"More clam bake, please!"

We've definitely got some more photos to share. Last night we went to Chris & Val's clam bake, and the kids were all stars. We'd been talking about the party during the week leading up to it, and the kids were pumped. Lincoln was talking about how he was going to eat his and my clams, and Lydia, on the way there, kept shouting out, "Clam bake!" Between lots of good food, a hay ride and a couple of good-sized fires, the kids had a blast. Jenn and I were foiled in our plan, though, for the kids to sleep on the way home. Henry got to the slap-happy stage, and Lydia and Lincoln were happy to play along. As we approached I-90, Lydia shouted out, "More clam bake, please!"I should also identify Grace, the nice girl holding Henry in the photo above. We see her and her parents once annually at the clam bake, and she and her family remember us and couldn't be nicer to the kids. I'd adopt Grace as our permanent baby sitter if her parents made her available.The two young ones cried a bit when we left them in kids class at church today, but each of them settled down within minutes, and each of them were playing nicely and comfortably when we returned to get them.Lydia has been saying some funny things lately. Once, while Jenn and I were having a conversation in the kitchen, Lydia said, "Scuse me, Dad. Want talk 'bout stuff." Then today, when I was changing her diaper, she identified Cookie Monstor on her diaper, so I proceeded to sing the "'C' is for Cookie" song that I've been singing lately with the kids when we see Cookie Monstor. Uh-Uh. "Daddy, please don't sing that song." Well...

And on the Henry-talking front, he's started to say "step stool," but it sounds remarkably like how he says, "my turn." Little by little...Gretel has been fixated on what has been taking place beneath our deck. For a while we weren't sure what exactly that was, but when I found a dead bunny on our patio with an abdominal puncture wound and a saliva-soaked coat, I felt like I could put my finger on her point of interest for the first time.I'd like to conclude with our bull in our China shop...