Meeting Henry Andrew!

Yesterday my parents, Caleb, Ben, and I went to Philadelphia to meet Henry Andrew. He is so handsome with his big blue eyes and very laid back personality. I am so in love with this sweet boy! 

Mike is a great dad to Henry, it is so cute to watch the two of them.

My mom was in newborn heaven.

 And so was I.

 We tried to get a picture of best friends and our little boys. In true Caleb fashion, he was doing something funny and we were all watching him.

 Benjamin (6 months) and Henry (2 months).

Marissa is a beautiful mom, inside and out. She is my best friend for 18 years, and I love watching her develop into the creative, spunky, loving, compassionate, and fun person she is today!

Random picture, but on our walk downtown we passed a cute cat sight and I couldn't resist:)

 It was a beautiful day outside, and I loved seeing all the blooming trees and flowers downtown. Philly has lots of cherry blossom trees too! Caleb and Mike became good buddies, and Mike chased him all through the park, up the Rocky Steps, around the art museum...it was a good workout for all.

 My parents adore Marissa, she was their second daughter growing up.

Benjamin was having such a good time, he passed out for most of the afternoon.

Famous Rocky statue

Caleb checking out Philadeplhia some more... 

Top of the Rocky steps

 Caleb made it all the way to the top too, thanks to Uncle Mike's help!

 View of Philly from the top....yes, this man was seriously flexing for about 5 minutes, and his girlfriend was taking pictures!

Happy parents. Love you 3! Thanks for the fun day and introducting us to little Henry :)

 

 

Ben is 6 months old!

Our little boy is growing, growing, growing! He sits up, babbles gagaga and goo all the time, he bears weight well on his legs, rolls from his belly to back, and can almost roll from his back to his belly. He laughs out loud, watches his brother closely, and he is happy as can be!

 At Ben's 6 month checkup on Friday, he was 17lbs 9oz (50%), 26.75 inches (83%), head 17 inches (43%). Look at his chunky thighs! He wears a size 3 diaper and 6-9 month clothes. He nurses every 3-4 hours, takes about 3 naps a day. His night time sleep is regressing, he is up 2-3 times a night, but he sure is a happy boy when he wakes in the middle of the night and he usually goes right back to sleep.

 

Ben is eating rice cereal too. He has had it in a bottle for a couple of months, and we have tried feeding it by spoon, but until last week he would spit it right out. Now he likes it, so we will try oatmeal next. He has his 2 bottom teeth, and he is probably working on more with the way he drools!

We love you Benjamin, stop growing so fast!!

And here is Caleb at 6 months

 

Celebrating Grandpa and Grandma R. and the DC Cherry Blossoms

My parents are in town this week to visit us, and it is going to be the last time we see them for a while. In two weeks, my parents will be moving to Hawaii, and in a little over a month, we will be moving to the Middle East! Moving to Hawaii has been a dream of my parents for many years, and we are excited that they are finallly able to pursue this oppportunity. Caleb was excited about their arrival, and he wanted to go with Nathan to pick them up from the airport.

We played around the house that evening, and the boys enjoyed the extra love and attention. Caleb is even sporting his Hawaiin shirt:) 

And Ben is happy to see Grandpa and Grandma. 

Last week my mom retired! She worked very hard her entire life, and I am very proud of her many accomplishments and most importantly the people she impacted along the way. 

Cherry blossom season is one of my favorite times of the year to be in the DC area. I have seen everything from rain, to snow, to beautiful sunny weather for the cherry blossom peak, and I have been lucky to get downtown almost every year for the peak since I lived in the area. This year, the weather was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! Here are some pictures from our day today.

We visited the Jefferson Monument, and Caleb climbed all the way to the top and back down. He is training for our trip to the Rocky stairs in Philadelphia this weekend.

After walking around the Tidal Basin, we found a shady tree to relax under.

Caleb is so sweet, this tree got a hug and a kiss:).



 

We had a fun day soaking up the beauty of the cherry blossoms! 

 

 

 

Daddy's home...

Nathan is back from Ethiopia, and he had an incredible trip. I listened to his stories, saw many pictures, am reading a blog that one of the women on the team kept, and shed tears thinking about the circumstances these innocent children are exposed to.  God really did choose the perfect team for this trip, and each one  of them has a true servants heart. I am so thankful for Nathan's opportunity to travel to Ethiopia, and I know this experience will remain part of his life forever. God really worked some amazing miracles that week, but I'll leave those details to Nathan to share with you at a later time. In the meantime, we are very happy that daddy is home.

 Ben was so happy he celebrated by eating some rice cereal!

 And Caleb is turning into such a great helper with everything we do.

 The cherry and violet trees and spring flowers are blooming and so beautiful.

 

We excited that my parents are coming to visit tomorrow, for a week. We are looking forward the time we will spend together, and the fun activities we have planned.