Nine Months

Joshua had his nine month well-visit last Friday.  He weighed in at 20.6  pounds, and measured 28 inches long.  Surprisingly, this puts him in about the 50th percentile for each category.  I say "surprisingly" because it seems like he's a big boy compared to other babies his age.  Other than that, there's not much to report on.  Dr. Koil said he looks great!  The best part of the visit - no shots (good news for mom and Joshua!).  I can't believe he will be a one-year-old at his next well-visit.  The months are going by so quickly!!!

Lil' Fish

The girls and I took Joshua for his first dip in the pool.  He loved splashing the water, and kicking his feet.  He's a natural fish - just like his Daddy!

Four Girls and a little baby

Last week, I was spoiled by having my NAU girls come out for a visit.  Bethany and Mary teach high school history and biology, so they are on summer break.  Lindsay is also on summer break as she finishes up her PhD in Psychology.  I have smart friends, so I feel the need to brag about them a little bit : )

The last time we were all together was three weeks after Joshua was born, for Bethany and Luke's wedding.  Joshua has changed quite a bit since then, so it was fun to see them enjoy him a little more this time around.  

I love being with my girls.  We know each other so well, that when we're together, life is easy.  I'm so thankful to God for these women, and the impact that each one has had on my life.  I don't mean to be super emo, but you girls are the best!  I love each of you so much.  Thanks for a great week, and thanks to the guys for lending their women for a few days!

(Lindsay, Mary, Bethany, me)

   

The Land of 10,000 Lakes

I'm back from my blogging hiatus!  These past few weeks have been filled with traveling, guests, and lots of fun.  Over Memorial weekend, our family headed to Minnesota to visit Andrew's grandparents and aunt.  Andrew's parents also flew out from California, so it was a family affair.  It's safe to say that Andrew and I took a back seat to Joshua and his cuteness...I'm seeing this to be a trend : )

Here is a picture of Joshua with Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Grundstrom.  Joshua has the honor of being their first great-grandchild.

Joshua loved story time with Great-Grandma...

Aunt Kathy couldn't get enough of the little guy : )

Grandma babysat for us, so that we could go to a Minnesota Twins game.  One more ballpark down in our quest to visit all of the Major League parks.  We agreed that this is one of the nicest parks we have seen so far.

Thank you for watching our teething boy...

Family picture - 4 generations

We went to the Mall of America in hopes of Joshua getting to go on his first ride.  We ended up at this mini carousel, and he loved it!  Maybe he'll graduate to the little kid rides by the time we make it back.

All tuckered out from vacation, and ready to go home.  He sure was a trooper, as he cut three teeth while we were in Minnesota.

Another highlight of the trip was spending a few days in Madison, WI.  We were fortunate enough to visit some dear friends of ours who moved away from Albuquerque a year ago to plant a church.  It was fun to be with their family of six again, and to be able to spend Sunday morning worshiping alongside of them at their church.  We love and miss you, Nielsens!

All in all, we had a great time with friends and family.  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for your hospitality.  We enjoyed introducing you to your first great-grandchild!    

Handyman-in-training

Andrew and Joshua reading the Lowe's magazine for DIY ideas:

This is Joshua's workbench that we pulled out for him to play with.  He had so much fun discovering all of the things he could do with it.  It won't be long before he's following Daddy around with his tool belt!

Daddy Love

Just Because...