The Gag Sequence

There's a first time for everything, and almost every time Josiah tries a new food, he does what we fondly call "The Gag Sequence." This was his first time trying plain yogurt and it produced a pretty good Gag Sequence that continued with every bite for about the first five minutes. As you can imagine, I was cracking up.

Phase 1: Recognition of Foreign Substance

Phase 2: Rigorous Head Shake with Grimace and Closed Eyes

Phase 3: Attempt to Gag Out the Offending Food

Phase 4: Sadly, The Taste is Still There

Phase 5: Bitter Resignation

Eventually he eats the new food with vigor. He's on to squash, peas, string beans, watermelon, banana, Super-Porridge, yams, applesauce...the list goes on. However, the most unique tasting foods all begin in the same way.

Here are a few quick photos to update the fam. Josiah just got his first tooth and is an aggressive army crawler. He is up rocking on his knees constantly and moves all around the room to grab whatever you don't want him to grab. Ryan and I really are having so much fun with him!

Yosemite Camping Trip

A quick skip ahead to our first Yosemite camping trip! We went with Avery and Katie, and their two kids, Selah (2 years) and Sebestian (6 months). Apparently they had heavy rainfalls this year in the valley, so there were an abundance of waterfalls everywhere. It was too early for tourist season, so we scored two beautiful, uncrowded days and bundled up for a chilly third one as we were leaving. We stayed in the housekeeping cabins and had the three kids, stacked in their pack-and-play cribs, one next to another each night. It was a beautiful thing, almost as amazing as the Great Yosemite Falls or Half Dome itself, to see two infants and a toddler deep asleep all night within three feet of one another. Next trip we have to get a picture.

Each morning we had a great breakfast and then enjoyed hiking and exploring the valley floor. I got to go on a couple of great runs early in the morning and was constantly in awe of the dramatic scenery. There was still snow capping the mountain tops and the vertical cliff faces plummeted down to meet the dark pines. The valley meadows were bright with fresh growth and the river was a clear, deep, green. I loved it so much that I insisted we make reservations to come back in September.

Our little family.

Yosemite Falls

Mirror Lake

Family Hike! (Avery and Katie, and crew, not pictured)

We borrowed a warm onesie for sleeping from my good friend. It saved us since it got down below 40 at night. We tried to emphasize that it was a very manly pink color.

(Does anyone know how to rotate pictures? Should I have done it before posting?)

Some guys just have the confidence to pull it off.

Camping w. Mommy!

I guess I just got a hankerin to be in nature. It seemed like it had been so long since I had woken up outside, so I arranged to go on an overnight trip with a friend of mine. We went Tues-Wed (weekends are packed if you don't have a reservation, and of course, I went last minute) so Ryan couldn't come, and was sadly missed. However we had a beautiful sunset, the ocean, hiking, and lots of good weather, both Josiah and I loved it!

A hike down to Jade Cove- too bad Tracy and I don't know what raw jade looks like. I guess that would have been much more interesting. P.S. Check out Josiah's face in this pic, who is that baby?! What happened??

Josiah hanging out in the campsite, drinking his milk and relaxing. If you look closely, you can see his little eye peering out under the hat. He did great, took all his naps in the tent. I shared his tent so I had to listen to his talking a few times during the night when he woke up, but he managed to fall asleep on his own again each time. Can't wait to do it again, preferably with daddy next time!

Puttin' Down Roots!

A few home projects that have been keeping Ryan and I busy as we sink our roots into our "new" home...

I've finally succeeded at growing something beautiful! Daffodils and iris's are blooming now and they make me so happy.

Ryan planted an orchard with pears, cherries, apples, apricots and peaches, complete with an irrigation system and a fence to keep the deer out!

Finally finished the bay window, it looks great inside and out. This picture doesn't do it justice.
Of course, not to be outdone, our little man is full of smiles, trying to get his belly off the ground to crawl, and he loves being outside. He is so fun to make laugh and he is starting to appreciate our little daily adventures!

5 Years!

March 18, 2006 Ryan and I were married. We were talking to each other the other day about how blessed we have been. We both are amazed at how beautiful our marriage has been. The longer we are married, the more and more we appreciate each other and how lucky we are to have one another. It really is the Lord who keeps us humble and serving one another, and I love seeing His Holy Spirit alive in our lives.

This year for our Anniversary, Ryan surprised me and planned the whole thing. Ryan arranged for Josiah to have a babysitter for the night and we left for a whole day! We left after I got off work and began to drive up the coast. Ryan drove a roundabout route to confuse me, and I was super confused indeed. Every new turn I was convinced we were going to Morro Bay, then Paso Robles, then Cayucus, Harmony (where we explored the tiny 5 shop town) and finally Cambria. We pulled up to the JPatrick Bed and Breakfast where Ryan had made reservations for one night. It was amazing and so fun to hang out together, appreciating one another and the beautiful area. We explored Cambria, ate at a great restaurant, and picnicked on the beach. We met some great people at the bed and breakfast over their wine and cheese hour and later on, cookies and milk.

Here are a few pics of the Bed and Breakfast.

Our room with a cozy fireplace, perfect for the rainy weekend!

Banana Stuffed French Toast breakfast! Yummy!

Their sweet note on our bed. We even got to sleep in since we didn't have the little man. What a treat!

Hanging out at the cookies and milk hour.

On our way home we had some extra time, so Ryan indulged me by going with me to the Humane Society to pet the puppies and kittens. Super fun- I absolutely loved it! He did make me promise not to want a pet, as now would be a horrible time for a new pet.

Kittens...

Super cute lab who just wanted some lovin.

...and score! They even had 8 week chiuaua puppies.

We loved getting to take some time out to invest in our marriage and just be alone together. We hope to be purposeful in setting time aside for each other, even as life gets crazier and crazier. It sure is worth it!

Daily Happenings

Every day brings something new. Doing the "same old thing" with our "little new thing" makes everything so much fun. Recently, Josiah has been putting everything in his mouth. A few of his favorites include our noses when we kiss him, the baby wipe bag, his fingers, our fingers, and blankets. He is rolling from here to there, he loves being outside and gives flirty smiles to other babies, his own reflection, and anyone who smiles at him.

laughing so loud!



Here is how a huge majority of our days are spent ;)

A Sunday walk on the Jim Green Trail. We can do this 3.5 mile loop from our house, it's great!

First food! Ryan bought organic sweet potatoes and carrots and made our own baby food. Josiah loves it and never wants to stop eating!

Necessary

Honestly, it was really bad.