Picture update

Seems like all I ever do is apologize for the lack of updates - but we've been busy!!! We've been enjoying a nice, relaxed stay in Bedford as we make our move from Germany to Chester. Today is our last day in Bedford and James will start class on Monday.

Kemper has been LOVING visiting with family, playing with grandparents, and all of the great outdoors time he's gotten. He's such an outdoor boy! And, he's a boy after Pops' heart - he LOVES all of the veggies from Pops' garden!! We've taken him out to the garden to help pick tomatoes, peaches and cucumbers and he's loved it. Last night, he ate 2 tomatoes straight off the vine and 3 peaches from the tree. If he sees any tomatoes on the dinner table, he refuses to eat anything but tomatoes, so we've had to start hiding the tomatoes til he's eaten other stuff. WOOHOO!! I will definitely not complain about that!

Ice cream with Mimi and Pops!

Yummy!

Kemper ate most of Mimi's cone

Think he likes it???

Ready for another bite!

Yummy ice cream!

Hug for Pops at his ballgame

Playing with Pops between innings

Hitchin' a ride

Hanging out with Daddy at the ballfield

Come back Pops!

Playing on the bleachers

Perfect seat for Kemper

Watchin' the game

Hehe - this cracks me up. He LOVES his rainboots and if he sees them, he HAS to wear them. So, for sprinkler time, diaper and rainboots it was!

I don't think Daddy and Uncle Allen would agree that this is proper golf attire.

Golf and sprinkler - does it get any better?

Helping Pops in the garden.

Let me do it!

I promise he liked the swings, this picture is just too funny though!

Going down the slide!

Reading the paper with Pops.

Lots of pictures

It's been awhile so I have lots of pictures to update.

We're officially living in hotel until we fly back to the States on Monday - what an interesting experience. Day 1, Kemper woke up at 5am and decided he was up for the day because the curtains let in quite a bit of light. Day 2, Kemper woke up at 4:45am and was up for the day. Thank goodness, day 3, he slept til 6 but only because at some point during the night, James put him in bed with us. I woke up around 4am to find James on his side, Kemper on my side, and my legs were hanging off the bed. I slid Kemper over and crawled back into bed just hoping we'd make it past 5am.

Anyhow, onto the pictures! :) Looking forward to seeing everyone soon. Thank goodness we won't have to cram visiting with everyone into a 2 week period like we have had to do in the past. It'll be nice to enjoy being back in the States without going around at a break-neck pace!

A beautiful view from our porch before we moved.

Kemper didn't want the movers to take all his toys.

I think he liked the living room with nothing but his toys in there!

He knows where the Schmidt's keep Gavin's bike - and he wanted to go for a ride.

Just hanging out.

Watch out Daddy, it's Kemper-zilla!

What our living room looked like after the first round of movers came.

Handsome boy!

If Kemper comes at you with this face and it appears he wants to eat you, have no fear, he just wants a kiss!

Aw, daddy kisses!

We took a weekend trip to Garmisch with hopes of getting to the Zugspitze for the view. However, like all of the other trips I've made to Garmisch hoping to see/make it to the top of the Zugspitze, the weather did not cooperate. Here's Kemper staring out our door...I think he was disappointed too! ;)

Kemper loves staying in hotel rooms - they're like a playground to him!

Caught with his mouth full.

Always trying to eat something - in this case, a sock. You'd think we don't feed him!

Still trying to eat the sock.

Riding Gavin's bike.

He LOVES the bike!

Daddy doing laps with Kemper in the Schmidt's backyard. James says he's going to be a race car driver because he only knows how to turn left. :)

Pit stop, trying to get the bell working!

Happy boy during bathtime!

Just relaxin'.

Playing peek-a-boo with Daddy!

Look a the fun new trick Daddy taught Kemper - how to drink from the bathroom faucet.

This kid LOVES bananas.

He would eat 5 a day if I let him.

First haircut!!

Kemper had his first haircut this morning - it probably doesn't look so dramatic to everyone else, but I think he looks so much like a little boy and not a baby now!!!

Our friend Jessica cut it at her house, and Kemper did pretty well! I kept him occupied with food the whole time, and towards the end, he started getting irritated that she was buzzing around his head, but she was very quick and it looks great! Enjoy the pictures!

Ready for his haircut

Not too sure about the water being squirted on his head

"Alright, keep handing me the food and everything will be okay."

Serious boy.

He kept lowering his head until he was pretty much bent in half.

Such a pitiful looking face!

Almost done!

Doing so well!!

Kissed from Auntie Kristin so Jess can get that last little bit!

All done!

Oops, taking a little more off the rattail.

Watching Lola clean up his crumbs.

This kid amazes us....

Seriously, this kid is (at least, we think he is) so smart and amazing!

1. With no prodding or instruction from James, Kemper picked up a folded up dirty diaper and walked it into his bedroom, went straight to the Diaper Genie, opened it up, put the diaper in and shut the lid. When asked to repeat with his diaper before bathtime, he did the same thing. Where in the world did he learn this?! I know he sees us put diapers in there all the time, but I never thought he was really paying attention because he's usually crawling around the bed while I put the diaper away. Crazy!

2. A few nights ago, I was taking him to bed after his bath and said "tell Daddy nite-nite!". This tiny little voice says, "nigh nigh". YAY Kemper!

3. Thanks to Mrs. Josee (who, oh my goodness, we miss like crazy at CDC. Our first day in his new, temporary room went ok, but the teacher was short and snippy with me because Kemper wouldn't nap. No kidding it's frustrating, I got that, but what can I do about it?!), Kemper can now tell us when he wants to eat, when he wants more, and when he's all done by using sign language. We had been half heartedly working on it with him at home, but he came home and is just signing away. How awesome is that?! Also, today, I think, *think* that he said "all done" but I can't be certain. I'm trying to get him to say it again.

4. He now knows where his ears and his belly are and will tell you how big he is (SOOOO BIG!) when asked.

5. We are only letting him have his paci in the car and in the bed. When he gets up from a nap, I walk with him over to the dresser where I have a basket that holds his pacis. I started out by telling him to please drop his paci in the basket and helped him put it in there. Now, I simply pick him up from the crib, he takes his paci out and holds his arm out until I walk him over to the basket where he promptly drops the paci.

6. He LOVES to dance and will dance on request. He doesn't need music - oh no, this boy can boogie! Also, today in the car, in a fit of desperation, I asked Kemper to sing to mommy and demonstrated by singing "la la la la la" to him. He was quiet for a moment, and then started singing "la ma da ba la". Haha, he cracks me up. I love that kid!

On a different note, we had our very first kicking and screaming temper tantrum this morning. After 10 straight minutes of him lying on the floor, beating his arms and legs on the ground, I picked him up and took him back to bed. He fussed for about 5 minutes before I went back into his room. It was like he totally forgot that he was mad at me, he smiled, put his paci in the basket and we went on with the rest of our morning. The tantrums crack me up for now. I'm sure as they continue and get more frequent, I won't find them as funny, but for now, I have to sit back and chuckle while he throws his fits. He's just too cute not to laugh!

Happy Mothers Day!!!!

Me and my sweetheart before heading to church

Stealin' kisses

His reaction to having to take another picture

My handsome men on Mothers Day morning

So sweet

And, some random pictures - last week was Teacher Appreciation Week and I've written before about Kemper's AMAZING teacher at CDC, Mrs. Josee. This coming Friday will be Mrs. Josee's last day before her family moves back to the States and we will really miss her. When I picked Kemper up Friday afternoon, I took her some warm, gooey brownies and a card to let her know just how much we appreciate everything she has done for us. She so graciously let me take a picture of her with Kemper and told me just how much she's going to miss Kemper and his "twin" (she calls Kemper and Gavin "the twins"). I'm so thankful that he has had such an amazing teacher and thankful for how at ease I was leaving him those first few weeks when he wasn't too sure of CDC.

Kemper with Mrs. Josee - he couldn't be bothered to finish his cracker after the picture.

Lounging with a bottle one afternoon. There must be something about this chair - first Pops, then Daddy, and now Kemper give in to the comfortable, soft recliner.