11 months and crying

Really, I can not believe how time is not just flying by, but it seems to be on warp speed. What a joy these 11 months have been. Myles has been a great baby to end on, not perfect, but by Wicks' standards, almost. If only my pregnancies were as great *sigh* I would have 3 more; at least. He gets cuter every day and full of laughter and excitement. He gets as tan as the rest of them; mama looks so pasty white even after being at the pool everyday. It also seems he is becoming a blond, as blond as Haydee. Love it! Speaking of the pool, he LOVES the water, as much as his sisters. Only problem is he thinks he can keep up with them. He eats really well and is enjoying most food right along with us, especially fruit. No first steps yet, just cruising the furniture and pulling things down that should be up. He crawls like a ape, but is super speedy. He gets a kick out of banging things like a drum to see what sounds they make and if he likes it, well, it entertains him for awhile. Payge still makes his laugh like no one else, but Haydee has been getting a giggle or two lately.
I've been realizing that it has been easy to let the girls do all the entertaining, so I've been making an effort to get down and play with him. He is learning so much everyday and taking in everything around him. It seems like I spend so much time nursing him still, but I know I will miss this bonding the most and all too soon it will be over. So, I work hard to treasure this time.
I didn't get to do the professional shots at 9 months, he busted his lip on the fireplace that morning and well, it just never got rescheduled. Anyway, that is usually when we do the "naked" photos. I know he is a boy and will not be very happy someday about these, but I had to get these in before he got any older. They are edited for public viewing, but he did have his hands perfectly positioned, which is amazing, considering how fast that boy moves.

It's the little things

The same, but... very different

Myles turned 10 months. Have I mentioned before how his first year is going way too fast? We tried a sippy cup, until that point I had been his only source of liquid. He was more interested in playing with the cup and banging it on his chair. Now, after that, he is interested in playing with his other food source. I don't find that as entertaining, especially when trying to be discrete.
The girls went to a VBS at a church nearby, like 2 minutes nearby. What an awesome church. So impressed by a lot of things. We love our home church, but it is very far. We miss getting involved, but not sure exactly what the Lord has for us, right now. They had a "beach blast" and are even more anxious to start school, which won't be for at least another year plus. Payge would ask every day "Where we were going, again?" and kept confusing "VBS" with the name of a local grocery store "Hy-vee". I think it was the letter "v" that kept throwing her off, because they don't sound anything alike. It was cute when she was so excited to tell everyone that she got to go to "Hy-vee" that day! It made quite an impression on her because after the last day she and I went on a little date and we started talking about Heaven and being with Jesus. All of this led to praying together, as a family, that night before bed to ask Jesus into her heart. I never imagined at 4 that a child could make that decision, but I truly believe that she understood what she was doing. The full understanding will continue to grow, but I am so grateful for their experience! The next night Payge really wanted Haydee to ask Jesus into her heart. Haydee very kindly answered, "No, I'm not ready yet."

Garden update

I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but our garden has been thriving this year! At least, until we went out of town last weekend. A few plants survived, the bigger somewhat more important ones at least did. Mostly, thanks to my husband's cousin, Jessica, who really helped us out and remembered to water, even when we didn't! The cilantro and parsley were doing awesome until that point, but now, I must buy them at the grocery store ; ( Anyway, the Basil has been awesome, we've gotten a few delicious tomatoes, and the peppers are growing in nicely! Spencer made a trellis for the tomatoes which has become wonderfully necessary.
The pictures are from a few weeks ago and the pizza is the first dish made from the garden. Chicken pesto pizza. Yummy!

By the way, I've found swapping out the pine nuts for walnuts in the pesto is a cheaper substitute and just as tasty!

Memorial Weekend

First chocolate animal crackers- yummy- I know, I want to eat him too

 Uncle Tyler is driving?

Proud little fisherwoman

Cole got baptized in the lake that weekend!

Jenni was showing Noelle and me her Kettle bell workout

Long, fun day

May highlights

"

"And God, you can text us any time you want. Amen."- Payge
"Mommy, I want Peter Pan to take me to Neverland."- Payge

"Dadadada"- Myles

"Whaaaa, my teeth hurt!"- Myles

"Pupunzel!"- Haydee (about her favorite movie Tangled)
"Mommy can you put some hiccup on me?"- Haydee (when I am putting make-up on)

"Streck it"
"Slick it"- Payge and Haydee's cooking words
"Tuck it"- what they do to "serve" mommy every morning when they make their bed.

The One Thing No One Ever Tells you About Sex

A great subtitle to, "What are You Waiting For? by Dannah Gresh,but I got way more out of this than just "one thing" that no one ever tells you. Refreshing honesty that not only the generation facing peer pressure can learn from, but also for those who want answers to struggles they may face from giving into peer pressure of the past. As a mom of young daughters and an infant son, I don't yet have to give the 'birds and the bees' talk, but I feel so much more equipped to answer the questions and fears they will face in the future. Some more conservative parents might shy away from the descriptive words used, but trust me, if your teenager has even seen the cover of today's magazines they need to read this book. This isn't just a book on STD's or teen pregnancy, it goes so much deeper and really answers questions *every* person faces.
Dannah Gresh uses clear references to scripture to back up every chapter topic while weaving in personal stories that help illustrate her point. She even goes back to the original Hebrew/Greek to help explain what God's word is trying to show us.
Trust me, you won't need to worry about forcing your teenager to read this book. Just leave it lying around and they will be sure to pick it up and be hooked.
***"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review***