Our vacation continued...

While we were in Wisconsin, Donny and I went to our first Don Shire concert.  Donny liked the trumpet music and watched his grandpa playing almost as much as he looked at the stained glass windows.  But when Grandpa played the shofar he was not okay with that!

 

Fortunately, he likes his Grandpa anyway!  I really enjoyed the whole concert, except for the millions of flies that were buzzing around in this beautiful old Baptist church.  Grammy took Donny out after the shofar incident so that Andy and I could enjoy the concert.  It was good to finally get to experience my father in law's work.  I especially enjoyed the hymns (he played two of my favorites: It Is Well With My Soul and The Old Rugged Cross) and his interpretation of what it will sound like when the trumpet sounds and the saints are called home.  I got goose bumps just thinking about it!

Other highlights of the trip for me were bonding with Julie (Andy's sister), cuddling with my new neice, watching Donny "drive" the John Deere, dressing Donny like a lumberjack and eating breakfast at Paul Bunyan (they have no menus because they serve you family style with all you can eat platters of sausage, biscuits and gravy, flapjacks, eggs, french toast, OJ, hash browns, ham...), hanging out on the back patio and in the hot tub, trying to convice my nephew Michael that a butterfly net is not called a "hallway" and that his Culver's fish was not "blueberries" or "chicken," and watching the ever changing faces of my little boy.

         

Andy's highlights included his fishing trip with his dad and Zach (I'll let him tell you about that), cuddling with his new neice, watching the history channel in the den (we don't get expanded cable at our house and he's a history junkie), showing Donny and I around Silver Birch Ranch (the camp he grew up attending next to Sawyer Lake), teaching me to steer a canoe, and sampling his parent's cooking.

    

It was such a blessing to get to go to Wisconsin this summer.  I needed the rest and the break from cell phone and computer, and came back from our trip rested and much more healed up than when I went.  (Even with the long trip home routing us from Green Bay to Chicago to Dallas to Portland getting home after 1 a.m. Pacific time which suddenly felt like 3 a.m. to us) I wish Wisconsin was closer to the Northwest so we could go visit more often.  I feel at home there and love spending time with the family.  Thank you thank you thank you to Don and Kathy for using precious air miles to fly us out there first class.  We couldn't have had a vacation this year without them!

Our family vacation

We just got back from our first vacation as parents.  I couldn't believe how much stuff we had to take!  Last summer we carried on all our luggage.  This year we checked two big suitcases going and four coming home.  PLUS a stroller, carseat, diaper bag, and backpack. Juggling it all was manageable, but getting through security was a long process!  I kept trying to imagine doing this with two kids... I guess we'll cross that bridge when we have to!

Our first adventure was a visit in Chicago with Andy's great aunt Arline.  Donny smiled at her as soon as he saw her!  We were so proud of him!

Next, he met Andy's Aunt Nancy and Donny's Great grandma and grandpa Johnson

 

They were delighted with their "littlest peanut."  He was dressed in his Chicago Cubs baseball colors in honor of his Great Grandpa Earl who is a lifelong fan. 

Next we went back to O'Hare where we suffered through a 6 hour flight delay. The parents were more upset about this than the baby.

 

We spent the remainder of our vacation in White Lake and Appleton, Wisconsin with Andy's parents and his sister's family. Grammy bought Donny this cute bathrobe.

He got to meet his cousins Laura, Zachery, and Michael

  

And of course Lindsey, his cousin who is three months older than him (and about the same size!)

  

There's lots more but I'm out of time for today!

Two Months Old!

Donny and his girafferoo at 2 months old

A few more firsts for Donny

Here's Donny at one month with his giraffe.  He's grown three inches since he was born!

We've been setting up his nursery with new toys we've purchased with gift cards and cash.  Below is his current favorite: a Cubs mobile that plays "Take me out to the ball game" he smiles and sometimes even talks to it!

Here's his first bottle.  We held out on giving it to him until he was four weeks old.  He loved it.  I cried.  I know it is important to let others share in feeding him, but I was still sad to give that job away even once a day!

Donny is really enjoying looking around his world.  He smiles often and loves to look at the vertical blinds and the bottom of some shelves we have on the wall.  I have no idea why he is so fascinated by them, but he is!

He also likes to cuddle with mom...

And for the last first of the day: Donny's first encounter with lipstick: (see the forehead)

He already impresses the ladies!

Precious Moments

Currently Listening
Hymns: A Place of Worship - Classic Hymns
By 4Him
Great is Thy Faithfulness

"It is not a slight thing when those so fresh from God love us." - Charles Dickens

The days when our little Donny will want to be held all day are so short.  I marvel at the feeling of being his favorite arms.  Today, as I cuddled with him, I placed my forehead against his and he turned his face towards mine.  He loves me! 

I am well aware of how quickly the time passes.  I want to share each precious moment with my little guy while he is still willing to stay close to my heart.  I have been thinking about the blessing of being a wife and mom later in life than I would have planned.  I wanted all this when I was 22, but God had other plans for me.  And now I see some of the brilliance of his plan.  Without those years of longing, I might take my Andy for granted.  After three years of marriage, I still marvel at the gift he is to me.  I am trying to make sure that I always hold the same level of gratitude in my heart for him and now for Donny too.  That is why I am so glad to have so many people share him with me.  I have never turned down an opportunity to let someone hold him and find joy in marveling at the little person that has joined us.  Looking at the faces of literally hundreds of people who have loved on Donny has been one of the cheif joys of my lifetime. Here's a small sampling of the people who have held him.  Look at their faces!  Babies are God's best miracles because of how they affect us.

Julianne Posivio

Hannah Grazian

Kelsey RussellKathy Shire

Auntie Jo

Trinity Hemenway, Meleesa Hinds, Debbie Woo

The morning after we brought him home I couldn't stop crying for joy at the beautiful life that we have to love.  I am learning so much about God's faithfulness from him.  I pray that I can learn to be at peace like Donny is with being cared for and held by the people who love him.  I pray that he will always remember how to trust like a little child.

Donny meets his grandmas

What a blessed little boy we have! He has already met four of his grandmas and will meet the other two before he is six months old.

Here he is talking to his Grandma Marie Whittaker

And smiling at Grammy Kathy Shire

And getting acquainted with Great Grandma Zella Kjosness

And admiring Great Grandma Clara Borovec

He can't wait to meet his other Great Grandma Clara in Chicago in August and his Great Grandma Donna Shire in Arkansas in December!