Lewis' birthday + hopscotch

June 28 was Lewis' birthday.  He turned 6 years old!  It was a fun day and he was crazy excited when we sang "Happy Birthday" just for him!  This was the look on his face while we sang.  It cracked me up.

We had a party with my side of the family a couple days later.  Hopscotch had a free day that same day so we went in the morning to let the kids run around and not get so hot. Phoebe loved the babies.

 Owen tried on a variety of costumes.

 Lewis as super woman.

 Phoebe with a hard hat on.

Lewis was into ninjas at the time, so we had ninja cupcakes, with ninja masks.

 The boys while we sang.

Despite a heat index of 106 or something crazy, Owen insisted on wearing his new jacket outside for a while.  Thankfully he didn't pass out, and a good time was had by all.

Phoebe update: 15 month stats

So, Phoebe is now 16 1/2 months, but we are a bit behind in the Shepherd fam.  Her stats at 15 months were:

Weight: 24 lbs.
Height: 31.6"

She was still way up there in percentiles, but leveling off.  She got one shot, and for the first time ever, we were told that she was AHEAD developmentally! She's saying a lot of words and getting around really well, so he was really pleased with her progress.  I love Dr. Kniery because he goes through a developmental checklist at each appointment to see if there is anything to be concerned about.  Aside from not liking milk, she's doing well. And we're still nursing, so she's getting what she needs, but it would be great if she drank a little more of the white stuff.

 She loves her funny teapot with the crazy fake British accent.

 She also likes coloring.  She enjoys eating crayons as well, but does actually color too.

Phoebe still LOVES yogurt.  I still make it every couple of weeks and it is plain, whole fat, but really creamy.  She is able to feed herself now some.  We take turns giving her bites, and letting her get a bit herself.  This was one of her first attempts.  She kept putting the wrong end of the spoon in and then gave up and tried drinking it herself.  So silly!

 Here's a video:

On July 26, Phoebe was baptized at our church, Grace & Peace Presbyterian. We went into an explanation of infant baptism when the boys were baptized, and to read that CLICK HERE. We took this photo later that afternoon, and I posted it on Instagram with the caption, "The joy of being a covenant child" (or something like that).  She is truly a joy, and we were delighted to show outwardly our faith that the Lord will bring her to Himself down the road.  For now, she falls under God's covenant with us, her parents. 

Our kids all got into dressing up this summer.  There will be many more photos posted of them in a variety of costumes.  Phoebe enjoyed several, but this was a funny one!

Here's Phoebe dancing:



And a couple of Phoebe going down slides: