Bed time noises

Henry has learned to put himself to bed. He squeaks, babbles, plays with his binky and hands and toes, and eventually he drifts off. It's fun to listen to him. This video has no images, but you can listen to his bed time noises for about a minute. I'm proud of him. It's much nicer to listen to than crying!!!

(I hope you can hear it. You'll have to pause our music.)

7 Months

One great thing about Henry is he is curious about EVERYTHING.
Especially the camera.
Watching TV with Dad. Like father like son--minus the tongue.

Jogging with mommy. He's a good sport to go with me.

He loves to brush his gums.

He's totally content in his exersaucer.

It definitely keeps him stimulated enough.

"Wasssssup!"

I think he adores me. :)

Giving mom that look like, "I really hope you're not planning on getting my hair wet!"

Yep, I got it wet.

And this is why I bathe him.

Feeding time definitely is a messy time. And he loves it.

A new discovery: magnets.

We have been so blessed these past 7 months.
Henry is such a fun addition to our family, and we love him so much.
It's amazing to feel parental love.
I never understood it before I actually became a parent, and now I realize how enormous it is. My heart just swells with joy when I look at him.
And although he pulls my hair, and slobbers on my face, and wakes me up in the night, I love every minute of it. I adore him so much.

THE Quiet Book

This is the coolest quiet book ever--or namely, "The Ultimate Quiet Book for Boys". Todd's sister, Nicole, made it for Todd/Henry for Christmas. It is TOP quality. When I say Martha Stewart has a strong competitor I'm not kidding. Nicole just blew Martha and any other craft gurus out of the water by creating this master piece. The quality of the fabrics, stitching, creativity, fun, colors, to name a few is bar none. Henry (and Todd and I) will be thoroughly entertained through church and hopefully stay quiet.
Without further ado, here it is.

The front:

"The Ultimate Quiet Book for Boys":

"Pull the hymn books out from their cubby. Now, put the fish in for fun that's bubbly.":

"Match the balloons to their colors, don't let them float away.
You'll want them to be ready the next time you sit and play."
Under each balloon it tells you what color it is:

"Big, short, tall or small, with this tape, you can measure them all."
And the measuring tape is real!:

"Take the animals from the ark, they could use some fresh air.

Noah's wife will thank you, it was beginning to smell in there."

There is two of each animal, and they are soft plastic:

"1,2,3,4: add these numbers and then add some more!"

The calculator really works, too!:

"Where you'll serve a mission only heaven knows.
Might as well learn how to hang dry your clothes.":

"Tic, tac, toe, three in a row. Think it through, nice and slow.":

"Zip your tie and button your vest. It's time to look your Sunday best.":

"Rise and shout the Cougars are out! Lace this football like a scout.":

"In the garage you'll find a car. Help it travel near and far.":

"If the spider wants a web, he's going to need your help.
(Don't show him to your mother, she might let out a yelp.)":

"The time for playing is over, my quiet little friend.

It's time to put the book away, it's time to say . . . ":

THANKS NICOLE!

Indian Food

We love Indian food.
Todd served his mission in India and he frequently reminisces about the amazing food that he ate and so we decided to try one of his favorite dishes. He made an awesome garbanzo bean curry with basmati rice and homemade fry bread. It was perfect--just how he rememeberd it--which is a first!
I love the taste and smell of the spices in the curry, its low-fat quality, and the fact that Todd made it. It took about 2 hours to make the whole thing, but it was definitely worth the wait (especially since I napped for 1.5 hours while he slaved away in the kitchen). He found the recipe online and I'll let you know what it is in a later post so you can enjoy it, too.

Todd is rolling out the dough to fry it:

Here's the curry simmering (I was asleep while he prepared it). It has garbonzo beans, tomatoes, onions, bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, and a bunch of spices I couldn't name if I wanted to:
In India the people eat with their hands. They mix the curry with the rice, roll it up into a ball-ish shape and put it in their mouth. They say it tastes better that way--and I believe it. It was delicious. To top it all off we ate a scrumptious trifle; thanks to Tasha for giving us the recipe. This Sunday evening could not have been any better. Man, I love days like this.
P.S. Todd, you're the best. I love you.

Hank the Tank

Hey friends and family! Henry celebrated his 6 month mark on Christmas Eve. He's getting so big, and has acquired the nickname, Hank the Tank. He's a bright, fun baby and he knows what he wants and does not hesitate to let us know. He sticks everything in his mouth--spoons, toys, drawstrings from my hoodies, his toes, wash rags--anything he can get his hands on. He's also very ticklish and it's so fun to hear him laugh. Here he is.

Splish-splashing:

Peek-a-boo-ing:

Calculating (like father, like son):

GQ-ing (he loves to play with his new teddy bear, Hank):