Baby Luau

It's a baby luau!

On Saturday, all the new parents I work with brought their families to a local park for a baby luau. It was great to everyone's little ones, especially since two of them are Malachi's age (almost to the day!).

Aren't my boys handsome?

They had a playground with equipment built for small children, which was fun.

I think Daddy was a little too big for this!

Catching up

Okay, so it's been a while since we've posted. Malachi has lots of new tricks to report! He can roll from his tummy to sitting, and from sitting to his tummy. He definitely finds this to be a novel trick as he does it even when he's not reaching for a toy. He's quite proud of himself!

When he's on his tummy, he tries to stand up. His butt goes really high in the air and his feet dig into the carpet. What he's going to do once he's standing, we're not sure since he can't quite stand on his own yet.

He's pulling up on us to a standing position now, and he's getting to be a little more independent with his walking toys. You still have to have your hands on either side of him because his chest tends to get way far in front of his feet from time to time and he always reaches back to make sure you're there. It's very cute.

We went to a soccer game last night. The women's Olympic team was having a friendly match with the Australian team to gear up for the Olympics. Great game (from what I saw of it). But, it poured off and on the whole game!!! Malachi thought it was awesome though. He kept leaning back to catch the raindrops on his face and giggled the whole time. He was adorable! I do believe we have a future swimmer on our hands. He's loves water! Even during his baths, he loves for water to run all over his face. Crazy kid!


My Dad videotaped this after the birthday party. Enjoy!

Kai's First Birthday!

It was quite a party! Seventeen of us managed to fit into our dining room and living room to celebrate Malachi's first birthday. We had a wonderful time.

I made Malachi's cake from scratch. I know. I know. Many of you thought I had probably forgotten how to bake! This cake was chocolate and decorated with colors from the Ethiopian flag. I made carrot cake cupcakes for Malachi. My mom made her Blue Ribbon (2007 Shippensburg Fair) chocolate chip cookies and congo bars. Both mom and dad were a HUGE help in pulling this party off (in a clean house!). After making a mess of his cupcake (and of course not eating any of it), he had a little juice and fell fast asleep right in his highchair. My poor little man was pooped from all the excitement of our friends being there and playing with other little ones--Hannah, Gavin, and Tyler. Very understandable. He slept for the next hour and forty-five minutes. Oh well, it's his party and he'll sleep if he wants to! :)
So after the long, overdue nap, he had a lot of fun with the ribbon and wrapping paper on this present from Tim, Debbie, and Tyler.
After dinner for Malachi (no cupcakes this time) and a subsequent clothing change, we continued to open presents with the family. Of course, if we had turned the fan on earlier in the season, we all would have realized he doesn't need any toys. A ceiling fan will do!
Great Pa (Mel's grandfather) made a special edition train for Malachi--the Kai Express! Very cute, and very special.

The Zoo

Malachi made his first visit to the zoo today! Between diaper changes, bottles, and a nap, he did see a couple of animals! No worries. We have a membership, so he'll have plenty of opportunities to see them all.

We thought these statues were great, especially since many animals were too far away for Malachi to really see well.
From a distance, I actually thought this was a real snake and was concerned when a little boy grabbed it! Silly me.We spent most of our time in the Africa portion of the zoo. We showed Malachi where Ethiopia was on the map.

So, when you've been in a car for a total of 3 hours and in a Snuggli for 4 hours, you have some pent-up energy to expend. See for yourself.

Been Busy

So sorry for the lack of posts. I'll try to make up for it with lots of pictures and videos this weekend. We're doing fine, but Kevin and I are exhausted. Malachi decided this week to skip his naps, stay up REALLY late, and get up a few times during the night on a couple of occasions this week. He seems to have realized now that he actually does need to sleep. Honestly, it wasn't that bad, but even one night of little sleep makes for a rough week for Mom and Dad! We shouldn't complain though; he normally is a good sleeper.

He has five teeth now. One of his front upper teeth is coming in nicely, with the one beside it on its way.

Onto the good stuff! Videos and pictures! First, a lovely video of my sweet son--blowing raspberries. Seriously, he did this off and on ALL day! I couldn't stop laughing!





We were able to take a short walk this evening. 80's today, with beautiful blue sky and a gentle breeze. Perfection!

Malachi already wants to lead our "hikes." Follow me, boys!

Going...

Going...

Gone.

Our nephew Ryan

Our nephew Ryan's picture was in the paper this week. The article was about the gifted and talented program in his county and gave a nice nod to just a few of Ryan's many accolades. Cute picture!

Feeling Better

Malachi and Kevin are finally on the mend. We were able to sneak in a walk around the lake this evening before Malachi went to bed. The weather is gorgeous here, and the leaves are coming out. It's going to be a picture-perfect weekend for sure!
This is what happens when Daddy's home with Malachi all day. He wears him out!
Once again this year, a pair of ducks is setting up house on the cul-de-sac. Hopefully we can catch a peek at their ducklings before they head back to the lake for the summer.

Malachi had another round of immunizations yesterday, and he did great. Kevin took him, so he had the unfortunate experience of having to hold him down for the shots. Kevin said Malachi just looked at him as if to say, "Daddy they're killing me and you're letting them." Oh, Daddy is sensitive afterall!