Misc. from June!

Here's a sweet family pic, taken by Shannon and Paul at the beginning of June. Locale: The Battery in downtown Charleston. More pics by Shannon below.

Love that tongue! She actually likes Craisins better than Raisins.

Taken circa 1789 in downtown Charleston. (Chance is trying to coax stubborn sis into walking with us instead of lagging behind.)

VIDEOS: Alex brought her son Chase (about 6 wks younger) over for a playdate, and he and the twins had a blast using the couch as a trampoline. Mommy thinks it's blissful that the twins now play by themselves and with other kiddos so well . . . prior to age 2, it didn't seem like we'd ever get to this point. :-)

Grace and Chance sounded a lot like Mommy in this bathtub video--and now I hear and see myself played back over and over again on this video, kinda creepy. (If you're wondering, Gracie's "phone" is one of those foam letters that sticks to the bathtub when wet, and I actually never get a "nap last night," and "Robie, Riley" are kids from her Mother's Morning Out program. And we're always discussing "Mommy's coffee"--as opposed to the twins' drinks--around our house.)

Whirlin' Waters n Da Beach

What else to do when it's scorching hot in Summerville/Charleston, SC? Go to Whirlin' Waters with Aunt Manda!

Often, Grace is the risktaker before Chance, like this time when she headed over to the water gun before Chance would try it. He then follows and demands his turn.

And, of course, we made a BEACH TRIP with Aunt Manda too!

She's a beach baby. Strikin' a pose.

The four of us made a groovy track in the sand for the twins to drive cars/trucks. It ended with a tunnel -- one that didn't fall! (See it in this pic -- it's below Chance?)

Aunt Manda took 'em in the water, holding them and jumping over the waves with them too.
We all trekked to Newberry (aka Mayberry) for Daddy's 20th high school reunion. We stopped by Grandaddy Baumgartner's church, Redeemer Lutheran, where he pastored for several years, and played on the playground (well, the gate was unlocked, y'all). Chance apparently likes the sensation of the tire swing movement when he closes his eyes and shakes his head (see VIDEO). Aunt Manda babysat while Mommy and Daddy went to the Sat. nite shindig. It's always a mystery what takes place during these times. :)

Hair and Teeth at Salon Haute Manda

We counted down the days till Aunt Manda finally arrived in July (23-31). Ahhh, the joy of settling in to the comfort of craziness for several days of vacay with her! I mean, Chance happily allowed her to give him a new Bam Bam 'do.

And Grace took to her dental training like . . . well, Pebbles. She ain't gentle but she's sincere. Aunt Manda (actual, certified, real dental assistant) coached Grace in "brushing" by letting her neice brush her teeth.

Grace inspected her aunt's mouth carefully for "bugs," jabbed brush into back (causing gagging reflex or flinching from pain), pinched cheeks (we don't know why), insisted on multiple more inspections during each cleaning, etc.

A more patient, fun, crazy aunt never walked the earth. More posts with Aunt Manda to come . . .

Catchin' Up on Summer

Whoa, we're way behind on our summer blogging!

In June (20th), we went to the Lowman Home to see Grandmother and Grandaddy Baumgartner who had nearly finished packing up their cottage, with help from the family, so that they could move into an apartment.

Grace doled out kisses. First to Grandmother.

Then a couple more to Grandaddy.

An added bonus: Uncle Paul and Aunt Debbie were also visiting. Favored playmate Aunt Debbie got on the floor with the twins. (Thank you for Grace's first Raggedy Ann doll and Chance's flashlight in the shape of a tow truck; the twins slept with those toys for at least 2 weeks afterward and still play with 'em.)

Baumgartner men have a genetic predisposition for madras shorts.

On the way back to Summerville, we stopped in Lexington for the Gugel twins' 1-yr birthday party. Pic (L to R): Daddy, Grace, Chance, Mommy, Cousin Dylann, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Scott, and Cousin Carson.

The Baum twins absconded their cousins' toys at the party. Carson shared sweetly. And the cupcakes were YUMMY!

Ahh, Summer. Our activities frequently include water and eventually end up with naked babies in our backyard. A few blades of grass and a bit of dirt sometimes get stuck in not-so-comfy places. :)

Mommy tried to coax the twins into putting their heads in the sprinkler to cool off. They refused at first, but after seeing Mommy do it, they now don't hesitate a bit.