End of the Month Pics, 2nd Edition

April

May (This was a rough month!)

 

June #1 (We couldn't decide with June we liked better!)

June #2

Bonus Pics:

April Caleb

April Mommy and Caleb taken by Abby

May Caleb

May Abby

June Caleb

June Abby

End of the Month Pics

Last year, every month around Caleb's birth date I took a picture of him in the same toddler chair. This year I've decided to do a picture of both of the kids on the last day of every month in our over-sized blue chair. Here are the first 3 month's worth of pics!

January #1 (Love Caleb's expression!)

January #2

February (Options were limited this month...)

March #1

March #2 (Again with the face)

Some bonus pics:

January Abby

March Abby

January Caleb

March Caleb

POPSICLE!

2 PICTURES MUST BE WORTH 2000 WORDS!

 

Just Chillin'

I went to the bathroom yesterday and when I came out Abby had climbed up in her chair with Binky and Giraffe-Cow and was just lounging! So sweet!

 

A picture is worth a thousand words...but I will say a couple

Face to Face at the San Diego Zoo

An Overdue Update!

Well, hello, blog world!  It has been a long, long time since I have seen you!  I officially started my part time job as youth leader at our church at the beginning of September (although I actually started before that) and life has just been a little crazy.

We flew back to the Midwest for a family reunion over Labor Day weekend and were there for a week total!  It was a great time to relax and connect with friends and family.  I surprised Jesh with a quick birthday party at Ritter's Frozen Custard place! 

 Here's a pic from the reunion of all the little girl cousins!

Abby, Shayla, Aubrey, Cambria, Sophie & Ellie

Here's the crew from the birthday surprise!

 When we got back from the Midwest, the youth group had a big Back-to-School Bash which was quite a success!  For my first three Sunday nights we talked about Integrity using the life of Daniel as an example!  We're using the LIVE Curriculum and are really enjoying it!

Jesh's parents came up for a long weekend to visit Abby....and us!  ; )  We visited Mt St Helens, we girls went to IKEA with a church friend, we all went to the Compline service at St. Marks and generally hung out together!

Then our church decided to send us to the National Youth Workers Convention in San Diego!  It was wonderful!  We heard great speakers and bands, went to seminars, gained new ideas and fresh excitement and spirit, talked to a revered professor of mine and a church/college friend, went to the zoo, and discovered Pink Berry Frozen Yogurt!

Now for Abby updates!  She is almost 11 months old now!  She is working on tooth number 8 and trying to walk.  My favorite game with her is a form of hide-and-seek in which I crawl in circles around the chair in our living room and she chases after me or stops, turns and chases me!  : )  Abby has been babbling with "mama" and "dada" for some time now and occasionally uses those syllables to identify us as well.  She regularly waves at the 8x10 picture we have of my family!  Saturday she pointed and waved and said "Da da!"

My favorite moment from the weekend:  This morning, she had been babbling "da da da" and then looked at Jesh who was getting ready for the day and pointed at him and earnestly said "DA!"  This got his attention, of course, but apparently not the completely desired reaction.  She crawled over to him and reached for him.  He held her for a moment and then, finally having gotten his complete attention and a hug, she happily went back to Mama.

Jesh is back in school and the church music season is back in full swing now!  He has some type of choir retreat every weekend from this one through the beginning of November!

That pretty much sums up our crazy lives for the moment!  God is faithful no matter how crazy and busy it gets!


Let me close with 2 pics I took today!  Grandma Cindy Zook and Aunt Katie gave Abby this dress last Christmas thinking it would be this year's Christmas dress but she is getting too tall for it to fit in December!  So she wore it today!

July in Pictures!

It's been awhile since I've had any time to write and I feel that a lot has happened!  

Therefore a walk through July 

with pictures and captions seems like a good idea.

 

 4th of July picnic with our nieces

 Abby is learning to eat and food is everywhere!!!

  Cherith and Abby

 Girls' day on the town!

The second week that our nieces were with us, we all volunteered at VBS at our church.

The theme was "Shake It Up Cafe."

Jeshua led music (& choreography)!

 The girls and I helped out with one of the preschool classes.

Boy, were we all tired!!

 On July 18th and 19th we drove the girls back to CA!  What a long trip that was!

This is Abby at Grandma and Grandpa's house with a cool toy and Grandpa's hat. 

The 20th was my mother-in-law's birthday so all the brothers and their families got together!

Claire

Andrew

Grandma and Liz

 

Then we went up to the mountains for the weekend to be at Camp Peaceful Pines.

My mother-in-law was the cook and most of the family went up to help

and be together for the weekend!

 

 Abby enjoying watermelon!

Trying out Andrew's pack

 Jesh and I at Darnell's lookout point

Watching Daddy play volleyball

 

 Abby making friends

 Abby loves water!

 Baby Senior Pictures!

 

Up at Sunrise Rock

 Back down at the in-laws' house.  Look Daddy, I can pull myself up!

We were originally going to drive home over 2 days, Thursday and Friday, 

but anxious to be home with just the 3 of us we did the drive all night Tuesday! 

We stopped in Portland for breakfast with my Grandma and Aunt!

Well, now we're home!  Thanks for taking this tour of July with me!