our week

Grandpa (Honeycutt) went home last night after 8 days of fun together. He got to spend lots of time swimming, jumping, building, and playing cars with John. With Havilah, they mostly cuddled and bounced on the giant blue physio ball.

Havilah got a furry gray squirrel...

Havilah can't decide if she wants to be Mother Theresa or an Ewok for Halloween.

John's just-out-of-the-shower attire:

Katie and Scott came for a visit on Saturday:

family time...

Thank you for coming Grandpa/Bill/Dad! We can't wait to see you again!

birthday

Yesterday we took a hike in the Arizona wilderness, near a town called Bumble Bee. And yes, I encountered a few bee nests (John encountered fire ants at my aunt's house later on, but that's a different story...). The trail wasn't exactly a trail so we hiked through sand, over large rocks, through the creek bed (all dry), and even found a patch or two of grass. And there were trees! It was just what I needed: an escape from the city of cement and adobe, and not another human in sight but my precious family.

Havilah is wearing a hoodie, but only to protect her from the sun and breeze, not the cold (alas...).

Our best attempt at a self-family-portrait:

Snuggles with Hava during our family rest in the afternoon:

My birthday gift, a desk! It's bigger than it looks and has a slide-out writing surface, which I love.

A is for anger, B is for baby, C is for counting

Just so you aren't tricked into thinking things are always rosy around here.... As Billy said to me earlier today, "he is so two!"

For the record, I can't even recall what I said no to, but I'm sure it was awful!

On a brighter note (most of John's moments are bright!), John lovingly shared his current-favorite book, Counting, with his sister--who is at last count just 38 days old.

John demonstrates how to "carry" a baby in her sack. The model baby is our much loved Cutie who prepared John for the ins and outs of big brotherhood.

What a day! (-:

chub-a-licious! A mini update...

Havilah weighed in at 10 lbs 14 oz at her doctor's appointment this morning. She's gained almost 3 lbs and has grown an inch and a half in the last five weeks. Good girl!

John has a cold, but it's on the way out; we're trying to stay healthy for our visit from Grandpa (Honeycutt) next week. John's latest trick is showing his muscles. I'll have to post a picture next time; it's very cute!

Billy is on his own at work now. It's a huge accomplishment. After a 11 month contemplation/application process, 5 months of pre-, during, and post-academy training, and over 3 months of actual job training, he feels good to finally be here.

The coolest day in the 10-day forecast is Saturday--maybe our b-day hike will actually be "cool" (lower 80s).

Both of my kids have been sleeping peacefully for the past 3 hours (wow!). All's well at the Honeycutt house--wish you were here to enjoy big smiles on little faces, warm sunshine, and the cookies John and I are going to make as soon as he's done napping. (-:

hello October!

Havilah's shirt: "got milk?"

We dedicated Havilah Joy at church yesterday. Pastor Joe prayed that she will bring life (the meaning of Hava), peace, and joy (the obvious meaning of Joy) to people through her life.

Happy daddy!