Two Months Old

Our little beauty is two months old. She now weighs 11 pounds, 8 ounces and is 23.5" long. She is smiling a lot and cooing. We're very thankful for a healthy baby. Big sister Phoebe loves "Manna"...she gives her kisses, says "hi" to her, and says "Bless you, Manna!" when Joanna sneezes. Phoebe is now 21 months old, and has a rapidly growing vocabulary. When we play peek-a-boo, we've heard her say "I see you!"...one of her first sentences. She imitates most things Mommy does, including running her hands through her hair. However, Mommy usually doesn't have applesauce on her hands.

And just for fun...here's Phoebe at two months old:

Sisters

We think it is especially sweet that Phoebe and Joanna are so close in age. I'm already excited about all the girly things we will get to talk about as they grow up, including the really important things like knowing Jesus and His forgiveness, as well as purity. The pictures below happened when Phoebe climbed up into the rocking chair with Joanna. You can see Phoebe's love for her little sister already.

Discovering Columbus #2

A while ago I posted some pictures from some adventures in Columbus. We added to our experiences in the city the Friday night of Valentine's Day weekend by eating at Adriatico's on OSU's campus, then heading to watch Columbus' NHL team, the Blue Jackets, take on the Vancouver Canucks. It was great fun to see how many hockey fans there are here! It also got us in the mood for the Olympics. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the grandparents were planning an all night pajama party with Joanna and Phoebe...(just kidding...thank you so much for watching them!)

A Shower of Blessings

This past Saturday, our pastor's wife Cris threw a baby shower in honor of Joanna. She and her daughters and the ladies at our church gave me an afternoon of pure womanly fellowship and food...from the Russian tea to the non-pareils candy. There was great attention to detail, which was definitely noticed...corsages for Phoebe, me and the grandmothers, favors for each guest (7 Hershey kisses...one for each day with a different prayer request attached to each one), a thoughtful devotional, and games that included everyone. In addition, my Mom, Mother-in-law, Aunt Dawn and Cousins Tara and Jenna were able to attend the shower. I am so blessed! And so are Phoebe and Joanna. They are loved so much. I pray they will become loving little girls, young ladies and women as they receive the love others give them.

John 13:35 "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

The famous Mrs. Tornero cake and the guest of honor...

 Mom, Pat, Phoebe, Tara and Jenna...

 Beautiful decorations and generous gifts...

Val, Phoebe and Paula posing by the quilt that 25 ladies contributed to (Paula made the quilt)...

One Month Old

Our little jelly bean is one month old today! She is sleeping in her crib now, and as of last Wednesday, has shared a bedroom with her big sister. Phoebe amazingly sleeps through most of Joanna's crying, and I can thankfully walk in and out of the room in the middle of the night without waking up Phoebe. Here she is in her big bed, enjoying her first of many naps today.

Phoebe and Daddy in the Snow

Our house is full of the light reflecting off of our 6+ inches of snow that we received on Friday and Saturday. It's a beautiful blanket of white. It has also provided a place of discovery for Phoebe. She and Daddy had their first snowball fight, she tasted her first snow, and she is getting much better at walking around in her snow boots. We are thankful for the variety snow provides and the luxury of having Daddy and Phoebe time.

60 on 60 at 60

This post is long overdue, but still deserves to be posted! My Dad turned the big 6-0 on January 14th, the day before Joanna was born (I was induced at 11 PM on his birthday). Not only did he welcome a granddaughter into the world the day after this milestone birthday, he also completed a goal he had been training for: running 60 miles. Two days after Joanna was born, Dad, and his faithful chauffeur and supporter, Mom, headed to Route 60 in Ohio, began running in Marietta, and proceeded to run to Zanesville, where he completed his run in early evening. Dad also ran 55 on Route 55 (north of Purdue) on his 55th birthday and 57 on Route 57 (beginning in Evansville) on his 57th birthday. No small feat! Enjoy the pictures of this eventful birthday...

Dad and me posing by his 60 memories hanging from the light...he pulled off each one and talked about them...

Dad's cake (holding Phoebe in the hospital)...

Dad holding Joanna in the hospital...

Dad with his best friend and brother Bob at the end of the 60 miles...