9 Months

Jacob has hit another milestone of 9 months.  I love to cuddle him, watch him play, tickle him, and just be with him.  He is such a calm and mellow little guy with such a fun personality. His eyes sparkle when he smiles.  I find myself longing to just bask in the moments with him before he grows any more.  Regardless of how hard I try, these children of our's just keep growing before our eyes.

18 pounds 6 ounces (10th-25th percentile)

27.75 inches (25th-50th percentile)

I am amazed sometimes as I look back at pictures of his birth.  His little tiny arms and legs were so fragile. It seems almost incomprehensible to see him now strong, healthy, and full of little rolls on his arms and legs.  We have been so blessed by his health and strength.

Jacob has learned the dreaded skill of rolling from his back to his tummy.  This means diaper changes are no longer easy as they used to be.  He has become quite the wiggler when we are changing him now.  He prefers to be on his tummy so when he is placed on his back he will immediately try to twist and return to his preferred position. We find him scooting on the floor more and more.  He still doesn't go more than a few feet so he is rather easy to contain for a brief while.  I'm enjoying that while it lasts because I know it won't last for long.  He likes to get up on all fours and rock back and forth. Every once in a while he is successful at pushing himself forward, however, backward is usually were he heads.

Jacob now has 4 teeth and he shows them off with his crooked toothy grin.  He loves to eat. Sara is constantly asking if she can feed him some cheerios. We have discovered her reasons; however.  She likes cheerios too so she will give him some and then she hides under the table with the box helping herself to some as well.

Jacob loves to be with his siblings and loves to be carried on Thomas' shoulders.  Spring comes in after school and goes to him immediately and his little arms and legs start moving so fast he could almost take off.  He is still a bit of a momma's boy, however.  He doesn't like it when he can't see me. He is content to play on the floor as long as someone is in the room with him.

How blessed our family is with this sweet boy.

Cub Scout Hike

We joined with the Cub Scouts on a 3 mile hike by the Gorge.  I love watching Sammy outside.  He loves to get dirty.  In fact he told me on the hike that if you aren't dirty then you aren't having fun.  If that is truly the case then Sammy ALWAYS has fun.  I was so impressed with Sammy on this hike as well.  We paired them up in the "buddy system" and Sammy's buddy was not nearly as quick or excited about hiking as Sammy is.  Sammy made sure to stay with and encourage his buddy the entire time.  There were even moments when his buddy would say he couldn't go anymore and Sammy would go to him, let him put his arm around Sammy's shoulders, and then walk with him up the hill.  Not a side of Sammy I always think of but a side that I am beginning to notice more and more.  Inside that rough and tumble all boy exterior is a heart that loves other people and wants to be a friend to everyone.

If there is something to climb...Sammy will climb it!

Akron Rubberducks Game

Sammy has been in the Bulldog Pups Choir all year.  He practices once a week before school.  I think the entire reason for his involvement was to be able to sing the National Anthem at a baseball game ON THE FIELD!  The long awaited evening came and it did not disappoint!  He was so happy to be there with all his friends.  These are such fun events because the school has a couple sections just for them.  The kids all have friends there and it is a small enough atmosphere where we can allow the older ones a little more freedom to sit with their friends and walk around a little bit.  Sammy, once again, caught a foul ball.  I think he has come home with balls from 4 different games and I think he has only been to 5 or 6 games.  We were also able to enjoy a fireworks show afterward which is the highlight for many of the kids.  Sara kept saying, "I REALLY like this part, Daddy!"

Hannah, Spring's best friend, joined us.  Spring thought it was great
that Hannah could ride the bus home with her and then go to the game.

Field trip with Josh

I was able to go with Josh on his Kindergarten field trip to the Akron Zoo.  Gideon, Sara, and Jacob came with us.  I loved watching Josh get so excited and talk with his friends from school. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have to help in our children's classrooms so I can see them in that realm of their life.  

5 Guys Band

Thomas and his buddies decided to form a band entitled "5 Guys Band" for the Kimpton Middle School Talent Show.  They played a song from Chicago and won 1st place!  Their prize was $30 so they decided to have a pizza party next weekend together.

Enjoying Spring

I love this time of year when it thaws, blossoms come out, and the sound of children playing outside returns.  We had a Saturday in April when we didn't have any obligations.  This is such a rare occurrence for us and we try to really appreciate those times.  We spent the day doing some yard work as a family, going to the park, playing outside, and finished the evening roasting hotdogs and smores on a campfire.  My favorite thing is spending time with our children all home and watching them play and goof off.  I'm so grateful they all love doing the same thing.  As Joel and I were sitting by the fire that evening after the kids were in bed we reflected on how blessed we are and how this is what life is truly all about.  We could go without many things in life and be so happy if we had our family!  Love these moments of peace and joy.

Easter at the Johnson Farm

I took the kiddos with me to the Johnson Farm to join in some Easter celebrations.  There were pioneer games, an Easter Egg hunt, butter churning, making Easter Lily's, and learning about the role of horses for the pioneers.  We love being able to visit the Johnson Farm!

General Conference Weekend

I love General Conference Weekend and I love that our children love it.  There is a feeling of empowerment and peace that comes when we gather as a family to be taught by the Lord's anointed through the power of the Spirit.  One of my favorite things is to look around and see all of us learning in our own way and then sharing our thoughts and feelings of what we learned.  We are always so sad when the weekend comes to an end.  We have decided to continue studying one talk a week as a family to focus on for FHE again.  Spring and Thomas mentioned that they felt like they were able to keep the spirit of Conference all 6 months as we focused on studying, learning, and edifying ourselves with these teachings.  They couldn't have spoken anything more true.

Enjoying a post conference nap with Jacob.