Here are a few things we've been up to lately...

- Buying a new computer (sorry, no pictures to post until the new one is up and running). Our old one is pretty much dead.

- Enjoying the sun! We have been to the beach, Fundy, the zoo, and more. Josiah loves the water. It was pretty cold, but he dove right in. I do have pictures to share, so check back soon!

- Visiting family. All of us went home to NS a couple of weekends ago so that Chris and I could attend one of my friend's wedding. (It was beautiful!). While we were home, we got to visit with family, and Chris and I got a much needed break. We went to the beach (without our sand vacuum!), and out for dinner. My mom kind of spoils us by taking over with Josiah...and we totally let her! What a great weekend.

- Enjoying alone time. A true friend looks at you and says..."you need a break", and doesn't just walk away, but offers to take your kid for a whole day. She was right, and she did. I was kind of at the end of my rope, and she took Josiah so I had the day completely to myself. I went shopping, got my hair cut, went for coffee, read, showered...all without interruption. It was heavenly. (THANK-YOU!)

- (Chris enjoyed time by himself this past weekend too, as I took Josiah to NS for a couple of days by myself. Josiah did really well in the car, and I didn't even have to pull over once. We really enjoyed our visit, and Chris was thrilled to have an entire two days alone. I got to go yard saling with my aunt- she's like a pro- and we found some great stuff. We also visited with my mom and one of my other aunts who is visiting from Ontario).

-Getting a cell phone. I caved...and, yes, I now have a cell phone. I had an experience involving Josiah that made me decide it would be best. Don't get me wrong...I don't plan to chat on it, or volunteer my number, because I still really don't want people calling me when I'm out; however, I am feeling much better about being away from Josiah knowing that I can be reached if necessary.

- Watching Josiah grow up in a hurry! He turned ten months old on Sunday. He is such a boy...little bruises everywhere...as he explores his world. He is into absolutely everything and then some. He stands a lot without support, and takes lots of steps holding on...any day now, he'll take off!

-Waiting for my new niece or nephew to arrive. My younger sister has two weeks to go, and I can't wait to meet this baby!

- Shopping...for office stuff (I moved into a new building. My boss completely renovated it, and provided furniture, but I am filling in the gaps. I think it is starting to look really nice!)...for baby stuff (Clothes for Josiah. He is inching into size two, and I am getting ready. I get really great deals through a girl I met on Kijiji. She emails me now if she has things to sell before she posts them. She has one kid, and he wears really nice clothes! It's a great deal for us!).

Reading...we ordered some new books, and they arrived this week. I can't wait for Josiah to go to sleep at night so I can read- would it be wrong to put him down at 5:00? :). He got a new book that he LOVES too. I think I read it at least forty times today. I'm not kidding. It was really cute the first twenty times or so. I think he is trying to say 'again', because he taps the book and says something that sounds an awful lot like it! Chris is busy reading too.

Enjoying my boys...they surprised me yesterday with two of my favorite things, Gerber daisies and season two of The Office..just because!

Well, that's a bit of our news. It has been really busy, but I will post some pictures when our new computer is set up.

Standing!

Look who is standing! Josiah surprised us on Monday by pulling himself from a sitting to a standing position, and he has probably done it at least a hundred times since then. By Tuesday, he was starting to 'cruise' (walk around holding onto furniture) although he is still hesitant. The thing that always surprises me about Josiah is that you don't really see it coming, then he does it as if he has been all along- no big deal! He looks pretty proud of himself in this shot, I think!

Visitors

Lately, we have been reminded of Manitoba by the visitors we have had. This past weekend, a couple we met in Manitoba (Chris and he attended Providence together) were touring the Maritimes, and we were thrilled that they included us as one of their stops. We went to Hopewell Rocks for the day, and they visited us in the evening at our place.

It was great to catch up!

This next picture is of a family that moved to MB from the Maritimes and were at Providence for the same two years we were. They now live on PEI, but came to visit a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time they had met Josiah, and we were very excited for that. We always lament that the girls are not living closer, as they would make superb babysitters!

We always enjoy getting together with them. They were like our family away from home,
and we still get that feeling every time we see them!

(This pic. was taken in our back yard. The pond is looking so pretty this year!)

I love seeing people from Manitoba (and hearing from them too!). It reminds me of our time there, because the longer we are back, the more I forget, and it feels like a dream. God taught us so much in those two years, and I am thankful for the many friends/families he gave us while we were there (and still!). For what the province lacks in scenery (sorry guys!), it more than makes up for in people. I have never met a nicer bunch! They are so kind and honest and sincere, and we really miss having them all close by. (For any of you MBers reading, yes, this is another plug...please move here! We miss you all!).

On The Move

After eight months of trying, I finally got a video to work- YAY! Here is Josiah in his early stages of crawling, at about seven and a half months. You can tell, because he is still a bit tipsy! I find he looks like a bear cub, the way he swings his hands up so high. As you can see, he loves power cords...

Now that I have figured this out, stay tuned for more videos!

Last week, we went to a restaurant, and Josiah ordered off of the menu for the first time. He seemed so proud to be sitting at a big high chair, eating real food!

He did well, but we had to do a shirt change afterwards (forgot the long-sleeved bib!). I think it entertained all of the old people who were watching.

Eight months old is so much fun!

Busy

I have been so bad at blogging lately, not that I have to tell any of you who check regularly! It has been really busy...too busy. One of those times when things feel like they have gotten out of hand for me, and I'm not sure how to possibly finish everything I need to accomplish (especially with Josiah around all of the time!), although things are slowly starting to wind down. I have been taking extra shifts at work to bank vacation time for summer and fall, and that means not only extra clients, but also report writing. I think I wrote for eight hours between Sunday and Monday. On Saturday, I was in NS having a baby shower for my sister Andrea. It was fun, and it seemed to go well, but a lot of work and planning. I am also volunteering at Chris' work on a project that has taken way more of my time than I planned on, and I am still not close to being done (Well, it will all be over with by June 19th, as that is when the main event takes place).

Josiah turned eight months old last week, and for a couple of weeks now, has been eating solids (rather than purees), by the fist full. He loves mashed potatoes, not to be confused with sweet potatoes, which get thrown by clumps onto the floor with disdain.

It is kind of gross to watch, but he loves to feed himself.

Our life as we knew it has changed forever. Josiah is crawling...like crazy...and we are finally learning about all of the things he has wanted to get into for months. Now, he is going for it, and we basically chase him all day. Watching him crawl is really cute. He kind of plods along like a little bear cub. He also loves to break into the trash, and into his diaper pail. Our child proofing efforts have just begun.

We did have a chance to drive to Fundy last Sunday (I typed for most of the travel time, working on reports), get our early bird passes, have some play time in the park, and go for a hike. It was so great to escape for a day. Here are a few pictures of the day.

Josiah fell asleep on our hike, and it rained, but we enjoyed it. Those of you who know me have heard me talk about this many times, but it find people and weather rather funny. Especially watching people run for cover at the sign of sprinkles. (Yes, there are exceptions to this). I love the rain. I love being out in it, watching it, the smell of it, and I am glad that Josiah doesn't seem to mind it yet either.

I have no idea how he slept in the backpack. I guess it must be comfortable!

Long Weekend

We didn't do anything spectacular, but it felt like a productive and fun weekend, with lots of visits, cleaning, and resting. One of the things we did was set up our new tent, just so that we wouldn't have to do a cold run the first time we go. Here it is!

It is a North Face, two room tent, completely weather-proof, with a little luggage compartment. We are so excited to try it out!

Josiah watched us put it up, ate more grass, and was confined to his swing because he was being a handful. Then he almost tipped out!

We'll let you know how our first camp-out goes!