Two Little Monkeys

jumping in Judah's bed, one is surely gonna bump his head!

Happy Half-Birthday, Judah!

Judah is the smiliest most social baby ever! He is also very distracted by the flash on the camera which makes capturing his adorable grins nearly impossible :O) He belly laughs when you bounce him up and down and he thinks Samuel is hilarious. He loves Samuel's attention even when he is being told "no, mine" from his big brother. Judah is an absolute delight. We are enjoying watching him become the wonderful person God created him to be. We love you, Judah-bug!

Friends with Boys - Opinions Please!!

So, Samuel is turning two a week from today. Wow!! We have been brainstorming about what kind of gifts he would truly enjoy. He's getting wood blocks from Mojo and Papaw, which will definitely be a hit, and we will enjoy playing with them too :O) But, I have no idea what else he might like and be able to enjoy for at least months, if not years, to come. Any ideas?

Samuel

Samuel has learned so much this summer! Jolly and I fall deeper in love with him every day as we see him make new discoveries and get a bigger glimpse of who he is. I can't believe he will be two in a month! Here are some of his latest developments:

• He puts words together such as "mommy's shoes" or "yucky diaper"
• He is a parrot and seems to have twenty new words a day
• His favorite phrase is "oh gosh" which he gladly picked up from Aunt Key
• His favorite adjectives are "cool" and "cute" he thinks kitty's are especially cute and toys that he can build with or cars that go are cool
• His favorite color is orange pronounced oranch
• He likes puzzles, blocks, cars and things that make noise
• He loves to dance and sing, would like to have music on at all times
• Likes reading books, his current favorites are a seek and find book of the characters from the movie Cars and a Byron Barton book called Trucks
• He actually likes going to his girl friends houses because they have shopping carts and strollers to push around that he doesn't get to play with at home
• He is a ham and makes big cheesy smiles for the camera
• Loves his Fire Chief hat, puts it on himself, me, Judah, and all of his stuffed animals and laughs hysterically
• Has turned into quite a cuddle bug, comes up several times a day and grabs me around the legs saying "hug" and squeezing tight making a grunt. Bear hug :O)
• He says Love you mama, dada, yudah
• Says "no sir" when he is doing something he is not supposed to
• BEST OF ALL he is POTTY TRAINING!!
  

We love you Samuel! You are the apple of our eye and we continue to pray you will grow in wisdom and strength and in favor with God and men.

Judah

I can't believe Judah is already 10 weeks old! This summer is flying by. His latest milestones are:

• he has found his thumb and prefers it to his pacifier
• he rolled over (only once, front to back)
• he smiles all the time
• makes sweet noises
• BEST OF ALL he is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! Smart boy!

He is a snuggly baby, loves to be held. He is a tummy sleeper. Doesn't like riding in the car and not too interested in taking a bottle. We love you baby Judah and are having so much fun watching you grow and become the person God made you to be!

Brotherly Love

Samuel LOVES Judah! Wakes up asking for him, shares his favorite toys with him, kisses and hugs him. And, Judah loves Samuel, too. Samuel gets the biggest smiles so far :O) Judah likes Samuel so much that he grins even when his brother sits on him, he's a good sport. We are having so much fun watching their sweet relationship develop already.

Camping

Jolly and I took Samuel and Judah camping at the Lake Katherine trail head on the fourth of July weekend to prove to ourselves that we could do it! It went about how you would expect with a two year old and 7 week old. We didn't sleep much, but a cup of coffee by the fire tasted that much better in the morning :O) Samuel decided he was going home about twenty minutes after we got up at 6:30 am and sat in the car for two hours strapped in his car seat while we enjoyed the morning. Judah thoroughly enjoyed himself. He like watching the leaves sway in the breeze and the flickering fire, definitely an outdoorsman! We had a great time talking and listening to favorite tunes in the car on the drive there and back while the boys mostly snoozed.

Poudre Picnic

Mom took good care of Judah while we hiked around the shore.

Samuel was made for the outdoors.

We found a worm. Samuel enjoyed the slimy creature, as did his dad :O) I'm so glad to live with boys, they are pure entertainment.

Jolly suggested a picnic in the canyon toward the end of mom's stay. It was so nice to get out of the house and enjoy the beauty of the mountains in spring. All the snow was gone and the river sounded so wonderful. It was definitely a refreshing afternoon.

Martinez Farm

Imagine him snorting at the pig bottoms. He was glad to know their tails do actually curl.

Samuel liked the lamb, but freaked out when the big sheep baaa'd at him. I mean, he was shaking.

The moo cows were the first stop. We were so fortunate to meet one laying down right by the fence.

I think the kitty was Samuel's favorite. He laid there and let him pet for a good five minutes. So sweet!

Two of Samuel's favorite books are about farm animals, so we decided to take him to see some real ones while mom was here. He had such a blast and Judah slept the whole time.

Mimi and Papa

Aunt Key has spent lots of time with us too, she is a HUGE help and her friendship keeps me sane, mostly :O)

His shirt says "If mom says no ask grandma." And she definitely indulges my boys :O) I think its part of the job description for grandmas.

Don't they look like they are suffering? Judah slept with them while they were here.

Samuel loves his Papa!

We were so fortunate to have my dad here for the first week Judah arrived and my mom for two! They were such a huge help while we were making the adjustment to life as a family of four. We got some really cute pictures of them with the boys!!

Samuel and His Baby

Samuel loves Judah! He always wants to "hold it" and gives him plenty kisses. Sometimes Samuel's love is a little too strong, but other than that the boys are getting along great so far. Here are some cute pics.

Judah is born

hey everyone,
judah was born on may 17th at 11pm. mom and baby are doing great! we were released from the hospital yesterday. jolly's sister katie, his parents mike and ellen, and cherie's parents seth and suzy were able to share in this wonderful occasion with us. thanks for all your prayers and support.

You Know It's A Winner When You Get All Three

We had a wonderful dinner tonight of hamburger steaks with mashed potatoes and green peas. Samuel quickly used three of his new words to describe his sentiments about the meal. "yuck" "no" "all done". We tried unsuccessfully not to laugh, and I'm trying not to take it personally.

Ideas anyone?

The good news is I am almost 38 wks and still pregnant! The bad news is, I am running out of ideas for how to entertain Samuel and I with a huge belly. Do any of you with multiple children have suggestions for how to spend this time? Jolly thinks I should take Samuel for a walk in the stroller all day long, his theory is that this might also speed Judah's arrival thus solving both problems. I will probably walk for part of the day, but what do we do with the rest?

Thanks!!

Mwa

I'm so sorry I don't have a picture of this!! Samuel did the absolute cutest thing he has ever done to date this morning. We were watching the end of parent trap and the parents had just gotten back together and started to kiss. Samuel was sitting in my lap snuggling his lambie and I started hearing him say, "mwa, mwa .... mwa." I looked down and he was totally smooching lamb. What a love! So precious!! He did it for the whole kissing scene even after I noticed. I love my boy, he keeps a smile on my face.

Progress

Judah's nursery is just about finished! The only things left are a few wall hangings, he is fully stocked and ready to go. Good thing, too, because we found out at the doctor this morning that things are starting to happen! I am 3cm dilated and 50% effaced. The count is 36w 1d, I am supposed to take it easy for the rest of this week, but after that we might meet our little guy!! Please pray for the birth and our transition to a family of four.

Rainy Day Play

Samuel and I are blessed to have an awesome group of moms and little ones in our lives. We meet weekly for playtime and grown up conversation! This last Friday Samuel and I hosted and had a blast playing in the basement since it was cold and rainy out. The slide was a hit! Thanks Mimi and Papa for the birthday gift that keeps on giving :O) Here are some pictures of our little people.

19 Months!!

This is what Samuel came down the hall wearing when I called him to leave for bible study.

Snuggle time - do they come any cuter?

"Painting" the deck - thanks for the paintbrush Mimi and Papa!

I was waiting to post Samuel's 18 month update until we got together with Katie for some new portraits, however weather and cold viruses have not been cooperating with that plan. As it turns out, time doesn't stand still and Samuel is already another month older!!

He is a constant source of delight and entertainment to Jolly and I. We are truly enjoying the toddler stage. Jolly must comment on how adorable Samuel is and how he just keeps getting cuter at least several times a day. I, of course, agree completely.

Here are some of his latest shenanigans:

• He climbs up the big swirly slide at the play ground and proudly careens down by himself
• He climbs the jungle gym and rock wall with only minimal assistance - these are both taller than Jolly and I - Samuel is living up to Uncle Nate's nickname for him "Fearless"
• His favorite affectionate touch is currently head butting, all boy, what can I say
• He is already in touch with his feminine side - a sign of true masculinity. He enjoys pretending to play make-up and brushing his hair while I get dressed, and the picture included speaks for itself
• He repeats EVERYTHING. I said "shoot" the other day, Samuel repeated it and it did not sound like shoot. Oops.
  
• He likes to say his favorite words over and over again pretty much every moment he is awake. These include "go" which he wakes up saying, "play" "outside" "more" "book" "up" "all-done" He has lots of other words too, but these are definitely his favorites.
  
• He likes books with animals and to make animal sounds, meow is his favorite, a boy after Mojo's heart :O)
• He likes pretty much all of his books for that matter! His favorites are Doggies by Sandra Boynton, Tell Me What God Made, Buzz-Buzz Busy Bees, and Trucks
  
• His favorite inside toys are puzzles, blocks, and stacking toys - he likes to manipulate things and put them together. His favorite outside toys are empty plant containers and whatever he can find to collect in them. I found his stash of rocks and leaves in the basement this morning, my little treasure hunter. At least it wasn't dog poop!
  
• He just figured out how to put the basketball in the hoop. He has a toddler sized goal and one in the bathtub as well. He enjoys the one in the bath tub so much that I have to drain the water and let him sit there until he's shivering to get him out without a fight. Strong willed, I have no idea where he gets it.
  
• He definitely has only two settings, on and off. He plays hard and sleeps hard. I am so thankful for both, but I am having a hard time keeping up with the play hard speed at 35 wks pregnant!! He had a little cold over the weekend and we actually enjoyed it because he was very snuggly.
  
• He is over separation anxiety! He gladly lets go of Jolly and I to play at the nursery and is all grins when we pick him up.
  
• It's hard to believe how much we love him! God is good!
  

Family Time in PV

Did I mention that we had a great time with family? My parents had a blast with Samuel and even let him sleep in their room which we didn't mind at all. Our activities included long leisurely walks down the beach, lounging by the pool, a zip line tour through the rain forest, whale watching, sea turtle releasing, flea market shopping, playing with Samuel on the beach, and eating lots of good food at the open air hotel cafe on the beach. We couldnt have asked for a better trip!

Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Its Cherie now - Jolly and I are taking turns :O) Our vacation happened to coincide with both the whale and sea turtle breeding seasons. We took a sailboat trip to whale watch and saw a mother and her calf. We followed them for two hours or so. The mom leaped out of the water three times and the baby did once, definitely a successful tour. The highlight of our trip for me, though, was the sea turtle rescue operation a half mile down the beach from our resort. We were able to participate in the release of baby sea turtles! In case you didn't know - I am obsessed with sea turtles and have never seen them in the wild. Jolly told me about the release the night before we got to participate and I dreamed about it that night! This was definitely an experience we will treasure!