Grams, Do You Have to Go?

Grams has to fly back to SC today. We had a great time hanging out, shopping, and playing games(though I didn't win a single one!). Alex was quite happy and very talkative all weekend, obviously enjoying his Grams. Don't worry little one, we already have plans for our next visit!!

Hey, Grandpa!

Hey, Grandpa, look at me in my new vest that you and Grams got for me! Don't I look like a little man? I heard you're coming to visit me in a few months & I can't wait, I'm so excited!

Havin' Fun with Grams

Mom got here on Wednesday morning and we've been having a great time! Alex and his Grams get a kick out of each other and spend lots of time making funny faces at each other! Most everybody says that Alex looks like his Grams, and we think it's true.

I Think I Missed My Birthday???

"Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me..."
"Wait a minute...this says it was my birthday yesterday...but yesterday it was going to be my birthday tomorrow..."

"What??? Did you check the calendar??? There's no February 29th??? But that was supposed to be my 8 Month Birthday...So how old am I???"

Is it My Birthday Yet??

On February 29th the little man will be 8 Months Old!! We can't believe it! Happy-Almost-Your-Birthday Big Guy!

Victory for Mommy

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share PhotosHere's the sweet sounds a Mommy likes to hear!! (not that he knows what he's saying, but I can pretend if Daddy can) I love how he has the old-man-who-forgot-to-put-in-his-dentures look when he makes this sound!

Our Family's Prayer Request

As many of you know, in January we began our ministry search by sending out resumes to many different churches that we knew were seeking an assistant or youth pastor. So far we have been excited to hear back from 8 churches who may be interested!! These have all been just initial contacts so far: some ask for more info from us, others want us to fill out a questionaire, others set up a time for a phone conversation. It has been exciting because we know that God is in control and will make it evident which church He wants us to work in. We would like really appreciate it if you could pray for us as we take these big steps. We need a lot of wisdom as do the churches who are contacting us. We will keep you posted on how things go. Thanks bunches!!

Teeth Hurt, Mommy!

Sometimes Alex gives me these looks like, "why do I need teeth anyway?" He's cut 2 teeth in the past 3 weeks and it's been a bit of a painful ride for the poor baby. I'm glad we don't remember it when we grow up!! Thankfully he's feeling better today, I actually got him to giggle this morning, and Aunt Jen is getting to see some smiles before she goes home tomorrow. I told her that he really is a happy baby when he's not teething!!
"Here's my two chompers! Can you see them?"

The Struggle for Mobility

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share PhotosThis boy would sooooo love to crawl! He gets so frustrated b/c he can't get his arms to do the right thing at the same time as his legs...sometimes it's pretty funny. To be honest, I'm still not ready for him to be mobile, but the day is coming...we'll keep you posted!

My Aunt Spoils Me!

Aunt Jen came to visit on Monday. We've been really just hanging out together here watching some TV and visiting. Takin' it easy! Jen's school (where she teaches) has the whole week off, so she came to spoil Alex for the week, and so far is doing great at it!! We're hoping to do some shopping today, and most importantly, going to Starbucks!
"Check out this cool new move, Aunt Jen!"

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep?

I am glad that my son feels comfortable in his crib, that he's happy there...but lately he thinks that naptime = playtime. Put him in his crib and he starts all kinds of acrobatics--at least one arm or leg will be sticking through the bars and one or all of his stuffed animals are pulled down--those may need to find a new home!! Eventually he will fall asleep, but not until he and Pooh Bear have talked through all of the world's problems and have proclaimed in their own little way..."oh, Bother!"

Boys Will Be Boys

When Ryan gets home from work in the evenings he and Alex have some play time. I hear all kinds of noises coming from the living room and if I peek in there one minute they are on the couch, the next on the floor, and before you know it Alex is flying through the air! The kid just giggles and giggles! I love to watch them--gives you, for lack of a better phrase, that warm fuzzy feeling! These days Ryan gets home from work early because of the cold weather, he's usually home by 6:30pm at the latest. This is just about the time that I need Alex to hold out a few more minutes for his dinner while I finish our dinner, so it works out perfectly! My favorite is when Alex gets "talking" to Daddy and Daddy starts asking questions like: "oh, yeah, what else did Mommy say about me today?" and "so she spent how much on that outfit?"

How Sweet it is to be Loved By You!

This is the picture I decided to use in the Valentine Cards we sent to family.


No, I did not forget Valentine's Day yesterday--are you kidding me? I had 2 Valentine's this year!! I just didn't want to post these pics b/c some of the family didn't receive their valentine cards yet and I didn't want to ruin the surprise for them. We had a nice Valentine's Day. My wonderful hubby brought me a sparkly bunch of flowers, and my littlest Valentine gave me lots of slobbery kisses! How Sweet it is to be Loved By Them!

Our Trip to the Not-So-Sunny South

Thankfully we got some good pics on the grandparents' cameras becuase good mom that I am, I forgot to take a single one on mine!! We had a great time in SC, visiting with family, friends, and even a few of my former professors! The weather did finally warm up the day before we flew home. Alex was a gem on the airplanes--as soon as the engines revved up he went to sleep!! Ryan said that for Alex it must have been like the ultimate car ride. Anyway, a big thanks to Mom & Dad for flying us down--we love you and can't wait to visit again!

I AM MAN!

The Little Man Loves Meat! He had his first taste of chicken today and this was the smile I got between every bite! The boy is a carnivore! As a side note let me say that making homemade baby food is usually rather fun because I like to cook, but let me tell you, there are few things ever made in a kitchen that look more disgusting than pureed chicken--gross. Anyway I had fun comparing his face after his first taste of chicken to his first taste of green beans. Made me laugh!

The New Toothy Grin!

It's not so easy to get a picture of your baby's first tooth, but here's my best shot, & even then you can hardly see it becasue of the glare off the spit!! Yep, the boy has chops! It's on his left, on the bottom, and it's sharp as a knife. He's having fun trying it out on everything and he has more drool than ever, but I'm relieved that after 3 months of teething we finally have something to show for it!!
This is Alex's newest funny face! He pulls his bottom lip in and you can see him rubbing it back and forth over his new tooth. Must feel weird to all of the sudden have a tooth in your mouth!

Future Kicker?

Well, we had our 7 Month check-up today which consisted of 2 immunizations, a regular check-up, and stitches removed...not your average check-up! Here's the boy's stats: 23lbs & 30 in. He's still in the 100th percentile for height, but down to the 95th percentile for weight, slimming out just a little. He checks out healthy as a horse and his finger looks really good now that the stitches are out. Still have to keep that sock on for a few days until its completely healed. We had a good laugh over this picture--it's not just a good catch of Alex kicking, oh no, he will sit in that chair with one of his legs up in the air for a long time! Just stretching??? Warming up for his football career?? We're not sure, but it makes for a comical photo. Tomorrow Alex & I are headed to SC for a week, we hear it's chilly down there so it better warm up before we get there! If you think of us, pray for our plane ride--with an active 7 month old it could be a very successful flight, or.......:-)

7 Months Old & Never Sits Still

And just as I snap the picture...he looks down...
Or he does his kamikazee side lunge...
Or he scoots down...
Or he bottoms up...

Then, finally, we get a smile!

New Stuff and Updates

The newest game around our house is the gravity game! Alex seems to enjoy the sound of things hitting the floor. The sippy cup, when he's finished drinking, always makes it to the floor, and Ryan even found the pacifier on the floor next to the crib yesterday!
This is the smile we've been getting lately, the double-chin look. He'll watch one of us until he catches our eye, and then give this smile with his little chin all tucked in! It me up!

Update on the hand: his stitches look great! Very clean job by the doc, no redness or swelling at all. He gets them out on Wednesday, that will be fun.

Update on our SC trip: many of you know that Alex and I were supposed to be in SC from yesterday until Tuesday. Well, I spent many an hour inspecting the inside of the toilet bowl Wednesday night and early Thursday morning! I must have caught some kind of flu bug and was much too weak to attempt a flight to SC. So we rescheduled for next weekend. I'm feeling much better today. I've eaten oatmeal and it stayed down!! I've lost 5 pounds, though I wouldn't recommend this weight loss program to anyone! Anyway, we are looking forward to our visit down south, and will have lots of pics to post when we get back!

And So Begin Alex's Adventures!

My son is only 6 months old and he already has 2 stitches!! When I woke up yesterday morning I never dreamed I'd end the day in the ER! Here's the story: I was sitting right next to him, yes, right next to him, and he grabbed the front of the filing cabinet and pulled--I had no idea the thing had a sharp edge. Well, all of the sudden he was screaming. He cut his finger on the inside of his left index. So I called the pediatrician and they said to take him in to the ER to check and see if he needed stitches. Praise the Lord he fell asleep on the way there, cuz he didn't sleep again for the next 4 hours! It wasn't pretty--the stitching up, I mean. He was a champ, but the crying and screaming was a mixture of pain and anger, for sure! When it was over I gave him a bottle--you can always calm a man down through his stomache, right?--and then he started "talking" up a storm! Was he telling me his side of the story, or telling me off? I'm still not sure! Ryan met me there and we got him home as soon as we could! He did great last night, thanks to the help of our good friend, Mr. Motrin. The doc said to keep it completely dry for the next 48hrs--impossible as everything goes in his mouth, hands especially--so we put a sock on his hand over the bandage. He's happy now, you wouldn't even know he had his first major catastrophe last night. The Lord was good to us, we had a great doc, Alex slept well, and we can do our follow-up with our regular pediatrician! Ahhhhhh, sigh of relief, it's a new day! And so begin Alex's Adventures!!

Football Fanatic?

Alex was a bit disappointed in the football games we watched this past weekend. Disappointed that the Bears won--sorry Auntie Brenda! And disappointed that New England lost--sorry Jen Larson, no offence to the Colts, but I'm a Patriot fan!! Is he a football fanatic yet?? His dad says yes, & I enjoy watching him and Alex snuggled up on the couch in front of a good game!

He Likes Blondes!

This weekend we drove up to see Jason, Jill, and Madison Gamet. It was a really fun visit with them, catching up on the last two years and meeting their new little girl! We took a quick photo shoot of our two little ones and it was pretty comical. They were really interested in each other, only looking at the adults when one of the cameras flashed. No, Alex didn't really lean in for that smooch...he just did one of his legendary kamikaze head-dives right into the poor little thing! She took it quite well, didn't even cry! It was fun thinking about how we used to mess around in college, never dreaming of the day we would be having dinner together with our babies!!

Funny Faces

This face usually comes right before some major spit bubble action!

This is the new face that often accompanies the "ah-ya-da-da-da-da-da" sound! He really is happy in this picture, honestly!!

Bedtime Stories or Theological Discussions??

Here's a pic of Daddy sharing one of his favorite things with his son: a good book! (Nana & Papa may recognize this book as the Creation Bible they gave Alex for Christmas) Of course, since my husband simply can't help himself, after the book was finished I heard him say to my 6 month old, "Ok, now let's see how many dispensations we can find described in this book!" And, since Alex was just talking away with him, it was funny how it seemed as though they were having a very serious theological discussion!

Cold Weather?? Bring it On!

Noisy, Busy Boy!

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So, let me warn you that this video is kind of long! Alex proceeds to play with every toy on that excersaucer before he will give me a smile! The things I noticed in this video were how strong he is--he pushes and pulls himself all over the place, and how he never sits still for more than a second! Once again, the sound is a little off from the picture-sorry bout that! (you may have to hit the play button twice to get it to work)

Belated Christmas Picture

I forgot to post our Christmas pic and I love it!

The Three Little Amigos

Uncle Ryan, can I play in Alex's chair?
See Mom, I fit!
How come Josh gets Cheerios and I have to eat sweet potatoes?
Whoa, this place is crazy!!
The Hermans, Andrews, and Davis's came over last night after the church potluck and afternoon praise service. We had a full house, but lots of fun! The kids were champs after a long day: Alex enjoyed "talking" to everybody, Josh gobbled oh-so-many Cheerios, and Cate had fun climbing into the baby furniture and chasing Toby around the house! (Praise the Lord Toby is great with kids!) The ladies had fun chatting and the guys watched a good football game! We're very thankful for good friends!

Ahh, the Beauty of a Full Night's Sleep!

Alex started sleeping through the night at 21/2months and it was heavenly. Then he started teething...and not sleeping well...around 4 months. I had 6 weeks of rest!! It was nice. Ever since the teething started Alex has been waking up at least once a night crying and rubbing his gums, it's really quite sad. I usually rock him back to sleep after some teething tablets or motrin. Until last night...my beloved child slept from 9pm until 7:30 this morning! Bliss! I gave him the biggest, slobberiest, most thankfulest smooch on his smoochable cheek that he's had in his whole six months of life!! (The pic above is actually from Sunday when Ryan brought Alex in to wake me up from my afternoon nap.)