Fourth of July - in June

There was an early Fourth of July celebration at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park today, and we figured that it could be our only chance to participate in one this year. So we jumped right into it, as you can see.

We ate a picnic dinner that Mom prepared, Levynn bounced in an inflatable a couple times, she had her face painted (with a butterfly on the left cheek and a balloon on the right cheek), and she "rode" in a helicopter. There also was a little concert that we were able to hear as we walked around.

Of course, we left long before the fireworks. Levynn was asleep in her bed before the first ones were shot into the sky. Maybe another year.

Afternoon at the park

Overdue No. 2

It's one thing to procrastinate, which Mom is good at doing. But it's another thing altogether to completely blow deadline!

Six years ago, when Dad was blowing deadlines in Danville without a care in the world, Mom could have guessed their kids would take after him. And here we are.

So, in lieu of a timely delivery, Mom and Levynn spent part of the day baking cookies. Lev then spent another 30 minutes "washing" dishes.

Overheard III

Full disclosure: we recreated this picture at home after a funny thing happened earlier today:

At the baby doctor, (no news, really) Levynn was in Dad's lap and they were looking in the mirror on the back of the door. She said to him "show your head, Dad," so he bent over a little showing the top of his head. And then Levynn said something to the effect of, "I have to do this to make my head stick out like yours," and she proceeded to use her hands to pull her bangs straight back, showing her shiny forehead, much like Dad's. He laughed inappropriately loudly in the ob-gyn exam room. Now maybe Mom sees a little resemblance between her child and Dad.

Take me out to the ballgame

A nice nap in the afternoon let us all stay up late for a Bats baseball game at Slugger Field downtown. Temperature was very nice and everything was good until the rain delay in the 9th inning at 8 p.m. We'd promised Levynn she could run the bases with the other kids after the game so we waited it out, only to be disappointed that they didn't allow it after all. Levynn just said we'd have to do it next time. What a nice, patient girl.

Must be summer

Levynn's first slice of watermelon after Mom's last day in the office.

Overheard II

One more for tonight:

Granddaddy was playing with his phone this morning trying to take a picture of Levynn while she was eating breakfast.

He was having a hard time and Levynn said, "I'll let Granddaddy have one more try, then I'll be all done smiling."

A little progress

"Please tell me you're starting to have some contractions or something," said the baby doctor.

"No such luck, really," Mom said.

But without getting too graphic, the doctor told Mom today that she was closer to having the baby than she was last week (always good to hear). Next appointment on Tuesday. Maybe getting close; due date is Thursday, after all.

Big and brave

Today' Lev had her checkup. She weighed 28 lbs. and is 3 feet tall. She got a little blood taken and had a shot, all with no tears. "I'm so brave!" said Levynn, displaying the "pokes" to her finger and leg.

Happy birthday to you

This was, roughly, the sixth time Levynn heard "Happy Birthday to You" sung to her today. But it's only appropriate because the song originated in Louisville.

The red lollipop cake was a success, and the vanilla ice cream topped it off. The only problem is that she's still awake at 10 p.m.!

Oh, and Mom didn't realize Dad was filming instead of taking snapshots, hence her pointed looks toward the camera. Chalk that up to another - and, in this case, spontaneous - Dad project.

Cake and ice cream at 3

Levynn still has a little leftover pizza on her face, but she was ready to dig right in to the treats after supper. We had a big afternoon opening presents from far and wide, playing and enjoying the day. More to come ...

The icing on the cake

Look who's hard at work, trying to cover a chocolate cake with white frosting - at Dad's request, she says. Dad says he was merely interpreting the birthday girl's wish. Either way, Mom's hard work created a great baked good that would make even Martha proud.

Birthdays

June 23, 2004. Dad says, "I look younger." So does Lev!




June 19, 2005. This one is saved as "peek." She played and played on the ramp to the cabin.




June 17, 2006. Let her eat cake!

Happy Father's Day

We just wanted to send a personal message to all of the fathers.

Admittedly, this is another Dad project. Levynn's a little distracted by her piece of paper, which is a coupon from Baskin Robbins, and Mom is hot and tired after our long walk to that fine ice cream parlor down the street. But we hope you enjoy this anyway.

First swim of the season

How many times today did Levynn say, "I'm so excited to go swimming!" Bunches. It was another 90-degree day so we headed to the deck to cool off this afternoon. Mom dipped in her swollen feet while Dad stayed in socks and sneakers, reading about "how to make his Web site (www.beyondthederby.com) the best ever."

Overheard

This morning we were putting new sheets on Levynn's bed and she said she wanted to "put the pants on this pillow," and she set to work putting the pillowcase on. It was quite an effort for her and she did great. This picture is from a few nights ago, a really sleepy girl who we found with the book over her face.

Sharing photos

We're working with a site called Picasa to post more pictures than you can see here. Picasa also lets you place orders through another photo service for any of the pictures that you want so you can have your own prints. Here is the link to the site with our albums. We'll be adding more, so check back.
http://picasaweb.google.com/chambersjournal

New dancewear

The trip to find the required dancewear was a success! Pink leotard: check. Pink ballet slippers: check. One happy dancing girl: double check.
Click on the picture and then click play to see a slideshow of Levynn modeling it all.

A Day at the Ballet

The Louisville Ballet is conducting a summer camp of ballet classes for little girls. Today Dad and Levynn went to the first session's performance to check it out and gauge Lev's interest in the class for herself. She wants to do it! The picture shows her peeking into another class afterward and she was ready to hop in there with them.

The adventure for the weekend will be picking out "one of those funny suits" (leotard) and a pair of ballet shoes for her. The class will run four days in July.

Not yet

Mom had her 38-week doctor's appointment today, and there is no imminent progress to report. The doctor said the heartbeat sounded perfect, size looked perfect, but it otherwise doesn't look like Baby is coming tonight.

Today is the Army's birthday, and Mom poured 2-liters of Coke to more than 300 at Fort Knox. It was really hot, but a cold rag on the forehead after she came in made it better.

Wednesday afternoon in the front yard

During Dad and Levynn's weekly trek to the library for storytime, we were surprised with this newly-added reward - a yard sign - for completing the summer reading program. And she's showing it off and keeping cool in her new dress from Grandy.

Levynn poses for Dad while he plays with his new camera. That's really what all these photos are about anyway, right?

Here is our self-portrait, inspired by The Toddler.

Mom comes home from work at 38 weeks (95 percent).