So long, April showers! Hopefully....

Jeff learning to smell the flowers

Jeff eating his favorite fruit: banana!

I'm even cute with a runny nose!



Snack on the deck with mama. Yummy grahm cracker!

Remember this project from last year?

We still need to add some more plants!










Jeff got to try a rock. Mmmm...rocks.

Jack always wants to be a part of the action

Howdy! Well I just realized it has been too long since I last posted. I always get impatient with friends' and family's blogs that aren't updated as frequently as I want. :) I want something new every day! And what do I do? Not post anything for almost three weeks! Eek. So I will get cracking and share some of our life as of late. What is new? Um, well we refinanced our house this week, kind of cool. I can't believe it's been almost 5 years since we moved in here! We had to do 100% financing when we bought the house, we had just finished our undergrad degrees at OSU and were truly at about zero dollars in the bank, I don't know how we did it. We knew we could do it with the jobs we were getting, we just didn't have any money yet... anyway, it all worked out. We went from two 30 year loans (80/20) to one 15 year loan. It will help get more equity in the house a lot faster! We are a little crazy and are considering doing a renovation to the house too. We think we'll probably be here for a few more years at least, but will be growing out of the house fast, and also just want to do some updates and expansion for when we want to sell. It is the smallest house in the area, so expanding will be appropriate. Anyway, we don't know anything for sure, but it's fun to talk about ideas and dream about what it could look like.

Jeff with his favorite things: paper and guitars

Standing up throwing books and toys out of the basket

I can crawl up the stairs!

Work for both of us is fine, although HP announced it will be cutting a bunch of jobs in the next year in Kirby's section. We are hoping that he is valued enough not to be affected, but it's still a little scary. It is midterm time for OSU, I just gave a midterm in my vocal pedagogy course and have been dealing with overtired, unfocused students in lessons for the last week. I guess they've been cramming for exams. One student was complaining about how much work college is and how much homework they have and how hard it is working too and I said that I felt their pain, but they didn't really seem to believe me and kind of shrugged me off until I calmly explained my last two years of life to them, and they were pretty quiet after that. I do feel bad for them, I know it gets stressful....poor little college kids. :) It wasn't that long ago for me, but sheesh, I feel pretty old around them. Yikes. :)

Getting some new plants

I think it's already rubbed in, Mom, no need for you.

It's a jungle out here

Anyway, on to the reason you check this blog: the Jefferson. Jeff gets around pretty much wherever he wants now, pulling himself up on everything and crawling like a champ. He likes to bear crawl a lot too, where he "walks" on his hands and feet. It's cute, his little butt is up in the air and he kind of waddles along, humming or doing lip buzzes as he goes. He has his nine month appointment in a couple weeks, so we'll get to see the new stats, but I think he is a bit over 30 inches and weighs a little over 20 lbs. He's the cutest thing ever. I can't get over it. I know I am his mom and all, but my goodness he's cute. He's sweet and funny and charming and observant and intelligent and strong and he has the cutest little laugh in the world. He's becoming blonder by the day, truly turning into our little "Kirblet." Almost everyone who knows or has met Kirby says, "I can't believe how much he looks like your husband." The other comment that truly 100% of strangers who come talk to me or want to see him make is that his eyes are so beautiful. I started keeping track in my head, and if they comment on his looks, that is the #1 comment. He does have beautiful eyes! I won't argue with that one. :) But we're not biased at all of course. I hope nobody gets sick of me just talking about how great my baby is, but I can't help it! Ok, to even things out, I can mention some things that are funny or not so great. So, he pretty much thinks it is torture to get wiped off after eating. It's getting worse and not better. He acts like we are beating him and abandoning him on the side of the road just when we wipe his hands off. It's frustrating but almost funny how extremely sad and unhappy he is during this time. He also hates getting anything rubbed on him, like sunscreen, an obvious must but not fun to try to get on and rubbed in. I end up getting it in his eyes or a big glob in his hair or something because he knows it's harder for me if he shakes his head back and forth, probably trying to physically say "NOOOOO!" He is eating pretty darn well lately, and will amazingly allow us to feed him with a spoon or fork again a little, which is nice. At home he sometimes doesn't eat so well. He will just use his fingers to crush his food (unless it is a banana, he can eat one faster than me I think) and then rub it in his hair. Avocado is quite attractive used as gel, let me tell you. I have heard it is good for hair though, I think they put avocado oil in some shampoos and things.... :) He actually does pretty well, I think his diet is more balanced with liquid and solids now, I don't think he was taking much in from me in the end. I'll never know for sure what happened with all that, but oh well. So, the funny thing about eating is that he loves being somewhere other than home for meals. He can be picky at home, and then eats anything and everything if we are out to eat or over at friends. I am not sure if I should take offense, maybe it is my cooking! :) I don't really think so, but he really likes just being out and able to observe other people and surroundings and doesn't care what he's eating. Anyway, those are some amusing things about our little guy lately. We are all doing well and are looking forward to my brother Jonathan's visit in a couple weeks. I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to him because he is graduating from medical school this weekend. What an accomplishment! He doesn't get to enjoy it much, he's off to El Paso in June for an intense surgery residency for the next 5 years, so keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I know he's so smart and capable, but that's got to be a lot of stress! We are really glad he's coming out for hopefully a relaxing visit and will get some time with the nephew before he leaves for Texas. After his visit, we are off to Hilton Head, SC (oops! I had written NC when I first published, I should know better, people do that with the Dakotas all the time, thinking we're from ND instead of SD, oh well) for a vacation, and then not long after that, it's off to South Dakota for our 10 year high school reunion and seeing family. Whew! Lots going on. Ok, well I think I have made up for not posting for a while. I wrote this fast and furious, so hopefully it is coherent. Enjoy the photos! I promise we'll post more sooner rather than later. :)

Daddy and son in the tub

Thank God for warm weather!

Is it cool to nap in the park, Dad? I'm sleepy.

I got one of these phones for Jeff, I had one when I was a kid, and it is involved with what I think is one of my first memories as a kid. I remember being at my Gma and Gpa Swisher's cabin and I was dragging this thing around outside, and all of a sudden I remember thinking I was on the steepest hill ever, and got scared. I was especially scared because this little phone, its eyes looking up at me, was further down the hill and I thought it was going to roll all the way down to the creek way below. I started yelling or screaming and my mom came and saved me...and the phone. :)