should be; wild, sweet, and unstoppable. Here are some pictures to further illustrate my point.


Ian is a momma's boy. He tolerates his father and they even have some fun wrestling time but when it comes down to it he just wants his mom. This endears him even further to Emily.

Adventure might as well be his middle name. He has no sense of physical boundaries (who needs 'em?-- they might slow him down).

Off into the street he trots-- mom and dad warning him that he'd better be careful.

Grandma Meg describes this part of Ian as Joie de vivre
(click for definition) Aaron has the same joy for life.

Kirkey used to make this face when he was Ian's age. We called it the gorilla face. We got out pictures while I was home and the similarities between Ian and Kirk are striking.

Handsome! (The reason that he isn't wearing his shirt is because he went up to Grandma and said, "Shirt, off!" Grandma is happy to oblige these kind of requests. I went out to find Noah completely naked while he was playing outside-- he wanted his clothes off -- she told me.)

Unstoppable!

I have really enjoyed watching the way that Ian has changed his household (that's more than just a reference to the wall drawing he is apt to do while Emily has her back turned). Ian changed the dynamic so much and the whole family is better for it. They laugh more, play more, and just love more-- Ian is so lovable.

Eliza

Noah and I just returned from a delightful (albeit, short) trip out west. Noah was a great travel companion and it was really nice to have some one-on-one time with him. But, I REALLY missed my big boy, my husband, and yes--the garden. When I got home and pulled off the 204 (!) pictures from my camera I felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect of blogging the trip. So, I decided to break it up into smaller, more manageable posts. I thought that I would start by blogging about each one of Emily's children (because Emily never does).

I will start with the biggest poser, I mean the child who wanted to pose every time I pulled out the camera. She reminded me of Ashley at that age, who was famous for saying things like, "take a picture of me over here." Poor Ashley, though, she was a child before the wonders of digital cameras.

Here are some of the highlights of Eliza, the one and only girl grandchild on the Donaldson side.

She has her father (and her mother, for that matter) wrapped around her little finger. One blink of those dark chocolate eyes and the little one can have whatever she wants.

Do you see what I mean by poser? Look at all the other pictures and you'll notice that Eliza has her photo face down pat.

Mom and Dad bought a little sprinkler that the kids enjoyed in the backyard.

Momma's roses

All of these pictures were taken on our Sunday walk where Eliza was happy to stop for frequent pictures.

Emily's house is amazing. Eliza's room is perhaps the best part. This is the secret garden Emily and her friend Heather painted for her princess.

Eliza is, in a word, sweet. She is such a pleasure to be around. She is very interested in others, loves her baby dolls and her brothers. I could just eat her up, she is such a delight.

Three questions

Luke is full of questions lately and he had three gems yesterday. When he got up from his nap I was working on something on the computer and he came over and sat on my lap while I typed for a while. When he came to a little more he looked up and me and asked, "How old are lion cubs when they start to hunt all alone?" I had no idea and so we looked it up on the computer (between the ages of 2 and 4, if you were wondering). Earlier that morning he had asked me what bees bodies were made of. I didn't even know where to start looking for that answer and I was busy at the time. I'll have to look for the answer today. Then, as he and Nat were reading books before bed, he came in and asked me how long bear cubs stay with their mothers. I looked it up on the computer and found out that it was 2 years.

How is he coming up with these questions? And, more importantly, how am I going to keep up?

reflection

It is 5:07 p.m. Noah is asleep and Luke is entertaining himself (scratch that-- he just came in doing the "pee pee dance"). Okay, Luke's bladder is empty and I am back. I am not kidding, Noah just woke up. This post will have to wait.

cubs game

We went to our second Cubs game this season on Friday. The boys all had a great time. We met Grandma Barb there and Luke was thrilled to see her and get to sit next to her. It was a good game. The Cubs won, I think. Just kidding, I am sure that they won but that's the only thing I know for sure about the game. I am not very good at paying attention to the game when there are kids to worry about. I do like the seventh inning stretch, eating my annual hot dog, and watching Luke clap and yell. Luke and I went exploring, Noah slept, and we all ate a bunch of "sometimes" food.

Noah loved being able to look at all the people. He has figured out that if he stares at someone long enough they will stare back and he can get a smile out of them.

Luke liked the idea of the malt cup more than he actually liked eating it. He had a few bites, dug all the way to the bottom of the cup and was then done with it.
He often does this with sweets. He thinks he is going to like them more than he does.

Noah was able to squeeze in a nap between making friends.

Grandma bought Luke a little hat. He LOVES it. He was also very happy to get the chance to wear the jersey (I made the mistake of calling it a shirt and was promptly corrected by the three year old) that he got for his birthday.

He is a Grandma's boy for sure.

He ate a licorice rope all by himself. He had no trouble finishing it.

Nat feels pretty pleased with the fact that he is raising a couple of true fans. I am happy to accommodate them and tag along. It was a great game-- wonderful weather, good company, and yummy food.

Thanks, Grandma Barb!

Coach Noah

Nat would have DIED!

I have often commented that it is a good thing that I am the one that stays home with the boys because I am more lenient and they get into things that Nat would never let them get into. The following post is an example of what I mean.


We knew that we were going to have a water play date today. It's been warm and so we invited a few friends over to play in the pool. Nat blew it up last night and Luke ran out first thing this morning to fill it up.

Here are some filling the pool with water pics ( I love the light in these pictures-- can't you tell that it's early morning light. I love being outside when the sun is first up-- it must be genetic):

Yes, the pajamas got wet. Soaking wet.

Grandma Barb bought Noah this darling little swim suit with the jungle and animal print. When Luke saw it he was really sad that it was for Noah. He likes tigers too! We found him the same suit on sale and now everyone is happy, matching and CUTE!


The next pictures are the ones that I am not sure whether or not Nat should even look. My friend Lisa and I let the boys make and play in mud. And play they did!

I think that they would have played ALL day in the mud if it weren't for lunch and naps. They had a really good time running around and jumping in the pool. I couldn't help but remember my days of playing mud monster with Kirk and Emily. I can still vividly remember the feeling of mud all over my body and in my swim suit. It was fun to watch. We just hosed them off at the end and they came in and...

DEVOURED their lunch. Playing that hard is bound to make you hungry.

I will say it one more time... I LOVE summer mothering.