Sippy cup

I am no longer a nursing mama. I loved nursing, especially when Andrew was a little baby and everyone wanted to hold him. I was guaranteed my time with him since I was the only one who could feed him. I didn't mind that it limited me on how long I could be away from him. I didn't really want to be away for that long anyway. I really wanted to nurse him for one year. But then...I got pregnant! My body just couldn't do it anymore. I was eating for three people (at least that's what I told myself!). I was always hungry and sore. It was time. So at 10 months I started giving him formula in a sippy cup. It took some getting used to, but he got the hang of it and by 10 1/2 months he was no longer nursing. He is such a big boy. He's even started eating "real" food and doesn't like it when I try to give him baby food. He's developing such a strong personality. I love watching him grow.

When he's not drinking, he likes to give his sippy cup a ride in the back of his truck!

Backyard Invasion

Jarod and I love birdwatching. We have feeders just off our deck and get really excited when we see a new bird. The other day our yard was invaded by over 50 Cedar Waxwings. These birds are so beautiful with their red tipped wings, yellow tipped tails, and black & white face masks. We were stunned by how many there were sitting in our pine tree. They kept flying back and forth from our neighbors tree to eat the berries and then to our pine to rest. This lasted for about 30 minutes and then sadly, they left and haven't returned. Jarod just happened to be home for lunch so he got to share the experience with me.

Here's some pictures of other birds we have seen:

We have lots of yellow and red finches

Last spring we started attracting hummingbirds. I sat in the kitchen with my camera for hours on end just to catch a glimpse of these beautiful birds.

Baltimore Oriole
Male Cardinal
Female Cardinal
We even had a hawk devouring his latest kill in our tree!

First trip to the Zoo

The Henery Dorely Zoo is so much fun. Every year Jarod has an optometry continuing education meeting at the Zoo. I am so thankful for the doctors who put it on because it is such a family friendly event. Families get in free to the Zoo and get to walk around while the doctors have their meeting. We've been going for the last 4-5 years and I've had to either walk around looking at the animals by myself, or we've taken the Casady's. While I absolutely love my nieces and nephews, this year was special because I now have a child of my own to share this with! To make it even more special, my parents, Kristi, Thomas, Annie, George, and Evelyn came with.
The first building we went in was the rain forest. All the noise, people, and new surroundings were a little overwhelming for Andrew. He cried for the first five minutes.

All better now!

I love the excitement of little kids. Thomas, Annie and George were running from place to place saying "Cool, look at this". We had a hard time keeping up. By the time we got there, they were off to the next place. It was Nama's job to keep track of George. She got her work-out for the day!

This was my first time in the butterfly pavilion. It was also my first time in the "depths of despair" as George kept calling it, otherwise known as the swamp.

We loved the aquarium, where the fish and sharks swim all around you in the tunnel. Evelyn was very excited about this and was telling us all about it. I loved watching Andrew take it all in for the first time.

After the Zoo, we all met up with Jarod's parents for dinner in the Old Market. It was such a great day. I am so thankful for the time we get to spend with family.

Rock-A-Bye cousin Elliott

Elliott's baptism

Last Sunday was a glorious day! We welcomed little Elliott into the church through baptism. Jarod and I were honored to be his Godparents. I love baptisms. It is such a beautiful thing, knowing that origional sin is washed away and this little soul is made perfect. Elliott was such a good little baby. All the other babies were crying and fussing, but not Elliott! He slept through the whole thing and didn't even mind the water on his head.

After the ceremony, Andrew got a lot of quality time with his Grandmas, Grandpa, Aunts & Uncles. What a lucky little boy!
Great-Grandma Frances with the boys: