B-I-B-L-E

Parker has been going to a children's program at church, while I'm at a Bible study. He is apparently the big singer of the bunch, according to the teachers. They have also been reading the Bible and get a star on their hand after they read. He will show this star to everyone, and tell them he got it from reading the Bible in class. We've been singing songs each day and playing the drum or piano, and this is his new favorite.

Fall Leaves

You'd think we owned acres, if you saw our leaves. So far, 40-50 bags have been raked/mulched. This would be fine, if when you looked up, the trees were bare. Instead, they are housing thousands of brown leaves ready to add to the existing layer of leaves on the grass. Craig hates this time of year :) This year, however, Jae and Jun were able to help. Teenagers are much better than 2 year-olds. They raked into bags, while Parker turned over bags to shake them all out. Weekend #1 of raking.....DONE.

The Seal

Here's Jonah trying hard. Almost..... Ta-da!

The Park

Our neighborhood boasts a new park! Yeah!!! It happens to be right in between our house and the Kims', so it makes for easy play time. Parker LOVES it! Don't tell anyone about it. It's still relatively vacant as it is tucked in between several subdivisions. We would like to keep it that way :) They stared at a spider on the slide for quite some time.

Parker is always ready for snack time.

Parker and Jonah

I stole these from my cousin's facebook page. She graciously watched the boys one night so that we could go out. I have very few pictures of them together, because Parker always wants the camera and we never get anywhere with actually getting the shot. Thanks, Suzanne!

Apple Picking

A couple of weeks ago, we went apple picking for my Aunt Karen's birthday. It was a beautiful, fun day with family, and it's always fun to watch Parker explore places like this.Parker ate from several apples, before they were dropped or tossed. Glad these apples are free of charge. Parker and his cousins.

We went to Lotawata Creek for lunch afterwards, and I couldn't find much that he could eat with his allergies. So he had a few random things out of my purse including the sucker you see, a Kashi fruit bar (always a lifesaver) and some lemons from the table. And yes, I've heard how dirty lemons are. He seems to be fine :)

Parker reliving his past

Parker is in love with Jonah's amazing toys.....the swing, infant carrier, crazy floor mat with obnoxious hanging things....he likes them a lot more than Jonah, in fact.

Pictures of Jonah

Parker's Haircut and working with Dad

This is Parker's thin, fine hair that needed to be cut.The next day, he seemed so much older...out mulching the yard with his dad.

Absent no longer

Three months ago, we brought this little guy home from the hospital...

and then 10 days later, we welcomed Dong-Jae and Jun-Young into our home (our foreign exchange students for the year).
We went from eating cereal for dinner to cooking for teenage boys, while keeping up with our toddler and infant...and working, of course. So if we failed at blogging as usual, these changes were our excuses this time :)

Jonah went from being an average baby to gaining a pound a week. He is currently off the charts for weight and 75% for height. He is as squeezable as babies get, and puffs his big cheeks out to smile. He's just adorable, and we feel blessed to have him. Parker can't get enough of him, and kisses him ALL the time. We're so glad Parker has made it through all of these changes in the last couple of months. He has also warmed up to Jae and Jun, and always wants to hang out with them when they get home from school.

Here's a more current picture of Jonah.

Introducing Baby Jo-Jo

Jonah Allen Walseth (aka Baby Jo-Jo, according to Parker) was born July 30, 2009 at 2:17pm. He was 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20.75 in. long. After a quick labor, they put little Jonah on my chest, and I thought they handed me Parker. Wow, do they look alike! He is doing well so far, and Parker just loves him. I'm excited that he feels so comfortable with him around. He loves to pat him and kiss him and wants Jonah to use his blocks and toys. I keep trying to explain to him that he is not able to do those things yet, but Parker always invites him to join. We're excited to finally meet him and are trying to get settled at home together. Here are just a few pictures for now, but we will post some more soon. I know I'm not fast enough for some....

Butterfly House