Walking and Rolling

On Monday night, the Shepherd Family invited us over to hang out. We ate a delicious dinner, watched Lewis perfect his walking skills, watched Simon continue his rolling adventures, and talked about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Thanks to Justin, Shelley, and Lewis for a fun night! Below are a couple of pics from the evening.

While the grown-ups ate dinner, Simon and Lewis played in the floor together.















We took a moment to have a mother-son pic.

Let's Roll!

Lately, Simon has been rolling EVERYWHERE. If you look at the picture below, he started out in front of the orange chair in his room. He rolled all the way out into the hallway.














Here, he takes a break from rolling to play with his rattle.














Here is a video of one of his rolling sprees. We love seeing him make his way around. However, with this new development, we think we've seen just a small glimpse into the future. You don't realize how many "danger zones" are in your house until little ones start becoming mobile. :)

VBS: Moses and Bob Marley

"EXODUS! Movement of Jah People!" ~Bob Marley, "Exodus," 1977.

That was the theme of our Vacation Bible School at our church. Actually, it was Moses and the Exodus of the Hebrew slaves, but Bob's music and lyrics were very appropriate. Themes for the week included: following our leader (God), leading by example (Christ), and listening to God (like Moses did). The overarching theme was "trailblazing." So, most of the crafts and lesson illustrations were about hiking and being on a journey. Laurie and I taught the 7-8 year kids. One never knows just how much sinks in, but I was pretty impressed with the quality of their recap of Moses' story and the Exodus on our last night.

Each night began with dinner and Bob Marley's Exodus album playing in the background. Then, three classes of kids rotated between crafts, lesson, and games. Each night, we ended with a reflection time from our pastor. His theme was staying on the path God has for us and not chasing "snipe" (read: distractions like wealth, selfishness, pride, busy-ness, etc.) along our path. If you don't know about snipe, ask me to take you on a snipe hunt soon. :)

Anyway, it was lots of fun and we got to meet a lot of new kids. Some pics:

Simon with Ms. Jean.

Laurie and Jennifer (a girl from our class) having fun.














Simon and family friend Sarah Miles watch the kids play basketball in the church parking lot.














Our entire VBS crew. Simon is first from the left in the back row.

Harry Potter and the 5K

Nana B and Granddaddy graciously agreed to keep Simon on Friday night while Cort and I went to dinner and to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Below is a picture of Simon and Granddaddy playing ball.

On Saturday, Cort and I both ran in the Magnolia 5k at Rough River Dam State Resort Park. (Thanks to YaYa and Papa, who watched with Simon from the finish line.) Cort finished 5th overall. This being my first 5k since having Simon, my goal was to finish (which I did!). Below, Simon meets Ike (dog of Cort's running buddy). Ike is a runner himself -- he's been known to run 20 miles at a time!

After the 5k, we headed to Cort's Aunt Penny's house for her birthday celebration.

It was warm and sunny outside, but was actually quite pleasant for a day in July. Simon sported his hat to keep from getting sunburned.

Simon played with YaYa under a big shade tree.

Today, Simon helped me fold some clothes.

Bend It Like Simon

Here are some pictures from this weekend.

Simon sports his new soccer outfit, courtesy of Uncle David on his recent trip overseas. Watch out, Beckham!




















Simon met some family friends, Butch and Linda Campbell.














He also saw his Great Uncle Jimmy and Great Aunt Nanette while they were in town.















Granddaddy gives Simon some tips about being on squirrel patrol.















On Saturday, high school friend Amber (Miller) Harlow and her husband Luke, invited us and the Boyer family over for a swim and cookout. They were visiting from Texas.














After a swim, a burger, and some homemade strawberry ice cream, Grace and Simon crashed on the couch.















The Bashams, the Harlows, the Boyers.














Simon takes a break from chewing his soapy rubber duckie to smile for Mom and Dad.

Time to Chew

Recently, Simon has decided to chew on anything and everything in sight.

From the tv remote . . .















. . . to his own personal cup made especially for him by Kacie Rountree at our church's Progressive Dinner.














We could tell he was worn out when he fell asleep with his rattle in his mouth.














He also had his first play date with little Maddie Denney, who is 3 months younger than Simon.















To celebrate Independence Day, we went to see YaYa and PaPa during the day, and came back in time to grill out with friends and watch great fireworks at WKU. Here is our family pic in front of Hugh-Poland Hall (former home of both Cortney and Laurie).















Tonight, Simon took his first ride in his stroller without his carseat. He really liked it, and even propped his feet up on the tray as he enjoyed the ride.

6-month Checkup

Simon had his 6-month checkup this morning, and we are happy to report that everything looks great. He passed all of his developmental markers and his vital stats are as follows:

Length: 26 3/4 inches
Weight: 17 lbs, 2 oz
Head: 18 inches (46.5 cm)

His length and weight were very close to the middle for a kid his age (both between 50-55th percentile), but the dual workings of the oversized Vance and Basham craniums are undeniable: 90th percentile! So, if you are knitting a cap for Simon this winter, add a few extra rows.

He seems to be happy and healthy, and we thank God for that. Also, for the first time, we did not bombard our doc with "first time parent" questions. We had a couple, but no typed lists this time. :)