The perfect Saturday:

-Sleeping in while my sweet husband took the morning shift with baby

-Hike in the sunshine

-August’s first trip to Tee & Cakes (red velvet!)

-Running errands with the whole family

-An impromptu visit with friends and a walk to the coffee shop

-August’s first night in his nursery!

Update on August week 10:

-Sleeping a solid 5-8 hour stretch most nights

-LOVES taking baths (usually a father/son event)

-Putting up with longer tummy time

-Becoming aware of his hands

-Thinks his mom’s jokes are funny

-Eyes are changing from deep, dark blue to light blue from the inside-out

-Continues to be attracted to the sea horse/glow worm

-Happy the moment he wakes up

-While I spent the first month wondering if he would EVER let me put him down, this second month I’m savoring the time of holding and snuggling him.

Today we’ve been enjoying pandora’s kids folk music station.  Although August gestated on Patty Griffin, The Swell Season, Spoon, Ray LaMontagne, The Decemberists and the like, he seems open to new things.  It’s been the perfect playful background music for his new explorations: kicking the legs, reaching for toys, smiling at inanimate objects, etc.

We’ve lived here in Colorado for nearly two years.  Despite the inconveniences that come with living far from both sides of our family, we are so grateful to live in a place that brings continual reminders of the beauty in God’s creation.  This week we were reminiscing about our first trip to Colorado together in the Spring of 2007.  There was a very specific moment during that trip when we were driving from Denver to Boulder on highway 36.  The entire drive is impressive to those of us who grew up east of the Mississippi but there is a portion just west of Louisville where the road crests a hill to give this expansive and impressive view of white capped 14,000 ft. mountains, the foothills and flat irons and the valley where Boulder sits.  Immediately, our reaction to the view was full of awe and emotion.  Our deep hearts of adventure were awake.  There was such a desire to worship.  We knew that Colorado was where God was meeting us, inviting us.  That God knew exactly how to speak to our hearts.

So often the feeling of nearness to God by physical proximity is beyond words.

We are so grateful to bring August into such a beautiful part of the world.  Our prayers of full of the desire for him to appreciate God’s beauty through nature in the same ways we do.  And for that to lead to worship.

Yesterday we made our favorite crock pot chocolate cake recipe for house church:

1 package chocolate cake mix

1 container of sour cream (8 oz)

1 cup chocolate morsels

1 cup water

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix

Spray crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Mix cake mix, sour cream, chocolate morsels, water, egss, oil and pudding mix in a bowl by hand. Pour into crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Makes about 12 servings.

Today I mistakenly ate the leftovers for breakfast.

Also, today August took his first nap upstairs in his bassinet all by himself (as opposed to in the swing in the living room or in the sling attached to my body). He’s so grown up.  Next step: hand control …closely followed by  climbing.

Climbing is genetic, we think.  If not climbing, we’re at least hopeful for an adventurous spirit.

He’s developed into quite a skilled swimmer.

We’ll start there.

Today we’re listening to The Swell Season.  Doing laundry and washing poop stains from cloth diapers.  Drinking lots of water.  Enjoying the January sunshine.  Praying for Haiti.  Trimming baby nails and getting baby snuggles.  Cleaning out the closets to remind ourselves of our need for less.  Simplicity.

Learning to appreciate what God has given us in this moment.  Here. Now.