June Update: Ascha's First Birthday

Ascha's the star of the show this month. Our beautiful baby isn't staying a baby long. She's been walking and running for a while, she's independent and feisty and fun...and on June 23, she turned ONE!

party preparations (this one's for you, Ann!)

not sure what to think of the giant butterfly Great Grama & Papa sent her

Do I have to touch it?

The big kids all loved it. I fear we may have started a tradition. :-)

Notice the foot up in the air - this is her customary position when sitting in grass

It's party time!

What, I can't touch that pretty light?

Yeah! I love frosting!

Cake (aka pumpkin bran muffin) sure is yummy! Mama may as well pull that trick this year, because she probably won't get away with it again. :-)

Ascha figured out unwrapping quickly and opened her presents with gusto!

This hug was so sweet and spontaneous. She loved her cuddle buddy (until it became associated with bedtime. She's no longer enamored with it. :-).

So fashion forward while taking baby for a stroll. She loved her stroller but couldn't navigate it well at first. When she'd get stuck in a corner, the boys would try to help her, but she'd just scream. She's not about to let her brothers take HER new toys!

This tea cart and tea set were much the same. She stayed up very late playing and didn't want to let Mommy take the pieces away from her before bed.

What a great first birthday! She even got to have both of her Grandmas celebrate with her!

Before the Grandmas headed home, we went to a fun park. This extremely crinkled nose is a trademark Ascha look.

The boys didn't get left out. Grammy gave them a special treat of a night of tent camping with her in our backyard. Grandma Janet gave each boy the special treat of cooking the breakfast of his choosing and allowing him to help as much as he wanted.

(special thanks to Daddy on the assist for camping night! The smores were a nice touch. :-)

June is also the month of Jeremy's birthday, so we celebrated him on the 28th. This is the first time since I've been married to Jeremy that he wasn't sad and feeling old on his birthday...he thought he was turning 33, but he only turned 32, so he gained a year. :-)

Lastly, here's a look at one of our many "pets." This time, it was a moth, but the boys have caught many caterpillars, butterflies, moths, and even a preying mantis this summer. We have much to be thankful for - we love where we live!

May 2009 Trip to the Oregon Coast with Friends

We played on the beach:

(Ascha ate the sand, but didn't cry. She seemed to like it. Odd.)

We also had a lot of fun at the aquarium in Newport:

And at home, we enjoyed playing football and shooting at cans:



It was a great visit with great friends!

Visitors from Idaho - Part 1 - Fun in SW Washington

Our very dear friends from Idaho came to visit us before heading to the Oregon Coast for Jack's eighth birthday. We enjoyed showing them our house and our yard and our slip-N-slide and our favorite parks and waterfalls.

There! I'm all caught up from backlogged posts so I can devote more time, hopefully, to more current events like Part 2 - our trip to the Oregon Coast. Be watching for more updates soon! :-)

Swimming Lessons

The boys have been taking swimming lessons twice a week since the beginning of May. They are both doing great! Thankfully, we have a lesson slot all to ourselves, so the boys are learning a lot every time. Taylor can swim 15 feet all by himself with no problem and Aric is excelling at reaching down to the very bottom of the pool to retrieve things.

A Day at the Lake

We spent an afternoon on Merwin Reservoir with the Hendersons and their sailboat, the Christina Marie. We all enjoyed the sun, the sand, and the fellowship of good friends. Everyone except Ascha enjoyed the sailboat. We didn't take pictures of her tears, but the lifejacket was a bit too restrictive for her liking.

Thanks, Henderson family, for a fun visit!

Taylor's Special Day

At the beginning of May, Taylor was inducted into the "5 Book Report Club." In order to be a part, one needed to read 5 chapter books and then write corresponding book reports. He was the only kindergartener to join the ranks, along with selected first graders. He was the focus of a special "circle time" with his class and another kindergarten class and the principal came to present the award. He received a bright yellow button, an award certificate, a coupon for a free kids meal at Taco Bell, and a hug from the principal. :-) ("That part was silly!" he said.)

We are very proud of the hard work he put in! Good job, Taylor!

Ascha at 10 months



As you can see, she's got a lot of teeth (five now) and a huge smile.


She's going everwhere she wants...she's an expert crawler and cruiser.


She's also getting into everything! What else would a 10-month-old want to do?