Dennis's favorite blanket

Often Dennis will pull his favorite blanket out of his crib and snuggle with it while he reads books but today it fell on his head and he liked it. He walked around the whole house like this:

This blanket has always been his favorite ever since he was little.

We had our friends babysit Dennis when he was small and he would just sit in his bounce chair giggling. They figured out it was because of the blanket... it made him laugh! He would even laugh when nobody else was in the room. That silly kid.

In this video he would continue to pull the blanket on his face. He would only do this with this particular blanket.

Thanks, Auntie Fawn! You made a kid very happy!

Daddy's got the touch

The other morning, Ryan helped Dennis get ready for school because I was running late. He never likes waking Dennis up- so he decided to get him ready while he was sleeping. Amazingly, it worked. He changed his diaper and got him completley changed from pjs to school clothes. I was impressed. Unfortunately, the flash woke him up in this picture.

MarioKart Champion

great weekend

My mom and dad came through this past weekend on their way to Florida. I always love when they come and wished that we lived closer so that Dennis could know them better. It was super fun this weekend though because Dennis warmed up to them more than he ever has before! He would go up to them just because he wanted to. Here Dennis kept moving up and down the couch trying out everyone's view of the TV. He chose to stop on grandma's. (I love this profile shot)

Dennis also went up to grandpa while he was resting on the couch and teased him a little.

LOVE this one.

Thanks for coming grandma and grandpa!

Design Hop

There is this group of ladies that I know from church that have a club called Design Hop. They go to eachother's houses and decorate a room. The founder of the group is Dana King who is a professional interior designer. This week they all came to my house to decorate my guest bedroom in the basement that needed help. Here are the before pictures:

They came over and shopped around my house for stuff and some gals brought things from their house that they weren't using anymore and we created this beautiful living space that is now the best room in my house.

Pictures don't do it justice. Thank you all! We did a great job.

MAGIC pass

We bought a year pass for the family to go to The Magic House, a children's museum in St. Louis. Dennis LOVES it and will be entertained for hours on end by a simple exhibit. When we went as a family on Saturday, It was Ryan and me that kept Dennis moving from room to room. It's so big--we at least wanted to see a good chunck. Above, Dennis is lifting himself up with daddy's help with a pully system. Below, they are attempting to make a bubble cage around them.

Here is a Lewis & Clark camp fire where Dennis is eating fish.

He also helped them paint a fence.

He had to say hello to the mice that live in their little house.

And, making music with a ball that rolls down the shelves.

We are so happy to be able to go there any time now and let Dennis just explore. Maybe next time I will let him just go at his pace.

names

When having a baby, picking out a name can be a daunting task. Is it too popular? Do I like others of that name? Is it a name? Will I get sick of it in 5 years- or 2 months? Will he get teased? ...and the list goes on. I am very happy that I decided that I would let Ryan name our first boy. If it were up to me, his name would have been Oliver or Henry. Oliver is just a little wierd and Henry is becoming too popular for my taste. Dennis is a perfect name for our little guy.

After picking out a name, my next task was to put wooden letters of his name above his crib... a project that just didn't get done. I finally was inspired enough to make a different kind of sign for Dennis- more of a banner. Inspiration came from that same friend that makes the reusable snack bags. My version of the banner isn't perfect but its cute.

and now I can say that that project is done!