Out Walking

Yesterday we decided to put a book we borrowed from some friends to use. The book is about different walks you can take through Portland. It is full of information and is like having a tour guide with you. So we took the walk through the Pearl Disctict and Slabtown. However, we only made it through the first half due to a hungry and sleepy baby. So Slabtown will have to be done in the future. We love getting to know our new city. There is so much to explore and do here.

Pictures of our tour:

It started at Union Station. What a pretty building this was! The inside still has a very 30's feel to it and looks as if you should see a couple waving goodbye to each other as the train whisks one off from the other.

There was this walking path over the tracks that we found. Very pretty view from up there of the bridges in the area.


Our walk continued past the Federal Building. Again, another gorgeous structure.

We walked up further and found the old customs building. It is hard to tell in this picture, but it is in an old Italian style. Very ornate and pretty. We are not sure what it is today.

Zion got to ride on the swings in the park--his favorite thing!

We then walked past the old Armory building. It is now a trendy theatre. We ducked in there to escape the downpour that had caught us.

After the shower passed, we went on to Jamison Park. We will have to visit this park again when the weather warms up!

We continued on to the more industrial section of the Pearl, but we didn't take any pictures there because we were into the meltdown by then. You'll have to wait for our Out Walking Part 2!

What a Month!

What a great month April was! The changing of the seasons is always my favorite time of year. We got Eden's room set up this month (sorry, no pictures of that) and did tons of other stuff. I'll give you a tour with pictures:

Zion and Heath building a shoe rack. Zion got a bunch of toy tools that he loves to use.

Here is Zion's 11 month picture:

Zion took some first steps while we were at Frank and Nora's house this past week. He'll be running before we know it!

Alex had her 3rd birthday party. She is getting so big!

Zion on the swing at Columbia Park. He loves the swings! When we are still about 1/4 of a mile away from them he starts jumping in the stroller. He is so cute!

Heath's new bike. He loves riding to work and home.

Zion on his new slide. It is just his size.

And the saddest part of the month. . .my Nana died. We were able to go see her in the hospital one last time before she went. She had a good life and was a GREAT Nana to me and her other grand-kids. She went peacefully and now she is with my Papa again. We will miss her so much!

The Update

After lots, and I mean lots, of discussion about what to do with our kids' bedroom/bed situations, we have it figured out (for today at least!). Since Zion will only be 15 months old when Eden arrives, we figure he will most likely not be ready for a big bed--especially since he is prone to lots of bed-shifting at night. So I have been looking on Craigslist (LOVELOVELOVE Craigslist!) for a crib. Something cute, newish, and, frankly, a bargain. I found it today! Little Miss Eden Belle's room now has a plan that we'll put together in the next couple months or so. (Due to this fact, if you want to visit us in Portland and have an actual bed to sleep in, come visit NOW because we'll soon only have couches for guests!)

In other news, Zion is trying to get over croupe, poor guy.

He is 20.4 pounds. Now all he has to do is turn 1 and then we can face his carseat forward. He'll love that.

Speaking of turning one. . . . His birthday party (and actual birthday, in fact) is on May 16th so mark it on your calendar! Invitations are going out soon!

Here are a couple pictures:

A pretty cute little guy!! I love the sparkle of mischief in his eyes here.

Zion blowing kisses. It is his latest trick.

Meal time mess. (Those are black beans he is eating. Looks questionable in this picture, though!)

He likes to put his toys in his mouth and "walk" around with them. This is the easiest way of transporting himself AND his toys at the same time.

Heath and Zion doing some tasks. What a good helper!

Appointments

Yesterday we had an appointment for Zion. He has gained THREE pounds in the past two months-yes, he IS an eater. He is finally out of the "scrawny" category at 19.5 pounds and 10 months old. He is also now 28 1/2" tall. Growing boy! He had to get three shots too, and of course it was from the nurse in training. She was SO slow with the shots. They are usually done so fast he hardly has time to cry. Poor thing. He is such a champ, though. He cried just while she was doing them and was fine by the time I picked him up. Looks like Zion is in good shape overall.

Today we had an appointment for our little newbie.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

So we are TOTALLY excited about this. It will be fun to have one of each. I was hoping it was a girl but was going to be so excited if it was a boy too. The rest of the anatomy visit went well too. She looks great--finger, toes, cute profile, and internal stuff in tact. We are thankful that she is on her way and the Lord is knitting her together perfectly. Her name will be:

Eden Belle

Isn't that totally cute?! We have had this name chosen forever. Eden is a place in the Bible (like Zion), unique, but not too unique, two syllables so people won't shorten her name, and beautiful sounding. Belle means "beautiful" and is after my mom. Her middle name is Isabel. Our girl's name will mean "beautiful garden". I just love it!

Well, that sum up our appointments from the past couple days. Good news all around!

Heath's Birthday Weekend

This past Friday (the 13th) was Heath's 31st birthday. Yeah for another year! Emily and Justin, our friends we visited in California a couple months ago, were up here so we spent the day with them on Friday. It was fun walking around 23rd with them. Zion was so content watching the world go by from the vantage point of his stroller. He is such a good baby! We had lunch at Laurelwood Pub which was so good! Try it if you are ever on 23rd. We even got to eat outside which is rare in Portland on a March day.

Saturday Heath's parents came up to see him and we had lunch here. Then Saturday night. . .WE SAW WICKED!!! It was so fun! Our friends watched Zion for the evening (the first time someone other than us has put him to bed) and we just had so much fun. We had not been to the theatre in a long time and Heath has been wanting to see Wicked forever. I bought him tickets for Christmas. If you have a chance, you should go see it! It is fabulously eye-poppingly colorful and of course the music is fun too.

Sunday we went to church, had lunch with some friends, and then spent the rest of the day shopping and in the Pearl. Powell's Bookstore is overwhelmingly huge and we ate dinner in Chinatown.

So, that was our busy weekend. We have to do all the touring now before the new babe comes and it will be harder to get out for a while again. Oh, we have our ultrasound this Wednesday where we will find out the sex of the baby. Yeah! And Zion is 10 months old today! He is getting so big!

February Pictures

Here is the nakey-walking baby with Grandpa Frank's help. He loves "walking" around now.

Here he is crawling--he does that on his own.

We got to visit with Sam, Darci, and their kids over Valentine's Day weekend.

Here Zion is with Brody, Sam and Darci's youngest. He is nine months older than Zion.

Cousins--Brody, Bailey, Zion, and Brayden. Aren't they all so cute?!

Life

So our little lives have just kept on going. In the past few weeks Zion has really taken to crawling. He is everywhere now and pulling up on everything. This makes things more complicated because he is more prone to falling due to his clumsy attempts. He is so cute, though, scooting around chasing his toys and me. He likes to be between my legs when I am trying to cook. Makes for an interesting picture--seeing how far I can stretch from one location.

He continues to be a good eater--up to 18 pounds now! I am hoping he'll be able to face forward in his carseat by his first birthday and we just might make it! Pretty sure he can gain a couple more pounds by May.

He now has two teeth in and is starting to nibble. Lovely. I am determined to keep nursing him until he is one, though. Then that will be that with child #1. Speaking of, we will be 18 weeks this week. Our big ultrasound is scheduled for March 18th so we should have the results of the sex after that. We talked the doctor to dragging in her ultrasound machine at my last visit, but the baby's feet were in the way and it was too wiggly. So, we will wait in suspense a couple more weeks before finding out if it will be a boy or girl. I have started feeling it move around in the past couple weeks. I just love that feeling. I am trying to revel in the fact that I am still comfortable and can get to and from the floor with ease. I know that is short-lived.

Well, I'll post pictures soon. I have to upload the February pics to the computer first.