Then there were four...

Jen's Wedding- Claire, the Flower Girl

2009-10-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, but better late than never :) Jen's wedding was in September and Claire and I were lucky enough to be asked to be a part of it. Claire was a flower girl and I was a bridesmaid. It was a fun experience for her and I to be able to spend the day together being "girly." Jen was beautiful and the wedding went fantastic!!! Here are some pictures of Claire from the wedding weekend...

Claire is a Soccer Star!!

2009-10-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

Claire is playing soccer with our community sports league! She is loving it and she knows a lot of the kids from church and from her school which makes it even more fun! They do drills to practice soccer skills and end each Saturday with a scrimmage, which is the best part :). The first week Claire scored two goals for her team...future soccer star?? You decide!! She will begin indoor soccer in a couple weeks which will be a brand new adventure for us. I'll keep you updated :)

All Aboard...

2009-10-26T07:52:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago we went with Grammy, Papa, along with Aunt Kristin, Uncle Dave, Jackson, and Kinsey to A Day Out With Thomas. It was so fun!!! Blake couldn't stop saying "I ride on Thomas" and "All Aboard!!" Claire favorite part was the caramel apple that Papa brought for her :) Enjoy the pictures!!

Fantastic Fall....

2009-10-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

I'm obviously way behind on my blogging...I'm so sorry!! Today Blake is sick, which is a huge bummer, but it is allowing me to get semi-caught up on laundry and blogging...yeah!!

This year we went as a family to Eckert's Fun Farm. It's always such a good time and this year both kids were able to enjoy it. Our friends Dawn & Savannah went as well, which was a lot of fun for Claire :). Enjoy the pictures!!

A fun family vacation in Colorado....

2009-06-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Out There!!!

We have been gone to Colorado for about a week and we have been having a lot of fun!! We spent a day at Sprague Lake and all of us hiked the 1 mile trail (even Bubba). The kid's favorite parts of the trail were the baby ducks at the edge of the lake and the chipmunk. Blake called the chipmunk a "me-munk" and he's been talking about it ever since. Claire enjoyed climbing all the rocks, so the trail took twice as long, but it was FUN!!

We also spent some time on Trail Ridge Road. It's the road that takes you up to the high mountains where there's snow still-- even all summer long!! The elevation there is 12,000 ft. above sea level and the road has up to 35 ft. drifts in the winter and the winds are up to 150 mph!! The road opens for a few months a year, so we were here are just the right time (the road opened at the end of May). Claire was so tired and she fell asleep for our picnic. When she woke up we played in the snow...she didn't look too happy about it. Ha!!

Blake's favorite part of the vacation has been the wildlife and the scenery. He has noticed all the animals, quickly even before us most of the time!! We have seen "melk" (elk), deer, duckies,"ishies" (fishies), puppies, lots of cows (any animal he doesn't know the name of), trees, and "no" (snow). Claire is quick to correct him if he's wrong--big surprise!! We've been staying at a cabin at the YMCA of the Rockies, so we have had lots of opportunities for having hands-on bones, hooves, horns, etc. which the kids have loved, along with the playground. Also a hit!! :)

I will post a few more pictures but I haven't had time yet. We have had a great time, but we are definitely looking forward to being home on Thursday!

Trip to Suson Park!!

2009-05-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today we went with some friends to Suson Park. It was so so much fun!!

Blake will be 2 soon....

2009-05-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Blake is going to be 2 in a couple weeks and we just had his pictures taken....enjoy!!

Yes, we are still alive :)

2009-05-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Warner Family is alive and well!! We got our pictures taken last weekend...even though Blake was not really cooperative, they still turned out pretty great!

I (Courtney) graduate on May 23rd and am looking forward to securing a teaching position for the Fall :)

Our Mission Trip To Mexico.....

2009-01-27T14:09:00.000-08:00

Brent and I were blessed with the opportunity to go with a group from our church on a mission trip to Jaurez, Mexico to build a house with Casas por Christo. Our kiddos stayed with my mom and dad for 8 days...a long time, and we had a blast ministering together in Mexico for 8 days. Here are some pictures from our trip...enjoy!

The next chapter.....

2009-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Master's Degree Update: I (Courtney) just began student teaching yesterday here in town and I will be doing that for 14 weeks, right up until the beginning of May. I'm so excited that I am going to be learning the practicality of teaching not just the knowledge and that I will be finishing my degree and will be entering the next chapter---life without college :) I was talking with Brent the other day and realized that I haven't been out of school at all (except summer break) since I was 5 years old, starting kindergarten. That means that I have been in school for 20 consecutive years!!!! Oh my goodness :) I love school, thank goodness, and will probably begin working on my administrative endorsement soon after completing my master's in May. Brent jokes often about when I am going to start my doctorate. We'll see about that! I would appreciate your prayers as I begin this chapter in my life and want so badly to do well and find a position teaching in the Fall. I know God has all these details figured out for me :)

We are alive...sorry for my blogging absence :)

2009-01-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

Well, to say the least, I have been busy with life and not busy with blogging it. Bummer! I'm sorry for the delay in posting. To save you lots of reading, I'm just going to post from Christmas and then start from there...ha!!

We had an awesome Christmas! Claire was very into Santa this year, even wanting to leave out cookies and milk for him. She slept well and was so excited to see her gifts under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Claire also more fully understood Jesus being born on Christmas. She wanted to hear every story we had about the real meaning of Christmas at our house. Every night before bed she wanted to be read a story about Jesus' birth and then after being read all of them several times was able to "read" the stories to us. Claire made us reawaken the excitement of Jesus' birthday within us! Our family made a birthday cake for Jesus again this year, and Blake enjoyed eating it :) We went to our annual Christmas Eve service at church and this year Claire held the candle at the end, and sang Silent Night with us. It's awesome to see how much she is really grasping, she reminds me often that she loves Jesus with her whole heart for her whole life. How sweet.....

Here are some pictures from our Christmas festivities, enjoy!!

Hilarious Moments and Building Celebration...

2008-06-13T21:49:00.001-07:00

Blake has really been getting funny, so I wanted to include some funny pictures I have of him from just round and about :) This week he started signing all done and please consistently....finally!!

Also, our church (after many many months) celebrated our first Sunday as a group with one celebration service. Everyone got t-shirts and we wanted a family picture. You can see how it turned out :) They were very cooperative!!

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Warner....

2008-06-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

I was taking a master's class this past week, so the kids and Brent came with me and we stayed with Brent's parents for a few days. The kids had a great time going swimming, Claire rode Lady the Horse (I will post pictures in a couple days), and last week we went to a Cardinal's game.

Better late than never....

2008-06-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

I have these adorable pictures from Memorial Day weekend, but I keep forgetting to post them. So, here you go!!

Our little fairy princess....

2008-06-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Claire had her pictures taken last week at JCPenney's Fairy Fun Event. I cannot believe she is almost 3 and 1/2 years old. Wow, time flies!!

Blake Turns One...

2008-06-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Blake's first birthday party! We had a great time, even though it poured :) It was a Cardinal's baseball theme--of course :) Here are some pictures from the evening....enjoy!!

So much has happened...

2008-05-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

So much has changed since I have posted last! The most recent things are:

1) Claire started soccer at the YMCA
Claire loves playing soccer and is actually doing really well. She cares a lot about what she wears to soccer, but once she is there she forgets about her appearance and plays really hard. Here is a picture of her in her soccer clothes and one of her running and kicking the ball.

2) Blake had his tongue surgery and continues being a HAPPY little man.
Blake was tongue-tied so the ENT wanted him to have surgery on his tongue so he can continue progressing with his speech normally, not having to correct it later. He did awesome and came out into recovery with a big smile on his face. He is such a happy little guy!

3) Claire is learning to swim.
Last year Claire took swim lessons and did not love the water much at all. Later in the summer she would swim at our friend's pool pretty well but still did not like splashing. Now she is in a class all by herself (no mom) and she is doing awesome. We are so proud of her--this summer should be a lot of fun at the pool :)

4) Blake got his first haircut.
I have been wanting Blake's hair to be spikey like Brent's so I finally got his hair cut. Now he looks so grown up.

5) Claire had a pedicure.
Not really a pedicure, but she got her nails and toes painted :) Our friend is graduating from college this weekend, so Claire and I took her to get a pedicure and she couldn't leave without her nails painted :)

6) We went to a Cardinal's Game.
This is a fun thing we love to do as a family and we got 4 tickets so it was fun to take the kids too. They loved having room to move around.

Here are some pictures of us from the last couple months...enjoy!

HILARIOUS!

2008-03-17T19:03:00.001-07:00

I just had to share this with you! Anita Renfro is a speaker at Women of Faith conferences. This has been floating around UTube for awhile now and it's available on iTunes. Whenever I have one of "those" days, I love to play it...LOUD!

To learn more about Anita, check out her website at: http://www.anitarenfro.com/ and the WoF website: http://www.womenoffaith.com/.

Here are the lyrics :-)

Get up now
Get up now
Get up out of bed
Wash your face
Brush your teeth
Comb your sleepyhead
Here's your clothes and your shoes
Hear the words I said
Get up now!
Get up and make your bed
Are you hot?
Are you cold?
Are you wearing that?
Where's your books and your lunch and your homework at?
Grab your coat and gloves and your scarf and hat
Don't forget!
You gotta feed the cat
Eat your breakfast, the experts tell us it's the most important meal of all
Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall
Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at 3 today
Don't forget your piano lesson is this afternoon so you must play
Don't shovel
Chew slowly
But hurry
The bus is here
Be careful
Come back here
Did you wash behind your ears?
Play outside, don't play rough, will you just play fair?
Be polite, make a friend, don't forget to share
Work it out, wait your turn, never take a dare
Get along!
Don't make me come down there
Clean your room, fold your clothes, put your stuff away
Make your bed, do it now, do we have all day?
Were you born in a barn?
Would you like some hay?
Can you even hear a word I say?
Answer the phone!
Get off the phone!
Don't sit so close, turn it down, no texting at the table
No more computer time tonight!
Your iPod's my iPod if you don't listen up
Where are you going and with whom and what time do you think you're coming home?
Saying thank you, please, excuse me makes you welcome everywhere you roam
You'll appreciate my wisdom someday when you're older and you're grown
Can't wait till you have a couple little children of your own
You'll thank me for the counsel
I gave you so willingly
But right now I thank you not to roll your eyes at me
Close your mouth when you chew, would appreciate
Take a bite maybe two of the stuff you hate
Use your fork, do not burp or I'll set you straight
Eat the food I put upon your plate
Get an A, get the door, don't get smart with me
Get a grip, get in here, I'll count to three
Get a job, get a life, get a PHD
Get a dose of,
"I don't care who started it!
You're grounded until you're 36"
Get your story straight and tell the truth for once, for heaven's sake
And if all your friends jumped off a cliff would you jump, too?
If I've said it once, I've said at least a thousand times before
That you're too old to act this way
It must be your father's DNA
Look at me when I am talking
Stand up straighter when you walk
A place for everything and everything must be in place
Stop crying or I'll give you something real to cry about
Oh!
Brush your teeth, wash your face, put your PJs on
Get in bed, get a hug, say a prayer with mom
Don't forget, I love you
And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom's work never ends
You don't need the reason why
Because, because, because, because
I said so, I said so, I said so, I said so
I'm the mom, the mom, the mom, the mom, the mom!!
Ta da!!!

Happy Birthday, Claire!

2008-03-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry that I didn't get to you guys sooner. If you have access to my sister Kristin's blog, then you have seen pics from the weekend. I guess, better late than never, right? Claire had an awesome birthday party. It was a pink party, so that meant pink drinks (strawberry milk and pink lemonade), pink cupcakes with pink icing, pink decorations (balloons, tablecloths, and plates), and princess books as centerpieces. Her friends seemed to have a good time and they enjoyed taking home balloon bunches with m&m weights :) She had lots of little hands helping open gifts, which was fine with Claire. By the end, she was one tired little girl.

It was fun to have Grammy, Papa, Kristin, Dave, Kinsey, Jackson, Grandma and Grandpa Warner, and Chad and Jeannie there to help us celebrate! We love you guys :) Enjoy the pics.

This past weekend, Claire got her ears pierced. She did great, no real big tears. She is so proud! Pictures should be coming soon. Have a great Easter!!

Look at those big kids...

2008-02-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, we got Blake's pictures taken a couple weeks ago but we just got the pictures online. Then, last week we got Claire's taken since she is almost 3 now. Adorable!

I want to be little again...

2008-02-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

Of course I don't really want to be little again, but I do love seeing life through my children's eyes. We went to a Chuck E. Cheese type of resturant and the kids both rode the merri go round. It was so cute seeing Blake on that little toy. The had seat belts for it so he could ride it all by himself.

Blake has been laughing so much right now and I got this shot this weekend. It's hilarious, he almost looks like he is crying but he isn't! ;)

2008-02-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

2008-02-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

Blake loves bathtime!!

Crawling, Standing, Sledding, and No More Thumb Sucking...

2008-02-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a long time since I have updated our blog. Sorry! We have had a lot of changes with our kiddos and with our life in general. I (Courtney) started a position as a part-time special education aide in the early childhood room at our school to help me get some experience and also get my foot in the door here for when I graduate with my Master's next Spring. It's taken a little time getting used to it since Brent has to get the two kids up and out the door to the sitter's before he goes to work. He's doing great at it and the babysitter even commented the other day on how impressed she is that the kids are there at about the same time everyday, dressed and fed. He does an awesome job! Since the last post, Blake has started crawling and just this past week or so has even started pulling up. It's a whole new world! I laughed at Christmas that I wasn't in a hurry and that he could just take his time, but I guess he decided to do it sooner rather than later. It's nice, because now he entertains himself a little better and is less fussy because he can get around on his own :) Claire doesn't love it quite as much because he gets into her stuff more and we here a lot of BUHHDEE! (buddy), GET OUT OF THAT, please,.... She is trying to be sweet but he doesn't listen to her and her sweetness quickly turns to absolute disgust and frustration at her little brother! Actually, we have very little to complain about. She loves him and just this past week or so, she has been really making him laugh which she thinks is just great! With the big snow this weekend (woo-hoo, snow day), Claire and Brent had some time to spend outside in the snow. On Friday, they tried making a snowman, but the snow wasn't quite wet enough to stick together well. They had a good time anyway, well, until Claire got cold and wanted to come inside :) She lasted about an hour and then she was DONE! Then today, she and Brent went to the park in town where there is a pretty good size hill to sled down. I wasn't sure how she would do, but she loved it! After the first time down with Brent, she ran over to where I was videotaping and said "that was SO fun, mom! I want to do it again!" She looked so cute all bundled up with her sunglasses on and her helmet (gotta keep that brain safe!) Since Claire is turning three in a couple weeks, we have been trying to wean her off the thumb-sucking. She has sucked her thumb since she was about 2 months old and we had gotten down to her only doing it while she slept and when she watched TV or rode in the car. But, since she starts preschool on Monday, we really wanted her to stop now! So, with the help of the thumb-gaurd from the One Step Ahead magazine, we have officially broken the habit before her third birthday. Several people at church thought that this was cruel and horrible to do to her, but I don't think so. I figure it's better to do it now instead of waiting until she goes to school and trying to break it then and her getting made fun of for it. She has done great without it and she is really proud of herself. Claire's been telling people when they ask what she is wearing on her thumb that she doesn't suck her thumb anymore because she is almost 3 years old. It's great that she sees it as a positive thing. I think that sums up our recent family activity. I'll try to get my camera working and get some pictures up on here soon, and also some from Christmas. Sorry I haven't been keeping up. Check back soon.

Free Macbook Pro

2007-12-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, so if you are interested in getting a free laptop (you do have to work for it) post here and I'll send you the link. I'd be skeptical, but one of the gentlemen that works with Jonathan Nimrod at LCC has his in his hands and I've seen it. It ends up costing a little money (less than $30) and takes some time to setup and time to cancel offers BUT in the end you get a free computer. Post here and I'll contact you with a link.

Elf Yourself

2007-11-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

You guys have to try this :)

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9596411877

Our Family Picture--Merry Christmas :)

2007-11-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

Well, as usual, we got our family picture taken at my mom and dad's house the day after Thanksgiving. Here is the picture we are using for our Christmas card and the picture we got of the grandkids (Claire, Blake, Jackson, and Kinsey) with my mom and dad. They are getting so big!!

Here is a picture taken this weekend of my sister's new baby girl, Kinsey who is two weeks old and then Blake who is almost 6 months old. He is just a tad bigger, huh? :)

Princess and the Frog

2007-11-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

So sweet, Claire and Blake loved dressing up for Halloween this year. Well, let me rephrase that, Claire loved that her and Blake dressed up for Halloween this year :) She is a princess all the time, so it was a blast for her to be a "real" princess with the pretty dress and hat. Blake was not as thrilled about being a frog, he's still oblivious to it all. Maybe next year...

This is a picture of Claire at 9 months, dressed up in the same froggy costume. Isn't that hilarious :)

Catching Up, Pumpkin Patch...

2007-11-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I am just now catching up on my blog since my last posting. Sorry for the delay :( Here are some adorable pics from the pumpkin patch. It's in Millstadt (about 15 minutes from home) and there is a lookout that you can see downtown St. Louis perfectly. So much fun! Grammy and Papa were able to go with us so that was really exciting :)

Holy Smokes!

2007-10-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here are Blake's 4 mon. stats: 18 lbs, 1.5 oz and 27" long!! For those who are wondering, that's 89% for weight and 97% for height :)

4 Months and 32 Months!

2007-10-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been a long time since my last post. I've got a lot to catch up on :) I can hardly believe that Claire is almost 32 months and Blake turned 4 months last Friday! We go for our check up on Tuesday and Claire will have to get a shot too, a flu shot. :( I am going to get their pictures taken this week as well, so look for those pics soon. These are my favorite pictures of them together--adorable!

This hat is my favorite, but everyone felt bad for Blake that he had to wear it. We walked as a family in the Walk for Life for our local Crisis Pregnancy Center and it was soooo cold!

Blake is eating cereal now, well not really eating it, more experiencing it :) He takes a bite, and then eats the same bite about 4 or 5 times before swallowing it. I'm sure he will get better soon.

This is Claire when she started cereal at 4 months--they do look similar I think :)
Blake also started rolling over from his tummy to his back and also started sucking his thumb, JUST LIKE SISTER! He also loves his exersaucer, what fun!

It's so fun to see how Claire is getting more comfortable with her role as Blake's big sister. She is so compassionate and looks out for him. He was crying in the car and she said, "He wants his mommy and daddy". So cute! We are also having some issues with Claire taking things from Blake because "he doesn't want them anymore" or "he wants to share this with me." We all know better than that!
Claire started Puggles (a baby platypus), her club for AWANA. I am her teacher which is very interesting, as well. Each week she listens better to me. I wanted her picture in her uniform (all the kids have them) but this was her reaction.

Once I turned a movie on, this was her response :)

Overall, we are all adjusting to being a family of four and are so thankful everyday for God's blessings; Claire and Blake. We have a busy weekend coming up--Aunt Kristin, Uncle Dave, and Jackson are coming on Friday to go to Grant's Farm with us and then Saturday we are going to Eckart's Pumpkin Patch with Grammy and Papa. Come back soon to see our weekend adventures, along with our checkup info after Tuesday :)

Fun Day at Grant's Farm!

2007-09-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

Brent's parents came down today to go with us to Grant's Farm. Neither of us had been since we were little kids, so it was fun for us too. This time we were each offered two cups of free beer, we declined. Blake was really good and Claire had a blast. We started the day on the tram, but Claire thought it was a train, so that was hilarious! Then we went to see the camels and llamas--the fun had begun!
I'm not sure what Grandma Warner and Claire were doing, but their faces are priceless! Claire then wanted to feed the camels leafs which she was very excited about :) Then we went to see the llamas, which was so funny because Claire wanted to shout at them. She was in the fence screaming "Llama, Llama, come over here!!" When it came over, she fed him some food after Grandma and Grandpa reminded her to keep her hand flat.
Then after we were done feeding the camels and llamas, Claire was very sad. What a face!
We went to feed the goats last, which was so much fun, probably the best spent $2 the whole day!

Blake had a good time too, when he was awake :)

Sweet Sleeping Baby

2007-09-08T13:10:00.001-07:00

Blake is such a great sleeper, as good as Claire was at this age which we attribute to the principles of Babywise of course! Fridays are Brent's day off and yesterday we were relaxing in bed. Before we knew it, Blake was sleeping. We realized when we looked at the clock it was time to sleep, how funny that he just put himself to bed. What a good boy! The most ironic part of this picture is that his shirt says "Caution: May cause sleepless nights", thank the Lord that is a thing of the past!

Through the eyes of a baby...

2007-08-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

I love these pictures of Blake, because it makes me see life through his eyes. He is happy to be alive, smiling at anyone close to him, knowing he is loved and cared for. We pray he will continue to be so happy about life :) He's 12 weeks Tuesday, hard to believe! He has thrush, so we're going to the doctor tomorrow for a checkup to make sure the medicine is clearing it up. Obviously it's not affecting his mood much, though :)

Bath Time

2007-08-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

We decided it was time for the kids to take a bath together. Every night it takes forever to do two baths, so the logical decision was to combine them. It actually wasn't a HUGE disaster. Blake only got really splashed (in the face) twice, and Claire kept her hands to herself. Overall, a success. It's such a blast having two children, we are so thankful for these little blessings.

Hard to believe...

2007-08-07T10:39:00.001-07:00

Well, as promised, I am updating our blog with Blake's 2 month checkup numbers. He is already 13 pounds, 13.5 ounces and 23 1/2 inches long. It's amazing how quickly he is growing, it happens so fast! Yesterday I put him in the Bumbo seat to see how he would do, he liked it!

Then, of course, Claire had to have a turn.
Tonight we're going to a swim party to beat the heat!

I've been tagged...

2007-08-06T12:47:00.001-07:00

Katie "tagged" me, so I need to post 8 random facts about me:

1- I changed my major in college 3 times!
2- When I was growing up, I wanted to be the first woman president.
3- Speaking of growing up, I wanted six children (that has changed!)
4- Brent and I met at church camp.
5- I have had 4 cars in 6 years.
6- My dogs I had when I was growing up were all named after the Jackson 5.
7- Almost every room in our house is painted red.
8- My favorite commericials are the Mac/PC ones.

I tag Jenny, Chad, & Jessica.

Fun at the Zoo!

2007-08-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

Claire has been talking about going to the zoo everyday for the last week and a half, so we decided it was time to brave the trip with the two kiddos. We went in the evening, hoping to skip over the hottest part of the day and the crowd.

Blake just hung out while we were there, but Claire loved everything--except the Penguin house. As soon as we walked in, she said "Let's get out of here." :) It was funny, but later we discovered that she thought is was scary and cold, so we understand now. Since we went later to the zoo, we didn't have to pay for parking, so Claire got to make a build-a-bear zoo animal.

She first chose an alligator, which Brent and I thought was so ugly, but we convinced her that the elephant was really cute, so she chose to take him home. She enjoyed watching him be stuffed, kissing his heart, and dressing him in camo underwear and a zoo hat. She's been carrying him around since last night. Claire also got to ride the carousel. She chose the tiger, and I stood beside her. She loved it, saying "wee, wee" laughing the whole time. What a fun night!!

Whoa, time flies!

2007-08-01T20:44:00.001-07:00

Sorry it has already been two weeks since my last posting. We have had a crazy month of July. We went to camp, then were home for a week, and then Brent left for CIY and just got back. Our church is having VBS this week, so things still haven't slowed down yet.

Blake has grown so much in the last two weeks. He is sleeping around 7 hours a night, now, which is so exciting. He is more alert, smiles and coos, and loves listening to his big sister. We go for his 2 month checkup next Tuesday, so we are looking forward to hearing how much he has grown. We're dreading shots, though :(

Claire had a great time at camp and with Grammy & Papa. She loves playing outside, so that is how she chooses to spend her days and evening :) She is really starting to interact with Blake, which is fun to watch. There is a picture of her as she is holding her ears closed--Blake was screamning :) However, as she talks to him, we see how she sees us and the love she has for him makes us smile. She says from time to time, "I really love my brother." We're so glad!

Enjoy the pictures and keep looking for our next update after Blake's checkup.

Six Weeks Already...

2007-07-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's hard to believe, but Blake is 6 weeks old today. We took him for a routine checkup and he has really grown. Today he weighed 12 pounds, 2 ounces and was 22 1/2 inches long. WOW! That is 4 1/2 pounds bigger than he was at birth and 2 1/2 inches longer. We are still waiting on him to sleep through the night, hoping today will be the day. He started smiling this week, which is the best! This picture of him in his camo outfit is the outfit he wore for Father's Day. It says "macho- just like daddy." I am thankful that our kids have Brent as a dad, Mr. Macho :)

A foreshadow of what is to come...

2007-07-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

We went to a friend's 3rd birthday party, and it made me a little afraid of what is in our future. These pictures tell it all.

Blake has arrived...

2007-07-14T13:28:00.001-07:00

I didn't explain our picture on our first posting. Blake Elijah was born on June 5th. We are excited about his arrival and can hardly believe that he is almost 6 weeks old. Claire is enjoying her role as big sister and we are loving being a family of four.

Our first blog posting...

2007-07-14T13:12:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! After reading everyone else's blogs for the last few months, I have decided to start my own. I will start with explaining a little about where our family is now. Brent is a youth pastor at Hope Christian Church. I (Courtney) stay home with our two adorable kiddos, Claire and Blake. I am also getting my master's in teaching right now, and hope to finish in the next couple years and then begin teaching in a elementary classroom. We have been married for over 3 years now and we love our life! Looking forward to reconnecting with friends and family through our blog.