Who Does Seoul Resemble Most?

I'm curious... vote on the sidebar...

Here's Seoul:




Here's Daddy: (to be fair, this is an older picture, but one of the few of Kelley face-on)




Here's Mommy:

This is Seoul's attitude (that I believe she inherited from DAD!)

Friends and Family

We got to visit our wonderful friends Bob & Nan this past weekend. It is always such fun spending time with them. They haven't seen Seoul since she was 3 months old... I think they like her... and she likes them :)

Seoul is starting to have little play dates... hilarious to watch babies interact with each other. I did learn recently that when they take toys from each other they aren't being mean necessarily - it is part of learning how to mimic and interact.

(Left, circle clockwise) - Seoul, Tucker, Gavin, and Audrey.

Seoul and her little girlfriend Audrey. Seoul is saying "Hey Audrey, try chewing on it - super tasty and makes a fun squeaking noise! Try it... try it!"

The old roomies come together for the first time in a long while... Jessica, Kristy, Brittney, and I. Kristy came to visit from Utah and we had dinner at Local Boyz in Corvallis - yum!

A few weeks ago we went to Medford and saw Kelley's family that came into town. Seoul and her cousin Cason got some good bonding time! He's adorable and growing so fast!

A little love from Aunt Kendy!

Play time with cousins Amanda and Ella!

We are so blessed to have so many family and friends in our lives. Love you all!

Jogged a 5K... really!

Seoul can say she's run her 2nd 5K... the first she was in my belly and the second she was in her stroller. A yearly tradition? We'll see...

Actually I'm pretty ridiculous. A few months ago my friend asked if I wanted to run and I agreed. Then a few weeks ago I backed out like the flake I am. The Friday before the Saturday run I felt like I wanted to do it for some reason. Yes, not much "training." I had been doing a run about once or twice a week... just a couple miles with our newly acquired jogging stroller.

These are pictures of Seoul on our weekly jogs - before & after... every single run :)

So the morning of the race I woke up and Kelley looked at me. Good man that he is asked if I was going to run and I couldn't decide. He told me to get up and go. It was in Corvallis so I got ready and loaded Seoul and did it! Since I'd never run that far with the stroller and didn't know the course my goal was under 45 minutes. Surprisingly I finished in 36:11... no walking... and there were even a few inclines on the run. I was pleased with the results. Wahoo!

Starting the race...

... and finishing the race...

Brady & Brittney, Seoul & I, and Jessica.... go team roomies + a couple extras :) Brady pushed their daughter Audrey in the stroller while Brittney & I ran together.

I'm glad I did the race. It's still hard to believe that I am able to jog multiple miles at a time. I remember when I first started jogging and it was hard for me to do a couple laps, let alone a mile. Now it's nice that I can pick up pretty much where I left off and keep it going. It's definitely easier to stay motivated when there is a goal. I enjoy having the jogging stroller so I can run outside and teach Seoul good exercise habits as she gets older.

1st Zoo Trip

Seoul had her first trip to the Oregon Zoo! She liked the animals that were right in front of her. Her cousins Trevin and Ella came to share the adventure. Funny, but true... when I would point and tell Seoul to "look at the animal" she would look directly at Trevin. This happened multiple times - silly girl!

Cousin love...


We love the giraffes... Jasper's cousin...?

She loved looking out the window on the train ride... then fell asleep on the way back.

Fun family day!

More animals!

We love our animals! On the way back from Medford we stopped at Wildlife Safari in Winston. Kelley & Seoul and never been there before. It is so fun to see all the animals roaming... especially close to the car. Seoul enjoyed riding in the front seat so she could see out the window.

Our favorite animals were the giraffes and brown bears. The brown bears were wrestling for a while. The giraffe was right in front of the car, walking toward the side of the road.

Seoul was not a fan of the petting zoo... those scary miniature horses!

She didn't make it through the whole park... sleepy Seoul.

At one point there was a goat or something on the side of the road right by the car. Seoul waved at it... whole arm wave. Adorable!

7 month birthday!

Oh boy, Seoul is 7 months old now!

She loves to...

* Stand at the coffee table and play - toys in both hands so she is balancing with her belly or freestanding (this one for just a few seconds at a time).

* Knock over towers of blocks or stacking balls.

* Eat her foods... the newest is sweet potatoes and prunes.

* Smile and watch or play with daddy. They play peek-a-boo as part of the nighttime ritual - she covers her head and daddy "finds" her.

* Eat little puffy snacks - she can pick them up with her thumb & index finger.

* Jabber... mamama or dadada... sometimes at the top of her lungs and sometimes quietly like a whisper. She's finding her voice :)

* Read her "touch and feel" books - she figures out where to find each texture on the page.

I think she is close to crawling - lunging forward when sitting and lifting up her little bum. When she's on her belly she has gotten to a sitting position a few times. She likes to hold our fingers and walk around, although she is still a bit wobbly sometimes. She is pretty confident standing and likes to move around the coffee table. What a big girl we have!

From this (12 weeks)...

... to this...

... and this (9 weeks)...

... to this...

This is our beautiful girl and we love her so! It feels like she has been in our lives FOREVER and we're so grateful for her sweet spirit in our family.

Seoul's first camping trip!

Last weekend we took Seoul camping for the first time, well, it was also our first time camping too. We got a bunch of camping gear a few years back and we have been lazy and haven't gone but when we heard that our ward was having a camping trip, we jumped at the opportunity to go. It was a blast! We went to Silver Creek Falls and that was fun because we got to show Seoul where daddy asked mommy to marry him.

Here are a few pictures of Seoul and our camping adventure.

Seoul chilling in her stroller.

Seoul bundled up in her pack and play. She is such an angel!!

Seoul at the beginning of her first hike

Seoul at the end of her first hike

Seoul's audition for "So You Think You Can Dance" Season 6

Big Moments

Seoul, a 6-month-old? Believe it or not, it's true! She is growing like a weed and is the happiest girl. Yesterday was her 6-month appointment. I think she knew the shots were coming because she didn't want to lay down for the nurse. Fortunately she cried just briefly during the shots and then smiled again once we picked her up.

Stats:
Weight - 15 pounds 5 ounces (50th percentile)
Length - 27 1/2 inches (95th percentile)
Head - 16 1/2 inches (40th percentile)

This is her in the afternoon when we got home from the appointment. She just loves to stand and play at the coffee table. Happy, sweet, baby girl!

She has teeth! Last Friday I rubbed her gums and there was a little sharp spot on the lower right. When I looked there were two spots next to each other and this morning I discovered the lower left is also starting to poke through.

I do believe our little girl is beginning the stages of learning to crawl. When she's sitting she picks her bum off the floor and leans far forward as if she's going to get on her hands & knees. When she is on her tummy she will push herself to her hands and knees and rock back & forth a little.

Crawling or walking first? Well, until recently I thought that she might be a walker first. She is really only happy when she pulls herself up and stands. With support she can even take steps and walk around a little. In this picture she actually pulled herself up on the car seat and crept along the side until she went from one end to the other. We'll see if walking or crawling wins!

Front to back, toward the left side only....


















We introduced the sippy cup. She uses it mostly for a teething toy right now but if we put a little water in it and tip it then she can suck it out. Her expression is always confused because it's a new taste.

A couple weeks ago we went exploring. We found a covered bridge... and a place that does renaissance fairs. Yep, I didn't know they really existed outside of movies. Too bad we missed it for the summer - ha!

Then we went and picked a few pounds of blueberries. We didn't stay out too long since it was hot but we got a few pounds of blueberries - yum!

She still loves eating. We have been doing solids at 2 meals a day, and now we will start adding another one for 3 meals a day. She eats rice cereal; loves her veggies: squash, carrots, zucchini, peas, and green beans. She tolerates spinach as in the picture below, and today I discovered she refuses to eat oat cereal. I have been making all her veggies from fresh veggies. I tried making oat cereal this morning and decided to stick to commercial cereals. The oat cereal I made this morning was kind of gooey so maybe it was the sticky texture she didn't like.

One evening we had some friends over to play Rock Band. Seoul even tried out the drums! It was good times... food, laughter, music, and fun!

Sweet moment: the other day she was extra cuddly so I decided to rock her to sleep for her morning nap. It was such a perfect moment bonding with her and sharing love. I would recommend to every mom doing it every once in a while... enjoy the time they are little babies.... they grow so fast!

Lately she chatters non-stop... it's adorable! Plus she loves to share her smiles with everyone, you included :)