Mary's 17 Month Birthday!!!

Mary celebrated her 17 month birthday today!! Here is a picture of the whole family!!!


Mary got a new computer from her mom and dad, here are some pictures of her using the computer. She took to the wireless mouse very well. She doesn't have the strength to "click" it, but she got very good at pointing, so dad will have to adapt it with a switch to help her with clicking.
Here she is playing a "Clifford the Big Red Dog" reading game. Mary really liked the game and she practiced saying all of the words, hat, cat, bat. . . pan, fan, ran, etc. It was really cool!!!

Mary's mom also made her this cool Balloon Birthday Cake!!

Here are daddy and Mary just before lighting the candles. . .

A picture of Mary, mommy and Jackson. . .

Grandma Julie helped mary blow out the candles. . .

And Mary got a little taste of the frosting!!!

Mary's Stander and The Shenandoah National Forest

Sorry we haven't updated Mary's Blog in a few weeks. . . Yes, we've been a bit busy, twice the diapers, twice the feedings, and half the sleep!! Actually, Jackson has been sleeping quite well, as you can see in this picture!!



Mary has been busy also, getting fitted for her new stander! Here she is posing with her new Bunny, "Hoppy" that she got from Teleflora flowers during their "Make someone smile week" promotion. Mary really likes to stand in the stander and chase Mom and Dad around the gym. Mary also likes to play basketball with her daddy.















You can also see how tall Mary is getting. She is in the 75th percentile for height!!













Here is a cute picture of Mary and Jackson (and Pooh) relaxing on the couch. Mary really likes to hold her little brother's hands. Jackson still doesn't know quite what to think of his big sister, but I think he already looks up to her!!


Grandma Julie has been visiting from Minnesota to help out with Jackson and Mary. Today we took a drive up to Shenandoah National Forest. It was a lot cooler up on the mountain, so it was nice to get out and do a little hiking.

Mary's New Brother!!!

Mary's new little brother Jackson was born last night, 12 July at 7:19 pm, he weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz. Here are some pictures of the proud Big Sister and baby brother:

Mary holding Jackson, she is oh so careful!

Mary is twice as big as Jackson!

Big smiles!

Daddy and Jackson

Mommy with her babies

Does he look like Grandpa Bill?

Well he does have the Windscheif hairline!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We hope everyone had a great 4th of July! We went to a friend's farm for a 4th of July party and Mary got to pet a horse, a donkey, and a goat. She loved it! Of course we forgot the camera in the car, but here are some pictures of her in her festive outfit!!

Mary and Sam!

Mary's 16 Month Birthday!!!

Mary turned 16 months old yesterday! She had a busy and exciting day, as usual. Here is how the events of the day unfolded:

Mary started the day watching some cartoons with her new baby doll.

Daddy started the day making Mary a "Pool Party" Birthday Cake

Then we surprised her with her new swing! (note she is still in her PJ's!!!) Look at that smile!!!

Here is how the whole sequence goes:

Strap in!

Get ready . . . get set . . .

Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This smile says it all!! She loves her new swing!!!

Mary and mommy pose for a picture with the new swing!!

Please pray for Mary and our family as we make a big trip to Washington DC on Tuesday to see a specialist at Children's National. We hope the trip goes well and all the doctors are cooperative!!!

Little Drummer Girl

Here is a little video of Mary playing her drum. She keeps very good beat and she even sings along. Mary has also been working on perfecting her animal sounds this past week. So far she knows: Cow, Duck, Monkey, Tiger, Dog, Cat, Dinosaur (after watching Sesame Street today!), Horse (mom's favorite), Elmo, Pig, and Sheep, and maybe a few more . . . we'll try to get a video of her saying her animal sounds and post it here as well. Enjoy!!

Father's Day Hiking!

Hey everyone, just catching up on our posts. We had a really good father's day. Mary got daddy a really cool picture book that her and mommy designed and made using Snapfish.com!! Dad really likes it. We also went hiking in a natural area near our house and then went for a nice Sunday drive in the Shenandoah National Forest. Here is a picture of Mary and daddy on the hike:

Aunt Angie Visits From Iraq!!!

Mary had a very special visitor this past weekend. Her Aunt Angie got to visit her while she was home on her R&R from Iraq. Angie and Jason were in Washington DC on some business, and since we are only 2 hours down the road they drove down to visit for a few days. Mary took to Angie very quickly. It was a great visit and great to see them.

Mary loves to help out with the cooking in the kitchen!!

Mary having a conversation with her Aunt Angie as Uncle Jason watches in the background.

We are also working very hard to get Mary fitted for a stander. Mary loves to be in the stander and loves to chase mom and dad up and down the halls!! You can really see how tall she is getting when she is standing!

Swimming Fun!!!

Hi All, sorry we have been SO bad about updating Mary's Blog! Ryan started his first week of school this week, so he has been busy "studying" every night. We all (Ryan, Kate, Mary and Jackson) managed to make it to the pool in our neighborhood one afternoon this week. Mary LOVES the water and had a great time. Here are some pictures:

Mary paddling with her arms and legs.

Mom holding Mary in the water.

Mary enjoying herself on the lawn chairs after a nice swim!!!

We'll post more next week!!!

Memorial Day Trip to the Mountains!

Mary got to go to the mountains again during Memorial Day weekend to see her friend Jadon from Tennessee. Here are some pictures from the trip:Mary enjoying some bubbles on the porch with Mommy.

Mary and Jadon sitting on a bench, Jadon was helping Mary sit up straight.

Mary playing a concert for everyone, Jadon is in the background enjoying the music.


We celebrated Mary's 15 month birthday, as well as Jadon's 16 month birthday, and his sister Emma's birthday. Here is a patriotic cake that Kate made for the occasion.

Welcome to Virginia!!

Hey everyone, we wanted to update the blog with some pictures of Mary playing in her new house. Mary is doing much better now and we are finally getting settled in. Mary is developing quite a personality, and she like to imitate everything that mommy and daddy do. She is making lots more sounds, and likes to tell you "what sounds monkeys and ducks make"

Mary is quite the musician on her triangle.


Relaxing after a concert!

She also likes to play the drums.

Here Mary is playing her triangle and her drum.

Sitting in mommy's lap.

Sitting in Grandma's lap.

Doing a puzzle in her kid kart.


Playing in her kid kart.

Mary has become quite a little artist.

Here she is showing off some of her artwork.


Daddy and Mary relaxing on the couch.