Happy Hallowe’en!

Last night, of course, was David’s first Hallowe’en. Mawmaw found him this cute little Spider-Man costume at Goodwill and fell in love with it, while Leah’s Little Red Riding Hood is a hand-me down from her cousin Norah. Both of them looked great, though.

We started off by taking them up and down the block, visiting maybe six or seven houses in one direction and two or three in the other. Of course, since many of the other parents were doing the same thing, quite a few houses were empty. (One kid even told us to come back later, that his parents weren’t giving out candy yet!) The reason for this brevity was simple, though: our Church had a tri-ward “trunk-or-treat” for the kids and scheduled it right on Hallowe’en night (unlike most ward we’ve been in, which schedule it on, say, the Friday before Hallowe’en so that kids can still trick-or-treat on Hallowe’en itself—a practice we greatly prefer, since it gives us a chance to meet more of our neighbors).

Shape Recognition

This entry is a really big deal, to Daddy. You may remember, a year or so ago, that Leah’s favorite computer game was a little piece of freeware called “Baby Banger”: the child hits any key and it pops up a shape and, optionally, announces the shape’s name and color. Well, now that we’re pretty much settled into the new house (that big box in front of her notwithstanding), Dory’s been hooked back up and Leah’s having a blast with her favorite game, again… only this time, it’s different.

First of all, Leah’s gotten really good at pressing only one key at a time, an action which keeps the computer from saying, as I previously blogged, “ ‘blu-gree-or-or-pur-yellow squa–-cy-re-magen-brown rectangle,’ as each shape interrupts the previous.”

Secondly, when Dory announces the color and shape, Leah almost always repeats it in that beautiful little voice of hers.

Finally, though—and this is most important part—she remembers! I can’t tell you how many times Daddy’s been working at the computer when Leah turns around in her seat, pointing frantically at the screen, saying, “Daddy! Daddy! Tringle, Daddy! Tringle!” (So she doesn’t quite pronounce it right. She knows what it is!)

It’s amazing how incredibly proud of her I am. ☺

(more pics)

First Tooth!

Well, it looks like David managed to one-up Leah on something: at only six months, four weeks, his first tooth has poked through! (Leah, for the record, took one day shy of eight months to accomplish the same feat.) I’m guessing it’ll be a little while before his little chomper will be visible in photos, but rest assured, the fitful nights have finally produced some fruit. Congratulations, Double-D!

Old Friends and New

Yes, the picture’s blurry. Sorry ’bout that; Daddy somehow misplaced the good camera before we left and had to make do with the cheap one. Wanna see more blurry pictures? Here ya go.

Anyway, a little background: when Daddy was in high school, he had a friend Maureen that lived down the street. While many years have passed, it turns out Maureen still lives down the street, only now she lives there with her husband, Mitch (another of Daddy’s high school friends); and daughter, Noelle. While we were out there, we decided to spend some time with their family and invited them over to Leah & David’s grandparents’ so they (and Noelle, of course) could go in the pool and the hot tub.

Bottom line: Noelle, though almost six years Leah’s senior, seems to enjoy our little Leah, and Leah certainly reciprocated her enthusiasm. We wound up getting together two or three times throughout the weekend and will hopefully be back in touch through e-mail. Ah, technology!

Patient David

Poor little David…. We’d only been at the Jersey shore for a day or two when we realized that he wasn’t feeling well. A trip to a local pediatrician confirmed our fears: he’d somehow picked up both an ear infection and pink eye. Although there wasn’t a Meijer (with its free antibiotics for kids!) within several hundred miles, at least there was a local Wal-Mart where we could get them for $4. Almost as importantly, I guess it’s a good thing Aunt Becca got him these cool sunglasses!

“Kiss [Her] Once for Me”

Almost twenty years ago, an artist named Michael McLean wrote a beautiful song called From God’s Arms to My Arms to Yours. The song is sung from the perspective of a birthmother preparing to place her little boy with his Eternal family. The song has always made Daddy cry, every single time, but now it’s even more poignant. Each time he hears it, he has in his mind’s eye our own little girl’s birthmother, with that beautiful voice of hers singing this incomparable song to us, the parents of the child she bore.

So anyway, this morning, little Leah was out in the driveway with her cousins Caleb and Sam, running around and playing. She was wearing a dress (which was our first mistake), so when she fell down, there was damage. Both knees were skinned and the tears came freely. As Daddy picked her up, immediately to his mind came a line from the bridge of the aforementioned song: “Now I know you don’t have to do this, but could you kiss him once for me / The first time that he ties his shoes or falls and skins his knee?” (Seriously, even just typing this, Daddy’s sobbing uncontrollably.)

So now, here it was: “the first time that [s]he … f[e]ll and skin[ned] her knee.” As Daddy held his daughter close, he gave her not two but three kisses through the tears: one from himself, one from Danny, and one from Auntie Kellie. It’s really the very least he could do for these wonderful angels, the people that gave us our little Leah. And as Michael states is the intent of the song, we hope and pray that Leah always knows—even across the miles—how much her birthparents really do love her.

Finally, as for us—we that have been entrusted with her care—we can only pray for the ability to “give this baby both [her] mothers’ love”—and both her fathers’, as well.

(Oh, the by the way…. If you check the Photos page, you’ll see that once we added Band-Aids to the boo-boos, Leah was good as new!) ☺

David’s Cereal

Well, it’s official: David has eaten a little bit of solid food! Granted, his oatmeal didn’t go down that well: unaccustomed to such an intrusion into his little system, he gleefully spit out a lot of it. Still, for a first effort, he did a great job!

(more pics)

David’s Cereal

Well, it’s official: David has eaten a little bit of solid food! Granted, his oatmeal didn’t go down that well: unaccustomed to such an intrusion into his little system, he gleefully spit out a lot of it. Still, for a first effort, he did a great job!

(more pics)

A Lesson Learned

This rather long entry is copied from Daddy’s personal journal.

First of all, a moment of silence for my beloved grandfather, “Cort” Drake, who passed away twelve years ago today.

Now… you’re probably wondering what the heck I’m doing up at 2:30 in the morning, writing in my journal. Well, my daughter just taught me a very important lesson, and I wanted to record it for always:

A little while ago, Leah woke up and was calling for me, as she generally does when she wakes up: Daaaa-ddy! Daaaa-ddy! Daaaa-ddy! (She’s so freaking cute!) Anyway, I went into her room to find her standing there (as usual). What I usually do, in such a situation, is part the curtains, part the blinds, and show her that it’s dark outside, encouraging her by saying something to the effect of “See? It’s dark outside. Sleepy time.” This time, however, it didn’t work: “Drink,” she told me (although it’s actually just “kə,” but we know what it means. We have started trying to get her to say the full word, though, and she is learning).

Now, everybody knows that when a child wants to stay up a little later, they stereotypically ask for a drink, so I picked her up, kissed her, rocked her a little, and tucked her back into bed. As per usual, I told her, “I love you. Get some sleep. See you in the morning” on my way out, but as I closed the door, she was immediately standing up and crying. It occurred to me that I, myself, had been very thirsty before bed—Mommy, Leah, and I had shared a black cherry shake at Steak ’n’ Shake, the sugar content of which may account for this—but I dismissed the thought, went back into her room, repeated the routine, and all seemed well. Still, I couldn’t shake the thought that maybe, just maybe, Leah really was just thirsty, just as I had been before downing a couple of glasses of water, right before bed. I went downstairs, washed a sippy cup, filled it about halfway with fresh water, and brought it back up with me, placing it on the ledge for easy access. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I was about to get back into bed when I heard her crying again.

Now, at this point, I had set myself up for what I obviously needed to do. I picked up the sippy, opened her door, and walked around to the side of her crib. I handed her the drink, which she immediately grabbed and started sucking it down. I leaned over, both forearms on the side of the crib, and apologized to her: “I’m so sorry, Sweetie. I’m sorry I didn’t bring you a drink, the first time.”

The look on her face was not to be forgotten. It’s amazing to see a look of shocked comprehension and compassion on the face of a 19-month-old, but that’s exactly what it was. It’s not like I’ve never apologized to Leah before—I do, whenever the situation warrants—but this time, there was an understanding in her eyes that I’ve never seen before. She lowered her sippy, walked across the crib to where I was leaning, and planted a kiss right on my lips. With the pure innocence only a little child can muster, my daughter had immediately and completely forgiven me.

So wherein lies the lesson? Well, we hear the words of Christ many, many times: “[Y]e must … become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God” (3 Nephi 11:38). While most people have at least a logical understanding of what that means, it takes on a new intensity of understanding when you see a little child, in all her innocence, express pure love and forgiveness toward an errant, imperfect parent. My sweet, little Leah is growing up, and she’s teaching me, every step of the way.

A Lesson Learned

This rather long entry is copied from Daddy’s personal journal.

First of all, a moment of silence for my beloved grandfather, “Cort” Drake, who passed away twelve years ago today.

Now… you’re probably wondering what the heck I’m doing up at 2:30 in the morning, writing in my journal. Well, my daughter just taught me a very important lesson, and I wanted to record it for always:

A little while ago, Leah woke up and was calling for me, as she generally does when she wakes up: Daaaa-ddy! Daaaa-ddy! Daaaa-ddy! (She’s so freaking cute!) Anyway, I went into her room to find her standing there (as usual). What I usually do, in such a situation, is part the curtains, part the blinds, and show her that it’s dark outside, encouraging her by saying something to the effect of “See? It’s dark outside. Sleepy time.” This time, however, it didn’t work: “Drink,” she told me (although it’s actually just “kə,” but we know what it means. We have started trying to get her to say the full word, though, and she is learning).

Now, everybody knows that when a child wants to stay up a little later, they stereotypically ask for a drink, so I picked her up, kissed her, rocked her a little, and tucked her back into bed. As per usual, I told her, “I love you. Get some sleep. See you in the morning” on my way out, but as I closed the door, she was immediately standing up and crying. It occurred to me that I, myself, had been very thirsty before bed—Mommy, Leah, and I had shared a black cherry shake at Steak ’n’ Shake, the sugar content of which may account for this—but I dismissed the thought, went back into her room, repeated the routine, and all seemed well. Still, I couldn’t shake the thought that maybe, just maybe, Leah really was just thirsty, just as I had been before downing a couple of glasses of water, right before bed. I went downstairs, washed a sippy cup, filled it about halfway with fresh water, and brought it back up with me, placing it on the ledge for easy access. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I was about to get back into bed when I heard her crying again.

Now, at this point, I had set myself up for what I obviously needed to do. I picked up the sippy, opened her door, and walked around to the side of her crib. I handed her the drink, which she immediately grabbed and started sucking it down. I leaned over, both forearms on the side of the crib, and apologized to her: “I’m so sorry, Sweetie. I’m sorry I didn’t bring you a drink, the first time.”

The look on her face was not to be forgotten. It’s amazing to see a look of shocked comprehension and compassion on the face of a 19-month-old, but that’s exactly what it was. It’s not like I’ve never apologized to Leah before—I do, whenever the situation warrants—but this time, there was an understanding in her eyes that I’ve never seen before. She lowered her sippy, walked across the crib to where I was leaning, and planted a kiss right on my lips. With the pure innocence only a little child can muster, my daughter had immediately and completely forgiven me.

So wherein lies the lesson? Well, we hear the words of Christ many, many times: “[Y]e must … become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God” (3 Nephi 11:38). While most people have at least a logical understanding of what that means, it takes on a new intensity of understanding when you see a little child, in all her innocence, express pure love and forgiveness toward an errant, imperfect parent. My sweet, little Leah is growing up, and she’s teaching me, every step of the way.

Room to Move

Okay, never mind the weeds in the front yard; that happens when a home’s been empty for a couple of months. What you’re seeing here is one of the first shots of our new home in Lafayette! To be frank, we were actually planning on getting a different house—a new build, one block over from this one. However, Heavenly Father has different plans for us, and even though we’d already put down our earnest money and signed a contract to hold that one, He made Himself very clear that this—a two-year-old, nearly identical floor plan that’s missing a few of the nicer upgrades but has extra storage, a fifth bedroom, and a $20,000 lower price tag(!)—is definitely the one we should buy. Our offer has been accepted, we expect to close in the next couple of weeks, and we plan to make the big move back to Lafayette, on July 28th.

(more pics)

Room to Move

Okay, never mind the weeds in the front yard; that happens when a home’s been empty for a couple of months. What you’re seeing here is one of the first shots of our new home in Lafayette! To be frank, we were actually planning on getting a different house—a new build, one block over from this one. However, Heavenly Father has different plans for us, and even though we’d already put down our earnest money and signed a contract to hold that one, He made Himself very clear that this—a two-year-old, nearly identical floor plan that’s missing a few of the nicer upgrades but has extra storage, a fifth bedroom, and a $20,000 lower price tag(!)—is definitely the one we should buy. Our offer has been accepted, we expect to close in the next couple of weeks, and we plan to make the big move back to Lafayette, on July 28th.

(more pics)

Playtime with Daddy

Mommy sure is lucky: she gets to stay home all day, every day, and play with the kids. I mean, okay, sure, she also has to take care of the kids and the house and whatever, but Daddy really misses his babies when he’s at work (even though he’s usually just up the stairs—or even just in the next room—from them). So when the workday is done and he can do as he pleases, it’s Daddy’s time to shine… and it looks like his babies appreciate it.

Playtime with Daddy

Mommy sure is lucky: she gets to stay home all day, every day, and play with the kids. I mean, okay, sure, she also has to take care of the kids and the house and whatever, but Daddy really misses his babies when he’s at work (even though he’s usually just up the stairs—or even just in the next room—from them). So when the workday is done and he can do as he pleases, it’s Daddy’s time to shine… and it looks like his babies appreciate it.

Overkill

You ever see those guys that shove like 150 cigarettes into their respective mouths, all at once? This is David’s version of that trick. ☺

Overkill

You ever see those guys that shove like 150 cigarettes into their respective mouths, all at once? This is David’s version of that trick. ☺

New Cousins

For those of you that haven’t been paying attention, Mawmaw and Pawpaw have gained six new grandchildren since last August: Becca’s stepson, Jamie; Aubrey’s son Jacob; Anna’s son, David; Liz’s stepdaughter, Alicia; Eddie’s daughter, Heidi; and Ben’s son, Benjamin. This past Sunday, we got the four newborns together for a few photos. They are (clockwise from top): Benny, age 2½ weeks; David, age 3½ months; Jacob, age 7 months; and Heidi, age 5 weeks.

(more photos)

New Cousins

For those of you that haven’t been paying attention, Mawmaw and Pawpaw have gained six new grandchildren since last August: Becca’s stepson, Jamie; Aubrey’s son Jacob; Anna’s son, David; Liz’s stepdaughter, Alicia; Eddie’s daughter, Heidi; and Ben’s son, Benjamin. This past Sunday, we got the four newborns together for a few photos. They are (clockwise from top): Benny, age 2½ weeks; David, age 3½ months; Jacob, age 7 months; and Heidi, age 5 weeks.

(more photos)

A New Kind of Sandwich

Two of Daddy’s favorite treats are ice cream sandwiches and banana splits, so when he discovered a box of banana split–flavored ice cream sandwiches in the Wal-Mart freezer, there was no question that a box would be coming home.

After a couple weeks, all but one of the sandwiches had been consumed. It was a pretty warm day, so after Daddy and Leah finished their lunch, Daddy decided it might be nice to share a treat with his little girl. As you can see, Leah thought that was a pretty good idea, as well.

(more pics; video to come)

A New Kind of Sandwich

Two of Daddy’s favorite treats are ice cream sandwiches and banana splits, so when he discovered a box of banana split–flavored ice cream sandwiches in the Wal-Mart freezer, there was no question that a box would be coming home.

After a couple weeks, all but one of the sandwiches had been consumed. It was a pretty warm day, so after Daddy and Leah finished their lunch, Daddy decided it might be nice to share a treat with his little girl. As you can see, Leah thought that was a pretty good idea, as well.

(more pics; video to come)

Buddies

Leah’s become quite enamored with David—especially with helping Mommy and Daddy take care of him. Whether giving him his pacifier, bringing Mommy a clean diaper (or throwing away a dirty one), or just plain talking to and kissing her little brother, she’s really become quite the little helper, and David is responding in kind. Granted, he’s a very smiley baby anyway, but Leah definitely reaps the benefits.

Like the shots on today’s welcome page, this photo was not staged; Leah just walked over to David, laid down beside him, and put her arm around him: always the loving big sister.

Mommy and Daddy sure love having two kids!

Buddies

Leah’s become quite enamored with David—especially with helping Mommy and Daddy take care of him. Whether giving him his pacifier, bringing Mommy a clean diaper (or throwing away a dirty one), or just plain talking to and kissing her little brother, she’s really become quite the little helper, and David is responding in kind. Granted, he’s a very smiley baby anyway, but Leah definitely reaps the benefits.

Like the shots on today’s welcome page, this photo was not staged; Leah just walked over to David, laid down beside him, and put her arm around him: always the loving big sister.

Mommy and Daddy sure love having two kids!

The Hand-Me-Down

Now, before we begin, it must be emphasized that David is in no way old enough for the Intellitainer. He can’t sit up by himself, he can’t reach for things with any degree of intent, he can’t do a lot of things. But the one thing he can do is look around in awe and amazement of the world around him.

This evening, while Daddy was dressing Leah for bed, Mommy place David in the Intellitainer and drove the little school bus back and forth while the music was playing. David sat transfixed, focused intently on the fascinating display of control and dexterity before him (not to mention the music, sounds, and lights).

He may not technically be old enough yet, but he’s so darned cute in there!

The Hand-Me-Down

Now, before we begin, it must be emphasized that David is in no way old enough for the Intellitainer. He can’t sit up by himself, he can’t reach for things with any degree of intent, he can’t do a lot of things. But the one thing he can do is look around in awe and amazement of the world around him.

This evening, while Daddy was dressing Leah for bed, Mommy place David in the Intellitainer and drove the little school bus back and forth while the music was playing. David sat transfixed, focused intently on the fascinating display of control and dexterity before him (not to mention the music, sounds, and lights).

He may not technically be old enough yet, but he’s so darned cute in there!

Bubbles!

Leah’s bath has become as integral a part of her bedtime routine as reading or family prayer. It’s one last chance for Leah to play—and therefore, one last chance for her to get the wiggles out—before getting dressed (and ostensibly calmed down) for bed.

Over the last few months, Grandma and Pop have gotten Leah a bunch of new bath toys: a big, orange ball, a Baby Genius magnetic caterpillar, even a Dora the Explorer playset with an entire island that floats around the tub. But one thing that Mommy and Daddy got for Leah’s bath was the bubbles. Sometimes it’s just baby wash, sometimes (like last night) we go all out and use Spongebob Squarepants’ Snorkleberry bubblebath, but it’s always one of Leah’s favorites.

As demonstrated.

Bubbles!

Leah’s bath has become as integral a part of her bedtime routine as reading or family prayer. It’s one last chance for Leah to play—and therefore, one last chance for her to get the wiggles out—before getting dressed (and ostensibly calmed down) for bed.

Over the last few months, Grandma and Pop have gotten Leah a bunch of new bath toys: a big, orange ball, a Baby Genius magnetic caterpillar, even a Dora the Explorer playset with an entire island that floats around the tub. But one thing that Mommy and Daddy got for Leah’s bath was the bubbles. Sometimes it’s just baby wash, sometimes (like last night) we go all out and use Spongebob Squarepants’ Snorkleberry bubblebath, but it’s always one of Leah’s favorites.

As demonstrated.