Today's Pictures

It's a fairly lazy Saturday around here. Well, as lazy as they can be these days anyway :) We had an impromptu photo shoot after lunch. Josiah is still constantly asking to hold Cooper and they both enjoyed it today!

We have apparently entered the "goofy smile" stage of pictures. If you ask Josiah to smile, you usually get some crazy pose or tongue sticking out or squinty eyes. This is the best I got today.

So, I got into creative mode...not bad, eh?!?

Happy Saturday everyone!

New Photo Card Connection

The photo card/announcement lady that we've used for previous cards has stopped her business for a while. We stumbled upon a new source and she's great! Her name is Marie - she's a stay-at-home mom and graphic designer, running this "one-person operation" in her spare time. We love to support moms seeking to nurture their children and run a business, so thought we'd pass along her info...

Autumn's Creek

store:
www.autumns-creek.com
blog:
www.autumnscreek.blogspot.com


Here's what she created for Cooper's birth announcement:

As you can see, she does excellent work and was very easy to work with. If you're looking for announcements, Christmas cards, etc., we suggest you look her up!

Diaper Dance Party

Some of our most favorite people from St. Louis came to play a couple weeks ago...the Porters! We met in seminary, back when no one had kids, dogs, houses, etc. Times have changed! In 2 years, our crew has grown from 4 to 8 and it is a wild, fun crew indeed. The Porters were driving back to St. Louis from the NC beaches and were kind enough (or crazy enough) to stop by our house for an afternoon/evening. The kids had a blast, the adults were able to catch up, and after dinner it was obviously time for a diaper dance party. Anna was trying to get her two into pajamas and Josiah decided it would be fun to join in. Ella grabbed his toy guitar and the rest is history. Unfortunately, Cooper was sleeping, but we were able to snap some pictures of the rest of them!

Look at these Porter cuties!

Maybe we'll get to use these pictures in their wedding slideshow. I love the looks of pure giddiness on their faces.

We have some video of the actual dancing, but for some reason it is not uploading correctly...maybe in a later post.

Thank you Porters for stopping by...we loved it!

Really?!?

Here's a peek at my current level of cognitive functioning (this is amy, by the way)...

1) I have had a Clifford song in my head for 2 days

2) Last night I found a dirty diaper in Josiah's laundry hamper (it's a good thing I'm doing laundry so often)

3) This morning I boiled water for tea in the kettle, put the tea bag in my cup and carried it out of the kitchen. It took me a few minutes to realize that I couldn't drink a dry tea bag. I had forgotten to add the hot water.

So...if you see me today, please be kind. Don't ask me how to add or subtract, spell, or even ask for directions. I'll probably get you lost :)

When do we get to sleep again?

Family Pictures

Here is the final beach post...

We of course had to take part in the age-old ritual of family pictures at the beach. Why is it that everyone is compelled each year to get that "perfect" family shot at the beach? Maybe it's because we're tan and "rested" or we're all in one place at the same time. Who knows! Regardless, here are our attempts, taken on the dock as a big storm was rolling in. We took a million and these are the winners!

One Month Check-Up

I'M 5 WEEKS OLD TODAY!!!

I have officially survived my first month in this crazy house. I went to the doctor today and here are my stats...

10 lbs 5.5 oz (60th percentile)

22.75 inches long (65th percentile)

So, not only am I surviving, I'm also growing well.

Mom had an impromptu photo shoot in the middle of the night (3 am) last night because I was smiling at her so much. REAL smiles, not just those gas smiles. The lighting is not great (since it was 3 am) and you can see my infant acne, but the pictures are fairly decent.

Have a great day!

Love, Cooper

More Fun in the Sun

Or perhaps I should title this post "Have Shovel, Will Dig". Since his 1st birthday, Josiah has toted a shovel basically every where we go...to the store, park, around the house, church, etc.

He was in HEAVEN having an entire beach to dig with Papa (aka "Digger").

Mimi even got in on some of the action.

When she wasn't digging, Mimi could be found strolling Cooper up and down the beach.

With both boys occupied, Andy & I got to play in the ocean and even sit in our beach chairs for a few minutes! I am thankful that our sons are such little beach bums. They don't really have a choice, so it's better for everyone this way!

Boogie-Boarding 101

So...we just returned from Beach Week 2009 with the Rickman side of the family. It was a smaller crowd this year (in numbers and stature, haha), since Auntie AK & Uncle Scott couldn't make it - y'all were greatly missed! We had a blast, got some rest, did MUCH digging in the sand, took a lot of walks, and relaxed. I (Amy) even made it down to the beach for a couple hours every day! We took a lot of pictures, obviously, so I'm spreading them out over several posts this week...enjoy!

Josiah got his first lesson in boogie-boarding. I'm thinking he'll be ready for the surf board next year! He was fearless in the water. He would walk straight out into the waves and laugh when they hit him in the face.