Glen!

Here is the new family! Amy, Derrick and Glen!

Beautiful Mama!
Precious baby boy...
Born June 26, 2008. 7 lbs. 13 oz.
Together at last!

I love you!

Another new baby!

No pictures this time as I am away from home at the moment but as soon as I get home I hope to upload a few to post. One of my best friends from childhood just had her first baby, a little boy named Glen Allen (sorry if I didn't get the spelling!), on Thursday morning. He is beautiful and we are glad he is safely here. I visited with him and his mama this afternoon and took a few pics, will post later, and I got to see them bring her sweet little boy to her room for the first time as he had been in the special care nursery for some slight breathing difficulties from the medications she had needed. The look on her face as she finally got to hold her precious one close and know that he was safe and healthy and hers to keep was priceless. The wonder of a mother's intense love for her newborn, to not feel quite whole when they are away from you, I know it so well. I know it only gets deeper and more beautiful. I am so glad that she gets to experience this for herself. I know she has been longing for this child and preparing for his arrival carefully. They had a rough arrival but both are doing great now and settling in, getting to know each other. So here is to little Glen, his daddy, Derrick, and beautiful mama, Amy! Happy birthday little one and happy first mother's and father's day to your parents! I love you!

harvest

So, it's harvest time again! Harvest has always been my favorite time of year, even better than Christmas. It's warm, close to my birthday, and we get to spend at least a weak out in the fields riding combine with our dads, riding truck to co-op with Grandpa, and eating supper in the fields and playing in the wheat with our aunts, uncles and cousins. Then we spend a few days bailing up the straw which meant rides on top of the rack and plenty of bails to make tunnels in the barn, and the whole thing ended with Thresher's ice cream. Each family made a different kind of home made ice cream and we would all go out to the lake along with anyone who had helped and eat all the ice cream we possibly could. This year is Luke's first harvest and we also have some special guests this year, John and Susie, our relatives from Paraguay. When I lived there they had me out to the chaco several times. Susie always tried to make foods that I was missing, like spaghetti, and their whole family made me feel completely relaxed and at home. This is a good harvest year! Enjoy the pics.


Luke and I rode in the combine with my dad 3 whole loads and Luke didn't fuss a bit, he just watched the wheat intently the whole time. Then we went to Co op with grandpa and he really enjoyed the bouncy ride all the way until a train came by and scared him half to death with the loud whistle! After that someone always put their hands tight over his ears whenever a train came by, which was pretty often since the field we were cutting in is right along the tracks.

Tim is learning to drive truck this year. I love his aviators!

This year a lot of cousins are working on the farms with their dads and everyone came out for supper.

Mom made the meal, lasagna, green beans, home made french bread, watermelon, and tapioca pudding with water and mint tea to drink. It was sooooo good!


Here are John and Susie!

I love harvest!

kisses

This is one of the best things in the world! He just started this a few days ago and it is so much fun. Unfortunately Daddy doesn't get kisses yet, I think because his face is always scratchy.

videos (sideways)

On June 14 we were at my aunt and uncles house celebrating mother's day, father's day, and my grandma's birthday. My brother was playing with Luke, pretty cute, so we took a couple videos. Unfortunately the program I have right now won't let me rotate them so you will have to enjoy a few sideways until I get my new program.

The latest and greatest

Luke always throws back his head to smile at me when he is about done nursing and waves his arms around to pat me so today I turned it into a game. I would open my mouth and say ahhhh until I caught part of his hand in my mouth and then kiss it and let it go. he caught on really quickly and was smiling and laughing and I noticed that if I moved around to catch his hand he smiled a little but if I didn't move and he got it in my mouth himself he laughed really hard, proud of himself! He is still pretty wild with his movements but he can get his thumb in his mouth by himself if he isn't frustrated already. (-:

BBQ!

Here are some pictures from a BBQ at Ben and Andrea's for her birthday and also because she is going away to study for several weeks this summer.

Luke was really smiley that night, especially for Ben and Andrea, maybe he was thanking them for hosting!

Luke has been learning lots of new things lately. Last Thursday he was at my mom's and he finally got his thumb into his own mouth! Now he loves to suck on it whenever he can manage to get it to his mouth, and especially when he is tired.

Obviously Greg was taking the pictures that day.

Also here is a quick video we took the other day for aunt Becca! She made Luke two really cute little stuffed animals, a turtle and an elephant, and we got the elephant out two days ago and Luke loved it! He just watched it very intensely and beamed at it when his daddy made it dance. (-:

One more thing Luke learned recently was how to roll over. He hasn't got it down on command yet but yesterday while he was at Mom's he made it all the way over from front to back. It's so much fun watching him learn new things but at the same time I know that it means he is getting bigger so fast, he will never be that tiny baby again and I miss it already.

Work is going good at my new job, but I will be in orientation for a very long time I think. Because my shift is 3p-3a it is nice to always get to spend my mornings with Luke and makes it feel to me like I am not gone so long. We have had a few difficulties recently though. Luke decided not to take the bottle from Greg for about a week of shifts for me and Greg would bring him in to me to nurse after trying everything he could think of and having to hear Luke scream for 30+ minutes. They would get there both looking exhausted and defeated, Luke with sad red eyes from crying but so hopeful when he saw me, it just broke my heart! Finally we had Greg go out to my parent's house and try to feed him a bottle there and he took it and after that Greg hasn't had any trouble feeding him bottles at home either. That final day when he gave Greg a break I was so worried I felt like crying almost my whole shift, but Luke did ok so now I can relax again. At least this didn't happen when I worked so far away, Greg could get him to me in ten minutes instead of 50 which I think we all really appreciated at 1am.