Wonder and Discovery

I jotted this down a few weeks ago and wanted to share...

This morning Joel was bouncing around in his jump-a-roo. He got rather quiet, so I glanced over at him. His gaze was intently focused on these little stuffed animals that hang down from the jump-a-roo supports. He was so focused. He wasn't blinking or moving, just staring. He slowly reached his hand up to grab the frog, but it was just out of reach. Then he turned his seat slighty and reached up for the parrot. He touched it but just couldn't grab a hold. It was so sweet. This wasn't the first time he's stopped to look at these animals, but this morning, it was like he was really studying them....what are those things? why are they so high? what pretty colors! why can't I reach them? His face revealed such a sense of wonder. I felt in that moment that I had caught a glimpse into his thoughts. It was very special to see that moment of wonder, the fleeting seconds of discovery for Joel. He's continually changing, learning new things every day, and today, I am reminded how precious these moments are and how blessed I am to be his mom.

Weight Check

Joel had his 5 month checkup today with Dr. Schlundt. I am happy to report that he is definitely eating well. He now weighs 17 lbs. 8 oz. and is 26.5" tall. He's gained 1.25 pounds and grown an inch since his 4 month appointment. It was also time for two more vaccinations. Joel is so brave. He didn't cry at all on the first one and whimpered for just a minute on the second one. This afternoon he's been his normal self...happily playing, sleeping, and eating. I'm so spoiled!

Jumping Joel

Joel loves to stand up in your lap. He doesn't want to just sit; he wants to stand and look around.

So, last week, we went and got him a jumper and he loves it. At first his feet wouldn't reach the ground, so we had to put a pillow underneath him. It took him a few days to get the hang of it but now he's jumping around and swiveling his seat around to see all the differen toys. Here are a few pictures that really captured his joy.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my Momma and to Joel's LeLe!

We love you and hope your day has been fantastic!

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

Joel is officially mobile! He finally figured out how to roll from his stomach to his back. He has been able to move from his back to his stomach for over a month now. Yesterday, we were watching the Patriots game and he suddenly pushed up really high on his stomach and just kind of flopped over....it was the missing piece to his mobility. He's rolling all over the place now. This morning I put him on his mat while I was working and I looked over after only a minute or so, and he was almost to his bed. It is time to start baby-proofing this place. Well, I'm trying to upload pictures but to no avail, which was the biggest reason for this post. I'll try again later....

Later has finally arrived.....here are some pics of Joel's travel...

Back to School

Please keep David in your prayers as the fall quarter at Fuller officially starts today. David is taking a Monday night class and an internet class this quarter so he can be at home to help me in the mornings. I am so thankful that his schedule is flexible right now.

He had a great back-to-school weekend, though, as we got to spend it with his friend, Chris Knight. They went to a Muse concert on Friday night in Irvine, drove around Beverly Hills, down the Sunset Strip, and went to a local jazz club (Red, White and Bluezz) on Saturday, and checked out a used cd/movie store in Pasadena on Sunday. I think David really enjoyed showing him around L.A.

While they were off playing, Joel and I hung out. Saturday morning I helped welcome the new student wives to Fuller with a little brunch get together and Saturday night Joel and I hung out with my friends Becca and Krissy. Our neighbors hosted a fondue party for our apartment complex last night so it was fun to get to catch up with everyone. (Thanks Suah and Nellie!) Throw in some football and church and much needed naps, and it was a pretty full, but fun weekend.

Congrats!

CONGRATULATIONS to my brother and sister-in-law, David and Kassidy, on the birth of their first son, Jaxon David. He was born this morning, Tuesday, September 18, at 6:19 a.m., weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 21" long. Jaxon looks just like his daddy and has a full head of dark hair. He's absolutely adorable, and I'm so proud to be his aunt. Joel is very excited to have a cousin and be a cousin. Watch out world...I'm afraid we may have our hands full with these two!

Achy-Breaky Heart

This morning we were running a little late to church, so David just dropped Joel and I off near the door while he went to park. I walked in and looked for a place to sit. As I was looking around, I look up and see this man and his daughter standing there. I thought, "Hmmm, he looks kind of familiar." Then I looked over at the teenage girl and realized that it's none other than Hannah Montana herself....aka Miley Cyrus, daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus. He's hugging our pastor and telling him it's so great to see him. The Cyrus family sat in front of us during the first part of church (we moved after the kids were dismissed, which opened up more seats in the sanctuary). I'm happy to report that they were just a normal family, and David and I both noticed that Miley is definitely a daddy's girl.


Being in L.A., you would think that we would be accustomed to seeing stars, but we're not. We really haven't seen that many, and I especially wasn't prepared to see someone at church...especially at our little church, which is tucked away in a fairly obscure part of the Verdugo mountains. Anyway, just wanted to share our little Hollywood moment....

Growing Boy

Last week Joel turned 4 monhts old. I can't believe how much he is changing and how fast he is growing. At the doctor's office on Tuesday, he weighed 16 lbs. 4.5 oz. and is 25.5" long. He's growing more than an inch a month! He's rolling over from his back to his tummy but hasn't made it all the way around yet. He loves playing with his feet and chewing on his hand. Anyway, I just wanted to show off some recent pictures of our little man.

Beach Birthday

David's birthday was this past Sunday so we celebrated with a trip to the beach. David, Lenae, Joel, and I packed up and headed south to Doheny Beach in Dana Point. We stopped at David's favorite donut shop, Tastee Donut and Burger, and got chocolate donuts on our way out of Pasadena. It's a dive for sure, but the donuts are very, well, tasty! Then we headed south to Irvine, where we stopped and ate lunch at On the Border. Their chicken fajitas never tasted so yummy! Then, we were off to the beach. David pulled out his new surfboard and rode the waves while Lenae, Joel and I relaxed on the beach.

the board (yes, it's a 8'10" long)

Joel and Lenae

Doheny Beach is a great place to learn to surf and it has a nice little cove area, too. We took Joel and let him take his first step into the ocean. He seemed to enjoy it!

Walking on water

the Moore family

Surfing with dad

We headed back and made a Sonic stop in Fullerton on the way home. David went out with his guys' group for Texas barbeque at Barn Burner on Sunday night.

On Monday night we invited our neighbors and friends over for chocolate cake and ice cream. It was great to have some of our favorite people there to celebrate with us. All in all, I think he had a pretty good 27th birthday.

Aunt Lenae

This last weekend we were blessed with a visit from David's sister, Lenae. Joel had lots of fun playing with and entertaining his aunt. He even got her all to himself one night so that David and I could go celebrate our friend Katie's birthday. Here are some pictures from the weekend....

Chatting with Aunt Lenae

Relax

Over the weekend, we got to enjoy spending time with my parents who came in for a visit. On Saturday, my mom and I went to the local Pasadena farmers' market. It was a lot of fun to see all of the fresh fruits and vegetables but it was sure hot! After picking up some things for dinner, we headed to Old Town Pasadena for some lunch at one of my favorite local places, Rock Island Wraps. My mom and I shopped at Old Town, Paseo Colorado, and South Lake most of the afternoon while Joel stayed home with the men to watch college football. Saturday night we grilled steaks and our farmers' market corn and fresh veggies. Yummy! LeLe and Pappa kept Joel while David and I enjoyed dessert at The Cheesecake Factory and walked around the newly remodeled Pasadena city hall.

On Sunday, we tried to escape the scorching Pasadena heat with a drive up to Santa Barbara but got caught in traffic. We ended up stopping in Camarillo and shopping at the outlet mall. We didn't get to spend much time there, but we'll go back. It was full of great shops, and it was a nice escape from the heat.

On Monday we relaxed around the house and watched Texas Tech beat SMU. Anyway, here are some pictures from our weekend...

Joel watching football with Pappa

Joel talking to LeLe

Joel drooling all over himself (but he's happy!)

Green

This weekend was a pretty exciting weekend for the Moore family. After a year of looking out our window to 1) an ugly bush and then 2) a big box of dirt, we can now have a beautiful green mini-yard in front of our apartment. Our whole community started early Saturday morning moving and tilling up the dirt. We worked faster than planned and were able to lay the sod as well. Now we have nice green spaces in front of all of the apartments, and it looks great. A big thanks to all who helped...we really appreciate the green! Afterwards we enjoyed hamburgers at the Higashis.

Our new "yard"

Saturday night we joined some friends for a Josh Garrels concert at Kairos church in L.A. It was a great time of fellowship with good friends. Joel enjoyed the music for the most part but was a little confused when everyone would applaud.

Surfing

Joel spent some time "surfing" yesterday on his tummy mat. Thought I would share some of the pics.

Happy Joel

What a cutie!

My first surfboard

Clap your...feet???

Skunk Hunt

So we live in this huge city known specifically for its suburban sprawl but somehow wildlife manages to survive in this urban jungle. Tonight the activity of choice in our apartment building was skunk hunting. Last fall we had a resident skunk who apparently was quite large, or so we thought. This summer we figured out that maybe Mrs. Skunk wasn't overweight, but, like half our apartment building, was pregnant...with up to 10 baby skunks. So now we have a skunk colony living somewhere between the apartment buildings and the carport. Last week two of our neighbors, Andrew and Francisco, chased a baby skunk down into the laundry room, where it was then removed (and we'll say "released") by the Fuller maintenance men. Well, tonight two more skunks showed right across from our front porch and the chase was on. Francisco rounded up our other neighbors, Guy and Josh, and they ran around the building chasing the skunks. David jumped in too while I stayed on our front porch and watched the action with our other neighbor, Sherri. Thankfully, Joel slept through all the yelling and shrieking. Unfortunately, the hunt was unsuccessful and the skunks escaped to their hiding place but thankfully, no one was sprayed.

LB Meets LA

I've been following the blogs of various friends for several months now and decided that I needed to start my own. So here we go...I hope you enjoy the pictures of Joel and some insight into our life in California!