Just this month Silas has finally started calling me “Mommy.” It makes my heart smile. This current phase is so much fun. He’s in the middle of a word explosion, and we are constantly amazed at the new words he says that we haven’t taught him. His comprehension is rapidly expanding too. We love seeing how his mind works.

Silas has been given so many cars and trucks. He learned the word “bus,” so now every large vehicle he sees is a bus.
Stephen had just as much fun as Silas when they made mud!Watching him play in the sandy dirt reminded me of the pictures of my sister and me playing in the sand of Pop-pop’s lane.

Stephen requested a sugar cream pie instead of birthday cake.We celebrated 6 years of marriage on August 4th. I’m 22 weeks along in this pic.The kitchen chairs are Silas’s newest jungle gym.Trips to the bank or the store are a lot more fun when cookies are part of the deal. He can say “cookie” quite clearly, and will keep on saying it until the promised cookie arrives in his hand!“Elmo” is one of Bitty Boy’s newest words.Playing with new friends and new toys at the library is always a hit!Somebody found the ruby slippers. Silas is fascinated with shoes.It took me a while to pull out the wading pool, but I’m glad I did. Silas begs to go in the pool.

These next few pics are significant because it was the first time we had walked to the mailbox in months due to the heat. That day was a rare overcast day, so it was bearable to be outside for a little while.Silas is does a great job of staying on the sidewalk.We love getting REAL mail (not just the junk stuff).Fun in the church nursery…As I look at these pictures, I realize how very few pics I take of Stephen or me. Of course since I’m always behind the camera, pictures of me are planned and posed rather than candid. I’ll have to start having Stephen take some pictures of me with Silas. I want to remember how we interacted together.

This little guy has started helping me unload the bottom rack of the dishwasher. He hands the dishes to me–one piece at a time–and I put them away. Now when he sees me opening the dishwasher he says, “Hep,” asking if he can help me.

Silas helps clean up his toys at the end of the day.Then we have a snack and (some nights) a bath. After bath comes teeth brushing time–a favorite.In fact, Silas had his first visit to the dentist this month. I thought we could just help him get comfortable with the dentist, but the office was so much fun that he laid still enough for an entire cleaning!

After bath, Daddy puts on Bitty Boy’s jammies and talks about puppies and the animals on the nursery pictures.Finally we read a bedtime story and pray before bed. We recently bought the Big Picture Story Bible for Silas. At first, I thought the title was referring to the full-page pictures in the book, but after reading it, I found that the book is told in such a way that it gives the big picture of the Bible. Jesus as the “Forever King” is the emphasis of each story. Rather than telling seemingly disconnected stories of Jonah, Noah, Moses, David, Daniel, and such, this Bible storybook centers everything on Jesus. In fact, many of the well-known Bible characters are hardly mentioned in the book. I’ve never heard the Bible stories presented in this way before. Although it’s a kids’ book, I’ve learned a lot from it already! It’s now one of my favorites.

It’s hard to believe we’re already  halfway through August, but that means we’re just a little closer to fall! Last night we had a thunderstorm that rained torrents. Stephen and I stood on the front porch watching all the beautiful water. Maybe the end of summer isn’t as far off as I was thinking?