Sitting...and not sitting!

Derek was doing a great job of sitting outside. Plus when he fell over it was onto nice soft grass. Better mommy better!

Fun, lazy Saturday morning

Nap time blues

We've got the nap time blues. Derek is still not a huge fan of his crib for naps. Yesterday it took 3 separate attempts and an hour to get him to nap in his crib. His nap lasted all of 11 minutes. Are you kidding me? Today same story and 15 minutes. Silly baby. So now he is comfortably napping on the couch. We will see how long this nap lasts. He needs to start napping in his crib as he is starting to roll.

Other than not napping, Derek is still our happy happy boy. He is usually smiling and lots of fun. He entertains us with his giggles and fun noises. He is sleeping great at night again. I am afraid to even write that! I love this little boy.

I love to read (and eat) books!

I think I am going to be a voracious reader like my mommy. Today I was looking at my book and turning the pages. I like my book. But then I get bored and I try to eat it. It feels nice on my gums. Mommy only lets me eat the books she can wash. She washes everything I put into my mouth. Crazy mommy.

Actually mommy wanted to show a picture of me sitting. I have been sitting for longer periods lately. She took her hands away just long enough to turn on the camera. Before she could get a picture, I fell over and bumped my head on the ottoman. Mommy felt so bad. She picked me up and snuggled me. I didn't even cry. Silly mommy. I love to smile and laugh at her but then she puts that huge black camera in front of her face. I can't see her face then and so I stop smiling.

I have been napping a lot today. I have growing lots too. I am growing out of clothes quite quickly.

Less than a month and I get to see Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie Al. Yipee!! I am a bit scared of the big plane ride but then the fun starts!!

Standing!

Derek loves to stand so I tried standing him up and leaning him on the ottoman. He stayed there for several minutes! Just for kicks he also took one hand off. Show off! The BIG smile is for Daddy who was making him laugh.

Derek's crossing

Mike made Derek a clock. He designed it and painted it while he was on paternity leave. He finished it a month ago but we haven't gotten around to getting a picture of Daddy, Derek, and the clock. So here it is. Mike is quite artistic. It is such a cool clock. Next Mike is going to paint shelves to put on the wall to hold pictures and his name train.

I am not sure if you can tell in the picture but Derek is sticking out his tongue. He discovered his tongue this weekend as well as his lips and is having lots of fun. He even rolled his tongue- adorable!

5 months old!

I am 5 months old today! Yeah. It was very nice out today so Daddy and Mommy took me to the wildlife preserve. It was pretty warm so Mommy put lots of sunscreen on me. She also made me wear my hat which I don't like. I try to take it off a lot. I like nature and all, but it was warm and cozy in my carrier so I slept part of the walk. I guess I missed some heron but I did see the geese. Then we went to Starbucks. It was my special day and I don't get to enjoy Starbucks so I am not sure why we went there. It was a nice day.

More bath time fun

Daddy-- up please

Derek is way too smart. He has learned how to get what he wants. So he usually sits in his highchair while we eat so he can be part of the action. I guess this is just not enough. Now he gets a little fussy. Next he will put his arms up. Daddy- now called sucker- thinks it is adorable. He always says, "oh do you want me to hold you?" Mike then picks Derek up. Every time, Derek just looks at me and smiles. It is as if he is saying, "Daddy is a sucker and this works every time." Of course, while I take a photo of this happening, Derek stops smiling. Mike is now very good at eating one-handed. We will just keep telling him that Derek just loves Daddy so much that he wants to be right by him. This is true.. as is Mike being a sucker.

In other news, we wanted to enjoy the nice night. So after Derek went to bed, Mike and I went outside to play cards at the patio table. We took the doggies (and the monitor) with us. I decided to be gracious and let Lucky off her leash so she could roam around more. She enjoyed this immensely. When we tried to get her to come in, she engaged in a game of chase with me.. and then Mike as well. Lucky has now lost all off-lease privileges... the little demon. MIke is now threatening to sell her to the circus when they come.. because that is where bad doggies go.

So hot!

It is hot out. This is our second day in the 90's. We wanted to be outside with Daddy while he worked on the sprinklers, so we sat in the shade. First we were on a blanket on the grass, but Daddy turned the wrong zone on and got us wet. Derek did not enjoy the sprinkling so much (kind of like his baptism). So we moved to the stoop. He did pretty well wearing his sunglasses but they are almost too small already. We had lots of fun! Next step, kiddy pool!

Trying to roll

Derek is rolling over. Well he rolls from his tummy to his back once a day. The little guy doesn't seem to need to do it more than once. Now rolling back to front is much harder. He usually gets stuck up on his side and can't complete it. He did roll all the way a few times on Friday.

All mommies and babies love to take walks

I love to take walks. Now I walk with Derek and I doggies. This is a picture of what we all look like walking. This is picture is from this weekend's hike at a nearby state park. Around the neighborhood people always tell me I am adventurous walking! I just knew I had to come up with some way to walk everyone. I just need to be outside!

Well I love walking and I think all mommies do too. Here is a mommy ducky walking with her babies in front of our house. I just love how she is walking down the street. So cute.

There's a coon in that tree

On Friday, the dogs were barking out the window- a normal event. What was unusual was what they were barking at. There was a raccoon in our tree in the middle of the day. The dogs were quite upset and Derek was amused watching them. We of course had to snap a ton of pictures. When I wanted to leave to go on a walk, I was able to get him to leave the tree. He then climbed up our pine tree on the other side of the driveway. Craziness. Derek and I left anyways to walk to the grocery store and to the library which was a fun 3 mile walk. We even saw the raccoon the next day across the street.

Mother's Day was wonderful. We went on a hike at a nearby state park after church. It was beautiful, fun for all of us (including the dogs), and free! Nature, family, and fun all in one. I felt like a true Oregonian in the park, my child in a carrier, and with animals. Now we just need to take the dogs to Home Depot to complete it. Thanks God for the blessing of being a mom.

In celebration of my mom

It is my first Mother's Day on Sunday. Actually it is kind of my second. Last year our present to our moms was a onesie letting them know they would be a grandma. On my first real Mother's Day, I want to pay tribute to my mom- my incredible example of sacrifice, godliness, and love. I want my mom to read this but also I want everyone to know about her.

My first disclaimer is that I think I have the greatest mom. She is not perfect, but she sets the bar high for moms. I have a great example to follow. When people tell me I am just like my mom, I take it as the greatest compliment- craziness and all.

First of all mom is fun. You always were the extra member in any game. You are a great kickball player. You always were willing to play with us. You helps us perfect the water fight- even letting us spray you in the kitchen.

You sacrifice for us. There are too many times to share. You put our needs in front of your own always. Most of the time I didn't appreciate it.

You are a high-love and high-discipline. You always let me know your love for me wouldn't change even if my behavior was downright terrible. You disciplined me because you love me. You set clear limits for me and gave me consequences when I crossed the line. You credit the Lord when I say what you did right. He led you and you listened to Him. Your spiritual example was an example to me. I remember sitting by you as you prayed through your missionaries binder on a regular basis. You lived what you taught.

You are optimistic and make life fun. Even during an ambulance ride, you had us laughing. You helped us find the best in every situation (even if the paramedics thought we were crazy). We laughed a lot... and still do. Sorry Dad that lots of times we were laughing at you. You are a great sport!

You sing all the time.. I have inherited this. You are always singing. Singing helped us memorize bible verses and teach us valuable life lessons. It also made long car rides go faster!

You taught me how to manage money. You taught by example and you took the time to teach us. Ah lunches from the found money! You taught us saving, giving money away, and spending. Besides teaching us to love Jesus, this was the most important to me. Thank you for teaching me that life is not about money! Picnics in the backyard were just as wonderful as the trips to Disney World!

You taught me time-management. You helped me learn to say no to things to keep life balanced. You let us fall back on you while we were learning. I think of babysitting and how we always had to ask you first before we took the job. You let us have you be the bad guy until we could say no ourselves.

Mom- this is just the tip of the iceberg. I miss having you close desperately but your life lessons are put in use daily. The phone too is wonderful but I miss the physical proximity of living 10 minutes away. I want Derek to know what an incredible grandma you are. You are a blessing. You are a mom who loved Jesus first and then Dad and us. Thank you thank you thank you!! I love you so much. You are my hero!

How can I eat the plane?

Derek loves his little play mat. He has been batting at the toys. Lately he has started grabbing the toys. Now he is trying to figure out how to get the toys into his mouth. I was laughing at him trying. He would grab the toy, try to pull himself up (without success, brace an arm on the side, and then yell. He was getting quite frustrated. He is doing a great job problem-solving but does not quite have the strength to accomplish his mission. He keeps trying though!

Must chew

Derek is teething. Whether this means he will have a tooth in 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 months... who knows. He does love to be chewing on things. His favorites right now are a frozen washcloth or our fingers.

We get lots of smiles and giggles these days. Derek is happy most of the time and a lot of fun. Here he is playing with Daddy.

Life is precious

We lost a dear friend yesterday. Shari and I worked together at our church. Shari loved Jesus. She worshipped Him with her whole heart. Shari loved people. She taught me so much about serving others. Now we are thankful that Shari is worshipping her Savior face-to-face. We are also sad because we will miss her. Life is precious, life is sweet..

I am down here all by myself

We are all at the table together now. Previously, Derek hung out in his swing on the floor when we ate. He didn't enjoy it so much. So we set up his highchair. Now he is at the table with us. I think he just wanted to interact with us. Now is he happy to be in his highchair while I cook and we eat.

Derek loves his tummy time. Of course, he usually stops smiling when I break out the camera!