Ivy "Firsts"

Ivy is growing up right before our very eyes! In the last few weeks she has had a couple firsts that we wanted to share.

We are so excited that she finally has a tooth! It only took 10 1/2 months to grow! It's a little strange for her to get teeth so late since her big brothers got theirs at 5 and 6 months, but we are told its a side effect of her heart condition. Whatever you say, doc!

A little more exciting news....she can talk!!! Okay.....not really....but sorta. She says four words, mama, dada, uh oh, and thank you (which is technically more than one word, but she uses it as if it were one, so thats how we're gonna count it). Thank you is by far her favorite, she says it about 20 times more often than the others combined. It's so adorable. Enjoy the video and listen closely for the "thank you"s. Sorry if its too long for you, but doesn't she just have the cutest little personality you've ever seen? I love how funny she is!

A little bit of randomness to get me through the day

We recently made our laundry room a little less LAUNDRY, and a little more ROOM

Following the speech therapists advice.....it's working!

More proof that its working

Godzilla? Nope, just a super cute baby girl!

My halloween window (sorry Mom, its the best one I could get)

Daddy did a good job making chocolate spiders and bats

The chocolate suckers Corbin and I made (hey, it's harder than it looks!)

Look Kimi, it FINALLY fits (pretty much)

He's doing such a good job painting his birdhouse

Painting birdhouses together

Dear Stacy

You taught me about loving someone, no matter what.

You taught me to appreciate my fully functioning body.

You taught me patience.

You taught me perseverance.

You taught me to appreciate the small things in life, like cuddling up with someone you love and taking a nap.

You taught me that just hanging out and listening to music can be just as satisfying as going to a concert.

You taught me how to care for someone with special needs.

But most importantly, you taught me about our gospel, and gave me a better understanding of the resurrection and eternal life.

Thank you for being such a great teacher. I love you and miss you with all my heart. I don't know if there are birthday parties in heaven, but if there are, hit the pinanta for me! Happy 31st Birthday!!!

Putting an ad on Craigslist

Boy for sale.

Two years old, blonde hair, blue eyes.

Screams like he's dying all day for no particular reason.

Cries at the drop of a hat.

Constantly needs a sippy cup full of something, even if he's not thirsty.

Fights over everything.

If you have something, anything, he wants it.

Wakes up for hours in the middle of the night, thinking its time to play, or eat, or cry.

Has the stinkiest, most disgusting diapers you'd ever hope to see.

Scowls at everyone and everything, all the time (its pretty cute actually).

Gives kisses and hugs on demand.

Cuddles whenever you need someone to cuddle with.

Always says thank you.

Willing to do whatever his big brother wants to do.

Repeats the last word of every sentence I say to him.

Eats pretty much any food I make him.

Can always make me laugh.

Adorable, fun, and silly.

On second thought.........I'll keep him.

When Did My Baby Boy Get So BIG?

Tuesday, that's when. He started preschool this week. He did so well! I was nervous that he might be scared and not want me to leave, but he was anxious to see us go. I was also afraid that I might cry and make him nervous, and I have to admit, it took a lot for me to hold it in, but I managed. He is attending a lutheran preschool, which felt strange at first, but I think it will be okay. They have "chapel" once a month where they learn about bible stories, which I don't think can do any harm. At least its a school with good values. The important part is that he LOVES it and is learning to be less shy and more social. Thanks to Grandma Marde for helping us be able to afford it, I really think this will be an awesome experience for him (not to mention my sanity). Here are a few pictures from his first day.

Hanging out in front of the playground

Dex making friends with the fence

Driving

playing together

Ivy wasn't happy to be awakened from her nap!

Outside the classroom

His favorite part

The artwork he brought home today.

For the first day, Scott came over on his lunch break to see Corbin off and stuff and we had a funny experience. We were taking pics of him in the classroom and talking to the teacher, when we both looked around and noticed Dex was missing. I stepped out of the classroom to see if he was in the hall and I saw him walking away holding hands with a man. My heart kind of fell into my stomach. Then the man looked down, and instantly let go of his hand. He turned around, his face was bright red and he was laughing. He was another student's dad, and had confused Dex with his own blonde haired little boy. He was so embarrassed and apologized several times for almost kidnapping our child. We got a good laugh out of it, but it makes me nervous that Dex was so willing to walk away with a stranger so easily. Besides that, it was a successful, fun week.

Backyard Camping Trip

Can you call it a trip if we never left the house? Anyway, we thought it would be fun to go camping for labor day weekend. But we have spent far too much time in the car lately, so we decided to pitch the tent in the backyard instead, and stay home. We had hotdogs, roasted marshmallows for smores, and even planned on sleeping in the tent. We went in at about 8:45pm, read stories, and then climbed into our sleeping bags. By 9:25 pm Corbin was ready to sleep in his bed, so we went back inside. I guess it was a good thing we never left!

"Eye" see you

We got a new camera last week that has a super fun close-up mode, so I went around getting pics of all our eyes. To my surprise, Corbin and I have very similar eyes, and Dex and Scott have very similar eyes, we had always thought it was the other way around! Mine, Corbins, and Ivy's lashes all curl up, whereas Scott's and Dex's don't. So interesting.

Proof that Scott and I are meant to be

The following conversation took place over a nice meal from Panda Express.

Me: Can I have a bite of your manderine chicken. I'm afraid to get some of my own.

Scott: Sure.

I take a bite.

Me: Hmmmm....Not bad. Tastes like Christmas.

Scott: I know, it totally does.

After this mini-conversation I realized that was a wierd thing for me to have said. Christmas has no flavor! And yet, Scott knew exactly what I meant! We're totally soul mates!!