The More the Merrier!

When we reserved #92 seven months ago, we noticed that #91 was also available. Without making definite plans with anyone, we snatched up a second camp spot and went on the hunt for other happy campers.
In addition to Nate's parents, we were so excited when the Tanners and Havicans wanted to try out the fun in Tahoe. Our 5 little ones had a great time...and I think their parents did too.
In addition to keeping us entertained, Paisley was always wanting to help. She offered to do the dishes and did a great job helping Nate's mom make peach cobbler.
It was, by far, the best camping trip we've taken. Good friends, delicious food, and great conversation made for a perfect camping experience, even with those 5 little ones.

Maybe we'll try to work a miracle and get 91, 92 and 93 next year. Anyone want to join us?

Fun With Grandma & Grandpa

Having Nate's parents join us in Tahoe this year was a lot of fun.
Noah loved having Grandma and Grandpa as his camping buddies.
We loved having two more sets of strong, loving arms to hang on to our little man.

He got lots of attention...

...and lots of love.

Being a parent is definitely a sweet,special experience, but so is watching great parents be awesome, attentive grandparents to our little one.

Can't wait for next year!

Does a bear sleep in the woods?

Well, THIS little bear sure does!

Last week we made our annual trip to D.L. Bliss and introduced Noah to campsite 92, our favorite.

It seemed crazy to take a teething 8 month old camping, but the closer it got to leaving, the more at ease I felt.
Everything was more fun outdoors, including playing...

...eating...

...bathing...

...and just looking around.

Every year our camping trip gets more fun. We are definitely happy campers!

Celebrating 80!

On Saturday all of the family got together to celebrate Grandpa Pebley's 80th birthday.

Nate's mom and her sisters threw an awesome and memorable party for their sweet dad.
I felt like I had stepped into Martha Stewart Magazine for the evening. Everything was just so perfect and lovely.
Getting together with family is always a good time. This family is firmly built on a foundation of love, and that love radiates from Grandpa and Grandma to the rest of us. We are so blessed.
The night was full of good food, great conversation, Grandpa feeling a bit uncomfortable about all the fuss being made about him, and just a lot of fun. Everyone was smiling.
Grandpa has a bunch of cute great grandkids.
Notice no pictures of Noah? Rare is the time that he's not with us, but we decided to leave him at home.
Um, that was kind of lovely too. Sometimes a mommy just needs a little time off, I guess. This party was the perfect break. We had an incredible night and were so happy to celebrate one incredible Grandpa.

A New Cousin!

Noah got a new cousin today.

Baby Brennan finally decided to join the family. We've been waiting on him for a week and a half!

Noah thought he was pretty cute. In a few years they'll be mischievous buddies, I'm sure.

These two brothers and their boys have lots of adventures ahead.
When's the first father/son campout?

Welcome to the world little Brennan!

8 Months

Noah is 8 months old and becoming sillier every day!

This was a BIG month for developmental milestones. On a Monday (7/25) he crawled, Tuesday (7/26) he finally sat up for good, and the following day that first tooth broke through.

All of that growing up means a few changes, like a big boy car seat...
...and the crib losing its bumper and the mattress being moved down.
Noah is already showing his independence. He'd much rather feed himself, which is a little tricky when you've only got one nub of a tooth to help with biting and chewing. But it's amazing to see those little motor skills hard at work as he figures out how to get even little things, like Cheerios, into his mouth.
Trying to act like a big boy, Noah really likes using a glass to drink out of. He's pretty good at blowing bubbles in the water.

Books are finally becoming interesting and worth focusing on, at least for a little while. Noah and his dad usually spend time together reading at night before bedtime. Nate pretty much has The Little Blue Truck memorized.

Every month that goes by seems to be my new favorite. We love Noah's wide range of noises and funny faces.
Seeing Noah army crawl through the house is so fun. Even better is when he sees me walk into the room, he takes off crawling as fast as possible until he's at my feet waiting to be picked up and loved on. Most Sundays at church we have to take him out of the meeting because he's too happy and can't possible be silent any longer. We just can't believe how much happiness this guy has brought to our family.

A New Face

Noah is still a happy guy, but recently he's added a new face to express his excitement for things.

We're loving, and getting a good laugh from the wrinkle nose look.
It takes a lot of work to make a face do that!

We're also loving that after the wrinkle face, we usually see this:

I love this kid!