Mr. & Mrs. Baker

Congratulations to a lovely couple!

We wish you only the best...

and we'll keep praying for your family!

Evolution of a SMILE

I can't help but smiling everytime I look at him!

22 Months

Oh my sweet sweet baby girl is getting closer and closer to age 2... and I truly cannot believe it! She has transitioned so well from being the only child to being the extremely helpful big sister. Since Ashton has arrived she has gotten 4 of her molar teeth, 2 of them came in the 1st week he was born. We thought she was simply acting out because he was here... but after 2 appointments to the doctors worried about her screaming tantrums in the night, he assured us that it was her teeth and informed us that she'd be getting a whole bunch very fast... and she did. She is definitely back to her sweet self again.

Things Caitlyn Loves:

Jumping (she's like a little pony... galloping everywhere she goes).

watering the plants and flowers outside.

water in general.

helping change Ashton's diaper.

giving him the pacifier and telling him to 'sh' when he's crying.

to tell mom and dad to 'sh' when Ashton is sleeping.

to count to three (in her own baby language) and then jump up and land on her bum.

cereal for breakfast and drinking all the milk out of the bowl.

to visit gram & Pap's and Babcia & Dziadzia's house.

the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

the Hot Dog dance.

actually any dancing.

giving kisses (especially eskimo and butterfly ones).

the park...especially the swing.

having Dziadzia paint her finger and toenails.

kicking a ball.

using the adult toilet and her new pull-ups.

the darn pacifier.

her baby dolls... I think she has even tried to nurse one :)

my candy drawer (which has since been moved and restocked with healthy treats).

She can sign 24 words
(milk, pop, water, mom, dad, work, hi & bye, cold, more, up, airplane, bird, squirrell, elephant, monkey, fish, hungry, please, tired, sh or quiet, dog, motorcycle, I love you, and beautiful).

She can speak 15 words.
(Ash, Mom, Dad, hot, ow, uh-oh, no, off, P.U. hi, hello, Ashton, bubbles, go, what's that, and Vicki heard her say Clifford when they were watching Clifford the Big Red Dog).

I'm sure there are a ton of more things that she loves at 22 months, but this a pretty good list!

One of my absolute favorite things about her right now is that she has gotten so affectionate. She loves to run up to me wrap her right arm around my neck and kiss me on the cheek (even when I don't ask), then her hand slides down my neck onto my back where she'll either pat or rub... it's melts my heart everytime!

Happy 22 Months of life!

Addendum...

to my previous post... After I finished that last post, I went and checked on Caitlyn. She managed to get back in her crib all by herself with her pants and diaper off. I simply smiled and told her that I was going to the bathroom and then I would come back and get her out. Instead... as I was on the toilet... Caitlyn came rounding the corner... she sat on her toilet, tinkled, and then we both washed her our hands. I put a fresh diaper on her and put her back in the crib and went downstairs to call my mom to tell her this very funny story. Afterwards, I came back upstairs and found Caitlyn outside her crib again pounding on the door with her diaper off and her pants on inside out. Seriously... she never ceases to amaze me! I will now give up on nap time for today.

I Knew This Time Would Come

That is... for Caitlyn to be able to successfully climb out of her crib. As I type this post, I can hear her little voice talking and trying to open her bedroom door. She started displaying signs of nap time about about an hour and a half ago which is when we attempted our first nap. We did our usual nap time routine, she went down quietly and I went downstairs to continue dusting. As I came into our front room I thought I heard some one knocking upstairs. I slowly and quietly tip toed up the stairs only to see the shadow of her tiny feet under her bedroom door... I opened the door and there she stood standing outside her crib smiling from ear to ear with pride. She then pointed to the crib and then the floor explaining to me how she climbed out. I restarted her music and gave her her blanket and tried again... only this time I left the door cracked so I could watch through the reflection of her mirror to see exactly how she was getting out. She was quiet at first (probably waiting to make sure I was gone), she then stood up, kicked one leg over, then the other... her toes curling around the outside edges of the mattress, she then hung by the rails until her feet touched the ground... and that's that... my baby girl has found a way to circumvent nap time. I then let her come back downstairs and we ate a snack. She started to look a little sleepy so we tried again, and now, here I am typing away as I listen to her play (now quietly) not in her crib where I left her, but on the floor next to the door.

As this is just the beginning of a new found freedom for her... I'm sure it will also be an exciting challenge for Ash and I. Any and all advice on how to get her safely to sleep would be much appreciated.

PS... Happy anniversary to my Mom and Dad!

Jefferson Park

I have found an amazing park in North Tacoma! Caitlyn and I have played there twice now since the weather here has been amazing and hot. Our first time we went with Cocia Hana and just yesterday we went with Avery, Jackson, and Tiffany. If you have children... this place has got to be on your list of places to visit this summer (even if you don't have children... it might be a great place to cool off)!

Tiffan'y blog has some great picture too... check it out...

www.tiffandkory.blogspot.com

Baptism Day

Sunday, Ashton was baptized at First Lutheran Church in Tacoma. Our family joined us in church and afterwards at a local park for refreshments and fun games. We thank everyone for the gifts and for celebrating this very special day with us. We had an absolute fabulous time at the park with all of the family.

Busy, busy, busy!

Friday- We enjoyed a Tacoma Raniers baseball game with fireworks! Caitlyn, Dziadzia, and I ran with the mascot and we all had a blast!

Saturday- We traveled up to Ash's parent's lake property and played in the wilderness. It was super fun to have a bunch of little ones for Caitlyn to play with (thanks for a fun time Aiden, Zander, and Devon).

Sunday- Probably our busiest day was spent celebrating Sophie's 2nd birthday, then we went and finally got a membership to the zoo...

That's the birthday girl on the left with her friends Sophia and Caitlyn.

Dad and Caitlyn had a blast at the zoo skipping from big rock to big rock.

Caitlyn especially enjoys the kid zone with the giant spider's web to play on...

Here she is... ready to head home after a long day of playing without a nap...

and here she is on the ground attempting to nap... next stop Babcia and Dziadzia's house for a memorial bay BBQ.

Ashton wanted me to pose with him in front of the pretty flowers.
Monday- We finally relaxed a little.

Tuesday- we celebrated my Grandma's 78th birthday

Wednesday- I spent with my Mom, helping her finish a project before she leaves again for another 3 week vacation (at least this time she's staying in the US and maybe she'll bring me home some cheese curds)...
and that leaves today, Thursday- I spent the day with my Mom again, then my Dad came over to join us for lunch and we headed to the park!

Dziadzia pushed Caitlyn on the swing...

I love swing pictures...

and Ashton napped in the shade (which was hard to find so we made a shaded area behind our wagon and still his little hand was in the sunshine).

***

I just finished hosting dinner for my Dad and Sisters, cleaned my house, bathed the kiddos, and now am going to relax!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine!

Flashback Friday

Exactly 10 years ago today,

May 22, 1999,

Ashley and I enjoyed our senior Prom!

Thanks for a wonderful memory, sweetie!

I Love You!

Time Flies

I absolutely CANNOT believe a whole month has gone by. Having 2 children definitely has sped time up. Ashton is doing fabulous. He still loves to eat and sleep. His longest sleep stretch is after his 9:30pm feed where he'll sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours but after that he's awake every two hours to nurse. My top 10 things I LOVE about him right now are... 1) he nurses well, 2) the look on his face after he's in a milk coma, 3) the creases in his thighs, 4) the area behind his shoulder and above his shoulder blade... it's kinda pudgy and I love it, 5) he rarely cries hard, 6) he doesn't mind when Caitlyn gives him some slightly aggressive love, 7) if he is a little fussy all I have to do is hold him close and rub his hair and he calms down, 8) he doesn't mind being in the swing while I give Caitlyn a little mommy time, 9) he makes his daddy glow with pride, 10) he's the perfect addition to our family.

********

We love you Little Man and Happy 1 Month of Life

We Only Part to Meet Again

Brian leaves this week to go on his next journey to Korea. He will be missed so much especially during the steelers football season and at the holiday sweater parties.
Ashley's cousin, Morgan turned 21 last week so we also celebrated him by playing a little beer pong and flip cup.
It's always a good time when we gather with family and friends... thanks everyone for helping us celebrate these 2 special people!

A Happy Mother's Day

To a wonderfully amazing woman!You are patient, caring, and understanding...
strong and nurturing...

you know how to make me smile and laugh when I'm down...

you are the most beautiful Mom in the world... and... I LOVE YOU!!!

***

Also... Happy Mother's Day to Vicki!

Thanks for raising such a great man and for being a wonderful mother-in-law!

***
I was spoiled this Mother's Day with breakfast in bed, a day filled with gardening and time with my kiddos, a beautiful right hand ring with Ashton's birthstone, and a pair of snow pants I have had my eye on... the day was absolutely perfect!!!
Thanks to Caitlyn, Ashton, and my Hubby, I love being a MOM!

Also... Happy late Mother's Day to all my blogger buddies!

Right Now...

I

LOVE

LOVE

LOVE

being a Mom!

Our Weekend

(Click to Enlarge)

My weather station told me that it would be rainy all day on Saturday, and it was... So, we planned a trip to the Seattle Children's Museum. It was so much fun. Caitlyn got to learn about so many different things. She had an absolute blast!

Afterwards, we went to my parent's house for wings and good company. Myranda and Kassidy are so well behaved and Myranda especially loved baby Ashton.Sunday, after bath time, we posed for a few photos. Caitlyn tries to beat her bedtime by begging to hold her brother... how could we resist!Her favorite way to spend time with him... tickling his feet.Posing for some sibling love!Holding Dad's finger...and last but not least...Ashton fast asleep... he looks so much like me here!!! He kinda looks like my brother, Jon too!

Happy May Day

Thought I'd catch up on photos I've taken in this past week. First, I'd like to say that I spent a few hours lying awake last Sunday night worrying about my 1st week alone with my two children. Caitlyn has been getting lots of her back teeth and hasn't quite been herself lately so I was nervous to take care of the teething toddler and my two week old. Turns out... Monday morning came around and my children were angels! It was such an easy week...

I just hope this continues!

This picture cracks me up... This was taken seconds after an explosive diaper from Ashton happened. I asked Caitlyn to hold her baby brother while I stepped 15 steps away to get a clean set of clothes... I turned my back, got the clothes, and when I returned... I found them like this. Caitlyn put her stickers all over his arm... I have been teaching her that 'sharing IS caring'!

Tuesday, Tiffany and the Newgard kiddos came to play! Tiffany got way better pictures of them so you should check out her blog too at http://www.tiffandkory.blogspot.com/.

*I was slow at pushing the button on my camera :)*

It's amazing how quickly our children have doubled! It was neat to see them all together on the couch!

They too will love this picture some day!

I spent May Day with my Dad. He watched Caitlyn while I took Ashton in for his 2 week check up (he weighed in a whole pound past his birth weight). Afterwards, we ran some errands and enjoyed some lunch and sunshine on the Tacoma waterfront.I love this picture!

That's my son... with my Dad!