Goofy Faces For Grandpa

This is the face I make to get out of trouble when mom yells at me for eating grass.

This is my sultry GQ look.

Thanks for my blocks, Lindsy!

This is Mom's favorite.

Jack is Nine Months!

You've made a new discovery this month and found your tongue! It makes so many cool noises. It's pretty hard to grab, but you keep trying! Jack, you love to talk and often sound like you're saying "dada" or "ky-ky", but it's not on purpose just yet. I really wish you'd say "mama" already.

Jack, you still love bath time. In fact, you've figured out that you can play on your tummy in the tub, and it's pretty fun to splash and make waves. It just might be your favorite time of the day.

Although you've not even attempted a real up-on-your-knees crawl, you've been trying to impress your daddy with a military crawl. Already you are quite mobile and I'm not sure I'm ready for the next stage. At the same time, I'm so excited for what's to come! I love you, Little Man..

My favorite new thing this month is that you lean and hold out your arms when you want someone to hold you. The other day a loud train went by and scared you. Even though you were perfectly fine in your Grammy's arms, you still leaned towards me and it was so adorable.

Grandma Brenda took you camping and you did great without mom and dad. When we saw you for the first time, though, you were pretty excited. You kept kissing my face. At least, that's what I've decided you're doing when you pull me close and suck on my cheeks. You are such a character, Jack!

Hey, Grandparents! Jack is 19lbs and 3oz, 28", and currently wears 12M clothes.

Naked Sunday

Earlier this Spring, Brian came home from a long day of work to discover that I wanted to rip up part of the front yard. I was sure that I'd do it all by myself, but after a few tugs I knew that I couldn't pull out the shrubs. Luckily, my sweet husband who knows I don't like to ask for help trekked outside to help me rip apart our yard.

This year, despite a complete lack of a green thumb, I planted my very first garden. I had have no idea what I'm doing, but have been successful so far. Our family has had a wonderful crop of snap peas, zucchini and a pile of tomatoes on the way... The strawberries seem to need a little more work. Any tips?

Cherry Tomatoes

Linking up with Naked Sunday!

Wordless Wednesday, But With Words.

A couple months ago, Jack and I went up to Seattle to visit my sweet sister. We mostly just tooled around Goodwill looking at cute baby clothes for my niece! And, of course, we got lattes because Seattle lattes are an experience all to themselves. Can anyone tell me why other cities can't make lattes like they do in Seattle?! I don't get it.
Anyway, Jack really loves his Aunt Kirby. Maybe as much as he loves the ruffly flowers on her shirt. As you can see, it made them both giggle. Love these two!

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday {but with words}.

Titlow Beach

Linking up with Naked Sunday.

Jack is Eight Months!

Could you be any cuter, Jack?! Seriously, Kid, you have so much personality. You love people and are quick to pass out smiles. You think the puppets on Baby Einstein (adorable video to follow) are you're personal comedy crew and you belly laugh whenever you see Charlie or Tucker. The doggies like you, too, especially when you give them treats drop your snacks or have sweet potatoes on your fingers. And, boy! Do you love to eat, especially when I let you feed yourself.

This month we've worked on learning to sit. Once we started working on it, you pretty much had it down in just a couple days. I'm so proud of you!

It's hard to think that my smiling son is going to get in trouble, disappoint me, and find ways to break my heart... My heart did break a couple days ago, tho, when you fell from your changing station. My friend warned me and you have been quite the wiggle worm, but I still wasn't prepared for you to leap to the floor. I guess you wanted a naked booty. Thankfully, you're fine. The doctor made me feel better about my parenting by sharing that she sees boys 3x as much as girls, and that you looked like a mover & a shaker so she'd probably be seeing me a lot. Probably, that shouldn't make me feel better...

Kylie's Baptism

Have I ever mentioned that Brian & I LOVE Kylie's friends? Besides the fact that they're beautiful, hilarious, Jack-lovin' sweethearts.... they also know when a friend might need a little kick in that patootie.

After tons of peer pressure encouragement from Kylie's friends, she decided to attend UPPC's youth mission trip to Kentucky. She raised her own funds through donations, yard work, car washes and more so that she could serve a community in economic poverty.

Cowboy Hat is a KY Souvenir.

Brian & I were thrilled that Ky decided to go. We knew it would round out some of her qualifications on the college applications, but more importantly we knew that serving can by a life-changing experience. However, we were also nervous about how she would handle such a new, and often, emotionally trying experience. We had little reason to worry because Kylie did great! She came home excited to share stories about the people she met, all the work she accomplished and how much she'd learned about herself.

The day after Kylie came home, she woke up to go to church, and she even made Therin get out of bed and go. This was quite a change from just a week prior. After the service, she tracked down Pastor Patrick so she could talk to him about getting baptized.

Taeler Baptizes Kylie

Kylie will be the first to admit that she still has a lot of questions about Christianity and what she believes, but the coolest part about her experience is that it has encouraged her to take an initiative. She's reading through Mark, meeting with mentors and looking forward to a study that will hopefully answer some of her questions. Brian & I are very proud of her.