Our Handsome Man

I have been blessed again with the opportunity to have beautiful pictures taken of Micah. Natalie Hilliard is amazing - she does such a good job!

We went a while back and sat Micah on the side of the road (while we were next to him, of course) overlooking the river, next to some nice wheat grass, while Steve and Natalie shot some photos of the little man. He had a very cute plaid shirt on, and his 'old man hat', as I like to call it.

He is looking much more like a kid now than he did when these were taken, with five teeth (what?!), but these pictures sure are amazing. I miss those chubby cheeks! Enjoy!

This picture is my favorite - it reminds me of a wise old sea captain. I love it!

If you're in the Tri-Cities or Seattle areas and you're looking for some beautiful pictures, you really should look up Natalie's website and take a look at more of her work. She does a great job - her main focus is actually on weddings, but she does great with babies - and you won't regret going with her. Her work is incredible! Thanks Natalie!

You May Be Pinterested...

I know, it's been said.  But the puns and cheesy jokes - my favorite kind, really - with Pinterest are just so easy!

I've been having A LOT of fun on Pinterest - it's a plethera of beautiful kitchens, word art, incredible photos of destinations, and delicious, to-die-for foods:

I found this beautiful graphic, pinned by my good friend, Heather Beal. It's a great representation of my word for the year: JOY. Isn't it beautiful? I love the blue and red together.

Micah's birthday is coming up in August, and I have a board of pins just for planning his woodland (or maybe just hedgehog-themed) birthday party:

I'm also planning a quilt for Micah - maybe for his birthday, but we'll see how quickly I can get to work on it. It'll probably be done around Christmas, so we'll see. It can just be a for-fun present, right? I've been searching online and collecting fabric pins to put together an idea board for his quilt:

I almost feel guilty saying that you should check it out - I know Pinterest has the power to take over your life. David called it "my new love" today. But really, if you like looking at things that are pretty, check it out. If you need in invitation to join, let me know and I'll email you one.

(All images can be found here, on my Pinterest page!)

Just remember - things don't matter. Jesus does.

At 10 Months

Micah is having a lot of fun exploring at my parents' house. He's crawling all over the living room, sticking strings, leaves and anything else he can find into his mouth. This afternoon I didn't even realize he had something in his mouth until he spit out a small chunk of a leaf.

He's found a fun new hiding place - the bottom shelf of the end table in my parents' living room. Who knew that this would be such a nice place to play?! He had found one of his green spoons somewhere and was rubbing it all over the shelf - and that pile of papers on top of the table - they belong where he's playing... temporary relocation.

Today he's 10 months old, and growing faster than I ever would have thought. He has four teeth - two on top and two on bottom - and he really enjoys using them to bite my shoulders. He's still not crawling on his hands and knees, but pulls himself around with his arms in a wiggly pseudo-army crawl/worm fashion.

He's not saying any actual words yet, but he sure thinks he is. He has thoughts and comments on everything, all day long. Just the other day, he was attempting to bark at Regi through the glass door at Daniel and Marci's. Micah is such a source of entertainment for us - always smiling, chattering, laughing.

Food is his favorite thing. He's eating a variety of foods, and we're trying to introduce him to new ones fairly regularly. I have really had a hard time with the transition to solid foods, mostly because it's not nearly as simple and quick as breastfeeding. He is really enjoying food though and he has fun playing with it too. Every once in a while I've been giving him a small scoop of cottage cheese after he's done with the rest of his lunch - boy is that a mess. He loves grabbing the little cheese curds though, and even if they end up everywhere, it's worth it to have him try new foods.

I know I've said it before, but this little guy is quite a blessing to us. He really lights up our lives, and even when it's difficult and tiring, being his parent is really the best job I've ever had!

Note: I would never have him wear this bib at home, but at Aunt Marci's he has to wear Anna's bibs.
This is what she has, so this is what he gets.

A Place To Lay His Curly Head

Micah got a new crib last week.

I got it a garage sale for $50 - a steal! Have I ever mentioned that I love garage sales? I do!

He's also a big fan of peek-a-boo right now... can you tell?

 I think he likes it.

At least, until it's actually bed time.
Then I take his toys away.

First Father's Day

I knew when I was pregnant with Micah that David was going to be a great dad. Heck, I knew when we were dating. He's a great guy, and he's great with kids.

I'm continually impressed though, at how great of a dad he is - he's even better than I expected! So, as a special tribute to my loving and handsome husband, here are the qualities that make David a wonderful father to our little turtle, Micah:

1. He's around and he's involved. There are so many dads out there who only possess one of these qualities, but not the other - but David is both. I know Micah's young still, but David's involved in pretty much every aspect of his little life. He spends as much time with Micah as I do, when we're at home or at work - and he enjoys the time he has with him.

2. He's fun for Micah to be with! David's all about playing with our little 'wiggle' - as I call him - crawling around with him on the floor, blowing raspberries on Micah's soft tummy, and making him laugh. I often see him banging on Micah's little toy drum, or playing on his little piano - just playing and spending time with him. David can't wait until he can wrestle Micah and take him outside to run around, kick a ball or play catch.

3. He changes diapers, without complaint. Do I need to say more? As a mom, this is very important to me!

4. He has big dreams for our little man, but he's realistic too! We're both excited to see Micah grow up, to know what he's going to be interested in and involved in, and who he's going to be. We have high hopes that he'll be smart, athletic, kind, and that he'll have every good quality imaginable. I know that David is going to love Micah no matter what he chooses, and no matter whether he ends up being a professional forward to the US Soccer team or a professional firefighter, David will be proud of him!

5. He loves Jesus and wants Micah to love him too. David sets a great example for Micah to follow - I know that his life is going help point our little fella to Christ. We won't force him or coerce him - it's his own decision and it'll have to be his own belief - but Micah's a lucky boy to have a dad who will show him what it means to be a man of God.

Happy 1st Father's Day, David! I'm proud of the dad that you are and the dad that you will be, and I think our little turtle (and all the kids we'll someday have) are very lucky to have you as their Daddy!

End of the School Year - On To Summer!

Each year (in the two we've worked at our school), we take an end-of-the-year field trip with all of the students. Last year we spent a very full day at Multnomah Falls and the Oregon Zoo in Portland - you can look at some pictures of it here.

This year we decided to stay a little closer to home, so we took a much shorter (only one hour) drive over to Walla Walla. We visited and had a tour of both the Whitman Mission and Fort Walla Walla Museum. Then we really got wild and took all of the students and the ten parents who were along for the trip for a very fun finale - bowling! Most of the kids hadn't been bowling before, and some of the moms hadn't either.

It can be a little stressful takign a group of kids into a public place, but we really had a great day and enjoyed the time with our students. It's such a blessing to work for a group of people that we really enjoy and like spending time with! The kids aren't perfect - they're kids, after all - but they really are very good and fun to be around.

One of the best parts of this field trip (and most challenging too!) is that we took Micah along with us. It was fun pushing him along in his stroller, but it really was difficult to get him to take a nap with so much going on. He was very ready for bed when we got home!

Here are some pictures from our trip - or at least the Whitman Mission. I guess I forgot to take any pictures after we were finished with our tour:


Wynell and Kayla finding answers to Mr. Wattenburger's worksheets



Sweet little Jasmine, sitting by the creek



I have a thing for pictures of us in a teepee!



Seriously, he's the cutest... I took about 35 pictures of him wearing this hat.

Tales of Crafting Fails

I may have mentioned this before, but I really like doing crafts. There are a lot of times when I feel proud of the crafts I make, like I've made something that might be useful and pretty.
Like when I made my first set of coasters for Christmas presents:

Or these little bow clips for Marci's baby shower back in April:

There are, however, times when I just completely fail! Lately I've had a few of those times. So, in order to further prove to you my lack of perfection to all of you doubters (and I know there are many...), here are some examples:


Like this stuffed deer mount for my friend Kara's soon-to-be-here baby, Kolbi:
  

It wasn't supposed to look like this..... Marci and I named it the 'Prairie Weasel,' as it seems to resemble a little bit of two different critters - neither of which is a deer!

(This is what the third try looked like... still a little goofy, but much more like a deer!)


I love making these little wallets:

But if you're not careful...

You end up with backwards pockets and a wallet that can't hold anything... oops! (Also, please ignore my fingers... they're not broken, they just look like it!)

Or your flap is too long so you have to cut it off and have this ridiculous seam down the back of the wallet...

My favorite though, I refer to as 'The Shirt.'

I was inspired, as I often am, by Lindsey over at The Pleated Poppy. Seriously, the girl is awesome and so creative! She does this 'What I Wore Wednesday' series where she posts each week about what she's wearing - to inspire moms to get dressed and out of their sweats and t-shirts. She has this tank-top, so cute, that she made, and I was inspired to do it too.

I didn't want to pay the $9.99 for the pattern because, obviously, I don't need one... I know what I'm doing all on my own, right?

Let's see...

Wrong. I really need to just get over myself and buy the stinking pattern.

All you crafters out there, or you non-crafters, take heart! You can do it - even if it means that sometimes you'll fail. You just laugh at your dorky deer heads, and stuff your XXXL 'adorable' tank-tops in the back of your closet!

Ready to Run

I started running.
What?! I hate running!

When Aaron and Kayla came to visit a few weeks ago, I was inspired by how much running they're doing these days. Kayla ran a half marathon and just three days before they came to visit, she ran ten miles. Ten miles! In one run! I'm absolutely amazed - she looks great and so healthy!

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On Sunday morning, before church, Aaron and Kayla ran from our house to the Butte park, up the butte, and then back to our house - a five mile run. I want to be able to do that, but right now I really can't.

So, I decided that I needed to get on my game a little bit. After they left, I dug out my old tenni-runners (some cheap Asics from when I was in college... not great), and looked up a Couch to 5K plan. Then, once I familiarized myself with the plan, I laced up the shoes and went out to Sandstone - the middle school down the street.

The first run was pretty hard - I can't think of the last time I went - it's been quite a while!! I like this Couch to 5K plan though, where I run for a minute and then walk for a minute and a half - alternating for a total of 20 minutes. The next step was to go to Tri-Cities and buy $70 worth of running "supplies" - like shorts, new (much more comfortable) running shoes, new athletic socks, and an arm-holder for our iPod. I'm commited!



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The running has gotten a little easier as I've gone along, and then this week was tough! I have allergies pretty bad right now, and the wind has been blowing strong, so I've had a hard time getting out. I'm going tonight though, and this blog announcing it to the world (or 32 people) is my accountability! Feel free to keep me accountable.

Last weekend, when Sara was here, we went for a run together, and she helped me work on my form. And she told me I could slow down, so I wouldn't get so tired so quickly! That helps my endurance a lot.

I'm making a plan that in October, I am going to run in the Columbia River Power Marathon - the 8k race. I think you get to run across the dam in this one, which would be pretty fun! Anyone who wants to join me is welcome to. Until then, you can see me jogging around my neighborhood middle school. And, I suppose this means I can no longer make fun of runners as we drive past them in the car. I just never understood how running could feel good!