It's about time!

It's about time that I post some pictures! Boaz turned 4 months old a week and a half ago. Time is flying by. He is really watching Ozzie now and seems to be somewhat entertained by him.

He LOVES to chew on things... anything he can get his hands on - which is a lot these days!

Last night we went out for supper with our friends, Chad & Kristena. Boaz was in a really giggly mood and made us all laugh so hard we cried. He laughed like crazy at Chad scaring him... the whole restaurant probably thought we were nuts.

At his four month appointment, he weighed 15 pounds even and was 24 inches tall (although I don't think the lady stretched him very well?). The nurses asked me if his daddy was short, too. My first thought... "thanks alot!" I then told them that he's actually tall. We'll see if Boaz inherited those genes... so far it looks like he got mine. Sorry, buddy.



Boaz has really strong legs and would much rather be standing than sitting. He's so close to rolling over from back to front! He loves to grab his toes and then throw himself sideways... but that front arm gets in the way.

We recently had an F5 tornado that went north of Cedar Falls. It was less than 3/4 of a mile from Luke's parent's home. It destroyed some of his cousin's turkey buildings, but left his house standing. Then... just a few days ago our town flooded also! Luke's cousin's house wasn't so lucky this time. Luke has spent a little time out there helping to clean up.


I have been organizing our church's recovery efforts. There were 25 families in our church that lost most everything in the flood/tornado. As I coordinate volunteers, I'm reminded daily of how blessed I am. I've been amazed at the people who are calling me to see how they can help. Just this morning I got a call from the National Director of World Vision's Domestic Disaster Team. And she said she got my name from someone in Michigan!?!? Weird. It's cool to see people rallying behind our community.

The above picture is Boaz all dressed up for his third wedding! He is crazy about weddings. At this one, he got to dance with the bride! Natalie is an employee of Luke's and a friend of ours.

This past weekend, we got to go to my home church to see Dan & Tracey- the missionaries I went to Venezuela with 13 years ago! They led worship and shared stories about their ministry. It was great to see them again. Everytime I listen to missions stuff, I'm ready to pack my bags and go somewhere!! After church we went to Mom & Dad's for lunch... it was a fun day.

Kinsman Redeemer

The name Boaz comes from a story in the Bible... in the book of Ruth. I really wanted something for his room that would tell the story behind his name. My good friend, Bethany, is an incredibly talented artist. I asked her if she would do some sort of painting for his room and this is the final product... we just hung in on his wall tonight!! I'm so excited about it!!

A couple bits of info - She designed this on her computer. She did watercolor paintings and layered them with photos she had taken also. A few things to note ::
- photo of the wheat fields
- in lower right corner, you can barely see women harvesting the grain
- up in the sky are the meanings of Boaz & all the attributes he is called in the book of Ruth
- "May the Lord bless him" Ruth 2:20 - Naomi says this about Boaz... and we echo that prayer for our little one!

It's hard to see in a photo, but trust me... it's amazing. You'll have to come see it in person sometime! I'm excited to have something that will always remind Boaz of the power, compassion, and strength of his name. Thanks, Beth!! :)

** See below for another new post from today.

Big Boy Boaz...

The last couple weeks have been pretty uneventful around here. Boaz is still enjoying splashing during bathtime, rolling over during naptime, and thinks mom and dad are pretty funny these days. We're having fun making him giggle and laugh. He's such a happy laid back boy... we are blessed!




Our friend Teresa came to stay with us over Memorial Day weekend. She was working on a photo project and took lots of great pictures of Boaz. This is him during break-time of one of the photo shoots. Hope to post a couple of her pictures on here someday... she does amazing work!!





Teresa and our friend Joni spent two months in Bolivia at the beginning of the year as missionary photojournalists. They brought us back this stocking cap for Boaz... made by a Bolivian woman. Yes- it was the end of May in this picture and we had to bundle Boaz up to go outside. (very sad) And yes- Boaz was trying to get out of his carseat. He's grabbing at things now and thought the zipper was fascinating.





On Memorial Day, our friends came over to grill out after the husbands played golf. Here is Boaz with his two friends- Austin & Addelyn. They are both about 2 months older than him. They're going to have lots of fun growing up together.

Oklahoma!

My mom, Boaz & I made a trip to Oklahoma this past weekend. We left Wednesday and drove as far as Grandma & Grandpa Anderson's house in Kansas- then drove to Enid on Thursday. We stayed for the weekend and then made the long haul back on Sunday. Boaz was so good in the car! He was wonderful and grandma Jan made the trip easy. We had quite the system for making fast stops! (thanks, mom!!) We had a lot of fun seeing family, having a surprise b'day party for Grandma Montgomery, going to garage sales, stopping to see Bob at Aunt Jo's work, and going to Western Sizzlin'. (gma Jan's favorite restaurant!) Boaz got plenty of attention this weekend, as you can see in some of my favorite snapshots from our trip.

Three Months Old

I'm three months old today! I like to smile at people when they talk to me.








I watch people very closely and try to figure out what they are saying.









I am very curious about objects around me.











And I like to stick my tongue out... A LOT!











Last week, Mom watched my friend Addelyn while Daddy and Mark went golfing. We had a great time together.






Ozzie is slowly becomming my friend. We check each other out quite frequently.

Today Mom and Dad heard my first big laugh. I was sitting on Dad's lap... Ozzie was barking and looking right at me. I thought he was funny, so I laughed really loud. Mom and Dad were excited and went to get the videocamera to catch me laughing. Whenever they get out a camcorder or camera, I quit what I'm doing to frustrate them! :)



Last night I went to my first softball game. Daddy played really well and his team won! I wore my baseball outfit to cheer him on. (But I never saw the light of day. I was bundled up in the stroller with the cover over me- it was cold and windy! The sun earlier in the evening was misleading.)

I've Created a Monster...

Saturday morning it was bathtime. Boaz enjoys his baths. He typically just sits there and lets me do what I need to do. Taking his little feet, I splashed them in the water while singing "splashy, splash, splash, splash." Then I did the same with his hands. After only a couple times of doing so, he turned his little head curiously to the side and looked at me. I could see the little wheels turning in his head... "hmmm...that was sort of fun!" Then away he went!! He kicked and kicked, splashed and splashed for about 15 minutes. It was a riot. I wish I would have had the videocamera out. Later I was thinking I should have enjoyed my peaceful baths as long as I could... but the moment was too much fun to ponder that for long.

Roll Over

Wednesday I put Boaz down for his nap. A short time later, I heard some squeaking sounds over the monitor. He was very much not asleep. I peeked in the room to find him rolled over onto his back! (he sleeps on his tummy... horrible, I know!) He was kicking his little legs in the air and squealing with excitement. I looked in the crib and said "What do you think you're doing?" He laughed at me... thinking he was pretty hot stuff. I put him back down on his tummy and left the room. A few minutes later, he was crying. I looked in again and he had rolled over the other direction and his back was leaning against the railings. Two roll-overs!! After that, he was out like a light... rolling over is hard work!!