Micah's New Baby

I'm so excited for Micah to be a big brother! In preparation for the new baby that will be joining our family in about 5 and a half months, I bought Micah his very own dolly. Erik thinks she's freaky-looking, but I think she's cute. I think she's a cabbage patch, but I'm not sure. She was a Value Village special.

Anyway, Micah has actually been quite interested in her, and surprisingly gentle considering he's big on toy-throwing! I've taught him how to hold the baby and burp the baby and put the baby to bed, and he's even willing to share his soother with her on occasion.

The other morning I was in the bathroom when I heard Micah saying "Ock-a, Ock-a". This is usually the sound he makes when he rocks in his own toddler-size rocking chair at Grandma's house, but when I found him in the living room he was holding his baby and gently rocking her back and forth. So cute!!

Saturday

A tasty treat...

Hard at work.

Daddy & Micah in their matching outfits. A little cheesy - I know! Erik bought his camouflage shorts a few weeks ago and the other day I was in Target down in Bellingham and found the toddler equivalent. I couldn't resist! I love Target!!

Signs & Sounds

Micah has really been starting to communicate more and more with us in the past couple of months. He's saying quite a few words now and making lots of animal sounds (which apparently count for words, too, I heard). Some of his favourite words right now are "hot", "hockey", "baby", and "appy" (for apple or applesauce). And he loves making the sounds for lion and elephant.
Before he turned 1 we started introducing a bit of sign language. I didn't know how interested he would be, but now at almost 18 months, Micah's learned about 25 different signs - some of them are actual American Sign Language, while a lot of them are just made up hand gestures that seem to get the point across.


This is the sign for "more". It was the first sign Micah learned at about 11 months.


"Sorry" - We just learned this one last week. We seem to need it a lot lately - especially when the boys that I babysit come over. Toddlers sure don't like sharing.


"Cold" - Micah made this one up himself. It started with Grandma putting his hand up against the cold window in the winter and touching it to his face. He's also added the effect of intensely shaking his head while he does the sign :)

The Joys of Feeding Toddlers

Someone tell me how you teach a 17-month-old NOT to throw his food! Most of the time Micah will only throw food if he doesn't like it or if he's full - that's usually how he lets me know he's "all done" even though I've taught him the sign language for it :) And now that we are into self-spoon-feeding, he has discovered the joys of flinging the bowl's contents across the room. The other day I left the room for barely a minute and returned to find yogurt all over the floor, all over the table, all over the highchair and all over Micah.

The guilty culprit looking oh-so-innocent.

The Devan Nursery Petting Zoo

Today, Micah and I went with his Grandma Toews to visit the petting zoo at the nursery just a few minutes away.
Micah was fascinated by the chickens, sheep, goats and rabbits...
But after about 10 minutes, he went back to his favourite past-time - throwing rocks. One persistent goat kept rubbing up against him looking for affection, but Micah would just give him a funny look and pick up another rock. 

6 Random Facts About ME!

Janelle has tagged me AGAIN! So, here goes with some random facts...

1. I was always the shortest kid in my class. This meant being in the front row for EVERYTHING - including Christmas concerts when I would sometimes have to stand in a row with a lower grade... Being the shortest also meant being the first to get my picture taken on photo day and the last to be picked in gym class.

2. In my spare time, I work on a novel. But, don't get too excited - I've been working on it for the past 5 years and I'm only on chapter 4. So at this rate, I've got at least 20 more years before I'll be finished.

3. I secretly don't mind watching hockey. In fact, now that the playoffs are on, Erik is usually upstairs watching with his family and I admit that I sometimes have the game on downstairs too :)

4. My thumbs look like toes. Really, they do - fat and wide and kind of ugly. Acrylic nails would never fit on them.

5. I hate doing the dishes. It kind of grosses me out. For this reason, I will cram absolutely everything I can into the dishwasher. (Probably in the time I spend fitting in all the dishes together like puzzle pieces, I could've washed them by hand...)

6. I love ebay! After several years of watching my sisters become proficient 'ebay-ers' and thinking it just wasn't for me, I have crossed over to the other side.

OK, that was tough! But, now I need to tag someone else.... So, I tag the two newest bloggers I know, my sister-in-laws, Elissa & Rosanna. Have fun!!

Gift Opening

On Sunday afternoon, we joined Rosanna & Nathan at their new place to watch them open their gifts. (By the way, the patio set they're sitting on was the gift from all of us siblings - gotta love IKEA!) It was a BEAUTIFUL day and Micah definitely enjoyed snacking off of Grandpa's plate and exploring in the backyard.


 

Mommy's Day

A glimpse of our growing "bean"...



Happy Mother's Day!!

Post-Wedding Fun

After the wedding was over on Saturday, there was still a lot of activity around here!


Micah enjoyed playing with his cousin-aunts (??)Dana & Lauren from Saskatoon.

One of Nathan's 2 German friends, Benny (who flew all the way here to surprise him) tried very hard to make friends with Micah over the week, but Micah didn't really reciprocate. Sorry Benny.

And then there's Uncle Doug with the mideivel hat - actually a busted soccer ball turned inside out.


And here's Micah yesterday getting himself into some fun!

More Wedding Memories...

Here are a few more pictures from Nathan & Rosanna's special day...


The Bride & Groom posing for a picture with a very unwilling ringbearer.


Our little family.


Micah sharing his nuk with his Auntie Elissa.


Taking pictures is hard work!


Yummy cheesecake!!

Here Comes The Ringbearer...

On Saturday, May 6, Erik's brother Nathan and his fiancee Rosanna were married! They decided to ask all of their siblings (spouses included) to be in the wedding party, so we were very excited to be able to stand up for them. Micah stole the show as the ringbearer. He walked ahead of Erik and I down the aisle holding a teddy bear. The closer he got to the stage, the more aware he became of the gawking faces and flashing cameras. He eventually slowed almost to a stop and Erik carried him the rest of the way. After the bride came down the aisle, Erik discreetly passed Micah on to a friend (thanks Lori!) who took him out of the ceremony. He didn't make a peep (until later, apparently...) Here he is enjoying the farmyard where we took pictures earlier in the afternoon.

(top L) Don't Doug & Erik make lovely bridesmaids?
(top R) Me & Elissa.
(bottom L) The men - Nathan's brothers and brothers-in-law.
(bottom R) The women - Rosanna's sister & sisters-in-law (minus Kristy - we missed you!)


Some more random pictures from the day.

The Toews side of the wedding party.

And here's the couple - don't they look great?

After the ceremony we had a great dessert reception (catered by Afterthoughts for those of you from around here - very yummy!) I was able to leave Micah home with the babysitter and thoroughly enjoyed my evening!

Congratulations you guys! What a great day! Rosanna, I'm so excited to have you as a sister-in-law and I look forward to seeing you both when you get back!

Way to Go Daddy!

Well, it's been a long time coming, but this past weekend Erik walked the stage and received his BA in Biblical Studies at CBC! He did his first 2 years at Bethany way back before we were married, and after a few years of break, he went back to finish his BA here in Abbotsford. In 2004 he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease - the stress of school was not helping his health and so he dropped out for a semester and then majorly cut back on his classes for the remaining semesters. But, he was determined to finish and he did! In the end, he has become confident of his passions and giftings. What he really wants to do is work with his hands, using his practical skills and abilities. And he has discovered a passion to share his faith and walk alongside the everyday people that he works with. It's encouraging to see God's hand in all of this - the timing was not what we anticipated, but it has been a growing and stretching experience for us and so we're thankful for his leading on this journey. I love you, Erik and I'm really proud of you!

Simple Pleasures

Well, I've been tagged by Janelle and I'm supposed to list 10 simple pleasures. So, here goes...

1. Catching a nap on the couch in the afternoon while Micah's sleeping.
2. Singing in the car when I'm by myself (or with Micah - he doesn't seem to mind).
3. The 2 cheeseburger meal at McDonald's - yum!
4. Reading a good book.
5. Watching Erik and Micah play together.
6. Opening our bedroom window for night - it smells SO good.
7. Thunder storms - though we don't get them a lot here.
8. Slurpees & candy!!
9. Sitting on really soft grass in the summer.
10. Blogging!

OK, I guess the rule is that I have to tag someone else now - so I tag Erin E., Lisa, & Erin K. Have fun!

Playtime Pics

Do you like our matching t-shirts? Mine is size 6-12 months and it still fits me almost a year after Mommy bought it.


Hmmm, I wonder what channel Blue's Clues is on...


Catching up on my reading in the bathroom. Hey, is that the new MB Herald?


Yep, I'm recyclable.

Good-bye Ponytails!

On Saturday I took the plunge and got my hair chopped! I know the cardinal rule is that you should never get your hair cut when you're pregnant - you'll usually just regret it later. But, I think that only applies to the third trimester when you're incredibly "whale-ish" and swollen, and you can't seem to get your hair to look good no matter what you do (you realize later it's because your face has puffed up to twice it's regular size)... So, I figured that since I'm only in my 1st trimester and still feeling rather normal and "un-puffy", it was safe to go for it. Besides, I've been thinking of doing it for a while now and with Nathan & Rosanna's wedding just around the corner, I was in need of an update. Thankfully my bed-head hasn't been too bad since I can't just pull it back in a ponytail anymore. Anyone need some extra hair elastics??

Happy Easter Everybody!

Love Erik, Jamie, Micah & Baby Toews

Spring Has Sprung!

Micah and I took the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful BC afternoon. It feels like summer's definitely on it's way! He loves exploring in the backyard and always complains when it's time to come back inside...