Wipes

I get a kick out of the messes our little Miles gets into. So it's ok with me that he usually pulls all the wipes out of the container whenever he gets his hands on them. We just shove the wipes back in until next time... Well, this time, while I wasn't really paying attention to what was truly going on, was a little different.

As each wipe was pulled out by his little fingers, he would put it to use and did...

THIS, and

THIS, and

THIS with it! Not to worry... we will not be reusing THESE wipes.

www.lukeandemrie.com

For those of you that didn't get my email,

we've got a new adoption website

http://www.lukeandemrie.com.

We are really excited to share this with you.

We hope that all of you will be adoption advocates and help us on our journey to find another member for our family.

Check it out, tell us what you think,

and pass it on!

Say goodbye to braceface!

It took two and a half years plus a 6 hour jaw surgery,

but Luke is finally braces-free!
He's gorgeous!

He comes waltzing in the door after his appointment smiling his usual huge grin, gives me a hug, and says

"mine are straighter than yours!"

It's true!

I can't believe how fabulous his mouth looks. Thank goodness Miles still recognized his dad even though he's never seen Luke without the metal in his mouth. I'm a lucky girl...

What do you say?

He is so cheeky! We're trying very hard to mold Miles into a polite little boy, and he's really catching on. When he ... um... burps (accidentally of course), we've let him know he needs to say "pardon me." He's gotten very good at this, though now, right after his little burp, he quickly says, "What do you say?" pauses then "pardon me." Oh my goodness, it is the cutest thing. We try so hard not to laugh since we don't want him thinking burping is funny, but could you hold back after hearing that gorgeous response? Love it!

Cousins

Miles and I spent last week in Utah with my brother and sister-in-law, Xiaojun, and their three kids, Noel, Brickman, and Lincoln. I am so mad at myself for not taking a picture of 2 month old Lincoln. He is so tiny and easy-going with great big dark eyes. He's wearing some of Miles's old infant clothes which makes me very sentimental and even more needy for a baby. At 3 years old, Noel couldn't get enough of Miles and wanted to hold his hand or hug him all the time. It took about two days for them to reach an agreement about how much she could cling to him and then they were friends. Poor little Brickman was getting over a sickness, so Miles and he waited until the last few hours of our visit to start playing with one another. They'll be good buddies next time.

I have to thank Xiaojun for her friendship and for being such a great sister. I find it hard to open up sometimes about how I'm feeling especially about searching for another addition to our family, but she's always there for me and so supportive. She knows just what to ask and what to say. Thanks for a great week! Her kids are amazing and cute and never sit still. She's such a great, patient, loving mother.

See Noel in the very back? So sweet! Love it!

Taylor

Happy 17th birthday Taylor!

This is my brother with his lovely prom date, Margo. Taylor is a fantastic tennis player, loves math (like me) and is destined to be the tallest Jones boy :) Yes, even taller than Richard. We love you Taylor!

Reunited...

I let Miles open the package... He squealed with delight to have his "piggy" back. We forgot it in the mess of blankets and pillows in the hotel we stayed in Flagstaff last week. Housekeeping found it and luckily sent it back to us.
It's good to have the favorite pink animal back :)
Miles and his best buddy Caleb.
All they need is a hose and bucket to have fun all day!

Too much fun...

I've tried and tried to get Miles to wear goggles, but he would never allow the eye protection anywhere near his head... My 10 year old twin brothers come for a visit and suddenly wearing goggles becomes the cool thing to do. Love it!
Let me introduce you to my brother, Timothy. He's here to work and live with us for the summer.
We are so happy to have him!
My beautiful niece, Ashlynn, paused long enough to pose for a photo.
It has taken them 2 years, but Ellyce and Miles are finally friends! The cousins just didn't hit it off mostly because they were after the same toy or Miles preferred to play with Ashlynn. Now they run around the house playing chase, singing, and bouncing off the walls.