Happy Birthday Lennie!

Today is Lennie's birthday -- we're so excited to celebrate another year of life.

Excited to wish Daddy a happy birthday. :)

Helping Daddy with his birthday candle...

I love you babe, and can't wait to see what the next few years brings!

First Hike

Today we took Matthew on his first hike. We explored a beautiful riverfront park near Carnation -- complete with a trip across a suspension bridge and Matthew's first ride in our jogging stroller. He enjoyed looking around and riding in comfort while we all took in some of the late summer sunshine. It was a beautiful day to be out in nature.

Six Months Old!

Our son is six months old today. This Labor Day weekend, we celebrate the beginning of college football, while also training our son to root for the correct team -- Go Huskies!

Roll Over!

They say that every child reaches milestones at a different pace -- although there are some general guidelines that most fall into. Matthew reached another milestone yesterday when he started rolling over on his own. We're very excited about this turn of events, especially since we have a very hard time getting Matthew to do any sort of "tummy time." It seems that Matthew would rather be standing (with our assistance, of course) and checking out the world than laying on his stomach and working on his muscles. (I can't say that I blame him, to be honest...) Since his first unassisted and unprompted roll over yesterday, it seems that he has been showing off his new skills to his grandparents all day today.

Rolling over today, scooting and crawling tomorrow... look out world! :) Here are two videos about rolling over to help put a smile on your face and to help us celebrate Matthew's milestone:

5 Months Old!

Time really does fly when you're having fun! It's hard to believe that our son is five months old today.

We sure love you, son, and can't wait to see what the next few months and years bring!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Happy fifth anniversary to the love of my life! Today marks the five year anniversary of our marriage, and I can honestly say that every day and every year continues to get better. I couldn't have asked for a better partner for this life adventure, and I'm very grateful to have you by my side.

I love you Lennie! Here's to another great year together!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July! Today our son is 4 months and 2 days old. Here he is decked out in his finest 4th of July duds:

The joke in Seattle is usually "summer comes on the 5th of July!" However, this year we were blessed with sunny and warm weather. So, after a morning of naps for the boys and working in the yard for me, we took my parents to the Carnation 4th of July festival, where we enjoyed some barbecue sandwiches and browsing a fun car show. What a great way to spend the day!

Tonight, we hope to continue to enjoy the sunshine and then join our neighbors in setting off some fireworks. Have a safe 4th everyone!

First Mariner's Game!

I can't say that we're big baseball fans here in our house, but I can say that when free tickets are dropped in our laps, we're more than happy to go and root for the home team. :)

Yesterday, we took our son to his first Mariner's game. Our seats couldn't have been better -- 13 rows from the field just past first base. Matthew was awake for the whole game, and even flirted with the ladies in the row behind us. It was also fun to walk with him throughout the ballpark, as people would stop us and tell us how cute he is. (Indeed, we think he's pretty cute!)

The Mariners played the Baltimore Orioles, and to our delight they won the game with a score of 6 to 3. Go Mariners!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the greatest husband in the land. Lennie, I'm so grateful to have you in my life, and I love watching you with our son.

We love you Lennie!

Baptism

Today, we celebrated our son's baptism. We walk in faith that God is with us and hears our prayers. We believe that we are saved through grace, and that it is important that God is always a central figure in our family.

Matthew, we pray that you will be continued blessed in your life, as you have blessed us. Matthew means "Gift from God," and we truly believe that you are a gift to us. We can't wait to see you grow up and discover your strengths, and as you learn of your weaknesses, we pray that you will look to God for strength and wisdom.

During your baptism at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, I read the life verse that we selected for you. I hope that you find these to be words to live by:

Matthew 22:36-40 (The Message): One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”