It's Raining. It's Pouring.

It is another dreary, wet, soggy, humid, drizzly, ETC. day here so I thought I'd post pictures from last week when we were enjoying a day in the sun! Xander loves the bike/scooter which he received as a gift for his first birthday from grandpa & grandma. Although he cannot ring the bell himself, it keeps him occupied for quite some time in making the attempt (see last picture in series).

Rain! Rain! Go away!

Verse of the Day

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, YOUR God, the Holy One of Israel, YOUR Savior...

The words from these verses in Isaiah 43 have been a recent reminder of who I am in Christ (I AM HIS!) and continue to speak PEACE to my heart during challenging moments & times when I am uncertain of the path ahead. I thought I would share the words in hopes that they'll encourage your heart, too.

Sunscreen Recommendations?

I grew up with a 'farm-girl' mentality. We purposely did NOT wear sunscreen so that we'd have a slim chance of getting a tan while completely our summer chores, even if it was an infamous 'farmers' tan.

But, now I have a little boy. And the mom-protectiveness gene in me wants broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection, drool-proofedness, easy/safe application for a squirmy 14-month old, etc.

So, I need your help. If you have recommendations -- favorite brand, lotion-vs-spray on/aerosal, a variety that tastes good if swallowed (cause you know this is going to happen), leave me a comment. And, thanks!

Easter in Iowa

We spent this past weekend in Iowa visiting with some of Blake's family. It was especially fun to introduce Alexander to his great-grandma for the very first time. While he SCREAMED during the first attempt at getting a picture, we were eventually able to capture the two of them together.

I thought I'd include a few pictures of the little man looking all 'spiffy' and ready for church on Easter morning...complete with 'drool marks' which only increased throughout the day!

I always seen to take picture-taking ONE SHOT too far; here's some proof :)

A Week at the Farm...

Blake attended a certification course in Atlanta, Georgia last week so Alexander and I headed to my parent's farm. We spent the entire week there & although the weather was a wee-bit dreary several of the days...we had an action-packed week.

Tuesday's activities included a 'playdate' with some college roommates and their kids. Close in age, Xander and Colt played together while the mommies talked :)

It was nice enough towards the end of the week to spend some time outdoors. Here is Xander dressed in his "farming clothes" -- overalls and a CASE hat from grandpa. Here he's at the bottom of 16 VERY steep stairs in my parent's farmhouse. He loved coming down these stairs; I think by the end of the week he could come down in 3.4 seconds FLAT...but when going the opposite way, he'd be huffing & puffing (and whining) for most of the journey :)

My mom cleaned up an old bike that we kids used to ride on ALL the time. Ironically, we discovered that Blake's family had the exact same one during their growing up days. Does the bright yellow seat with black polka-dots remind anyone else of their childhood?!?

Xander was introduced to all kinds of animals throughout the week (dogs, cats, sheep, etc). He's still a bit uncertain about the sheep but by the end of the week he was friends with 'Abby the Dog' and 'Aramis the Cat' (seen here). He is pointing out his favorite body part -- NOSE. My mom reported that he accurately identified EAR and HAIR before naptime one day but I have not been able to get him to duplicate these responses :)

When we picked Blake up at the airport on Saturday evening, he (of course) thought Xander had grown several inches & gained several pounds during his 6-days away :) While not accurate, he is really becoming quite responsive and it's VERY fun. Here are some of his lastest 'accomplishments' -- sorry to bore you experienced mom-readers with what is probably quite mundane but from this first-time mom's perspective, these daily developments seem fascinating & miraculous:

• he said his name (ONCE) when playing peek-a-boo. His ENTIRE name! All 4 syllables!
• he accurately responds by nodding YES and NO. Well...he USUALLY responds accurately. CASE IN POINT: I was getting dressed for church on Sunday and I asked "does mommy look pretty?" to which he responded by shaking his head NO. I'm sure he was just momentarily confused :)
• his favorite word is 'socks' probably b/c he loves removing them and I'm always saying "uh-oh, where are Xander's socks?" to which he responds by pointing at his feet
• he 'somewhat accurately' fed himself oatmeal and bananas this morning, both with his right AND left hand
• he said a decent variation of the word 'grandpa' as my dad walked towards the house after saying good-bye
• if you are in a 100-radius and looking in his direction, he'll blow you kisses. Well...not exactly BLOW b/c he forgets to stretch out his hand but at least he is attempting to show some love!

Anyways...that's enough for now. Wishing you each a week filled with God's grace & peace!