4th of July

For the 4th, we had a big party at my parent's house. Both sides of the family came over for a big BBQ with my mom's amazing ribs and endless salads and sides. Of course we had a bonfire and once it FINALLY got dark, we had an awesome fireworks show at home. Josiah slept through it all, only to wake up once it was over, but he wouldn't have remembered it anyways. What a fun week it was to be together, play together, and reconnect with everyone!

Roasting Pollo

So each of us had a night to make dinner for the family so Ariel and I made a Dominican dinner. He spent all day roasting chickens over the bonfire pit. He did an awesome job and tended to them so well. We also had rice (moro de guandules and arroz con maiz), fried sweet plantains, arepita de yuca, and salad. It was fun to cook for everyone (after Ariel and I stopped disagreeing about the fire!) and I know Ariel loved being able to share a little bit of his country with the family.

Family Week

My brother and sister-in-law drove up from California to spend a week with us in Oregon. It was the first time in years that we have all been together.

We did a lot of cooking and eating and spending time together. The kids were outside nonstop playing on the swings, in the pool, and picking berries. We had a little bonfire each night which was almost my favorite part!

7 months

7 months old??? He has mastered sitting on his own and is now working on standing up on his own. He can pull himself to a stand if he is grabbing onto my shirt or something high. We've been working on getting him to crawl...it might happen one of these days!

Cabin time

We took a few days and went up to Mt. Rainier in Washington. We stayed in a lovely little cabin with a fireplace and hot tub and BBQ! In the daytime we went on some hikes on the mountain. Many of the upper hikes were closed because there is still so much snow! It was such a nice time to relax and spend time together with the 3 of us.

Portland trip

We took a trip into Portland during the Rose Festival and got to see all the ships and lots of people. We took MAX across the river and then walked back to where we parked the car. We had a picnic snack along the way in the park and Josiah got to nap in his stroller. I love these sunny days...and so does Josiah since it means he gets to be outside so much!

growing up

It feels like I just brought Josiah home from the hospital but here he is...wanting to stand and hold on and be a big boy. It's incredible to see him change and grow so quickly.

6 months

We've been able to mange getting Josiah's photo done each month which has been fun to compare each one to another. This boy has grown up being constantly photographed, so he is a ham in front of the camera. He knows that when the camera comes out it is time to smile...he never disappoints.

Fingerpainting

So I wanted to send fingerprints and handprints to the DR for Ariel's mom...Josiah didn't know what to do at first. It started out so fun and entertaining, until he decided to suck his thumb (top right picture). He didn't like the taste of the paint too much, but at least it's non-toxic!

Still alive!

Wait a minute, I have a blog? It's been years since I've updated due to a new job, a little man named Josiah, and Facebook. But a part of me misses the writing, the explaining, the more than a little caption on a photo for Facebook updates.

Josiah is almost 8 months and is the joy of every minute of my day. He makes me laugh like no one else can. He has so many new tricks, can do so many things. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for the blessing of this baby boy. So here are some new things about Josiah:
-he loves being outside, to a ridiculous extent
-he has a farmers tan, a serious farmers tan
-he hates being on his tummy and therefore is not yet crawling...he might go straight to walking as he likes to pull himself to a stand and can "walk" with the help of two hands
-he has tickle spots now
-no teeth yet
-his favorite song remains "We Wish you a Merry Christmas"
-he is an avid thumb sucker
-I have yet to "sleep through the night" with him...maybe by the time he's 15 we'll get that down
-he loves Peek-a-Boo with a blanket and can do it by himself
-his favorite thing to eat is yogurt, to a unbelieveable extent
-he cuddles, which is especially amazing after coming home from work

So we're doing well. The transition to me going back to work (Emanuel Labor and Delivery) has gone surprisingly smoothly. Ariel is a super dad and has gone above and beyond to take care of this little man. We're feeling more and more settled but remain in a continual transition as we get adjusted to life in the U.S.