Halloween Festivites

Here is our Pretty Kitty all ready for trick-or-treating. Eden is now 15 months old (16 on the 16th of November! Time flies!) And, introducing our Terrible Tiger. Doesn't that smile just say it all??!!

We also visited a variety of pumpkin patches this past October. Here Eden is on a pile of punkins at Krueger Farm.

Zion...with dirt on his face and everything. I won't tell you about the ashes he rolled around in after this picture was taken! Oops, I just did! :)

If you can believe it, this is the best family shot that we got. Eden was done with the festivities at this point.

Love, LOVE this picture of the girl. She is strapped to Heath's chest and happy as a clam. So cute!

"Zion did it, Ma!"

Who knows what he is thinking here! He is such a funny little man!

Eden in her first pumpkin patch at Bauman Farms. This was our third year taking our babies there and they just love it. There is so much to do there.

I think this shot is so precious of my dad, "Papa", and Zion. So timeless!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here! Until next time....

What we are up to these days

I know it has been a while since I've updated our blog, but lots has been going on since July. Zion has attempted potty training, of which I did not include pictures so as to maintain his dignity. :) But we are putting that on hold for now. Ugh! I just opened another Costco box of size five diapers for him this week. He is just not ready. He is, however, climbing on anything and everything. I guess that is what boys are born to do. Lots of swimming has been going on. Mostly naked swimming--the best kind for cute babies.

Let's not forget Eden's nose wrinkling-business. So cute with all her recent sassiness. She is also taking steps here and there and is for sure going to be walking full-time soon, which I am not excited about. What am I going to do with two walking kids that want to go opposite directions?

Zion has learned how to wink and has moved from a high chair to the table. It is actually less messy this way! Nice!

Oh, and Eden loves her birthday teddy bear. So sweet. I couldn't resist taking this picture of her napping the other day.

So, there is our life in a nut shell. Looking forward to fall candles, but not the rain. Oh, well, this is Oregon.

The Girl

Here she is blowing out her candle at her first birthday party.

I am quite proud of how cute these turned out. They were so fun to make!

Here's the girl and her spread.

Heath with the kids on her actual birthday.

The pretty girl on her birthday.

The baby girl that I gave birth to just over a year ago turned one on the 16th. This time last year I was pumping, not sleeping (much), and healing from a large incision on the lower part of my belly. This year we are celebrating lots of things: having a one and a two year old; having two children who sleep through the night; me almost (still nursing twice a day) having my body back (aka: not being or pregnant or nursing since August 2007); and being so thrilled with our boy and girl.

Where is Summer?

Zion and his friend, Noah, at his birthday party. Eden playing peek-a-boo.

Zion and Eden wanting the same toy. Eden wants whatever toy Zion has. Oh, the joys of being siblings!

Zion on his second birthday. (It's so hard to get a nice picture of him!)

Eden on the swings at the park. She loves swinging!

Here we are mid-June and still having to turn the heat on sometimes! What is that about? Eden is growing out of her summer clothes before she even has a chance to wear them! Loads of cute sun dresses just waiting for the arrival of the sun.

Well, besided waiting around for some summery weather, we've been pretty busy. Zion turned two May 16th. I tried to have a scaled-down party, but we still ended up with 24 people in our little house. The backyard party was out of the question due to rain. Anyway, he loved the attention and opening the presents. He also got a bed that he is now transitioning into--a little roughly, I might add. Note to self: don't go cold turkey from the crib to bed with Eden. Oops. Sorry about that, little man.

Heath's summer program is underway. So he is busy, busy, but loving the interactions with his interns. He is also having a ball with the lawn maintenance since ditching the push mower and upgrading to a "real" lawn mower--outfitted with a catcher and all! We also celebrated our 5th anniversary on June 11th where we went out on a surprise date that Heath planned. What a guy, I have! :)

Eden is still not crawling full time, but can certainly get where she wants to go. She is pulling up to her knees now, scootching forward on her tummy, and can move backwards on her knees. I'm sure she'll get the hang of the forward motion soon. She also has four teeth now. The two bottom teeth just popped through this week. She continues to be a lover and is just trying to navigate playing around her brothers' flying toys.

I am enjoying the time I have with my kids at home and am happy that I am not my friend, Rachel, who just had twin boys! :) My MOPS group has a summer book club that I am participating in (PS, don't read Rooftops of Tehran). I have also developed a bit of a crush on roller derby since I found out about it on LA Ink when a girl got a tattoo of roller girls. So I am looking into that sport a bit more these days. We'll see what the future holds on that one. . . .

End of April Pics

Little Eden still hasn't broken a tooth yet, but you can just see them trying to break the surface of her gums. Her constantly runny nose and bulging gums hope they will hurry up and make an appearance! She is really starting to get around now. Still not crawling, but she gets those legs under herself just fine.

Here Zion is making history by trying his hand at licking his first beater. I used to love to lick the beater when my mom was baking!

Already trying to fill Dad's shoes! He came stomping down the hall in Heath's shoes the other morning so proud that he could get them on and actually move in them!

Here the kids are playing with each other. They just started playing together this past week. So cute! Eden sure loves to watch Zion!

My How Time Flies!

Eden turned 9 months today. What a precious little joy she is to us! She is scootching everywhere now and making Zion laugh. I love how the two kids interact with each other. I hope they get along well. Look at those legs! Couldn't you just eat them with a spoon? And I love her toes. So chubby and kissable.

Today marks the 23rd month birthday for my little Zion. He is, let's all say it together, almost TWO! And acting like it! Climbing on everything. Talking up a storm(nothing melts my heart more then to hear him say, "I love you, Mama."). Telling me when he is poopy (could potty training be in our near future?). And, yes, exercising his will.

What sweet kids we have!

Tidbits

Here we are with the trees budding, flowers blooming, and spring rains readying the ground for new life to come. What that means for our home is allergies (Heath), a chance to pick flowers from their stems (Zion), and babies learning about the world they live in and doing new tricks (Eden).

It is fun to watch Eden as she explores the world around her. She is now starting to scoot everywhere and reach for toys that she wants. She still hasn't flipped from her back to her stomach, but I am sure that is soon to come.

Zion's vocabulary expands every day. It is fun to hear what comes out of his mouth. All of his teachers (Sunday school and MOPS) tell us that he is just chatting up a storm. I am glad other people understand what he is saying too!

Zoo Boat and Monthly Birthdays

Hello, handsome boy! Zion turned 22 months on the 16th! We are close to having a two-year old on our hands, folks! And this little patootie turned 8 months on the 16th! She is sitting up on her own now and is so, so, so cute! Love those soft arms!

Hi, kiddies!

We visited the Pittock Mansion in NW Portland. It was interesting to see a bit of Portland history.

Just a cute picture of Eden.

Wave to Zion!

Nice smile, baby!

Heath's show, Zoo Boat, set sail this past weekend. It was a hit, I am glad to report! Look at all the cute animals that were aboard his show. We are glad that this big project is behind us, but are happy about the impact it had on the kids in his afterschool program.

We got a new tow-behind from some friends a couple weekends ago and are loving it. The kids like it too. They are so precious all cuddled next to each other.

March Already??

Morning, Zion!

My sleeping beauty. She sometimes falls asleep in her swing after dinner and before bed. What kissable cheeks those are!

Dad and Zion working in the backyard.

Eden's first bath in the bathtub.

Eden swinging in the park.

Hi, friends. Can you believe it is March already?! I love the flowers coming up and the blooming cherry trees! It is so refreshing.

Heath is also back out in our yard making it pretty. He does such a good job with it! It will be fun when Zion can just toddle out back and play out there. Still a bit wet and muddy for that, but we're getting there. He does like to "help" Heath in the backyard, though. I guess he kept eating mud and dirt and coming up to Heath saying, "Yucky. No food," with a mouth full of it. Glad I wasn't there to see that. I keep having to remind myself that he is a boy and that is normal.

Eden had her first bath tub bath yesterday while the boys were out in the backyard. She was non-plussed about the situation and just wanted to chew on the toys. I think she is cutting some teeth on the bottom because she is cranky for no reason sometimes. She has a well-baby check tomorrow so we'll see what the doctor has to say about that.

My friend, Rachel, found out last week that she is having TWIN BOYS! They are so excited! Yay for Rach and Jake!