Half a Year!

We can't believe our dear little Esther-girl is 6 months old. To celebrate her half-birthday, we gave her her very first ride on the (oddly high-up) swings in our communal backyard. She showed her delight in this activity with her trademark side-smile.

 

 Which sometimes ends up being less of a side-smile and more of a side...face.

"Hey how's it goin'!? Long time no see!"

Showing off the lovely flower that Analisa made.

"Yeah so as I was sayin'..."

What's weighing her down? Her cheeks, or the flower on her hat?

 

We love you, dear Esther! You light up our lives and teach us new things every day.

Happy Third Birthday, Caedmon!

Caedmon then...

 I can't believe our boy is three. In honor of him, here is a list of just a few of the things I love about Caedmon.

1. His high need for physical contact.
It may have made sleep difficult for his first two and a half years, but now when he says, "Mommy, I need you," by which he means, "Mommy, I need you to hug me," my heart melts.

2. "Mommy, sing me just one more song."
 Currently his favorites are Jesus Loves Me, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Row Row Row Your Boat, and "The Mary Poppins Song," which can mean (I think?) any song from Mary Poppins.

3. His intense sense of order.
He must close all the doors before coming downstairs, and finish lining everything up before leaving his toys. He builds perfectly symmetrical Duplo constuctions, and matches up all his letter magnets.

4. His interactions with language.
He's always making up words (i.e. "Gargison"), and altering real words (i.e."bachine," "deeder dodder"). It simultaneously cracks us up and amazes us.

5. His ability to be quiet in public.
We take no credit for this. He has an uncanny ability to be quiet during church services, lectures, and meetings. Don't worry, he's plenty loud at home.

6. His boy-ness.
When he was a baby, we dressed him clothes featuring typical boy things: cars, construction vehicles, sports, dogs, and dinosaurs. But now that he's talking and running and playing, we're seeing many of those things to be fitting stereotypes. His favorite book right now is called, "Bang! Boom! Roar! A Busy Crew of Dinosaurs." Dinosaurs AND construction vehicles AND loud noises AND gross stuff all in one book. Can we say "BOY"!?

7. His sweet, sweet face.
It's sweet when he's awake, but it's downright angelic when he's asleep. He is such a gift!

...Caedmon now.

Happy Birthday Caedmon!

A Boy in a Box Part 2

Don't look now, but there's a boy in a box!

He's comin'...

 

...comin'...

 

...comin'...

There he is!!

It's amazing how many different ways you can fit into a box.

"Here I am!"

"It's this big."

Plotting what to do next.

 

He's so happy he can't contain himself! (I think I just made a pun.)

 Yes, it's a disposable diaper box. We use them for nighttime and church. I'm over it. :)

Sometimes you need a break from pink.

Headbands on baby girls. Not very practical, but pretty much the cutest thing ever.

There's a little bit of "Why I oughta...!" in this one. But she doesn't mean it, clearly.

"My cheeks are so heavy I can't hold my head up! But I'm happy about it."

Oh Esther. You're just too sweet.

Thanks Analisa & Zach for the great headband, and Erin for the adorable organic cotton onesie that says "Homemade"...you just can't see that part. :) The earth tones are providing a welcome respite from girly pink. (Don't get me wrong, I love me some pink.)

Favorite Thing Ever: A Box.

 Steven gathered some large boxes. It's no surprise that Caedmon things playing with boxes is better than any toy. He calls it "the fort-box."

What could be better? You can lie down in a fort-box.

You can poke your head out of a fort-box.

 You can pull grass up through the holes in the bottom of the fort-box.

 Then you can make your parents cry because you are so beautiful in a fort-box.

And best of all, you can experience sheer, childlike joy in a fort-box.

 

There is no one like Caedmon. And we love him so.

(Coming soon: what can you do in a diaper box?)

The Back of Her Head

 

 

 

 

We think the back of her head is really cute, bald spot and all.

But her face is even cuter.

 

Don't you think?

 

We're back!

After a long family-blog hiatus, we're back, and we've added Esther into the mix. To make up for lost time, I'm going to (hopefully) post a few pictures a day for a little while. (Of course contingent on whether or not Esther takes naps.) Get excited, peoples!

(By the way, we had a short stint on Tumblr. We didn't like it, so we're back to blogger. To see what we posted there, go here.)

Caedmon getting his first peek at Esther. Not so sure. (Thanks Uncle Rich & Aunt Michelle for the Kermit Sweatshirt! He loves it!)

Precious little new thing.

He loves to just lie down next to her and look at her. What a sweet brother!

Stay tuned for more! Love to all of you, family and friends, near and far!