Joshua is 18 months

Joshua is 18 months! Instead of going to Kiddie Kandids or JC Penney's (actually, we're boycotting Penney's), we decided to use our Christmas tree as a backdrop and take Joshua's 18-month pictures at home with our trusty digital camera. After lots of jumping up and down on Jared's part, and basically, any attempt to amuse our child, we were able to capture some "smiley" moments!

Our little boy is so much fun! In his 18th month:
* he's more verbal - we notice him chatting away by himself as he plays
* his sign language repetoire has expanded to include "sorry" and "thank you"
* he's definitely into cars! Hot wheels, to be precise!
* he's running...boy, is he running!
* he has a temper...boy, does he have a temper! He tends to throw things when he's in rage - um, anger management, anyone?
* but he's compassionate - he empathizes with other kids when they cry, and often offers the crying babe something that he thinks may comfort them
* he is head-strong...hmmm, I wonder who he gets that from??
* he LOVES to have his teeth brushed (see pic below!) - he went to his first dentist appointment a couple of weeks ago...he wasn't very thrilled, but when he received a new toothbrush at the end of the session, it was all good!
* he loves piggy-back rides!
* he is definitely high energy! (can I put "babysitting time" on my Christmas list?)

Even though I run around after Joshua all day, either in play or panic, and literally collapse on the couch after we put him to bed at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade this season for anything in the world! How blessed am I to be able to share these precious, holy moments with my son! To love this little person so profoundly is but a glimpse of God's love for me, for us. What a priviledge it is to be able to experience that!

We're looking forward to this Christmas. We can't wait to see him "enjoy" this season!

Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Admist all the busyness of the festivities, we began a family tradition last year where we me made a list of people/events that we're thankful for this year. We keep this list in a journal, and we pray together as a family at the beginning of each Thanksgiving Day.

Included on our list are names of new friends, as well as friendships that have gone deeper and have become meaningful and important to us. We also take time to think about all the blessings that God has given us, including good health, a warm home, and the fact that we are not in want. We are thankful for new opportunities, adventures, and holy moments; we are thankful for each other.

Yesterday, we spent Thanksgiving at Jared's parents' home. Everyone was there, including Jared's Grandma Uecker and Aunt MaryAnn and Uncle Scott. We were all doned in our Packer gear as our beloved Green Bay Packers were playing the Detriot Lions in the first football game of the day. This die-hard Packer family (namely, John and Jane!) had 3 T.V.s going on at once - making sure no one missed a single moment or play as one transitioned from the basement to the kitchen to load up on more food! Three hours later, the Packers surged forward to hold a 10-1 record as they beat the Lions. Oh, Brett - you're so good to us!

Following the game, we began the feast to end all feasts! The turkey was exquisite, the sweet potatoes were divine, and all who ate were overwhelmingly satisfied. As I reflect on the abundance of good food and good company, I'm thankful that God has and continues to meet our needs in more ways than one. There are so many people out there who do not know where their next meal will be coming from, nor do they have family with whom they can experience intimacy. Our church's Client Care Center, a.k.a the Food Pantry, has a relationship with the Chicago Food Depository, so if you are reading this blog, and feel led to contribute to our Food Drive, you can log on to www.willowcreek.org/thegift/

This few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are often a blur as people get busy with decorating, buying gifts, attending countless parties, and...well, we're just busy! I pray that we will also take time to remember the reason for this season - Jesus Christ. "For from Him and through Him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:36)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are thankful for all of you, and we pray that this coming Christmas season will be filled with much love, joy, and peace!

Our son in GQ?

Okay, so our friend, Marshall, does photography as a hobby. So we thought we'd help him practice and build his portfolio by taking pictures of Joshua. For those of you who have been around our little boy, he has an aversion to smiling once a camera is thrust in front of his face. However, the moment the flash goes off and the picture is taken, he frustrates the photographer with a smile then!

We didn't know how many good shots we'd get from our photo shoot. But as we browsed through all 203 of them (and the majority were no-smiles, mind you), we found these poses. Don't you think they they are worthy of a Baby GQ Magazine?? Or am I just being a biased momma? His sultry look is pretty cute!

"Joshua Ahrens...modeling this year's Fall and Winter line by Gymboree. Dressed in a cream turtleneck with tan rugby-stripes on sleeves; accented by a zippered, brown suede, wool-line vest. Oh so chic!"

Halloween

Here they are...pictures of our little lion on Halloween!!

Going for the biggest Snicker bar, of course!

The day before, we had a mini Halloween party at our neighborhood's Moms' Group. It was just too cute! We had 2 lions (Joshua and Nathan), a pumpkin (Grace Ann), a monkey (Talia), a puppy (Joel), and Jack. Try getting 6 one-year-olds to sit on a couch for a picture - a feat in itself!! Enjoy these adorable pics!

On Halloween, we braced ourselves for the after-school group of trick-or-treaters. We didn't actually go door-to-door, but let Joshua walk around outside for a little. His costume is just too cute! Check out this little behind!!

We carved our first pumpkin, which we got at The Royal Oak Farms. As you can tell, Joshua wasn't the biggest fan of Mr. Pumpkin!