Jace Can Clap!

2 Stitches

Sheldon shut the bathroom door and didn't know Jace was right there. Jace's left pinkie got shut between the door and the door frame. We ran Jace's finger under the water to clear away all the blood and realized his injury was pretty deep. We headed to the ER and Jace would not even let me touch his finger so that resulted in blood getting everywhere. I was trying my best to hold a paper towel around his finger but it didn't work out all that well. When we got to the ER Jace had blood all over his legs and outfit and had gotten blood on me too. After cleaning him up and taking x-rays we found out his finger was not broken and there would be no long term damage-thankfully. He received 2 stitches and mom and dad received a real scare. I think it took a few hours for my heart rate to go back to normal. This week he went in and go his stitches out and by next week it should be totally healed.

Sheldon's School Break

Sheldon had a two week break after his LAST school semester and the start of his 4th year rotations. The first week we went camping with our friends (see previous post) and also had a goodbye party before everyone went separate directions. Because we are staying here for our first rotation that meant we had another week to play and not move like most of our friends were doing. At the start of the 2nd week we went on a hike at Saddle Mountain and the same day we headed up to Washington. Holly, Sheldon's sister, and her husband Ben just moved to Spokane and we showed up at their doorstep the same day they moved in. We were able to help them unpack and get settled in and we even got to go do some sightseeing for the two days we were there. After that we headed to Seattle to check it out, something we've wanted to do the whole time we've lived here. We were gone for a total of five days and really had a blast! Jace was a trooper. He is just now adjusting to being home after being gone pretty much for four weeks and sleeping in different places. Jace and I spent two weeks at my parents right before Sheldon's school break-so it's been almost 4 weeks since he slept consistently in his own crib. It's good to be back home after all of our trips and get back into the routine of things. 4th Year here we come!!!!!!!!! All the future optometrists!
Here's the group of the eight couples we have had the privilege to spend time with and get to know during the last three years. We have done lots of things together and have really enjoyed their friendship.

Here are some pictures of our 5 mile hike to Saddle Mountain. We only made it 4 miles though because Jace got really upset when we made it up towards the summit. I don't blame him though because it was very windy and cold once we got above the tree line. We want to go back this summer and hike on a sunny day.



When we made it to Spokane we went to a really beautiful Lilac Garden.
We also went out to eat at Outback. Ben received a promotion as a manager so that is why they moved from Montana so Ben could start working in his new position. That also meant free food for us. We grubbed!!



Jace was super good in the car. I thought it was really cute because he was very entertained by his toes. We just switched his car seat forward and he loved the new view.

We saw a really pretty waterfall and the Spokane Temple too!


Here we are headed to Seattle after two fun days with Holly and Ben. Jace ate his lunch on the go in the car.
We stopped for gas and couldn't resist taking some pictures of the beautiful mountains and this little car that was perfect for our little guy! We drove past Mount Baker and the drive was breathtaking.
We enjoyed our day in Seattle. We went to Pike's Market, the Space Needle, and the Zoo.



Jace doesn't really seem all that impressed but we thought that fish was crazy looking.

We stopped for a little break on the lawn below the Space Needle. Jace loved looking around at everything and appreciated a little time out of the stroller to play.

By the time we made it up to the Space Needle he was very tired. He took a 30 minute nap at the top of the Space Needle while we enjoyed the view.
Next, we headed to the Zoo. We got in free because we have Oregon Zoo passes so we couldn't pass up a free activity. They had a really great indoor room for kids to play in with lots of fun things that Jace enjoyed crawling around and exploring. Here he is in a giant dinosaur egg.

Our favorite was watching the Meerkats. Jace was totally entertained by them. We had a great vacation and I am glad we actually made it up to Washington after three years of talking about it!!!!!!!!!!

11 Months

Jace is 11 months now! I still can't believe he is almost 1. This last year has gone by so fast. Jace has changed so much. He is crawling everywhere and trying to climb over everything. He loves to walk around the furniture and try to grab anything in sight. He loves chewing on paper and will grab it any chance he gets. We try our best to keep it away from him but sometimes he is really too quick! He loves playing peek-a-boo and he loves it when we chase him saying, "I'm going to get you." He crawls away as fast as he can and laughs so hard when we catch him. He says "momma, dadda, and Jace." He takes two naps a day and drinks only three bottles a day now. He eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner with us and can eat pretty much anything we eat. He doesn't really like sweets or fruit. He is really partial to vegetables, chicken, cheese, and bread. He loves being outside and anytime we open the door he makes a break for it trying to escape outdoors. Jace is so happy when he gets to spend time with his daddy and dog. He loves copying us and just clapped for the first time a few days ago. He likes to purse his lips together and blow raspberries. He is so much fun and we are so blessed to have watched him grow these past 11 months. We are so lucky to be his parents. We love this little boy!

Camping at Nehalem Bay

We went with six couples camping at Nehalem Bay for two nights. Each couple had their own yurt to sleep in so it was really nice to camp without having to stay in a tent. We had a lot of fun and Jace loved playing in the sand on the beach with the other kids.

Hot Dog Roast in our Backyard

A few weeks ago we had a party in our backyard with some of our optometry friends. We have a fire pit in our backyard and we roasted hot dogs and smores'. There are nine LDS couples in Sheldon's class and we have had so much fun hanging out together the last three years. We had a couple of "last" get-togethers the past few weeks because we are all going to be going separate ways once rotations start next week.

Julie, Megan, Paige, Cori, Lora, Rachael, & Jordan