More Vacationing!

Well, last week it was the Riesgraf side, this week it was the Sprengeler side. Both sets of grandparents took us in this summer to their respective Lake Villas. Grandma and Grandpa Sprengeler rented a cabin up in Park Rapids for a week, and it was loads of fun for all. (except the three and a half hours in the car to get there.....)

Am I a bad parent for investing in a portable DVD player for car trips? Julia is glued to the thing when we drive....she is going to need a twelve step program one of these days...

Anyways, we spent the week with grandparents and aunties and uncles that spoil the nieces/granddaughters. So, this week will be spent trying to get our children back from the "I AM SO CUTE THAT YOU"LL DO OR GET ANYTHING FOR ME, RIGHT?" stage. Ahhhh parenthood. Life is grand!

Here is Julia after she came out of the bedroom holding the camera. I knew she was up to something...it was too quiet for too long. Her dirty fingers found the lens. Notice the blur. Here's a picture of strawberries bought at a roadside stand. mmmmm. They didn't last very long.
Here is a picture of papa and miss Mary. She has earned herself the nickname, Mayday Mary. When you are holding her and you hear the sound of "liquid," your prompt response is, "MAYDAY, MAYDAY..." Let me explain: this child doesn't do anything half-arsed. She goes all day without pooping, and then blasts a dookie so huge that it comes out all ends of her diaper, through her clothes, and then comes dripping out onto your lap....all in a matter of about two seconds. I have learned to feed her over a changing pad.

This photo is illustrating her other talent: projectile vomiting. (I think she is trying out for the sequel to the exorcist...) She is NOT a "spitty" baby, never drools, never spits little bits after every feeding, no reflux....BUT...if you feed her a teeny bit too much, then watch out. Every couple of days, you'll be feeding her...and she has this cute little content look on her face and you get real close and try and give her a kiss...and then breast milk comes flying out of her tiny little mouth at MACH THREE. And there's a LOT of it. It spews out all over everything...the velocity and momentum of the partially-digested breast milk have made it on the walls, the ceiling, the bedspread, the lamps, the CD player, MOMMY's CLOSET, oh you know.....few things in our house have been spared the wrath of the spew.


above: another one of those oops pictures that I couldn't delete.
Below: grandma Ruth with Mary
A beautiful sunset over the lake. Mike took this picture...I was probably either drinking a margarita or cleaning up Mary's latest project.
Julia, who never puked when she was little and always pooped a little bit in every diaper as an infant.....is enjoying her favorite food: corn. Take a good look at her plate. YES, she ate all of that corn before this cob. I believe there is one whole cob and three halves sitting there, all devoured. I don't know where she puts it all...
I think everybody else got one ear because Miss Julia was pounding the rest of our feast.
Here is Julia roasting marshmallows for smores. She is very particular about things....she won't let you hold her stick and she will hold it there until SHE decides they are done. I think she's gonna be a cook like her mommy.
Evidence of a smore attack.