Colt's Birthday Present

Haha! It was terribly bright.

Colt has always been fascinated with helicopters, and harbors a secret fancy of getting his pilot's license. So, for his birthday/Father's Day present, I scheduled him for a helicopter demo-flight at a local flight school. He was given a few instructions and some information about the helicopter, then he got inside with a certified pilot and was able to fly the helicopter himself! My parents were in town for the weekend, so they were able to come with Jace and I to watch Colt take-off. It was SO cool! I was a little nervous at first, but as we watched the blades start to spin and the helicopter lifted off the ground, I couldn't help literally jumping up and down with excitement as I snapped a million pictures. I was pretty sure Colt would like his gift, but I didn't expect to get so excited myself just watching from the tarmac! 

Colt is a pretty easy-going guy, and he's generally not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. It can be hard to tell when he's happy, or sad, or excited, etc. But today was different. Before we left, he kept telling me how much he was looking forward to his present, and the smile still hasn't left his face. I hesitate to use the word "cute" when referring to my manly husband, but he was like a giddy little boy.  I love making him so happy. :) 

Hole in one, Mrs. Plessman. Hole. In. One.

28

In honor of his 28th birthday, here is a list of 28 fun facts about this gent:

1. Born in Casper, Wyoming.

2. Middle name: Will.I.Am (just William, actually), after his dad.

3. Motorcycle enthusiast.

4. He is the antithesis of a night owl. He'd be delighted if we were in bed by 7:30 pm every night.

5. Colt HATES to be tickled, but he isn't the least bit shy about dishing it out.

6. Summer is his favorite season.

7. He has the loudest, greatest laugh I have ever heard.

8. Served his LDS mission in Holland, and speaks Dutch. 

9. He hates picking the movie.

10. He takes such good care of his things. His truck is 16 years old and in mint condish.

11. Colt almost never remembers his dreams, except for one, in which he was a cowboy in a Shark Rodeo. It was exactly what it sounds like. Yeehaw!

12. Refuses to eat: pickles, S'mores, olives, salt and vinegar potato chips, and seafood of any kind. Additionally, due to a bout of food poisoning and an untimely case of the stomach flu, he has not eaten ribs since 2008, and has not touched a bowl of Cheerios since 2011 (I was a witness to that one). He actually hated salsa too, until after his mission. Now he will choose chips and salsa over just about any dessert or treat.

13. He is a teensy bit OCD. ;)

14. The 4th of July is Colt's favorite holiday, and Halloween is his least favorite.

15. He loves to be outside, whether he's camping, hiking, or just sitting on the porch.

16. Growing up, his favorite T.V. shows were MacGyver (heh heh) and Seinfeld. Now we mostly watch a lot of Andy Griffith and Parks and Rec re-runs.

17. He used to have a bowl cut and a Batman bike. Baby Colton was a treat-and-a-half.

18. He never eats cookie dough or raw batter of any kind. More for me!

19. He prefers to "use the terms we all know and love."

20. Whenever we wrastle, he uses his head to ward me off. It's an unusual, albeit effective, tactical move.

21. He is the youngest of four kids. He has three older sisters, and no brothers. Because of this, he's super understanding about the ridiculous amount of money a girl must pay for a decent-fitting pair of jeans.

22. He is an excellent soccer player. Actually, he is a talented athlete in general. For someone who hates to run, he's quite fast.

23. He has freckles on the tops of his ears, and one on the side of his toe.

24. He is a whiz on the grill, and makes rather tasty scrambled eggs, although he struggles to order his eggs accurately in a restaurant (see #19). 

25. He cuts his own hair.

26. Is devastatingly attractive, even first thing in the morning.

27. Colt always has a cup of ice water sitting on the kitchen counter. He gets himself a glass as soon as he walks in the door, re-fills it periodically throughout the evening, and then it sits out until he leaves for work the next morning. He is rather particular about his cup of water; he gets a little irritated if I move it, and he always, always knows when I've taken a drink. It's cute.
28. He is a truly spectacular husband and father. 

And one more, for luck:

29. He is absolutely adored by his lady and a certain tiny blonde boy.

Happy Birthday, buddy! Sometimes it makes me a little sad that I missed out on your first 23 years. Thanks for letting me tag along for the rest! Love you more than all the stars in the sky and the fish in the sea. ❤️ 

6 Months

Six months old already? Half a year! I know I say this every time, but he's seriously growing up so fast. At six months, Jace...

-Gasps with joy. When he really wants something, or is playing with a toy he just loves, he inhales sharply and audibly, like an adult might do if they saw something frightening. 

-Loves to watch Nemo...and only Nemo. We tried a showing him The Incredibles and a Baby Einstein video on our road trip to McCall, but he wasn't at all interested.

-Says /w, p, b, g/ consonants. /b/ is his favorite, and we have also heard him use /d/ a couple of times. He babbles more often than he coos or squeals.

-Loves to play ball, and watch it too. He also likes to listen to my music, and smiles when I turn on songs he recognizes.

-Is starting to show some early signs of stranger-danger. When he's upset, only Colt or I can calm him down.
-Gets a major kick out of watching videos of himself. Even babies have narcissistic tendencies #babyselfie 

-Sits up like a champ. He reaches for toys and objects while sitting, and puts his hands down to catch himself when he wobbles.

-Has started eating some solids.  I usually present the spoon, and he grabs it and puts it in his mouth by himself. He loves greek yogurt with mashed peaches, although he doesn't enjoy them as much separately. Avocado, watermelon, and green smoothie are a few other favorites. He likes applesauce when it's warm but not when it's cold. Actually, he doesn't really like anything cold. Rice cereal has not been well-received. 

-Is starting to move a little on his belly, and tries to get his knees underneath him. We'll have a mover sometime soon!

-Hugs and snuggles into our necks like a baby koala bear-then pinches the softest skin he can find, or pulls my hair. So painful.

-Loves the exersaucer. Thanks Auntie Alisha and Uncle Matt for the loan!

-Enjoys naps on his giraffe mat or in the swing in the living room.

-Laughs more frequently, but usually when we aren't trying to make him giggle. He can sniff out when we're trying too hard, and he's not really one to throw us a bone. There's been a few times I've made a complete a-word out of myself trying to get him to laugh, and he just looks at me like: "Yeah, we both know what you are, and it sure isn't funny." No pity-laughs here.

-Loves swimming in the pool, and really liked his first boat ride. Me-thinks we've got a little water-baby!

-New favorite toys include his dump truck, and a set of stackable colored wooden rings.

I'm sure people who read through this think I'm a little bit crazy and a lot a bit boring. But I'm a new parent, and even these seemingly trivial things are brand new for Jace. He's never done them before, and it's so fun to watch him change. It makes me sad to think that I will forget quite a bit, so I try to record as much as I can. Seriously, I have a list on my phone and everything. Thanks for being patient with my "new mom-ness."

This kid. He's just the cat's pajamas. 

Christensen Family Reunion, 2015

 "It's always better when we're together." My boys eatin' dinner.

Jace's first-ever boat ride! He wasn't so sure about the life jacket at first...

...but once the boat started moving, the smile never left his face.

Naps were taken with Papa Todd, who couldn't get enough of his gran'baby.

Outdoor naps are the best naps, aren't they? 

Especially when "outdoors" is at the lake!

I don't have many pictures from our reunion, but I love the ones I've got! 

Some highlights included:

-Jace's first boat ride.

-Naps outside with Papa Todd.

-Watching my hilarious parents win the horseshoe tournament.

-The Family Talent Show. We really didn't want to do it, but my sisters and I ended up performing the "Cups" song from Pitch Perfect. My sisters played the cups, and my brother-in-law and I sang the song that goes with it. 

-Family Testimony Meeting. I love hearing my family testify of their love for the Savior and faith in the gospel of Christ.

-Jace kicking butt on the 8 hour drive (so much Nemo).

-Exchanging "most embarrassing moment" stories over the campfire (lets be real, my whole life is one long string of embarrassing moments). This was NOT Colt's favorite part, however.

-Tying for the win with my sister during the Family 5K. I didn't think I'd even be able to run a 5K after a year of pregnancy/mommyhood. Our bodies are amazing things, my friends.

-An evening ride on the 4-wheeler with Colt, after we put Jace to bed (except Jace woke up while we were gone, and was inconsolable until we returned).

-Seeing my cousin's cute little kids. I can't believe how big they've gotten! It was too much fun watching them rough-house and play with each other.

I love my family, and I love our reunions. Grandpa loved them, too. He wasn't with us there physically this year, and it felt a little emptier without him, but I believe he was there in spirit. There's no way he would have missed that horseshoe tournament. ;) 

Grammy and Aunty Lou Come to Town

 

July has been a busy month! The week before last, Colton's mom and his sister Lindsey came to visit, traveling all the way from Colorado and Michigan. It was the first time JJ met his Aunty Lou, and he took to her right away. He lit up every time she even glanced in his direction, most likely because his baby-radar picked up on the fact that she is the sweetest person in the world. I still need to go through all of our pictures, because I realized I don't have any of JJ with his Grammy Pearl and Aunt Lindsey! Well, I do, in my email. But not saved to my phone, which is much more convenient for blogging purposes. I need to fix that and post a few with Grammy and Lindsey, because Jace loved his visitors, and it showed.

While they were here, we went to Lighthouse Park and walked the short trail along the coast. Jace loved sitting on the beach and digging his fingers and toes into the rocky sand. We also rode the ferry to Whidbey Island, where we drove to a secluded beach and collected seashells, skipped rocks on the water, and explored the island a bit. On Saturday morning, we hiked the short trail to Snohomish Falls. Colt and I had never been before, and it was fun to show Terri and Linds some of the beautiful scenery we get to enjoy out here in the Great Northwest. 

We had such a great time. I love my in-laws. Thanks for coming, ladies! Come again soon (that's an order!). 

Home Improvement

Tonight's FHE.

Nailed it. ;)

The 4th of July

On Friday, we headed out to Yakima to spend the 4th of July with my sister-in-law and her family. We were a little apprehensive because it was supposed to be 108 degrees, and we weren't sure what we were going to do with Jace in that kind of heat. We needn't have worried. It was HOT, but we still found plenty of fun things to do. 

A friend of Matt and Alisha's offered to have us over to pick cherries from her cherry orchard. We filled our baskets with Bing and Rainier cherries (except for Colton, who ate everything he picked), and also snagged some of the bright red cherries that are used for cooking. Later that night, Matt and Alisha used their cherries to make a homemade pie for the 4th. So. Good. 

On Saturday, we got the babes ready for the day, then Matt and Alisha filled up a small inflatable pool in the backyard so the littles could "swim." It was quite toasty outside, but we sat under the shade of a big red umbrella and misted our feet with the hose to keep cool. Jace joined in on the fun after he finished his marathon nap (which, may I add, what the heck?! With few exceptions, Jace naps for no more than 30 minutes tops at home. But, when we go out of town, he'll nap for up to an hour and forty-five minutes. No complaints here!), and he loved sitting in the water, playing with toys, and watching his cousins. 

I was a little worried about how Jace would do with his cousins, Bailey and Bentley. Some of the other little kids we've been around have been a bit rough with Jace. I really don't feel like I'm super over-protective; I understand that kids are kids, and that entails being on the business end of a pinch or a smack every now and again. And Jace is pretty tough for a baby. But I don't love when my guileless 5 month old receives a five-finger slap to the face from a three year old with an agenda (attempts have been made in the past). Again, I needn't have worried. Seriously, Bailey is the sweetest, most helpful 4 year old I have ever seen. She loves babies, and was constantly snuggling Jace, trying to make him laugh, giving him kisses when he was sad, and was heard to say on more than one occasion "Oh, Dace, I dust yuv you." He adored her. And Bentley, who is just over a year old, was SO gentle! He would toddle over to where Jace sat in his bouncer, reach out, and oh-so-very-softly stroke Jace's face and hair with his fingertips. We had zero incidents, because Jace has the best little cousins around. Love you, Bailey and Bentley! We miss you already! 

We barbecued and had a delicious 4th of July feast. Colt and I didn't make it to see fireworks, although we did manage to stay up late enough to watch Bailey and Bentley shriek with laughter as they tossed poppers on the back patio. We sort of regretted staying up as late as we did, though, because Jace was up pretty much all night long. I lost track of how many times he woke up, but it was somewhere in the teens. Yikes. I don't think I want to talk about it. Still too fresh.

 Other than that, though, we had so much fun. After spending the 4th of July on the east coast last year (I can't believe it's been a whole year!), it was so great to be able to spend the holiday with family. I love the 4th, and otterpops, and fireworks, and babies, and baby cousins, and kiddy pools in the backyard, and cherry picking, and sunshine, and Colton, and Matt and Alisha, and...I loved that pie.