Fisher's First Birthday

I can't believe our little guy is one this week! What a year it has been! Fisher was feisty in the womb and not much different once he arrived. The first 4 months of his life was trial and error. He kept us on our toes, especially after 8:00 at night. His naps lasted 40 minutes only and most nights he slept in his swing or his car seat or on the couch with one of us. He broke all my rules I had for babies! Zach and I made a deal one night that we would just fix all of our mistakes later. Well, later came, and he just grew out of it. He is now a great napper and great nighttimer. He does great on a schedule and pretty good off of one. He actually is pretty flexible! He never took a pacifier in the early days, but a month ago, he found one in a toy basket and has been quite smitten with it ever since! Then there is the blanket. The sweet giraffe blanket that I had to have before he was born. The corners are crusty and stinky, but I guess that makes it perfect to him! He makes us laugh constantly and his expressions make you melt!

We are so blessed to have Fisher apart of our family and praise God for His special gift to us. At one year old, he already brings to us so much!

the annual tree hunt, 2009

We actually had alot of snow to play with this year! The moms knew it was going to be a cold day and we thought we would run out and pick trees really fast. Of course the dads had something different in mind! They packed for our normal tree hunt day with quads, sleds and wood for a fire! The kids had a blast, we found perfect trees, again, and made more memories! Fisher spent the day in his favorite place, on our backs, and squealed with joy at his first time in the snow! We realize now that this day every year is not really about the tree, but spending time with a family we love and cherish!

building a house

Even with a kit from costco, building a house isn't as easy at it looks. At least for me, anyway! I love decorating with our friends, especially girls! We divided up fairly different tasks for each child and half the fun for us moms was watching how differently our kids approached it. Kacia, the oldest and very creative put almost every type of candy onto her side. Unfortunately, since I built the foundation, it wasn't quite sturdy enough for all her decorations. She outlined details in frosting, hung the wreath over the door, and made thoughtful designs. Rylin, when not consuming her decorations, had a blast putting whatever on the house she wanted with no real design in mind. She was just so happy to be sandwiched between the big kids and making conversation. She, notedly, was the last one at the table. She is so sweet and I think she wanted the experience to last all day! Sawyer, firstborn boy, had decorated with a precise pattern in mind, using only one kind of candy, and done in 5 minutes. Maybe next year, I'll let Sawyer do the main construction while I chatter on with the girls!

it's beginning to look alot like Christmas

The Christmas Parade with the new RABA bus! Normally we wouldn't care that Redding Area Bus Authority has a new bus, but that is Zach's new expertise...the bus system. Yeah for the new bus and yeah that zach has a job! We are so thankful for employment!Oh yeah, he says he can get passes if anyone is dying to ride the RIDE!

Sawyer's month of bravery

the eye wound
















Boy oh boy, what a doozy of a month for Sawyer! On one particular afternoon, we had our friends over to play. As Jenny and I finally had a minute of uninterrupted time to catch up with each other, we hear screaming from the bedroom. My first reaction was, "that is what he gets for running through the house!" When I go to look at what happened, blood is streaming from his face. I felt horrible as he was actually injured. After about 10 minutes, he was under control and agreed he still wanted to play with the girls. We decided it looked alright and definitely less of a wound compared to the hole he bit in his tongue the last time they were over. When they left, I decided to go to the store for some butterfly bandaids, but Holiday was out. I went next door to my new favorite pharmacy, as I was inquiring about different bandaids, the pharmacist came out and without hesitation told me he needed stitches. I was thinking, "REALLY?" This was not the worst thing I've seen this kid do. I went next door to the local clinic and the Dr. there agreed I needed to go to the emergency room. Again, I was thinking, "REALLY?" How did I miss this obvious need for medical attention. So in Sawyer's little world, he was thinking he was going to the store for more Transformer bandaids and ended up going to the hospital instead. Zach met us there and of course he knows right away it is a stitch worthy wound. It must be a boy thing. We were blessed to have the wound glued shut instead of stitches! Sawyer is amazing! He complained that the glue stung his eyes, but no more tears came from this boy since the initial encounter with the corner of his dresser!

If that wasn't enough for him, this was the month that he was to have his extra tooth removed. Our last few visits to the dentist, I had become aware of his "supernumerary tooth". I really wanted to ignore it, but unfortunately, I know too much about teeth and what could happen if it was left there to do its own thing. The morning of his surgery, he popped out of bed (almost like he was excited, but I'm sure it was nervous energy!) He didn't complain about not getting to eat or drink. He jumped right into the chair and obeyed everything the Dr. told him do. I got to stay with him till he fell asleep, which was really hard for me. I realize staying brave for him makes me a little crazy! When I got see him when it was over, he was so loopy! He cracked me up with his drugged out 5 year old comments. When we got home, he finally cried. I think he was just done being brave...i don't blame him. I was done being brave too! About an hour later, he got off the couch and played the rest of the day.

I am so thankful for his courage. We don't tell him he can't cry, but he likes to be tough. He makes my job so much easier! You Rock Sawyer!!!

Thanksgiving

I realize my blog has been a little outdated for some time now. We are not still sick, but actually quite healthy now! Since the last post we've enjoyed Halloween and Thanksgiving! We were very blessed to have my mom and dad visit us this year(a 2000 mile drive)! They brought along their newest addition, Piper the puppy, that isn't so little anymore. She was so much fun to have, yet I realize I am not ready to do a puppy yet! Fisher and piper share many of the same behaviors, mostly putting things in their mouths that don't belong. Our pictures are a little weak as our sweet photographer Sawyer captured the holiday from his perspective. Cute, but very unflattering in most cases. We had a fun week with lots of walks and a few puzzles and games. Being spoiled by mom and dad is always enjoyable!

It was a funny day as the past 7 years we have spent the holiday here with friends. We didn't realize our untraditional style was becoming such a tradition! We are so thankful for them as I am sure the 2000 mile drive by my parents will not happen every year!