Sam's 9-month Check-up

Our beloved Dr. Wrinkle gave Sam a clean bill of health at his 9-month check-up. Despite a little crabbiness (brought on by not-to-distant memories of syringes from the last time we visited), Sam is a healthy boy. Here are some stats and accomplishments:
*19 lbs., 4 oz.
*28 1/2 inches long
*2 teeth (still!)
*says "night-night"
*pulls up on everything and even lets go sometimes (can stand unassisted for a few seconds)
*crawls up the entire staircase by himself
*walks with push toys
*eats a ton of food! (scrambled eggs, cheerios, veggies, fruits, macaroni and cheese, waffles, yogurt, crackers, etc.)
*loves digging in dirt and pine needles

A Fine Ride

The scooter he told three different Santas about--by far the most anticipated Christmas gift--has lived up to its billing. Jack is extremely adept and agile when it comes to controlling this little vehicle. As requested by Grandma, here is a video of him scootin' along.

Rat Basketball?

We took Friday morning to travel (by light rail) uptown to Discovery Place. Thanks to everyone who gave the boys cash for Christmas, we were able to purchase a 29-month membership to Discovery Place (a kids' science museum). Jackson and friend, Noah, cheered on Ricotta and Pepper Jack (the two rats who faced off in Rat Basketball), and then we headed downstairs to the aquarium and playroom. The kids always love riding the train (no carseats!), which made this trip all the more fun.

Picasso-in-Training

Uncle Jason and Aunt Traci gave this very cool easel to Jackson for Christmas. He has already gotten a lot of use out of it! Our neighbors (who have four teenagers) gave Jack this shirt as a smock of sorts (although it is starting to fit him! I think it might be all those long naps!). He's learning how to mix the primary colors to create secondary colors and enjoys using paintbrushes and his fingers.

My Future's So Bright...

...I gotta wear shades! Grandma sent some fun sunglasses for the kids for Christmas. We tried to get a picture of all four in their glasses, but you can probably guess how that went. Here they are individually--minus Averi, who was too fast for the camera.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Jack and Averi had a great time baking a cake for Jesus' birthday. With Aunt Traci's help, they poured ingredients and mixed batter on Christmas Eve. Then, we all enjoyed some birthday cake after lunch on Christmas day. After some discussion about how many candles should be placed on the cake, the three older kids each blew out one candle, symbolizing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (thank you, Uncle Jason!).

Four Little Monkeys

Over Christmas, of all four kids, Jackson was the star napper. Many days, we were all waiting for Jack to wake up to start an afternoon activity. Averi, Lucas and Sam were anxious to get moving when we snapped this picture of all of them jumping in his bed.