Where is Micah?

I could not resist posting this video - it is so cute. :)

Where to Start? *Edited

So much has been going on lately, it's hard to know where to start (and where to end without making this the longest blog post ever).

First news - Micah is ALMOST walking. If you'll remember, loyal blog readers, he took a couple of steps on Mother's Day. Since then he hasn't done too much on the walking front, but this past week he has started to take more steps and has figured out how to get from a sit to a stand by himself. Watching him take those teetering steps is one of my favorite things ever. Here he is with his truck out for a stroll...


More news - Micah is off the bottle! I know, this is big, right? We decided to start weaning him from his beloved bot the week after we went on vacation. His last bottle was Monday morning and he hasn't had one since. I thought it would be WAY more difficult to get through this, but so far he's been okay. His bottles were tied to naps and bedtime, so I also worried he wouldn't sleep well without them, but he's handling it pretty well. (However, as I type he is currently refusing to go to sleep and is being very vocal about it. Of course!)

We also went swimming at a neighbor's pool this weekend and learned that Micah likes (loves) to jump in and go under. It is quite adorable...

We also learned that he LOVES the basketball...

And the trampoline...

And he had popcorn for the first time - which he shared very nicely with one of his BFFs Chuck...

It's been a pretty great week! I have even more pictures, but I'll share them soon. A special shout-out to Mitch who took about 300 pictures this weekend for us. He was the photographer this weekend and did a great job! Here is his self-portrait...

That's all for now - I have more, but I'll save it for later! (And, in case you're wondering - Micah did fall asleep while I was typing this - without the bottle it does take him a little longer, but he talks until he falls asleep. Cutie.)

*EDIT: Okay, I lied - Kevin has been uploading video tonight so I thought I'd add one in! Here is Micah trying to climb on his giraffe. Normally this is no problem for him, but this is just before bed and he is a bit tired and uncoordinated. :)

Where We've Been...

Yep. The beach. The beach in St. Pete, FL, to be exact. (I didn't post about this before we went because we traveled sans baby and I didn't really want to hear from Anonymous telling me it was too soon to leave Micah with his Grandparents for three days. I was worried enough about it on my own.)

My awesome husband, who works really hard, won a promotion his company was running, so we were offered a free (FREE!) trip to the beach with a bunch of people he works with. Good times!

It was actually very hard to be away from Micah (I talked about him constantly to make up for missing him) but we made a pact to make the most of it, so we did! We relaxed on the beach and drank fru-fru frozen concoctions, swam in the beautiful clear water, listened to live music in a bar on the beach, ate yummy fresh seafood, and WE SLEPT TIL 9 AM EVERY DAY! :)

Here are some other things we did...

Kevin played frisbee on the beach...

He went down this huge waterslide...

And, yes, I did too!

We ate (a lot!)

And we took the obligatory one-armed self-portrait...

We were sooooo happy to come home and see Micah's smiling face (and he did smile HUGE for us when we walked in!), but I am missing the ocean and relaxation already! When we were leaving I said to Kevin, "Only two more months and we'll be back at the beach!" And next time Micah will be with us! I can't wait to see him see the ocean for the first time!!

Bad Blogger

It has been almost a week since my last post - sorry! We had a very busy weekend and this weekend will be the same, so I probably won't be posting again soon...

Over the past weekend I read this book, based on the recommendation at the Dalai Mama's blog...

I read it in three days - even while having family in town. I loved it. It is definitely not for the conservative reader - just to warn you. But, I thought I'd tell you about it in case you want some good summer reading. The author also has a great blog - Girl's Gone Child.

I also finished the book Red Letters. I loved it. Someone wrote about the book on their blog, "There is no way you can finish this book and think, I'm doing enough." I think that's a good way to put it - this book will get you on the move to make a difference. (I'm sorry for not giving credit to the blogger I quoted - now I can't find who said that!)

So, now I'm off to get ready for our busy weekend - so enjoy some more cute pictures until I'm back in the blog world!

Cute Stuff

I feel like I need a dose of cuteness, since I'm feeling overwhelmed by the situation in Ethiopia. So, while I ponder what I can do to make a small difference, please enjoy...

These are from the park the other day - this is the face I was getting when I said, "Say CHEEESE!"

And another "cheese" face...

He is starting to get it here...

And then his Dad made him really smile...


Lately, Micah has decided that it is fun to put food on top of his head. I have no idea why, but he seems to think it's fun. He puts it up there and then looks around, as if to say, "Where did it go?" It's really funny. And kind of weird.

"Hey, has anyone seen my peanut-butter toast?"

This child makes me laugh.

Email We Sent Today...

Hi everyone,
About this time last year I probably sent you an email asking you to say prayers that our dossier landed in Ethiopia safely and that we would receive our referral quickly. As you all know - both of those amazing things happened.

Our trip to Ethiopia has left an imprint in our minds and hearts - the people of that beautiful country will always be a part of us. That's why I am sending this message. This time it is to ask for prayer for the people, especially the children, of Ethiopia. The rains that normally come in the past months did not, and now millions of children are at risk of death from malnutrition. According to the BBC, Unicef has warned that "Six million children in Ethiopia are at risk of acute malnutrition following the failure of rains." It is being called an "immediate crisis."

Bizunesh is 3 and weighs less than 10 pounds. "There is nothing ... I beg for milk," her mother says. (Source)

Please say a prayer that conditions improve in Ethiopia and that UNICEF gets the needed donations to help reduce the number of children who will die from malnutrition (which is currently proving difficult since many donors are understandably concentrating on Myanmar and China).

If you would like to read more:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7409623.stm
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-05-18-voa15.cfm
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/05/20/ethiopia.children/index.html

If you would like to help:
UNICEF
A Glimmer of Hope

Thank you all!
Stacie, Kevin & Micah

Sorry Folks!

Today was a beautiful day - shining sun, blue sky... the whole deal. So for lunch we decided to have a picnic at the park followed by some playtime at the playground. Lovely. And, hey - let's bring the video camera so we can get some footage of Micah playing. Fun!

We had our picnic in a beautiful grassy spot next to the lake, then packed up the stroller and headed off to the playground. We then came upon a horrible sight - the playground was closed for repairs! Seriously? No slides? No swings? No cute video of Micah enjoying all that the playground has to offer?

Needless to say, we felt a bit like this...

But, hey - at least it was a beautiful day and we had a great picnic lunch! :)