Cousins

Travis and Ethan ready for a ride in the bike trailer. I love this picture!

Happy birthday, Jayna!

Yesterday our baby turned 1! As I was putting her to bed last night I thought back to the night she was born and what it felt like to hold her in my arms for the first time. I remember her birth so vividly, and in some ways wish I could go back and experience it again. Though I will certainly admit that it is so fun to watch her grow into her own little person!

Festivities for Jayna's birthday included a party on Saturday and a mini-party on her actual birthday. On Saturday we had some family in town (including my sisters who ran the Sound to Narrows run with me), so we decided to make a party out of it. After the run, we all went to the zoo, and then came home for a BBQ/birthday party. Thank you to Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Melanie, Uncle Eric, Ethan, Aunt Bonnie, Great-G & G Schwartz, and G & G Butts for helping us celebrate our little girl!

I'll post more 1-year pictures later, but these will do for now.







Jayna at the beginning and then end of our trip to the zoo.

At one year old, Jayna is 23 lbs. 11oz., and 29 1/4 inches. She's finally down to "average" size...70th percentile in height and weight. She most definitely has blue eyes, and as you can see, enough hair that I could braid it if I wanted. She sleeps 11-12 hours at night and takes 2 naps a day...I've lucked out so far with great sleepers! We have a "nigh-night" song we sing to the kids at bedtime, and she'll actually start singing it herself, which is often an indicator that she's ready for bed. She is an avid explorer, very cuddly, and has a very sweet demeanor, though I am starting to see that she can be a fighter when she wants to be (like when Travis won't leave her alone!). She is quite the talker...her current repertoire of words include: mama, dada, hi, kitty (ditty), night (niiii), and Jayna (nanna), and she has babbling down to an art. She doesn't mind being held by most people, but she definitely prefers Steve or me. And she thinks Ziggy, our cat, is the funniest creature ever, even when all Ziggy does is walk past her. Favorite foods include string cheese, pb sandwiches, bananas, graham crackers, ravioli, yogurt, and almost any fruit.

Happy birthday, sweet girl! You are beautiful in every way, you bring so much joy to our lives, and we thank God for you daily!

To the dads in our lives

Happy Father's Day!!

Grandpa Schwartz (or Great-grandpa):
My childhood memories of my time spent with you are some of my absolute fondest. And to this day, I look forward to every minute that we get to spend with you and Grandma. I love you both so much and can't imagine my world without you.

Gary (Grandpa Butts):
Thank you for always being supportive of Steve in all that he pursues...I know that means so much to him. Thank you, too, for being such a fun grandpa to the kids. I love to see Travis light up when he plays with you, and I know it will be the same with Jayna as she gets older. And thank you for always treating me as one of your own!

Dad (Grandpa Schwartz):
Even though I am a "grown woman", I still quite often find myself just wanting a hug from my dad. Somehow, there is nothing like it. I miss you, and I pray that life will soon allow us to be together more often (read: move back up to Western WA, pretty please?!). You really ARE a great dad...you make me laugh ridiculously easily, you inspire, and you love me deeply, I know. I love you so much.

Steve (Daddy):
I could not ask for a better dad for our kids. You change the poopy diapers, you play with the kids for hours at a time, you take great joy in them, you know their needs, tendencies, and favorites (many dads do not), you provide for them....I could go on and on. You really are amazing. As difficult as parenting can sometimes be, I am SO blessed and thankful to be a parent alongside you. I love you!

A Thousand Splendid Suns

My dear friend Kara recommended this book on her blog awhile back, and I just finished it at 2:00am Sunday morning. It is a book that every one of you should read, and easily one of the top 3 books I have ever read. Here's the synopsis from Hosseini's website:

"A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them. Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love—a stunning accomplishment."

Not only did I learn so much about all that has happened and is happening in Afghanistan over the last 30 years, but this book put all of that into human terms and gave powerful insight into what it means to live in Afghanistan, and even more so, what it means to be a woman in this country. I don't think that I can really give it justice with my words, so I'll just tell you to read it. And prepare to cry. I was literally sobbing through the last few chapters. And I'm still processing it all.

His first book, The Kite Runner, is next on my list!

So that you don't stop checking our blog...

Our poor blog...I've been neglecting it. I guess I just haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately...that, and it has kind of been "life as usual" around here. Anyway, for those of you who check our blog simply for your Travis and Jayna fix, here are a couple of videos you might enjoy. I'm not sure what this indicates, but both kids love the camera. Okay, especially Travis. As I watched the video of him, I noticed that one might think that we staged it, but we really didn't, he just gets all mesmerized and obedient at the prospect of being on camera. His video reflects his newest obsession with Toy Story ("to infinity and beyond!"...in a really weird voice that he only uses when he says this phrase) and his latest discovery on what happens when you drink a lot of water (if you listen closely you can hear it). Jayna is on the verge of walking, and every time we let her walk with the push-toy she giggles like she's so proud of herself. She loves to wave, but when she does it looks like she's waving at herself. And she loves to imitate noises and faces, which you'll see. Our sweet kids sure know how to make us smile!