We had a great Saturday

Despite the fact that Markus probably was already fighting an ear infection on Saturday (not diagnosed until Monday!) we were able to have an awesome day at Alderwood Mall with my dear friends Tamara and Carrilee. Carrilee brought Henry, her son that is two days older than Markus. We shopped, walked around outside (it was a gorgeous day) and had a wonderful lunch at Claim Jumper's. I hadn't seen Carrilee or Henry since we moved, and it had been months since I saw Tamara. Plus, Tamara is 13 weeks pregnant so it was so fun to see her tiny tummy! The boys enjoyed sitting next to each other at lunch and exploring each others hands, arms and faces. It was a wonderful day!

Oldies but goodies

My dear friend Jen emailed me these pics today from a lunch date some college girlfriends and I had in December. I just had to post these pics of Sam and Markus exploring each others' faces... too cute!

"New" toys

Yesterday, Abu and Papa came over and brought some toys that Katie has otgrown for Markus to borrow for awhile. You would have thought it was Christmas in our house. He is loving this contraption with the orange sun (it has a mirror in the center that he is very fond of checking himself out in) and birdies to bat back and forth on the bottom. Despite the cold and the teething (note the amazing amount of drool on his shirt) he had a great time playing with his "new" toys. And yes, that is a toothbrush in his hand. He loves to play with his toothbrush. So much, in fact, that I bought him a new one the other day so that we could keep one in the bathroom to actually brush his teeth with and then he could play with the other and I wouldn't have to worry about germs.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Someone is one!

We were blessed to celebrate Sam's 1st birthday with him and his family yesterday! Beck and I have been best friends since our freshman year of college, and are so blessed to live less than an hour away from one another and have boys two months apart. We had so much fun at his party yesterday, and Markus loved playing with his new toys (note the spatula in his hand).

Pardon the interruption...

in the photo shoot pics. I had to post these from last night. We actually found a food that Markus literally spit out. No matter how many times we tried to give it to him, he made a horrible face and spit it out entirely. The offending food? Cheese quesadilla. Markus was also trying with all of his might to get his tummy off the ground and crawl last night. He worked so hard... but no dice. But he sure looked adorable trying! Mark kept his hand behind him to prevent him from scooting backwards under the couch.

Day 10!

Day 9!

Taking a break...

from the photo shoot pics. Thought I would post a couple pics of MJ getting stuck under the couch the other day. Poor guy can only "crawl" (scoot) backwards, and he found himself in quite the predicament when he scooted himself under the couch the other day! We also want to say thank you to Grammie and Papa for the package that arrived today! He loves the links, and was trying to devour the football (hence, all the football pics were too blurry to post).

Day 7!

Just happens to be MJ's 10 month birthday today. 10 months! That means in two months he will be one. That blows my mind. Nothing new to report. Still babbling the da, ma and ba sounds. Waving pretty consistently. Scooting backwards on his tummy- no forwards yet. Quite the proud little boy when he "stands" and when he feeds himself.

Day 6!

His favorite pasttime... sticking whatever he can into his mouth. But look at those big eyes!

Day 5!

no heart in this one, but still so cute!

Day 4!

... and he has started "waving" goodbye and hello (translation- he flaps his entire arm up and down whenever someone waves at him). It's adorable! We also wish Abu (my mom) a wonderfully happy birthday today!

Day 3!

By the way- he cut tooth #6 yesterday. My word.

Day 2!

Day 1 of 14 days of pics

In honor of Valentine's Day, Markus and I took a whole bunch of photos with him and a stuffed "Hug Me" heart. There are tons of cute ones, so I thought I would post one a day until Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

9 months old (a few weeks late!)

Sorry, no post for awhile! Markus turned 9 months a few weeks ago... time sure has flown by. He has yet to crawl (although he is getting quite good at scooting backwards), he has tackled the art of feeding himself cheerios (and is quite proud with every bite), he now had 5 teeth and he loves to bounce in the johnny jump-up. He has started laughing outloud at sounds and faces and there is no sweeter sound in the entire world. He continues to sing at church during the singing, and screams bloody murder in the nursery. Separation anxiety has hit full force, and while I am pleased that he loves me I would love for him to be okay with others... it's just a phase, right? AT his 9 month check he weighed in at 18 lbs 1 oz and 26 3/4" long, which drops him to the 5th%. But his head has grown to the 90th%! Must be quite the brain up there :). Here's a few pics I took today!

His first Christmas...

We survived Markus' first Christmas! The poor little man has a nasty cold, but he still managed to thoroughly enjoy opening presents (epsecially at Abu and Papa's house). He loved the monkey we gave him- you press his hand and you hear our voices wishing Markus a Merry Christmas and telling him we love him. It's great. He lit up like the Christmas tree when he saw it and hugged and kissed it every time we handed it to him. He definitely cleaned house at Abu and Papa's though, coming home with some toys that we are very excited about. By far, his favorite is the stackable ring set from Fisher Price- the one that has been around longer than his parents have. But he loves it! My favorite time of the whole day was sitting with Markus in my lap while Mark read the Christmas story (Luke 2). What a precious time together as a family. I can't wait until Markus can read it to us. Here are just a couple of pics from the morning. I definitely didn't get near as many as I wanted, but I was also operating the video camera! Oh well. Hope your day was as special as ours- filled to the brim with lots of love, family time and meditations on our amazing Savior, Jesus Christ, without whom we are nothing.

ETA: We just returned home from the Doctor's office... the poor kid has a double ear infection. And we are flying to Iowa tomorrow... please pray :).

Merry Christmas Eve

It's quiet in my house right now. Markus is napping, Mark is at church and everything that could be done for our brunch later this morning is done. The house is clean (at least the downstairs- where the guests will be :) ), candles are burning and the tree is aglow with white lights. The table is set, presents are wrapped and under the tree and cards are mailed. As I sit in the stillness, I am in awe of some amazing miracles we have experienced in the last year. Last Christmas was so special- being pregnant with Markus and anticipating all that was to come (little did I know that would include a move, a new job for Mark, a new house and new friends). But that Christmas cannot begin to compare to the delight and wonder that is Christmas seen through the eyes of a child. Even though he is too young to comprehend, Christmas just seems all the more "magical" (I use that word lightly- but it does best decribe what I'm thinking) with Markus in our home. But even more wondrous than that, is the miracle that is Christmas itself; that God humbled Himself and became flesh, born as a baby in the most unattractive of ways. And He did that because He loves me. And you. And each and every person that He uniquely created and shaped and planned, that is, all of mankind. As I reflect in my quiet home, my heart shouts with praise for the miracle that is Christmas, for the awesomeness of our God and for the Savior that resides in my heart. Our family wishes you, our dear loved ones, the Merriest of Christmases. May you steal away a few quiet moments to shout quietly within your own hearts today (or tomorrow :) ) as well.

Long time, no post!

I know, I know. I have been a horrible blogger! Please forgive me. We have been amazingly busy and to top it off, had a power outage for almost 4 days last weekend due to the windstorm! We are eagerly anticipating Markus' first Christmas and his first trip to Iowa one week from today. Enjoy these recent pics!

Playing with ornaments (plastic) so mommy could put away some laundry!

Markus is always super-focused on whatever he is doing at the moment.

Yes, that is a lemon in his hand. The kid loves to suck on lemons.

You'd think by this picture peas were his favorite. I thought so too, until we tried peas for dinner tonight. He actually spit them out and cried every time I tried to give him a spoonful tonight. So we defaulted to carrots. Much better.

I know this is a blurry picture, but I had to post. Doesn't he look like a little french artist with his mustache (made of prunes, not chocolate!)

Another reason he will need therapy when he grows up...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am usually a very tender-hearted person, but for some reason, lately I feel like God has made me even more tender towards the plight of the needy. I have been moved to tears numerous times throughout the last few weeks thinking of all that we have, and all that so many do not have. It hurts my heart, and at times I feel powerless to do anything about it. But I know that our God is great and will do much with what we can do when we are giving out of pure hearts. As I think about this Thanksgiving, I am overwhelmed by how incredibly blessed we are. We have a home, food on the table (too much food!), nice clothes, cars that work, families and friends that love and support us, a new baby who is the delight of our hearts, good health... so much that we take for granted. Most importantly, however, is that we have a Savior that loves us and died for us- and doesn't give us what we deserve. If all those other things were taken away, we would still have that most important thing. This year, that is what I am most thankful for. What are you thankful for?

Happy Wednesday!

Today's Photo