A Bunch of Firsts for Ian

At four months Ian has become strong and alert. He is now eating baby food and rolling over. He loves interacting with his siblings. It's also nice to be able to let him entertain himself for a few minutes so that I can get a few things done.

Go Ian

I know this picture looks kind of strange, but let me explain. Ian has found his thumb. After trying every pacifier known to man, Ian discovered that he prefers his thumb. I have mixed feeling about this. It will be harder to break him of this habit later on, but for now it is wonderful. When he is fussy and tired all that you have to do is to lay him down and he starts sucking his thumb and falls asleep almost immediately.

Memorial Day

This year on Memorial Day we all jumped in the car and headed across the valley to visit my grandpa's grave. He is buried in the Mesa City Cemetery. It was a nice, sunny, peaceful day to remember loved ones and those that have served our country.

I was glad to have the chance to relate to the kids my few memories of my grandfather. I think I was six when he died. I remember when he and grandma would bring their RV and come visit us, I would be so excited. I also remember sitting on his lap. Even though I wasn't able to get to know him well, I realize now that we are all connected. The choices that he made directly affect me and the person that I have become.



We also went to have ice cream at the old Dairy Queen in Mesa. Josh remembers going to this Dairy Queen after visiting his great grandfather 'Gramps' on Sunday afternoons.

Ian is 12 weeks old

I just think Ian gets cuter every day. I can't believe he's already 12 weeks old!

Easter 2009

Nap time

Sometimes I don't know why I bother with nap time. Juliette does anything but sleep. There are no toys in her room, but she still finds plenty to do. She tries on clothes and this time found candy and stickers in her sister's drawer.(she takes all of her bedding off and stacks it so she can reach up into this drawer) Since she had candy stuck in her hair I had to take her straight to the tub.

Braces

Aleah just got braces last week. I think she's a real trooper and think she is beautiful with or without braces. She is definitely growing up.

Dad comes to visit, Ian's blessing

Dad came to visit for the weekend and to participate in Ian's blessing. I really enjoyed him coming and only wished mom could have come too.


We had a long wait before church, so he entertained the kids by playing games and reading them books.


Ian was ready to go but not happy in this picture. Surprisingly, he was very good during the blessing and all through out the meeting.


This is pretty much the best picture of him before church. I think he looks a bit like Alex here.


Here's the whole group. There's our bunch plus Grandpa and Grandma Cook, Great Grandpa Cook, Grandpa Zollinger, and Uncle Adam and Aunt Brittany.

"Happy" Guy

Josh and I have dubbed Ian "happy" guy, not because he recently learned to smile, but because he is kind of a fussy baby. He doesn't seem to know what to do with himself if he is not eating or sleeping. During the day he spends the majority of the time in a front pack, while I try to cook and clean. In the evening we do a lot of jiggling and walking the floor with him until he finally settles down for the night. He does have his moments though, when he flashes that smile, and it makes it all worth it.

Sandbox

Josh built a sandbox for the kids to play in on Saturday. Why didn't we do this before? The kids are having a great time.

Little Ian

Little baby big bed. This is Ian dozing while I'm near by putting on makeup.


Wide awake, it looks like he's waving.


Grandma feeding Ian.

All the kiddos ready for church

Whether we have church at 8 in the morning or 1 in the afternoon it is always a struggle to get everyone ready and head out the door happy and on time. Poor Ian was already done before we even got to church.


Here he is in his Sunday finest.

More Ian

Ian at 3 days old.


Adam holding Ian.


Josh multi-tasking.


Ian snoozing, while all around him life is noisy and busy.


Ian holding his head up while Grandma holds him.

WELCOME Baby Ian

7 lbs 8 oz 20 inches.

Baby and Mom are doing well. Baby was delivered 15 minutes after water broke O.o

Part-time Hairdresser

In a pinch, Josh can do the girls' hair on a Sunday morning. Who knew he had such talent? These pictures will serve for proof someday when Genevieve and Juliette are teenagers and don't believe me when I tell them that their dad used to do their hair.

Quartzsite '09

I forgot to take the camera with us this last weekend when we went to Quartzsite, but these are some of the treasures that we found. I got a strand of malachite beads and and a couple of amethyst stones that Aleah and I already used as focal points for the necklaces in this picture.

Quartzsite is an experience. Part flea market, part rock and gem show. The kids really had a lot of fun walking up and down the aisles and spending their money on whatever caught their eye. They even got to "make" rope.

Little Farmer Juliette

Juliette loves dirt and mud even better (what 2 year old doesn't?). This is what you get if she is outside for any amount of time. I think on this occasion her boots got stuck in the mud, so here she is barefoot.

Grandpa Cook's Birthday

We celebrated Grandpa Cook's 60th birthday with him recently. I think it was a happy milestone for him. I know that we certainly had a good time. We are thankful to him for being such a great role model and an involved grandpa in the lives of our children.