Squash Casserole

Jonathan has a garden at his Mom's. He appears to have quite a green thumb. This is the "fruit," or shall I say vegetable, of his labors! He brought some yellow squash and onions that he grew and we made them into a casserole. It was so very yummy that we ate some right out of the oven even though it was after dinner. Keep on growin' Jonathan... you did a fine job!

Puzzle Floor

We are building a play area for Jansen. Here Jonathan is testing out the puzzle floor.
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The First Face Dive

So now that Jansen is getting more and more confident with moving around he is also falling more often again. Richard has been trying to teach him to flip to his belly and slide down the side of the bed or couch feet first instead of head first. He USUALLY does good remembering to flip and then take his time getting down. Sometimes though he just goes for it. Most of the time we catch him, but the other night I missed and he literally dove off of the couch. He landed on the tile with his face first. Here is his first brusing bump. You can see the red mark on his cheek and a littler one up by his eyebrow.


Poor little man was worn out after he finally calmed down from crying. He then tried to do it once again. I sure hope he is over that now and will take his time from now on.

Beach Sand is Better!

Jansen and I went to the park with Grace and the kiddos again. This time the play area had sand... don't fret, we cleaned up really good afterward and I was checking the sand he was in for nasties. We ended up leaving here and going to a different park with baby swings instead since he was really not enjoying the sand. He wasn't a fan of the park sand. I do believe he is a beach bum instead, since he actually played with sand there!

Little Dog

Our little friend visitor is still with us. I took her to the vet and she is a chiuaua mixed with Who Knows... the vet guessed either a shitzu or pug and a terrier of some sort. She is only 16 pounds and we went ahead and vaccinated her just in case. We are looking for a home for her, but she is still sweet so we'll see how things go. Here's a picture of the little sweetheart. We haven't named her so we don't get too attached, but for now I call her Little Dog. Oh and she's NOT pregnant that the vet could tell. Thank goodness!!

The Big 1 approaches!

As one approaches and two new teeth have arrived we are getting more vigilant on the tooth brushing thing! We had been doing the finger brush now and again before, but NOW we are using our regular tooth brush daily and even baby toothpaste.


He even has to check to see he's doing it right! I brush them first, then let him have the brush. He does chew on it a lot, but he actually moves it around his teeth and gums too! I'm trying Auntie Amy!!

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Sorry I have been a little lax on photos this week. Jansen and I did a lot of catching up with friends, but I was so busy I forgot to take pics. We also have been on a "Let's sleep the weekend away" kick, so he's been napping extra on the weekends and I lay next to him and read so he doesn't roll off the bed. He naps best in the bed, but he sleeps like a champ at night in the crib so I'm not complaining!

Jansen has those third and fourth teeth poking through visibly now on top along with his original two on the bottom. These were no easier coming in than the first two and I hear that the canines are supposed to be worse. We haven't even seen a hint of those yet, but UGH! These 4 were tough enough. We're NOT looking forward to those coming in. He's also very nearly walking. He still cruises everything, and lets go now and then. When he realizes he isn't holding on to something he panics and lunges for support again. He has taken a couple of accidental steps to me when he lets go of the coffee table and lunges for me, but they have yet to be intentional!

Jonathan and Dad went to see Monsters vs. Aliens on Sunday and both reported it to be quite funny and a good time. Jonathan will be coming again Friday for 2 weeks. I promise more pics then!

Before Jonathan left yesterday we had a little visitor arrive. She was sitting on the front porch when I went out to put the trash in the bin after some storms rolled through. She appears to be a Chiuaua mix and very pregnant. She is very obviously someone's pet because she really wants to come inside and gets really excited when she sees the boys, but with no tags and a baby I can't take the chance on having her around Jansen quite yet. I called Animal Control and the two vet's offices here in town hoping the owners will call in, but so far no calls. I didn't have the heart to have animal control pick her up and lock her away since she's so sweet. I'm not a chiuaua person, but she's really a heart melter. We have tossed around the idea of rescuing Cody a friend for about a year now and just when we are certain we are not going to do it, along comes this little gal. She is driving him insane! Since she's preggo he is crazy with wanting to be around her all the time as if she's in heat! He was so bad this morning he woke Jansen by howling at the front door where we have her tied up for now. Yup, channeling his inner wolf he was. Howling away. He's got crazy eyes all spinning around and everything trying to get her to fall for him. What a Casanova! If she isn't claimed by tomorrow we'll probably have to call Animal Control after all. We just can't have a litter of pups with all else we have going!

I am still enjoying my summer off. I had a workshop on the 10th and another this Friday. The first one really renewed me as a teacher and I look forward to using much of the material in my classes this school year. I'm hoping for great things to come of this next one as well!

Now, to answer the question I am getting asked most frequently... What does Jansen need for his birthday? The answer Nothing Really! We appreciate the thoughts, but there isn't anything we NEED. If you do decide that a gift is what you want to do, we are looking to increase his library so Children's Books are a great choice. He's also nearly walking so things that entertain a walker are useful as well. On a different note we are proud to let everyone know that every cent of cash money (well, or check) he has been given since his Baby Shower has been put into a special account offered here in Texas for guaranteed tuition when he reaches college age. Our Goal is to get him 200 units by the time he turns 5. This will give him 2 full years at a mid-priced school, and a little more or less depending on the cost of the tuition. They figure the cost by units instead of actual cost at the time he enrolls so he has a guaranteed portion of his schooling paid for. More is great, but since we are a moderate income family we are shooting for half, thus 200 units. If anyone wants to read about it more here is a link: https://www.texastuitionpromisefund.com/. We are doing the pay as you go so as he gets money gifts or as we have a little we will put it in instead of a monthly set amount.

Richard is coming up on a conference of his own for a few days in August. He's busy as ever!

I must rescue my lint brush from my son. It appears he is using it for a mid-morning snack. I'm not sure if he's licking it because the texture feels new and different on his tongue or if I didn't give him enough breakfast and he's actually filling up the void with lint!

Canada Vids

Jansen stepping in the Pacific.

The clear rushing waters of Shannon Falls.

Play Day

Play day with Addy! Actually it was Play Day for Mommy so she and Ann could Wii Fit and see if it is something I'd like to save up for. Turns out it is!! What fun!! Bonus was that we both had Little Ones to play while we played! Jansen loved Addy's jumperoo so he was kind of hangin' out while she jumped. I think actually he leaned on it a little so she couldn't jump too much while he was there. She was however talking up a storm to him when he was up by her! Ann has a cute pic of them on the Wii Fit board together. I have to get her to send it to me so I can steal a copy!!

11 Months

So our precious little baby is 11 MONTHS!!! Time has flown by and we are approaching one year! I can't even believe it. As I was putting him to bed tonight I couldn't help but stare at his beautiful sleeping face and marvel at how quickly he has gone from a wrinkly little prune to a handsome little boy. The baby stage was so fleeting! I heard it so often when he first got here, but I am still shocked at how swiftly he has passed through to todderhood. *sigh*

Mr. Handsome on his 11 Month birthday.


Had to get a shot from below so you could see just how tall he's gotten already!

Anyone remember those "Bitter Beet" commercials?

Jansen actually does the scrunchy face quite often, but this was the first time I was able to catch it on camera. We can't tell exactly why he does it. At first I thought he might be itching his nose that way because he's always sneeze shortly after he did it, but now I think it's more just an expression. He seems to do it when his nose is itchy still, but also when he's concentrating or just being silly trying to get our attention for something. No matter what it's pretty darn cute!

I mentioned in other posts that Jansen has been a bit cranky since we got home from vacation. Besides being off of routine, his top two front teeth are coming in. The right one has finally broken the surface and the left is blistered up and ready any day now. Cody was originally glad to see us when we got home, but this was his reaction the other day when Jansen decided to throw a bit of a fit. Be it schedule issues or teething issues he was definitly having issues of some sort and our ever patient K-9 finally cracked a little. He's so good with Jansen, but I can totally understand the sentiment he was feeling here. I was right there with him by that point!!

Random Canada

Here is the last of our Canada pics! What a great trip!! I had to share the last random ones with you all!

City Hall.


The Steam Powered Clock in Gastown.

The entrance to Chinatown.

Construction zones were ALL OVER in preparation for the Olympics coming!

The Joachims

When we were leaving we got to pose for pics with the Joachims! Ann Marie had to work the night before so she was too sleepy to pose, but she did get to come down and say goodbye. What a fantastic time we had and what wonderful hosts they were! I was so glad to meet you all!





Aiden showing off his Lakers shirt!




Jonathan, Richard, Jamal, John, Jansen, and Aiden. Whew! Writing it out I realize the J's have all the other letters beat!





My turn for a pic with the Joachims! Yeah!!

The Joachim Boys! Jamal, John, and Aiden with Jansen.

Still Recovering

On Monday Jansen was still recovering. In fairness we didn't arrive home until the wee hours of Sunday Morning and Jansen hadn't really slept all that much on the travels home. He is usually a 6:30 am sharp riser. Granted that is when he's in bed at 7:30 (8 at the latest). Sunday he didn't get to sleep until 11:45 or so, maybe even later. I don't remember. I was beat too! He didn't wake up until 10:00 and then took a really long time to actually rouse himself. It was actually pretty comical. Usually he's standing up in his crib and "notifying" us he's awake by 6:30 so this was all new to me!

Here he is at 11:15 am on Monday. He's STILL in his jammies because he actually just got up and about. His breakfast is a frozen peach slice in his little mesh bag thing and puffs because he's crabby and wants to feed himself! Ugh!

Seattle: Saturday July 4

On Saturday we left for Seattle and eventually home. We crossed a bridge in Seattle where the water was almost level with the road. It was pretty cool! We saw the Space Needle though we didn't go up in it. It seemed a tad uneventful to go up in a man-made structure to view out after climbing those mountains and seeing God's views! We went to Pike Place Market on Elliot Bay and walked around. It was neat to see, but the highlight of Seattle for Jonathan was the giant cruise ship that was docked. We got to walk right down by it so he got to see up close how massive it was!


Bridge in Seattle.


Yup, the water really is that high. It is not a camera trick!


Looking out over the bridge again.

Stopping to feed Jansen at Pike Place Market.

Elliot Bay from our view in Pike Place Market.

The giant cruise ship docked while we were there.

The boys on the walk bridge with Seattle behind them.

Space Needle. Enough of it for us!

Vancouver: Friday July 3

Friday was our relaxation day of the trip. It was our last day in Vancouver so we chilled out a bit. We only went to the Kitsilano Pool. It is a Saltwater pool with beach access (like Second Beach from Monday). I learned that I LOVE saltwater pools. I don't care a lot for chlorine pools but I've gotten better. Saltwater was really great though. There are no pictures because we forgot to take the cameras out. We brought them, but forgot to use them. It was a really beautiful pool/beach area though. It was also PACKED!! I do know that there are lots of pictures on the internet if anyone wants to check it out, but we aren't in any of those!! Hee-hee! =-P

Vancouver: Thursday July 2

Thursday we went to Grouse Mountain and rode another gondola up a mountain for some fun! There was a Lumberjack Show, a Birds of Prey show, a chairlift to the top of the peak, hiking tours, nature movies, and if you were really wanting to drop tons of moola there were helicopter tours and zip line adventures. When we left Grouse Mt. we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge.








Grouse Mountain.





View from the chairlift on Grouse Mountain.

Richard and Jonathan on Grouse Mt.

Jonathan on the Grouse Mt. chairlift.

The Lumberjack Show on Grouse Mt.

During the lumberjack show there is this comic sketch where the lumberjacks are competing in chainsaw sculpting. One screws up really bad, the other tries to fix it, but bumbles as well. It appears he has bumbled so bad that he chopped the ears off the bunny they were working on, but it is soon revealed that he has made a tiny chair with the ears having been little legs for the chair. It was really cool. The coolest of all though is that they give the chair away to the youngest audience member. Well, we had seen the show as a family and the baby that won the chair was 5 months old. They bring the little one down and have him sit in the chair for the audience while the lumberjack that made it holds him in it. SUPER CUTE!! Jonathan and Richard wanted to ride the chairlift to the peak, but Jansen couldn't go on it so we went back to see the Lumberjack Show again because it was really entertaining and it would keep us busy while they did their thing up on the peak. Jansen happened to be the youngest audience member that time and got the chair, complete with the sitting on it for the audience and everything. Do you think I had the camera (either one) with me... NO!! I figured that there were lots of little babies around and so I sent them both up the peak with Richard. When he got back he said there wasn't even all that much to see that they found picture worthy! UGH!!! We did get them to pose for us afterwards though.

Me, Jansen, and Jonathan with the MC, Lumberjacks, and "Canadian Tourist" character. The Lumberjack closest to us is holding the chair.

Closer shot of the chair.

The back of his chair.

The front. Imagine it upside down on top of a log with a face on it with whiskers and big front teeth. That was the silly bunny they had made before hacking off the ears to reveal the chair.


When we were leaving we looked down in this gully and there was a bunch of snow still melting there (we weren't very high up so there wasn't a lot on this mountain). There on top of the snow was a deer resting. She looks pretty small in the picture, but it's all actually good sized in real life!

When we left Grouse Mountain it was on to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The bridge is the longest suspension bridge for it's height and the highest one for it's length. The tour guide said there are higher bridges that aren't as long or longer bridges that aren't as high, but none that combine as this one does. It was really impressive. The log flume was also first developed and used here. It actually only lasted 9 months because logs kept jamming and then the following logs would shoot out and over the jam. It made it really impractical when so much waste was occuring, despite the danger to the workers unjamming the stuck ones. Sometimes they'd get caught in the path of the ones shooting out and over or fall into the flume and get washed away with the logs when the jam was unstuck. The tourists would come to get pictures by the flume and some of the young boys would jump on the logs and ride them down. That is where the log rides at places like Great America or Six Flags come from. It only lasted a short time, but seems to have made quite an impact! The bridge itself was quite an experience and a little wiggly. Mom, you'd have HATED it! We thought it was awesome! When we got across the bridge there were guided eco-walks and 650 feet of suspension bridges up in the trees. They call it a squirrel's eye view of the forest, going tree to tree. There was also a boardwalk type of path that went under the bridge and around a bit. It was all very beautiful and we closed them down for the night!

Jonathan dressing up in the story tour area at Capilano.

All of us on the bridge.

With the story tour guide at Capilano.

Jonathan in the story pole.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Looking off the bridge.

Another view off the bridge.

My treehuggers while we were on the boardwalk.

The boys and I on the bridge.

Richard and Jonathan on the bridge. People kept walking while I was trying to take the picture. This was the least blurry of them since the bridge was swaying while the people were walking. The bridge was too long to wait for everyone to pass since people kept coming from both sides as soon as it would stop swaying from one group leaving!