Today we celebrated my brother Scott's 20th birthday with a family party at my parents. Well, his birthday is actually on Tuesday, but today is the day that worked to get everyone together. We had a special time...I'm so thankful to have such a great brother!

Joel enjoyed some fun time with his grandpa this afternoon.

Happy birthday Scott...we love you!
Joel eating his slice of watermelon at lunch. :)

This little man absolutely LOVES bathtime. Justin snapped a couple adorable photos of him this morning as he played in the bubbles!

I was at Trader Joes last night picking up some YUMMY grean beans (if you haven't ever had TJ grean beans, they are delicious!), and the check out man gave Joel his very own little balloon and attached it to his wrist. He was entranced during the ride home and for a good bit of time after we arrived home. He is discovering that life is so exciting. :)

First Tooth

Here's some cute pics from the CA State Fair. It was a family tradition of my (Katelyn) family growing up which I absolutely LOVED! So...to help us begin our own family memories, my parents gave us tickets for my birthday. We had a blast looking at all the animals and watching some of the shows. Joel stayed awake for the entire afternoon and evening, taking everything in.

"What is that funny looking thing, Dad?"

Our little family :)

our adorable little man!

Joel also cut his first tooth last week. After a couple days of mothering a VERY fussy baby, we rejoiced greatly to feel the little tooth break through! He's growing so fast! Below he is knawing on some frozen fruit.

Amy Copeland Photography

Our friend Amy took some pictures while she and her husband Nate graciously hosted us during our Chicago missions trip in July. I had no idea until last week, when she surprised us with an email of photos! She does amazing work! These are just a couple from an album. If you want to see the rest, check out http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/goHSjuaM/1/4289129.

Also, if you live in the Chicagoland area, check out her website below!

http://amyhearn.com/index2.php#/home/.

Joel's Amusements

Summer Days

Here's Joel hanging out in his little "throne." :)

The past couple days have been full of girl fun. Andrea and Arely came over Friday night for a sleepover before they head back to college. We has lots of fun making pizza, doing nails, watching a movie and making a late night run to Starbucks. I sure miss these girls when they are gone!
Yesenia also came over and we made and decorated cupcakes. We put our creativity to work as we mixed colors and made patterns. It's amazing how therapeutic it is to do things with your hands!

Our Work Table

The Finished Products

More pictures of our little guy

Here is Joel after he fell out of the bouncy seat . . . it's more fun to fall out of it than to bounce in it :)

This is Joel & Peyton . . . he doesn't realize that girls have cuties. However, one day - it will kick in.

Joel enjoyed being in his jolly jumper, even at Family Camp. I'm sure it wasn't "code" to hang him from a tree, but Joel didn't mind.

He spent an hour and half one day in his turtle. The lake was cold enough that several ladies wouldn't venture into it, yet Joel didn't even notice. He thoroughly enjoys the water!

This is eating squash (actually, I'm not sure what it is. . . but whatever it is, it is squashed)

Still eating, but he has found his tongue. It is quite cute, except when he is eating and his food all rolls out of his mouth :)

Summer is flying by!

Well, lots has been going on in the Schroeder house! We went camping with our church family a couple weeks ago, and then just got back Sunday from camping again with 28 students from our youth group. Each time was wonderfully spiritually refreshing. Joel did fantastic each time. He's such a trooper and easy going baby. I'll try to post some pictures from these trips soon.

Joel had his 6 month check up last week. He is now 14 pounds, 2 ounces, and 29 inches long. He is also in the age of discovery now. First it was his toes, then his tongue and the list keeps going. He is adorable! The pic below is from the day he found his tongue. It didn't go back in his mouth all day!
Another discovery is food! Joel began eating cereal a couple weeks ago, and loves it. He now eats (and wears) green beans and squash. We can no longer eat or drink without him getting very excited and trying to grab at our food. :)
Another blessing this month was a visit from our dear friend Laura Thien. We had a wonderful time together catching up and enjoying time together. Her time with us went by way too fast!

Well, now that we are in town for the rest of the summer, I am looking forward to updating this blog much more regularly. Thanks for your patience!

Katelyn