11 months and counting

Joshua turned 11 months yesterday. He is seeming more and more like a big boy these days. He "works" very hard at different tasks throughout the day. These tasks include pulling books off the bookcase or pantry shelf and organizing the tupperware. He also enjoys moving objects from one end of the room to another. He is pulling up a lot these days and starting to take a few cruising steps while holding on to something. He continues to be a delight. We love his laughter and even his tears.




This picture is pretty funny...he crawled under the chair and then started crying because he couldn't figure out how to get out. So I did what any sweet, loving, caring mother would do-run get the camera!

Waiting for Daddy!

Joshua knows he is sure to get a laugh from Mommy when he smashes his face up against the mesh on his packnplay.

Joshua's Trail of Tears...

It's hard to believe in a short month we will be celebrating his first birthday! We've started talking to him about his first piece of birthday cake, so he's getting pretty excited.

I think they got it right.

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Except I don't know what angsty means and I can't find it in the dictionary. Tell me what kind of coffee you are...

Ahh, Austin

Tonight we were walking on Congress (downtown Austin) when we came upon a man wearing nothing but a fannypack. And when I say nothing, I mean nothing. I guess he's trying to bring the ol' fannypack back into style. He's definitely living up to "Keeping Austin Weird." Tonight we are thankful Joshua isn't old enough to ask questions.

East Coast/West Coast Vacation V.3:Santa Barbara

One of the main reasons I have wanted to go to California for years is to go to Santa Barbara. Growing up, my dad always shared stories of my Great Grandfather's house here. Dad, Jeff, Kurt and I took a day trip down to dig up some of our roots. Joshua stayed back to lounge at the pool with his cousins.

My great-grandfather, Ray L Skofield, purchased the area known as Rattlesnake Canyon in Santa Barbara. It is now a park and the trails have been maintained and are used frequently. He began building quite a home there but the stock market crash of 1929 halted the construction and sadly, he never did complete it. It must have mostly been completed as the design and layout is much the same with some small additions. The property is amazing with a view of the ocean on one side, rattlesnake canyon on another, and continuing hillside behind. The steep hills all around have development popping up, but it's still very green compared to the hills of Austin. In 1947 my uncle Hobart sold the property to the Holy Cross order of the Episcopalian Church. Today it remains a monastery and retreat house known as Mount Calvary. Brother Lawrence Arms was kind enough to show us around. He told us he was friends with Uncle Hobart so it was fun to hear some new stories about the family and the property. I felt a little sorry that we were trouping around talking among people trying to "retreat" but no one seemed to mind. On our tour we walked past an office and a man was sitting there with traditional monk garb on-I was so surprised and delighted that I was seeing a real monk. Then I realized later in our tour that it was just a hooded brown sweatshirt. Bummer.

Next on our tour de roots was Skofield Park. My great grandfather was a founding member of the Rancheros Vistadores, an elite riding group. The Rancheros began their rides in Skofield Park, then Ray L's land. In the 50's, Uncle Hobart sold the parcel of land to the Rancheros. Once housing began developing in the area, the Ranchero's moved their starting point for their annual ride and donated the land to the city of Santa Barbara; thus yielding Skofield Park. There is a flag pole their dedicated to Ray L. which was fun to see. We had a picnic lunch there and listened to more stories. We looked at the original houses where the family lived that are still remaining today on the road to the park. Dad reminisced about his summers there as a boy. Then we took a little hike up the trail at Rattlesnake Canyon. Fortunately we did not see any rattlesnakes. My dad and grandmother used to ride the trail on horses during their summer visits. The small part we hiked was beautiful. It was nice to be on a real hiking trail rather than the "walking" trails that are found in Central Texas.
We loaded up in the car and drove around a little more. We headed further up hillside past the mission. Talk about winding roads and steep inclines. And the pictures on the news of all the California mudslides kept running through my mind. Thankfully, we finally started heading back down the mountain and into civilization again.

It was a quick trip, but a great day. I thought about what could have been if only the family had held onto the house and the land. But it's great to know that so many people make use of the land and the retreat house. I'm sure not many who visit know the history, but I'm proud of my family for leaving a legacy of memories. For themselves and for the generations of families that will enjoy it in the future. I feel fortunate to have been able to go there with my Dad to narrate. And my brother to pick on. An my husband to hold my hand. Hopefully someday we can take Joshua there and hike up the canyon.
Thanks goes to my brother for the pictures-the settings must have been messed up on my camera that day as all my pictures are tiny.

Hokie, Hokie, Hokie High

WOW, I am now super blog savvy because I figured out how to put a video on here. To debut our video spot, here is Elmo, dressed as the Hokie Bird, teaching Joshua the Hokie Pokie. We were working on getting ready for football season.

East Coast/West Coast Vacation v.2: California or Bust

After our trip to Delaware, we headed to the LA area. (We decided to combine the trips because it was cheaper to fly three legs than to take two separate trips). We flew two days before the latest terrorist plot was revealed, so traveling was normal. Joshua handled the long flight like a champ, especially considering he didn't have his own seat. While Southwest has a pretty good snackpack, they need to get some movies! We stayed with my stepsister Robin, her hubby Scott, their beautiful girls and cute doggies.
Joshua got to meet his California cousins Amanda, Sarah Beth, and Hannah. He was surround by the girls most of the trip! We relaxed at the house, hung out at the pool and ate. A lot.














The next day we went to Newport Beach. It took Joshua all of 10 seconds before putting sand in his mouth. He didn't want to try that again!

"Mommy, please save me from the crashing waves!"

When we arrived at the beach, we noticed a tent and camera crew. After being there a few minutes a man walked around saying they were filming a spot for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and they needed a crowd for the shot. Our five minutes of fame had come within days of being in the OC. As we approached the scene I noticed two exersaucers sitting in the sand. I knew immediately this was going to be Joshua's big break, he would be seen and thousands of people would be throwing money at us to cast him in their films. His education, and that of any future siblings would be paid for. There might even be a little left over money for a day at Lake Austin Spa and a Volvo Station wagon. Kurt might finally get a new pair of socks. I quickly approached someone who appeared to be in charge and offered them the use of my sweet baby boy. He turned me down. He was nice about it, I guess. Said something about throwing babies around in the skit. So we found a spot in the crowd. The gist of it was that one of Jay's sidekicks recently had a baby. So he and another guy competed in a race to set up all the gear that comes with a baby for a day at the beach. We were so zonked that we didn't stay up to watch it, except Robin. She said we had a lot of air time and Joshua was very visible. But we still haven't gotten any calls about casting our precious baby. If you are reading this and you saw it, you have to leave a comment and tell me!

After we left the beach, we went to the airport to pick up Mimi, Papa, and Uncle Jeffrey. What fun! They got to fly on crazy flying day as the news of the terrorist plot broke that morning. I just couldn't imagine Mimi actually giving over her cosmetic bag to be checked! (Okay, we were all secretly hoping it would be lost so we could go for makeovers when she bought new makeup in Cal).

Joshua got his first ride in a bike trailer, courtesy of Amanda. It was pretty cute to see his little head in there. We all stood on the sidewalk to watch him go around and around.

Volume 3 coming soon....

East Coast/West Coast Vacation v.1: Delaware

For the first part of our trip, we snuck into Delaware for a long weekend. We had to be sly because Kurt's mom didn't know we were coming. Kurt's middle brother and his family were coming in from Colorado, so it seemed like a great time to throw her retirement party. The party was also a surprise and we actually pulled it off. It was lots of fun to see everyone. We got to see some of Kurt's extended family and good family friends. Some of her co-workers came to help celebrate as well.
Joshua got some quality Mom Mom time!










Joshua had never met is Colorado relatives, Uncle Ken, Aunt Margaret and cousin Wyatt.



Cousin Wyatt showed him the skill of sucking down some serious juice by using two sippy cups. That boy's got skill...










We stayed with Kurt's sister Kim and brother-in-law Ken. Peter and Lee always keep us entertained with their laps around the house. Joshua thought it was so funny when Peter would purposely fall in front of him. They both laughed and laughed about that.




We always love spending time in Kurt's oldest brother George and sister-in-law Stephanie's pool. Joshua is a little young for the traditional chicken fighting, but maybe next year?

Our last day there the whole crew headed down to Killens Pond State Park for the day. They have a waterpark there for kids of all ages. Pretty impressive for the state park, especially for the $2 entrance fee. (We won't talk about the bathrooms though.) They had a kiddie pool with slides for little guys and a bigger pool with two adult slides.

Special thanks to Uncle George for helping Kurt with Joshua. He had a pool party-foul because he pooped his swimmy diaper. Talk about a mess. Kurt and George had to take him to the shower and hose him down. Hey, at least it wasn't in the pool!

Fun was had by all and Joshua was definitely tuckered out.

blogging

We just got back from vacation a few days ago. The problem with going on a week and a half vacation is then having too many stories to blog about when you get back. So, I'm writing this so the pressure of updating the blog will be off. Without actually updating the blog. Do you feel cheated?
Kurt says I should give you a little taste of our trip so you will come back to read more...we went to Delaware for a few days and the L.A. area for a week. Yes, we were on TV; Yes, we saw a star, Yes, we spent money on Rodeo Drive; and No, Joshua did not get casted in any major motion picture films....Yet.

Dr. Seuss would be proud

After Kurt read my previous entry entitled, "Not in a box, not with a fox," he commented that people might not get the reference to Green Eggs and Ham. My response was that everyone knows Green Eggs and Ham! Sadly, I was mistaken. Poor Kurt said he had never read the book before Joshua came a long. In fact, he claims the only Dr. Seuss book he had ever read was what he keeps referring to as "Cindy Lou" (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas). Doesn't every 1st grade class in America have a green eggs and ham day where the mommies come in and fix this special meal? This is one of my earliest memories of the lovely (and somewhat smelly) cafeteria at Sullins Academy.
In an effort to make up for this loss of early childhood, I threw a green eggs and ham party for Kurt on Saturday morning. He was thrilled. Okay, maybe thrilled is an exaggeration but it's a lot nicer than to say he was grumpy. We read the book (well, a few pages before Kurt begged to eat) and ate green eggs and ham. The verdict according to Kurt: "I will eat them here and there, I will eat them anywhere." (After his belly was full he got into the spirit of the occasion. )

Yummy!

I'm curious who out there remembers this being a part of their childhood? Am I the only one? Leave a comment and let us know.

Joshua's Dedication

Joshua was dedicated at our church on Father's Day. Our parents came out to support us in this. The pictures were taken by our buddy Mike. You can check out more of his great photography at www.Riverhomephotography.com Thanks for the great pictures!

So before I tell you about the dedication ceremony, I thought I'd give a quick overview of what baby dedication is. Basically, our church does baptism for people once they have decided to give their life to Christ. In the Bible, it talks about people repenting of their sins and being baptized. Baby dedication is an opportunity for parents to proclaim their desires to raise their child in Biblical truth and to know the Lord. Hopefully Joshua will be baptized one day when he accepts Christ's free gift of grace & salvation.


We decided to have our own little ceremony so our friend Cliff could dedicate Joshua. Cliff is the head-honcho for the International Group we work with on campus.

Our friend Brandon played a little diddy for the occasion. ("Only You" by David Crowder) Friends Chris, and Laura & Chance read scripture (Proverbs 3:1-12 and Joshua 1:8-9).

The ceremony was in our church's prayer chapel-this is a shot of the group making their commitment to support us. A tradition at our church is that the father's says a prayer for their child. I thought I'd share Kurt's sweet prayer:

"Father in Heaven, we recognize you as the one true God and creator of all things. Joshua truly is a gift from you and we are grateful for the opportunity to offer him up to you today. We also know that we can not raise Joshua well without your guidance.

"Despite our best efforts, we know that we can not give salvation to Joshua or that he can earn it on his own. We are thankful that you sacrificed your only Son on our behalf, so that we may have the opportunity to live forever in heaven with you. We are grateful that your Scriptures are rich with wisdom and that the Holy Spirit guides and directs. We are grateful for our families that have surrounded and supported us even from afar. As far as our Austin family, we are amazed at the community you have raised up around us and we are thankful for their friendship.

"Lord God, you have blessed Joshua richly with an abundance of joy. It is infectious to see his smile, to hear his laughter, and to know that he already brings joy to others. You have answered our prayers for health and even good sleep. Joshua is also more beautiful that we could have ever imagined.

"We pray that Joshua would accept your free gift of salvation at a young age and that he would be of great service to your kingdom. As Joshua from the Old Testament was a mighty man of God, we pray that Joshua Leighton would also be a mighty man of God. We pray that you would be the center of his focus for all of his days and that you would bless him with great health throughout his life. We ask for wisdom as parents in letting go of our desires and enjoying your will for Joshua's life. We ask for discernment in the difficult times of raising and disciplining Joshua. We pray that Joshua would continue to exhibit much joy as he grows in wisdom and stature.

"Lord God, we ask all of these things in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen. "



Afterwards, we had a reception in the courtyard, under the big oak trees. It was fun-thanks for coming out ya'll!

Oh, I forgot to mention that we had to wake Joshua up from a nap for the occasion. Hence, blank stares and no smiles for the camera.