Picture Update

Last weekend Lydia had her first taste of sweetcorn. We just let her chew on the cob :)

Ike and Carissa came home for a visit. YEAH!
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Lydia says, "I Love the MN State Fair"...

I get carried all day

my family loves to stay all day

at the end of the day we always get Sweet Martha Cookies and Milk. Maybe next year mommy won't take the cookie away after the picture and I can actually eat it.

Mommy's college roommates came to see me

Daddy and Mommy went on the space needle. A first for mommy.

And best of all I got to try some of their food, like this yummy shake from the Dairy Bar.

Going for the Gold

As Lydia sleeps and Charlie cuts hay tonight, I am enjoying the 2008 Summer Olympics. For as long as I can remember I have been an Olympic FANATIC!! This summer has been no different as the TV has been on each evening since the opening ceremony and we have stayed up late each night to watch all the major events. The following is my account of the “Olympics” at the Yost household.

Lydia has been training for a medal in the observation, sitting, rolling, and teething competitions. So far I think she will win the Gold! in the observation event. My mom commented today after watching Lydia for the afternoon, Charlie and I enjoyed a trip to the lake, that Lydia was so intent on looking at her earrings and even gently touched them to see that they felt like. The video clip that I have included shows Lydia on all 4s, but also eagerly watching Piper, our cat. Her daycare lady has also commented on how much Lydia enjoys watching the kids and being outdoors looking at her surroundings. Currently she is winning the Bronze medal for sitting, but with more practice may be able to move up in the medal placing. Definitely a Gold medal placing in the rolling competition as she rolls all over and uses rolling as her mode of transportation since she has yet to master the skill of crawling (her rocking on all 4s could be a crowd pleaser as you can see in the video clip). And best of all is her degree of difficulty coming into the teething contest with aunts and uncles all preceding her with early teeth eruption. Our own little Olympian now has a record 6 teeth at 6 months.

I hope you enjoyed the Olympic Zone and please check back next week for the State Fair Report.

Six Months Already!!

This past week we spent much of our time at the County Fair. Lydia enjoyed seeing the animals, watching Auntie Amanda perform Grease with the 4-H Arts In group, and dancing with mommy to the polka band. Our God Daughter, Paige, came up for the weekend and really enjoyed that fair as well. Her favorite was going on the rides! Can you believe it costs $3 per ride? Charlie and I both enjoyed an evening watching the demolition derby too. I watched the girls, including Kyla, on Friday night while Charlie helped in the pit crew for Jen. Charlie watched the girls on Saturday night so I could go see the demo with my friend Krisha. It was nice for both of us to get a night out and catch up with friends.

Lydia turned 6 months old on Friday. She weighed 14# 5 oz. at her check-up. The doctor said she looks good, but still has a heart murmur. If it is still there at her 9 month check up she may need an EKG. So please pray that the murmur goes away and isn’t anything serious.

Last week at daycare she really enjoyed watching the kids, taking walks, and going in the pool. It is really nice to see that she is enjoying it!

Yesterday we took her in for pictures and she did great. It was so hard to choose just a couple poses because they were all so cute. We brought along her blanket and favorite toy, Mr. Moose, for a couple of the shots and they were super cute with her eating them like she does at home. We also had a second outfit that was very colorful and the photographer used gerbera daisies in those shots which was adorable. While taking the pictures she was sitting up for a little bit and then last night at home she sat without someone holding her. Her balance isn’t real great, but she’s working on it.

Lydia has now cut 5 teeth and is working on number 6. It must be painful because it took me 2 ½ hours to get her down for her morning nap. Hopefully she will sleep good and won’t be too crabby this afternoon.


Hanging out at the County Fair

Is It Really August Already?

Happy August!! I can’t get over how fast the summer has gone. Though it has been enjoyable, it has not been long enough. Well, we are back to the grind stone and Lydia is getting into a routine for daycare. She started yesterday with a wonderfully patient and caring daycare provider named Laura. Charlie and I dropped her off together which helped and just knowing that she is in good hands helps too. I spent the day at school starting to think about the many tasks to accomplish before the first day of school. It will be nice to get into a better routine because summer fun has proved to make that a challenge for me and Charlie. We enjoy being out and about far too much which in turn causes Lydia to tag along. She is such a trooper and it has been fun going to the pool, hanging out with friends, playing softball, working in the vineyard, and much more, but now is the time to start getting to bed earlier and rising earlier. I am not so excited about either because I have gotten into the habit of staying up late and sleeping in, as many of you already knowJ. I may sound pessimistic about the end of the summer, but right now I am not all that thrilled about being away from my little girl everyday. As the excitement of my new class and the everyday routine of teaching come more into focus, I am sure that it will not be dreaded as much as it is now.

On a happier note, last week our family got to spend time with my uncle Shawn, who is stationed in Belgium until next summer. He and his family are excited to move to Saint Peter and be close to family. His trip was in an attempt to find a house. Hopefully one of the 12 houses he looked at will suit the family. Many late nights were spent talking and enjoying one another’s company. While we gathered for our typical farewell pizza party on Saturday night, Lydia played under the table and was passed among the great aunts and uncles. She also enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with my two cousins.

This past week Lydia has started getting onto all fours and still LOVES to roll around. We have been feeding her squash and just started mixing some of our homemade applesauce with oatmeal. She really enjoys eating and even helps sometimes with the spoon.