BabyBear finds a new toy

This was a bit of my morning with BabyBear today, as he discovered a new toy: the doorstopper. Unfortunately, that darn door just keeps getting in the way.

(If the video doesn't load for you, click here to see it.)

So cute! :)

Guess who's 10 months old?

It's our beloved BabyBear!

It seems to both of us that he's growing up really fast. Cutting his first tooth wasn't enough; both of his bottom teeth have broken through, and one on the top as well, all in the past couple of weeks.

He continues to eat most anything, and quite a bit of it. For instance, for dinner tonight he ate an entire stuffed shell, some green beans, 4 oz. of yogurt, and about 6 oz. of formula -- all in about an hour and a half. His favorite foods include broccoli, blueberries, yogurt, unsweetened applesauce and peas.

He can get around the house very quickly "walking" with someone's assistance, holding onto two hands for balance. He's also finally showing some interest in possibly crawling, as well, routinely propping himself up (like a pushup) and looking around before rolling over onto his back (then back to a crawling stance, and back to his back, until he gets tired of that.).

Another fun thing he's started doing a little bit just recently is giving "kisses" -- a big open mouth leaning towards your face (or arm, or leg). Just in the last few days, he's also started smacking his lips to make a kissing sound, which is really cute.

Here he is -- the 10 month old himself:

Today also happens to be Orbit's fifth birthday (as best we know). We figured Orbit should get his picture taken with Fred E. Bear too; as you might guess, Orbit had other plans, but he was reasonably cooperative.

Orbit continues to be better and better around Ben, as you can see from this photo of them "playing" together.

Happy birthday, BabyBear and Orbit!

A Texas Tradition: BabyBear and the Bluebonnets

For those of you familiar with Texas, you'll love this one. But many of our other readers might not be familiar with this, so let me provide a bit of background. The bluebonnet is the Texas state flower and one of the prettiest flowers I've ever seen. Throughout late March/early April they can be seen scattered across medians, fields, roadsides and are one of my favorite signs that spring is here.

One tradition that many Texans hold dear is the annual picture of the kids or the entire family in and amongst the bluebonnets. Since we have our first Texan in the family (BabyBear), I couldn't let him go through his first spring without taking part in this tradition.

We managed to find a good spot that had been used before by several people for this very purpose. I wanted to call ahead and get permission, but there was no one there, no signs that prohibited trespassing and no other indication that this would be wrong, so we went ahead. We wanted to leave as many of the flowers as possible in the condition we found them, so we tried to be very careful and in the end only two fell prey to BabyBear and did not survive the experience. Thank goodness it's not actually illegal to pick bluebonnets (it's a staunchly held myth), or BabyBear might be in trouble.

Unfortunately, I could not compete with BabyBear's interests over the nearby traffic (*SIGH*) or the vast amount of bluebonnets (understandable), so most of the pictures weren't really usable. That and I was in a bit of a rush. We did get a few though, which I am happy to share :)

Happy Easter

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How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He would give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross
My guilt upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no powr's, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

My day job - Spring 2010

Okay, so apparently it's been a long, long time since I last linked to any of my Baylor Magazine articles. Just for archives' sake, I'll go ahead and catch up now, spurred by the fact that I've got my second-ever cover story in the new issue hitting homes this week. (That's it pictured at right.) I got to fly to California to meet with Judge Ken Starr plus a whole bunch of Pepperdine faculty and students for the story, and I came away impressed; read the story for more. :)

Here's the rest of my features (and a couple of smaller pieces), to get us up to date:

• Faith on the field of play (Spring 2009) -- Former letterman Wes Yeary's return to Baylor as Sports Chaplain is only the first step toward making Baylor the nation's leading training center for athletic chaplains.
• From purebreds to pageants (Spring 2009) -- Equestrian team captain to compete for Miss Texas crown
• Inspired support (Summer 2009) -- Recent grads find creative ways to give back to their alma mater.
  
• A firm foundation (Fall 2009) -- Committed to the University's mission and vision, the Board of Regents takes seriously their responsibility to ensure Baylor's bright future.
• A mammoth undertaking (Winter 2009-10) -- Thirty years after two men found a large bone in a Waco creek bank, the Waco Mammoth site is on the brink of joining the National Park System.
• Trio of seniors leading volleyball to historic heights (Winter 2009-10) -- Bears return to the top 25 paced by three all-Big 12 veterans
• A call to serve (Spring 2010) -- Those who know new Baylor President Ken Starr best -- his colleagues and students at Pepperdine Law and his wife, Alice -- introduce the university's 14th president: a servant leader, a man of faith and an energetic example.
  

Happy reading!

P.S. No, this is not an April Fool's joke.