Our Family: June 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

VIdeos of this past week or so

First time on baby swings at park playdate.

Jansen keeps moving his legs when Kim stops after doing it for him a couple of times. He's at the mimic stage both physically and vocally if he enjoys something. It's so fun!!

Eye, Nose, Cheeky-Cheeky, Chin.

Imitating sounds, kinda! Mostly just being entertained.

Great Grandpa Giggle Lips!

Dancing and Playing with Great Grandpa!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Our visit

We have had a very fast start to our summer. I can't believe that it is June 23rd already! We had the best time with the Suszko's while they were here and then Steve and Debbie brought Gramp to us too. It was so awesome to have everyone under our roof, even if it was brief. Steve and Debbie got to visit for a few hours before they had to nap and run so they could get back to work, Gramp got to stay until this morning when he went back home with Kim and John. Austin was with us one night and then a while on Father's Day. All in all it was spectacular to see everyone!!

Jansen was quite popular even when he went from super cute and happy to a touch cranky when he developed a bit of a cold. He seemed to really enjoy everyone and took to Kim and John really quickly.

Jonathan got to come for the weekend before everyone left and he too seemed to take to Kim and John right away! Gramp got both boys at once and he too was quite popular during his visit!

I'll let the pics speak for themselves from here on since it's nearly midnight and I'm beat. I am doing up laundry today and then getting our packing list together together tomorrow so that I can get our bags set for our trip to Canada Saturday. WaHoo!!! I love being busy! I love visiting home or away! AND I love when Richard is off so he can enjoy too!

I'll post a few videos tomorrow. For now, enjoy the pics!

Beautiful Quilt

I guess Aunt Ellen Rae decided that, since Richard and I are now engaged, we are close enough to get our wedding quilt! It is beautiful!! We had to get a picture wrapped up in it to show off her handiwork. She had Kim and John deliver it when they came. We LOVE it!!

Baptism Gift

As his Godmother, Laura wanted to make a special gift for Jansen's Baptism. When they came out on Sunday to meet the family, she brought it along and Jansen opened it.

OK, so it's a box Laura. I'm not impressed.

Oh, there's something IN the box. That's a different story!

It was a beautiful keepsake box for his Baptism memorabilia. It has a stained glass cross with his name and the date of the baptism along with a picture of Father presenting Jansen on the topof the bos. We put in it his candle and vest from the church, his gorgeous silver engraved box with his very first set of Rosary Beads from Auntie Amy (and family), his baptismal suit that Mommy made, and Laura also had some baby-safe prints of the baptism and a CD of pictures also in the box. It's awesome! Thanks Fairy Laura (as in fairy Godmother)!

Meet the Fam!

Smile everyone!

Kim and John with Jansen.

Kim, Jansen, John, Jonathan, and Grandpa Milt!

Great Grandpa aka: Papa Cuatro

Jansen got to meet Great Grandpa Milt this weekend. We call him Papa Cuatro. It was so special I couldn't choose just one pic to put on the blog so you get them all!

I kinda like this guy. He's alright!

Hi! I'm with Papa Cuatro!

Yup, this is my Papa Cuatro!

He's really fun! He even plays with me!!!!!

Sedative Suszko

So I couldn't help it. I had to nickname my Auntie since she seemed to have a calming effect on my son. Sedative Suszko worked like magic when I couldn't get him to nap!! Evidence follows:

Jansen zonked out.

Not only did the sedative reach Jansen on her lap, she got Gramp AND Molly next to him.

I walked to the other side of the living room to see that she also got to Cody. She zonked nearly half a room full! What power!!

Austin meets Jonathan

Jonathan came on Friday night so Sunday we got Austin to come visit for a few hours from his mother's. They hit it off pretty well.

Here they are hanging out in Jonathan's room watching a movie.

Big surprise... teen and pre-teen bond over a video game!!

Camera Fun

I was playing with the camera at the Holy City while John and Austin were in the gift shop. I couldn't help but profile "The Many Faces Of Jansen."

I have a secret!

I'm over this whole picture thing, Mom.

Seriously, what are you still snapping for?

Ok, Fine! I'll give you the happy baby shot you seek.

Now we're done though right?

Holy City

On Thursday we went up to the Holy City and the Wichita Mountains. We mostly drove and looked in the Mts, except the prarie dog habitat that Jansen slept through so no pics from me since I stayed in the car with him and the Holy City.

Jansen and the Suszkos at the Holy City.

Jansen had started this smushy face thing while they were here and so Kim was trying to get Jansen to do it. He wouldn't, but I did get Kim!!

Austin touching the stone from Mt. Olive on the sculpture of Jesus at the Holy City.

Austin in the chariot at The Holy City.

First Playdate

Grace called on the 12th and we had our first play date!! Her church has a group that gets together so she invited us to join them at the park that day. We hadn't seen them for a couple of weeks and it was really great to get together!

Mom... she's really changed since we last saw her. Are you sure this is our Iris?

It sure is our Girl since we are having soooo much fun together. Who else could it be?

I love these swing things!

Jansen meet grass. (It was Jansen's first experience with touching grass since we have only weeds and ants at our place.)

I can even crawl in this stuff... cool!

Lazt Dazy

Just chillin'!!

Friday, June 12, 2009

TEST

Richard and I discussed watermarking our photos so they can't be stolen by someone else, but when I tried to upload them onto our FaceBook I ended up not being able to, so I'm testing to see if I can do it on the blog or else I just wasted an entire night on watermarking for no reason. Ugh!

Whew! At least it works on here!! I was going to be really ticked if it didn't work anywhere after all that!! More pics to come this weekend from our playdate today! What fun we had!!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Summer Begins

OK, so it already has and I've been behind on the postings, but we are in full swing! This is starting out as the most awesome summer EVER! I don't remember ever being this excited for a summer break even as a kid and it's shaping up to be all that I had hoped for! Jansen is extremely active and doesn't like to nap unless I lay down with him so I haven't gotten much accomplished but I am loving every harried second of being home with him! I haven't had a summer off since I was 13 so that is a treat too! I'm looking very forward to having company next week (Kim, John, and Austin - AKA: Texas Parentals and my first born from another mother) then Gramps and Steve & Deb the following weekend to add to the bunch! We will have a full house, but there's plenty of floor space for blow-up beds and love of family to go around!! Anyone else wanna join us?!?! We could make it an entire family reunion all in my humble abode!! WaHoo!! Then we are off to Vancouver to visit more family, but this time Richard's side and we're trying to figure out if there will be an opportunity to squeeze in a Wisconsin/Chicago visit for me and the boys (Richard has to work-bummer), and then My Baby Sister is taking her first all-by-herself vacation since all the kiddos to come see me!! We will have a full summer, but so delightful!

Jonathan just finished school this past week so he got to stay until Monday this time around, which was really awesome! We got an extra day to do secret Father's Day stuff without Richard looming over our shoulders since he had to work. Excellent!! Now we don't have to get all sneaky in just a day next visit! He also got ***drumroll please*** "commended" on his reading state assessment exams. That is the highest rating you can get! He even got a medal for it at school and everything! We are sooooo very proud of him! I asked if he also got the award for "the naughtiest student" for his class, but he assured me that went to a different student, so we are all good on the school front for Big J and headed to FOURTH GRADE (can you believe it?!?!) in August!!

Jansen is crawling as of May 24th and cruising within the same day. It was like once he figured out how to move forward there was no stopping him. I'm sure he'll be walking, if not running, by the time he heads to daycare **sniff, sniff - wipe my tear** when I go back to work. Since there are plenty of visuals for him I guess I don't need to go into too much detail on him here!

Richard also gave me a gorgeous ring on May 23rd. I was waiting to say anything until all immediate family had been notified, but the story was so very... well, me. Here's the scoop: We went hiking at our favorite spot as a family and Richard & Jonathan were a little ahead of me and Jansen on the rocks. They hid the ring in a crevice and those sneaky little devils lured me right on top of it and kept walking like there was nothing there. I had not suspected it was coming at all since we have talked many times about how we couldn't get married for a long time because of my student loan debt (Ugh! Another whole story in itself). So I had actually thought someone had gotten ticked at an ex and tossed the ring over the top of the mountain and into the rocks! Seemed logical to me at the time since I too have a temper and could be impulsive like that in the past. Silly me didn't even think about the fact that it was perfectly placed and balanced there! I snatched it up all ready to return it to the jewlers for the poor guy that had a moment of rage in case he needed the thing back. When I turned around I actually said to Richard,
"Hey this thing looks real! Wanna marry me? Ha-ha! " He looked at me all indulgent (because he knows me so well) and said, "Ummmm... that's for you." (Huge pause while I drop my jaw and stare stupidly at him.) "Jonathan and I have been planning this for months and we finally got you up here. We snuck ahead to plant it so you'd find it." I'm still staring at them.... duh-like. "Oh my GOD!!" I say and try to put it on. Well, he had actually bought it a while ago and sized it to a ring I wore pre-Jansen so since I still haven't lost the baby weight, I have to wear it on my pinkie, but I'm not having it resized. I'm simply committing extra hard to losing the weight so it will fit my proper finger! What an incentive, eh? No date set yet, probably will be a long engagement because we want to save a healthy chunk of change first, but it is exciting to be able to call him my fiance'!

That's us for now! Enjoy the pics and vids. With me staying home these next couple of months and all the visits we have planned I'll probably have lots more to add, it will just be finding the time to get them on here!!

Mr. Chatty Pants

Just finished yelling at Cody so he tossed one last directive the poor dog's way and then decided it was chat time with the file cabinet and Mama! I just can't get over how cute he is!

Cody gets a talkin' to...

...from Jansen that is. He was yelling at him for some unknown reason, but Cody really could care less!

Walrus Boy

Grandma Valerie had gotten these vests for Jansen last year when he was born. At 10 months he's still such a squirt that I wanted to show that he could still wear them... kind of. He was eating his snack and popped open one of the belly buttons, so it is too small to wear out, but still cute that he fits it, but when I grabbed the camera and turned around I saw Walrus Boy and it almost overrode the vest thing!!

Jonathan Weekend

Cody absolutely LOVES Jonathan weekends and will hardly leave him alone! We have the baby gate in Jonathan's doorway, but I think we need it more so he can escape Cody wanting to play constantly, than for Jansen!

"Come on Jonathan, play ball with me... please, oh pleeeeaaase, OH PLLLLEEEEEAAASE!"

"I REALLY want you to play with me. I've missed you these past couple of weeks. Can you tell?"

Jonathan wanted to put out the flag, "just because" so here he is getting it all unfurled and ready to set up.

Cody even has to snack with Jonathan. Poor guy can't even go in the fridge without his shadow right up in there with him!

10 Months!!

Since our little man is now sooooo mobile the only shots we can get for his 10 month pics are on the go!! This is Sunday, June 7th when he turned 10 months!

Pulled up on the coffee table for a quick (but adorable) shot).

"Aaahh, you'd better finish snapping these because I've got stuff to do, Dad."

Cody kisses, or nearly... Cody knows he's not supposed to kiss Jansen on the face so he gets really close but then resists the temptation (with our urging) even though Jansen braces for the sloppy, dog breathe smooch!

This one's for Laura... his math teacher Godmother. Note: it is a calculator that he is playing with. He actually loves to play with calculators. He definitely did NOT get that from his mother!

Crawling gives Jansen the opportunity to find all kids of delightful things now... like the dog's ball. Great!

Creepy Crawly!!

Jansen started crawling on May 24th. We were beginning to think it wasn't going to happen, then all of the sudden he lunged after a toy and the rest came too!! WaHoo!! Here is a marathon crawl all across the living room floor to me! Richard got to see him first! It was awesome for him!!