BUSY JUNE...

We have been traveling around the country in June, trying to take advantage of the good weather and KJ's new found independence with walking, talking and learning.

First, we traveled to Washington, DC to visit Uncle Gerald and take in the sites of our nation's capital. Uma and Papa came along for the trip and helped out a TON with KJ.

After going on KJ's first flight, we took a couple of days to see all the sites, visiting Alexandria, The Mall, all the memorials, Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon and the White House. Of course we passed by Kurt's favorite place too, the IRS Building.

We all had a very nice trip and were very lucky to get warm weather and a nice breeze throughout the entire trip.

Later in the month, we traveled to St. Ignace for KJ's first trip "Up North". We went to the St. Ignace Car Show and played in the cold waters of Lake Michigan with Grandma Schuster and Uma and Papa.

After our quick trip, we found that KJ caught some poison ivy, so the past few days have been fun, but overall, it has been worth it.

A HAM OF A BOY...

A few of my favorite pictures from the past few weeks. KJ loves to put plastic bowls on his head and pretend they are hats, he loves going to Kalamazoo and visiting with Uma and Papa and he also loves his Aunt K. Growing in personality by the day.



After a long day of running around, the little fella just couldn't wait for bed. After Kurt took off his work shirt, KJ was rolling around in it and, apparently liked the smell, so he decided to take a quick nap on it in the closet.

Ah...I love him.

KJ's Baby Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

THE BOY IS 1!

We celebrated KJ's first birthday on Saturday and while we were excited about the party, KJ was still under the weather, so it didn't go over as planned. We tried to get him to eat his cake, but his poor ears weren't cooperating. Still, we had a beautiful day, lots of good company and KJ was able to play with some of his friends off and on. Since he wasn't into his cake on Saturday, we tried again on Sunday, and he seemed to like it much better. Apparently, if I had given him a spoon on his birthday, he would have eaten the cake.

Here is our big guy's 1 year pictures. He looks like a little man to me. I got an email the other day that said "your toddler". When did that happen?

KJ'S NEW RIDE

Kurt and I got KJ a birthday present and couldn't resist giving it to him a bit early. The weekend was so nice that he had to get outside and use his new toy. KJ LOVES his new car.

Of course, KJ has to challenge the rules and wants to stand up, climb on the seat and push it himself. He is such a ham.

ONE SICK WEEKEND

We mixed a little bit of fun with a little bit of flu this weekend.

KJ and I went home to Kalamazoo to throw his soon-to-be Aunt Katrina her first bridal shower. Kurt stayed at home to work and then finishing framing the basement (we are finishing it to make room for the all the toys!) During our shower prep on Friday, KJ started to act a bit funny. The poor thing came down with the flu later that night and the rest of the weekend was spent trying to keep him comfortable while trying to get a shower underway. Funny that I actually thought I would get an entire bed to myself for the weekend- ha- KJ was not feeling his crib.


The bridal shower went great. Katrina received lots of nice things and we enjoyed a couple of margaritas. KJ spent the night under the watchful eye of his great uncle Denny, who took great care of him and helped him sweat it out. KJ is still working to overcome the last stages of the flu, but I am hopeful that his appetite will pick up and he will be back to normal very soon. In the meantime, my throat is starting to hurt...

KJ taking a nap with Gram, trying to sleep it off
Members of the bridal party at the shower
Angie and Mom with a frozen drink

11 MONTHS

Less than 30 days until our baby turns 1! Wow! Hard to believe how quickly the time has gone. He is ready to walk, just needs to gain a little confidence to let go of stuff and take the leap. I have a feeling that once he starts, he won't stop. He seems to do that with everything- once he knows he can do it, there is no stopping him.

I will be soaking up the last few days with my first baby before he is one and well on his way to being a big boy. Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, it just keeps going faster and faster.