Naples Tompkins Update

Hello Family! First, some updates on Genevieve and then a bit of what's going on down here in sunny Naples:

For her 9 month birthday, Genevieve finally got her first tooth! Her second followed days later and now she has two adorable bottom teeth. Hopefully they can be seen in some of the photos. Genevieve perfected her crawling in late January and soon began pulling up on the furniture. She likes to stand and then turn so her back is against the furniture. Then, with a big grin at Mommy, she'll take a step out into the open! This month, Genevieve started to eat bits of solid foods like avocado and baby rice crackers. She also understands the word "no" and protests vehemently when it is used. Looks like we have a very stubborn little girl on our hands. But Genevieve is also very sweet and will shriek with delight when Daddy comes home. She also gives big open-mouth kissies and enthusiastically squeals each time she gets NAKEY!



Here's Genevieve dancing around with Daddy, learning to splash in the bathtub, and her reaction to Daddy's "secrets".
 


On her 10 month birthday, Genevieve learned how to sign the word "milk" AND how to clap her hands! She enjoys getting into everything from the kitchen pantry to the bathroom cabinets. One of Genevieve's favorite activities is "helping" with the laundry by pulling each piece of clothing out of the laundry basket. Genevieve has learned how to close doors and to climb on top of things to get what she wants. She has started to love "real" food so much that she refuses to eat baby food by covering her mouth! Genevieve also likes to rip up paper or napkins and then attempts to eat the little pieces. She is such a Daddy's girl and loves to spin around with him. Genevieve has her own way of saying "no" that cracks us up: when it's time for bed and Mommy opens her arms to take her from Daddy, Genevieve sternly grunts "noidee-noidee-noidee" and quickly turns into her Daddy's arms. :)




Genevieve tries a lemon when Uncles Chris & Mike were visiting, a sample of Genevieve's fake cry, her "yololo" babble, crawling, then Genevieve attacking the camera, and then seeing her learn to close a door.

Here's Genevieve clapping, walking from one piece of furniture to another while babbling, and then "helping" with the laundry.

Daddy and Genevieve having fun with his hat. I thought this was a good example of her "talking" and moving around like a big girl. It's also funny how she denies giving a kiss to Daddy! ;)

Joe has been working on his 40 page Law Review Note for months and finally submitted the final version recently. He has high hopes that it will be published and is grateful for everyone's prayers. Joe was also recently elected to serve as the Business Manager on the Law Review Editorial Board next year. This position is an honor and recognizes all the hard work Joe has put in this past year. It is supposed to be family friendly and will look great on his resume when he graduates. The most exciting news to date is that we will be spending the summer in Chicago as Joe has been hired at the Thomas More Society! This is Joe's dream job and an answer to our prayers. Our friends Ryan and Tara Reeves have generously opened up their home to us and we are looking forward to a fun summer with them. We went from not knowing what we will be doing this summer to finding a job AND a place to live in one weekend. God is so good! The weather has been beautiful in Naples and  we have had a fruitful Lent thus far. We're looking forward to the Easter season and seeing our family then! We love you all and we miss you!