Fun with Friends

Gavin & Nathan! 
Gavin is 2 months older than Nathan and impressed us with his crawling skills!

Checking out Gavin's cool toys. 

A new bouncer to try out



Trying out the walker--he only moved backwards, not forwards!

Yummy Food!

Nate tried yellow squash and avocado this week! 



First bite of squash

Pondering the texture
(I think I might have pureed it too much--it was more like soup this week--oops!)

First bite of avocado

Yum!

When Daddy feeds me this is what happens...

28 Weeks

Sleepy Boy in his stroller

He loves sitting up with the help of his Boppy!

At his first church potluck!

Monsters aren't allowed to be this cute!

As soon as Nate turned 6 months old we enrolled him in Kids Club at the gym so Ben could work out during the day.  So far he's only been once for 20 minutes--but he had a lot of fun! 

Bedtime Friend

We have used Nathan's glow worm (okay glow-seahorse) off and on since he was born when he goes to sleep.  The last few days he's held onto it as he sleeps and it is so sweet!  He loves his little bedtime friend!

Puppy Love

The start of a beautiful friendship...we hope!

Moose kisses!  Nathan kept pulling him in for more!

Moving

When we moved here seven years ago I don't think I knew at all what God had in store for us.  We moved here so I could fulfill my dream of teaching.  Little did we know that Ben's dream of being in ministry full time would come so quickly after our move (just a few short months!).

But looking back it's easy to see how God had his hand in our lives then and how he has his hand in our lives now.

In a little over a month we will be moving again.  As we find ourselves preparing to say good-bye it's becoming a lot harder than I imagined.  We have made so many friends here--and not just friends, super close friends!  Our dogs were born here.  Our SON was born here!  We bought our first house here.  We struggled with infertility here.  We started the adoption process here.  Our son's birthmother, although we don't have a relationship with her, lives here.  And now we are leaving it all behind.

It's for a good reason and we are excited.  But sometimes it's hard to think about starting over.  I love my dentist here.  My hair stylist rocks.  Our church family is wonderful!  I know where the grocery stores are (and love how cheap the prices are too!)  Our vetrinarian knows our dogs by name when we walk in the door.  And now we must begin again...we have mixed emotions about it all but also have a deep and abiding peace that could only come from God.

Please be in prayer for us as we follow God's call for our lives...back to California!

Dear Nathan,

You have discovered the art of splashing in the bath!  Although it is quite fun to watch you giggle over your new found skill I am walking away wetter and wetter after your baths.  Maybe I should wear a bathing suit next time?  I think it's time your baths move to the a real bathtub, however you aren't quite ready to sit up all by yourself in a slippery tub.  This may take some creativity...

Love,
Mommy

 

27 Weeks

Nathan with Summer, our Adoption Caseworker

Sleepy Boy. Wouldn't you be after 3 shots?! :(

 

Ready for Church, in my first pair of Levis!

 

Silly Boy!

 

He's figuring out what his hands can actually do...

 

Playpen time!  (We do actually give him toys to play with in here...you just can't see them in the picture!)

I bought this hat thinking Nathan would wear it next year--when he's 12 months old.  It fits now (sort of) but I don't think it will work with the weather here in AZ! Ha!

Blowing Raspberries!  When we received this outfit as a gift I remember thinking he wouldn't get to wear it because it was for a 12 month old--and by the time he would be 12 months it would be too cold.  Guess who's wearing 12 month clothes but is only 6 months old?!

Great Grandparents!

I've always known I've had some pretty amazing grandparents.  My childhood is filled with memories of them.    We made cookies together.  We did crafts.  We stayed with them on vacation.  They are not the kind of grandparents who are old and complain about their aches and pains.  They have always been active in our lives.

When Ben and I got married and then moved to Arizona a year later we had the opportunity to grow even closer to them.  They attend church with us.  We have them over for dinner and they have us over for dinner.  When I look around my house my grandparents fingerprints are everywhere.  In the cornice boards above my windows.  My curtains.  Shelves.  Crown molding.  Nathan's bedding.  Various cross stitch projects hanging throughout my house.  All of my clothes that have needed mending over the years (it's hard being tall!).  You name it, and they've probably helped with it or created it from scratch.

Although my Grandpa turned 80 this summer that hasn't slowed him and my Grandma down one bit.  When I went back to work in January Ben needed an afternoon each week to attend his staff meeting and run his "Band of Brothers" group at Chandler Christian School.  So my grandparents, once again, stepped up to the plate and have baby-sat Nathan for us every Monday.

What a special time it has been for both them and Nathan!  I love hearing the reports of the "secrets" Nathan tells them each and every week.  Today was the last Monday they'll be watching Nathan for awhile.  Although they spend their winters here in Arizona the rest of the year they spread their time between California and Washington (where 2 of their daughters live) and Minnesota--where they are originally from.  Their latest summer past time has been working at the Nazarene campground up in Prescott.  They just love keeping busy!

Nathan probably won't remember the time he has been able to spend with his great-grandparents these last 6 months (except through pictures!)--but I know I always will!

We love you Grandma and Grandpa!

Adoption Creed

Friends of ours from our adoption class sent out birth announcements this week with the following creed printed on the back.  I fell in love with it and now have it typed and hanging on a wall in our home.  Love it!

Not flesh of my flesh,

Nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute,

You weren't born under my heart,

But in it.

Nathan's First Food!

I am determined to make Nathan's baby food at home in order to save money and sneak in more nutrition.  We started with yams!


We rinsed, peeled and diced the yams first.

Now they are ready to steam in my baby food maker
 (This was an awesome baby shower gift!)

The containers are ready to go to store Nathan's yams!

Then I use my baby food maker to puree the steamed yams. 

 I love that this model uses one container to both steam and puree!  Less Mess!

Filling up the containers for Nate's meals.

First Bite!

Thinking about it...

What?!  You're going to put more in my mouth?!

And more...

I have a feeling a lot of bibs are going to be turning orange this week...

Not sure if I like this Mom!

The rest of the yams are ready to go in the freezer for Nathan's meals for the week!