Counting Our Blessings

Kids' Christmas Program at Church

2011-12-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Jay's first ever church concert performance. His age group was the first up in tonight's program since they were the youngest participants (and of course, they stole the show with all their funny antics).

This first video clip is kinda boring, but kinda humorous, too. That is why I've decided to include it here on the blog. Towards the end you hear David in the background yelling, "Mama." But he isn't calling me. He is actually calling out to Jay. Totally confusing, right? I've just recently discovered that when David calls "Mama" while putting his hand over his mouth, he is really calling out to his brother Jay.

"Joy to the World"

"This Little Light of Mine"

And we received this encore performance of the Alphabet Song on the way home (sung twice through).

It was so fun to have Aunt Traci, Uncle Keith, and cousins Samantha and Sydney there to support Jay's first concert debut, too. The evening was capped off with a Christmas cookie potluck. Fun! It was a memorable and successful evening. We just love our church and it was such a joy to gather together seeing our kids singing about the real meaning of Christmas.

Catch-Up - Matt's 40th Birthday

2011-11-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Matt's sister, Shawn, I have pictures from the surprise 40th birthday party I planned for Matt on Sunday, October 23rd (he turned 40 on the 24th of October). When asked if he had figured it out before it was revealed, in his words he said he was "clueless." HOORAY!!

I only took three photos that day (just was too busy setting up and organizing the food/party). Since Shawn took all these terrific pictures, I'll just post a link to her blog post.

After the party and after Jay and David took their afternoon naps we joined Matt's sisters and families for a little more time and dinner together.

It was a wonderful, fun day - I'd like more of those kind of days, please!

Thanks for indulging me, letting me celebrate your presence in our lives, Matt. You are such a special blessing to me and it was a joy to honor you with friends and family. Love you!!

3 month hiatus

2011-10-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends and Family!

Sorry for the long, long, long absence from blogging. I am planning to do some catch-up work this month to show you some of the fun things we did between 7/31 (my last blog post) to today.

While you wait for those blog posts here are some pictures from this past weekend. Saturday morning we enjoyed some fun at a pumpkin patch farm. Today I took the boys to Matt's office for some "reverse" trick or treating (we hand out candy to all of Matt's co-workers). We had a great time!

Family Photo in front of the John Deere tractor (of course!)

David enjoying the chickens at the farm

Jay having a blast in the hay maze

Another Family Photo on Saturday, October 29

Jay - our little UPS delivery man

Daddy with UPS delivery man Jay (3) and our little lion, David (1)

David's "Spaces"

2011-08-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Above photos taken in August 2011.
Below photo taken in October 2011.

Cama Beach 2011

2011-08-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 31 through Wednesday, August 3 we spent at Cama Beach on Camano Island with a bunch of good church friends (and their families). We had such a great time! David was one of seven one-year-olds and Jay was one of nine three-year-olds so suffice it to say, there were lots of terrific playmates for our boys!

Thanks to my friend Dana I have this following (favorite) photo of Jay:

Playing in and near the water in the afternoons was a favorite activity.

A Canadian hovercraft came cruising through Saratoga Passage (we think for the Seattle Seafair festivities). It was such fun to see it cruise in and then back up to Canada later that same day.

It is hard to tell from this picture, but the Victoria Clipper was also seen going to and from Canada from Seattle through Saratoga Passage.

There were approximately 16 families, so the vetran gal who organized the trip split us into two separate "teams" for dinners. Each team had two families assigned to cook dinner on a given night serving 8 families (about 30 people - about half kids, half adults). Prior to the trip we strategized with the other family what to cook, what food to bring, how to split costs, how to cook, etc. Since we had access to some electricity in our cabins we decided to use crockpots and served taco soup with chips, salsa, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream with fruit and cookies for dessert. It was nice to just "sit back and relax" on the other nights and enjoy the great food that was served.

Each evening after dinner a campfire was started and we enjoyed nightly smores together. M-m-m!

Tuesday, August 2 most of the men left very early to make a 7:00 a.m. tee time for their "golf tournament." That left us ladies to "hold the fort down" with the kiddos. I ventured out of our cabin around 7:30 a.m. to take the boys to the beach. I captured these following photos of Jay and David exploring.

Later that morning some of the kids gathered around this table to enjoy some hands-on activities - building with Legos and coloring in coloring books.

Sarah and Jay - these two are such good friends and had so much fun playing together! (Sarah is just two weeks older than Jay.) Here are the two munchkins having fun sitting together in our camping chair on our back row cabin porch.

After dinner Tuesday night the guys commenced with the award ceremony for the morning golf tournament. Matt was fortunate enough to win the trophy for the lowest/best golf score for this 1st annual golf tournament.

We had a great time enjoying terrific fellowship and making so many good memories. We're looking forward to a return trip with some of these same families in August 2012!!

Grandma's 97th Birthday Celebration

2011-07-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

4 Generation Photo

Grandma Alma (my Dad's Mom)

My Mom Amy

David (13-1/2 months old)

We enjoyed a delicious bbq rib and chicken dinner as a family.
Above is the family group photo. We were missing a few family members because of previously planned commitments that day, but this was a good representation.
My Uncle Gary's family (first-born son)
My Uncle Dale's family (second-born son).
My Dad Mark's family (Dad was the "baby" of the family).

It was such a blessing to gather together as a family to celebrate Grandma's 97 years of life. Words cannot adequately express how much I love her. She is such a lovely, classy lady. The life example she has given to us is such a gift!

More Fun at Grandma's

2011-07-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

We traveled back to Grandma's house July 28-30 to celebrate my Grandma's 97th birthday. She turned 97 on Friday, July 29th and we gathered as a family on Saturday to celebrate. (More to see regarding the party in the next blog post.)

We had another fun time exploring at Grandma's, and enjoyed beautiful, sunny, warm weather. Here are a few photos of some of the pretty flowers in Mom's yard.

Climbing Clematis

Impatience

Mini rose bush

Mom's bountiful raspberry bushes

(see me bent over in the midst of them picking?)

(Matt surprised me by taking my photo in the raspberry patch)

The beautiful golden wheat fields this time of year

I can't end a blog post without posting some photos of the boys. Following are some of my favorites.

To Grandma's House We Go

2011-07-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

After Bible Study Tuesday morning the boys and I along with Grandma Amy and Aunt Molly (my Mom and sister) travelled over the mountain to Grandma's house.

Here are the boys in the car cart at the grocery store that we hit before getting to Grandma's.David was getting tired and was bored sitting in his seat, so for the last 15 minutes of our drive, Aunt Molly let him "try on" her sunglasses.

Jay and David enjoyed riding on Grandma's tricycle, playing with all the metal "outside" truck toys, and getting a ride in the Radio Flyer red wagon.

While Jay helped Grandma water the garden and yard plants, David explored in the dirt, gravel, and mud. (For some reason he always had to "taste" the dirt!)

The highlight was having Jay receive a short ride on the tractor with my Uncle Dale.

Uncle Dale just did a short jaunt on the tractor to get it warmed up enough for him to be able to change its oil.

Below is David posed next to the tractor to give you a bit of a size perspective.

And here are some pictures of David "playing" Grandma's piano. From these pictures it looks like he'll be an excellent pianist someday, doesn't it? (Secretly, I certainly hope so!) Thanks for hosting us for a few days, Mom! We sure love spending time with you!

David's Dedication

2011-07-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend was full of GOOD things - food, family, faith, and fellowship. It doesn't get much better than that!

Matt's sister Shawn, her husband Mike, and their boys Alex and Josh joined us Saturday morning. We decided to get out for a walk on that beautiful day to the local grocery store and a loop around the park.

To our pleasant surprise model hydroplane boat races were taking place on the park's pond, so we HAD to hang out there and watch those for a while. While watching the hydroplane boats, Matt's other sister Traci and her husband Keith and daughter Sydney (their other daughter Sam was at a friend's house for the day) joined us. We all walked from the park back to our little home for a bite of lunch. PopPop and Nana (Matt's Mom and Dad) arrived and it was a grand reunion as we celebrated Keith and Traci's return from living in Texas for 2-1/2 years.

We enjoyed hanging out together all day, finishing our day together with dinner at Panera Bread (my Mom Amy arrived in time to join us for dinner there.)

Here are few more candid photos from our weekend together. (Thanks, Shawn, for these pictures!)

Cousin Alex and David laughing and playing together

Sunday morning we all gathered at our church to worship together and Matt and I had David dedicated.

To see and hear the video of the dedication portion of the service, click here and select the July 10th 1st service video link.

Nana and David
Cousins Sydney, Josh, Alex, and Sam

Thanks so much for coming, family! It is always a special, memorable time. We love you all so much!

Random Video Clips

2011-07-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

The boys laughing and playing together:

Jay playing in the bathtub:

David, showing off his "dancing" skills:

Picture Comparisons

2011-07-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

David with his 1 year old birthday cupcake followed by a picture of Jay with his 1 year old birthday cupcake(s).

David's one year portrait followed by Jay's one year portraits.

Above: Matt's baby picture (we think he is about 1 year old)
Below: Me (Mindy) on the left at 1 year old

Fun Date with Jay

2011-06-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 25, we dropped David off at Aunt Molly's house while Matt and I took Jay for a fun outing - to see Cars 2 in the theatre! It was Jay's first movie experience. Can you tell from the picture above what Jay thought about the whole experience?!? Yes, it was a hit with our three year old car-loving, race-loving boy.

We arrived early at the theatre. While I stayed at our seats inside the theatre Matt and Jay enjoyed a race car arcade game in the lobby. Then Jay watched the movie with us. He did great! He stayed seated, only getting up to get his wiggles out one time for about 10 min. three-quarters of the way through the movie. He sat back down and even stayed seated through the end of the movie credits!

Outside the movie theatre was a water fountain. He asked my permission and I said "yes" allowing him to touch the water spray. He loved it!

Since we saw the 11:15 matinee showing, we were all hungry for lunch after the movie so we went through the drive-through at the nearby McDonald's (Jay loves their fries - who doesn't?). After getting the food he told us he wanted to go pick up David. (Which was our plan too - love it when our "plans" match!)

It was a fun day spent focused on our little boy who is growing up!

3 and 1 year old Well-Check Stats

2011-06-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

These darling boys of mine had their well-check appointments this morning at the pediatrician's office. I am very happy and thankful to report that I have two healthy and active boys! Whoo hoo!

Jay:

Weighs 30 lbs. (25th to 50th percentile)

Is 38-1/2" tall (75th to 90th percentile)

He says, "No" more than we'd like, but he also is saying "Okay Mommy" or "Okay Daddy" more frequently which is music to our parental ears.

He adores cars and trucks (Lightning McQueen, Mater from Disney Cars, Hot Wheel or Matchbox cars and trucks, Tonka trucks, construction vehicles, he can correctly identify specific make and models of cars, and gets excited seeing buses, semi-trucks, delivery vans, etc. when we're out and about running errands).

A stranger can understand half or a little more of what he says now.

When a meal is offered or when naptime/bedtime is quickly approaching, if he is engrossed with his play and doesn't want to stop he'll say, "I'm busy workin' Mommy." It's very charming and funny, but it hasn't really worked for him. Well, to be completely honest, it may have spared him a few extra minutes of playtime, actually.

He is still in diapers full-time, but he has been very successful at going pee in his potty when asked or reminded to use his potty. When he is successful, he gets a sticker on the sticker paper and a small treat (one pez candy from the Thomas the Train Engine pez dispenser). The model car on the back of the (adult) toilet is still good motivation for him to go poo in the potty. My goal is to have him potty-trained/in big boy underwear in the next 6 months. We'll see if I meet my goal.

He can wash and dry his hands and brushes his teeth with just a little help.

He is repeating/parroting much of Matt's and my words. Some words are pronounced clearly and correctly. Other words, not so much. ("tank ooo" is "thank you" for example)

Will spontaneous break out in song many days. "He's Got the Whole World," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Jesus Loves Me," "The B-I-B-L-E," "I'm in the Lord's Army," and the ever popular "Old McDonald" and "Wheels on the Bus" songs are often heard coming out of his mouth in the recognizable tune. He continues to learn and soak up new songs every day.

"Helps" me in the kitchen by mixing, pouring in measured ingredients, and tasting batters; helps me put dirty clothes in the washer and helps me transfer clean wet clothes from the washer to the dryer; LOVES to help me dust; and "helps" me vacuum.

He can count to 10 and is almost successful at counting to 20; can correctly say/list off portions of the alphabet.

Enjoys choosing books for us to read to him. He was given a "Tag Jr" reader as a gift for his birthday and enjoys exploring the Tag Jr books on his own several times a week.

His imagination is beginning to blossom. Recent activities include reading imaginary books to him and "digging for (imaginary) treasure" under "X marks the spot."

Sleeps in a "big boy bed" - typically 9 uninterrupted hours at night and a 1-1/2 to 2 hour afternoon nap every day.

TOLERATES bath time. He has been battling getting into the bathtub, but once he gets in and I finish washing his hair, etc., he has fun playing in the water and with his tub toys.

His second toe overlaps/lays on top of his third toe. Someone in the family has toes that match/do the same. Perhaps PopPop's toes? Matt's ALMOST do it.

Jay eats cereal (Cheerios or Life), french toast, pancakes, waffles, cheese (colby jack, cheddar, mozzarella), water, apple juice, milk, hot chocolate, pizza (only cheese pizza, that is), pb&j and grilled cheese sandwiches, cornbread, pretzels, chips, apples, grapes, pears, peaches, bananas and the very occasional rare baby carrot. Veer too far outside of these foods and you'll get a quick and resounding "no" - he won't try it, won't let it get near his food tray, etc.

David:

Weighs 19.15 lbs (10th to 25th percentile)

Is 30" tall (50th to 75th percentile)

Head circumference: 18-3/4 (75th to 90th percentile)

(To compare David's stats to Jay at this age, click http://mattmindycountingourblessings.blogspot.com/2009/06/12-month-well-check.html)

Walks everywhere - it is rare to see him crawling (he started walking at 10-1/2 mo.)

Says "Mama," "Dada" and his recent word is "Uh oh"

Sometimes responds to "no"

Indicates his wants by pointing (and sometimes verbally yelling for it, too)

Hands a toy or object to Matt and me and will take it back over

Loves to strew things about - pots and pans, tupperware containers and lids, toys, cars and trucks, whatever he can find to empty out of a cupboard or drawer, really. I am constantly picking up/reorganizing/returning items to their original spot.

Enjoys playing spontaneous games of "peek-a-boo" with blankets and towels.

Loves it when we sing songs

Will clap when he's happy or when other people are clapping

Enjoys looking through books (his attention span is still very short though)

He is a TERRIFIC eater!! And eats almost all day long! When eating a meal, we'll feed him for 30 to 45 min (constantly). Sometimes he'll eat for 15 min. and want to get down for a break, but we've learned he'll be back 5 or 15 min. later for MORE FOOD!! 'Tis a challenge to fill his hollow legs at times. The pediatrician recommended I try and up his protein seeing how active he is and hearing how much food he needs/consumes throughout the day and night.

I'm weaning him (he only nurses 2 or 3 times in 24 hours). I have recently started giving him whole milk to drink, but so far he isn't a big fan. He'll drink it, but he'd rather drink his water. I think it is just a matter of him getting used to the taste of whole milk.

Continues to LOVE bath time.

Sleeps from 8 pm to 4 a.m.; nurses around 4 a.m., then goes back to sleep until 5:30 or 6 a.m.

On two-nap days I'll allow him to sleep 45 min. in the morning; on both two-nap and single afternoon nap days he'll sleep from 1:00/1:30 to 3:30/4:00 (a 1-1/2 to 2 hour afternoon nap).

I'm weaning him down to taking just one nap a day (to try and get him to sleep longer at night). We'll do one nap several days in a row, then he'll need a two-nap day.

David received three vaccinations at his 1 year well-check appointment - 1 shot in each arm and 1 in his thigh. (Received his MMR, chicken pox, and HepA vaccines.) He's a tough guy - he barely cried even though he was pricked three times!! The nurse was surprised and impressed. I was too.

David ADORES Jay and likes to "play" with him. Jay, however, isn't a big fan. Especially when David comes over and picks up/messes up his perfectly aligned matchbox/hot wheels cars.

Screeches, yells, and expresses his frustration or displeasure when something is taken from him that he wanted, or when he really wants to "do" something he isn't supposed to do. He'll also sound that "alarm" when he is hungry and the food isn't coming fast enough.

If not watchful or careful, he'll be "in" to doing things you don't appreciate - like unrolling the toilet paper/aluminum foil roll, taking all the sandwich bags out of the neatly packed box, taking things out of the garbage cans, taking dirty utensils and dishes out of the dishwasher, or playing in the toilet bowl water if the lid isn't down, etc.

Life is full and busy around this household every day. I must confess, though. I love sleep and I sure miss it when I don't get enough of it. My Mommy confession is this: you'll often find me taking a 1-1/2 to 2 hour afternoon nap right along with the boys most days. I like to think it keeps me healthy, sane, and (hopefully) the afternoon nap makes me a better Mom/Wife/Sister/Daughter. If not the latter roles, I KNOW the naps make me a better Mom.

We survived the first year as a family of FOUR!! Hooray! We did it! That, in and of itself, is reason to celebrate.

Jay and David's Birthdays

2011-06-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

As you know from the previous posts, Jay turned 3 on June 2. I wanted to celebrate his birthday a little bit here at home (starting a tradition of doing a little something celebratory on the actual "day"). I let him choose a cake mix (devil's food or yellow - he chose devil's food - a chocolate lover just like his Mom) and he helped me make them (by licking the batter off the beaters, of course!).

Here is a photo of him (yes, a very excited boy!) with his birthday cupcake and three lit candles followed by a little video clip of him blowing out the candles.

On David's birthday (today), we did the same thing. I took a frosted cupcake, lit the "1" candle (that Matt blew out for him) and let him "have at" the cake. He, however, is NOT a chocolate lover like his brother and me. He didn't want to taste it, but he sure had fun touching the frosting and cake and smearing it all over his hands and food tray. When he started clapping and therefore flinging the frosting and cake around off of his tray, I called it quits. There is only so much mess I'm willing to deal with. (We have carpet in our dining room.)

Since he had his hands completely covered in frosting and cake, I spontaneously grabbed a piece of paper and had him make a chocolate cake and frosting handprint for posterity sake. It is currently displayed on my kitchen refrigerator.

Opening Birthday Gifts

2011-06-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

After the birthday party at the park, the boys needed to lay down for their afternoon naps. After taking a short nap (only 1 hour that day) they woke up excited to explore the gifts that were given and to open a few more gifts from family.

Below Jay is studying the stickers that were to be affixed to his new Hot Wheels Roadway.

Below David is "helping" Jay put together his new roadway.

While Jay was focused on his new toys, David opened his birthday gifts.

These are the clothes David received from Grandma Amy,

the new books from Uncle Scott and Aunt Mandy,

and the huge box for both David and Jay from Uncle Mike, Aunt Shawn, Alex and Josh.

Below David is opening his gift from Nana Carol and PopPop Jim.

New Duplo Legos!!

Matt and I enjoyed a night out (Matt went to the U2 concert while I attended a farewell BBQ for friends of ours from church). Before I left I offered Jay food for dinner. He was busy playing with his new toys and he quickly answered me, "No (food) Mom. I'm busy workin'!"

Grandma Amy babysat that evening and when I returned home, this is what I found...

They were both in Grandma's lap enjoying one of the new toys Jay received for his birthday. David was finishing off his bottle of breastmilk before being put to bed and both boys were as happy as they could be. It truly melted my heart. It was a great ending to a wonderful day.

Video Clips from June 4 Party

2011-06-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

Birthday Party

2011-06-06T20:54:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, June 4th, we packed up the car and headed to Kelsey Creek Farm Park to celebrate our boys' birthdays with family and friends. The Lord blessed us with an incredibly beautiful day. It was sunny and the high was the mid-70s with just a slight breeze. It really couldn't have been a better day. Thank you, Lord, for that unexpected blessing!

The invitation

Themed paper plates

The food! (Yum!) Oink! Baa! Moo! and a chicken, too! Barn cake and silo Farm Fresh Apple Juice and Chocolate Milk

Birthday Boy Jay playing with his John Deere toy tractor

Birthday Boy David eating his lunch

David checking out the barnyard/farm themed books on the picnic blanket

Gwen and Jay enjoying their apple juice

(Me,) Elianna and Megan

Katie and Elissa

Grandma Amy (feeding David)

BBQ'er Matt

Gwen, Sarah, and Jay

David - walking around (since 10-1/2 mo.)

Sweet, beautiful Elissa (born 1 week after David)

PopPop Jim and Bernie

Greg, Long, and Matt

Nana Carol and PopPop Jim with David

Greeting Mark, Suzanne, and baby Peter

Family Photo - Anastacia, Greg, kids Sarah and Benjamin

Nathan and Elissa

Aunt Molly and David

Bernie, Betty, Shannon, and Kelly

David, me, and Nana Carol

Audrey (two weeks older than Jay)

Attempting to light the candles (with a breeze)

Jay blowing his candles while I was lighting them

Once the candles were lit, then Jay didn't want to blow them out! Ha!

Jay chose to have a slice of the devil's food barn cake

Family Photo - Kelly, Liam (with cupcake), and Shannon

Benjamin and David playing together

Gift Opening Time!

To the barns to see the farm animals

and we saw horses, goats, and chickens, too.

Family Photo - Katie, Nathan, daughters Audrey and Elissa

Spontaneous Hug - Jay and Sarah

Favor Bags

Inside: Bubbles, memo pad, crayons, farm animal eraser, small stuffed farm animal

Happy Birthday Jay (June 2)!

Happy Birthday David (June 12)!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Mariner's Game

2011-05-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 7th, my brother Scott and sister-in-law Mandy were in town for the weekend. Knowing they were going to be here we planned a fun get-together outing to a Seattle Mariners game.

Twin sis Molly, my younger brother Scott, and me

Group Photo!

Couple Photos:

Scott and Molly

Scott and Mandy

Matt and me

Cousin Lori's "Farm"

2011-05-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

On our way home Wednesday, May 4, we stopped in Walla Walla to get our car that we had left at my cousin Lori's home since my Mom parted ways with us there to head north to Eastern Washington while we headed west to Western Washington.

We all needed a potty break about that time, so it worked out great. While Matt was busy dutifully transferring our things from my Mom's van into our car, Lori took us out in her yard and let Jay hold their new baby chicks!!

David really didn't know what to think...but he liked them!

This was the chicken cage filled with young chicks that aren't quite laying eggs yet (not quite old enough). Once they are older, they'll be moved in with the more mature chickens.

And here is the pen of mature, laying chickens!

Cousin Lori had Jay "help" check to see if there were any eggs to collect. Sure enough, there was one in there. Jay thought that was SO COOL! Here he is offering to give the chickens the newly collected egg. Ha! :)

The 4 piggies were cute to see, too. They will be fed, raised, and sold at the fair later this fall.

They have a horse, as well. Cousin Lori also has a bountiful vegetable garden and gorgeous flowerbeds. Yes, it's quite the little "farm."

I must admit, the baby chicks were the highlight! They are just the cutest little darling things!

Thanks for letting us park our vehicle and then allowing us the short and sweet visit on Wednesday, Cousin Lori! What an unexpected, wonderful treat it was for all of us!

Eastern Oregon Fun

2011-05-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

After church/Sunday School on May 1st we headed off to Eastern Washington and spent the night at Grandma's house (my Mom's). Jay had been looking forward to this road trip for quite some time, asking almost daily to go to Grandma's house or PopPop and Nana's house. The road trip was smooth thanks to the DVD player and the boys' afternoon naps.

Once at Grandma's house the boys loved playing with Grandma's special toys. It was fun to see David "in action" on the antique bouncy horse, too.

Monday morning, on our way out of town, we stopped to see Great Grandma (my Dad's mom). She continues to be well. What a joy it is to witness my Grandma sweetly loving on and interacting with her great grandsons. Jay is an unwilling picture poser these days, but David is still too young to know one way or the other, so I caught a few photos of Great Grandma and David together doing patty-cake.

As we traversed our way to Eastern Oregon we stopped at a childhood memory spot for me so I could share it with "my boys" (Matt, Jay, and David). PALOUSE FALLS. It was beautiful since the surrounding was green from the wet spring we've had and the falls was big and full with the winter run-off water.

We had a stressful stop at the Les Schwab in Walla Walla after bottoming out our car on a rough stretch of road on the way. It resulted in a bent brake protector that then collected dirt and rocks on our back brakes resulting in the most horrific screeching - a nails-on-chalkboard type of sound. Thanks to Les Schwab it was a "no charge" service knocking out the rocks and dirt and bending the piece back (phew!). We left our car at my cousin Lori's house in Walla Walla and piled into my Mom's mini-van for the remainder of the trip. We arrived at my Aunt and Uncle's BEAUTIFUL log cabin around 4:30. It is not really a cabin, though. It is really better described as a luxurious lodge.

Percy, my Aunt and Uncle's fixed male cat, was the first to officially greet us at the cabin and was a super friendly pal, especially to Jay.

Mom and I took the boys out for a walk after settling in a tiny bit. It was good for all of us to get the fresh air and stretch our legs after the half day of travel from Eastern Washington to Eastern Oregon. Can you believe we had lots of snow as we made our way over Tollgate Pass on MAY 2!? We were so glad to arrive at the cabin that afternoon.

Above: The neighbor's horses coming to check us out on our walk down the lane.

Below: Matt and PopPop (Matt's Dad) on their way out to scout for turkeys late Monday afternoon. (They left while we were taking our walk.)

Tuesday morning Matt, PopPop, and Matt's co-worker/friend Lance left at 5:30 a.m. to spend the morning looking for some tom turkeys. I enjoyed a quiet morning in the cabin with Jay and David. I especially enjoyed watching the geese with their goslings. I counted 12 goslings, but I'm sure there were more.

Later that morning Aunt Beth and my Mom arrived from the main house so we could spend the day together. I love this photo PopPop captured with his camera of Aunt Beth saying something sweet to David.

Uncle Lee spent the morning planting trees. The 4-wheeler sure comes in handy for getting around the property!

Lance and Matt

The guys decided to try their hand at fishing from the pond that is stocked with bass and sun fish.

Taking a break early afternoon...

Even Shadow, my Aunt and Uncle's dog took a nap on the wrap-around porch!

After Jay and David woke from their afternoon naps, we played up in the loft of the cabin for a while. Mom grabbed my camera and caught a few photos as we looked down from above.

I love this photo of 10-1/2 month old David - what a precious smile he has!

Tuesday, May 3rd, was my 34th birthday so we enjoyed a buffet feast of pulled pork, cornbread, green beans, salad, and lemon poke cake for dessert.

After dinner the boys enjoyed playing up in the loft. A twin mattress goes in this area of the loft where they are crawling around on the support slats having fun.

Afterwards we sat down for some photos. PopPop sure caught a great one of our little family. We're all looking at the camera and smiling! Hooray!

Below is a picture of my Aunt Beth and Uncle Lee - our gracious, hospitable, wonderful "hosts" allowing us to stay at and use their beautiful cabin for a couple days. (Aunt Beth is my Mom's oldest sister.) Love you both so much!!

Wednesday morning, May 4th, while the rest of us were busy packing up the vehicle, PopPop took the boys for a little ride in the wagon. They LOVED it!

Wednesday morning we left for home. As you can see from the photo below, it was glorious day weather-wise.

What fun it was to visit and explore a picturesque part of the Palmer Valley. Again, many, many thanks to Beth and Lee for allowing us to make some wonderful memories there.

Easter Weekend 2011

2011-04-24T21:37:00.001-07:00

Saturday, April 23 we took the boys to Seattle to the church Matt and I used to attend when we were dating, engaged, and newly married. They held a terrific "Eggstravaganza" for kids. It was also a great excuse to see friends we don't normally get to see. (That was my favorite part.)

Here are photos of the boys as we waited for everyone to register. They had Phil Vischer (creator of VeggieTales) "What's in the Bible" playing on big screens for the kids to watch to pass the wait time.

David just loved being "free" crawling on the gym floor.

This photo of David cracks me up. He gave me the BIGGEST grin while being held by Daddy. (Notice the drool spots on his shirt. We're still waiting on those next teeth to appear.)

They divided the kids up into groups by age and then sent us out to visit the various activities. We moved location every 15 minutes. It sure worked great. We started out watching a GREAT puppet show. The puppet characters did a rendition of American Idol but had to change their secular songs to Easter themed songs. As adults we recognized the pop tunes (i.e., "Staying Alive") but the words were changed so it had the Christian Easter message.

Following the puppet show it was the 2 and 3 yr olds turn to do the egg hunt. We crossed the street to Seattle Pacific University and enjoyed a lavish egg hunt in The Loop. (The eggs were filled with candy. YUM!)

The egg hunt started out on a sad note for Jay...he started off, but when the first egg he had his eye on got taken by someone else, he turned around and walked back to me, crying and upset. I held him for a little bit and talked him through it and Matt and I got him to venture out to participate in the egg hunt again. Oh the drama of 2 and 3 year olds! Ha! Even with the delayed start he found about 15 eggs and enjoyed both the hunt and the surprise of seeing the candy inside the plastic eggs.

We came back into the church and the kids enjoyed jumping in the two big bouncy houses. Jay, however, tried it and decided the jostling WASN'T for him. He had a great time (believe it or not) watching everyone else jump from outside the bouncy houses and holding open the entry/exit flaps to them. Okay, buddy! Whatever makes you happy.

From there we went into a room full of age-appropriate games, including "bowling" and "mini golf" (his two favorites).

The time came to an end with a fun craft. He chose to color with crayons and make the colored paper into a windsock (complete with crepe paper streamers). He loves it - it currently is hanging on his bunk bed in his room.

After the boys' afternoon nap Saturday afternoon we took them to a local park to enjoy the beautiful sunny day. It was the perfect end to a beautiful day. (Today after waking from his nap Jay asked to go back to the "boat park" where we played yesterday. It took me a while to figure out what he was trying to say, but I finally understood where he wanted to go. Unfortunately our Easter day was cold and rainy so we didn't return today, but I promised him we'd go back again sometime.)

After a terrific Easter service this morning at church we returned to a condo filled with the aroma of a baking ham. M-m-m! Thirty minutes later this was the result.

After lunch I tried to capture a couple photos of the boys in their Easter duds. Both were tired and ready for their naps so the timing for this photo session wasn't great, but that's okay.

We hope everyone had a great Easter! We are sure grateful to serve the living God - Christ who was resurrected - who took away the penalty for sins so that we can know this kind of hope and joy.

Jay & David April 2011

2011-04-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

I've not been so good at keeping up with the blog this month. Sorry. No excuses.

Here are some photos of the boys from this month.

April 8th Costco trip (with Grandma Amy):

Later that same Friday hanging with Aunt Molly. (Thanks for taking these photos Grandma Amy!) I decided to post all three photos since Jay's expressions are funny.

This is a good photo of David, but he (and Jay) really needed a haircut! I remedied that situation the next night.
I had to capture a movie of David's laugh. Jay consistantly can get the best belly laughs from David.

Here is Jay with his freshly cut "spikey" hair. He insisted that I take a photo of him (that's a rare request, so I jumped on it). Every time he gets bathed now we "spike" his hair. When it dries it lays flat again which is a disappointment to him. Makes me think I might have to invest in some hair gel for his stylin' guy.
We had fun last weekend (April 15-17) when friends Phil, Cameron, and Ashley visited us from California. We hung out with Mark and Rachel Friday night. Prior to dinner "the guys" (and me) took a walk around West Seattle while Rachel and Ashley prepped dinner. It was so great spending time with Phil, Ashley, and Cameron. I only wish we lived closer so we be together on a regular basis.

Orlando

2011-04-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

April 2-7 Matt had a work conference in Orlando, FL so we recruited the grandparents (a BIG thank you to Nana and PopPop for April 1-5 and Grandma for April 5-9) to come to our home to stay with our boys while Matt and I went on this trip together.

Matt had meetings to attend in the mornings and our evenings involved conference functions too, but we utilized the free time available to us to explore DisneyWorld and also fit in some good relaxing moments by the pool/lake/beach a couple of days, too.

Character sightings included:

Beauty

Cinderella

Mary Poppins

Donald Duck

We spent 8 hours at Magic Kingdom one day. 4 hours one afternoon followed by another 4 hours that night since they were open until 3 a.m.! (We left at 1 a.m.) Yes, it was a late night for us, but we were still feeling West Coast time at that point.

(I think this photo of the two of us was taken around 12:45 a.m.)

After Matt's morning meetings one day we were "on our own" for lunch and the afternoon so we took a bus to Downtown Disney, explored that area, had our late lunch, and had a relaxing time. Then later that day the work conference held an evening event at SeaWorld. We watched the Whale and Dolphin show, had a great buffet dinner meal, and then they let us loose on the three best amusement park rides - the Manta(ray), the Kraken, and Journey to Atlantis. Remember, we just enjoyed a terrific meal...

We decided to go on the newest ride to the park first, the Manta. Matt and I were able to get seated in the first row. You sit in the seat and the ride clamps down snugly over your shoulders down to your waist and then it also secures your ankles. Once everyone is secured, they "turn it on" and the coaster takes your seats and you go horizontal so you are now seated but looking at the ground. Oh my! If you put out your arms it literally felt like you were flying. What a thrill that coaster ride was - you climb 5 stories high and then you pull some g's doing corkscrews, loops, climbs and dives. Being in the front row was terrific - I could see out and everything. Its quite the rush. We had such a great time, we decided to do it again. This time, though, Matt and I were in the second row so all I was able to see this time around were the feet of the people in front of me a good portion of the ride. Not. A. Good. Thing. For. Me. Let's just say I came off the ride feeling pretty green. While we moseyed back over to where the next roller coaster was located (the Kraken) - I called it quits and sat down to take some deep breaths, drink some water, and get my wits about me again. I started feeling better so I took a short walk to explore a bit more of the park while waiting for Matt to complete his 2 rounds of fun on the Kraken. I thought I was feeling pretty good again when I met up with Matt and then after a few minutes a new round of nausea hit me and...yep...let's just say I fertilized their flower bed. Ha! Oh well! At least I felt better afterwards. I REALLY really wanted to try the water ride called Journey to Atlantis, but after fertilizing the flowers Matt and I both decided we'd better not push my luck. :) Here are a few photos below of the Whale and Dolphin show we enjoyed that night. All in all it was a FUN night (despite the fertilization moment).

We had one free day to explore, so we chose a park hopper pass and went to Animal Kingdom, Epcot, took a short nap, had dinner at California Grill to celebrate our 5th anniversary, and then went back to Magic Kingdom to finish off our day. The morning started out with a good dose of rain which meant our morning at Animal Kingdom was soggy, but it was still fun. The photo of the giraffe below was taken during the safari tour they have there. It was really great. The highlight for me was seeing the baby elephants splashing and playing in the water less than 20 yards from the vehicle we were in. The tour guide said it was quite a rare sight to see them playing like that - the elephants loved the rain - so I was grateful for the wetness that morning just to soak in those breathtaking awesome moments of watching those huge beasts experiencing pure joy. (I was so enthralled in the moment I forgot to capture a picture or video of the elephants. Oops!)

From Animal Kingdom we went to Epcot. We enjoyed the sights and experiences at that park, too. The flower and garden show was featured during our time there and they had some amazing Disney sculptures all around the park. I captured just a few here...(there were so many more and all were so great!).

Prince Charming and Cinderella

Lightning McQueen

(I just HAD to take this photo for Jay to see)

We also got to see and experience both the Magic Kingdom fireworks show and Epcot's Illuminations fireworks show during stay. (My favorite of the two was Magic Kingdom's show.)

Yes, we missed the boys and thought of them lots, especially seeing so many little ones when we were out and about at the various Disney theme parks. But it was a good "break" for all of us, I think. It felt great to rejuvenate our marriage (our 5th anniversary was on March 18 so we "celebrated" that milestone there). We also enjoyed some good rest and relaxation from the normal busy-ness of life here at home (me more than Matt since he had work meetings to attend). Just soaking in the sun alone (poolside or on the beach by the lake) seemed to boost both our spirits having experienced such a cold, wet winter and spring here in the Pacific NW this year.

All in all, it was a terrific trip. Again, a big shout of thanks out to our parents for taking such great care of our two boys. We know they are in a more challenging, hands-on stage of life right now so your gift of time and love was deeply felt by ALL of us. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

(*I plan to add some video clips to this blog post. I'll be coming back to add them later.)

David - Clapping and (Semi)Walking!

2011-03-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

David is doing some new exciting things this week!

Yesterday, March 30th, after his afternoon nap, I set him down on the floor to play. He looked at his hands and slapped them together. Then he did it again. Then he looked up at me and did it over and over again with this HUGE grin on his face. Yes, he's clapping! And he's quite proud and excited about it, too. I captured a small video clip of him clapping tonight at dinner time thanks to Matt and Jay.

David has been able to do this for a couple of weeks now, but I finally captured a video of him doing it. This is another activity he gets a kick out of being able to do. He hasn't taken his first steps apart from holding on to something, but it is clear he could if he set his mind to doing it.

Yummy Food & Kitchen "Helpers"

2011-03-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

On March 15th Matt and I enjoyed Chicken Carbonara (spaghetti pasta, rotisserie chicken, basil, parsley, cream, eggs, parmesan cheese, lemon zest garnish). I pulled out some of the spaghetti from the dish and offered it to David. He really loves to feed himself these days.

Can you tell he loved it? He was a mess after finishing it (his hands, his face, even some in his hair), but it was totally worth it. A bath that night spiffed him up again.

Wednesday morning, March 23rd, I had my two "helpers" in the kitchen. The two of them opened up my pots and pans cupboard and had lots of fun pulling items out, banging the lids on the ground (what a lot of noise those make!) and just generally having a great time playing together.

David's 9 Month Well Check

2011-03-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, on Saturday, March 12 David turned 9 months old! Today was the day for his pediatrician check-up. Here are his latest stats:

Today's Weight: 18 lbs., 13.5 oz. (25%)
Today's Length/Height: 28-1/2" (50%)
Today's Head Circumference: 18-1/4" (75%)

David's 9 month old well check "report card" reads HEALTHY!!

'Tis interesting to compare David to Jay at this age. At 9 months Jay was 18 lbs., 2.5 oz., 29" tall, and his head circumference was 18".

David received his third and last Hepatitis B shot and they took a bit of blood from his foot for the anemia screening. I'll know the results (which should be just fine) tomorrow.

Here are some photos from today:

Compared to Jay at this age two years ago:

And I'll end with a photo of me at 9 months of age, just for fun.

Update on the Boys

2011-03-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

David (9 months old, March 12)

Pulls up to standing on anything and everything including our legs, chairs, couch, toys, dressers, tub, toilet (so making sure the toilet seats are down!), cupboards,...well, you get my drift.
Enjoys pounding/playing the "drums" on the toilet seats. Watched him throw both hands joyously in the air after playing an especially good solo the other day.
He can walk, but just doesn't know it yet. He always has his hand on something to give him support and comfort, but really he could move between objects without touching if he wanted. Glad he isn't so sure of himself quite yet giving me a few extra days of a non-walker in the house.
Can crawl SUPER FAST
Follows Jay and me EVERYWHERE in the house. His preference is to be with Jay during play time. When he is hungry or tired, he prefers me (surprise, surprise).
Enjoys dumping out the lego box best. Oh the fun loud noises the legos make when they hit against each other and as they fall on the floor!
Loves to take sips of water out of Jay's straw cups
Sits in his booster seat chair for all of his meals now (and loves it!)
Still eats the homemade pureed food I make for meals, but loves to feed himself bits of food including cooked carrots, cooked broccoli bits, zucchini bread, banana bread, chicken bits with rice, Cheerios, Kix
Babbles, squeals, makes sing-song-y tunes, and makes fun noises with his mouth (clicks tongue, etc.); increasingly more "verbal" in those ways
Generally sleeps 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. (he wakes up and after gentle patting goes back to sleep); wakes again at 4:00 a.m. (HUNGRY) so he nurses and then goes back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00 a.m.
Has almost transitioned completely to sleeping in his crib (which is in the same room as Jay). I've been reluctant to move him out of the bassinet in the master bedroom closet in order not to wake Jay in the night, but because of David's increased mobility and his size, it's time. In fact, the jig has been up for quite some time but I'm just getting around to getting serious about moving him to the crib. (My baby isn't a baby any more!)

Jay (2 years, 9 months, 12 days old today)

As you know from the last post, enjoys singing "E-I-E-I-O" and having us sing to him "Jesus Loves Me," "This Little Light of Mine," "The B-I-B-L-E," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and any others songs that come to our mind.
Says lots of words now: wa-wa (water); peas (please); tank ooo (thank you); yes; no; more; Dadda/Daddy; Mama/Mommy; Nana; PopPop; Nana's house (he loves talking about going to Nana's house or Nana and PopPop's house); so (slow); fa (fast); mall (he likes to go to our shopping mall); bull (we've watched the cowboys ride the bucking bulls a few times on the ESPN channel); "huh?" or "hmm?"- equivalent to "what" and yes, he has hit the "what?" stage saying "huh?" "hmm?" or "what?" to almost everything you say/tell him which can get annoying at times; calls David "baby" almost all the time and will call baby "Day-day" if you get him to say baby's name; Jay DOESN'T tell you his name, (I've never heard him say his name before) but if asked how old he is he quickly answers, "two!" Instead of saying the names of animals, he still just makes their sound ("moo" for cow; "baa" for lamb/sheep; "bak bak" for chicken; etc.).
Enjoys playing with his toys all morning - especially with his trucks and legos and trains.
Talks his own words that don't make any sense almost non-stop if he isn't saying "real" words.
Started going "pee" in his potty a few weeks ago. When asked/prompted he usually will try going pee on his potty which is great. We sing songs and read books while waiting for "pee" to happen. Sometimes after trying for a while he'll look at me, shake his head no, and say, "No pee, Momma" with a sad look on his face. Having him tell me he needs to go pee before he pees in his diaper hasn't happened, but we are one step closer to being potty trained!
Has a cool new Ford GT Concept Coupe on a 1:24 scale on the back of the toilet to motivate him to go "poo" in his potty. He can't have it or play with it until that happens, so it remains there for now.

A Musical Performance by Jay

2011-03-08T18:20:00.001-08:00

A musical selection by Jay

(2 years, 9 months old):

(If you didn't figure it out already, this is his rendition of Old McDonald Had A Farm - with a moo moo here and a moo moo there...)

*Sorry for the dark video. This was taken spur of the moment at 7:00 p.m. when it was almost dark out and I didn't have much light in the room yet.

New Appliance

2011-02-27T08:58:00.001-08:00

Last Monday (President's Day) we chose and paid for our new appliance, and this past Friday it was delivered - our new refrigerator!! Our 21 year old refrigerator was only 18 cubic square feet, and with this growing family (of boys, no less) I wanted to be even more economical with meals than I am currently which involves needing freezer space. This new one is a beautiful 22 cubic square feet and I LOVE IT!! The other bonus to a new refrigerator means that we went from a cream-colored one to a refrigerator that matches our existing appliances. That's a nice aesthetic bonus when we eventually place our condo on the market. (It's also nice to use and live with something new versus upgrading something just so it will "show" better with the new owners actually enjoying the use of it.)

Here are pictures of our other two kitchen appliances...the Bosch stove, and the Kenmore dishwasher - both of which were already here when we moved in.

HOORAY for matching kitchen appliances!! :)

David's Tough Look

2011-02-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

This is the tough look you get when your brother throws a book and hits you in the face (while Mom was busy in the kitchen fixing dinner). David was tough - he only cried hard for a few minutes.

President's Day Weekend

2011-02-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

The three-day weekend is now coming to a close...so sad. We had a great weekend here at home this year thanks to Grandma Amy (my Mom) who came to visit us.

Here is a cute shot of 8 month old David (he turned 8 months old Feb. 12th) I captured Friday afternoon, February 18.

After dinner Friday night I took the leftover Cider Ice out of my freezer (apple cider, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup that we chunk up into slush and pour lemon-lime soda over - so yummy). The 9x13 pan was taking up too much room in my freezer so I used the excuse of celebrating Mom's arrival to finish it off. Jay took one bite and decided it was too cold for him. We offered some of it to David and received this result:

David obviously thought it was too cold, too, but he kept wanting more. When Matt would pause or stop offering it to him, he'd whine and reach for another bite, silly kid.

Saturday morning and afternoon brought about a fairly typical home routine: french toast for breakfast, I planted some beautiful primroses in my patio pots that I bought at Costco, prepped and made homemade pureed food for David to restock his meal selections in my freezer, a new recipe for lunch - Food Network Giada's Chicken Carbonara (highly recommend!), and an afternoon nap when the boys were napping.

Saturday evening Matt and I got spiffed up and attended Matt's annual business dinner. Prior to knowing Grandma Amy was going to be here I had asked sister/aunt Molly to babysit the boys. The plan remained the same - Molly came over so it worked out great since Molly and Mom were able to enjoy some time together this weekend, too.

Since I rarely get dressed up these days ('ya know, the whole stay-at-home Mom gig doesn't come with too many reasons to get this dressed up), I asked Molly to take a picture of us to commemorate the evening (me in my altered matron of honor dress from Molly's wedding last July). Here is the result:
Matt and I had a lovely evening and Mom and Molly had a great time together caring for the boys. It was truly a win-win all around.

Sunday was a relaxing day, too. We attended church while Mom chose to stay home and put the rug cleaning machine she had brought along with her to work. The result is stunning! We have new carpet, people!! We had the carpet in our condo professionally cleaned before we moved in May of 2007, but since then I've just done spot cleaning. Mom's Thermax along with the enzyme cleaner and her elbow grease had amazing results. What a blessing!!

After the boys' afternoon naps Sunday afternoon we all took a walk - something that we haven't done in months. Yes, it was on the chilly side, but beautiful, so we bundled up as best we could and enjoyed some time out in the fresh air. When we got home all our noses ran (going from the cold to inside warm air), but it was totally worth it. It felt so good to breathe in the fresh air and to soak in the little sun we received.

This morning Grandma Amy returned home. :( Before she left Jay asked if he could go to Grandma's house, too. We reminded him he might not like waking up and not having Mommy to hold and comfort him. It just melted our hearts knowing he wanted to spend more time with Grandma. So cute!

Valentine's Day Weekend with Family

2011-02-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

We took our 3rd annual trip to Oregon to be with our family and see our nephews (Jay and David's 1st cousins) play their basketball games during their Upward basketball season. Normally we go down President's Day weekend, but this year it worked out better to go the weekend before.

Here are most of us (from L to R): Alex, Matt's sister Shawn, baby David, Jay, me, Nana Carol, and PopPop Jim. Missing: Matt is taking the picture, Josh is playing his basketball game, and Mike was behind Matt.
Josh's basketball game - he is in the white jersey, #1:

Here is a picture of the darling cheerleaders. They did a great job.

After Josh's game finished PopPop, Jay, and Aunt Shawn went out to see Josh's team. I love that Jay is holding Shawn's hand.

Jay enjoying his Goldfish crackers and taking in the whole basketball game experience.

David enjoying hold time by Aunt Shawn and looking at his cousin Josh.

Alex's basketball game (orange jersey, #12):

Later that afternoon we gathered at Nana and PopPop's house for fellowship and dinner together. Of course before dinner the boys just HAD to have fun wrestling. Boys will be boys!!

Josh and Alex - the terrific athletes of the day!

Happy (Standing) David

2011-02-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

The last several days I've tried to upload a video of David going from crawling to standing, but for some reason it just won't work. I'm giving up. This photo will have to do for now.

David Perfecting His Standing Abilities

2011-01-31T21:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend David took another leap developmentally and really started to perfect his skill of going from crawling on his belly, to his knees, to pulling up or steadying himself on an object to get to a full stand. And he is getting really quick at it, too. This kid truly is growing up so quickly! I honestly think he'll take his first steps this coming month and he'll probably be able to walk pretty well by 9 months. YIKES!

I took this sweet photo of him today. I couldn't resist not posting it.

And at the request of family, I recorded a video today to give you all some "proof" of his new ability. The moments I captured didn't really show how fast and good he really is at it, but you'll get an idea. I'll try to catch a better video example in the next couple of days.

Yes, I did ignore Jay's request to "see." He always wants to see the video while I'm actually recording. And then when I am finished, he loves to watch the clip over and over and over again on the camera.

And yes, Jay was in his Thomas the Train pjs. I couldn't get him out of them today. I tried. I really did. He just kept insisting on wearing his "whoo-whoo" outfit. Since we stayed home today, I relented. It is the little things in life that make kids happy, it seems. And I'm happy to oblige.

And why, might you ask, do I have the step stool out in my kitchen? For Jay to watch and be next to me while we did some projects in the kitchen today, of course! Chocolate chip cookies, 2 loaves of zucchini bread, roasted acorn squash to puree for David, and tacos for our dinner. Jay loves watching the whole process. I love having company in the kitchen and I know he is learning good things, so it is definitely a win-win, even if it is a bit awkward to work around the stool at times.

Unexpected Cookie Treat

2011-01-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

We had friends over for dinner last night. We had a great time with their three boys (ages 1-1/2, 4-1/2, and 7-1/2). Jay was especially excited to play with the boys. Wrestling, rough-housing, legos, cars and trucks, shooting hoops...they all had a blast. We ended the evening with a Curious George movie to calm down the hot, sweaty boys.

Dinner was great, too. Pulled pork, homemade cornbread, red grapes, a great salad (that they brought), with boston creme cake and oatmeal carmelita cookies for dessert.

After the boys were in bed, Matt and I put the dining room table back to its normal (smaller) size. (We had put the leaf in the table to fit all 8 of us around the table last night.) I thought I had looked under and around the table well last night, but I must have missed something. How did we discover it? I'll let the pictures below tell the story.

Just before his nap this afternoon we discovered our 7-1/2 month old David crawling out from under the dining room table looking like this. He was covered from head to toe and smelled "heavenly" of wonderful chocolate. I wanted to just eat him up (literally). So, it seems one of the cookies made it to the floor and we missed it. What a treat David had today! His first yummy dessert!!

Video Moments

2011-01-21T10:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of Jay and David playing together. Jay is playing on his toy computer that Nana and PopPop gave him. The sounds this toy makes gets old quickly, so we tend to hide it from him, only allowing him to play with it from time to time. I love how David tries to get into the action.

And here is another video of the boys playing one afternoon. Watch the video and then read my comments.

What? Really? Should I be worried that my 7 month old is obsessed with himself - so much so that he is kissing his reflection? And is it wierd that I find it adoringly cute and funny? Of course he wants to give kisses! I mean, who wouldn't want to kiss that adorable face in the mirror?? Thank goodness I know that he doesn't realize it is himself. At least, that is what I am telling myself. Just let me be and let me live in my own reality, whether it is actually true or not, okay? Thanks. :) And can you tell I take pictures of the boys? Did you notice how Jay tried to pose with David until he quickly figured out I was not taking a picture but recording the video? Oh my...how I love these two guys!

My "Super" Guys

2011-01-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

*Picture taken Saturday night, January 8th, 2011
Jay is 2 years, 7 months, and 6 days old; David is 4 days shy of 7 months old

**Special thanks to Aunt Traci, Uncle Keith, and Cousins Samantha and Sydney for the boys' superhero pjs they received for Christmas this year

Like Father, Like Son

2011-01-09T21:57:00.000-08:00

As you might have guessed from this blog entry's title I'm reminded daily that I'm in a house full of men. I truly love that fact. At times I find it humorous, too. Take for example this funny video of Jay I captured a few nights ago.

Did you notice not only his loud snore (just like his daddy's), but how cute is it that he is grasping a new matchbox race car he received as a Christmas gift? Every night it is something different...a book, a toy...whatever item makes him happy before drifting off to dreamland for the night - you'll find it either clutched in his hand or the item right beside him.

Ahhh...the sound of my little men and my man peacefully sleeping at night always warms my heart. I admit it - their peaceful sleep and the quiet house is something I treasure.

Garden d'Lights - Botanical Garden Light Display

2010-12-15T09:49:00.001-08:00

Last night I loaded the boys in the car and took them over to see the botanical garden light display. I had heard great things about it and I was eager to check it out and introduce Jay and David to the beauty of Christmas lights (over half a million in this display). I wasn't disappointed! The only disappointment was that Dad Matt couldn't join us. He needed to stay home and nurse his migraine headache (boo hoo!). I took these pictures so that we could tell and show Dad all about it, so I thought I'd share these pictures with all of you, too!

Above: Notice the slug on the left (including his slime trail) - a garden in the Seattle area wouldn't be a garden without one!

Below: It is a light "waterfall" with fish jumping

David is 6 months old!

2010-12-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

My baby turned 6 months old on Sunday, December 12!

David's Stats:
Weight: 17 lbs, 11.5 oz. (50th-75th percentile)
Length/Height: 27" (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17-1/4 (50th percentile)

If you want to compare, see my blog entry on how big Jay was at this age. (In short, David is heavier than Jay was, but they seem to be about the same height and have about the same head size.)

David has a rash on his front and back, but I quickly learned it was a slight case of eczema and a little 1% hydrocortisone and Eucerin will cure it right up. (Jay had the same thing at his age. It must be related to the cold winter months - cold outside, warm dry heat inside.)

At his check-up he received more vaccine immunizations - DTaP (diphtheria tetanus & pertussis), HiB (haemophilus influenzae type b), PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine), IPV (inactivated polio vaccine), and the Rotavirus. That equaled up to be 2 shots in his leg and one oral (liquid) dose. He was a trooper!

Here are some latest happenings with David:

Sits by himself

7th tooth coming in (4 on top, 2 and a 3rd coming on the bottom)

Started crawling!! 2 weeks ago (quite proficiently for only 6 months)

Enjoys tummy time play time

Thinks his brother is AWESOME

Gives terrific open mouth kisses

Loves playing peek-a-boo

Laughs, screeches, babbles, and coos

And just to prove how great David is getting around, here is a video I took of David yesterday while Jay was napping.

David is developmentally ahead in the teeth and crawling categories when I look back and compare the two boys. As many second-born kids do, I think David will keep Jay on his toes!!

Christmas Picture Outakes

2010-12-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

This year's picture won't win any prizes, but it was the best in the bunch...below is SUCCESS!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T20:32:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving with my Mom and her side of the family (her sisters and brother and their families). We timed our travel perfectly and avoided the blizzard conditions.

Nothing says "home" to me like snow on the ground outside and a warm, cozy, beautiful fire in the fireplace - the first of the season. Jay enjoyed "helping" Grandma bring up the fire brick and the logs. I like this first photo as it looks like Jay is trying to give David a high-five.

The next morning Matt took Jay outside to experience the "no" in Jay's words (he's means snow). It was near 0 degrees F out, so it was plenty nippy.

What is better than coming in out of the cold to a nice warm mug of hot chocolate?

Here are some pictures of the snow drifts in my Mom's back yard looking out her kitchen window.

Thanksgiving Day was spent with aunts, uncles, cousins, and their kids. Around 40 of us (out of around 70 of us) gathered in Mom's church's basement for the afternoon to enjoy our Thanksgiving meal potluck and family share time.

Here is a picture of three of Jay and David's second cousins - Lara, Korie, and Julia. Aren't they adorable?

And here are some pictures of Matt feeding baby David his squash and applesauce.

My sister graciously took this family photo of us Thanksgiving morning.

And I'll finish this post with a picture of my Mom's siblings. This was the first holiday celebrated without Grandma Dorothy. We missed her, but basked in the love and bond we share as a family.

Picture: Aunt Beth (top left), Uncle Ray, Aunt Joan, Aunt Mary Kaye (bottom left), and Mom Amy

It was a terrific meal, we had a good time of sharing and fellowship, and the evening was topped off by an after-party gathering at my Mom's house. We'll gather again like this for Thanksgiving 2012.

November Together

2010-11-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

(December 13)

It is about time I get back to blogging, isn't it? Life got busy, we were sick with cold bugs for several weeks, then life was full again...you all know how it goes.

Here are some pictures I took in November of the boys playing together early one morning.

Friend Katie wrote this in an email back on November 9th. I've included some of my musings from that day following Katie's email quote:

"Audrey has some stickers for Jay. And when I asked her if we should give some to Baby David, too, she said that David should not have any yet because he's too little, but when he gets a little older and grows up he can have some." :)

Once again Matt and I are amazed at Audrey's verbal and relational understanding. I can't get Jay to say "soup" (I fixed that for his lunch today) let alone talk about relationship stuff. Instead of saying "soup" he just likes to make a slurping sound (I've learned the slurping sound could be for "soup" or for "drink of water").

As I write this, though, I'm remembering Jay being so proud of himself learning that if he climbed up on a chair, he could then from that lean/jump over to the nearby couch and tumble over/across it. And today he loved being able to jump on top of four items he placed strategically on the floor. I used it as an opportunity to teach him counting as he jumped from one thing to the next. He loves conquering new physical challenges.

It is so funny to compare the two 2 yr olds knowing they are just operating as God designed them. :)

As I mentioned in my opening paragrah, we were under the weather for a time, but the crazy part of it is that Jay didn't act the least bit sick. As you might have figured out from my above paragraph, Jay continued to be as active as ever. No "down time" for sickness around here - no matter how you feel! :)

I was so grateful for the 2 hours of nap time I was able to utilize several days. Jay and David often take their long afternoon naps at the same time -- 1 to 3ish. I do my best to try and catch some extra zzz's at least a portion of that time in order to help me fight off sick bugs.

Over Veterans Day weekend we enjoyed an unexpected blessing - having my Mom here (a last minute terrific surprise). Here are some photos from our quality time together.

This next photo of Jay is a favorite of mine. Jay took off his socks and my Mom played with him and put them on his ears to make him look like a puppy. He thought it was GREAT!My Mom is a MASTER at putting baby David to sleep. She can do it so quickly and easily. We couldn't resist taking a picture of sweet David sleeping in his bassinet.

And here is a funny, sweet photo of David after I had finished dressing him for the day. Yes, he stands quite well with just a little bit of support needed. He's growing up so fast!Friday of Veterans Day weekend we took the boys to the play area at the local mall. It is fun to watch Jay climb, slide, jump and play. On Saturday, sis Molly met up with us (Mom, me and baby David) and we ventured off for some girl time shopping at the outlet mall in Auburn. Jay stayed home and had a good time with Dad. We three gals had a BLAST together. We figured it had been a good 15 years or so since the three of us had gone clothes shopping together like that. Nothing beats having some good girl opinions as you try on clothes! Below is a photo of David taking a nap. All our shopping wore him out! Ha! (Not really - he just took his normal nap.)

We stopped half-way through and grabbed a bite of lunch at a nearby Wendy's. David did terrific playing with his toys and a plastic spoon.

Sunday after church brother Scott and his wife Mandy, my sister Molly and her husband Scott, Mom, and my little fam all gathered here at my place for a pre-Thanksgiving family gathering. The camera didn't get used, unfortunately, but it was wonderful. I'm still cherishing the moments we enjoyed together.

Fun in Oregon

2010-11-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

We left Friday afternoon for Nana and Pop Pop's house in Oregon. Five hours later we arrived (including a stop for dinner and a rest area stop along the way). The last hour was a bit excruciating with David screaming (we think he doesn't like traveling in the dark combined with the fact he had "had it" of being strapped in his car seat). Suffice it to say, we were happy to get there.

Saturday morning Nana made waffles and bacon for breakfast (YUM!) and Jay enjoyed exploring all of Nana and Pop Pop's toys all morning long.

We left by 11:15 and drove to Cousin Alex's soccer game that began at noon. Of course it rained all weekend, but it was lightly raining the first hour of Alex's game and so it wasn't too bad. The rain on top of cool temperatures (upper 40s) made it feel a little colder than that, so we bundled up as best we could.

Above: Jay running to greet me and David
Below: Alex is the player in green playing defense against the boy in the blue with the soccer ball

Below: Jay enjoying watching the boys play soccer

By 1:00 p.m. it really started to rain hard, Jay was telling us, "Hone, Mommy and Daddy", and David was starting to fuss, so we decided to head back to Nana and Pop Pop's house.

Alex did a terrific job - and his team ended up winning the game 7 to 5. Hooray! Way to go, Alex!!

Below here are some photos I took Saturday late afternoon around the house. (Shawn, Alex, and Josh would have spent Saturday afternoon and evening with us, but they were feeling under the weather so they decided it would be best to stay home and not potentially expose us to their "bug". We were sad about that, but we understood. At least we got to see them!)

Jay enjoyed showing us how strong he was lifting the weights...3 lb weights, that is!

Sunday morning we went to Nana and Pop Pop's church. Aunt Shawn, Cousin Alex, and Cousin Josh met us there and then we all went out to eat lunch at Sweet Tomatoes after church ended (thanks for treating us Nana and Pop Pop!). Uncle Mike would have come to everything this weekend, but he was on their church's men's retreat. Hope it was great, Mike!

Thanks for a terrific weekend! As always, it was great spending time with family. We love you guys so much!! We're looking forward to Christmas when we will ALL be together.

Fall Party

2010-10-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we enjoyed getting together with our friends for fun, food, and great fellowship! The four of us Moms brought our kids' costumes along and snapped lots of pictures to capture the cuteness.

Here are the vegetables! 4 month old Pumpkin Elissa (who is 1 week younger than David) and David, the Pea in the Pod. Let me tell you, they were the most cooperative ones in the bunch! Ha!
And here is a group shot minus Princess Elorie (2) who did not want to cooperate (surprise, surprise!)

Tennis Pro Kyler (2); Superman Jay (2); Pea in the Pod David (4 mo.); Ice Cream Truck Driver/Delivery Man Kellen (4); Cute Puppy Dog Audrey (2); Darling Pumpkin Elissa (4 mo.)

As you might notice, we eventually lost tennis pro Kyler who had a meltdown, too. Glad we got a couple fun photos, though!

Priscilla was such a terrific hostess. She even planned a little craft activity for the kids! They all LOVED it and had such a good time.

The craft project result! (Below)

And to finish off this post I'll show you a couple pictures of our carved pumpkin this year...it's of Thomas the Tank Engine, of course! Jay LOVES it and every time he looks at it he gets so excited and says, "Whoo Whoo!" (making the sound of a train whistle). (Thanks to a free online template I was able to carve/create this.)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Birthday Matt!

2010-10-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today is Matt's birthday! He doesn't care for the fuss birthdays bring, but being the Mom that I am, I enjoy fussing over people - especially my boys and ESPECIALLY my man!

Matt, you are an incredible husband, father, son, brother, and friend. You are such a blessing to others, and you are an extra special blessing to Jay, David, and me. Thanks for working so hard providing for us so I can stay at home raising these precious boys. Thanks for pushing us where we need to be pushed, persuading us when we need persuading, loving us when we aren't especially lovable, and sacrificing for us when we certainly don't deserve it.

Enjoy your day today worshipping God at church followed by the Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals home football game this afternoon.

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

4 Month Comparisons

2010-10-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a photo shoot today with David and specifically try to capture similar images from when Jay was his age. I'll let you be the judge whether or not it was a success.

David and Jay....Jay and David. Who is in the orange and who is in the green?

If you guessed Jay in the orange and David in the green...you are correct! I think they'll look like brothers...what do you think???

David's 4 month check-up

2010-10-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

David turned 4 months old last Tuesday, October 12! Thursday the 14th we went to see the pediatrician for a well baby check-up. Here are his latest stats:

Weight: 15 pounds (50th - 75th percentile)
Length/Height: 26 inches (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16-3/4 (50th - 75th percentile)

In comparison, here are Jay's stats from when he was 4 months old (see picture in link). So far David is about a pound and a half heavier, about 3/4" taller, and has a slightly bigger head than Jay did at this age. If things continue like this it seems David is going to be a bigger boy than Jay. We'll see!

Here are some facts about David:

Has two bottom teeth (came in at 3-1/2 months)
Learning NOT to bite Mommy when nursing (can I say ouch?!!)
Can hold his head and body high (90 degrees) when on his tummy
Reaches for and is able to hold on to objects
Is increasingly more social and mobile
Enjoys blowing bubbles
Has a terrific belly laugh
Loves it when big brother Jay plays with him
Can roll from his tummy to his back (which is more common) and vice versa
Enjoys playing on the floor with soft toys (for about a 10 minute span)
Splashes majorly in the bathtub now (slams his feet down into the water from his bath seat)
Began to eat rice cereal about a week before his 4 month birthday; next up was homemade applesauce. I will introduce winter squash sometime soon.
David is still not sleeping through the night. We're trying to work on this. He'll sleep from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. After feeding he goes right back to sleep and wakes again for another feeding at 5 or 5:30. Then he stays awake...and especially so if Jay is up and about which is typically 6 a.m. David slept one solid 8 hour night sleep last week. He got my hopes up since he hasn't done it again since then. Oh well! Here is hoping for another good sleep sometime soon.

To say the least, Matt and I are "Counting Our Blessings" with these two precious boys!

Visit at Grandma's & Growing Boys

2010-10-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

While Matt was away from home for five days, I packed up the boys and off we drove to Grandma's house in Eastern Washington (a 4 hour one-way trip including a 30 min. stop to nurse David).

On Thursday (or Friday - I lose track of the days when I'm away from home), we bundled up the boys in warm clothes to play outside. I adore this photo of my Mom and David.

We had some "firsts" occur while at Grandma's house. David now rolls over, blows bubbles, and he received his first meal of rice cereal.

He also for the first time fell asleep in the swing. So funny and cute!

On Monday we returned home. Here is a video of the boys playing in front of the mirrored closet that afternoon in Jay's room and a growth chart update on Jay.

Videos

2010-10-05T21:46:00.001-07:00

Monday, October 4 - Bath Time!

Tuesday, October 5 - More Swing Time for David! (one week shy of 4 months old)

September Photos

2010-10-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a video and some photos from late September 2010

Thursday, September 23

This was playdate day. I took the opportunity to get a picture of the two youngest attendees together. Elissa is exactly 1 week younger than David. They are 3-1/2 months old here. Elissa wasn't feeling well that morning, but you can see David was feeling JUST FINE!

And here is a sweet photo of Kellen (4 years old) with David. He liked playing with David that day and has been asking his Mom when she is going to have another baby! :) (Kellen is 4 and Kyler is 2 years old, born the same day as Jay.)

Friday, September 24

We got out and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon in the park (after nap time, of course). I love these photos of Jay with downtown, part of the park, and the pond with ducks as background.

Sunday, September 26

We finally got around to getting the baby swing out of our storage unit. David sure loves to be in it for a time and slobbers over the attached toys.

David and Daddy - having FUN!! Here are some action shot photos...

A Week In The Life Of...

2010-09-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 18

We packed the car and headed to Eastern Washington to attend a friend's wedding. It was a short and sweet wedding ceremony and then we enjoyed the beautiful afternoon outside at tables for the wedding reception in the backyard of the bride's parent's home. Did the kids' schedule get totally thrown off that day? Yes, which included no nap for the 2 year old no matter how much his parents hoped he would nap. Despite the lack of schedule, it was a good day. We ended the evening with a surprise visit with my Aunt and Cousin and quality time with my Mom who so enjoyed seeing her grandboys.

Sunday, September 19

Enjoyed a yummy french toast breakfast with my Mom, then packed up the car and headed back home. Trip home included not one, but TWO glorious stops at a Starbucks. I'm not getting much quality sleep these days, people. A caffeine Chai Tea Latte treat now and then is this Mom's best friend.

Monday, September 20
It was pajama day for me and the two youngest boys. Gotta have those from time to time, 'ya know. For Jay this also was the beginning day of transitioning him to sleeping in his "big boy bed." I decided to first give it a try during his nap times and then try it for an all-nighter later after nap times are successful. The first day of naptime in the big boy bed was very successful. I knew when he woke up from his nap because I heard him knocking on his bedroom door (which I shut).

Matt especially enjoys his Monday evenings as he attends the Seattle Mens BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) group. This year they are doing a new study - it is the book of Isaiah this year. He comes home around 9 or 9:30 on a high having had a good evening and getting some much needed refreshment. Me on the other hand? Let's just say Monday evenings are very challenging and I'll leave it at that. I know it'll get better as the boys get older. We're just in a stage. At least that is what I keep telling myself and hope and pray it comes true sooner rather than later.

Tuesday, September 21

Bible Study morning for me. Thankfully Matt works from home early Tuesdays mornings so I can shower, dress, prep both boys, and get out the door by 9 a.m. I was on a good roll this Tuesday until...dun dun dun! (dramatic, suspenseful, uh-oh music) The biggest, hugest, and messiest blow-out diaper from David that I've EVER experienced occurred. It was astonishing how little was in the diaper, but how much was up his back and into his armpits. Double YUCK!!!! I was grateful I checked on David 20 minutes before I had to be out the door. Into the bathtub I took him to strip him, bathe him, and get us both back into good places. I was out the door on time thanks to Matt being home. I wouldn't have made it otherwise.

Wednesday, September 22

For some reason I decided to stick my finger in David's mouth in the morning after dealing with some unusual fussiness from him. I felt a tooth! Yes folks, at 3-1/2 months old David cut his first tooth (bottom right middle). Turns out Jay cut his first tooth about this same time (about 3 months old) so I must admit I'd been watching for it to happen and I saw the signs of the possibility of a tooth coming with all the drool and hand-in-mouth action going on. Wednesday evening I checked his bottom gums again and felt the SECOND tooth (bottom left middle) that he's working on cutting now. I sent Matt to the drugstore to buy some Baby Orajel after experiencing another loud evening at home with the two young boys.

Thursday, September 23
A long-awaited and anticipated morning play date with my girlfriends Katie, Emilie, and Priscilla! Katie's daughter Audrey is 1-1/2 weeks older than Jay and baby Elissa is 1 week younger than David. Emilie's daughter Elorie is 4 months older than Jay, and Priscilla has two boys, Kellen who is 4 and Kyler who is 2 and was born the same day as Jay. Yes, that makes FOUR 2 year olds, one 4 year old, and two 3 month old babies at our get-together this morning. It was a busy (and at times loud) get-together, but it was a refreshing drink of water for me to fellowship with these Moms who are going through this parenting thing with me. A family trip to the grocery store after dinner that night completed our day.

Friday, September 24
This was a day of prep and cooking. We delivered a homemade meal (homemade guacamole, all the fixin's for soft tacos, a bag of tortilla chips, and freshly baked homemade chocolate chip cookies) for our friends who had their third child on September 7 (3 kids 3 years old and younger). I just doubled everything I fixed for their family so we could enjoy the same meal in our home. Any free time I had from the two boys was focused on fixing food in the kitchen. I finished everything by 4 and the meal was delivered before 5.

I think I have mentioned this before, but if I have neglected to mention it, David LOVES his diaper changes and bath time. He gets all excited and happy! To prove this to you, here is a video clip I took of him having just completed changing his diaper last night.

Saturday, September 25
Matt gets up with Jay every morning and he made french toast this morning (Jay's absolute favorite). He has gotten so good at it now that he has the "recipe" memorized. LOVE IT! I get up when David fusses for his morning feeding which normally happens before 7. (Not to mention getting up in the middle of the night to feed David, too.) Matt took Jay to get the car's oil changed and brought the baby swing from our storage unit home this morning. Matt then hung various pictures and items on some of our walls that we've been meaning to get around to doing. Jay got out his toy hammer and toy nail and imitated Matt. It was really cute and funny. Jay is down for his nap after having lunch and Matt has taken the car to get new tires. I've done a load of laundry, worked on my Bible Study lesson for this week, BLOGGED, and will do some other household chore projects later today (wash dishes, clean bathrooms, etc.). These laid-back Saturdays don't come very often in our household, so we are enjoying getting all these projects done around the house at our leisure.

SO, that rounds out my "A Week In The Life Of" blog post. What did your week look like??

Labor Day Weekend 2010

2010-09-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

After my appendectomy on Sunday night and having family here to help me out around the house Monday and Tuesday, we hopped in the car Wednesday morning and headed over to Eastern Washington for the long weekend.

Thursday afternoon we stopped in and had a great visit with my Grandma (Jay and David's Great Grandma). She turned 96 this past July and is doing terrific. She lives in a lovely Assisted Living home in town. It was her first time seeing David since he was born so I made sure to capture some photos of her and David together. (David is 2-1/2 months old in these photos.)

Matt, David and I left Friday afternoon to visit some friends in Idaho, leaving Grandma Amy to babysit Jay. When we returned home around 6, this is what greeted me...sweet Jay who had discovered a new batch of tame kittens. My Mom said he had a blast all afternoon playing and carrying them around the yard. They were the PERFECT size for him.

Friday night we all went in to the fair in my hometown that happens every Labor Day weekend. The evening weather couldn't have been better for watching the rodeo. Jay really got into the whole thing this year. He especially enjoyed playing with his second cousins, watching the bucking broncos, and the rodeo clown who did a fun intermission show on an 80cc motorbike in the rodeo arena.

Saturday morning we went into town and enjoyed watching the annual parade. It was windy, but the sun was out so it was a good parade. Again, Jay did better this year at picking up the candy. He wasn't so sure about it at first and wouldn't pick up the candy, but after watching his 2nd cousins do it for a while, he finally decided he'd try it, and he liked doing it!

David took in a portion of the parade in Grandma's arms, but by the end of the parade he decided it was nap time. (see photos below)

Above: Royal City's parade float (my favorite float)

Above: Me (with crazy wind in my hair), Jay, and Matt

Below: Jay finally deciding picking up the candy on the street after it was tossed to him was "okay"

Above: David taking his nap (my Uncle Gary, my Dad's oldest brother, is on the left)

On our walk back to the car we stopped by the local train depot and checked out the train car with Jay. He talks about trains often (he calls them "whoo whoos") and this was certainly a highlight of the day for him.

Emergency Appendectomy

2010-09-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I wasn't feeling well Saturday, August 28 when Mike, Shawn, Alex and Josh were here.

It all started about 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon, August 27. That is when I noticed I had pain in my stomach. I had eaten lunch at my normal time that day and had just finished doing a couple household chores (vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.). I drank some water and noticed the pain, so I chalked it up to maybe drinking too much water all at once. Unfortunately, the pain didn't subside. I ate dinner and throughout the evening I continued to feel bad. The pain started to come in waves (like nausea), so I chalked it up to maybe eating something that wasn't settling well. Sure enough, at midnight I tossed my cookies and hoped after doing so I'd start to feel better. No such luck. 1-1/2 hours later I tossed my cookies again, and did so a third time at 3:00 a.m. I was able to then finally sleep between then and 6:00 when Jay woke up for the day.

We were expecting to see Shawn, Mike, Alex, and Josh later that morning. I thought about calling them to give them a heads-up, but I honestly didn't feel like I had a catchable "bug." I honestly thought it was food-related and continued on with my day.

I managed remarkably fine all day Saturday. Then I had another bad episode late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. Again, about 11 p.m. I woke up in pain - this time in my lower abdomen - and in a cold sweat. I got up and told Matt I "just didn't feel right". He took my temperature (I was normal), but I certainly didn't feel good. I asked Matt to look up some of my symptoms on the internet, but the symptoms he entered didn't trigger any ideas on what it might be. Eventually the pain subsided and I was able to sleep (although it was restless).

Sunday morning we took it easy. We were going to go to church, but decided against it since #1, we hadn't had much rest the last two evenings because of my pain, and #2, I still wasn't exactly sure what I was dealing with. Before I hopped in the shower late Sunday morning I mentioned to Matt that "It hurts right here (pointing to my lower right side of my abdomen), but it also generally hurts all over my abdomen." That triggered an idea. Matt went to the internet to see if it might be appendicitis. Sure enough, he reported to me that I had every single symptom of appendicitis. I finished my shower and started to pack for the hospital. I called my doctor and discussed my plan to go to the ER with possible appendicitis, and we also made some calls to our immediate family letting them know of my possible appendicitis.

THANKFULLY Shawn, Mike, and the boys were in town and available, so they came from the church service they had attended that morning right to our condo unit. Matt and I had put our two boys down for their afternoon naps, I prepped for the hospital visit, and off we went to the local hospital's emergency room. What a huge relief it was knowing that our boys were being cared for perfectly while we were gone. I was admitted to the Emergency Room around 1:00 p.m., I finished my approximately 64 oz. of "creamy vanilla smoothie" flavored barium (yuck!) by 2:20, waited the necessary 2 hours for it to make its way through my GI system, received a CT scan of my abdomen, received the results with confirmation that indeed, I had appendicitis at 4:45, and by 5:30 I was upstairs in pre-op, 5:50 on the operating table, and by 6:15 the surgeon was talking to Matt in the surgery waiting room letting him know the laparoscopic surgery to remove my appendix went smoothly. I awoke out of the anethesia in post-op around 7:00 (feeling so much better, though my incisions were a bit tender) and was moved to my overnight hospital room by 7:30.

Shawn, Mike, and the boys were SUCH A BLESSING to us! Shawn agreed to spend the night at our condo to allow Matt the flexibility to check on me at the hospital and to then return the next morning to take me home from the hospital.

The surgeon visited me at 7:30 a.m. Monday morning and wrote up my discharge papers. I was back home by 9:30 that morning! Shawn, Mike, and the boys left late Monday morning to make their way back to their home in Oregon. Matt's Mom (Nana) made her way up from the Portland, OR area and stayed with us Monday afternoon through Wednesday morning to help me around the house while I recovered allowing Matt to focus his time and energy doing his job. (I needed to take it easy and not lift anything over 20 lbs. for a couple days. Jay is over 25 lbs, so lifting him up to care for him would have been super challenging had family not been around.)

We saw God's providing hand in such a tangible, visible way. He provided care and comfort through our family members - Shawn, Mike, and the boys, my sister Molly who arrived after they left to make a dinner for us for Monday night, and then Mom Carol who arrived shortly after my sister finished. Truly we could not have planned it better! God is so faithful, loving, and kind. My family truly felt His presence and care and peace in the midst of what could have been a very frightening, crazy, and difficult situation.

My recovery was quick! It went so well, in fact, that we didn't change our plan and left Wednesday morning, September 1, for Eastern Washington. (More on our Labor Day Weekend in the next post.)

I'll leave you with a few photos that were somewhat appendectomy related.

Monday morning (while Matt and I were at the hospital) Shawn captured this moment on camera. She had put David on the living room couch and went to the kitchen to grab something. David started to fuss, but then he was quiet shortly after. When Shawn returned to the living room this is what she saw...Jay was "helping" to comfort and care for David! Jay must have remembered watching me pacify David (on rare occasion, mind you) by sticking my knuckle in David's mouth. I had seen Jay do this exact thing to David once or twice before this moment that Shawn captured. I think it is so funny that she was able to capture the sweet moment on film! Let's just say I am more vigilent these days about cleaning Jay's hands JUST IN CASE this sort of thing happens. Ha! Jay really loves helping me out with David.

And I would be remiss if I didn't share with you the beautiful "get well soon" floral bouquet I was surprised and touched to receive from Matt's financial planning firm. It was GORGEOUS! This picture doesn't do it justice.
To say the least, I'm so grateful for God's abundant blessings!!

Weekend with Shawn, Mike, Alex & Joshua

2010-08-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my absence. Lots has happened in the last couple of weeks and I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures and reporting the latest in our lives.

On Saturday, August 28 we enjoyed quality time and fun with Matt's sister Shawn's family - Shawn, Mike, and their boys Alex and Joshua - who drove up for the weekend from Oregon. We'd been planning and looking forward to this visit for a month or more.

They arrived late morning and we just enjoyed some time playing and visiting here at our condo unit. As you can see from the video below, Jay enjoyed some good 'ole wrestling time with his cousins.

Above: Jay waiting on the ground for the boys to wrestle him.

I wasn't feeling well (more to come on that in the next blog post), so I stayed home with Jay and David while they took their needed afternoon naps. During that time Matt, Shawn, Mike, and the two boys walked up to the nearby mall to have lunch and enjoyed a little shopping at the Leggo store (Josh made a purchase with some of his saved/leftover birthday money).

They arrived back just as Jay and David woke up from their afternoon naps. Here is a video of me with David after I finished feeding him.

Above: A snapshot of Mike catching a quick nap before our outing

We decided we'd take advantage of the beautiful day and explored a portion of the Seattle Arboretum. We took a little walk, walked under highway 520 through a tunnel, and ended at a point on Lake Washington where boats go through the canal to the Puget Sound, just across the water from the U of W football stadium.

Below: A family photo in a cool tree at the beginning of our walk in the Seattle Arboretum

Above and below: More tree pictures. It was a great climbing tree!

Above: U of W canoes in the water in the Seattle Arboretum

Below: A video of our walk (sorry, turn your head to the left to view)

Sunday was pajama day for Jay and David! Shawn, Mike, Alex, and Josh came and spent the afternoon and evening. I love the below photo of Jay - it shows just how much he adores being with his cousins.

Summer Wedding and Play at Park

2010-08-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

On August 15 Matt served Christopher, our friend, as best man. Christopher wed his beautiful wife Vanessa. It was a gorgeous ceremony under a tent on a hot Sunday morning held at a local hotel on the shores of Lake Washington. I was so grateful that the ceremony was only a quick 10 minute drive from home so that made it slightly easier for me to navigate getting both boys (and me!) bathed, dressed, and ready for the day's events.

The ceremony began shortly after 11 a.m. Below is a picture of the bride and groom. Matt is the first groomsman to the right of the groom.

Below is a picture of the bride and groom facing the congregation as Vanessa's aunt did a scripture reading.

A lovely dinner was served to the wedding guests under the tent at 1 p.m. Between dinner courses the bride and groom wandered out from under the tent to enjoy the beautiful day and the gorgeous view which provided a picture-perfect moment for us guests.

I will be honest - I was a little worried I would have a hard time wrangling a 2 year old and a 2 month old boy by myself for much of that day, but both boys were good for me. Whew! Having Matt's help from time to time when he was available was extremely nice. I took the boys home at 2 p.m. after I had finished my last bites of the lunch. Jay usually goes down for his nap around 12 or 12:30 so stretching him to 2 was truly a stretch, but he did great. I wasn't even 3 minutes down the road when he fell to sleep in his car seat. He transferred well to his crib for his afternoon nap and the rest of the day fell back into our normal routine. I missed Matt's toast to the couple, the cutting of the cake, the dance, and the couple's departure via a Woodmark Hotel boat out onto Lake Washington - but that was okay. I was grateful to just be included in it all.

We had some really warm days that weekend and into the next week. After work Tuesday, August 17 Matt and I took the boys to a local park for some play time followed by dinner and more play inside our local mall. It felt so good to get cooled down in the mall's air conditioned structure as we missed the hottest part of the day in our condo unit. I took these pictures of David at the park that day (Tuesday, August 17) while Jay and Daddy played on the playground structures and meandered around the water spray part of the park.

Night Owl Cooing Cuteness

2010-08-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

David's 2 month Check-up

2010-08-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was David's 2 month check-up appointment at the pediatrician's office. Yes, he is 2 months old already!

Here are David's stats:
Weight: 10 lbs, 9.5 oz. (25th-50th percentile)
Length/Height: 23-1/4" (50th-75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 39-1/2 cm (25th-50th percentile)

Compared to Jay's 2 month old stats:
Weight: 11 lbs, 6 oz. (50th percentile)
Length/Height: 23-1/2" (50th-75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 39-1/2 cm (25th-50th percentile)

David is an absolute joy to mother. He is now making cooing noises to "converse" with us, he can now focus his vision on a face for several seconds and follows moving targets a little bit, he pacifys himself using his fingers, thumb, and most commonly his fist, and we're so enjoying his smiles. He is a very "predictable" baby now, too - I know what he wants and when he wants it. I know when he is hungry, when he wants to be held, when something hurts (typically from a toy that landed on him from Jay), when he is tired and ready for a nap, and (hallelujah!) he is sleeping through the night on a regular basis (10 or 11 p.m. to 5 or 6 a.m.). He REALLY enjoys diaper changes and his typically every-other-night baths. He smiles and coos especially during diaper changes, so although diaper changes are frequent throughout the day, it is joyous bonding time with him. Here is a video I captured today. He stopped cooing just as I started the video, but you get a taste of his terrific smiles in this clip.

Jay is a terrific older brother to David. He loves to "help" me "carry" David, enjoys putting dirty diapers in the diaper pail which he can do all by himself now, he puts dirty clothes in the washer when asked (again, all by himself), retrieves items for me when I'm nursing (i.e. my cell phone if he hears it ring and I'm not near it), will throw things in the trash when instructed, and the list goes on. He routinely asks me at least once a day if he can hold David, so about once a day you'd see something like the picture below (taken this week):

Often Jay will put one arm around David when sitting with him, too.

I measured Jay on June 18 and I measured him today and was SHOCKED to see that in two months he has grown one full inch!! Not only is he physically growing taller, he has had a word explosion this week (my current favorite is "baby Day-day" for baby David). On the movement front, Jay really enjoys practicing his jumping (which is really just an exaggerated step over or a two foot short hop forward over a stick, a string, or whatever suits his fancy) and he enjoys a good twirling/spinning session and the funny results that come from getting dizzy.

The days here at home are very routine/scheduled and to my surprise go by quickly. Actually, I'm not sure the time goes by quickly during the day - I think it is more my realization at how FAST these boys grow and develop so therefore it feels like time is flying by. Does that make sense? I'm sure it does to all you parents out there in my blogland.

Portrait Session

2010-08-11T09:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning I took the two boys to our nearby JCPenney for a photo session. It was time to get the milestone photos taken - Jay's 2 year photo and a newborn one of David.

The photographer was great and he captured what a really wanted - a good one of the boys together. But boy (no pun intended) did the two of us have to WORK for it. I was literally dripping with sweat when the photo session concluded (making me wonder WHY I showered and gussied myself up - all that was undone in a couple minutes flat). 'Tis hard work to get a 2 month old and a 2 year old to #1) cooperate, #2) look at a camera at the same time with good expressions, #3) keep both boys in semi-good moods so they'd give a smile every now and then.

After all that, I had to make decisions. Thankfully choosing which photos I liked best was the easy part. The hard part was how many and what size pictures to order... Good thing I only do the milestone pictures (at the most) three times a year (newborn, 6 mo., 1 yr)! It's enough to send a Mom to insanity land.

An hour and a half later we were back home and back to our normal schedule of eating lunch and having our afternoon naps. My Mom was a brave, brave woman to endure milestone pictures of her twin girls and younger son. She not only did the milestone pictures of us - she had a 1+ hour commute each way (vs. my easy 5+ min. commute)! Once again I am so appreciative of the sacrifices she chose and I'm reminded again what an amazing woman she is. LOVE YOU MOM!

The photos will be ready for pick-up on August 21. I'll post them after that. If you want a sneak peek at all of the photos (the funny/not-so-good ones), let me know. I'll email you a link so you can view the album at your leisure.

David & Jay @ 7 weeks old

2010-08-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

Last Friday afternoon, July 30, I put David down on the living room floor after a feeding. Jay LOVED that David was so very handy to see and play with, too. It was a win-win for us all. I first put David down on his tummy on the blanket and watched him scooch (sp?) his little self off of it onto the carpet in a pre-crawl crawl. I was shocked. He became unhappy on his tummy so I decided to prop him up against the Boppy pillow and he enjoyed this position much more. See the resulting photo.

David turned 7 weeks old this past Saturday, July 31. On Sunday, August 1, I decided to do another little photo shoot with him. He is changing and growing and getting more and more active every day.

HOORAY! The above photo is my absolute favorite. I actually was able to capture a full-blown smile - something he has started to regularly give us now for the last couple of weeks.

And I can't do a post without a couple comparison photos. The below photos are of Jay at 7 weeks old when he spent his days with Aunt Traci and cousins Samantha and Sydney while I went back to work for 6 weeks after completing a 6 week maternity leave.

These photos make me miss them SO MUCH!! They lived about 5 minutes away from us then and now they live in Texas (as of February 2009). LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Gift Opening Party

2010-07-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday afternoon Scott and Molly hosted an open house wedding gift opening for the local wedding party members. They showed us the online photos from Pam Grillo's website (see bottom of previous post to view them if you wish) and photos and stories from their honeymoon at Montego Bay, Jamaica. We left after they opened all of their wedding gifts.

Jay enjoyed playing with Scott's Rock Band guitar and drum set.

And of course Jay was right in there to "help" Aunt Molly and Uncle Scott with opening their gifts.

Jay said goodbye to friend Audrey with hugs and kisses!

Candids of Sister Molly's Wedding

2010-07-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

My twin sister Molly got married in Wenatchee, WA on Saturday, July 10. I've been a bit slow on getting these candid photos posted. That's what happens when you have a baby in the house. This post will be mostly pictures with just a few explanations.

We started out her wedding day with 9:00 a.m. appointments at a local (terrific!) salon for hair and makeup.

BEFORE

AFTER

Molly stepping into her dress - GORGEOUS

Posing for the professional photographer

Photos from groom Scott's sister, Kristy's camera

Sister-in-law Mandy and sister-in-law Kristy did the candlelighting

AT THE RECEPTION

My Matron of Honor Speech/Toast

Cake Cutting

First Dance - with Scott's parents singing "From This Moment On"

Molly then danced with brother Scott and groom Scott danced with his sister Kristy

Tossing the Bouquet

Julia caught the bouquet - our 1st cousin's daughter

A group shot of the single gals

Scott enjoyed a rest in the chair meant for Molly

Removing the garter

Joel caught the garter - our other 1st cousin's son

2nd cousins - Julia and Joel

Bridesmaid Debbie's family with Scott and Molly

The sparkler departure

We transported this beautiful unity candle arrangment back to Seattle

Check out the professional photographers online proofs of the day at http://www.pamgrillophotography.com/. Username is scottandmolly. Password is 071010. They are really terrific!

Fun Weekend

2010-07-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a fun weekend July 17 and 18. We kicked it off with a trip to Seattle's Pike Place Market Saturday morning to meet up with my friend, Krishana, from Kentucky. I met Krishana at Focus on the Family Institute back in the Fall of 2000. In March she learned she had a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma called Follicular Lymphoma and started chemo treatments. She finished her last treatment on July 7th and the scan was clear so she is now in remission. PTL! Her plans to be a missionary to the teens in Austria at the start of next year are back on. It was great to see and visit with her, to meet her parents, and to visit with Sarah - a friend of Krishana's that worked at Focus and then moved out here to take a job at SPU several years ago. Sarah now works in the Executive Office where I used to work - she is an absolute GEM!

Here is a group shot - Sarah, Krishana, me, David in the Baby Bjorn, Matt, and Jay

Notice in the above photo us gals have our Starbucks in hand. We stopped at the original Starbucks store first, then enjoyed some cinnamon rolls from a place just down the street, and a good visit after. While waiting outside of Starbucks, I noticed Jamie and Bobby Deen (Food Network stars and sons of Paula Deen). When they came out of a neighboring shop, Matt spoke up and asked them if they were able to find any good southern treats here in the Northwest (or something along those lines). We enjoyed a friendly banter/conversation with them for a moment before they headed on their way. We should have asked what they were doing here in Seattle - perhaps checking out some potential spots to film for their Food Network show??

Saturday night is always a bath night around here. I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a few bath photos of David that night. He already is so much bigger than he used to be. And we all know how fast they grow up.

David's 1 month check-up

2010-07-13T11:38:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe, but David is now 4 weeks old (as of Saturday, July 10). Today we went to the pediatrician for his one month check-up.

David's stats today:

Weight: 9 lbs, 1 oz. (25-50 percentile)
Length/Height: 21-3/4 inches (50-75 percentile)
Head Circumference: 15 inches (50 percentile)

Interestingly, David is exactly 1 lb. heavier and his head is bigger than Jay's was at his 1 month appointment back in 2008. Jay was about 1/2 inch longer/taller (he was 22-1/4 inches).

In other news, PopPop and Nana have been with us for a week. My sister got married out of town this weekend. I was Matron of Honor, Matt was usher, and Jay was ringbearer. We asked PopPop and Nana to help us out this week leading up to, during, and after the wedding so we could prepare, get involved, and then recover from the busy weekend. What a huge blessing they have been.

Late last week PopPop took this picture of Matt and Jay. Jay decided he wanted Daddy to read his "night night" story from the Toys 'R Us catalog. That was a first for Matt - reading a catalog - but it worked great!

I decided to do a short photo shoot with David this afternoon. Here are the results...
I adore this photo below...such opposite emotions happening.
As you can see from the photos, David is having more regular and good "wake times." He also eats like there won't be another meal. He'll eat on one side for 30 min. and on my other side for 30 min. He'll take a short break and want to eat again for another 10 to 20 min. per side. YIKES!

Our nights have been touch and go regarding the amount of sleep David allows me. Some nights are good. Other nights, not so much. But I guess that is life with a newborn. When I wake up super groggy I say to Matt, "I like my sleep too much for this."

Meaning of David's Name

2010-07-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

If you know me well, you'll be surprised to learn this forthcoming fact. When I went into labor with little boy #2, I had not yet settled on his name. (Gasp! Shock!)

And it took me a good 15 to 20 minutes after he was born to decide which of the two first and middle names I thought fit him better. It was a very difficult decision for me, but I know his name is the right one for him.

You all now know I decided his name would be David Scott. "Why David? Why Scott?" you might be wondering. Well, let me tell you!

When my church offered a bible study this past spring using Lifeway Press' "Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David" from the Deeper Still Event featuring Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur, I KNEW that study was for me. Not only was I contemplating the name of David for my second boy's name at the time, (my first inclination that God was leading me to name my son David) it also challenged me to learn more about King David's life from three different perspectives to bring an even greater amount of applicable, practical, spiritual growth in my personal life. And I was not disappointed. The seven-week study ended one week before David's due date, so my prayer during the seven weeks was that I'd be able to FINISH the study without giving birth to David early. My prayer was answered and then some since I went one week over my due date! Ha!

Thanks to some scripture study my Mom did, you will find in I Samuel 16:12 a desciption of David, son of Jesse. "...He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and
handsome features." The NASB says "...he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance." Ruddy means with a red complexion. David seems to fit the description perfectly. He arrived a healthy red, with dark hair. David also means "beloved" which is also the meaning for my Mom's name (Amy). I thought that was cool.

I am praying over him that he would have a heart after God as King David did. I Samuel 13:14 says "...The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart....." referring to King David. I'm also praying that the Lord would anoint him as He did King David with the Spirit of the Lord in the same mighty and powerful way.

King David had so many positive traits. He was a skillful musician, a brave man, and a warrior for the Lord God Almighty. He spoke well and was a fine-looking man. He was a worshiper, he was truly repentant when he sinned, he learned from his mistakes, etc. These are some of the traits I hope for my David (and Jay, too, for that matter).

David's middle name, Scott, has several sentimental ties. First off, my Dad's Mom's maiden name (my Grandma) was Alma Scott. My brother's first name is Scott (and I so love and adore my bro), and my sister's fiance - soon-to-be husband on July 10th - his first name is Scott, too. As Molly's fiance Scott teased me the other day, "Did I feel left out? Did I need to have a 'Scott' in my life, too?"

I'm not going to divulge the other first and middle name that was in the running. Only a few select people know that name. I'd like to keep it "in the pot" in case we decide to have another kid down the road. But I'll warn you. Don't bring up that subject right now. Having a newborn in the house doesn't exactly make this Mom want to think about having another kid at the moment. Give me a year or more when the boys are both sleeping through the night on a regular basis...then maybe I'll consider the thought. :) Sleep deprivation can do that to a woman.

Various Photos

2010-06-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Jay introducing his new baby brother doll to his real baby brother David in the labor and delivery room at the hospital on June 12, 2010.

We wheeled baby David down the hallway late morning June 12th to the mother and baby room like this and freaked out the nurses at their station. They thought we had a very mature baby boy to be sitting up in his cradle like that. Ha!

Pop Pop (Matt's Dad) holding his 4th grandson, 6th grandchild, David, on June 12, 2010.
Below: Pictures of Nana (Matt's Mom) holding and cuddling David on June 12, 2010.

Uncle Mike and David on June 12, 2010

Aunt Shawn (Matt's oldest sister) holding David on June 12, 2010.

David's first cousin Alex holding him on June 12, 2010.

And David's first cousin Joshua enjoying holding him on June 12, 2010.

I adore this moment captured between Jay and me on June 12, 2010.

Baby David with his cookie bouquet gift from Aunt Traci (Matt's sister), Uncle Keith, and cousins Samantha and Sydney on June 14, 2010.

Jay one morning David's first week at home with us telling us he's the #1 brother!

A serene moment in Grandma Amy's arms.

David's first pediatrician appointment on Friday, June 18, 2010 being checked out by his doctor/pediatrician where he received a clean bill of health.

Below: Pictures with Grandma Amy and her two grandsons on Saturday, June 19 before her departure back home. We sure loved having you here with us for two weeks, Mom! What a blessing you were to ALL of us.
First family photo taken on Sunday, June 20th - one week and one day after David was born.

Comparisons

2010-06-27T21:04:00.001-07:00

Above: Jay on 6/2/08

Below: David on 6/12/10

Above: Jay with cookie bouquet on 6/3/08

Below: David with his cookie bouquet on 6/14/10

Above: Jay during first week of life in June 2008

Below: David during first week of life in June 2010

Above: Family Photo one week and one day after Jay arrived in June 2008
Below: Family Photo one week and one day after David arrived in June 2010