Eli at 9 months

 bathing in the sink...every child should at some point, it's a right of passage....

Still our happy kid! His top teeth finally broke in! He is close to walking, will creep along furniture and tries to stand on his own. We have gotten him to stand alone a couple of times but he wigs out quickly and sits back down. 

His big thing is scaling the stairs. He learned to do it in one day! I was working in the basement and put him and Zoey in front of some toys to play with for a minute so I could sew something. I ended up needing my seam ripper which was upstairs and as I was running around to get it, I almost stumbled over ELI! He had scaled all flights of stairs from the basement to the top floor looking for me. It's a good thing I needed that seam ripper or I would have never known he was crawling around up there! 

Anyway, he's got energy to spare! He also is feeding himself finger foods; he loves to eat all the time.

....and we love him! 

Swim Lessons

One of the best things about summer is the pool! The kids are loving their swim instructors this year and are doing really well! Session 1 is almost over...I can't believe it! Jackson and Zoey wear themselves out from swimming. I just love summer days!

According to plan

You know the old saying "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans?" Well, here's a few things that haven't gone according to our plans, but I'm sure no one was laughing at us either. Although this isn't meant to be a complaint fest, I just want to record for ourselves what life is like sometimes. Maybe someday I will laugh at it all. The only thing that is comical is how much can happen all at once!

It started off with Brian wrenching his back while unloading a load to the dump. Then, he was in a hurry to get packed for a scout camp and he left the truck door open while reversing into the garage and almost ripped the door off of his beloved truck. While on his trip I was working on some craft projects in the basement and noticed a leak. The leak turned into a cracked water heater, which ended up flooding our basement and requiring new flooring and all new appliances (water heater, AC, and furnace). We were out of water for a few days and cold water and AC for a week and a half waiting for it all to get fixed. Which although was an expensive and unexpected repair, could have been much less painful if we hadn't purchased the swing set for the kids and the patio furniture and new basketball goal....but that's life's lesson right? Just when you think you have a little spending money- our lesson learned- don't spend it! Something else will inevitably happen when you wished you had that money! And an MRI later, we are still waiting to see what happened to Brian's back which has been causing him enough pain that it hurts to eat.

No pictures with this post! It seems I didn't capture those splendid moments on camera!

Home

Home is a sanctuary.... at least it's what it should be. And we aren't the only one's who feel that way about our home!

We have a pair of robins, a pair of red-headed finches, and a pair of swallows nesting around our place this spring. It's so exciting. The robin's eggs are beautiful...and the finch's eggs just hatched this weekend (the bundle of blob below are the bald heads and feathers of 5 chicks)!

I have been thinking a lot about family lately. We have a big summer ahead of us filled with family reunions and weddings (both on Brian's side and mine). It can sometimes feel overwhelming! But a few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to go camping with some friends. It was a fantastic trip, and an evening talk around the fire turned into a discussion on what the most important things in our lives are. We felt our family was definitely at the top.

For our children, a sanctuary is what Brian and I hope to create. A safe place to go from the chaos of the world. The plaque mortared in the entryway of our home says "Safe Haven." I loved it from the moment we first walked through as potential buyers-- and am glad that whoever built the house had foresight to have that placed there.

As a New Year's resolution, I decided it would be fun for my personal development to re-do the YW personal progress program.  I had completed it almost 15 years ago, and thought I'd like to do it again. It has been a great experience, but the most worthwhile thing that has stemmed from me doing the program is the desire it has given me to hold more thoughtful Family Home Evenings. I have used many of the things I study from the value experiences and formulate them into FHE lessons.

Our Monday nights have been awesome lately. I really look forward to them! I love seeing my children feel the Spirit.  I have gained such a testimony of the FHE program. I know I have been supported and blessed when I do my part. It has been AWESOME (even when things don't go "perfectly")!

Eli at 8 months!

He's growing fast...too fast! He wants to walk and be off his knees so bad. I think the motivation comes from his desire to keep up with  his older sibling OR keep away from them! Either way, he's a skinny little thing that looks way too little to be pre-walking!

I love how his right leg always makes a statement...it's such a huge step!

If he's close enough to latch on to my pant legs than watch out! He'll pull up quickly to a standing position and beg for help, which isn't always convenient. Sometimes I find myself in a predicament with him latched to my legs and my hands full- and just stuck until he decides to move... I am trying to decide whether having him walking soon will make things easier or harder. I just don't know if I am ready to have 3 toddlers!

But we sure love him. He's so happy and so great to have in our family!