A Three Day Gift

Ben and I just got done talking about what a great weekend we had. We were SO blessed to have this three day weekend, with very little scheduled on the calender. We spent a ton of time together as a family and had a great balance of fun and getting caught up on some things around the house. Both kids seemed to thrive with all of the quality time with us, and we feel it is just what we needed to recharge a little bit. We ended the holiday weekend with a nice little hike today. Arie loved his perch in the hiking backpack!

Jack loved all of the attention he got from his friends, cousins, aunties, and grandparents... who all met us there for the hike and picnic!

The little waterfall at the top of the trail was the highlight for the kids cuz they got to splash around and touch the water.

We LOVED being outdoors, being together and doing something fun with the kids. Jack was such a good little hiker! He went the whole way up by himself! Needless to say he was tuckered out and took a good nap this afternoon.

Thank goodness for little gifts like this.

ps - this little hike got us excited for more outdoor fun! we are really hoping to get reservations in Yosemite this summer!

Nine Months

Arie is in his 9th month, and seems to be growing up all of a sudden! He loves to sit up and splash in the bath, especially if his brother is there, too.

He is just starting to get all around a room by rolling, stretching and kicking his legs. It doesn't seem like long until he'll be crawling! He loves to roll a ball, shake a rattle and suck on anything in sight.
At his 9 month doctor appointment he weighed 23 lbs and was 29.5 inches long. He has now had croup twice (needing breathing treatments at the ER both times) and a double ear infection. It seems like he'll be healthy for a week or two, then the runny nose will start again!

He has discovered his voice! He says "dadada", "mamama", "papapa", "gagaga", "bababa" and has learned how to "cough" and squeel to get attention. We even think he "sings" along to music sometimes!

Arie sleeps about 10 hours at night (8pm-6am) and takes two good naps (morning and afternoon). He goes to sleep SO well, often with a smile! He mostly prefers to roll over onto his tummy to sleep now.

He eats like a champ, and has mastered feeding himself the bits of bread, meat, beans and cheerios we put in front of him. He has not met a fruit or veggie that he would not eat, either. He got his two bottom teeth (just two days apart)... you can see them in the picture below.

Arie is our happy and LOVEY baby. He loves to grab your face or hair and pull you in for a long kiss, and is quick to cuddle by laying his head on your left shoulder while sucking his right thumb.

We love our red haired, blue eyed, big grinning bundle of joy!