Jason is 6 Months

This kid can smile. :) 

But I had to be quick, cause as soon as he'd see the camera on him, he stops. Rascal. :) 

Jason's latest and greatest

-Sitting up for 2 minutes alone

-Eating his first foods (butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots are his first foods)

-Loves being in the exersaucer

-Laughs adorably

-Likes to be in the Ergo and just stare and me and make lots of noise. 

-Has a favorite elephant toy, and likes his grabby ball 

-He is quite strong and has great core muscles. 

Working on his sitting muscles - Katie there to catch him so I can get a shot of him sitting up by himself. 

My big boy. :) 

His first food!

Already - he's eating food. :) 

His dietitian came over the first time we gave him food to see how his swallowing muscles worked, and if there were any problems.

But nope - that kid did amazing. He ate so well - and LOVED it!!! There's a slight difference in how I feed him - I hold the spoon halfway in, so he has to work his tongue abit. But with pureed foods, he is doing awesome. Thankful to God for this gift. 

Snippits

The kids doing some computer games together after school. :) 

Ones they do at this point is from:

 www.starfall.com 

www.abcmouse.com

www.americangirl.com 

Jason waking up from a nap. Look! He's getting some hair back - can't wait. 

We had youth group over one night - so the guys here are getting in some baby practice. 

Amy and Leanne having some book time together. 

I love it when we get lots of library days - it creates many quiet moments. :) 

School Days

Erik doing his school on his perch. :) Normally he uses a chair. 

Katie doing her MYC homework. 

Laura and Jason hanging out 

And sometimes you have to stop doing school to get in some physical exercise. 

Erik Turns 7

This guy turned 7 - big deal - and the day he was waiting for - forever!

He had breakfast in bed which all his siblings stuck around for  - hoping to get some treats. :) 

The big guy.

He's 7 - help from Katie

Opening his gift from Auntie Annie - a Chase (Paw Patrol) stuffie.

Amy stuck in one of his gift boxes.

In the afternoon, James took the kids to the chapel gym with Hudson, Roobs, and Eden. When they came home, James got a Nerf gun war going. :)

The cake. :) 

Ben and Dee came for supper - and we all enjoyed the evening together. 

So proud of this guy - and the little man he's becoming. A soft heart, and a crazy ability to understand how things work, how to ride whatever has wheels, and a heart learning to give. 

Chaun and Emily's Wedding

Our dear amazing helper - Emily - was getting married! And we took most of the kids (a couple were sick) to the ceremony to watch this special time. Emily's been working for us for a year and a half, and being able to watch this whole romance blossom between her and Chaun was pretty neat. 

 My pictures are not the greatest- phone - but it was so neat to see this girl get married to such an amazing guy - she's walking down the isle with her dad here. Her dress was sewn for her. (I loved it!)

 After the ceremony we dropped the rest of the kids off at Diane's - except for Jason - did a quick Costco run, and then went back for the reception. 

 The backdrop that James made. 

 Kinda cool - cause we saw one of Jason's nurses from his first stay at Mac there! Neat for her to see one of her patient's doing so good. :) 

 Giving their speeches. Such a great couple. 

A very sweet wedding. 

33 Years

Turning 33 is kinda crazy. I shouldn't be allowed to be that old yet?

My day was nice - Mom Heikoop asked if she could take most of the kids for the afternoon, and then they came for dinner. I had Jason, and while it was so nice to be "alone" for a bit, that kiddo is a full time caretaker of this mama. ;) I was able to get a bunch of cleaning done, which felt great! And my brain felt so much clearer than on a normal day. 

Bringing me the ice-cream cake we had made the day before. 

Me and my precious kiddos. 

All of us - minus my dear James.

Mom and Dad got the kids to bed, while James and I had a quick date. So that was a lovely birthday.