I don't remember a ton of things about Michael being a baby. I've kind of forgotten about his laugh, his baby babble sounds, what his favorite toys were. But, I do remember a few milestones, and I remember how excited I was when he reached them. He had just rounded past his sixth month when he started sitting on his own. And I was so proud of him.
And I remember how shortly thereafter,
he was sitting up in the tub all by himself. That felt like yesterday. So how did this:
happen? When did he get so big? And how in the world is she already seven months old?
It's a funny thing, Time. Some nights it drags and I think, "This is NEVER going to end! I'm NEVER going to catch up on sleep (especially lately with Michael's night terrors coupled with Rachel's teething woes). And other times I think, "Wow, she's already seven months old. That's closer to her one year birthday than the day she was born. And he's already almost four! Where in the world is that brake!
How can time go so slowly and so quickly at the same time? And how can one want it to do both at the same time? Is that what it means to be a parent? Or is that simply another paradox of life?
It hit me the other day that I'm on the other side of college days. I looked forward to going to college all through my teenage years. And now, I'm so glad that chapter of my life--though I enjoyed it so immensely--is over. But seriously, how did I get here already?
I remember very clearly the day Ethan was born. I remember seeing him in the little oxygen chamber in the NICU. I remember sitting on the glider at Grandma's with Cal trying to figure out how to pronounce his name. I remember getting to hold him for a picture on his blessing day because it was so close to my birthday. And now, he's well over six feet tall and twenty-one years old. Soon, he'll be having these deep conversations with his own kids.
So while I look forward to sleeping through the entire night again, I'm trying to enjoy these kiddos and soak in their littleness. All too soon, another picture just like this one will be taken, except it will be Rachel's baby trying to walk.
On Saturday, August 17, we left home about 1700 hours and headed north once again. The late start was due to hanging insulation in preparations for an inspection on Monday, August 19. After grabbing a bite at Culvers (SO yummy), we were on our way. We arrived in time to put kids in bed. Then, we stayed up WAY too late talking to Ethan. As I was going to bed, I couldn't help but think, "That was so dumb. He's coming to live with us on Tuesday! It's not like we're not going to see him again anytime soon." Oh well. Good conversation is hard to walk away from.
At church the next day, Ethan gave his homecoming address. It was really good, especially considering that I knew what was on his notecard at 1 a.m. that morning--two lines! He talked about how the gospel blesses families, and gave examples from The Proclamation, for those of you who missed it. Church was tough with me struggling to stay awake and focused, but after sitting out of Sunday School, I rallied enough to mostly pay attention in Relief Society.
After church, we had lunch at my grandparents. The company was excellent. Then, loaded up with tons of food and snacks from my mom, we got back in the car and headed south, but not before taking a few pictures:
Goodbye hugs with Henry and Grandma Linville
Apparently the late night/early morning was catching up to Ethan too.
Farewell Zoobers from Pete
It was funny to get home and realize we'd only been gone just over a day (we hadn't even been in Idaho 24 hours). Brian said, "Oh dang, all that food we just got. The milk's bad...oh wait! No it isn't! We weren't gone that long!" Just one more Idaho trip to go for this summer!
This has been a very busy summer! We can't believe it's already mid-August! This is what we've been up to this summer, besides all the trips to Idaho:
My garden actually has been growing stuff this year--not much, and not very big tomatoes, but it has been awesome.
Michael has been playing lots of dress-up. He still loves his sister and has been known to get quite upset when I lay her down for a nap. Once, when I was heading out to grab some stuff from the store, I left Michael at home with Brian, and took Rachel with me. Apparently, after I left, Michael came downstairs crying to where Brian was and said, "Mom took Rachel, and I wanted to play with her!"
Rachel had her six month check-up on August 1. So, at 6 months and 10 days, she weighed 14.51 pounds (16.85 %), was 25.5 inches long (26.53%), and had a 17 inch noggin (73.17 %). So, even though she's got those awesome cheeks, she's still pretty small for her age, well except her head, which makes sense. She's got to have room for that smart brain of hers, just like her parents. She loves being on more solid foods, and she wishes that she could eat more of the things that we eat.
And on Sunday, August 11, she officially earned her "Sits Up" sticker for her baby calendar.
I can't believe how big she is getting, but I'm loving (nearly) every minute.
We've been going for walks:
And even a few drives:
Especially to Home Depot, since we've been working a TON on our basement. Michael calls Home Depot "The Man Store." We may or may not have taught him that.
Yesterday, we were sitting out on the grass, and I asked these two for their best happy face. This is what they gave me:
We've done a lot of dancing and jumping around:
And, when I'm working on the computer, I see this a lot:
So, I had to get full on footage of what he does.
And this is why the neighbors thought Michael's ouchie a few weeks back resulted from a bike crash!
We've had a good summer, but I must admit that I'm looking forward to the cooler temperatures of fall. Until then, we're going to enjoy the rest of our summer!
After church on August 4, we loaded into the car for another trip to Idaho. We got there in time for a yummy Sunday dinner. My mom and dad were watching Chelsea's kids, so it was a full house. Michael loved playing with his cousins. And my parents enjoyed having so many grandkids visiting. It gave them an opportunity to spoil them.
My dad was at it again with Rachel. This time, she got gummy worms:
She was pretty sad when Grandma put them away.
Chelsea and Thomas arrived on Monday night, and we taught them how to play Dominion. I think we have converted yet another family to this fun game.
On Tuesday, my mom, Chelsea, our two babies, and I headed into Idaho Falls to acquire posters and markers and balloons to welcome a certain missionary home. You should have seen our little car stuffed to the brim with babies, moms, and 12 helium filled balloons! It was pretty comical, and I wished that I had taken a picture! We met the rest of the kids, the rest of the dads, and Cal at a park by the temple. We hurried and decorated the poster boards to make welcome signs, and then we loaded and headed to the airport. As we were pulling into the parking lot, we saw a plane land, and we knew it had our boy on it. Everyone was so excited. Finally, passengers started coming out of the restricted area. A couple of ladies saw us and, with a knowing smile, said, "He's not too far behind us." Finally, we saw him!
And then the hugging began.
And he met his two new nieces:
And for my family members who missed it, here you go:
After the airport, we went to my folks and had a nice picnicy lunch in the backyard. Chelsea and Thomas left after dinner, and we went to the stake center to be there with him when he got released from him mission. It brought back so many memories of when I came home. We're so glad to have Ethan back! We're so proud of you, Rho!
As soon as we got back from our trip to Idaho for my mom's graduation, we headed over to our neighbor's house to watch fireworks. Neighbors contributed treats and fireworks, and we all watched together as the menfolk lit them off. Michael was Brian's shadow, and Rachel stayed with me. At first, she didn't like the fireworks, but I kept her calm, and she enjoyed watching them. I was so tired that I decided to leave my camera at home. The whole time we were there, I wished that I had my camera. It was so fun being together with our neighbors, and so fun watching Michael with Brian. Here are the pictures I took on my phone.
I had fun playing with the HDR setting on my phone. Alot of them turned out pretty cool, I thought.
This is the silhouette of Brian and Michael. I really wished that I had my nicer camera!
The scariest thing happened though when one of the aerials knocked itself over and the fireworks started heading towards people and houses. Thankfully nobody got hurt, but Brian and I both found ourselves trying to be human shields to our kids. All in all, it was just a lot of fun. Happy late Pioneer day!!
