Crawling, Standing and Weddings Galore!

How embarrassing that it's almost the end of July and I haven't updated this in 3 months! What have we been keeping busy with these days? Well, long story short, our little man has gotten to be quite active and time is no longer our own! On top of chasing John around the house, we have traveled, seen those we love start their own married lives together, finished a busy school year and completed our last summer of grad school!

The fun (chaos?!) all started when we finished our spring grad school class the middle of May. We could finally mark another one off the calendar countdown to graduation! The following weekend, Mike and Jeanna celebrated their upcoming marriage with their MN reception. It was great to have them home for the weekend and they enjoyed their time with John as well, as he had changed a lot since they had seen him!

During this time, John was learning many new things, such as making clicking noises with his tongue, blowing his lips out, finding his "singing" voice and even clapping his hands and playing patty-cake. John was also on the go with the army crawl! Nothing was safe! He started saying "dada" on June 5, was sitting up in bed after a nap on June 10, and said "mama" and waved good-bye on June 11. By June 19, he was pulling himself up onto things. What a month!

Phil and I headed to NYC May 27, the weekend following Mike and Jeanna's party, for his brother, Tim and Crystal's wedding. We had a fantastic time in the busy city! John was able to stay at my mom and dad's for a long weekend, while we had our first weekend away. It was a great trip, but we definitely missed John and all his new found fun! While we were in NYC, we experienced the crazy cab rides, a Broadway show, great meals and of course, lots of laughs!

After returning from NYC, we had our last week of school. It was chaos coming back to our final four days! On top of it, I found out I was moving classrooms the Monday we returned, so I had to clean out, pack up and move my room in 3 days! Yikes! Needless to say, the days were long and my time was not my own! The classroom move went well and I can't wait to have a classroom this year with more space, lockers outside the room, and things reorganized. Who said cleaning out isn't fun?

The school year ended Thursday, June 4 and we couldn't wait for summer to start! Well, in between grad school that is! However, before we could start grad school, we had two more weddings to celebrate! On Saturday, June 6, my good friend Allison was married to Matt. I was blessed to be part of their celebration and Phil and I were able to celebrate with them Friday night and Saturday. Their day was wonderful, even with the rain and chilly June temperatures! Sunday, June 7, we were able to celebrate again with Tim and Crystal in MN for their reception with family and friends here before they started their residency in CA. We really enjoyed our time with them that weekend as well, but June definitely began as a whirlwind for us!

Once Monday, June 8 hit, we had a couple of days to ourselves...to pack, do laundry, and get organized for a trip to Indiana! We were off early Thursday morning to celebrate with Mike and Jeanna and have a wedding weekend at Notre Dame. It was a beautiful weekend full of celebrating! Of course, John looked extremely handsome in his tux, but don't worry, he'll have an opportunity to wear it again the end of August when Steve and Katie get married!


Steve was giving John a pony ride in the hotel. Uncle Steve is so much fun!

When we returned from Notre Dame, we immediately started grad school and have had class all day, every Tuesday and Thursday through today! We are done! It has made for a busy six weeks trying to keep up with two classes, the papers, and projects, while also having time together and with John. Phil is working with his dad again this summer as a roof inspector, so when he was not at class, he was filling his time with tar, gravel and lots of heat! However, his farmer's tan is coming along nicely! I have tutored on Wednesday mornings and have loved being able to be home more with John. We can't wait to start our summer now that class is done though! We aren't even willing to think about going back to school and starting workshop yet!

I promise we will do a better job of updating the blog again now too! We got ourselves an early Christmas present last week and purchased a new camera, so now that I have time to sit down and figure out how to upload the pictures, I will put the most recent pictures of John online! We love how fast the camera is and our ability to get the quick, cute moments of John that our other camera missed. One has to be fast, or he's on to something else these days!

We hope you are enjoying your summer and finding time for the quiet moments in life!

Here are some pictures in order from April when we last posted to the middle of June. Enjoy!

John was helping do the laundry...

So sleepy...

I love my new bat and ball!

John went through a phase for a few days when he didn't want to sleep in his bed, so for an afternoon nap, when mom was desperate, we tried the carseat. Success!

Too cute!

Hmm...what are you plotting now, John?

John is sitting up on his own!

After some cuddle time with mom in bed on an early Saturday morning, John was so comfy on dad's pillow that we had a nice 2 hour nap together! Bliss!

When trying on John's tux to alter it before Mike and Jeanna's wedding, I couldn't help but see how cute our chip 'n dale would be with his bow tie on! Wouldn't this be a great picture for his graduation picture board some day?

Peek-a-boo!

John was helping me with laundry again! However, this was right before he almost tipped himself over by trying to stand up in the basket!

John loves to read his books, especially after he has eaten. He also loves to peek with his books!

John is now a bit squirmy after his tubbies, so we have to be quick with getting his diaper and jammies on!

Many New Adventures!

John is such a blessing and full of wonder these days! Each day, he is finding something new that he can do or get into! Over the last couple of weeks, John has enjoyed finding new sleeping positions and comfortable places in his bed, rather than the middle! He loves sleeping on his tummy or left side, just like his mommy and daddy! He will roll that way almost instantly once he is put to bed!

While mom was getting ready for John's tubbie, John was able to play in his diaper and onesie on the floor. Pure bliss! He has become quite the little monkey moving around the floor and using his arms and legs to push himself around in a circle or use those little toes to kick things on his activity gym. He has also begun to rock and pull his butt up, but he doesn't know what to do after that! He is more fond of scooting himself backward though, rather than going forward!

John has also figured out a new trick lately of scrunching up his nose and making an "angry" face and then breathing heavily. It is great! Of course, we all laughed when he started doing it, so now that he knows it's a crowd pleaser, he does it quite often! He also coughs to get attention, will mimic the sounds you make and has found his "ferocious lion" voice as well. What a charmer!!

John is now sitting up on his own and has started to try the "2nd" foods. He is not a fan of banana mixed berry (well, and neither was his mom), but otherwise has loved mango dessert, apple blueberries and apple cherries! I have a feeling he is going to be a kid who loves variety. YEAH! John's disposition continues to be great! He is cheerful and smiles constantly. He has had quite the temper a couple of times, so now we have to remind ourselves that he is picking up on our reactions, so laughing cannot happen in front of him (at least when we're supposed to be serious)!

This week, John has had many firsts! He had his first sip of water from a glass Saturday (4/4), used a sippy cup on Sunday evening (4/5) and had his first tooth pop through Monday (4/6)! What a busy three days! He has started to sleep better at night too, since that first tooth started to show. I'm not sure if that's pure coincidence or a correlation, but we don't mind!

We are looking forward to celebrating Easter tomorrow. We had planned to be up north with Phil's family, but our plans have changed some in the last few days after Phil came down with the stomach/gastro flu. Thankfully, he was only sick for a couple of days and John and I have not gotten it. We are hoping that it stays that way and are practicing frequent hand washing skills! We are thankful for all we have and feel extremely blessed with our own little miracle this Easter! Have a blessed Easter!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We hope you are celebrating big today and have the luck of the Irish with you!

March Madness!

The time continues to fly by and John continues to grow like a little weed! He is now 6 months old and VERY active! We had his 6 month appointment last week and he was 27.5 inches long and 17 lbs 15 oz. We were told he is a long and lean (which I agree with!). He certainly inherited his mommy's long torso!

John continues to be inquisitive about things around him and he no longer stays in one place! He is now rolling easily from front to back and grabbing things. He also figured out that if you pull the blanket that you're laying on toward you, the toys come with it! That way, you don't have to do extra work and go and get them yourself!! What a rascal! He also figured out that while he's teething, the pole on his activity gym is great to chew on!

John has a great time playing in his crib and he LOVES his Tommy turtle that hangs on the side and plays music. He has figured out how to press the buttons to advance past the songs he doesn't want to hear and get to his favorites. He also loves the lights that change and the fish that swim in it. After his naps, many times we will hear his giggles and squeals, followed by the music of Tommy turtle!

As the weather has started to warm up, it has become apparent that John's "monkey suit" is far too warm for him. He was coming out of it as a puddle of sweat, so we have been bundling him up with his jacket and hat. We can't wait to be able to go for spring walks and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine! A couple of weeks ago, we decided that John was being such a professional at eating big boy foods, we would try the highchair. He LOVED it! He only tried to grab the food a couple of times, but I think that was because he didn't think I was feeding him fast enough! He has enjoyed helping Mom cook dinner too as he has sat in his highchair and played. What a big boy!

I didn't know that it was going to be such a great adventure to try and get John out of the highchair or that I would feel like I needed a special degree to do so! We had to hang out and wait for a few minutes after we were all washed up for Phil to come and save the day! Since he was the one to put the chair together, I thought maybe he had a better idea of how to get him out!!

Last Friday, Phil and I started spring break and planned a trip to Chicago with my parents to see Mike and Jeanna. However, Phil came down with the flu that morning, so John and I headed out of town to avoid getting it and allow Phil to get better! John played hard and slept hard too! He was a wonderful traveler!

John loves chewing on anything and everything now as he is teething. Before the trip, I had gotten a few new soft books and John thoroughly enjoyed them! His toes were straight up in the air and he was loving every moment!The corner of the book just wasn't enough to chew on! He wanted ALL of it!

Giggles galore!!So tired....

Just before we left, we had a get photo opportunity on the coach. We couldn't believe our four days flew so fast! What a cutie!

Once John and I arrived home, Phil was finally feeling better! We have enjoyed the rest of our week together full of playing, giggles and teething!!! John will hopefully be popping teeth very soon, as he is working very hard at getting them to come in! Phil and I even went on a date downtown to the Melting Pot. It will certainly be hard to head back to work again on Monday, but hopefully the warmer weather will come and we can start to look toward spring and summer!

Giggles Galore!

February has been a fast month! Where has the time gone? John has become quite the active little man lately! He is discovering new things every day and definitely has found that cute little boy in the mirror who smiles, talks, and squeals back at him!

The middle of January, we had John's 4 month pictures taken. Because we are "portrait club members" anyone is able to come with us at no cost. Since we were going to be out with my parents later in the day, we invited them to come with us and have some pictures taken too. John loved having grandma and grandpa there and they caught a few great pictures too! We can't wait to do it again soon with Grandma Joan and Grandpa Bob!

February 1, we decided that John was ready for a little more action in his life, so the Baby Einstein Jumper came to life! John LOVES it! Before he even gets in it and sits down, his legs start to pump and his arms start moving around! He is a huge fan of the frog that spins, and he definitely likes to give it "kisses" (or suck on it's head)! He has even figured out the music and lights on one of the sides as well. He has started to figure out how to turn himself around in it, but I think it will be a little bit of time before he is fully aware of how to do it.

At the beginning of February, I was still coaching dance team. We had our Sections competition on the 7th, and even though the girls didn't make it to State, they did a fantastic job and had a great season. As sad as I was to see that part of my life end for another season, it was time to be able to take a step back and not be racing as much. I could finally breathe!

John has started to get himself on a schedule of sleeping through most of the night, if not all of it, and then waking up to hang out with mom and dad while we get ready in the morning. He loves to lay on our bed with one of his friends (normally Tigger) and just chill out.

He's a bit sleepy here!

The following weekend was Valentine's Day! This year, on Friday, February 13th, it was 5 years ago to the day that Phil and I had our first date! How time flies! When we went to Timberlodge Steakhouse that night and then to watch "Miracle" in the theater, I never would have thought that 5 years later we would be happily married and have a son! I have to say though, I can't complain that God's plan worked out that way!

Like I mentioned, John is full of discoveries lately! He found his toes and is thrilled! He has discovered that socks are meant to be pulled off, or at least part of the way, and they are tasty to suck on too! Any moment that his feet are out and free, they are on their way to his mouth! He loves to try and suck on them while I am changing his diaper, which makes it a bit interesting to complete the task in a timely manner!

John is full of giggles now and loves to be able to play with his toys! He is definitely into the tactile portion of play and loves the toys that make noise, sing, crinkle, or anything else that is highly inappropriate for church!! He loves to play peek-a-boo, patty-cake, and fly like an airplane, especially if you make a rolled "r" sound with your tongue. I love the moments when he giggles with his whole tummy and throws his head back with delight. Oh, the little, precious moments in life!

It's hard to believe our baby is already 5 1/2 months old! He has now tried all the fruits and veggies, along with his rice cereal and loves each of them. He would definitely prefer a fruit over a veggie, but who wouldn't? We're happy to see that we don't have a picky child on our hands (as of now, anyway!).

As we near the end of February (and hopefully winter along with it....it has to end soon, doesn't it?), we look forward to spring break in a few weeks and spring weather to follow! We can't wait to head to Chicago for a few days to see Mike and Jeanna! It will be John's first road trip, and hopefully all will go well! For now though, we will enjoy the beautiful new snowfall outside our window!