Family update

1. Amelia: 

She is doing well. Although we've concluded she's allergic to dogs and cats. We've known for a little while that dogs bother her, and lately we've noticed reactions to our cats. Puffy eyes and rashes aren't worth it. So we are saying 'goodbye' to the pets. Max, which we got from James' parents, is headed back there. That way Amelia will still be able to see him frequently. And Mercedes, well, for now, she will just be a basically outside cat. I think that most of her reactions come from her wanting to hold, cuddle, and generally pester them and her inability to not rub her face directly into their fur is the biggest problem. So general hair and cat proximity isn't the issue. Maybe when she's older and can better understand that she needs to wash hands and face when she's done playing with cats, we can entertain the idea of pets again... 

Amelia is also on this new kick of spelling everything she sees. So, she as already memorized a few 'sight' words and after many walks around the neighborhood, she can spell stop, slow, and go. She also spells her name. I promise I'm not sucking her childhood away by making her memorize letters and sounds so she can read by age 3 ... this kid just does it on her own. She also loves to count ... daddy's girl? A little.

Her imagination is in full force now and, if she's not reading, you can find her playing with her kitchen, barn, or dolls, creating names for all her animals, making up songs and stories, and new games to play with Dad. She even has renamed herself: Amelia Anne Cornia (I'm really not sure where it came from... or why). She continues to impress and delight people. 

Today we welcomed summer in and broke out the sprinkler in the 87 degree weather. 

 2. Jack:
Things are looking good and, for the most part, I'm still feeling well. Things are on track and we are steadily preparing for him to arrive. The nursery is almost done and baby toys and books have been unboxed and reset up in his room... Big sis already enjoys playing with all of them. Here's a picture of his new blanket.. which is big enough for Momma, who might be thinking of stealing it :)

2 sided football blanket by Nana. Looking forward to snuggles with this.

3. James:
James remains busy at work and busy at home trying to finish up his last couple projects to become James Humphrey, FSA. We are looking forward to him being completely done here hopefully in the next few months. He has been feeling generally better overall ... AMEN! and since his last couple rounds of testing, has put on about 15 pounds. (Meanwhile, I wish I had that "problem" of needing to eat endless amounts butter, ice cream, and cookies) He's back to a less sickly weight and is continuing to climb. I told him his goal should be the 25-30 pounds that I have to gain. We are so thankful for the health improvements and are praying for continual improvements as well.

4. Katie:
Well, nothing too exciting... very pregnant and feeling it more and more these days. With the arrival of summertime, my schedule actually slows a little: no bible study, no small group. So, like I said, we are slowly but surely getting things ready for our late summer chaos. Amelia keeps me very busy and when I'm not doing the mother thing, I'm still cooking. James and I have had several dinner guests over that last couple of months and it has been a wonderful way for me to try new things and get to know more of our church family.  My new tester was THIS  and it was a easy, different but delicious addition to a cheesecake, molten lave cakes, and strawberries to dip in. Anyway, it is really easy for a fancy seeming dessert. So, if you are looking to try something new on your ice cream or something ... Roasted white chocolate is fabulous.

That's all for now!