A Visist From Uncle Johnny

I just had to brag about my little brother real quickly. I know, I have posted nothing about Thanksgiving, or anything in a little while, but I have to post this now...updates later. My little brother, Johnny, is visiting for the week. I am suppose to be helping him with his last week of schoolwork before his Christmas vacation (my mom took a seasonal job that started this week, so she needed someone to help Johnny). But he has wound up being more help to me than I am to him...at least that's what I think. He gets along with Jesse so well...they love playing together, and Johnny will often entertain Jesse while I cook dinner, TAKE A SHOWER, or whatever. Just yesterday, we were helping decorate a ladies house for Christmas, and Johnny played with Jesse almost half of the time, which freed me up to be more helpful. And (this is the cute one) just today, I asked Johnny to watch Jesse while I took a shower, and when I came out, there they were, sitting in the rocking chair, Jesse asleep in Johnny's arms! It was so cute! I am really going to miss Johnny when he goes home on Friday.

The little Driver

Well, Jesse's Dad finally figured out how to post videos. Check out this clip of him "driving" his car.

Ok, I know I just updated, but you like new videos, I know. I could'nt resist putting this one up. Jesse is so much fun to video. Enjoy the pictures too of my Little Drowned Rat, as Daddy so affectionately loves to call him under these circomstances.

Oooopppss! Update needed!

So, I must be getting really forgetful. There is something new about Jesse this month! He has his first tooth!!! It came in 3 weeks ago, and a second just broke through today. I LOVE his cute little tooth. Can you see it on the bottom left?

Here are a couple more pics, just cause I am here doing this. We took Jesse to a pumpkin patch last Sunday, and here we are with him carving the pumpkin. Yes, he is trying to eat the inside of the pumpkin. =)

Here's our little "Tigger".

And here he managed to open and climb into the bottom drawer while daddy was cooking dinner. He is a little rascal.

Time Flies!!!

Well, here it is almost at the end of October. Where does the time go? Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and it always seems to go so fast. Since my last post, Jesse is still growing, but not many new things to report. He is getting better and better at the skills he has learned...like crawling, sitting up, and cruzing. But no, he is not walking yet. Here are some really cute pics we took this month. My parents both had their birthdays this month, and we went to see them that weekend. They loved having Jesse stay with them for a weekend...I don't think they really noticed that Stephen and I were even there. =) LOL JK So, here are some October pics and videos of the little cutie. Enjoy!!!

Daddy and Baby. My Blue Eyed Boys!

Jesse likes to find odd places to crawl into.

Yes, I made a swing outside our front door. Jesse loves it!Jesse loves playing in the water outside. =)

Video for Grandma

Ok, Grandma, here is the little cutie! He is eating cucmbers, having a geat time. He loves feeding himself. =)

SO Big!

Well, our little man is growing like a weed. He had a check-up last week, and he was 27 inches long, but only 17.8 lbs. According to the doctor, he is in the 80th percentile in height (meaning only 20 percent of kids his age are taller than him), but only the 10th percentile in weight (90 percent of kids his age are heavier than him). So, we are growing a tall, skinny boy...just like daddy. I am hoping that this trend continues. =) His motor development, however, is the thing that is progressing by leaps and bounds. There is no stopping him now from crawling wherever he wants to go...and he goes fast! He has learned how to cruz sideways along the couch, the short wall outside, or whatever he finds to pull himself up with. While standing, he can switch from one chair to another, or from the wall to my leg. =) His balance has gotten much better, and he hardly ever falls down now. He can (and does) get himself into the sitting position, and will play that way. He can climb up steps, and with some care he can get back down. He will walk on hands and feet instead of knees when he is crawling over something that is rough, like dirt. He can pick up Cheerios with his fingers, or whatever other food I give him...or the dirt or bugs he finds on the floor. His sense of humor gets more and more fun the older he gets, and the things that he finds funny often make Stephen and I laugh, too. I think this is my most favorite stage so far. He is so much fun. I love him sooo much. And he loves his daddy!!!!!!!!!!!
Event-wise, we have gone on a camping trip with the Costello's, visited Mamaw and Grandaddy Isbell while daddy went on a camping trip, and gone to the Wild Animal Park with our friends Kirsten and her son, Justice. Jesse loves animals.
We love our little cutie!

Our Active 6 Month Old

I have realized lately that I have been publishing a lot of info about what Jesse has been doing as far as trips and activities go, and not much about his physical growth...which is progressing by leaps and bounds. So....Jesse is now almost 6 months old (on the 20th), and this is what he can do now. He scooted on his belly for about two weeks, and now he CRAWLS EVERY
WHERE!!! And he is not content with that! He pulls himself up on everything he can reach... and, of course, he falls often.
I began feeding him solid food in August, and he loves it. He feeds himself crackers, and loves anything else I will give him.
He loves to explores everything, and be involved in every thing I am doing... from "helping" me put away groceries,
to doing dishes with me, to even... yes, even laundry. =)

He also recently dis-covered the excite-ment of a swim-ming pool, and now every time he is submerged in water, he laughs and splashes, and thinks it's just the best thing ever. Thank you Aunt Angela for playing with him in the pool near your house.


And, probably my favorite thing is that he finds everything funny! He laughs all the time, at the silliest things. The world is fun, exciting, and new, and he loves it. He is soooo CUTE!!!!

Chicago!

This month, Stephen had a work related trip not far from Chicago, so Jesse and I came along to visit with Stephen's sister, Anna Jo, who lives very close to Chicago. We took a red eye flight on Friday night, and stayed a whole week. Stephen only had to work 2 of those days, so it was a nice little vacation for us. Jesse met his Aunt A.J. for the first time, and loved her four dogs. We also went on a little sight seeing in downtown Chicago, which was lots of fun. Jesse went on all common means of transportation during the trip. He flew to Chicago, drove to his aunt's house, took the train into down town Chicago,

and road a "water taxi" down the Chicago River. He even got to ride a carrossell on the Navy Pier in Chicago. I have to say, Jesse is a very good traveler. He slept on the plane, in the car, and on the train. The boat ride was a bit too short for sleeping. =) Thank you A.J and Steve for letting us visit with you. We had so much fun!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Holidays are great excuses to visit family! To celebrate July 4th, we traveled (at night while Jesse was asleep) up to Oxnard to visit with Stephen's side of the family. Cousin Becky from PA is staying with them for the summer, and we had fun hanging out with her one afternoon. Jesse and daddy were getting into trouble again, as usual, but having fun doing it. =) Jesse saw fireworks for the first time, which I wasn't too sure he would like. But after the startle of the first couple, he actually saw them, and was fascinated for the rest of the 1/2 hour show. Also for the first time that weekend, Jesse got his first inter-action with a real dog (no, Crouton doesn't count). The dog's name is Marely, and she belongs to Randy and Lindsey Carpenter, the former of whom is a really good friend of Stephen's. Jesse loved her, and she was very gentle with Jesse. If we can have a dog someday, we think this is a good kind to think about getting. Any opinions out there about what the best family dog is? I accept all suggestions. =) Thank you Isbell grandparents for letting us come up for the weekend. It was so fun!!!


P.S.
One more note. Jesse has a new favorite way to travel ... facing forward in the stroller, eating the back of the seat, watching the world. I think he should patent the idea.

Hot Summer Days

July has been a busy month so far. It has been fairly hot in Fallbrook so we have been hibernating a lot during the day, and coming out to have fun in the evening. Jesse likes being outside, as you can see.
Here he is helping daddy wash the cars.
Ok, so maybe daddy did most of the work while Jesse and I watched and played.=) But, hey, we were an essential part of the team! The week before July 4th, my mom and Suey came down to visit for a couple days. While they were here, we went to the San Diego Zoo with Aunt Candy, Holly, and her three kids, Abby, Gracie, and MacArthur. It's always fun to have visitors. Doesn't Aunty Suey look like she is having sooo much fun? =) Thanks for coming! It was a lot of fun!!!

"Everything changes..."

Summer is here! And with it comes several exciting changes. Jesse is getting bigger and more active every day. He is never still. He rolls over all the time, puts every thing he can reach into his mouth, and is very noisy...I think he inherited his father's "Gift Of Gab". =) He will probably be crawling by the end of the summer, which is going to make our little one bedroom apartment even smaller. We are feeling the need for more room...and, as many know, the housing market in So Cal (like everywhere) is very low right now. Therefore, Stephen and I decided that now would be a great time to look for a house.

We have looked at several houses several times, and have refined our search to a specific neighborhood that is close to the base (where Stephen works), and feels safe and nice. We are putting offers in on two houses at this point, neither of which might work out, because of the nature of the sales. But we know God has a perfect place for us, and we are patiently (and with great excit -ment) waiting on Him. We are tight in our apartment, but are in no hurry. We know we could certainly stay where we are much longer if need be. So, that is our summer excitement. Please pray with us for God's direction and wisdom. Enjoy the pictures of our growing boy! =)

At the Costello's

L to R: Aunty Sarah Jesse, Great Grandma Hyson, Uncle Johnny What a little poser!



Aaaaahhhhh!!! It's spitting!!! Is grandma trying to teach the baby how to crawl? Or is she about to kiss him? It's anyone's guess.

Aw! Aunt Joey and the little nephew. Aren't they cute?