What Philip does when we're not looking...

We caught Philip riding Mattie this afternoon. Looks guilty, doesn't he?

Heat

Most of you have heard about or experienced the horrible heat in the last two weeks. For several days in a row the heat index was right around 115 degrees. All the local television stations had the heat index listed in the upper right corner of the screen, which is the photo below. I'm told that all the corn in Iowa increases the humidity, which dramatically influences the heat index. Who know?

Interestingly, Mattie doesn't seem to mind the heat. She lays out on the deck in the sun for a half hour at a time, or until I make her come in for a drink of water. Sheesh- you'd think she was a little kid on summer vacation!

Philip and I are hoping that the heat with break sometime this week so we can start going for walks again. Our running stroller is collecting dust!

Philip on the Ring

Just a little video showing what Philip was up to today.

More rolling over.

Just in case any of you want to see more video of a cute baby rolling over.

Rolling Over!

Here's Philip's newest trick- rolling over! He rolled over at about 10 weeks, though it took me a few days to actually record him doing it. He HATES being on his tummy, so I think that encouraged him to figure out how to roll over. Smart kid.

Hanging out with the Bickmeiers

After leaving the Baylors, we scooted over to Aunt Sharon and Chuck's for a mini Bickmeier reunion. It was a hot, hot, humid day, so Uncle Jeff was kind enough to cool off the kids. Eventually he got his own bathing suit on and joined in. Yeah, Jeff is a kid at heart. Jason, Karl, and the rest of us hung out on the sidelines (where it was much dryer). Eventually the bugs got bad and chased us inside. Cousin Christy was happy to spend time with Philip. A quick visit, but a fun one. Thanks for hosting and feeding us!

Baylor Wiener Roast

This past weekend was the annual Baylor Wiener Roast in Illinois. Besides tasty hot dogs cooked on a stick over an over fire, there was lots of sunshine and games.

The beanbag toss is a favorite.

Laura organized a beanbag tournament. If I recall correctly, Uncle Phil won, but there was some good competition. Little Karl was a hit with the cousins.Ada enjoyed the sunshine.Luke hung out with Hank.Aunt Sharon and Uncle Wayne. Philip got along splendidly with Sharon...and Ashley. :) The two Catherines.
We also met Jeff's awesome girlfriend Jessica.
Here's a photo of all the cousins- a recreation of a photo from when they were all little. The whole gang!Cousins!The Bickmeier kiddos. The Rust family. Such a fun event! Can't wait for next year!

Bickmeier/Rust Summer Visitors!

Last week we had the pleasure of having the Rust family from Oregon (Brian's sister's family), the Boston Bicks (Brian's brother's family), and Brian's folks visiting. It was a blast having everyone together and having all the cousins hanging out. Summer is a fun time in Iowa.

The kiddos had fun catching fireflies (and were expects at it by the time they left). Here's Luke showing off his catch.

And Cate investigating her firefly lantern. Cate with her mom Jennifer. I think this picture shows how much alike they look alike. We had to take the family to Rustix in Humbolt, IA for a pork tenderloin sandwiches. We've tried to take Jeff and Laura before, but always seemed to be foiled. We finally made it this time, but didn't see the pork tenderloin on the menu. Thankfully the chef made an exception. (Phew! Brian thought he might be tarred and feathered if we couldn't actually get them).

Jeff and Brian washed their sandwiches down with a big beer.Karl had his first big beer too!Here's a picture of all the cousins together- Caleb, Philip, Cate, Ada, Luke, and Karl. Not all smiles, but all together. :)Caleb did a great job holding baby Philip. They were buddies. The Bickmeiers are avid croquet players. Unfortunately things got a little heated and Jeff and Jason had to battle each other.After the battle was over Laura led the way to the Fort Dodge Fort Museum. This is a picture of our sticker pass to get into the museum (which is a series of small historic houses in addition to the fort itself and a nice display of antique items from the area). The gang getting started to go through some of the houses. Jason, Jeff, Karl, Patsy, Laura, Jennifer, Brian, and Philip (in the stroller).Caleb got to see what a one room school house looks like. And the kiddos got to ride this blue horse.Caleb poses for a photo for his mom through the window. I caught him from the inside of the building. The Boston Bicks- ready to go!Karl's a cutie with his rosey cheeks. The kids got a little rowdy, so they were put into the county jailhouse at the museum.Patsy enjoyed the whole family being together.

Eventually the fun ended in Iowa and we all headed to Illinois for the annual Baylor Wiener Roast (Brian's mom's side of the family). On the way the Rust family and Brian and I stopped in Galena, IL for lunch. We've been to Galena before, though it is always a treat to stop there. The downtown is a lot of fun with many, many cute little shops. We stopped at Gobbies' Pizza for lunch. Jennifer and Cate at lunch.
Most photos from the Wiener Roast to follow!