6 months!

I'm 6 months old now!  Half a year has already gone by and I'm adjusting well to being in this crazy family of mine.  I actually turned 6 months while I was in South Dakota, so I went to see the doctor there for my check-up.  I shot up in height from 23 to 25 inches which puts me in the 25%.  My weight however didn't increase too much.  I went from 11 pounds 6 oz to 11 pounds 15 oz, completely falling off the growth curve.  So my mission for the next month is to eat, eat, eat and put on the pounds!  I'll check in next month and let you know how it's going.  

Even though I'm not real big, I'm still a pretty happy baby.  I'm rolling all over the place now and can't be left on my own too much anymore.  I like any toy that I can put in my mouth and chew on...and if you get close to me, you are probably going to be wet.  I'm a drooler for sure.  No teeth showing yet, but I think they are on their way.  I'm also pretty enthralled by my big sister Ella.  If she is in the room my eyes are usually on her and I think everything she does is hilarious.  

Here are some highlights of the past month for you to enjoy.  

Being small has it's advantaged...I can still take my baths in the kitchen sink!

Toweling off is my favorite part of bath time.  

I started rice cereal...not too bad.

I also started zapallo...kind of like squash.  My parents found out quickly that I'm going to be a messy eater!

Hangin' out with my Daddy on Father's Day.

LOVE playing with my big sister.  

I'm growing into some new toys.  

I'm continuing to develop my silly personality.

Firsts!

Last month was my first trip to America.  I did a great job on the all my flights.  It wasn't my first time flying, in fact it was my 4th trip via air.  But it was my first plane ride over 45 min long, so my parents weren't real sure how I would do.  I seem to be adjusting to my family of seasoned travelers.  

I really enjoyed being in America for my first time.  I actually experienced a lot of firsts while I was on my trip.  

• My first 4th of July...glad I was in America for that!

• My first summer!  I got to wear a bunch of cute sun dresses!

• My first time meeting a bunch of family members!

Hangin' with my Uncle Dan

Me and my Great Grandma

• I went to my first wedding.  Congrats Cousin Billy and Kara!

• I went to my first Teener Baseball game.  Cousin Logan's team won!

Watching the game with Brady.

• I went to the dam on the South Dakota/Nebraska boarder, which was opened the most it's ever been.  There was more water rushing over the dam than Niagara Falls.  It was quite the sight!

Visit to the Dam

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa in South Dakota!

After visiting my Uncle Dan and Aunt Katie in Minnesota, we took a short flight to stay with my Grandma and Grandpa in South Dakota!  We had a really fun time staying with them, and enjoying a South Dakota summer.  

I liked helping Grandma water her flowers

It didn't take long for me to make myself comfortable at their house.   Who knew that the clothes basket really was the best seat in the house?

Grandpa was a great sport and played with me a lot!

There are a lot of kids that live in the neighborhood.  One morning this two-year old boy picked me up in his jeep and we went riding around.  SO COOL!

We took a 6 hour drive to Dubuque IA, for cousin Billy's wedding.  I did awesome in the car.

I got to dance with "Prince Billy"...

...and with "princess Kara"

After the wedding, we drove to my Mom's Aunt Patty and Uncle Dave's lake cabin to celebrate the 4th of July.  I got to go on m first jet ski ride.  I'm hooked!

Aunt Patty also took me kayaking.  It was fun, but not as fast as the jet ski!

We had so much fun!  I got to see almost my whole family on the Mach side while we were at the wedding.  I also got to spend time with my Mom's aunt Amy and her family.  Logan played with me for a whole day while my Mom went shopping.  Thanks Amy, Logan and Brady for showing me such a good time!

Trip to Minnesota!

A few weeks ago I got to go on a trip to America with my Mom and sister while my Dad was traveling for work.  Our first stop was my Uncle Dan and Aunt Katie's house.  This was the first time being in their new home that they built.  I had a great time bonding with them and it was SO much fun.  

We did a lot of fun things together.  We went to the zoo...and guess what they have at their zoo.  A whole amusement park for kids.  So we looked at a few animals really fast and then I spent the rest of the  day ridding all the fun rides. 

Thanks Uncle Dan for buying me an unlimited ride ticket!

First ride - Aladdin!

I was pretending to be a princess on the horse ride.

The big swing was one of my favorites.

But my favorite ride was the Frog Hopper...I  just kept getting back in line.  I think I rode this one 15 times in a row!

We also had a good time just hanging out at Uncle Dan and Aunt Katie's house.  We enjoyed a lot of fun summer time activities.

Aunt Katie bought this cool pool to use when we come to her house!

One night we even roasted marsh mellows by the pond in their backyard.

Before

mid-roast

After...I think we ended up giving these to the geese.

Aunt Katie also took me shopping and bought me some really cute clothes.  She always picks out really cute outfits for me.  (Like my Tutu skirt that I'm wearing in the above pictures.)

Thanks Aunt Katie!

5 months old!

I'm 5 months old now!  I just had my check-up last week and I'm now 11 lbs, 9 oz. (3rd%) and 23.6 inches long (5th%).  Of course my doctor is a bit concerned about my weight, but I keep growing "poco a poco" (little by little.)  at my own pace.  My eyes are still blue but they might be changing just a little to green, just like my Mommy.  Speaking of my Mommy, I really like here and can't imagine a better place to be than in her arms.  I'm good at letting her know that's where I want to be!  I've mastered rolling over from my front to back and will roll from my back to front when I feel like it.  A couple weeks ago I caught a little cold and my coughing kept waking me up several times a night.  So now, I'm trying to get back on the routine of sleeping through the night.  My parents are really excited for me to do that!  Here are some other highlights of the month!

Hangin' out with my Sister, one of my favorite people!

  

I've mastered my Bumbo Seat!

Watching movies with my big sister.

My new task...mastering the Johnny Jump-Up.  This smile on my face was short-lived!

Learning about all the Barbies!

Still enjoying pj time with Ella

25 De Mayo Celebrations!

The month of May is really special in Bolivia.  The 25th marks independence day and the entire week leading up to this day there are all kinds of special celebrations.  We did lots of fun things in my school.  One day we had a special dance program.  One of the dances that is done in this part of Bolivia is the Pujllay dance.  The word Pujllay is from the Quechua language and it means "to play" or "to dance".  When you perform this dance you are to dress up in bright colors.  Below are a bunch of pictures of me doing (a 4 year old version) of the Pujllay dance.  It was really fun! 

Feet!

I have discovered my feet...and I LOVE them!  I think there could be a lot of use for these things on the ends of our legs.  But I think I know the best way...check out my step by step instructions below.

First, make sure you get those socks off...

See?  Sock free!

Next, get 'em up real close to you mouth...(don't they look good?)

And put them right in your mouth!  So Tasty!

Now I just need to figure out these footed jammies...