Life in the Day of Knottingham

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2010-07-27T21:56:00.001-07:00

It was a great vacation, but I’m glad to be home. So many awesome firsts for Titus and for us as well. More information to come, but for starters check out this fantastic picture!

If pictures are worth a thousand words, maybe these will save me some time on updating the blog

2010-07-11T22:13:00.001-07:00

Time flies when you’re having fun – or when your child is just about to turn one, has the will of his mother AND father, and is mobile and able to keep mom busy all day. So suffers the blog.

Quick update. Titus turns ONE YEAR OLD on MONDAY!!! YIKES! To celebrate, “we’re going to Disneyland!” (only because it coincides with a family wedding in Pasadena). I will do my best to post photos from the birthday party and California trip as soon as possible – at least before Titus turns 2.

Here are a few photos to fill in the gaps of the last few months.

First trip to the zoo. Bubbles

Encounters of the Furred Kind

2010-05-08T14:20:00.001-07:00

First, a comment: I feel like my lack of imagination for most titles on this blog are excused when I come up with one like this that knocks the rest of them out of the ballpark.

Next, Titus has met the kitties and pet the kitties, but yesterday was his first real encounter with them without me being as much of a vulture. Since he can sit well on his own and is more in control of his body, I felt like I could easily observe him with the cats.

I say cats, but it was Annie, although Dinah did grace us with her presence for a few seconds. The Contenders:

The investigatory pass (just like sharks):

The Faceoff:

The Kitty Whisperer:

Gentle…

Wrong End…

Not happy that Annie decided to lie down so far away.

Taking a Break-

Dinah showed up to check things out, never getting closer than this:

Then immediately turned around…

and walked off…

and rolled in the dirt.

First Family Trip to the Beach April 2010

2010-05-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

We finally took Titus on his first trip to the beach. We spent the weekend at Lincoln City, which was a much needed getaway for all of us. Also, it was the first weekend with Titus fully weaned, so it was very relaxing in a number of ways.

The weather on Saturday was a mixed bag. It seemed like every time the sun was out and the clouds cleared off, Titus was down for a nap. When Titus woke up, we’d head out to the beach, and after five to ten minutes, the clouds would move in and it would start raining.

Sunday was beautiful all day long. We had a great time on the beach and wandered around Lincoln City and Depoe Bay.

We took a ton of pictures, but here are just a few of the highlights:

Baby Godzilla

2010-04-07T15:32:00.001-07:00

Today I put Titus in the dragon sweatsuit that I wore when I was a baby. Here are a chunk of the gazillion photos I took today of my favorite little dragon.

^How did I survive childhood with strings on my hoodie? Titus LOVES to play with my sweatshirt strings and seemed to be quite taken with having some of his own (don’t worry, I took the sweatshirt off before putting him down for his nap and I wouldn’t leave him unattended…just in case).

< Terrorizing the animals in the zoo as all good, over-sized lizards do.

The following is a sequence of shots to show Titus’s latest milestone that he’s working on. Amazingly, he has decided that crawling IS something that may be beneficial. Currently, he’s most successful on the hardwood floors. His current locomotion includes rolling, wiggling, and sliding. I would have video taped this, but the battery died. Once we get it juiced back up, we’ll post something.

wiggling… rolling… crying… Success! Anyway you can get it done…

Gargling Baby Boy

2010-03-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Titus has stopped making his "sick dolphin" and "baby pterodactyl" noises. Luckily, he replaces each noise with a new noise. His newest one makes me want to shout "Areba!" It sounds like he's working on "RRRRuffles have RRRidges" or gargling water to get rid of hiccups.

Eight Month Update

2010-03-26T11:15:00.001-07:00

I mentioned last month that I can’t believe how fast the time is going and my sentiments continue this month. Titus is as happy as ever and never fails to crack me up. I believe I laugh more now than I did a year ago. Titus’s laugh is one of the sweetest sounds in this world. I wish he could laugh like this for the rest of his life, but I guess that would be a little odd when he’s 18. Praise the Lord for video cameras! I’m trying to pull it out on a regular basis so I can accurately document him as he grows.

The Inches & Ounces

Titus hasn’t grown much in the last month, but I’m sure that’s due to his extra wiggling. I’ve been stocking up on 12 month clothes and they seem to be so long, so I think he’s going to stretch out soon.

The Thinks & Things

Titus is getting better and better at balancing while he sits. He can even bend all the way forward and put his face on the ground (I tried this with him the other day and could not do it). He is still not interest in crawling and is perfectly content on his back or sitting. When I put him on his tummy, he whines for a second and then rolls over.

Titus is continuing to explore his surroundings and will study his toys and anything he can get his hands on. He will now contemplate each item BEFORE immediately putting it into his mouth.

The Dreams & Blankies

Titus continues to sleep well…most of the time. Sleep disruptions we’ve had seem to be due to teething, extra awareness or a combination of the two. In the past week, he’s started taking longer naps, so we’re prepared for a growth spurt!

The Eats & Chompers

On top of the longer naps, Titus has been eating a TON this last week. He has started on finger foods. Funny thing about finger foods – Titus puts everything in his mouth EXCEPT finger foods. In the past week, however, his finger food percentage has increased, but my floor is still covered with Cheerios.

It seems Titus is about ready to wean from nursing, so I have been busy trying to get myself up-to-date on the process. I have always intended to wean him around one year, but for some reason the abruptness of the timeline has “Sunrise, Sunset” playing on repeat in my head.

The Snaps and Flashes

Earlier this month we had family pictures taken by Jessica Kroger. We absolutely LOVED all the pictures (and Titus was a professional looking at the camera and smiling). Here are just a few:

MMMM-AAAHHH-MMMM

2010-03-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

So, this is my favorite new sound that comes from Titus's mouth. I'm not sure if he really associates it with me or if it's coincidence, but Nathan said he didn't do it at all the other night while I was at Bible Study, so you be the judge. This video also features his newest sound: the screech.

Month 7 Update

2010-02-27T22:32:00.001-08:00

I can’t believe that Titus is already seven months old. I have no idea where the time went. I am blessed to stay home to raise our son, but it’s harder for me to see how much he’s grown because it’s happening right before my eyes – like watching the tide go out. One moment the water’s breaking at your feet and before you know it, there’s 15 feet of sand between you and the surf. I remind myself daily to treasure the time with him because he will only be this age for a short time, but I had NO idea just how fast the time would go! I feel like my life is playing out in fast forward and I just want to pause it for awhile.

The Inches & Ounces

Titus is now 29 inches and 20 pounds, which means we need to move him to his new car seat soon. I will miss the convenience of being able to keep him in his car seat and lug him around, but at the same time, it’s nearly impossible to lug him very far in that thing (graciously, at least. I think I look like an idiot attempting to carry him around in it).

The Thinks & Things

Titus is more aware of his surroundings than ever before. At my parents’ house this weekend, he kept looking around like he’d never seen the place before (even though we’ve been here a lot since he was born). You can tell that he’s seeing everything in a new light. He just realized that the cats existed in the last month and enjoys watching them outside the window while he’s eating.

Titus has been sitting on his own for about a month now and is getting better at balancing himself. Titus LOVES doing his baby Luge (see previous post). Tummy time and crawling, however, is NOT on Titus’s list of priorities. He HATES when I put him on his tummy (though occasionally he’ll flip himself over which he seems fine with – but it has to be on HIS terms). He would rather sit or stand – so we’re prepared to skip crawling all together.

Titus loves playing with his toys – he has a ball that rolls and sings that Nonny and Papa gave him for Christmas, which he really likes. He loves his just about anything he can throw around or put in his mouth. George (below) is just one of his favorite things to throw around and put in his mouth.

Titus’s favorite noises to make include what we’ve called his “fishy” and “sick dolphin.” With the fishy, he smacks his lips open and closed, which reminds us of a fish. The sick dolphin is really him clearing his throat – it also sounds like an old car engine that won’t turn over.

The Dreams & Blankies

Titus has been sleeping through the night since he was nine weeks (resulting in a much more energetic mommy) and continues to do well as long as he doesn’t kick off his blankets in the middle of the night. Currently, we put Titus down between 8:30 and 9:00 and he sleeps until 8 am (Praise the Lord!). He takes two and a half naps during the day, which allows me to get work done around the house.

The Eats & Chompers

Titus has cut his first two teeth. His first came through at 6 1/2 months and his second just cut through in the last couple days. Teething has been hard on us all, so we’re glad to have something to show for all the hard work!

Titus is a good eater, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. He has been introduced to avocados, rice cereal, oatmeal, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, carrots, pears, applesauce, bananas, prunes, pumpkin and peaches. So far he seems to like everything EXCEPT avocados, bananas and prunes don’t agree with his body, so we’re backing off those for awhile. On one hand, he’s got a lot of food, on the other – it seems like we’re running out of food to cycle through!

We made several shopping stops to get one of these formed scoop bibs, and when I finally found one at Babies ‘R Us in Portland, they only had pink. In essence, we succeeded…sort of. We found the bib, just not the right color. We did eventually find a blue one, but he just wasn’t wearing it on this day. Besides, he can pull it off just like his daddy.

The Snaps and Flashes

Here are a few more recent pics of our seven month old Boy Wonder!

One of the rare moments he CHOSE to be on his tummy…and seemed to enjoy it.

Disneyland – Here we Come! (In 5 Months Anyway)

2010-02-19T16:25:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to share this pic taken at my parent’s house earlier this month. Got us all thinking about our trip to California in July for my cousin’s wedding and how exciting it will be to take Titus to Disneyland for the first time (even if he doesn’t really remember it). We’re excited anyway and can’t wait to buy him his very own first pair of Mickey ears!

The Olympics: Baby Luge

2010-02-17T18:48:00.001-08:00

Titus has been doing little baby crunches for the past few weeks, which we decided looks like he’s doing the Luge. He has even started to do it on command of “Baby Luge!”

So – in honor of the 2010 Winter Olympics, enjoy!

Note on the above pics - that stain was fresh green beans from dinner - don't know if I pushed him to the luge too soon or what. Needless to say, the blanket's headed for the wash.

Here's the video - of course - he wasn't as cooperative once the camera was rolling, but I at least caught him doing it once.

“Tut, Tut – It Looks Like Rain”

2010-01-13T15:25:00.001-08:00

Titus HATES tummy time, but Titus has recently discovered the joy of looking out the window. So, today I put him on the back of the couch (which is super puffy like a pillow) so he was basically on his tummy, but could look out the window. He LOVED watching the wind blow and checking out God’s creation (all the while, I was watching MY favorite Creation appreciating creation). He just seemed like he really wanted to go outside and play…until he started to get tired and plopped the thumb in his mouth. Here are some of my favorite pics (while supporting his bum with the other):

Titus Milestone: First Foods

2010-01-13T15:16:00.001-08:00

I can’t believe how fast Titus is growing up. Titus finally hit the point where he just didn’t seem satisfied enough after nursing, so we decided to begin supplementing his diet with rice cereal. It has been a success and he definitely seems to enjoy getting more food in his belly (which has also helped him finally move up to a 4 hour schedule).

I love the quizzical look on his face.

The Ghost of Christmas Present…

2010-01-13T15:07:00.001-08:00

Christmas was so much fun this year – after we got past the emotional break down I had on Christmas Eve from all the stress of cleaning the house, baking, cooking, and taking care of Titus. We already shared the pics of Titus in his brief debut as Baby Jesus, but here are some of our favorite pics from Christmas.

First, are a couple pics of my favorite cookies I decorated – I’m very proud of Chewbacca.

Titus’s first present on Christmas Eve – traditional pjs from my family and also traditional legos from Nathan’s family:

Christmas Morning: Titus’s Viking hat from IKEA (LOVE it!):

The Boys (Daddy remind me of Hagar for some reason)

The Viking hat WITH the foam axe I found at Target for a buck (I have a feeling both will get a lot of use in about 3 or 4 years):

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

2010-01-11T16:07:00.001-08:00

I have every intention of blogging again at some point, but for now it’s enough just to get photos up and call it good. I’ll get Christmas posted at some point, but for now – here are pics from Titus’s first snow day (which consisted of me standing outside with him and taking pictures with my “free hand”):

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Even Baby Jesus is Disappointed that the Blog isn’t Up-To-Date

2010-01-04T10:37:00.001-08:00

I’ve been meaning to get the blog updated and share photos from December, but I’m determined to get my house in order first. The Christmas decorations are down, so I will reward you with my two favorite Christmas Eve photos. Titus was our Lord and Savior in the live nativity at church – which lasted about 15 minutes until he got fussy and they decided to bring in the back up Baby Jesus.

Titus looks like he’s pulling the old Hulk Hogan routine – trying to get the angel to cheer. Maybe that’s just me…

“But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.” Titus was determined to debunk that false teaching. :)

More to come on our Christmas and new year.

Our First Family Christmas Tree Hunt

2009-12-10T22:34:00.001-08:00

Well, it wasn’t a Griswold Christmas tree adventure, but it will still be memorable.

We got up early Saturday morning, fed Titus, stopped by Starbucks, and headed out to the Bates Road Farm to hunt for the perfect tree.

After a short walk, we found a tree and waited for the farm owner to come and cut the tree down with his chainsaw and haul it back to the truck for us.

What Are You Doing Here?

2009-12-10T21:52:00.001-08:00

Tonight while I was nursing Titus, he stopped, looked up at me and just stared. The look on his face was as if he was thinking “Wait a second, what are you doing here?”

Funnier yet, he just kept staring at me for a really long time; he didn’t crack, he didn’t smile. I moved my head to the right and he moved his head to follow mine. I moved my head to the left, he did too. It was SO weird and slightly creepy.

“One Day I May Call On You For a Favor…”

2009-11-12T07:50:00.001-08:00

Any Finger Will Do…

2009-11-10T16:45:00.001-08:00

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The Other White Meat

2009-11-10T14:49:00.001-08:00

Becoming a Mastermind in Manipulation

2009-11-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

Random Snapshots

2009-11-07T09:42:00.001-08:00

Looking at the Christmas lights in the guest room at Nonny and Papa’s House:

Heading for a walk to the store…

Napping:

Baby Bumbo

2009-11-07T09:31:00.001-08:00

Titus loves sitting up and it gets a little difficult to appease him all the time, so we decided to look into those Bumbos. We thought it would be a waste of money before he was born, but the last couple weeks we thought it might actually come in handy.

So, on Halloween, we ventured over to Babies ‘R Us and sat him in one. His face lit up immediately, so we went ahead and purchased it (luckily I had a coupon). He uses it a lot and we put him in it when we have dinner at the table so he can get used to eating with the family.

Turkey Treat

2009-11-06T22:26:00.001-08:00

Here are a few snapshots from Halloween. Nothing major – we just dropped by the church and then swung by Nate’s family’s house to show off our little guy.

Today’s Snapshot

2009-11-05T16:52:00.001-08:00

A Baby of Many Disguises

2009-10-18T09:05:00.001-07:00

Super Baby:

Nate accidentally put Titus’s pants on before snapping his tee, so of course we had to take a picture.

Santa’s Cutest Reindeer:

Titus’s First Adventure to the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-12T11:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took Titus out to Bauman Farms. It ended up being a pretty quick adventure as Titus was more interested in sleeping and really hated being disturbed for photo opportunities.

This is the face Titus had in the barn. Prior to entering the barn, Titus was peaceful and near sleep. Within a minute of entering the barn, his nose began to crinkle and then he started crying. Good thing we don’t live on a farm.

The ghost hat is really a tad too small for Titus’s huge noggin.

Posing on a gigantic pumpkin/gourd. He didn’t last long before he started crying, so we headed for the smaller pumpkins…

…he didn’t like that so much either. Then I decided he should wear his giraffe hat.

Not such a fan of that either, so we put him back in the pack.

Within minutes he was just right. :)

On our way out we decided to try for a couple photos one more time (the lighting was perfect and there are so many cute pics you can take)…

That didn’t go over so well either and people started to stare…

So we called it good and left. Maybe next year we can get some good photos.

Talking Titus

2009-10-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

I took this yesterday - usually when I grab the camera when Titus starts talking, he immediately gets camera shy (like he knows what that is yet). Luckily, I was able to capture him in all his glory - he's just so cute!!

The joy and pain of being a baby....

2009-10-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

My Handsome Husband

2009-10-01T08:16:00.001-07:00

Nathan just had some pictures taken by a friend; I think he looks really good and wanted share them:

Happy Boy

2009-09-13T16:43:00.001-07:00

Let the records show – last night I fed Titus at 8:15 and put him down for bed at 9:15. He didn’t fuss or cry until 5:30 am this morning, his eight week birthday.

Today he played in his rainforest gym:

2009-09-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

My brother, sister-in-law and niece were in town a couple weeks ago. Since our family has changed quite a bit with the addition of children, we decided to get family photos taken. Here’s a slide show of the pictures taken at Bush Park.

A Whale of a Bath (Edited so our son doesn’t hate us as much when he’s a teenager)

2009-09-06T17:42:00.001-07:00

Really, Really Ridiculously Good Looking.

2009-08-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Titus has been working on his Zoolander poses - get ready for Magnum - it's coming!

Day Five: A Day (and Night) at the Spa

2009-08-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

Titus was born with jaundice, but the doctor wasn't too concerned and released us from the hospital on time, although we had to take him to the doctor to have his bilirubin levels checked each morning for the next three days. On Friday, his bilirubin level was still elevated, although the rate of increase had declined. We had to take Titus to the NICU at the hospital for photo therapy.

Of course, being first time parents, we were completely batty. Although jaundice is not a serious problem, we were still worried sick about having to go back to the hospital. Luckily, we were able to stay in the room with him - we were only able to take him out to feed him and change his diaper. My mom came to comfort and encourage us while we sat around and watched Titus bathe in the blue lights.

Titus spent a total of 24 hours under the lights and was released the next morning - he's doing just fine now - praise the Lord! So Titus spent a day and night at the spa, which cost us more than any spa I've heard of. As Nathan says - "Just because it's called a blue light special doesn't mean it's cheap!!!"

Hanging out under the lights - a day at the spa. Titus looked pretty cute in his mask.

Labor Day: Ready or Not, Here He Comes!!!

2009-07-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

I was convinced that Titus was going to be a late baby. He hadn't "dropped" yet and I wasn't having any Braxton Hicks. I had a lot to do before he came, so I wasn't expecting him to come 9 days early.

On Friday, July 17th, I had a wonderful baby shower in Hillsboro. It was so nice to see so many who have blessed me over the years and who contributed to my spiritual growth as a child and young adult. I hardly slept that night - I think I got 3 hours of sleep. The next day, Nathan and I did some shopping at Babies 'R Us and Clackamas. Nothing out of the ordinary.

(Shower in Hillsboro)

When we got home, we took a quick nap, although I never really fell asleep. When I started to get out of bed at 5:20, I felt the dam break (so to speak). I was in complete shock. For about 15 minutes I just kept saying "No. No. This can't be happening yet..." while at the same time realizing that there was no turning back now and that this baby WAS coming out. You know - funny thing how the books and childbirth class said that if your water breaks before the contractions begin, the baby acts as a cork to stop the gushing. That's hilarious...and my baby was FAR from being a cork. I felt like a kindergartner who couldn't stop peeing all over herself. But I'll leave it at that to keep this PG for all of you who are a tad squeamish (Jen).

After Nate and I came as much to grips as possible (we were still completely insane at this point), I called my parents' cell (they were at a 24 hour Relay for Life event), thinking that they probably didn't take the cell with them because it was 9 days early. Luckily, my mom answered and was beginning to make plans to head down to Salem. I spent the next five hours packing for the hospital, putting away gifts from the shower the night before, and trying to get prepared. The contractions really weren't that unbearable. My mom arrived a little after 11 pm and we headed to the hospital.

(A quick photo while getting ready for the hospital. Can you see the sheer terror?)

We got to the hospital and had to check in thru the ER. When we got to the birth center, we filled out some paperwork and then they evaluated me to make sure that I had ruptured (as if all that fluid gushing from my body could be anything else). I was 5 cm along, so they set me up in Labor and Delivery. Although they told me I had a high tolerance for pain and could easily do it naturally, I opted for the epidural and slept through most of the night. In the morning, they told me I was complete and that I could start pushing or I could let the baby labor down more - I opted to let him do some more work on his own. I started pushing around 9 am and Titus William was born at 9:39 am on July 19th. He weighed 8 pounds, 0.2 ounces (for 5 days Nate and I thought he was 8 pounds, 2 ounces) and was 20 inches long.

The monitor that kept track of baby and my contractions

The first photo of our little Titus

I bawled for a long time - mostly from disbelief, shock, etc. I couldn't believe he was finally here!

Maternity Photos

2009-06-29T16:00:00.001-07:00

On our 7th anniversary (June 22), we had some awesome maternity photos taken. Here are a few:

Belly Photo Update: Month 8

2009-06-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

Is Pregnancy a Good Enough Excuse?

2009-05-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

Along with my figure, I've lost my mind, become more clumsy, and can't seem to get things done like I used to. I honestly have to make myself checklists to get things done (which I've always done, but now I won't remember to do anything UNLESS I write it down).
So, here's an update: Things are still going well; baby is healthy, the baby room is coming along, and we're still working towards getting ready to become parents in two months. Other than that, nothing much is new, but here are some recent pics:

Sporting the Goonies tee.^

Week 27^

^ Near-barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.

Finally gave in and put on the maternity pants- week 29

Family Fun: Visiting with the Californians!!

2009-03-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

My brother, sister-in-law, and niece came up to visit a couple weeks ago. We had a really good visit with them (it was so fun to see how much Piper has grown since November!). We hung out, did some shopping, and just had a good time. Apparently, I was so relaxed, I only took pictures of Piper. Ah well. Guess I better get used to it.

Pregnancy Update: 23 weeks

2009-03-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty scatter brained lately and am just now thinking I should post some updates. Here are the most recent photos of me - finally starting to show. I'm starting to actually look pregnant and not just look like I've been packing away extra cookies!!!

This first one if from the night we went to "Wicked." I was really worried that I just looked fat, but while I was in the SUPER long line for the bathroom, a woman came up and asked if it was the line for the bathroom. When I said yes, she replied, "I don't have to go that bad, I can hold it. I'm just glad I'm not pregnant." I told her I was lucky it wasn't an emergency (but maybe I should've said "Seriously, I'm glad I'm not pregnant either" just to see if it made her feel awkward).

This is 21 weeks.

22 weeks (last week). I've still been wearing my non-maternity clothes, but have slowly been saying goodbye to clothing day by day.

The last time I went to the doctor, when he went to listen to the heartbeat, he said: "Whoa, you're not wearing maternity pants? What are these, your gangster pants?" Doc's hilarious.

The diaper cake that Renee made for me while they were visiting from California. So cool, I'm keeping it in one piece until I absolutely need to take it apart! It has all sorts of fun things - teethers, toys, socks, and grooming essentials. It even has a few Piper-approved selections!

First Photos of Our Son (Yet to Be Named)

2009-03-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our first ultrasound, which was absolutely AWESOME. We had a wonderful technician, Betsy, who was helpful in pointing things out to us and explaining things to us.

90% of our friends and family said we were having a boy and you were right!!!It was so amazing to see our child on the screen moving and squirming. I haven't really felt him yet (that I can tell), so it was so cool to see how active he is. I kept thinking "How can anyone experience this and NOT see God's hand in it or recognize that a baby IS a person?"

Everything looks healthy and normal - he has all the correct parts in the correct places, which is a blessing! He kept putting his hands up in front of his face - sometimes he looked like a boxer and other times he was sucking his thumb (just like his mom did!).

Here are a few of his first photos:

A boxing/thumb sucking pose.

His Profile.

His arms and hands.

His foot.

So...There's a Good Reason Why We Haven't Updated our Blog Lately...

2009-01-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since we've updated our blog. As most of you know, we found out on Thanksgiving that we are going to have a baby at the end of July!!!! We're very excited, but we've definitely been keeping busy with trying to get our ducks in a row.

Christmas was...interesting. We weren't able to make it to our family Christmas in Idaho due to the weather. We ended up holding down the fort with my parents in Gresham (took us FIVE hours to drive there!!!). We're glad the snow has passed...

This last Friday (my 29th birthday), Nathan and I had our first doctor's appointment and were able to hear the baby's heartbeat (the BEST gift ever). To celebrate, we went to Babies 'R Us and bought a stroller/carseat combo and a pack and play.

Here are a few photos from the last few months:

Christmas in Gresham -

The tree in our backyard during the freezing rain:

This is the sight I came home to the day I had the blood test at the doctor to confirm pregnancy (seriously, I was on the phone with the doctor's office when I walked in to see this):

The poor, decapitated Tinkerbell:

This is just funny...after the top picture, I was wondering what happened to Tinkerbell's head...it was still on the tree.

The cats on a cold day - snuggling by the heater (this NEVER happens):

CA Trip Part IV: Disneyland Day 2

2008-12-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

CA Trip Part III: Beach Bums and Old Friends

2008-12-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

We went with Renee on Piper's first trip to the beach (Huntington Beach). We had the most awesome tacos at a little restaurant there (man, I could use some of those right now).

On Thursday, we went to Murrieta to visit my bestfriend from my freshman year of college, Alicia. We hung out with Alicia, her son, Judah, and her husband, Brent (a link to their blog is at the right). Below is me on Judah's bike (observing safety by wearing a helmet).

Nathan sporting the "Billie." You can purchase your own Billie via Alicia's online knitting store clinking on the "Etsy" link to the right.

The infamous woman herself. I sure do miss hanging out with her. We had a fabulous time!

CA Trip Part II: Disneyland Day 1

2008-11-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

Our first visit to Disneyland was the Monday after Halloween. The parks were still decorated for Halloween, which was fun. We got to the park early, had breakfast at the La Brea Bakery, and kicked it at the park all day.

As we were getting off Buzz Lightyear, the Dream Team handed us Dream Fast Passes (a Fast Pass for each of the major rides in Disneyland and California Adventure). The park was pretty quiet that day, so we didn't use all of them, but it was still pretty cool!

CA Trip-Part I: Driving, Babies and Pumpkins

2008-11-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

Nate and I just returned from our vacation to California to meet our niece, Piper. We decided to save some pennies by driving, which Nathan did all by himself (not that I didn't offer...but I'm not complaining).

We left October 30th at 3 pm and stopped in Winston to have dinner with our cousins and meet their beautiful girl, Zoe.

The drive was most difficult from about 4 a.m. until about 5:30 when Nate found a Starbucks, which was the first blessed sign that our trip was almost over. My drink was wrong, but it was the most heavenly thing I had tasted in days. The sun was starting to come up as we hit L.A.

When we arrived, I got to hold my niece for the first time before crashing for a long nap. Later, we all went to the pumpkin "patch" (it was a parking lot with pumpkins scattered on the ground) and carved pumpkins (let me tell you - we paid a buttload for those pumpkins and weren't about to NOT carve them. Note to self: Bring your own pumpkins next time).

The proud grandparents...Saturday, we hung out with the family and went shopping at "The Block."

The pool wasn't safe to swim in....Brandon's remote control shark was on the loose.

Our Beautiful Niece, Piper Belle Bodenstab

2008-10-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

At 2:16 a.m. this morning, I officially became an aunt. My brother, Brandon, and his wife, Renee, had their first child. Piper Belle was 20 inches long and 6.9 pounds. We couldn't be more excited for the blessing that she is and we are so excited to meet her.

Piper's got the Bodenstab grimace...at least Nathan tells me I make that face a lot.
I wish I could see more of my brother's face in this photo. I love it.

Beautiful little niece. I can't wait to meet her!

Our Literate Cat

2008-10-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I love to read...and apparently, so does Dinah:

Books on dragons...

Resting on the promises of God (pretty sure none of them are for cats).

Home Improvement

2008-10-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I are blessed to have our home. God provided for us in His perfect time and we are grateful for his provision. As with any home, there are some things that we would change, but they are all cosmetic and not structural.

One of those cosmetic things (for me) is the wood. Our house was built in 1960 and has tons of the light wood that's representative of the era. After inspiration from my mom's bathroom remodel, I finally decided to start painting some of that wood (I've put it off because it just seemed like such a daunting task). Anyway - here are the results of the bathroom cabinets (I know we have a "before picture somewhere, but can't find one):

I may not have a before picture of the bathroom, but here's a picture of our hideous handles in the kitchen, which will get the next make-over.

Friday Night Fights...

2008-09-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Friday nights are traditionally set aside as main event boxing nights. How do I know this? I don't really know...but I'm assuming it's true. At least it is in our house.

This is the face off a couple weeks ago between Nathan "The Dominator" Knottingham, weighing a cut 255 pounds and standing 6' 2" and Annie "The Reeker" Knottingham standing at 9" and weighing 9 pounds and 10 ounces.

As you can see from the photos below the competition looks rough. Annie was sporting her new Seiko watch bling, bringing back the all to well used Flavor Flav fashion of large time pieces being worn around the neck. And Nathan didn't even bother to change into his active boxing attire, but chose the business man battle wear of the office.

The opponents face off for the paparazzi

The challenge is made and accepted.
Posturing ensues, both are flexing and showing what they are made of.

Nathan gets "dissed" by Annie, she claims he's a "poser" in the ring.

The actual fight was too gruesome to show, just know that no one was permanently injured and Annie still talks to Nathan on a regular basis.

Last Friday night the Knottingham's hosted another fight night, rather impulsively. Colby and Kristy came by our house for a quick visit and we started playing Wii. The following pictures document the outcome of the "friendly" games.

Kristy and Billie are getting ready to battle in the boxing ring. Colby is looking a tad nervous as he casts a quick glance at the camera. It's my opinion that the outcome of this match may dictate his relationship with Kristy. Good thing she won, even though it was by a very small margin.

Next on the mat was Nathan and Colby. The look of sheer determination really speaks volumes to the brutality of this match. Frankly, after looking at N8's "guns" Colby new he didn't stand a chance even though this was video game.

The action became even more furious as Colby lashed out at Kristy electronically (photo courtesy of Billie). It was wild, action packed round in the boxing ring.

That, my friends, is a right hook...Colby stood no chance.

Another impressive jab and hook combination by Kristy that resulted in a knock down, Colby was able to recover. Ultimately the fight ended, but to save reputation I have chosen not to reveal the actual winner of this bout.

So as you can see, Friday nights are starting to mean fight night at the Knottingham house. Wonder what next Friday will bring?

Busy...then not

2008-08-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

So I bet you've all had those days. The day before you are so busy you can't think straight, then the next you are so slow that you wonder why you even bothered getting up. My business is always a roller coaster of speed.

I started at 8, got a lot done and had lunch at 11:30. Came back to the office and I have been waiting ever since. I wait on borrowers to get me documents, underwriters to get me answers, Realtors to get me signatures and so on and so forth.

This afternoon I was so "in active" that I took some random office photos. The first one I call "Keg in the Grass." Tiffany's Keg of Diet Coke mysteriously disappeared from her desk. Tiffany is the greatest processor in the world, and she's on my team...

This next picture is the bossman, Mark Patterson. He abuses me with words, but not fists. He like to recline in his office and yell at everyone to work harder and produce more loans.

Finally this is a Pug. I found this picture online when I was trying to make a funny "motivational" poster on http://www.despair.com/. Pugs are just weird looking...oh yeah the poster I ended up making is below.

Sometimes I make these dumb photos when I look up "funny animal pictures" on google.

Okay, I'm done being borred. My last appointment just left and I'm outta here!

Ohhhhhhh the craziness...

2008-08-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

Working hard, reading as much as possible, sitting and talking, ignoring house hold chores, petting the cats, watching the Olympics (then crying cause they were over), trying to stay awake past 9:30pm* (the "old factor" is setting in), trying to stay true to the physical workouts, planning a trip to Cali in November, and sleeping...

So now when you wonder what Nathan and Billie have been up to you'll know.

Oh yeah, I (Nathan) was asked to be on the Board for the Salem Youth Symphony. Don't know if I will accept, but I was pretty honored to be asked.

That's all folks! We're not planning on visiting the fair this year either. It's a loud, obnoxious, expensive and dirty place.

N8
*A public appology to my parents for complaining that my friends couldn't call the house after 9pm. You said I would understand why when I was older; I am older and I really get it now!

"Why so serious?"

2008-07-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

Nate and I just got home from seeing "The Dark Knight." I've always been a Batman fan...as I proved in the 5th grade when I dressed up as The Joker for Halloween.

Tonight, after the movie was over, Nate looked at me and said "Wow. That picture of you from Halloween just FREAKS me out now." (or something to that effect).

Jack Nicholson's Joker freaked me out enough as a kid...I think dressing up as the Joker was my way of coping with the horror I felt whenever I watched the original Batman movie. But Heath Ledger's Joker makes Jack Nicholson's character look like a walk in the park (don't get me wrong, I think they were both creepy in their own ways, Ledger's is just a tad more disturbing). Either way...if I didn't have the picture to prove it, people might not believe that this wasn't a play on the most recent Joker legacy. But, trust me...this photo is from 1990.

There's nothing funny about an empty playground (this is probably the most "emo" shot of my childhood).

Yikes. Just looking at the pictures makes my face itch.

Shooting July 4th

2008-07-05T21:45:00.001-07:00

4th of July...

2008-07-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, this will be a short blog. You see this July 4th Billie agreed to go shooting with Colby and me. This is a big deal. She's never done it before and she says she only agreed to go this time because it was in honor of our revolutionary fore-fathers who fought for our independence.

But whatever her reasons I need to say that she amazed me! We started her off with a .22 pistol, no kick and hard to aim, but really easy to shoot. Then we moved her to Colby's 9mm Springfield XD. It's a compact little handgun that shoots steady. After a few minutes of instruction from Colby on the safeties of the gun (passive safety, a grip safety, trigger safety and drop safe) and different holding options Billie opened fire on a plastic bottle and some firewood. She's a natural and I couldn't have been more proud! 6 targets hit in 7 shots! It was amazing.

So then she moved on to my .40 Beretta Px4. It's a heavier gun with a bigger kick. I was a little worried about her with it, but she handled that one like a pro too!

Anyway, maybe this isnt' a big deal for a lot of people. I know at least Billie is playing it off like it is nothing, but it was really cool to have her out there shooting with us and enjoying doing it too! Check out the slide show!

Nothing and Everything

2008-06-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

I was hoping for the muse of creative writing to strike me lately. Then nothing happened...at all. So I thought I would just write that really nothing and everything has been happening lately.

Billie and I have been working a lot lately. The hours have been long and I haven't been home a whole lot. Loans are coming in right now, but not doing anything. I have a ton of them waiting for something to happen so they can move forward and buy or refinance. Mainly people want lower interest rates. Without waxing borring about my industry, the rates are still much lower than they have been in the last 10 years. So I don't know what people are waiting for, but they all want the best deal. Oh well, it'll happen when it happens.

I'm waiting tables one night a week. That's pretty nice actually. And I'm taking next week off of all work to do chores around the house. I have a gate to build, a deck to build and some landscaping to do. Maybe I'll take some pictures and post them too.

We celebrated our sixth anniversary this last weekend. June 22, 2002 was the day and this last Saturday we went to the beach to hang out. It was really nice.

Okay, that's all for now. More updates to come later. I'm watching "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" now. More later.

Wii!! for You and Mii

2008-06-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Nate and I recently purchased a Wii for our Anniversary/Nate's Birthday gift. It is a lot of fun (and you should definitely invite yourself over to play sometime). We've spent quite a bit of time playing Mario Kart, which is ridiculously addicting. My obsession, however, has been creating my little Mii army.

For those of you who have yet to experience Wii, a Mii is a Wii version of yourself. In the sports games, your little Mii will perform for you. In other games, Mii people will show up in the crowds and backgrounds. Well, creating a Mii for Nathan and myself was simply not enough for me. I have created family, friends, Lost characters, and literary characters. I DO recognize it's a sickness...and I'm not finished yet. There will be more. But, for now, here are our Miis:

Here are a couple snapshots of our other Miis. Look carefully and you can find my mom, dad, brother, other Newman/Bodenstab/Knottingham family members, Hurley (and other Lost characters), Colby, Jen, Leo, Chef Gordon Ramsey, Snape, Harry Potter, and a cooler version of myself:

So, if we haven't heard from you in awhile, you know what we've been up to (or mostly just mii). Come on over - we'll barbecue and play Wii!!!

-Billii

Joys of Home Ownership

2008-05-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

So since this is our new blog stuff I thought I would tell the story of our backyard. Last October we had to replace the sewer line from our house to the street. Here's what the back of the house looked like before:

When the two-man-crew came into fix the sewer line they tore out the deck and distroyed the concrete patio below it.

But wait, as the backhoe rolled into the back yard there was a loud crack and we found something really surprising. We had an empty septic tank in the middle of our backyard! Who would have known?

So they crushed up the patio and put it into the septic tank along with other dirt and rocks. Then they continued to dig out from the corner of the house to the street. They didn't have to hurt our Lace Leaf Maple, which I was very theankful for. The whole got deep and long but after a couple days the work was done and we were left with a torn up backyard.

So right after they were done the rains started and now we are left with a dead backyard and a lot of dirt. I like having a porch where we can barbeque on and host our friends. So I decided that we need to build a deck now. We really means me, since Billie really doesn't want to be outside building with the bugs.

Now I am placing the foundation and getting ready to start building the deck when the weather is actually a little warmer and doens't rain every other day. Not to mention all the other stuff I want to do outside.

For instance our entire yard is lined with Larua Shrub that is about 10-14 feet tall. It's supposed to be 6-7 feet tall. So that's going to be an interesting job to get it back down to shape.

Then our front yard is only bark and we think grass would be a good thing to have. So that's going to have to happen soon. Along with a gate into the back yard. Right now you can just walk through the yard and that doesn't make anyone feel too safe. (http://www.buygrowerdirect.com/ it's a cool sight).

I will keep everyone posted on how things start shaping up.

Other Movie Thoughts

2008-04-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Other movies I like:

Ocean's 11

Ocean's 12

Ocean's 13

I like how they are smart, witty, non-sexual, modern-day Robin-Hood-like movies. Just thought I would post this since I'm watching Ocean's 12 with Billie and Colby. These are pretty good movies, except I want to go knock over a casino now. Just kidding, I only want to rob a bookie. Again, I'm joking...there's got to be an easier mark.

Movies That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2008-04-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

Recently Billie and I saw Dan in Real Life. Steve Carell is the title character, Dan, a single father of three girls and a columnist who writes witty prose on life as a whole. I can't say that many movies ever get to me, or even stay with me a few days after I watch them. But this one had some really great qualities that I could definitely appreciate.

To start with, Dan's a widower as his wife passed away from illness. We find this out a little into the movie, but you kind of already new it by the way they talk together. Do you know how refreshing that is? Immediately I was drawn to this man because he did not choose what had happened to his family, but he was doing it to the best of his ability.

Second, there is a quick scene after the girls leave for school and he is preparing for their trip, where he is lovingly making three different sandwiches at the same time. Each one was unique and he moved with practiced skill in making the sandwiches. I know that making a sandwich is not probably a trait that is studied in acting school, but that very simple act in a cut scene testified to the depth of the man's personality.

The movie isn't bad as a normal story line. I like how his Mom and Dad call him out at any time. I like how he struggles with his inner self, what he wants to do and what he knows he needs to do. I like how there is little language and very little (if any) degrading humor/comments about women.

Billie wasn't quite as wowed by this movie as I was. But I think it's because this movie is about a man. Really, it's about a man, so why would she connect to it like me? Every time I saw him with his girls I thought about us. Every time I saw the loss in his eyes, I empathized with his pain. There were points in the movie where I could see me as him, if Billie and I had kids and she was taken away from me in death.

Hmmmm...it's just a movie that makes you go Hmmmmmmm. Frankly, it was very refreshing to have a movie that moved me.

Random Beachness

2008-04-23T10:18:00.001-07:00

2008-04-22T05:06:00.000-07:00

This isn't a long blog. It really doesn't have a back story or precursor or even a funny anecdote about life. This blog is about my love Billie; and she looks like this:

I took that picture a little over seven years ago when we first started dating. We went out for a walk at the waterfront park in Salem. She was really embarrassed about me stopping her to take a photo, but that's why I love it so much. Because she has a beautiful smile and her dimple really shows when she is having fun and feeling a little silly. Then there is this other picture I took a year and a half ago at a Starbucks with my cell phone:

I think we title it "Comprehensive Coffee" or something like that. It's a great photo too. She's so photogenic, although to hear her tell it, every photo that's taken of her has something wrong in it. But that's just not true.

This year we will celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary. I know to some that have been married 25+ years that really isn't too long. But in this day anything over five is becoming abnormal. Now check these out:

I love it when she tries on crazy hats (that's Colby Hammer by the way). I especially like the cow hat in the middle, it looks like it is a lot of fun wearing that hat, but I have a really big head and they never fit.

Billie is everything right about me. She is my work ethic, my drive for betterment, my follow through, my intelligence, my funny AND all my other emotions. She challenges me to be patient, to remember others before myself, to feel all of my feelings and look at things in a different way.

Like any relationship we have had points in our life that was hard. The best analogy to those times is when you walk outside barefoot and you step on that little rock that you didn't see. It hurts really bad for a couple minutes, but you keep moving on and the pain goes away. That's what our life is like together.

I know for certain that I wouldn't be as good of a man if Billie weren't with me. I love her, I need her, I depend on her; her support keeps me going, her respect gives me confidence, her creativity inspires me. I get really depressed when we don't get to spend a lot of time together and it's taken me a long time to identify that feeling.

I love Billie with everything I know that I have to love with. But the best thing is that in the next quarter century, I'm sure I will learn that I have a whole lot more love to give her.

April 2008!

2008-04-20T10:11:00.001-07:00

Morning of April 20th

2008-04-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I awoke on my 28th celebration of birth to find it was snowing! What a crazy weather pattern we're having. Last weekend it was 60+ degrees, now it's snowing.

Billie and I were shown this sight by some good friends: Leo and Jen. They like to use this blogspot thing for their own adventures.

Last night Billie threw a birthday party for me with some of our good friends. Last year, during a rousing card game of SWAP! Cyrus and Colby commented on how hard it was to play with me because my hands were so big they were covering all the cards. That began the hand jokes, and thus the birthday theme: Big Hands. My friends are so funny. Every gift had to do with big hands.

First there was Kim and Cyrus's gift for clean hands:

Then Jen and Leo made me some special gifts like super hero gloves that fit my hands, a T-Shirt proclaiming my super powers and a candy bar that fit my hands! Click Here

It was a great birthday. Billie made cool decorations all over the house. A couple weeks ago she told me that her coworker didn't believe how big my hand was so she had me do an outline of my hand on a piece of paper to prove it. Well, it was just a clever ruse to get my hand design which she used in all the decorations! She apparantly used the hand for the invites and then posted some of them around the house with different quotes from our friends about the size of my hands!

And I didn't want a cake for my birthday, but instead I wanted her delicious cream cheese sugar cookies. So while I was out working she made a whole batch for the party. But my surprise was the fact that she found a hand cookie cutter! Who would have guessed?

Anyway, we'll see how often we actually post to this blog. Hopefully it will be more often than not. Let us know what you think and leave a comment!