20 months

My baby is becoming less of a baby these days...

This year is flying by so fast that his 2nd birthday will be here in a few short months. It's hard to put in to words what joy he brings to us.

The past few weeks have been an explosion of words for him. He says lots and lots of things (or at least tries), is extremely cuddly, but also wants to do certain things all by himself.

He does not know a stranger and will wave hi to anyone who walks by him.

He was toothless until he was 14 months, but now has 11 teeth (and counting). He is very picky about his foods - he doesn't like beef, chicken, or pork or any green vegetables. He loves fruit but his favorite is blueberries or bananas.

He has always been in to music and still loves to dance or even sway his arms when we're riding in the car.

We do not take for granted what a blessing it is to be a parent. We are thankful for the opportunity to be his mommy and daddy.

vacation

I thought when we got here I would have lots of time to update but we have kept busy on vacation. When you stay in a house with 19 people, there is always something to do. We've been here over a week and have managed to get less sleep here than we do at home. Ari has been waking up around 5:15 to 5:30 every morning so we have gone out to the beach every day around 7. We have had great weather and there has not been any oil on our beach...yet. It has only effected the fishing so the guys have just been fishing locally. I will try and get some pictures up here soon, when I can get them off our cameras and recover from this bad cold.

one thought

"Whatchu lookin' at?"

a grandma, some talent, and a bag

My grandmother has always been so talented when it comes to crafts. Her niche is quilting but she has also tried her hand at painting and crochet. When we recently visited, she had a nice surprise for us girls. Our very own beach bag. You're probably thinking "Yeah, so what, I've got one too." But I bet you would never guess what it is made of.

Here is the final product.

Any ideas?

How about now?

Well I never would have guessed on my own. It's trash bags!

Is it amazing or what? I'm trying to convince her that people would buy these. Would you?

They are waterproof, very soft, comfy to wear, can come in any shape and size, and several color options.

All you do is cut 1'' strips, open the strips to where they look like a circle, and loop them all together to make one long strand. Then it is ready to crochet.

She has found pink, white, black, and blue bags online so she can be creative with different color options. I think they are just amazing. Grandma has definitely out done herself!

Mwangaza

We had the privilege of being inspired by this group of young people. They traveled 8,000 miles to get here and show America the hope they have found in Jesus Christ. With all the tragedies that Africans face daily, these kids are living proof of how we can make a difference in the lives of others. It's amazing to see how much passion they have for this ministry, of bringing more kids alongside them to become sponsored, and also spreading the news of how the gospel has given them hope in life. I encourage you to visit their web page and consider sponsoring a child in need.

I was in awe several times throughout the night, but in particular to the fact that they recognized our country as being founded on the Bible. It's a shame that our country doesn't live up to what we once stood for, and that there are some who want to change what we once stood for. I was also taken back by the amount of energy and zeal they have for God. Why are we not that way? It's so easy to become lazy in the Christian walk (especially in America where we think all of our needs are met) and I have struggled with this too many times to count. How can we encourage one another to not become too comfortable in life?

Here are a few clips from last night. This first one was my favorite because it is so ethnic, but the second one gives you an idea as to how great they performed.

Oh I could just keep them all...

Malibu

AJ went to California for some job training last week. Surprisingly the temperature was in the 50's and 60's! He stayed at Pepperdine University which is located in the mountains and conveniently next to the beach. I'm sure pictures don't do any of this justice, but you can still tell how gorgeous it is.

He was standing on their field looking up at the campus.

This tree was my favorite picture.

This was the balcony he would come out on when he had a break from class. What a view!

Looking down at the campus from a mountaintop view.


He said the moon would light up the ocean all over. This picture does not do it justice!

This picture shows the little community where all the famous people live in Malibu. The road in the middle of the picture, running parallel with the ocean is where all the houses are.

Even though the countryside was beautiful, AJ did confirm how "different" everything was there and that he couldn't wait to be back in the midwest.

this past week

AJ was off in California for some job training so I went down to Florida with my mom and sister to visit my grandparents. Ari had a blast and provided much entertainment for the week.

My sister is such a great aunt and had a fun time playing in the pool with him. She and my mom took turns with him in the pool because I got too cold to stay in for too long. This was his first time wearing a life vest (pool rules) and he wasn't too fond of it. But he managed to keep it on for 10-15 minutes at a time.

He took several breaks from the life vest and just chilled out.

He also came across a bunny that he talked to for a while. Can you see it?


Looking mischievous...

Wearing his great-great grandpa's hat. Or maybe it's his great-great-great grandpa's hat.

We went to the beach one evening and he was in awe of a little girl digging in the sand.

He finally wanted to try walking in it and he was very skeptical at first. But then he loved it. He even bent down to wipe the sand off of my feet.

Group picture to tide us over until we visit again in September. Thanks grandma and grandpa for such a fun time!