Things from last week

Henry got his first faux-hawk. He played it up big.

Henry got a visit from Grandma, Grandpa and Great-Grandma Marr. And he smiled when I said "smile" for the first time!

Henry was all excited about going to see Mickey Mouse at Christmas...until he fell down.

In the past, I have made Henry laugh by putting things in my mouth and shooting them out. Now he is putting those things in his mouth, even though they don't quite fit. I'm sure our pediatrician would be thrilled.

My "little" baby is getting so big!

If you have cabin fever, go to...

VERNONIA!

What?!?!

Yeah, that was my response, too. But what a fun day! Jim worked a 1/2 day on Friday so we took a little road trip. Small town, quaint shops, old train, beautiful parks... You should try it out sometime!

Let's get this party started!

Henry is super excited

(and wearing his new hat! thanks Aunt Delissa and family!)

My boys and the river
(Henry is more interested in the waterfall than me)

Fun with dandelions...priceless

Duck! DUCK!

I wonder what my mom would do if I just jumped in...

Fun awaits your family in Vernonia! (Or at least, peace and quiet - and a beautiful walking trail around Mill Pond)

And the winner is...

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE!

Number of votes: 21

Albus Dumbledore 11 (52%)
Gandalf 5 (23%)
Willow 3 (14%)
Merlin 2 (9%)

Like there was ever any question...

Fountain Fun

Jim, Henry and I spent yesterday trekking around downtown Portland. At lunchtime, we found ourselves at the waterfront fountain, so after eating, we decided to see if Henry had gotten over his fear of cold, sprouting water. Oh my goodness. We don't think we've ever seen him smile so big. There are no words to describe the joy we experienced watching Henry have SO much fun. His smiles and squeals were infectious, and we found ourselves bent over with laughter (along with a couple homeless chaps, who thoroughly enjoyed the show).

Jim doesn't blog much these days, so just in case, you've gotta see this...

http://www.rootsystems.blogspot.com/

How to eat cake

1) Observe cake

2) Take a little nibble

3) If delicious, stuff face with cake

4) Relax with cake coma

* Thanks to Mike for these pics from Henry's birthday party!

Purrrrfect.

Hi there, kitty. Whatcha up to?

That's cool. I'm just gonna sneak in here...

Hmmm...something to add to my list of yummies.

Don't get so distracted by the blog changes that you don't notice the poll to the right. See it? Now vote!

Tune in regularly for more random polls...

All the things we do...

We go for bike rides (this is my before shot)

We go "swimming" in the backyard (again, before shot)

We play around in our after swimming robe (ok, so the robe is for tiny infants but a mom's got to have fun, too)



Busy summer days!

Remember when...

I was recently remembering how it took Henry about 7 months to laugh for the first time. I remember hearing other babies (that were way younger) giggle and squeal and I'd think, "Seriously, what is wrong with my baby? Is he that bored with me?" Okay, so I didn't really think anything was wrong with him, but I just wanted to hear MY baby giggle!

Anyways. Now Henry is a super smiley, flirty, giggle bug and I was just thinking about how much I treasure that. I love my silly baby!

Also, why are babies so obsessed with things that aren't toys? Like coasters? Speaking of coasters, I once had this one friend who made me some really cool coasters for my birthday... :)

My week with Grandma

My mom and sister came for a visit last week and we just had so much fun with them here. Henry has lots of new clothes, thanks to the Nordstrom Sale and my mom's weakness with Gymboree. :) I would say it was b/c of his birthday, but I think we all know her shopping habits. Hey! I'm not complaining! Anyhow, we had a great time, especially Henry, who got LOTS of love and attention.

Right before our family birthday party in one new outfit

Constantly play, play, playing (or...putting things in mouth)

I love Grandma...and all her fun jewelry!

Missing Grandma...but remembering her by wearing another new outfit from Gymboree


We miss you, mom and Jaci! Thanks for a great trip!!!

Some new things

Sharing with kitty...

Walking around (thanks Sadys!)...

Learning how to cope with overstimulation...

Whole milk! Mmm...

One Year Old

28 pounds!



31.5 inches!

Oh my!

Well, it's happened. Henry is no longer "off the charts." He has now been placed in the 95th percentile for both height and weight, which makes him very proportional. :) His head remains in the 75th. Some people think he has a huge head, but they're just not seeing past his cheeks.

I have more pictures to post from Henry's birthday parties and Grandma and Aunt Jaci's visit, but first...I must finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I mean, let's get our priorities straight. Kidding!

One Year Ago...

One year ago, our lives changed forever. A tiny, beautiful creation was given to us and we will never be the same because of it. What joy! What love!

Happy Birthday Henry!

Please note: Major face swelling due to intense pushing. :)

My baby

He's almost not my "baby" anymore and yet he always will be. It's amazing, the significance of turning ONE. How much he has learned, how much we have learned, how much he has grown (chuckle), how much love we feel with each new "good morning." He can be very serious or very silly (and let's be honest...he can scream with the best of them), but no matter what, he is the sweetest, purest, most incredible gift to Jim and me. There are 11 days until my baby's first year will be complete which means it has been 354 days since Jim hit every light on the way to the hospital at 4:00 am. :) 354 days since they laid this perfectly beautiful creation on my chest and said he was mine. I feel so undeserving of such a treasure but I THANK GOD that he gave us this precious boy to love. What a year it has been! Hallelujah!