Sportsman

Playing Fetch
Rock-licking

Magnus is enjoying some wonderful new outdoor sports! He has learned to throw a ball (a little ways, anyway... his specialty is those wicked curve-balls!) and the neighbors' chocolate lab Elwood is an obsessed retriever so they get quite a game going! Magnus throws the ball WAY out there, like about 3 feet or so, and Elwood energetically fetches it and drops the slime covered ball back beside Magnus. (Or in his lap, whatever he thinks will work best.) They are quite a team!

Magnus' other cool new sport is one he came up with himself - it's called rock-licking. The object of the game is to find a smooth white rock & hold it until you think mom isn't looking and then you take a lick! If mom is looking (and she always is! silly boy!) then she cries foul and Magnus loses a point. He then drops his rock as quickly as possible before getting disqualified and searches the driveways for another equally smooth and round white stone... and hence begins another round of rock-licking! Magnus declares it's the coolest game ever, and says that you simply MUST try it!

Can you see me NOW??

Our little boy is 13 months old now! He's got several more teeth popping through too, as you can see. He has 7 now that are visible. His new word is "out" for outside. I guess he felt like he needed to learn how to say the name of his favorite place! He has regressed in his walking though, and simply refuses to let go of our hand and cries if we insist! He walked all over the place for a few days, but somewhere along the line he decided that crawling is probably a much safer option. We're trying to build his confidence again by letting him walk back and forth from Joe to myself, and he likes that. He'll walk clear across the room as long as he knows he'll end up in our arms! And of course, lots of clapping and cheering ensues. One major victory for me though - he is sleeping through the night! I had nearly forgotten what that was like, but yes, it is wonderful!

Colonial Williamsburg & More!

Heading to the Mexican restaurant.
Strolling Williamsburg.

Well, we had a really fun time with Cliff, Ruth & Billie Churchill, but they left entirely too soon. On Friday we all (yes, ALL - at the same time!) rode the 4 wheeler around the property. Cliff also gave the babies a ride. Riding the 4-wheeler ranks among Magnus' top 5 favorite things to do! It doesn't matter how cold it is outside. When he's on that thing he's feelin' no pain. Then Saturday we all went to Colonial Williamsburg. It was a gorgeous "70's and sunny". Although, last time we all went to Williamsburg (when Ruth & I were pregnant) it was a bit more relaxing, as our kids presented some brand new challenges this time. They did really well though, in spite of having matching colds and runny noses. (Magnus' first cold! Not something we celebrated.) On our way to Williamsburg, Ruth & I had to stop at Wal-Mart. Well, according to the guys, we were in there for a couple years, so to pass the time they started driving around the parking lot pointing the camera out the window at people. (They got an especially big kick out of a mother/daughter team who made obscene gestures and pretty much just totally freaked out.) Well, after Ruth & I finally emerged from the dreaded wife-eating store, we all headed on to eat lunch at a nearby BBQ joint. We were merrily on our way when suddenly we passed a policeman who whipped his car around and pulled us over! He gave Joe the old, "Driver's license & registration, please." line and Joe asked, "What's the problem, officer?" to which the guy just said, "I'll tell you in a minute." When the officer came back he explained that someone had filed a complaint that we were taking pictures out the window. Joe said, "No officer, we didn't take any pictures out the window - you may even see our camera if you like." The cop smiled and said, "Oh, that won't be necessary. Besides, even if you were taking pictures, you were in a public place and are allowed to take pictures of anything you like. I just got the call and had to follow up on it. Have a good day!"

Billie's Here!

Billie is Magnus' 3rd cousin from FL and she and her parents have been visiting us this week. We are having a GREAT time, and are trying very hard to convince them to move up here so they can enjoy our company much more often. Ruth and I had the exact same due date for our babies (can we still call them that?), but Billie was born a week before Magnus. Magnus is much bigger, (Billie comes up to his ear) but Billie wins the mobility prize as she can walk much better! The first day they fought over the car and tried to steal each other's toys all the time, but now they're playing together better, and Magnus follows her everywhere. Although, as you can tell from the "pantry raiders" photo, Magnus was quite peeved at Billie right then. You know why? He was trying to empty the shelves of the spices like a good little boy, and she kept messing up his efforts by picking them up and putting them back on the shelf! He was not impressed! It kind of reminded me of Joe and I. I'm always putting things away before he's done with them! =)

Out for a Sunday Drive

Since moving to VA, we have really missed our NC hometown church of Faith Community Chapel. That's where it all began for us, too! We actually met there, and were married there 2 years later. Well, Joe was on call Sunday, so we cleared it with his work and left early to drive down to NC for some wonderful services that day. (Note the dress clothes & Magnus' suit! My fellas clean up good, don't they?) Our old church friends treated us like celebrities and made us miss them even more. We also ate a yummy meal with my parents and got to hang out with my grandparents & my brother too, along with his little family. Pa Pa & Nanna spoil their grandkids badly and gave Magnus this cool car (his birthday gift) when we were down there. He loves it! Can you tell? It has a button that plays some little tunes so he can jam while driving... and he sits there juking until the music stops. The funniest part about the way he dances is how he keeps a straight face the whole time he's boogieing! Definately a must-see!

Magnus' Big Debut

Today our baby Magnus had his one year Dr.'s checkup, & he is relieved to announce that he is still managing to stay off the charts for height/weight/head circumference. His weight was 30 lbs, 9 oz, and he is 34" tall. He was a very brave boy for his shots too, and only screamed for about 30 seconds. =) The biggest news of the hour isn't about his doctor visit though. Tonight after we got home, he decided to let go of everything and walk! Joe and I have been saying for weeks, "One of these times he's just going to take off!" and tonight was that night! I didn't think he'd "take off" in such a literal sense, but he actually startled me by walking around the dining room corner into the kitchen where I was at! I was like, "Hey! You're walking all by yourself!" He spent all evening doing just that... exploring every inch of the house like he'd never seen it before. We'd walk along behind him sometimes, but he really didn't need us there since he only got tripped up a couple times. It was hard to keep up with him! We kept saying, "There he goes!" The pictures up there are of him "going". He has new-found freedom, and he thinks it's terrific. We are so happy for him!

Signs of the Times

Magnus and I were thrilled to find these Daffodils on our walk yesterday! They were tucked in the woods along our driveway, just waiting for us. We picked all but one, which we left for the woodland creatures to enjoy. I had never noticed before how Daffodils have such a sweet aroma! Magnus giggles every time I let him smell them. Isn't it great when God sends us flowers? Spring must be close by!

Selective Memory

Is that a new helicopter I see?? The reason Magnus is laughing in this photo is because his daddy has a really BAD memory! Either that, or he has such a good one, that it only remembers what it thinks it needs or wants to! =) Merely a couple months ago, Joe & Tim both promised not to buy any more helicopters for a WHOLE YEAR! (You know the old saying... if you think it's too good to be true...) Well, I felt sorry for Joe and got him a helicopter (from Magnus) for Christmas because I didn't know how he'd make it a whole year. Be that as it may... this pretty blue helicopter you see in the picture was recently dropped by the stork in a box so big that it woke our lightly sleeping baby when it was placed on the front porch! (His room is right on the other side of the porch wall.) I guess Joe purchased this barely-used Raptor 90 from a guy because it was a "really good deal"! When I told Joe, "I guess you didn't make it a year, huh?" he looked confused and then was like, "OH! YEAH! I TOTALLY forgot about that! Ha Ha Ha!" So here is Magnus having a good chuckle with his dad... and honey, if you're reading this... I love you AND your bad memory, and I even really like your new blue helicopter. But maybe you should call it mine so you can keep your promise.