Pictures

This is just a quick little update with some pictures...

Andrew is still learning his letters. He plays with his LeapFrog refrigerator magnets everyday. They are a new favorite of his. Its the first thing he does in the morning and since the refrigerator is right in the middle of our house, he passes it on a regular basis and sure enough, every time he passes it, he plays with his letters. He now knows D, H, W, K, and he is working on C. He knows what they look like AND the sound that they make. What a smart kid! He is talking more and more everyday and his words get clearer everyday. I am thankful for his communication skills... he tells me when he's hungry, what he wants to eat, when he is thirsty, when he wants to play, what he wants to play with, when he wants a bath or shower and which one he prefers that day... My favorite is when he tells me he needs a new diaper and I wish he would say he's ready for "night-night" more often. He's very personable as well... he says hi to everyone he sees at church by name. (With our help, of course, but it's still pretty sweet.) I will leave you now with some pictures...

This is our attempt at a family picture. Its a little blurry... ok, VERY blurry, but it would have been a really good one.

Mommy and Andrew decorating the tree... Andrew looks as though he wants me out of the picture. Hmm...

Daddy and Andrew... along with one of the loves of his life, a drumstick.

Andrew adding his final touch to our tree...

CHEESE! He's NOT camera shy!

Mommy and Andrew on Christmas Day... I am gross, but he's cute!

Andrew and Daddy openning presents at Grandpa's... Check out the boots!

Apparently, Andrew thought it was "fitting."

Another shot of the boots and his favorite shirt... it has guitars on it!

Going for a wagon-ride with Nicky...

Andrew and Logann eating cereal... best of buds :D

What's new? He found a guitar!








Sportin' momma's scarf while eating lunch... notice that my son does not like wearing pants?

Sharing a yummy "daddy-made" smoothie with momma... again, with no pants.

Okay - the story behind this picture is... he took a shower and when he got out, he was tired and cold. So, I put a diaper on him and wrapped him in his towel and held him in an attempt to warm him up before I had to put his clothes on... He fell asleep and it made for a cute picture. He slept for nearly 2 hours just like this.

The holidays, time with family and friends, and my little genius.

Well, the holidays are over along with our much needed break from school and some work. It sounds sad, but I am ready to get back to what I consider "our normal life." I start back to school tomorrow and I am pretty excited about it. This semester, I get to teach 7th and 8th graders about the amazing human body and 9th-12th graders about the vast world of Zoology... that means we get to dissect things! I know, I know... I'm a big nerd. Seminary started back up last Thursday, but Zack won't officially start classes until next Monday, due to Martin Luther King Day. Well, he does have one of his 3 weekend classes this weekend. Boo!

We had a great Christmas. Andrew was a lot of fun this year! Both my mom and Zack's mom were able to come down and spend Christmas with us. This was great as we didn't have to pack all of our belongings, drive for 5 hours just to drive more and more and spend a night or two with EVERYONE in Tulsa... ugh! Just the thought of it makes me tired. Andrew spent those few days showing off for his grandmas and loving the attention and all the sweets that he could charm out of them. I do believe he got enough cookies, soda, candy, etc., to last him for the year... at least by my standards for him. Andrew was also bathed in gift after gift after gift. He had so many under the tree that we started letting him open some on Tuesday so that he wouldn't be so overwhelmed on Christmas day. He loved all of his gifts, but I think the one he has played with the most is his single key that Zack bought at Wal-Mart to put in his stocking. My kid is obsessed!

After our mom's headed out on Christmas day, we packed a few things and headed to Weatherford, OK, to spend some time with the Johnson family. Their house is always so restful... they feed us well and don't have to be doing something every second that we are there. Andrew had a blast hanging out with Logann, so we decided to spend New Years' together, too!

Next on the agenda was to head to Watova, OK, to see Zack's dad. We love going out there... they, too, feed us well and what is there to do when your 30 minutes away from the closest Wal-Mart? Andrew and Nicky played well together. Both boys are growing so fast.

Andrew is turning into a little sponge. He now knows the colors green, blue, yellow, orange, red, and purple and what the "H" and "D" say... mostly because D is for Daddy and H... is just fun. He has also been interested in the potty for the past couple of weeks. In fact, he has been successful in making it to the potty several times. I'm not pushing it too much, but what parent of an almost 2 year old wouldn't be excited? He has also become obsessed with the guitar... EVERYTHING can become a guitar; a drumstick, fork, his previously mentioned key, the nutcracker we had out for a Christmas decoration, a crayon, a stick he finds outside, a golf club, his toy vacuum. You name it, its a guitar. And if he doesn't have a real pic in his hand, he has a pretend one that he shows me from time to time. He has my little electric guitar that my dad got for me when I was his age and he and Zack play together at least once a day. He knows how to hold the guitar and strum and he sometimes even tries to imitate the chords that Zack plays... he moves his fingers around on the strings anyway. Its fun to watch and Zack and I can't imagine what kind of guitar player he may be if this obsession continues. Besides the guitar, he also loves drums, but definitely nothing like he does the guitar. He is definitely a fun little guy and we so blessed by him everyday.

I hope all is well with you... the few of you that read this. I pray that this year brings you many more blessings and wonderful times with your family and friends. Sorry, no pictures this time, my internet is being slow and I am being lazy. Love to all!