A Special Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday Mom!  This weekend we celebrated my mom's birthday with a little dinner and get together.  I brought a few accessories to make it more interesting.

Going on a walk after dinner

The Birthday girl requested ice cream this year :)

A friend to pet!

Larkin loved this new friend!  What cuties- all three!

"Okay mom, party's over my bedtime has passed!"

The Sudan Footrace 5k

My friend, Missy is the executive director for Seed Effect which is a nonprofit whose goal is to provide microloans, education and spiritual discipleship to the physically and spiritually impoverished in Sudan.

This weekend she was in charge of a huge 5k and 1 mile walk to raise money.  It was an enormous undertaking and a big success!  Larkin, Jordan and I along with the rest of the playgroup went out to support her and the nonprofit. We started out with a pre-race swing!

Watching the Goats

"Good morning, Oliver.  Are you ready to race?"

Watching the goats

Can't get him to turn from the goats!

The Babies before starting the one mile fun walk!  Larkin is waving for the camera...

 (Not pictured are Branch who was in the 5k and Sophia)

Jordan and Matt with Larkin and Oliver

Matt, Megan and Price

Matt, Oliver and Mary Emma

Olivia, Regan and Monte

Not pictured are the Williams who were busy organizing the event and the McKeaiggs who were in the 5k.  

Mommy joined up with Larkin and Daddy after the race.

What a fun day!  We hope a good amount of money and support was raised for Seed Effect and it's mission.  Great job heading it up, Missy!

Summer Fun

Yesterday was a busy day of fun.  We started out with a playdate with mommy's friend, Laura and her daughter Brynn who is just a few months older than Larkin.  Larkin loved riding in the wagon around the block and playing inside with all of her fun toys.

Then in the afternoon we went swimming at Price's house.  It was Larkin's first time in the pool and he LOVED it!  It was so cute!  I think he will love the water like his mommy.  He was splashing, splashing, splashing the whole time!  I can't wait for the days we can start swim lessons!

Thanks for having us over Laura and Megan!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Happy Birthday to a very special and wonderful dad (and Grandpa)! We love you!!!

Your First Easter

I realize I'm a bit late, but I wanted to make sure to document your first Easter.  We had fun celebrating this week with dad and the Brazeals.  We were so excited to celebrate with Nana too but she got sick and then this past weekend we have been sick.  You are missing your Nana and hopefully we will celebrate with her soon.

Easter Roses - my favorite color!

   

You wanted to see what smelled so good!  (No you didn't pull yourself up yet, but you can stand by yourself for short amounts of time under our supervision.)

"Are you the Easter bunny??"

 

Playing with Grandpa!  You love your time with him!

Easter Egg hunting at Mimi and Pop's!

Peekaboo with Cousin Logan!  Your cousins are such great entertainers.  You love watching them!

Pretty flowers! You love talking with Pop 

Spoils from the Easter Egg hunt!  The Easter bunny must have done well for himself the past few years.  When I was small I just remember candy and coins!

On Good Friday mommy and you went to the noon service and learned about the 7 things Jesus said while He was hanging on the cross.  It was very powerful.  Easter Sunday we went to church and celebrated Jesus' resurrection!  After the service you and your buddy Oliver posed for a few Easter pics by the fountain before going up to take a much needed nap!

Our prayer is that you come to know, very early, the significance Easter and what a happy holiday it is because of what God did for you, little one. 

Happy First Easter Larkin!

Family in Town

This weekend we got to see Stephen, Mallory, Luke and Baby Anna (who has just a few more months until she makes her appearance!)  We met up at Union Bear, a yummy pizza place in Uptown.

Larkin and Luke LOVE their Uncle David.  Larkin just stares at him and smiles.  Luke loves him too and apparently even at one point was crying this weekend when he left the room.  Something about crazy Uncle David!

Cousins!

Larkin and beautiful Aunt Mallory

Little Luke loves his Daddy.  It's so fun to see him walking around all by himself.



So thankful for my family!  We are looking forward to more times with them in the future now that they're in Texas!!

The Cow's Back in Full Steam

Well Larkin. . .

It looks a bit more ominous and devilish with the lights dim, but the cow is back in your room .  You have your first little earache.  Although you've had congestion before and been a little sick, this is the first time you've been put on antibiotics. 

The past few nights you wake up screaming.  Mommy and daddy go in and you have so much congestion it's pretty pitiful.  Although you HATE it, I syringe out huge "snot pockets" and give you some saline to help you breathe better.  That lasts a few hours until you are stopped up and screaming again.  Poor little guy.  I think you are confused as to why you are feeling this way. 

Mommy doesn't feel that great either though.  I called my mom and thanked her for all of the times she took care of us when she was sick.  It is hard to both be sick.  While I'm not feeling well, you aren't either and are a lot more needy of being held, etc.  However I hope soon you will be on the mend.  I feel a bit better today than yesterday.  We are hoping to get well because Uncle Stephen, Aunt Mallory and Cousin Luke (and future cousin Anna) are in town!

Doctor said it wasn't a bad ear infection but you had a low grade fever today so on the antibiotics you will go.  When Mommy tried to give you the medicine with the syringe you didn't like the taste.  You spit out the syringe and the medicine ended up all over your face.

Well, little Lark.  I'm glad you've gone so long without having to get on any time of medicine or antibiotics.  I know this is the first of many sicknesses but I thought I'd document it so we could look back. 

Being a trooper while we wait

 Trying to keep your mind off the long wait for the doctor . . .

 "Distractions only last so long, Mommy.  Get me out of here!"

Love you buddy,

Mommy

Happy 9 Month Larkin!

I CAN NO LONGER KEEP HIM STILL :)

CHANGES THIS MONTH  . . .

MOVEMENT: The biggest change of this month is that you are mobile!  You are crawling EVERYWHERE!  Your favorite things to crawl to are remotes, Piper, Piper's bed, Piper's dog toys, Piper's water bowl and our shoes.  You don't crawl on all fours though, you scoot pulling yourself with your forearms and pushing with your feet.   But you are very fast.  If I set you down and run in the other room you will be across the room coming to find me or getting into Piper's things when I peek my head back in.  Your face is so determined when you crawl.  You are on a mission. While still on the topic of movement, you are a WIGGLE WORM.  You don't like to be still.  You would rather go explore.  This produces problems when Mommy is changing your dirty diaper.




SOCIAL:  Larkin, you have the cutest laugh.  You laugh when you see people dancing or acting goofy, when daddy makes silly faces and when Piper comes and plays in front of you; and, as mentioned before you are a big flirt out in public. You let us know if something bothers you with loud squawks, squeals and screams and you are also talking a lot more now.  It's so cute just  little syllables" na na na ba ba da" said with the sweetest little voice.

 Recently again you've started to get upset when mommy drops you off at BSF or with someone else.  Even when I leave the room you've been screaming :(  This makes for a long and unproductive day so I've keep cheerfully ignoring some of it hoping this phase will pass.  You (and mommy) still are enjoying playgroup on Mondays and we've loved lots of walks and "front yard dates" with playgroup friends too.  We'll spread large blankets out in the front yard and just hang out outside with friends.

                     
                  

EATING: You are nursing four times a day at 7, 11, 3 and then a little after 7.  You are eating solids (baby food) 3 times a day (right after your 7 and 11 feeding and just before your 7pm feeding).  Just recently we started adding finger foods which sometimes you seem to love and sometimes you want no part of.  Initially this month in the morning you typically would have a jar of prunes.  For lunch you would usually have one jar of a fruit and / or veggie and at dinner you have a meat and a veggie (2 jars).  The finger foods you've eaten are pancakes, scrambled eggs, cheese quesadillas, ground turkey, shredded chicken, green beans, spaghetti, sweet potato and black beans.  You LOVE black beans.  You also love drinking water out of your sippy cup and Nana taught you how to use a straw this month. 

                     
                         
SLEEPING: Your wake time is now 2-2.5 hours during the day (although in the morning it can be a bit shorter) and the past few days we've pushed through to drop that last nap of the day so of course your wake time is longer then.  We just recently transitioned to two naps and it's been hard.  Sometimes you just are miserable without a third.  I think you're growing this week... you've been sleeping a lot and pretty whiney when you're awake... always seeming tired.  Yesterday you napped 2 hrs 45 minutes in the morning, 1.5 hours in the afternoon and  I took you out for a walk to give you some fresh air and you fell asleep again in the stroller (which you haven't done in months)!  At night you are still sleeping 11.5 hours and we still typically start our day at 7am.

THINGS YOU LOVE: You love our morning walks and your baths. You love chasing Piper, your mobile (still), sitting outside watching the cars go by, driving cars *see below, eating black beans, laughing at daddy, bathtime, being tickled and of course spending time with Nana, Grandpa, Mimi, Pop and Nanny (your great grandmother).   You love all of your grandparents! And you think your Uncle David is super goofy.  *I need a new updated picture of you and Pop to add! 
                        



                   

                                             


THINGS I LOVE:  I love waking you up with daddy in the mornings although you're usually a bit grumpy and ready for milk.   love watching you laugh and giggle, listening to you talk and most of all I love your SNUGGLING.  Even when I drop you off at church daycare or BSF, they say you like to snuggle.  I know this won't last forever so I'm enjoying it!  My favorite time of day is still rocking you before bed. You curl up on me and bury your head in my neck.   Mommy still sings you Edelweiss before every nap and bedtime.

                               
                                           

I think back to the nine months you were in my tummy and how slow they seemed to crawl by compared to these last nine.  Your daddy and I love you so much little man!  Happy Nine Month Birthday!!! (Gosh a year is just around the corner!)