Layla was baptized on Sunday, my sister Ashley and Angie's brother Adam are her Godparents. She did very well, just chilling out in Daddy's arms, looking all around the church. Thanks to everyone who made her day special.
Ella, Angie, Layla, Grandma Bishop, Nana Bonnie, Aunt Lisa and I went to the Summer Solstice stroll in downtown Midland last week. 
Ella is still talking about the "dancing people" she really had a great time, I think everyone did.
The group is called Strange Fruit, they are from Austrailia and were part of the Matrix:Midland event. They danced and performed at the top of 14-foot fiberglass poles. 
On the way back to the car Ella would arch her back and sway back and forth pretending to be like the group. Aunt Lisa helped her out being her fiberglass pole.
This is Layla's first time in an outdoor swing. She thought it was pretty cool, but not as cool as Ella thought it was to have a swing partner.
Grammy and Ella enjoyed a cool dip in the lake. Ella calls it the pool, but the colder water doesn't seem to bother her.
Look who figured out that pictures actually move. Check out this video of Ella singing along to one of her favorite songs.
I didn't think Annie would stay in the wagon. Really I picked her up and placed her in the wagon thinking all fours wouldn't even get the chance to hit the bottom. She proved me wrong, she curled up next to Ella and rode around the yard. Even through Ella's hugs and kisses she stayed patient.
Here is a photo from a week or so ago. Our baby sitter said that Layla didn't eat much today because she was to busy smiling. I guess she was smiling through her bottle. Thats funny, she was crying through her bottle later in the evening.
Ella had a visitor while swinging with Angie today. A dragonfly hung out, cleaned it's legs, showed off it's transparent wings and green eyes to a very curious little girl. I was so proud of Angie, she actually touched it. It hung around for 10 or 15 minutes and then flew off.
I was out mowing the back field today and came across these fine shades. Pretty sure I know who they belong to, I think her name rhymes with Lamy Groper. Anyway, if anyone is missing a pair of sunglasses from the bon fire at my place let me know. Until then watch out around town for a slim guy riding around in his hoopty tahoe sporting these hot shades.
Here are the nine Stothard kids. The four humans, from left, my neices Ali, Carley and nephews Shane and Nathan. I'm not sure if the goats have names yet. I know they were thinking of naming one of them pokey, or dot or dotty or something because it seriously has white circles all over it's body. Leasle gave birth to triplets and Grettle gave birth to twins. Count 'em up folks 4 + 5 = 9.
Layla started smiling the past couple of weeks. Most of the smiles come out for mommy or the papa but occassionally everyone else can sneak one out of her.
For two weeks during my hunting season no turkeys could be found. Since my season finished these dirty birds have been taunting me every evening and morning. They wake me up from their roost every morning and put me to bed every night with their gobbling. This morning it wasn't the turkeys that woke me up, it was Annie. Growling from the porch, she wasn't too sure what to make of them. This tom strutted cirlces around this hen all the down to the deadend, over our neighbor's bridge and up his driveway. 
Do you think that is where the word morel came from? Take away tasty and an 's' and you get morels. These morels were found in our honey hole last weekend. I found four mushrooms with the biggest one four inches long. They were tasty, just ask Kevin, Brett and Tyler. I went out looking for more today. I'm not sure if the season is done or if our honey hole has just dried up. I found one dry morel. Can the season be done already, how sad.
We sent our winter intern, Jason Johns away with a blazin' party. It was great working with you JJ. Have a great time in Boston and hopefully our paths will cross in the future, you made the long winter fly by. When you get to Boston look up that C. Johnson fellow, I hear he will have some free time on his hands.
The pink ladies from the O'Laughlin (funeral home) softball team battled the Westown girls this past week. The team motto is "knock 'em dead" fitting because during "coach pitch" softball the teams pretty much bat around the lineup. Lets just say there are more hits then there are outs most innings.
My niece, Ali warms up in the on deck circle.
"Keep your eye on the ball," her mother/coach kept encouraging. Just for the record, she did.
Ali hustles down to third base.
My niece Carley, practices catching ground balls before the game.
The ball ran into Carley's bat a couple times.
After playing in the dirt as second, Carley gets a late start to third base.
What form, what grace ...
You can pick your teamates, your can pick your nose, but you can't pick your teamates noses (Is that how it goes).
When Nathan gets old enough the Stothards would have enough players to round out the infield.
Ah yes ... the best thing about playing organized softball, snack time.
While leaving Bay City tonight the clouds gave us a show. These images were taken near the I-75 overpass on Salzburg Rd. By the time we drove to Midland the sun started glowing yellow though the clouds and by the time we were home there was a rainbow in the sky. It actually looked worse than it was.
Last week Angie was excited because Layla was sleeping in four-hour chunks of time. Tonight she was excited because she slept in a six-hour chunk. Pretty soon she will be sleeping the whole night. (Again, Photo by Angie, I am thinking about hanging up the camera and just letting her do it).
In honor of Brett's new blog I thought I would look deep (last summer) into the archives to pull out a picture that would honor the occassion. I don't think the picture needs any explaination, so here's to you and your new blog buddy! Anyone interested in checking out Tweeners and Snapshots check out Brett's link on the right.
If you can't laugh at your kids then what? This is my way of getting back at her for writing on the couch. Ella and I were taking a walk in the woods a week ago. I was picking up logs and sticks that had fallen across the path. She must have been watching because I look behind me and she has an arm load of sticks. She would toss a few to the side and carry others. So I thought I would make some pictures of her as she carried her sticks. Little did I know that I would catch this funny little sequence.
As you will see, it ended with Ella face first, covered in leaves.
Potty-time Elmo sits atop our toilet waiting to spread his potty propaganda. Does he really beleive all those things he says. Besides it's kinda creepy, with him staring right at me while I pee.
Sweet and innocent you say. Well she may be cute as a button but she is now grounded until she is 50 years old. She has completly lost her marker privilages after this latest inccident. While mommy was going the bathroom (a.k.a. not paying attention) Ella used her creative liscense to permanently mark or shall I say use permanent marker on our couch.
Not much I can do now so here is a list of positives from the situation:
1. No one died.
2. This gives us a great reason to pick out new furniture for our new house.
3. She can get a scholarship and pay her own way to art college.
4. She can pay us back after she sells her first piece at her gallery auction.
5. She grabbed a marker and not a knive from the drawer.
6. No one died.
7. We will always remember that Ella liked to draw when she was two.
8. Mommy has learned her lesson (we hope).
9. It was the couch and not Layla's face.
10. It won't hurt the resale value of our house.
11. She doesn't know how to spell four letter words.
12. We can put a pillow over it.
If anyone has any positives they would like to add to help us through this that would be great.
