Happy Birthday...

to ALEX!!

It's been a YEAR since Alex's glorious arrival.  And by glorious, I'm referring to the September 20th delivery fake out followed by the 15 hours of labor on September 21st where the epidural didn't work until the 3rd painful try.  :)  And I think I've heard that you "forget" those memories some time after meeting your new baby.  Ha ha.

Indeed, it was a glorious WHEN he arrived and the year that followed has been amazing.  Alex was a wonderful, mild mannered, easy going baby who gave me room to navigate my new world as stay at home mom (which was not an easy transition for me).  At one year old, he is still the easy going little boy who also shows one year old characteristics...oh how fun it is to watch him grow and develop his personality.  He is so curious and ABLE to explore his curiosities.  It is so evident to me that his mind has expanded so much in the last month or so.  He has so much more of an understanding of how things work and how to mimic his audience (scary).  Here is a list of his most recent accomplishments in no particular order...

1.  He's walking quite well and looks so darn cute as a walker.

2.  He knows where his eyes, ears and nose are (and mine).

3.  He realizes that if he throws small toys through the gate at the top of the stairs, the toys bounce down the stairs...as well as learning that this is a no-no.

4.  He knows how to turn the tv on and off.

5.  He knows how to climb the stairs and to climb faster when he sees me coming after him.

6.  He quickly learned how to drain his "Nuby" sippy cup onto his high chair tray, his lap or the floor.  (He now uses a Playtex cup).

7. He loudly sounds "mmmmm" when taking a bite of food.

8.  He is getting molars!

9.  He can't sustain a crabby face when a camera is put in front of him.

10.  He can tell you how old he is.

11.  He knows where to go to look for bunnies (living room window).

12.  He blows the sweetest kisses.

13.  He can turn the lights on or off.

14.  When told that something is hot, he will blow on it and patiently wait for it to cool.

15.  He likes to knock things up against his head (not too violently, but I have to wonder why he'd want to keep doing that).

16.  He's starting to build an attachment to his blanket.

17.  He's learned to be sweet to Bailey and actually pet her instead of pull at or hit her.

18.  He shares his food by offering up pieces and will even put the piece in your mouth for you.

19.  He knows how to whine and throw a bit of a tantrum (which again will cease with the sound of the camera).

20.  He can reach the door knobs and first tried once he realized what they are there for.

20.  He talks on the phone, or remote control or anything that looks like a phone.  (See video)

Happy Birthday, baby boy!  You are loved so much!!

Alex took his first real steps...

and dove head first into the leg of our coffee table...our first real "boo-boo" worthy of a phone call to the after hours nurse line.

Rewind-

Aaron and Alex hung out by themselves most of the afternoon allowing me some time to veg in the bedroom with a movie and ice cream (it was a lovely time I might say).  When they came down to pull me from my ice cream coma, Alex had something to show me.  Aaron stood Alex up, handed him a ball, he threw it, Aaron picked it up and said "come here, Alex."  And omigoodness, Alex took the smoothest 4-5 steps I could imagine him taking at this point.  They repeated this sequence about 5 or 6 times while I laughed and cried in amazement and joy over his accomplishment.  (My little baby boy was walking!!!)

We went about our evening.  Alex enjoyed his dinner of ravioli and bread (mmmm).  He took a huge gulp of water and almost choked on it.  Before he got down from his high chair, he burped or spit up a tiny bit.  (Not common at all for him.  I mean, my kiddo loves his food so much that he's definitely not going to let any of it come back up).  I wiped him clean of his mess, got him down and went into his playroom (aka, formal living room).  I stood him up and told him to show me his new moves.  He took 3 aggressive steps forward and then lunged downward...head first into the leg of the table.  Aaron heard it from the kitchen and rushed in.  As calm as could be, I picked him up and consoled him, telling him he was ok (although I was starting to sweat as my heart raced and that horrible, "I SUCK" feeling poured over me).  He cried like he'd never cried before as if to tell me how terribly I had hurt him.  The bump on his head started to redden and grow like crazy.  As he started to calm down, I handed him to Aaron.  I was proud that I held it together but was now feeling sick to my stomach.  I felt so horrible..."Why did I let him take those steps away from me?  Why wouldn't I set him down so he could walk toward me?  He's not going to trust me.  He's not going to walk ever again."  OK, I was being a bit dramatic because as he was in Aaron's arms, he was returning to his normal, happy, cheery self.  (Sigh of relief)  The night progressed, we played, he seemed normal and then he spit up.  It was just a little bit.  And then he did it again...about 5 times.  So, we called the pediatrician and got the after hours nurse's line.  The nurse asked me a series of questions, "Are his eyes dilating normally, is he playing, does he seem tired, is he able to balance normally, is the bump an inch in size?"  Um...I think it was.  So, the size of the bump, coupled with the spitting up, were cause for her to call our Doctor.  As suspected, they suggested we go to the ER.  UGH.  I guess this is where our parent intuition came into play.  I concluded that the spit up was due to his ridiculously large drink of water at dinner, coupled with his 2 minute crying spell.  He was normal in every other way.  So, we opted to skip the ER, put him to bed and then watch him from our wonderful video monitor.  He moved around in his sleep like he normally does.  Feeling good about our decision, I opted to take one more step of caution and got up at 2am to check on him.  I went to his crib, touched him, he moved his whole body showing me that he wasn't in that deep of a sleep.  Comforted and confident, I went back to bed and set my alarm for 4am.  I woke up, looked at the video monitor and saw him move again.  That was enough for me.  I went back to sleep and rested comfortably until he woke at 7am.  I was amazed to see that the huge bump was almost non existent.  Amazing how resilient this little child is!!

He is now waking from his nap and all is well.  Our first big boo-boo is now behind us!!

Jada's FIRST...

Day of School.

Look at this adorable picture.  What a beautiful group of children.  I am so happy that my amazing cousin and I live so close.  To be able to share in moments like this is an unbelievable dream come true.  I truly hope that this picture is the first of many "first day of school" pictures that we share.  Now, about the house for sale across the street!!  How great if we could hop out of our front doors to take these pictures going forward.  :)  Prayer can move mountains!!

Jada, you're growing up to be a beautiful little girl, big sister, leader, example.  We love you!

Alex goes to the...

BEACH!

I shared one of my favorites with my favorite little boy. The "A" trio traveled to FL to visit the Turner family (Ann's aunt, uncle & cousins). It just so happens that Aaron has a call center in Sunrise, FL, only miles from the Turner's. This makes it very convenient for us to spend time in my favorite state. (Don't get all shocked that my favorite state isn't TX or MN. FL has incredible weather, amazing beaches, countless things to see & do and I love it there)! And so, bringing Alex to the beach was one of my favorite days with him. I just love to see his gorgeous face light up when he discovers new things. And discover he did...sand, ocean water, the salty taste, the feeling of a salt water nose cleanse, seaweed, sand buried feet, sea shells, sea gulls, the crashing of waves, etc, etc. Thanks to the Turner family for making our first family beach outing so memorable and fun.

Make a Smilebox postcard

98 degrees...

and pool party.






It was probably hotter, but "98 Degrees and Rising" was the title to an album put out by none other than the hot boy band, 98 degrees...a few years ago. :)

Regardless of exact temperature yesterday, it was the perfect day for our family pool party. Before I jump into the highlights of the day, I'd like to talk about family.

First of all, I can hardly believe that I have found my home in Texas...being born and raised as a Minnesotan. Not that there is anything wrong, strange or weird about Texas, it was just so far away that I never imagined actually living here. So, to have called this my home for FIVE and a half years now, is a bit crazy to me. Keeping in mind that I grew up in MN as did the LARGE part of my family, it's even more incredible that we hosted a family pool party with 20+ attendants. What I'm getting at is how incredible it is to be at "home" in TX and to share that title with so many dear, family members...all who have migrated from our original home in MN.

Every year that I age, I become more and more appreciative of family. Growing up, my wonderful dad, Kevin, would use certain times to remind us of the importance of family. For example, there were a few times when on a Sunday or Holiday I would want to spend time with my friends. At that time, my friends were far more exciting than my family...even if we were only going to watch tv (and tv watching on Sundays or Holidays is pretty dull). My dad would kindly decline my request telling me that "Sundays are family day" or "It's Thanksgiving, we are going to be spending the entire day with family." I was so annoyed at how uncool he was and how uncool he was making me appear to my friends. Nonetheless, I was a good girl who followed his rules (most of the time). Year after year, I grew smarter and when asked by my friends to hang out on a Sunday or Holiday, I didn't even bother asking, I'd just respond "I can't. My dad won't let me. It's Sunday." The ironic thing is that as we got older, my friends would take my dad up on his suggestion of coming to our house. My cool friends who thought I was uncool for having to spend Sundays or Holidays with my family were now wanting to spend them with us, too. Had I made it back into the "cool" category? :)

Regardless of my status with my friends, this "tradition" if you will, instilled in me the sense of family pride that I am now focused on passing on to this next generation of children that I am proud to be a part of raising. Yesterday was a fabulous time and I loved every minute of hosting such a fun event.

The party included:
The Anderson Family, Aaron, Ann & Alex (10 months). Christy Streff, here for the summer.
The Girard Family, Brandon, Kirstin, Matthew (5) & Cameron (2 1/2). Jeanne, visiting from MN.
The Williams Family, Kevin, Jody, Jada (4 1/2), Emory (almost 3), Ian (5 weeks).
The Ragosino Family, Jeannine & Addison (1 year on 7/28). Dom not able to attend.
The Barcks, Cathy & Sandy.
The Rains, David & Carol.
Surprise visitors, Mike & Enisha Williams.

The top 10 highlights are as follows:

# 10: Cameron, the anti-swimmer, became so comfortable in the pool that he jumped off of the shallow ledge without his swimmies on. Upon being rescued, he neither cried nor asked to get out.

#9: Jada & Emory went off of the diving board numerous times AND Jada attempted flips.



#8: Matthew can catch a ball while in the air as he jumps in off of the diving board.

#7: Malibu & coke.

#6: Aunt Jeanne, visiting from MN, was in attendance.

#5: Cathy and Sandy celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary with all of us.



#4: Kirstin brought the potato salad and it was AWESOME.

#3: Mom brought the cake, it was in the shape of a sun, it was huge and it is almost gone because it, too, was so good.

#2: We celebrated Jody's birthday and last year of her 20's. (And she's ecstatic about her next birthday).

#1: Cathy tried to open a can of beans with my Pampered Chef can opener. She couldn't get it, my Mom helped but was the opposite of help, Christy helped and the end result was an open can of beans...and bean juice all over Cathy, Christy, the floor and cupboards. I know the Huber women, they are stubborn, determined and a bit prideful, so I didn't get in their way. :)



Family, pool day was a fun, memorable day!!

Our life...

is not our own.

My mother in law, Cindy, has been living with cancer for over 3 years and it has just spread to her brain. Is your first reaction, "oh, poor Cindy" or "that's so sad?" Probably. Why wouldn't it be? It is sad. But what if we look beyond that? I have known Cindy for almost 5 years. Even before I met her, Aaron told me so much about her and of her incredible faith and devotion to God. Everything Aaron described has been affirmed time and again as I have gotten to know her more. She has such spiritual insight and lives as an example to so many others.

The most recent news of cancer on her brain brought Aaron, Alex and I to make a sudden trip to Denver. Cindy was in Illinois visiting friends when she learned of the reason for her headaches, nausea and vomiting. Doctors advised her not to travel back to Colorado, but instead to undergo surgery in Illinois. Most people would do exactly as the doctor instructed, fearing further suffering or death. Cindy heard the doctor's suggestion, but turned to her heavenly Father for the ultimate instruction.

We arrived in Denver early Monday morning, enjoyed some time at the airport and met Cindy at her arrival gate around 12:00. I was nervous about the state that she would be in, after all, she has brain cancer and that can't look pretty. Much to my suprise, through the jet bridge walked Cindy. Cindy, just as I know her. Looking better than ever, brain cancer and all. She greeted us in her high pitched, familar voice and gave a look as to say, "what's all the fuss about?" Aaron instructed her to get into a wheel chair. She almost refused, but probably understood Aaron's concern and decided to go with the flow.

The week went on as we spent time sitting at the kitchen table, talking, laughing, watching Alex entertain. The time was spent with so much more purpose, intent, appreciation. We also had the opportunity to meet and spend time with the fabulous neighbors. Cindy and Mike have talked so much about the incredible network of friends that they've met since moving to Fox Hill. Meeting them revealed how significant they truly are in Mike and Cindy's lives. Those friends and neighbors will tell a different story and they did as each of them brought meals and came to say hello. They shared with us how much Cindy has impacted their lives.

These neighbors all meet for bible study weekly. We can probably appreciate the things that come out in a bible study...real people, being real and seeking Godly support from Godly people. In other words, people sharing their junk. At these meetings, I can only imagine how God has used Cindy to speak to her friends offering support, prophetic words, a smile, a hug. She is an example of what God wants in us as Christ followers. He wants to use us as a light unto others, as salt on the earth. He wants to use us to bring others to Him.

I KNOW that many people have seen the love, mercy, grace, comfort, forgiveness of God because of Cindy. He has a purpose for her life and she is living that purpose every day. She knows that her life is not her own. It is God's. And when the day comes for her life on earth to end, she has the comfort and joy of knowing that she will meet her marvelous maker and that he will greet her with open arms and say to her, "well done my faithful servant."