Now for a fun exercise:

Here is Eli, nearly 6 weeks:


And Linden, nearly 6 weeks:


Yep, definitely related!

So I've not been blogging in the last couple of weeks because I've been trying to get some pictures of Linden smiling.

Do you remember that old WB cartoon with the guy who finds the dancing frog and tries to show it to people? But every time he gets the frog in front of a crowd, the frog sits there like a lump so the guy looks like an idiot. Yeah, that's sort of how I feel about Linden and her smiles. Sometimes, when we're alone in the house, she'll smile and talk and gurgle at me for long stretches. It is a beautiful smile, I promise!! But when I get out the camera or when someone else comes around, she turns back into a little chunky lump (a cute chunky lump, of course) and refuses a repeat performance.

Anyway, here are some photos of the best smiles I can capture. They aren't my best work, but heck, she's a cutie.

Drat! I tried to upload a video of Linden but Blogger's not working properly. I'll try again later.

The boys try out the tire swing

Baby in lap

























Bubbles in the yard. Yes, that is a flyswatter. They make great bubble wands! Eli calls it the "flapper".

We had a great visit from the Simmons side of the clan this weekend. Grandaddy, Aunt Jaime, Uncle David and cousin Hunter came down from North Carolina and Virginia to play with us!

Linden and Mommy spent most of the time hanging around the house since we're still not terribly mobile yet, but the rest of the gang spent a fun day at the zoo and also nearly wore out the playground with all of the little boy play. Eli and Hunter, eleven months apart, get along gangbusters and spend a lot of time tumbling around like little puppies.

And of course, everyone had a chance to squeeze in baby Linden. She's so squishy and squeezable, it is hard to resist. Ach, those cheeks!

We're rockin' and rollin' here at Casa YoSim. Linden is three weeks old and growing like a weed. A pudgy weed, but a weed, nonetheless. She topped ten pounds last week, the little piglet. She's a much different baby than her brother was, very easygoing and easy to please. she sort of rolls along with us, letting us know when she's hungry (which is most of the time) but otherwise just watching the chaos go by. She's a joy!

Eli is adjusting a little better each day. He is so sweet and gentle with his sister. He is a great big brother and we all hopes he keeps up the wonderful attitude he has towards her. He is still a bit wild and unpredictable (he's two for crying out loud) but as long as his energy is directed into something active, he is pretty good. We're getting there...