Derek's Baptism

Derek was baptized today. Pastor Len performed the great ceremony. We will try again to add the video as it wouldn't go through the first time!

Daddy's Home!!!

We are very excited to have Mike home. His luggage is in Germany still and will be delivered in a few days. Apparently some German workers are on a strike and did not load 70 pieces of luggage on the plane. Ha! Other than that, Mike is safe, healthy, and HOME! God truly provided for us while he was gone, but it just reminded me how much we love our Mike and get used to all of his help.

Mike's parents are coming Friday for a week. Derek will be baptized this Sunday. We will post the baptism on the blog early next week. We are honored to have Pastor Len doing the baptism. We are committed to loving our little guy and showing him Jesus with our actions and teaching him about Jesus. Mike and I love our little Derek dearly but I keep telling Derek that Jesus loves him more!

Here is our little cutie hanging out on our bed. He is so happy and a great little guy. He slept 10 hours last night- in a row. Yahoo! He loves the puppies so here he is cuddling with Lucky. Of course, right after this, Lucky licked him all over. Derek is getting used to the affection.

Lucky last week- Luckers is sitting on the glider. We have recently put the footrest in front of the glider- the footstool is also a rocker. Well Luck decided to move. She had her back legs on the glider and her front legs on the footstool. Both started rocking- in different directions- as did Lucky. We wished we had time to videotape the hysterics that ensued. Luck tried to get off but couldn't with the rocking. Finally she got jumped off- and ran! Serves her right for being up there :) She now takes care to jump off the side! Ah life with Lucky!

bye bye Grandma

It was with much sadness that we said goodbye to Grandma today. It was so nice to have her here for two weeks. We miss her already. The dogs have already started grieving her absence. I must be very boring to them.

Derek loves his new swing. Hopefully he will be happy in it while I cook dinner. It is a bit hard to get dinner ready while he is in my arms. I need to start cooking now. We had many weeks of meals from friends at church and then my mom came and helped. What a huge blessing. Meals are the best help for a new mom. It was such a gift of time and servanthood.

Derek went to the doctor this week for his shots. He did great. He recovered nicely as well. He is over 12 pounds now. He didn't even pee on the scale this time!

I will write more later. Typing is not so easy one-handed. Feeding Derek and typing is quite interesting!

More fun with Grandma

We have had a great couple of days. We have gone to the park and done lots of walks. We went to the Rose Garden and enjoyed the park even though the roses are not in bloom. Mike and my mom were good sports and circled the block a few times on the way home so I could jump out and get a crepe.

We also went to a national wildlife area a few miles from our house. It is beautiful and filled with birds, eagles, heron, ducks, and lots of other animals. We went on a great walking trail through the area. It is a great place. Derek enjoyed the experience in the comfort of his sling. Derek is enjoying his time with Grandma.

We have been playing lots of games in the evenings. We have had many rounds of Settlers of Catan, dominos, and even Phase 10. Of course, no one is competitive..ha ha!

We have the unexpected blessing of having grandma stay longer. Mike needs to go oversees for a week for business last minute. God in His kindness arranged it so my mom could stay longer to help out . We are all really going to miss Mike- but having my mom here will be a huge help!

Multonomah Falls

We took advantage of the great weather on Monday to drive out to the gorge and see waterfalls. We started at Multonomah Falls and then took the scenic drive back to Portland that passed more falls and beautiful scenery. I love the majesty of a waterfall and the raw beauty. At the highest point on the drive the winds were at 60 miles an hour. It was great.

We went back to the park and played. The dogs were great.. no swimmers. Derek slept in his stroller most of the time. When he was awake he was "talking" to whoever was near him.

Yesterday my mom and I went to an infant CPR class and then out to coffee with a friend. Our evening was filled with games. The visit with my mom has been wonderful so far: lots of fun and fellowship. My mom is a great resource and just fun to have around.

Alex the swimmer and other news

My mom is here!! It is great to have her here. Yesterday we decided to enjoy the lovely day (it was 60 and sunny) to go to the park. It is a beautiful park with a playground, fields, and a canoe launch on the river. Mike uttered his famous words.. Alex doesn't need to be on a leash- she won't go in the water. My mom and Lucky had just walked down the ramp. So I let Alex go down the ramp off-leash. And off she goes... Alex ran down the ramp and doing her best purina commercial impression- leaped off in the water. I think she even shocked herself. My spry mom grabbed her collar and pulled her up onto the pier . She was so quick about it that I didn't even get there in time and I was 10 feet away. It was pretty hysterical. She was fine and we all laughed a lot once we knew she was ok.

It other wonderful news, Derek has slept through the night the last 3 nights. Yeah! Whoopie! That's our little superhero! He gets new expressions and sounds almost daily now. He is a lot of fun!

We are off to see Multonomah Falls today. I love being outside and enjoying creation. Plus it is going to be sunny and warm for the 3rd day in a row. My mom picked a great time to come.

New Pictures

Derek is doing great. There nothing really new. He is fun and is interacting more and more. We are all very excited that my mom is coming on Saturday. She will be here to enjoy our lovely weather- 50 and 60 degrees and sun! Yeah. Enjoy the pictures.