Heath, Pam, Zion, and Eden

Firsts

2010-02-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

Our little Eden had her first ride in the shopping cart yesterday. Can I just say. . .I LOVE COSTCO! And God bless them for having the ginormous cart that seats TWO little ones! I went over there yesterday to get a couple items and decided to try Eden out in the cart. She loved it! It was so fun seeing her right there beside Zion. He loved it too. He kept putting his arm around her and his head on her shoulder. What a pair they are! She isn't quite sitting up on her own yet, but did just fine all strapped into the Costco cart. I just can't tell you how cute her little legs were in her pink tights kick, kick, kicking from the seat of the cart. What an absolute doll!

She also recently took her first swing ride in the park. I am sorry to say I haven't yet documented that on film yet. But I will remember to take my camera to the park eventually. We even went there today (because how beautiful was today's weather!) for a walk and some play time. Zion hates leaving the park. He is starting to enter the "terrible twos", I'm afraid.

Sorry about the lack of pictures this time!

January 2010

2010-02-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here is Eden getting her grub on. She loves food! Our boy on the stairs.

The kids playing together.

Nothing like Dad time!

Heath playing with Eden during meal time.

Not much to report for January. The kids are growing like weeds--Eden is almost sitting up and Zion is chatting away! They are getting so big!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

Here is Zion last Christmas. Only child. Just starting to move around and making only polite messes. What a handsome little guy! (7 months old)Here he is this Christmas! Still handsome, but with more hair and teeth and the ability to make a MASSIVE mess in nine seconds flat! (19 months)But this Christmas, we also added another little bundle to our family! Here is Eden at 5 months old. She is such a cutie! So big in her exersaucer.Zion is so sweet to her. Always giving her hugs and kisses, whether she wants them or not! You can certainly tell they are siblings in this picture, huh!? My wonderful babies!I'm innocent, mom, I swear!

Oops, she caught me on film!
Here we are on Christmas day at the Cloutiers' house.

Eden is now 5 1/2 months old and she has started showing us signs of being hungry. So I started her on some rice cereal a few days ago. She doesn't really care one way or the other about it. Here are her first bites of food. Zion's first experience with snow. He loved playing in it and eating it.

What a Month!

2009-12-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

A close-up of Miss Eden Belle's cute cheeks and pretty eyes! Zion sporting his "hat".

Zion giving Eden some love. He's not going to know what to do when she forms an opinion of his love!

Eden's cute body.

"I love my play mat!"

I'm 4 months old today!

I'm 18 months old today and I have a fantastic grin on my face in this picture!

Heath going in the stage door for his concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. A door only "the chosen" get a chance to use!

Not sure how Zion got part of his sandwich ON his head while eating it. Funny boy!

Eden with her great grandma on Thanksgiving.

Whew! Every month I say to myself, "Self, you are going to blog more this month." Then the month slips by in a blind frenzy of breastfeeding (only one hand for typing--annoying to type with only one hand!), whirlwind weekends (no time for typing), and play dates (again, not typing/blogging friendly situations). So here we are already in December. December!? And I have to admit, I have taken down the fall/Thanksgiving decorations, but haven't gotten out the Christmas ones yet. Not even a Christmas CD yet! Heath even mentioned our lack of holiday cheer around here the other day. I told him I had to wait for the bug to bite me. So I'm just going to wait!

Anyway, the kiddos are doing well. Fighting colds and pink eye, but they are as cute as ever and growing so fast! They are now 18 months (Zion) and 4 months (Eden). Zion is chatting up a storm--real words! It is so fun to watch him learn and absorb the world around him. And he is entering the terrible two phase. Isn't this too early??!! Eden is so cute and interactive. She gives us the sweetest smiles and loves to be cuddled. I love her little chubby legs in tights. What a joy she is to us!

Heath had his first concert with the Portland Symphonic Choir and the Schnitzer. It's always been his dream to perform on stage there--that old, charmingly-ornate-musty smelling concert hall. They performed Brahms' German Requiem and it was pretty entertaining. (I was glad I had forgotten my magazine to occupy myself while at the concert at home!)

Thanksgiving was fun with the Meier side this year. Always good to see my brother and his family. I made a pumpkin cheesecake that was to die for! It looked and tasted like something they would have had at The Cheesecake Factory. Yummy!

Well, better get going. Hopefully the holiday season will catch up to me soon so I can pull out the decorations, deck out a tree, wrap presents, and join the rest of the world!

You Were Wrong!

2009-10-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry, Mom and Dad, but you were wrong! Trick or treating is SO MUCH fun!

Tonight we decked Zion out in a tiger costume and face paint (well, okay, my eye liner) and hit the streets. And let me tell you. . .he got the loot! It was nice because he doesn't get candy yet, so he was oblivious as to what people were giving him. We'll see if he is so innocently guiless next year!

We had a great time toting this cute little boy around and just being together. We feel so lucky to have our kids and each other.

We dedicated the kids last week at our new church--Mosaic. We don't get many family pictures, so here we all are! Eden is now 3 1/2 months old and Zion is 17 1/2 months.

Cutie Pies!

2009-10-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Through the Night!

2009-09-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Our little girl has slept through the night the past couple nights! Yay! Last night it was 12-7 am and the night before it was 11-6 am! I wasn't going to get excited about it, but since she has done it two nights I am hoping for a pattern! Keep your fingers crossed!

On another note, we went to the jazz bar, Jimmy Mak's, with friends last night and it was thoroughly enjoyable! It was nice to sit there, with adults, and listen to some fun music.

Labor Day

2009-09-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day, we took a little family trip up the Gorge. First we went to the Portland Women's Forum lookout point (random name for such a place, I know). Then we traveled up the mountain to Larch Mountain where we took a little hike to the summit, which is what you see here.

Heath had to carry both kids up the mountain because he loves to be "THE Dad".

After our little hike, we met up with my parents for dinner at the Edgefield McMenamins in Troutdale. If you have never been there, GO! It is so cool! Here Zion is picking flowers and offering rocks to anyone who would take them.

Here are some pictures of the kids with their cousins on my side:

and on Heath's side. This is little Boston Cole and Eden. He is seven weeks older than her.

She is bigger than this now. We had an appointment for he a couple weeks ago and my guess is that she is 10 1/2 pounds now. She is fun to have around and Zion is adjusting to her too.

Just a couple random thoughts:

-If you have not eaten at The Screen Door Restaurant on 24th and East Burnside, you MUST! It is my new favorite place! It is southern food, and let me tell you, it does speak to the soul!

-We found our new place during the Street of Dreams in August! :) We'll let you know when we're moving into a Pearl District Penthouse!

-I forgot how much I love pedicures!!

-Being a mom of an infant (and breastfeeding said child) IS work, but is so rewarding!

-If possible, have your children more than 14 months apart! I am managing them on my own, but they are not both always happy. ;)

-If anyone knows how I can get my "Other Blogs I Read" section back on my blog since I updated the background, please let me know! I think I just need to change the font color, but I am not sure how to do that. Help!

Pictures!

2009-08-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well. . .

2009-07-25T20:08:00.001-07:00

We did not make it to August for the birth of our little one! In fact, July 16th, we had an emergency c-section. So, our little Eden Belle has joined our family! She is so cute and lumpish. We had forgotten how small they are at first. Plus, since she was three weeks early, she only tipped the scales at 6 pounds 5 ounces when she was born. She was 19 1/2 inches, which was the exact length Zion was at full term.

She is doing great and we just love her to pieces! Here are some pictures:

Today's Appointment. . .

2009-07-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Determined that I am starting to dialate! We're at a 1 so far. I really would like to make it to August, but we'll see. . .

And Heath finished rototilling the backyard tonight. Now he has to level it and plant grass! What fun it is to watch him with his new landscape maintenance skills.

Getting There

2009-07-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we are almost to 37 weeks now. I have another appointment with my doctor this morning so we'll see how things are progressing. Last week's visit reaped nothing interesting except that I am starting contractions now and then.

I had another ultrasound to check Eden's size and she looks perfect! We're still going to try for the VBAC. I am nervous about the birth, but I know she will come out one way or another! I just hope it doesn't take 28 hours this time!

Heath is in his fourth of six weeks of the PSP Program and loving it. He is also working on expanding our backyard so every night this week he's been out until dark 'tilling up the dirt, getting rid of the blackberry roots. It'll be fun having more room back there for the kids to play.

Zion is now a toddler! He doesn't crawl at all anymore. His understanding of speech picks up more everyday too. This morning he made the "moo" sound for a cow when we were reading a book. So cute! He is such a delight--a true crown on our head.

So there is a quick peek into our life. I'll post more about Eden when we have more details!

June News

2009-07-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

The sun has finally arrived again. It has been nice to see the blue sky, but the trade off is steep--I am SO HOT! Ugh!

Here Zion is getting ready to play in a local water feature. We are lucky to have several parks around us with them. He absolutely LOVES playing in water (but still hates the bathtub. We can't figure that one out!). I love this picture of his toddly-penguin walk and how his shorts are really pants.

Just THRILLED about this little stream of water. So innocently cute!

"Here's my tummy!" He likes to pat it when you ask him where it is. Seems like he learns something new everyday. Talking has also started. Some of his words are: dog, tree, please, food, cheese, shoe, this, no-no-no, Dada, Mama, and oops.

He also got his first haircut in June.

Before:

During:After:

June also brought a new baby into our fam. Little Boston Cole! Congratulations, Brock and Natasha! He is just so adorable and perfect! Unfortunately, I never got a great angle of his precious face or one with him and his parents. Isn't he a DOLL!

Here Zion is with his first boy cousin on Heath's side.

Speaking of babies. . .our Eden Belle is due in five weeks! And, yes, I have the BEL-LY to prove it! I begin my weekly doctor visits next week. Yikes! She'll be here before we know it! Yeah!

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. This is already Thursday and I am just getting around to posting about this past weekend. . .but at least I'm doing it!

Saturday was my Nana's funeral in Yamhill. Cousins were there that I had not seen in years and other relatives were there that I had never met. The memorial service was nice--light-hearted--which makes for a pleasant funereal environment. Then all of us trucked over to Depoe Bay/Lincoln City. It was a beautiful weekend at the coast, weather-wise!

My mom and her siblings took Nana's ashes out to sea on Monday and then we all headed home.

Kasi, my cousin, had her baby boy on Sunday, so we stopped by the hospital on the way home to meet Travis Michael. I don't remember Zion ever being THAT small! He is going to look gigantic next to Eden when she comes! Which reminds me, good luck, Natasha! She'll hopefully be having their boy any day now!

Here are some pictures of Zion's first trip to the beach. He was SO cute and loved the sand. Since it is hard to keep his fingers out of his mouth, he did end up swallowing a good amount of sand.

Cousins Bailey and Brayden playing with Zion.

Brody and Zion playing with foliage. They are 9 months apart but about the same size.

The "Men" and their hats: Heath, Zion, and my dad.Heath and Zion mowing the lawn.

Zion's 1st Birthday!

2009-05-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 16th marked Zion's first year in this world. It was a great party and he loved playing with all the kids! He is such a lucky little boy to be loved so much by so many people.

We moved the party to the park at the last minute because the weather was just beautiful.

Unfortunately, yesterday (Sunday) he came down with a fever that is still lingering today. I am hoping that doesn't get worse as the day progresses.

Here are some pictures of the party:

Here he is on his birthday morning. He is such a happy little man!

Us with The Boy.
This is his birthday cake. I had Heath help me decorate it and he did a great job.

Blowing out the candle.

Cake time!

Here he is with his girlfriends Mackenzie. . .

and Jordan.With his cousins, Brody (almost 2) and Brayden (almost 5).

Here he is in the grass for the first time. He didn't like the feeling of it and would not crawl or walk in it.

Pretty busy weekend for the him, but so fun! Here is to another great year with our little guy. . .

Out Walking

2009-05-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we decided to put a book we borrowed from some friends to use. The book is about different walks you can take through Portland. It is full of information and is like having a tour guide with you. So we took the walk through the Pearl Disctict and Slabtown. However, we only made it through the first half due to a hungry and sleepy baby. So Slabtown will have to be done in the future. We love getting to know our new city. There is so much to explore and do here.

Pictures of our tour:

It started at Union Station. What a pretty building this was! The inside still has a very 30's feel to it and looks as if you should see a couple waving goodbye to each other as the train whisks one off from the other.

There was this walking path over the tracks that we found. Very pretty view from up there of the bridges in the area.

Our walk continued past the Federal Building. Again, another gorgeous structure.

We walked up further and found the old customs building. It is hard to tell in this picture, but it is in an old Italian style. Very ornate and pretty. We are not sure what it is today.

Zion got to ride on the swings in the park--his favorite thing!

We then walked past the old Armory building. It is now a trendy theatre. We ducked in there to escape the downpour that had caught us.

After the shower passed, we went on to Jamison Park. We will have to visit this park again when the weather warms up!

We continued on to the more industrial section of the Pearl, but we didn't take any pictures there because we were into the meltdown by then. You'll have to wait for our Out Walking Part 2!

What a Month!

2009-05-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

What a great month April was! The changing of the seasons is always my favorite time of year. We got Eden's room set up this month (sorry, no pictures of that) and did tons of other stuff. I'll give you a tour with pictures:

Zion and Heath building a shoe rack. Zion got a bunch of toy tools that he loves to use.

Here is Zion's 11 month picture:

Zion took some first steps while we were at Frank and Nora's house this past week. He'll be running before we know it!

Alex had her 3rd birthday party. She is getting so big!

Zion on the swing at Columbia Park. He loves the swings! When we are still about 1/4 of a mile away from them he starts jumping in the stroller. He is so cute!

Heath's new bike. He loves riding to work and home.

Zion on his new slide. It is just his size.

And the saddest part of the month. . .my Nana died. We were able to go see her in the hospital one last time before she went. She had a good life and was a GREAT Nana to me and her other grand-kids. She went peacefully and now she is with my Papa again. We will miss her so much!

The Update

2009-04-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

After lots, and I mean lots, of discussion about what to do with our kids' bedroom/bed situations, we have it figured out (for today at least!). Since Zion will only be 15 months old when Eden arrives, we figure he will most likely not be ready for a big bed--especially since he is prone to lots of bed-shifting at night. So I have been looking on Craigslist (LOVELOVELOVE Craigslist!) for a crib. Something cute, newish, and, frankly, a bargain. I found it today! Little Miss Eden Belle's room now has a plan that we'll put together in the next couple months or so. (Due to this fact, if you want to visit us in Portland and have an actual bed to sleep in, come visit NOW because we'll soon only have couches for guests!)

In other news, Zion is trying to get over croupe, poor guy.

He is 20.4 pounds. Now all he has to do is turn 1 and then we can face his carseat forward. He'll love that.

Speaking of turning one. . . . His birthday party (and actual birthday, in fact) is on May 16th so mark it on your calendar! Invitations are going out soon!

Here are a couple pictures:

A pretty cute little guy!! I love the sparkle of mischief in his eyes here.

Zion blowing kisses. It is his latest trick.

Meal time mess. (Those are black beans he is eating. Looks questionable in this picture, though!)

He likes to put his toys in his mouth and "walk" around with them. This is the easiest way of transporting himself AND his toys at the same time.

Heath and Zion doing some tasks. What a good helper!

Appointments

2009-03-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had an appointment for Zion. He has gained THREE pounds in the past two months-yes, he IS an eater. He is finally out of the "scrawny" category at 19.5 pounds and 10 months old. He is also now 28 1/2" tall. Growing boy! He had to get three shots too, and of course it was from the nurse in training. She was SO slow with the shots. They are usually done so fast he hardly has time to cry. Poor thing. He is such a champ, though. He cried just while she was doing them and was fine by the time I picked him up. Looks like Zion is in good shape overall.

Today we had an appointment for our little newbie.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

So we are TOTALLY excited about this. It will be fun to have one of each. I was hoping it was a girl but was going to be so excited if it was a boy too. The rest of the anatomy visit went well too. She looks great--finger, toes, cute profile, and internal stuff in tact. We are thankful that she is on her way and the Lord is knitting her together perfectly. Her name will be:

Eden Belle

Isn't that totally cute?! We have had this name chosen forever. Eden is a place in the Bible (like Zion), unique, but not too unique, two syllables so people won't shorten her name, and beautiful sounding. Belle means "beautiful" and is after my mom. Her middle name is Isabel. Our girl's name will mean "beautiful garden". I just love it!

Well, that sum up our appointments from the past couple days. Good news all around!

Heath's Birthday Weekend

2009-03-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

This past Friday (the 13th) was Heath's 31st birthday. Yeah for another year! Emily and Justin, our friends we visited in California a couple months ago, were up here so we spent the day with them on Friday. It was fun walking around 23rd with them. Zion was so content watching the world go by from the vantage point of his stroller. He is such a good baby! We had lunch at Laurelwood Pub which was so good! Try it if you are ever on 23rd. We even got to eat outside which is rare in Portland on a March day.

Saturday Heath's parents came up to see him and we had lunch here. Then Saturday night. . .WE SAW WICKED!!! It was so fun! Our friends watched Zion for the evening (the first time someone other than us has put him to bed) and we just had so much fun. We had not been to the theatre in a long time and Heath has been wanting to see Wicked forever. I bought him tickets for Christmas. If you have a chance, you should go see it! It is fabulously eye-poppingly colorful and of course the music is fun too.

Sunday we went to church, had lunch with some friends, and then spent the rest of the day shopping and in the Pearl. Powell's Bookstore is overwhelmingly huge and we ate dinner in Chinatown.

So, that was our busy weekend. We have to do all the touring now before the new babe comes and it will be harder to get out for a while again. Oh, we have our ultrasound this Wednesday where we will find out the sex of the baby. Yeah! And Zion is 10 months old today! He is getting so big!

February Pictures

2009-03-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the nakey-walking baby with Grandpa Frank's help. He loves "walking" around now.

Here he is crawling--he does that on his own.

We got to visit with Sam, Darci, and their kids over Valentine's Day weekend.

Here Zion is with Brody, Sam and Darci's youngest. He is nine months older than Zion.

Cousins--Brody, Bailey, Zion, and Brayden. Aren't they all so cute?!

Life

2009-03-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

So our little lives have just kept on going. In the past few weeks Zion has really taken to crawling. He is everywhere now and pulling up on everything. This makes things more complicated because he is more prone to falling due to his clumsy attempts. He is so cute, though, scooting around chasing his toys and me. He likes to be between my legs when I am trying to cook. Makes for an interesting picture--seeing how far I can stretch from one location.

He continues to be a good eater--up to 18 pounds now! I am hoping he'll be able to face forward in his carseat by his first birthday and we just might make it! Pretty sure he can gain a couple more pounds by May.

He now has two teeth in and is starting to nibble. Lovely. I am determined to keep nursing him until he is one, though. Then that will be that with child #1. Speaking of, we will be 18 weeks this week. Our big ultrasound is scheduled for March 18th so we should have the results of the sex after that. We talked the doctor to dragging in her ultrasound machine at my last visit, but the baby's feet were in the way and it was too wiggly. So, we will wait in suspense a couple more weeks before finding out if it will be a boy or girl. I have started feeling it move around in the past couple weeks. I just love that feeling. I am trying to revel in the fact that I am still comfortable and can get to and from the floor with ease. I know that is short-lived.

Well, I'll post pictures soon. I have to upload the February pics to the computer first.

Random Pictures

2009-02-09T19:12:00.001-08:00

Here Zion is in a storage bucket. Just a cute shot.his is The Blessed Dr. Monica Wehby, the doctor (well, the head one) that performed Zion's surgery. He had a check up a couple weeks ago and she says he "Looks just perfect"!

Couldn't we all use a bit of this right now?! This is the view from the boat ride through the Marriott Hotel's gorgeous landscape in La Quinta. Oh, for some warm sunshine!!

Vacation to California

2009-02-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, we did it! Our first road trip as a family and it was totally spur-of-the-moment. We drove a total of five days to spend a total of five days in so-sunny Southern California. Worth it, though!!

Our friends, Emily (Aunty Em) and Justin (Uncle Juice), live in La Quinta, which is a suburb to Palm Springs. BEE-YOU-TI-FUL would describe the place: warm weather, sunny skies, citrus fruit growing on the side of the road, and picturesque homes and resorts. La Quinta was actually named after the resort (of the same name) that was a refuge for the wealthy in the 20's and remains so today. Many of the golfers playing in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic were staying there as the PGA Tour was in town at the same time we were.

Justin and Emily

Heath and Zion lounging by one of the MANY pools at the La Quinta Resort.

Zion eating an orange on the tree. Everyone is encouraged to pick and eat fruit from the trees all over the city.
Me and Zion at the Resort. This is his "lion roar" face. So cute!

Zion had lots of firsts on our trip. . .

First long car ride. He was such a trooper!

I LOVE how he sucks his tongue when he sleeps.
First bike ride. We loved riding around with him. We'll for sure be getting a bike seat for him so we can take family rides.

He had a hard time balancing sometimes becaue he wanted to suck his fingers.

First time down a slide and swimming.

Not so sure of the slide.

Playing with some of the 57 grapefruit that we picked on the side of the road.
So, over all, we had a GREAT trip. We were spoiled by Justin and Em and had a relaxing time. It is hard to be home in this refrigerator we call Oregon!

In Palm Springs!

2009-01-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

We are currently on vacation in Palm Springs, California and are LOVING the sunshine! We are wearing t-shirts and flip-flops everyday. Tomorrow we are planning a lazy day by the pool--ultimate ahhhhh!

Our friends, Emily and Justin, live down here. I am taking lots of fun pictures that I will post after we get back home.