Little Bundle of Joy

A friend at work just had her first baby (a little boy!) and she let me come over to take some photos. He only weighed 7 lbs which I know is fairly average, but it's so tiny compared to what David was (9 lbs 6 oz) that I couldn't get over how tiny he was. Here are a few of the pictures I got.

Yes, We're Still Alive

I know it's been quite awhile since I've posted anything new. I'll try to be better. July was a fun but busy month for us. We had lots of family come see us from out of town and Derek and I took a few days to see the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City while David had fun at my mom's. We took David camping a few weeks back and we've been out a few times with the bikes and the trailer. I've been meaning to post about all of those things individually but I don't think I'll ever get around to it now.

David's growing so fast I can't believe it. Yesterday I took him in for his first haircut and it makes him look just a little more like a big kid than my sweet little baby. I was horrified, but he does look very cute and the back of his hair would get so ratty and shaggy that it really did have to go.

It also seems like every day he's a little more interested in talking. He loves saying all the animal sounds as well as a random assortment of words. Baby, keys, toast, banana, what's that, uh-oh, hat, cat, hot, and cold are some of his favorites. He's also recently picked up the toddler trademarks 'no' and 'mine.' Oh, and did I mention he can read? His favorite book is a collection of nursery rhymes and he loves to flip through and pretend that he's reading. The other week I noticed that he was recognizing the pictures and had a different babble for each one. Peter Piper's been reduced to "Puh, puh, puh, puh, puh" and Baa Baa Black Sheep is "Baa, Baa, Baa." The closest one has a first line of "Bat, bat come under my hat," which David has shortened to "Bat, bat, hat."

Well, that's about all I have time for now. I'll try to be better about posting more often. To finish here's a video of David (who else) having fun using the makeshift waterslide we set up for him in our back yard.

Jensen Park

Yesterday we decided to check out Jensen Park in Syracuse. We didn't stay long, but I was glad to see that there are some scenic-looking bike trails we might try. We recently got David a bike trailer to ride in and I'm hoping that next week we can do our first family ride. Here's a few photos of him in the tall grass.

Backyard Fun

The title really says it all...

Uh-Oh!

Saying that David likes cars and trains would be an understatement. Given the choice they're practically the only thing he plays with. He also is fairly addicted to watching Thomas and Friends and whenever the trains on TV crash he'll gleefully exclaim "UhOh!" I try to limit the amount of TV I let him watch but it's not always easy. He'll point to the TV and scream "Choo-Choo, Choo-Choo" which will of course quickly progress to a full blown tantrum if his demands are not met. Obviously I don't need to give into every tantrum but he's unfortunately gotten smart and stubborn enough not to be distracted by another toy or game when he wants something.

Usually I try to spend a good share of each day away from home to avoid these struggles but yesterday I had paperwork so I gave in and let him watch Thomas and Elmo for the better part of the morning. I'd planned to hit the park in the afternoon after his nap, but by that time it was raining so we did the children's museum instead. David had fun playing in the fire engine and other exhibits but he insisted on carrying a couple wooden train cars around everywhere he went so he could still crash them together and yell, "Uh-Oh!"

Before he was born I had such lofty goals of no TV before age 2 and then only on a very limited basis. In theory I'm the perfect parent, but in practice... well hopefully he'll survive.

Summer Salads

Salads are obviously pretty healthy but a lot of dressings are anything but. Not only do they tend to have lots of fat, but preservatives and chemicals as well that I'd rather avoid. Here's a dressing option that's quick, easy, and good for you. I used it on this spinach blueberry salad (I also included sliced apples but didn't feel like cutting up another one for the picture.) This recipe was kind of thrown together so I don't remember the amounts I used but it's very, very flexible.

Yogurt Citrus Dressing

Plain yogurt

Honey

Lime juice

Lemon juice

Orange Zest*

Cinnamon

Measure out the desired amount of yogurt and add other ingredients to taste. For a sweeter dressing add more honey and add more lemon/lime for more tartness.

*I actually use a couple drops of orange essential oil instead of orange zest which gives the same flavor but is much easier. You can get it at natural food stores. Be careful though as it is pretty potent. It only takes about 4 drops to equal the equivalent of the zest of 1 orange.

Comings and Goings

A lot's happened since my last post. Unfortunately my grandpa, George Davis passed away last week. He was very sick and his quality of life wasn't great near the end. I am relieved to know that he's no longer suffering, yet sad to think that David will never really know or remember him. Thanks to everyone who has sent their condolences.

On the brighter side however we've been able to reconnect with some of our out-of-town family this month. Derek's mom and Jim came to visit around the first of the month and David loved having his grandma here to spoil him. We went to the children's museum, the swimming pool, and even the toy store as grandma felt David needed some new toys to add to his collection.

David reads Mother Goose to Jim (sort of)

Then my sister and her boys were in town this past weekend for the funeral. I would have liked to see them under happier circumstances but I'm glad they made it and our boys had some fun together.

Thomas and Friends has 3 devoted fans

Brian was so eager to push David on the swings, hold him, or help him out and David LOVED the attention from his big-kid cousin! Matthew was more interested in teaching David his place in the pecking order, and the fact that their teddy bears look very similar made for a few interesting scenes. Each time one glimpsed the other cuddling his bear he was just sure his best friend had been swiped and screaming ensued. Nonetheless David adored the chance to play with his older cousins

More fun at the park