I want to remember...

Whit is at such a fun age right  now!!  He is constantly making us laugh and I am so thankful we have gotten to be home with him this summer.  Luke and I continue saying to each other how blessed we feel to have these months at home as a family.
Today when I got him up from his nap, it struck me how much I wanted to remember him at this time in his life, so I decided I would make a list of some of my favorite "moments with Whit"...

• He has the sweetest little voice and I love how he talks to his stuffed animals and toys.
• Sometimes his sweet voice gets very loud!  He wants to be heard so he'll yell nonsense or "hmmm" or squeal-mostly with a smile on his face.
• When we listen to the monitor to see if he's awake yet, we have to leave it on for awhile to hear him.  After a minute or so we'll he "da," nothing else.
• Lately he's been choosing all the "non-toys" in the house to play with...he especially loves eating his shoes.
• When he naps or is tired, he puts his head on his pillow (if he's in his crib), tucks his arms under his belly, and sticks his butt up in the air.  Today when I got him out of his crib he laid his head on my shoulder and stuck his hands between him and me...my heart melted a little:)
• He's really starting to interact more with Lucy...he'll follow her around and grab her skin or mouth or tail...she's being very patient with his new discovery!
• He seems to have little "plans" with his toys or with where he wants to be and as he executes them you can tell he is on a mission
• When we put him in his walker-WATCH OUT!  He'll go after you and crash into anything that stands in his way.  He's great at maneuvering it these days.
• Whit is independent.  I love that he will sit in the middle of the room or in his play pen for 20 minutes and just play with whatever toys or books are within his reach.  He doesn't like to snuggle or be held unless you're going somewhere or he is really sleepy, which is OK most of the time.
• His new trick is pointing to daddy.  I'll be holding him and ask "Where's Daddy?" and he'll point right at Luke.
• He understands so much of what we say to him now!  He knows when we tell him "no" that he should stop whatever he is doing...does he always listen-no :-)  I'm glad he's a little mischievous though!  It just amazes me how much he seems to understand and pick up on at such a young age.  

Well...I guess that's it for now.  Time is going so quickly and I've heard many veteran parents tell me how fast they grow up.  I knew it was true, but I'm enjoying every moment and trying my best to remember/document them as they come along.  Today I am just so thankful for our sweet little Whittaker.

Southern Excursion!

Last week we had an unexpected trip to southern Illinois for four days.  It was a great "mini-vacation" for our family and we really enjoyed our visits!  We started off in Lincoln with Luke's family.  His grandma Iris was visiting from Texas, and Miriam's brother Bob was also visiting from Texas.  It was wonderful to spend time with them, as well as the rest of Luke's family who live in Lincoln.  We did a lot of relaxing, eating and were so glad we could spend a couple of days with our Texas family!

Our next stop was St. Louis for a Cardinal's game with my parents.  We were excited to take Whit to his first baseball game-even if it was the Cardinals;)  It was a HOT day, but my dad did a great job of finding tickets in the shade, so we survived the heat just fine!  Whit did a great job at the game, and made it through 11 innings...I thought it was a coincidence that he made it 11 innings and he is 11 months old.  We had a great time with my parents and I think they enjoyed getting to take Whittaker to his first game!

Our final stop was in Mascoutah, where we spent a couple of days with some great friends from college.  Tim, Liz and Hannah were wonderful hosts and it was so fun to catch up with them and all the awesome things God is doing in their life!  Hannah and Whit played great together, although I don't think Hannah was a big fan of Lucy:(  Hannah is about 8 months older than Whit, so it was fun to see all the things she is doing and think about Whit hitting those milestones in the coming months.  Tim has a great new job, so on Friday Liz, Hannah, Luke, Whit and I went to the St. Louis Zoo to check out the animals and have lunch.  Our favorite exhibit was probably the stingrays...we got to watch them swim and "pet" them as they went past us.  The kids seemed to enjoy the day even though it was pretty warm.  We got there early and I think we beat the worst heat.  We grilled that night and stayed up way too late, but it was well worth it!  We loved our visit and it means a lot to us that we are able to stay so connected with our friends from WIU.  Can't wait for our next visit!  I'm pretty sure it will involve a run:)

So Big!

Whit turned 11 months old on Monday!!  We keep thinking back to last summer when we were a month away from delivery, putting the final touches on the nursery, enjoying a "baby-moon" in Galena, and trying to wrap our heads around what parenthood would be like.  Now-just one short year later-Whit is no longer a baby!  We've heard from several people lately that he lost his "baby-face."  We could not agree more!  I guess I would be lying if I didn't say that I was a bit sad to see the baby stage disappearing, but watching him grow & learn and acquire new skills each day is far outweighing any sadness.  In the last week he has become adept at pulling himself up to a standing position, and I think he feels the need to try out this new trick on every piece of furniture in our home!  Hopefully he'll figure out which ones are the most stable so there aren't many injuries along the way.  Today he was trying out a cabinet in the dining room, and grabbed onto his walker for support...that ended in a minor disaster, but was quickly fixed with some mommy love.  

Now that Whit is an expert at pulling himself up, he's working on getting himself back down.  It's pretty funny to watch him "test the waters" as he prepares for his descent.  He really seems to be cautious and thoughtful before plopping himself down.  

The other big accomplishment/change for Whit is that he is now a whole-milk drinker!  My goal was to nurse for one year, and it has gone really well.  But with some changes in childcare this fall and my new passion for running, we decided to start weaning him when he turned 11 months-hopeful he would be completely weaned by August.  The process went much quicker than I had expected, and he was doing great with the whole milk, so we just went for it!  By day 4 he was done and is doing great.  He continues to amaze us with his pleasant demeanor and flexibility.  

Now that Whit is a little boy and no longer a baby, we are seeing more and more of his personality come through.  He is currently sitting in his high chair doing some kind of happy dance, flailing his arms, shaking his head, babbling, and grinning from ear to ear.  I'm cracking up at this little burst of joy as I type.  It's rare that he pushes the limits, but we have had to begin some "disciplining."  We have been working hard on table manners-not smacking the tray or putting hands in the mouth; staying out of Lucy's dog food-for some reason he heads for every time he's in the kitchen; having independent play time in his pack and play.  I really think he understands when we tell him not to do something.  Every time we say no, he stops and looks at us, then seems to ponder if it's worth trying again or if he should move on to something else.  It seems so strange to be implementing "discipline" on an 11 month old, but so far it has been minimal and effective.  Now he just beelines for Lucy's food and points to it rather than putting his hand in it:)  

One of my favorite moments with Whittaker lately has been putting him down for naps/bedtime.  He's just so unbelievably sweet!!!  We talk and play as he gets his jammies on and we pick music for him to listen to.  I usually rock him for a few minutes until he lays his head on my chest, then I put him in his crib and he scrambles over to his pillow, lays down his head and looks at me with the most content little face.  It gets me every time!  I hope I can always remember these little moments as he grows over the years.  I have to say that we feel INCREDIBLY blessed and are so grateful for this summer at home as a family of three:)

I got to record a song!!

So a couple of weeks ago a producer emailed to see if I would be interested in recording a demo for him of a song he and a friend wrote.  I worked with him on another band's CD singing background vocals and really enjoyed the experience.  Monday night I went to his studio and recorded "You Ain't All That" by Alby Odum & Lance Gehl.  Check out the link of the final cut!  Just click below, then download & run:)
You Ain't All That

Dentist...

Totally random, but it was a funny thought and I want to remember it!

We're becoming more certain that Whit may be interested in dentistry someday.  Whenever he gets to see Pappy (Luke's dad), he always tries to "push" one of his teeth in to line up with the rest.  He has consistently done this, so it was not just an isolated incident.  Then today he was really interested in Luke's teeth.  He kept trying to touch them with one of his toys, and eventually ended up dropping the toy and sticking his entire hand in Luke's mouth.  It was pretty funny!  Maybe all babies have this fascination, but it's new to us, so naturally we will assume that he is going to be the top dentist in his graduating class someday;)

Pictures-for the visual people in my life:)

We LOVE being parents to this awesome kid!  

We feel so BLESSED to have each other to share this joyful life with!

We are THANKFUL for the amazing support and love we receive from our family and friends!

We PRAISE GOD for his abundant gifts.

Family time in Morton.  Ella was a big helper with Whit.

Whit's first trip to Chicago!  We went to "Taste of Chicago" on July 3rd-very busy but lots of fun!

Whit's first trip to the zoo-we went  to Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington.  It was a great day for our family:)

Checking out the birds...they were pretty friendly; not sure how Whit felt about that.

He did however LOVE the petting zoo!  We stood outside the fence where Whit could see for a bit and he practically threw himself out of the stroller to get to the animals, then we had to pry his little hands off the goat!

Procrastination is not productive!

So I have been meaning to write a new post for 2 weeks now, but I kept telling myself I'd wait until I got the pictures up from our adventures and share it all at once...well, here were are two weeks later, with no pictures and no updates!  I hate that I procrastinate and justify it with excuses that seem like great reasons!  Not today though:)  Guess the pictures will happen another day.  For now, here's what we've been up to...
July fourth weekend we headed to Morton to visit my parents and see my brother Jeremy and his awesome family who had driven up from MO.  We love spending time with Jeremy, Raelenna and their four kids!  Each time we see them it becomes more and more evident to me that kids do grow up way too fast.  Last time we saw them (Easter I think), Seth-their youngest-still seemed like a baby, but now he is so big!  He follows his big brother Drew around all the time, doing his best to imitate his every action. He's still as stubborn as someone in his family :) but I love it!  Stubborn people make things happen!!  Drew is so verbal now, and his sweet little voice mixed with those big eyes and curly locks are going to be TROUBLE!  He was very interested in Lucy this visit, who he mostly referred to as Reece (the neighborhood dog from back home).  Ella, the next oldest had also grown up a lot.  She's always been wise beyond her years, and the same is still true.  I have to remind myself when I'm around her that she's only 5!  She is so quick to pick up on things and always looking for an adventure, although she may have met her match with my parents little neighbor girl.  They were quite the pair!  Riley is the one who was the biggest shock to us this time around...it was as if the little girl had completely faded and a beautiful, caring, woman was beginning to emerge.  I am so proud of my amazing niece, and know that this is a summer of transformation for her life.  Several weeks ago she went on a mission trip to DC, and next week she'll be traveling to Africa with her parents.  What an awesome experience for her!  I can only imagine how much different she will seem to me in the coming months as God continues to shape her life.  Can you tell we love them?!
Sadly, my other brother and his family couldn't be there this year, but they got to have 7 days of each other in Mexico, so I know their time was well spent.  I love that we get to see them every week at church...hug them, watch them minister and impact people's lives in positive ways and watch their not so little anymore boys grow up!!  The older I get the more grateful I am for the amazing family God has blessed us with.  My parents, Luke's parents, our grandparents, and all of our siblings, nieces and nephews are people who I cherish with all of my heart.
After our family time, Luke and I took Whit to Chicago for the first time for "Taste of Chicago."  It's something we've always wanted to try, and it was fun to be downtown together.  The place was packed since we went on a Saturday, but we had a great time and enjoyed all the things we tried.  For the "fourth" we spent the evening with great friends from our church grilling out, playing with the little ones, and watching some fireworks.  It was a great night despite a few mishaps;)
That brings us to the current week...this week has been really wonderful!  I have been working out a lot more and setting a goal to run several 5K's this fall.  While I've been diligent in getting to the gym, I haven't always felt like I was improving.  Today I finally ran the entire 5K-in 36 minutes.  It was such a feeling of accomplishment and I can't wait to do it again!  Next goal-1/2 marathon.  Bring it on.  I am so thrilled that I have this outlet where I can push myself, and work on discipline and long-term goals.  I really believe it is making me a better person and I know it is improving my health.
At home this week we have been tackling the black hole that is know as the basement.  This has been on the to-do list forever, and we made so much headway this week.  It's no longer impossible to access our storage area without tripping and doing laundry is a much more pleasant experience.  Can't wait to wrap up this project and feel like our house is finally in order from top to bottom!
Another highlight of the week was that I had the opportunity to record a song for a producer nearby!!  Several months ago I sang back-up vocals for a band's CD, and the producer liked my voice.  He and his friend write songs and have a connection in LA, so they were needing to make demo's to send out as potential songs for their contact to purchase.  It's not a huge deal, but it was a really fun experience and I'm hoping I get to do it again soon.  Making music is a great thing and it really excites me!
Today was the best day of our week-FAMILY DAY:)  It's great to know that no matter what may be going on in life that is frustrating, you can have a day completely devoted to family time, which quickly snaps things back into perspective.  Luke, Whit and I met my mom in Bloomington for lunch at Monical's-yum!  After that, the three of us headed to Miller Park Zoo for the afternoon.  It was the perfect zoo for a hot summer day!  We got through all the exhibits and Whit seemed to really enjoy the animals  In the rainforest exhibit he got really close to lots of interesting birds (fun pictures to come), but I think his favorite place was the petting zoo.  Once he got his little hands on the goats, there was no letting go!  We hit up a few stores on the way home and then had a relaxing night of nothing...it was the perfect end to a great week!
Glad to be caught up on life and I promise not to be so long winded next time!!