We're S.i.i.i.i.ck!

Mega germs at the hendriks household.  Xander is still not feeling well with his ear infection (although you wouldn't be able to tell by his ever cheersome demeanor) and Brandon passed on his sinus congestion/runny nose/migraine/whatever is was to me! Hooray! So I have been trying to get better all weekend.  My parents get here on Wednesday and I certainly don't want to spend any part of their visit sick in bed! Xander has had a hard time sleeping because his ear is bothering him, so naptime was almost non-existent today. But Brandon has been a huge help with him.  Youth Group started about fifteen minutes ago, and of course, Xander decided to crash out about thirty min ago- which means I guess we are skipping out tonight.  I hate doing that.  I feel so out of the loop...but I know that it is the best 
for him so that's where I find myself on this Monday night.  Looking forward to this weekend.  Xander is getting dedicated so that should be very special.  Well, I am gonna go try to grab a nap since it is obvious now that we are not going to church. 

Brian Regan, two teeth and an ear infection!

We have had a great time hanging out in Redding these past few days...just not enough hours to see all of our friends that we love and miss so much.  Our initial plan was to come up to go see Brian Regan at the Cascade Theatre, but while we were here it just made the most sense to get Xander's shots too.  Unfortunately, Xander ran a high fever last night and decided to miserably pop out his second tooth this morning, which meant no shots for him today! I pulled the mom card and decided that was just too much for his little body to handle.  Good thing I am such a softie because just a few hours later I realized that he was consistently pulling on his little ear.  The Doctor thanked me for bringing him in so quickly because we caught it early and put him on anitbiotics so he should be feeling better tomorrow.  But, needless to say, hours of doctors visits, drugstores, sleepless nights and prescriptions is not how we planned to spend our weekend.  But we were blessed to have the comforts of home when he got sick and have our doctor close by. 

We did make it to Brian Regan tonight which was full of laughs and lots of friends.  It was like a mini-Redding reunion...we saw a lot of people we have not seen in awhile and it was great to catch up!  It is always fun to hang out with our close friends.  And we just love all of you (well, most of you) ;) so much!  So in the end, we had a great day...and still have a legitimate excuse (like we really need one) to get up here again real soon since Xander still needs to get his shots.

Thanks Gerry and Anna for letting us stay with you and for all your help with Xander! Haleigh is a lot of help too and really loves hanging out with the "baby" (if we can still call him that!) ;(

Our first overnight guest!

Thank you , Kim Faires, for receiving the honor of being our first official house guest! We love you very much and are so blessed to have you be such a great Mimzy to Xander!

I had a great weekend with Kim.  She and Tyler drove down this weekend to see us and then Tyler went on his way to Hume Lake.  He is going to produce videos there, as well as lead worship.  We are so excited for him as he begins this new exciting journey.  I am very proud of him.  He has done a lot of interesting things in his life as he explores the different skills and talents God has given him.  I look forward to seeing what God has planned for his future as he continues to serve the Lord with his gifts.  

Kim and I had a lot of fun exploring this new city I live in, while doing a lot of ordinary, everyday things.  It was actually very comforting to feel like I was still in my old routine. ;) We went to Target and shopped all the little red tags: we love those clearance items...always looking for  a great deal! And we found A LOT! Closet organizers, shoes, books and even an ironing board to name a few (yes- i have been married over 7 years and still did not own a real ironing board!) Then we headed over to Costco to see what great deals they had to offer, and of course we had to grab a coke while we were there! Afterwards, we took Xander to the mall to walk around and check out all the new stores. so fun!

Xander just woke up for a few minutes and I had to change him so when I picked him up to put him back to bed he just grabbed onto my neck and gave me the best hug ever.  I let him linger there for ten minutes longer than I should have but figured- these are moments in time I will never get back.  It was so precious.  He snuggled into my neck and twirled my hair in his fingers.  So sweet! He is such a loving boy! I just can't seem to spend enough time with him each day.  I just miss him so much every time he sleep...wake up baby xander! wake up! 

In a nutshell...

Today we walked down to the park in our neighborhood and let Xander play-Yes, he actually played in the park.  He swung on the swings and loved it! He giggled and squealed every time we pushed him.  Then he slid down the slide with Brandon sitting at the top and me at the bottom to catch him.  After the first time, he knew what to expect and started kicking his feet and laughing before we even sat him down again.  And then his feet would get tangled underneath him and he would end up spinning around before he reached the bottom...which made him laugh even harder! 

Later this evening he was playing in the bath and he kept throwing his toys out of the tub and then getting upset when he couldn't reach them.  So I decided to test his determination and I put a toy at the other end of the tub from where he was standing him and he actually walked down to the other end to grab it while holding onto the side! He is so awesome!!!

I had a good day today.  I watched a few boys for my friend, Sarah, while she got her hair cut.  It was nice to be able to pay back the favor because she watched Xander several times while we were down here looking for housing.  She has 3 cute little boys, ages 2,4 and 6 but I only had the two youngest.  Later this evening Brandon and I worked really hard to get a few more pieces of our house put together to help it start to feel like comfortable.  We are still missing a few items and playing the guessing game as we try to pick the right boxes to unpack.  Brandon is doing well at the church and is starting to get to know some of the other pastors.  We are really looking forward to his day off tomorrow!  It will be nice to have a chance to rest and catch up a little bit on our lives!

He's not a baby anymore ;(

YAH! Xander got his first tooth today! Finally!!! He has been a little fussy these past few days due to the fact that he was teething (which in Xander terms basically means he cries every once in awhile because his teeth hurt)  It was wierd.  Actually he was sleeping a lot today.  Which I thought was especially odd since he slept pretty well last night.  But i figured maybe he was just finally learning to sleep on his own.  Well tonight his tooth finally broke the surface and so hopefully i am praying that he will sleep all through the night tonight!!! I am a little sad because I really love his adorable toothless grin.  Good thing I have lots of pictures!  It just seems a little sad because he won't look like a baby anymore...It really makes me sad.  Oh no! I am gonna be one of THOSE moms! But seriously, I will never get those toothless grins back again.  Ever! This is making me sad.  He is only 7 months and I am already thinking he is growing up too fast and I want those moments back.  I really shouldn't blog this late at night!  I should be sleeping...like Xander is right now and for the whole night until at least 8 am! You will hear all about it tomorrow...Goodnight!

Get ready world...

Here he comes! Xander is desperately trying to stand and walk! I swear this kid is so intellegent it is almost scary.  He actually practices his skills! Seriously.  Like the other day he was playing in the bath tub and he discovered that he could pull himself up by holding onto the side of the tub.  So then he repeatedly would grab onto the side, struggle and grunt to pull himself, slipping and sliding, into a standing position, stand there for a few minutes and grin at me, before he scooted his legs back, stuck his little ba-donk-a-donk out as far as he could and then intentionally let go of the side and with a face full of fear/pride/wonderment, he would let himself splash down into the water...then repeat! He must have done that about ten times in a row! 

And then the stairs...oh the stairs! He crawls over to the stairs, while he glances me a few looks over his shoulder to make sure I am watching...and then precariously wobbles onto the first step...and then a huge beam comes across his face as he quickly scans the room to see my reaction.  And then he scootches and stretches to reach the next step and grunts to pull himself up the next one, followed of course by another quick glance to survey his audience.  He has only climbed as far as the fourth step, but he is learning quickly...and we haven't yet mastered the downward spiral yet.  It is still more of a tumble down to the bottom before he starts the uphill climb again.

He is keeping me very busy but is such a bundle of joy! I love him so much and am so grateful for the time I get to have at home with him each day.  He is so full of life and can bring a smile to anyone's face...and he does!  He knows no strangers and has opened many conversations for me in all social situations (like I needed any help!) ;)

We're Here...finally!

My last month has been one long sad goodbye..in between making many trips down to Modesto to prepare for our big move, tying up loose ends, lots of lunches/dinners with friends and trying to find a place to live!  But we are here...finally! And it is such a relief to be able to relax and rest in our beautiful new home! It is so big and fits our needs (and desires) so perfectly.  We miss our friends in Redding very much, but are feeling very blessed by the home God has prepared for us.

I have been very busy these past few days unpacking boxes, trying to find places for everything in our house, organizing cabinets/drawers and unloading boxes and boxes of shoes, boots & heels!  We have received a lot of help from the people at Big Valley Grace.  We had a revolving door of help all day on Saturday, as people would come for a few hours to help unpack, clean and pull weeds! They have really blessed us and already made us feel welcomed! A few people even brought over dinner, so we are hooked up for the next few days (which is great since you all know- I don't cook!) hahaha! ;)

I will post some pictures of the house when I find my computer cord...it is still in a box, who knows where...we are still surrounded by boxes and boxes of STUFF! everywhere i turn, there is another pile, hidden under the table, desk, breakfast bar, in closets...They are everywhere! Please people! C0me down here and help me unpack!!! ;)  Speaking of...we have already had a few visitors which definitely spiced up my day.  Tyler, Ryan and Jillian dropped by on their way home to Redding.  It was so nice to see some familiar faces, hang out and talk and get some great hugs! We also got to see the Barnes family several times this weekend, since they were in the area for Evelyn's baby shower.   That was great too! we had fun playing games, eating dinner, and just hanging out like the old days!  We look forward to seeing more of our friends from Redding...we love you guys and miss you very much!