The Night Watches

This Saturday, we had a free day! I know... pretty amazing! We didn't have plans or places to be at all... so we took advantage of this and spent the day together as a family. It was great. We started off early, and headed to a coffee shop called Pistachio, in Laytonsville. Here we had a yummy breakfast and coffee. It is a cute place to come and has very good food. I highly suggest it! Then we came home for a nap, which Tyler decided not to take… so we headed to our friend’s home… Todd and Emma Lucas, where we swam in their pool with their three cutie kids. He did great in the pool. Not too cold! We ended the day with some friends from our Caregroup with dinner and a poker game! Good times. Gotta love days like these!

A little slide show/movie of the past 6 months of Tyler's life! I cannot believe he will be 7 months old on Monday! Time flies! Hasn't he changed? Hasn't God been good?

But this little boy is one of the cutest little baby's I have ever seen! Here are a few of my favorite recent pictures.... Don't you just want to kiss those chubby cheeks? And those big BLUE eyes!!! So cute! I just love this boy!  

Although it looked like a dreary day today, we decided it was time to hit the pool with Grandma. So we packed up the car and headed north. As we arrived, I still was not sure it would be the best day for the pool, but we braved it and headed over. As we got all unpacked and put all our lotion on.. the sun began to peak out and the day looked more promising. Tyler seemed more eager to face the water than his mommy. Upon first touch, the water seemed too cold to enjoy. Tyler even let out a few initial protests... until the sun came out and we all welcomed the coolness of the water... that is, until his mom decided he needed to get used to the water.... over his head..... Where he immediately let me know he did NOT like being dunked under water.... (just to those of you who may question my reasoning for doing such a mean thing to a baby... I used to be a lifeguard, and taught a swimming class called "Water Babies." Part of the class, was to remind the baby to hold his breath by...

Wednesday night we went to the Urbana Firefighters Fireworks show with my mom. It was Tyler's first time to see and hear fireworks! He was asleep for the 4th of July. He looked amazed and stunned to see them going off in the distance! My parents neighborhood is just across the street from where they do the show! So it is so convenient to just drive up to the parking lot at the edge of the neighborhood and sit on our car! Very nice! I was trying to take pictures with my "fireworks" mode on our camera... and had a little difficulty getting a good shot... this was the best one! And trust me, I took a lot! Jordan, Tyler and mom were all going blind from the barrage of flashes coming from my camera! This was the 4th year I have gone to see these fireworks with my family! Looks like it is the makings of a tradition! The fireworks accompany a fair the firemen put on each year to raise funds. It was a little too hot and Tyler a little too small to do more than watch the show. Nex...

She is HERE!!! Rakel gave birth to baby Faith Mari Boisvert at 12:07 pm. Amazingly, she weighed 9 lbs and she was 21.75 inches long! Rakel did a great job, and Joe didn't pass out! He did have to sit down at one point, but all in all, they both did a wonderful job! Baby Faith looks like Joe! She is such a cute little girl! Rakel only pushed for 45 minutes, so she didnt have a cone head at all! Her sweet little cries were just so cute. I was so excited to see them both! Hard to believe that we are both mommies now! It seems only a short time ago that we met and began our crazy friendship! Amazing love.... It was just s sweet to see Rakel whispering sweet words of love to her new little one. Just so precious! Many more pictures of our new little friend!  

Well, sometime today, little baby Faith Boisvert will be joining us! My best friend, from the very first day I came to Covenant Life Church, is in labor! She went to the hospital last night/this morning around 4 am. She is now resting very comfortably having recieved an epidural at 6 am and is at 5 cm. The nurse said she could feel the baby's head! We shall see how long this little girl takes to make her appearance! This is a picture of Rakel and her mom a few days ago! Rakel wont be big for too much longer! Please pray for an easy delivery for Rakel and a healthy baby! Oh and that Joe, the daddy, wouldn't pass out! He doesnt do too well around blood and stuff!

So, Ty skipped a nap yesterday afternoon and was VERY tired when it came time for his dinner. The whole meal he was a little fussy, but at the very end, he began to doze off.... I ran to get the camera hoping to catch this in action... this little clip is 1.36 minutes... so bear with me! It is amature I know... but so cute! Enjoy!

We have this little mirror, that you put in the back seat of the car facing the car seat, so that you can see your little one from your rearview mirror. This brings me so much joy, as I find myself looking back at Tyler more than I should. It is helpful to know what he is up to when he is laughing so hard, what he needs when he is crying, and just precious when he has fallen asleep. Yesterday, while we were out on some errands, he was just so cute with his arms stuck up on the sides of his car seat.... I had to take a picture.  

Tyler has passed another milestone... he is now sitting up completely by himself. This has been happening for the past few weeks, but as time passes, he gets stronger and more steady. He has now been able to sit by himself and play without mommy for 20 minutes. It is wonderful (for me and for him!!!) we both get more done! He still looks so little when he is sitting, but yet, he is now well on the road to becoming my "BIG" little boy! We put a pillow behind him for those times when he just topples over and lands on his back. It usually startles him a bit, so in order to lessen the fall, we help him out a little!  

We went to the Dr.'s today for Tyler's 6-month check-up. I think he has finally realized that going to the Dr. means getting some shots. He was fussy the whole time and every time I laid him on the table he would start to cry. This time he is weighing in at: 17 lbs 14 oz (50th percentile) 26.75 inches long (75th percentile) 17.3 inches around his head (50th percentile) So he looks bigger than he is! I thought he was going to be at least 19 lbs!!! I guess he feels heavier than he really is too! He has grown a lot in the past few months (he gained 2 lbs 6 oz and grew 1 inch longer since last time) From birth he has gained 9 lbs and 13 oz and grown 5.25 inches longer! While he was on the scale, it changed weight 3 times... finally we got him to be still to get an accuarate measurement. Little boy knew the nurse was coming for him.... he got all fidgity. I hate when he gets shots. It is horrible, because you have to help hold the baby down!! But as soon as I picked him back up, he ...