many firsts...

Sorry for the hiatus, but several days ago our digital camera just quit working...well for a technologically challenged mommy I thought this meant the end of any photos for our blog until after our camera returns from the Virginia repair center or wherever they make us send it...warranty, ha! Anyway, I have taken some photos with my phone, unfortunately, I took them the wrong direction so you'll have to forgive the pictures that cannot be rotated--hopefully for the last time. So after the introduction, here's are some goings on around here...

After spending just a little while around Henry you learn that he is a VERY self-determined child. As his mother I am holding out hope that this serves him well as an adult because some days it entirely wears me out! A few examples as of late illustrate this point.

1. Aside from bacon, Henry's diet has been entirely vegetarian since he was 2. However, this week he tried a chicken strip and since has decided that he kind of likes it. However, it has taken him over a year and a half just to be willing to TRY it. Consequently I took him to Baskin Robbins for dessert the other night and we were talking on the ride home about his favorite ice cream flavors. He said, "I love all of them." Not surprising. Ok. So I said, "What are some of your other favorite foods?". He respoded. "Pretzels! I love them." Also not surprising (there have been days that he would gladly survive on only pretzels). So I said, "Do you have any other favorite foods?". His response, "Chicken." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I might have had an accident if I hadn't been careful. That boy never ceases to amaze me.

2. We have the privilege of swimming year round at my parents house. Here are a few photos of Henry's first jumps into the pool. He wears a little swim vest and is very comfortable being in the water, but until this day he had never been brave enough to jump in! However, as in the above example, one try and he is in! He was a jumping fiend--as high and far as he could go!



3.Henry's new favorite phrase is "It's ok, mom." or "It's ok, dad." If only I could post his inflection you might understand better. He uses this phrase when he anticipates that he is in trouble--sometimes rightly, but other times to sort of convince us (and himself) that things really are ok. Usually it just makes us laugh that sort of uncontrollable parent giggle that makes it so difficult to discipline your child!

As for other firsts, Carl made our first trip to the emergency room in 2007. We always seem to make at least one trip! After returning from 3 days in Iowa, he woke up Sunday morning and gave himself a doozy of a cut to his left thumb. A few hours and four stiches later, he returned home to us. Now after a week, he's almost all healed. The body is an amazing machine.

Miss Ava is gracing us with new words and sounds almost daily. Some of her newest words are cracker, wow (my personal favorite--she says it with such awe), and several animal sounds including tiger, cow, and bird! She is a joy to behold.