A gettogether

I got to see all of my nieces and nephew on (except for Reid) this past Sunday which was so fun!! I think my mom enjoyed it more though. What is not to love about 8 adorable children running around. My mom is going to have a 9th one you know!!!
And NO, it is not in my belly. My brother, Drew, and his wife, Charlotte, are expecting a baby in November sometime...HOW EXCITING!! It is so great for these cousins to be so close. They are already plotting against us, I can tell ;)
(Left to Right: Jack, Aubrey, Lysie, Allie, Evie, Pete, Alex Bear, Charlie, Grammy) Note the huge grin on Grammy's face.
Man, it was sort of hard to get all of these kids in the picture. And yes, I tried to get some of them to stand up while others sat in front but they would have nothing of it.
I loved seeing my siblings too. We got to sing together which is something we haven't done in years. God has blessed me with a wonderful family and I am grateful.

Approved Kid's Book: MOUSE SOUP

I thought I would periodically put a children's book recommendation on my blog for those of you seeking out new and fun books to read to your little ones. I would love for you to share some with me as well. MOUSE SOUP is my first one. My neighbor recommended it to me and Aubrey (my 3 year old) knows it word for word. She has learned several things from reading this book. It includes a series of short stories so it has an index which is fun because she understands what the word "index" means now. Also, I love it's creativity and randomness! Check it out sometime. It will also be a great starter book when she is ready to read herself.

Precious Little Ones

There are two little kiddos on my thoughts and in my prayers recently:

Jaidan
A beautiful, precious, little girl (who goes to my church) who desperately needs a liver transplant. She has been waiting for one for a good while now. She was inactive on the transplant list for a little while due to an illness but she is better now and set to be put back on the active list on the 20th. Praise God!



SamuelA friend of mine from high school (Jason Hague) has a son named Samuel. Samuel will undergo and open-heart surgery on Friday, the 17th. The doctors will go in, patch the hole in his aorta and pull back the swelled wall in his pulmonary artery to allow full flow of blood to his lungs.

In accordance with His Will, I pray that God would heal these little bodies!
I strongly believe in the power of prayer. Please pray with me for each of these precious children!
NOTHING is impossible with God.

Our 1 year old son

Bryan and I were talking about how hard it still is to believe that we have a son! We couldn't have asked for a better one. We love that Pete dearly. He has been awesome from day one. There are many things I love about his little personality but I will narrow them down to a few just in case you haven't had the opportunity to hang out with him much.

I love that he...

- smiles constantly AND laughs a lot, especially at Aubrey. He will pretty much laugh at anything she does.
- is so peaceful
- adapts well to change (in routine & environment). I took him to a baby shower a few weeks ago and I kept letting other people he didn't know hold him. He didn't mind a bit.
- gives awesome bear hugs! That sweetness drives straight to a mother's heart.
- is always so playful.
- LOVES music, especially when it has a beat to it. He is constantly banging on things so we got him a little instrument/drum kit for his birthday.
- it VERY durable/tough. Sometimes he will bump his head or fall down and I expect him to cry but he doesn't. Also, the other day I came in and Aubrey was just sitting on his back while he was laying on the floor and he was just smiling.
- is on the move. Yes, I love it. Even though it may be hard to keep him contained sometimes. It is awesome to me that he has such a fascination to explore new things.
- does not usually get upset when his sister takes things away from him. Yes, this happens more than I'd like it to but Pete is usually a good sport about it.

This is a scenario I came upon while entering the back yard. I thought it was so precious. Thank goodness for my iPhone that captured this moment in time. I am sure Pete will have to endure some dress-up time with Aubs in the future. Poor Pete! :)


Other things about him:
He has taken a couple of steps but that is the extent of his walking up to this point. He will walk along the wall or pretty much use anything (from a baby stroller to a chair) as a walker to help him get around the house. He is the fastest crawler I have ever seen for sure though and loves to snatch things within his reach. (note: if you ever put him in a highchair at a table and there is something you don't want Pete to get, don't underestimate his arm span; it's longer than what you might think)

Word he can say up to this point are: "Dada," "Mama," "Nana," "Bu," for our dog Buck and "Ju" (meaning Jump). I am sure he has connected a few more words that I may just have not picked up on. Last Sunday before church, Bryan was in the living room with both of the kids and called for me to look at Pete because he was standing on his own. I turned and saw Pete just free standing in the middle of the floor and was impressed at how long he could stand unsupported. He then said "Ju" and jumped up into the air on his own and landed on his bottom. It cracked me up that he knows how to do that before he can walk.