Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh brother...

Edward brought home an entire BOX of Reeses Pieces Candy-bars. He says it's his contribution to our food storage (except that nobody other than him is allowed to have any ;). The last time he brought home a case he kept track of how many there were, and when Brian and I had a couple he demanded..."There are only 38 Reeses, I should have 44! Whose been eating them?" Can you see how this obsession of his led to the naming of our first born son? =)

Happy Halloween!

ROAR!

I think he's the cutest King of the Beasties ever!

Helping Daddy Wash the Car!

State Fair/ Petting Zoo!

Any unfamiliar animal Reese just calls "Kitty" =)

Reese's Girlfriend!

Another play-date with sweet Lilly.

Big 1yr old!

Baby #2!

We are having another BOY!

I'm so excited for Reese to have a little brother, and hope they will have tons of fun together!

Walking!

So close to walking...

Sleeping Angel

Last night we finally got some rain! Reese woke up frightened by the thunder and every time I'd settled him back to sleep the thunder would clap again and the wailing would start all over. So Edward decided to put him in bed with us. From 1am-2am we lay there looking at each other wide eyed in disbelief as our son thrashed around like a martial arts jedi in his sleep. At one point he wrapped his arms and legs around Edward in a choke hold and it was all we could do not to bust up laughing. Since we both had to work in the morning, I attempted one last time to put him back in his crib and it worked! See how peaceful he looks taking a nap!

Basgetti!

Spaghetti is Reese's favorite meal...

Don't judge -this is the only meal I feed him in the sink! See what a mess I avoid!

After constantly dissuading Reese from going head first down the stairs,

he has mastered how to properly go up and down.

This video is for his Grandpa who always worries about our lack of a baby gate.

Baby news

So at the end of my before mentioned diet, when I was feeling so ravenously hungry, I remember thinking man these cravings are un-ignorable, it's almost like I'm pregnant again. Well I was! (When I'm pregnant, if I ignore a craving, I'll still be thinking about it and craving it a whole week later -not normal for everyday life I don't think). We were so very pleasantly surprised! With the 5yrs, 8 billion pregnancy tests, miscarriage, and icky fertility medications we went through to finally get our sweet Reese (so worth the wait), it was a huge blessing to have it happen so quickly this time! I had just stopped nursing Reese and remember feeling an overwhelming desire for Reese to have a sibling close in age. Edward felt the same. I do think the Lord lets you know when he has another spirit for your family. I've heard people talk about that before, but it was neat to go through the experience. I have friends of various faiths who've had similar impressions, but they've put it off for whatever reason and they say the feeling as strong as it was just goes away. I wonder if that's because the spirit goes to another family. Anyway, I was a bit sicker this time around and we've had some scares, but now that I'm well past the first trimester things seem to be great! My Doctor told me prior to having Reese that sometimes after a woman has a baby her ovaries start functioning normally, so hopefully I'm fixed now! 10 kids here we come! (J/K -we'll take it one at a time).

1st BIRTHDAY!!!

Reese turned one year old today! We had some good friends over for cake and ice-cream after church to celebrate! It was a very pleasant day with this pleasant easy going sweet boy. Edward and I are so blessed to be his Parents.

In the picture below he is offering to share some cake with me. He loves sharing his food with everyone -including the dogs. In fact after tossing some food on the floor he will check to make sure that each dog got a piece before he resumes eating his meal. I hope he continues his kind sharing ways when he has siblings.

Some fun things about this stage:

He likes to put his bum up in the air and look between his legs (pre-summersault stance), I think he just likes to get a perspective on what the world looks like upside down.

Our changing table is right next to the light switch, so the second I place him on it he will switch the lights/fan off with his toes. (He's unusually talented with those feet of his.) I kept telling him "no" and shaking my head but the motion caused my hair to fall forward and tickle his face so he laughed and laughed like it was the funniest thing ever, and then he would mimic me to get me to do it some more. Now every time I shake my head he thinks it's a game, and sometimes he'll randomly shake his head and laugh for no reason at all. There's no better sound in the whole world than that laugh of his.

He has TEN teeth! Some are only halfway in but they are all visible & functioning! (Edward says he was forced to grow teeth and evolve because I keep feeding him jerky. I don't -but we are past the baby food stage and into soft foods now.)

His favorite meal is spaghetti. He loves to slurp up the noodles and makes such a big mess that I've started taping the plate to the counter and putting him in the sink to eat it. That way I can just hose down everything afterwards.

"Dada" was his first word. He learned how to say Mama and was doing great referring to me for three whole days, then Edward watched him for eight hours while I worked and it totally erased it from his memory. Now he's back to saying "Daddy", "Da", "Dadadada" all day long. I can't even get a "Mmm" from him. He also knows "Yeah" and "Ba" (sometimes means bottle and sometimes means Doggy) and once in a while he'll say "Hey" (we think he learned that one from his uncle Brian.)

He's learned that if he waves at someone they'll wave back, and he gets excited trying it out!

I love everything about this boy and am enjoying each new stage!

First haircut!

The hair on the very top of Reese's head has grown a lot faster/thicker than the sides. A few people have asked me if I'd given him a mohawk. Um, nope.

Lately I've had a hard time figuring out what to do with the long stringy pieces in front. If I sweep them to the side it looks like he has an apostle combover. If I brush them straight forward he looks like farmer john. And when he gets out of the tub they all clump together in the front for a sort of count dracula look. So today I decided to cut them...

Snip...

Please tell me I look ok...

side view...

I just hope Edward approves!

He was kind of fond of Reese's "Ted Kennedy" swish in front, as he called it ;)

On the days I work, I often come home to find these amazing towers constructed! I wish Reese was this advanced already, he'd have a pretty good propensity for architecture, but this happens to be Edward's lovely creation.

Notice all the farm people gathered around the base in awe. Or maybe they are just trying to figure out how to get their corn down from way up there. ; )

I think while Reese is busy throwing, banging, and destroying things, Edward quickly assembles these toy-room landmarks so Reese will have something additional to knock down. It gives me so much joy watching these two play together and knowing what a wonderful Father Edward is. =)

Crazy weather!

We have been having some crazy dust storms lately! I really wish it would rain more instead.

Independence Day activities!

Edward had the 4th of July off, which was wonderful because he usually has to work on Holidays! We went to check out the new aquarium at the AZ Mills Mall.

In the evening we watched the neighbors set off a few fireworks.

I am so grateful for the peace, prosperity, and freedom we enjoy in this country. I am so thankful for all the great men and women who have fought to help us achieve and maintain those freedoms. I am proud to be an American and my heart swells whenever I see our beautiful flag on display.

Summer Vacation!

Our summer vacation consisted of lots of driving, a few day in Page, followed by the annual Washburn family reunion up in Idaho, and then a few more days in Page. Since I am a semi-bum now I was able to get several weeks off. My Mom was kind enough to drive down to Phoenix and pick up Reese and I as well as bring us back home in the end. Edward flew up to Idaho and joined us for a weekend in the middle which was super nice. I was feeling a bit ill the entire time, so it was great to have so many adoring relatives to help look after Reese.

Here are just a few of the fun activities we engaged in:

Reese's first time at Lake Powell...

and Uncle Brian's bony chicken legs ;)

I went fishing with my Dad, Buzz, and some good friends =)

Reese wishing he could come too...

Feeding Aunt Sonja's baby cows...

LOTS of Grandma quality time =D

Lots, and lots, and lots, of cousins!

Reese and Sammie are 2nd cousins 10 days apart...

And best of all...Reese got to meet his Great-Grandpa for the first time!