our extremely mobile nine month old

Pierce is nine months old -- and then some. I took these photos over a week ago. He's a happy-go-lucky kind of guy unless he's hungry or tired. He's especially happy now that he can get around the house on his own. He just might be the fastest crawler I've ever seen. He's in the kitchen one moment and the toilet down the hall the next (gotta train Christian to close doors behind him). He's cruising and standing all over the place. Getting more and more steady. And tonight he took two steps on his very own!

He's got six teeth now. That's right. Six. Four on top, two on the bottom. He chews on everything. If you aren't careful he'll get your toes when you aren't looking. He's a drooling machine. Shane teases that he's our little puppy -- chews things up, drools all over and crawls up your leg to stand up and beg. ;)

We still need to get him in for his nine-month check-up but I'm guessing he still weighs around 16 or 17 lbs. He's a skinny little guy but probably pretty average in the height department. He's not the biggest fan of baby food but begs to try anything we're eating. His favorite foods are sweet potatoes, carrots, black beans, avocado, and bananas. Oh, and those baby rice snacks that melt in your mouth. He still loves to nurse but he's also becoming a big fan of drinking water from a cup. In fact, he begs for my water whenever he sees me taking a sip.

Pierce is constantly smiling and loves to interact. But he's also good at self-entertaining. He's a sweet little snuggler and loves to nuzzle his forehead into yours. He loves to play with Christian. One of his favorite things to do is crawl in and around the "forts" Christian builds with couch cushions and pillows. Until he gets stuck, of course. He's also into legos and blocks -- at least when it comes to demolishing Christian's towers. And yesterday, for the very first time, he and Christian played catch. He'd throw the ball and Christian would retrieve it and hand it back to him. Maybe you just had to be there but it was one of those tender moments I won't soon forget.

P.S. One thing Pierce doesn't like these days -- the car. He starts screaming and wriggling before we can even strap him in. It's awful!

family night @ the nats game

We went to the Nationals baseball game for family night last week. It was the first game of their series against the Braves. We'd never been to the new stadium and it was fun to finally check it out. Just for the record, Nats won 5-4.

waiting for dad to meet us at the stadium after work

pierce was happy watching everybody else

three cheers for the home team

father-son moment

christian thought the cheering at times was too loud

a failed attempt to get a good picture with the boys

quick pic with mr. lincoln

happenings

We had a bit of a "staycation" in July. The boys' babysitter went to Morocco for three weeks so I got to spend some extra time with them. I took some vacation days and worked from home when necessary.

We had a great time together. Lots of outdoor fun -- parks, swimming, splash parks, playdates -- but also lots of time at home which we never really get enough of. More than once when I asked Christian what he wanted to do that day he said, "stay here." I think he really enjoyed not being scheduled. I forget that for much of his life he's been hurriedly dressed, fed and packed out the door so he really appreciates the mornings when we take things slow, he can play with his own toys and we make a big breakfast together. Let's just say we ate more than our share of pancakes and french toast in July. It was nice to be able to do that for him on a day other than the weekend.

Pierce was happy as can be to have all of us three together. July is the month he put crawling and cruising together. Now he motors around the apartment at full speed. Shane says he reminds him of a puppy. So happy and so quick to get into things if you aren't keeping an eye on him.

Not only was I home during the week but Shane was gone for three out of four weekends so the whole month really became a blur for me. I didn't know what day of the week it was half the time. We were glad to have him home on the Fourth of July for some celebrating with our good friend the Wittwers. After that, he was buried between work and travel for the rest of month.

Love that our boys are friends! I love that they enjoy playing together, bathing together, laughing together. They light up when they see each other. It's so so precious. Although now that Pierce is getting around so well, Christian thinks he can play a little rougher. I have to remind him to be careful when they are "wrestling."

Christian was SO excited to have Pierce start going to the babysitter's with him. And so proud to show him off. He was always saying that he needed "My Pierce" so I'm glad they've been able to spend more time together lately.

Christian refused to let me in his fort to take the above photos but he was willing to let me peak inside with the camera to see what they were up to. Be still my heart. Such sweet brother moments.

Lucky for me, right before I was burnt out on being a single parent (seriously, how does one person do it ALL the time? those who do AMAZE me), my sister Natalie arrived to save the day. She's watching little P for two weeks and we are so happy to have her here.

 

As for me, I kept my sanity intact last month by treating myself to TJ's chocolate coconut milk "ice cream" and dying my own hair (it was very two-toned from old highlights and summer sun). Sometimes you just need a little change.

breaking bad habits

 Maybe I'm a nerd (okay, I know I'm a nerd) but this kind of stuff really interests me. I hope to get a copy of this new book in my hands soon.

our little pianist

Actually, this title is a little deceiving because Christian is quite the pianist (and musician in general) but here you can tell Pierce enjoys it as well. I wish I'd started filming sooner, before he decided he was more interested in the cord. Still, a cute, after-work scene to capture on film.

father's day 2012

Father's Day was not quite as I'd pictured it. Due to a way-too-late return from a way-too-long road trip the day before, no one was in the best mood after sitting through three hours of church Sunday morning.

To top it off, I couldn't find the gift Christian had picked out for Shane anywhere -- and we had just bought it Friday afternoon!

So, being the loving, magnanimous wife that I am, I did what I had to do -- I went digging though the garbage. Only the garbage was already in the dumpster outside our apartment building. Gross, gross, gross! And when I didn't find it there I was half-relieved, half-annoyed.

But, it turned up with another trip down to the car. At which point I was half-relieved, half-annoyed again. Of course, Christian was just excited to wrap the gift he'd picked out and hand it to his dad. Which made all the digging worth it.

I had this image of us all sitting around the table enjoying a lovely summer meal before we proceeded to the shower Shane with gifts. That quickly faded when Christian hilt meltdown mode while dinner was still cooking. Instead, we fed him a microwaved quesadilla, had a quick, gift-giving ceremony (during which Christian said, "Happy Birthday, Daddy!"), made a few calls to grandpas and sent him to bed before enjoying a quiet meal to ourselves.

Let's just say it was a timely reminder of what our own fathers have gone through over the years.

Thanks, Dads Sellers and Larsen, for putting up with us, especially at those time when we didn't deserve it!

christian's 1st scooter ride

Shane and I finally got Christian the right gift at the right age. In years past we've gifted him things he wasn't really ready for -- such as a tricycle that he was way too small for (a year later, he can finally pedal it happily).

 As you can see, from day one Christian was more than ready -- and able -- to ride his new scooter.

It didn't take long for him to make it down the entire sidewalk in one run.

This kid is more coordinated than Shane and I combined. Good thing, because he's a daredevil, too, but thanks to his skills he doesn't get hurt nearly as often as he should.

christian turned three

 Even though it's been two months since this kid turned three, I couldn't help but post these pictures we took on his special day. He loves balloons so we surprised him with three big ones when he woke up that morning.

He just melts my heart, the little stinker. I love everything about him. Except maybe the tantrums. And even then -- at times -- I find myself holding back a snicker because even during those he can be hilarious.

Christian is a very energetic kid -- full of life and love. He volunteers an "I love you" to Shane and I on a daily basis. He also has taken to saying: "You break my heart!" if things don't go his way. (Again, one of those times you are trying not to snicker. One night he even unzipped his pjs to show me his broken heart!)

Christian could play outside all day, every day. He is truly a nature boy. His favorite toys are dirt, rocks, sticks and water. Seriously. I can't tell you how many times we've had to stop because he's found a rock or stick he wants to bring home.

He'd probably never admit this but I think he had fun posing for me. It was a big day -- Easter Sunday and his birthday all squeezed into one -- and he really made the most of it. I wouldn't be surprised if he's confused next year when we celebrate Easter and not his birthday or vice-versa.

We sang to him at the Wittwers' home following our Easter feast. You could tell he enjoyed the spotlight although he was a little shy about it. He had requested a chocolate cake. I spotted this one on Pinterest and happily obliged. It was scrumptious, if I do say so myself. We'll definitely be making it again someday soon.

(A few weeks after his big day we hosted a joint fiesta with his pal Milo to celebrate turning three with their friends. I didn't snap as many pics as I should have but thankfully Milo's mom, Miranda, did. You can check them out here.)

i'm glad they called me on a mission

Hard to believe it but nine years ago today I entered the Missionary Training Center, met one of my very dearest friends, and began a life-changing adventure. During my 18 months as a missionary serving the people of the Canary Islands, I learned more about the love God has for his children and came to understand better the purpose of this life on earth -- and the importance of our Savior's role -- better than I ever could have otherwise. I was blessed to come in contact with some of the most amazing people I will ever know. I will forever be grateful for the lessons I learned from them and from my time in the islands.

If anyone out there is considering serving a mission, do it. You will never regret it. I can't wait to go again someday with Shane as my companion. ;)

summer of '10

At work doing the usual Friday catch-up before the weekend and I had to empty my blackberry media storage because it was filled to the brim. Came across this awesome picture taken at the National Zoo the summer of 2010.

Christian was just over a year old, fabulously chubby, and drenched with a combo of sweat and sprinkler mist. His sheepish look cracks me up -- he was a little upset at being flagged down for running away from me, back into the sprinklers AGAIN when we were trying to head out.

So glad summer is back again!