The Perils of Speed

Our camera battery died before we finished moving, but I took this photo before my parents arrived to help with the move and packing. I was attempting to pack the pantry while Jonathan was awake. One of many rookie mistakes. You can see the result. All of these items were stacked neatly in boxes before Jonathan got into them. Needless to say, the pantry packing was delayed until he slept. When my parents arrived, one person could distract the little man while the other two packed. Here is my dad on distraction duty.
The title of this blog is as a result of a crash that Jonathan had with the corner of the cupboards in the kitchen. He was running (now the only acceptable mode of movement) and tripped on something and ended up with his first bruise that broke the skin. Other dings have been just small bumps but this this was a large goose egg for much of the afternoon. So sad...

The light makes it a little bit hard to see, but we tried to commemorate the occasion with some photos. Based upon his family history (from Jamie) and his wreckless running, I am certain we are in for many more dings in the coming days.

Lastly - Jonathan had his 15 month check up a week or so ago... he is in the 10th percentile for weight. I think all of his weight is in his cheeks. His head is in the 75th percentile. Height is right in the middle somewhere. I think the running and the 10th percentile are directly related. He never stops moving unless asleep or strapped in his car seat.

~ Sarah ~

Exhale

We are finally settling in. After a almost year of waxing and waning chaos we have moved into a house and are unpacking things that have been in boxes sinces last April. Jamie echoed my thoughts on Sunday evening as we sat in our new living room, "I feel like I can finally exhale."

God has taught both of us a tremendous amount about how unimportant so many little "comfort" things really are in the larger scheme of life. Through all of the changes and small disappointments we had a heavenly Father who is loving and we had each other and Jonathan. And, many of the "comfort" things have returned: Jonathan is napping regularly and predictably (this did NOT happen for the first year of his life), we have rooms with a paint color other than the renter's white, we have photos of our family on the wall, and we have living space twice as large as our rental. Small gifts from God that I so appreciate!

In regards to the napping: Jonathan only needs one nap a day, but this nap sometimes intersects with lunch. This day lunch was at 10:45 and he still fell asleep in the middle of it. It is adorable to watch him start nodding off in the middle of chewing. Almost in la-la-land...
~ Sarah ~

The Chase Game and Puddles

Jonathan still loves to play chase, but there are now new variations on the game. He has added the element of crawling under the table to the original version of the game. This photo is after he has just crawled away from me - he is taunting me in an attempt to continue the game. Crayons are still among his favorite toys, and he was thrilled when I produced some "crayon/pencils" that I found in a box. He thought these were far better than the previous "large" crayons. I am guessing it is because they more closely resemble the pens and pencils that he sees me using.
A little video of Jonathan on the move...

Yesterday was one of the blissful days where the weather was unseasonably warm. Jonathan and I took a walk and after the walk, he wanted to play outside for a bit. Against all conventional wisdom: we ended up in the puddles. Both of us had a delightful time splashing and playing, and we were both SOAKED upon finishing our playtime. What a sight we must have been! We got several strange looks as folks passed by...

From your puddle splashing friends...

One might call it running

The line between running and walking gets quite blurry. However, Jonathan seems to be teetering on the edge of running. Depending on your definition of running - he might be already there. He is moving fast these days... whew! It keeps me on my toes. I am going to try to get some video of it this weekend and post it with some photos.

On another note: The movie, Wild Hogs has entered the top 5 for most enjoyable movies in my book. If you have not seen it, you must give it a try. I've now seen it a couple of times and I am planning to buy it so that I have it available whenever the mood strikes for a good laugh.

~Sarah~

Oh the mess!

I have instituted a new rule in the Guild household - all toys will be picked up before bedtime. Jamie and I have been cleaning them up after he goes to bed up to this point. I realize he is a little young to understand the concept of cleaning, but I prefer to start earlier rather than later. This mess is what preceeded the new rule: AAHHH! My goal is that he will learn that messes he makes are messes that he cleans. I realize this is a lofty goal for a 14 month old, but by the time he's two he should start to get it.
Hope messes like this are NOT anywhere near your house.
~Sarah~

Science Center

Our first trip to the Science Center was a success! All is well with the world - I love science and my son appears to like it, too. Well - he liked the balls to play with. We joined our friends, the Hogyas, at the Science Center today. It was great to see them - we miss having small group with them every week. Jonathan and Joshua were born only three days apart, so it has been fun to watch them grow and change. Joshua has a much calmer personality than Jonathan exhibits. They both loved the ball pit, and played there for quite a while. Please hone in on the ADORABLE dimple on Joshua... I love this photo.
Never one to observe without experiencing... Jonathan is IN the ball pit while others are playing around it.
I'm ready for the band - does anyone need a bell player?
Cindy Hogya, Jonathan and Joshua. She looks like she is instructing them, doesn't she?
Thanks for a great visit, Hogyas!

Hope you are all surviving the winter blah (as I call it). The winter blah covers the days of cold and rather dreary weather that seems to govern the moods of many (me included). I'm trying to remain optimistic about spring. :+)

~Sarah~

Happy New Year!

Jamie and I are hoping for a calmer 2008 than 2007 proved to be. After four years of calmly working for the same places and living in the same house, we have had quite the myriad of changes this year. As we reflect, we are most grateful for God's provision through all of the changes.

This is the little man on Christmas morning as the three of us celebrated our Christmas together. I love these pjs with the Christmas lights. They were a great hand-me-down. All of Jonathan's toys are stored in this little corner when not in use. Jamie decided to go back into the corner with him and play. He loves it when we do that. It is kind of like a hide-out or something of that nature.
My dear friend, Abby and her husband, Frank, were in Iowa over the holidays so we enjoyed spending some time with them. They live on the west coast so we get to see them much too infrequently. She, Carla and I grew up together so I miss being able to "dink around" with the two of them. My hope is that someday we'll live close to one another, again.

If you notice my hand on Abby's belly - she is 20 weeks pregnant so I wanted to make sure to acknowledge Baby's presence in the photo.

Happy New Year!

Sarah