On the enthusiasm level, you’re at about 12.  We need you at a 6…

I love Jake for many, many reasons.  And in honor of his birthday last week, I’d like to highlight one of those reasons:  his ability to fall asleep anytime, anywhere.

Love you, babe!  Hope 27 is super awesome.

This picture does not even do the mess justice.  Rush doesn’t look too bad here, but there was food EVERYWHERE.  On the floor, on the high chair, on me, all over him, behind his neck, in his diaper (? I have no idea how…).  His PJ’s were soaked and we headed right to the bath.  It’s amazing the wreckage one little boy can cause…

Rushton cut 4 teeth the week of Thanksgiving, and no more ever since!  His top two came first, which is unusual.  Then the bottom two followed right along.  Luckily he took it like a champ and wasn’t overly fussy that week.  Can you see all 4 of them?

Team Yellow is getting married!  Yesterday my sister got engaged – best Valentine’s Day ever, if you ask me.  Here’s to the future Mr. and Mrs. Scott Lee.  With her name soon to be Cecilie Lee, Rushton and I will now call her “Aunt LeLee”.  But probably not Jake – he’s too mature for that.  Congrats, you guys!

The ring.  Fancy, no?

…and then off to bed!  Poor Jake gave up on his book and is asleep on the couch.  Here’s to happy dreams of baby cheeks, squeals, and soft baby skin!

You’re not getting sick of me yet, are you?  I left the blogosphere for 2 whole months so I have a lot of catching up to do.  So maybe just read one of my new posts a day for the next few days and then it won’t seem like I’m bombarding you.

Anyways, here are some more cute random pics of Rushton from the last few weeks.  He’s going to be one in about a week.  Did you read that correctly??  ONE!  I know, I can’t believe it either.

Bathtime in the sink at Grandma Bain’s house.  He loved the kitchen sink and all the stuff to grab on the counter.

Busted!

Those cheeks…

I swear, that boy will never get any hair to speak of.

Rushton is simply showing Lexie who’s boss.  (Lexie is Jake’s cousin’s adorable little girl.)

Rushton on vocals while playing a Taylor Swift song on RockBand.  We absolutely cannot keep him away from the RockBand stuff.  He’ll crawl over ANYTHING to get to it.

Well, that’s enough for this post!  I’m his mama, so I can’t get enough – but for you, Dear Blog Reader, I’ll give you a little break for now.

And now we have the obligatory “Baby’s First Christmas!” post.  We started the festivities with a Spurlock Christmas party earlier in December.  Rushton was spoiled as he’s the first (and only… Get crackin, Ty and Ash! grandchild.  He loved the barn set and the wooden train, but he did NOT love Santa. (Sorry, Grandpa!  Maybe next year.  Or the next…)

Luckily Santa didn’t make an appearance in the flesh at my parent’s home, so no tears that time.  He actually slept through most of the present-opening.  But Rushton did make a little froggy friend that day…

And he cheezed it up for the camera a few times!

Like I mentioned in the previous post, Rushton and I spent 3 weeks in December at my parents’ home in California.  Jake joined us right before Christmas and stayed the rest of the vacation.  It was my favorite trip home EVER and I’m pretty sure it can’t be topped!  Aside from just being grateful that my dad is still alive, it was so nice to just hang out at HOME and not do anything or go anywhere.  We always have a blast when we go there, but this time was extra awesome.  So aside from naps and good food, here’s a little taste of what we were up to during December…

I was speechless when I picked Jake up from the airport and he had filled an entire luggage bag with RockBand.  But it was worth it!  Much fun and rocking out was definitely had.  (Jake, Laura, and Cecilie’s boyfriend Scott)

Rushton enjoying a graham cracker and orange peel one of the times my “California cousins” came over.  (Don’t you love his pinky?  So proper.)

One of my FAVORITE parts of a Christmas at home: the ENORMOUS delectable apple from the aforementioned “California cousins”.  A HUGE Fuji apple, dipped in the most delicious caramel ever made, dipped in rick dark chocolate, dipped in about a million toasted almonds.  I can’t even describe the love affair I have with this apple.  I probably ate 75% of it by myself…

Who, me?

Just winding down with a book and a back massage…

Reading the newspaper with Mommy…

Grandpa was feeling SO well that he even built a backyard shooting range…  (Oh how I miss those Bay Area GREEN winters!)

Some extra baby hugging went on when my brother’s family arrived from Arizona.  It was the first time I got to meet my not-so-new niece Macey (she was born last August).  What a cutie!  Here she is with my Georgia sister Laura:

And to top it all off, we ended with a nice family fight.  I mean, family PHOTO.  (Sometimes those are one in the same…)  But I think we got a few good ones, and we were all still friends after the photoshoot.  Success!

That guy between me and Cecilie is her boyfriend, Scott.  We took two versions of this picture – one with him and one without.  I told him it was up to HIM which picture we use for posterity…  (You’ll have to ask Cecilie about the verdict… And that’s all I’m going to say about that!)

And the cutest thing ever was how much my 2-year old niece Maren loved Rushton.  She would talk to him, help feed him, hug him, and keep track of him 24/7.  It was adorable!  Here’s the proof:

P.S.  What a little cheeseball.  He usually does this when I pull out the camera.  He knows!  And just like his dad in almost EVERY PHOTO, his eyes are closed.  Love that kid!

It’s taken me quite some time to come back to the bloggity blog.  The holidays were a roller coaster – started off great with Thanksgiving, then got scary when my dad had a heart attack and we almost lost him, and then there was a very happy ending when my entire family was together at New Year’s.  Then back home for a few short days only to leave again for a 9-day babysitting job for a family of 5 kids.  Not surprisingly, I was wiped out after that.  And with Jake’s birthday last week, V-day today, and Rushton’s birthday next week, the action just never stops!

I’m pretty sure that my dad’s heart attack was the biggest road block to me getting back to blogging.  I’ve never had someone so close to me come so close to passing away.  It came out of no where – he’s healthy, he has no family history of heart problems, he’s never had issues with his heart…  The two weeks he was in the hospital were definitely the scariest time in my life – there were a few days when we really didn’t know if he would make it or not.  I was a basket case; I was helpless all the way out in Utah and I couldn’t concentrate on anything except waiting for updates, and all I could do was pray.  Sometimes God grants miracles, and sometimes He doesn’t.  This time He did – and it was one miracle after another that preserved my dad’s life.  After he came home from the hospital (about mid-December), I flew home to my parents’ house with Rushton for 3 weeks to help in my dad’s recovery and to just spend time with them.  It was amazing how every single day he improved so much.  Within just a few weeks he was 100% back to normal and allowed to resume normal life – exercise, work, travel, etc.  The doctors were blown away not only that he lived, but that he survived so well!  Those 3 weeks were such a special time for us – I’m so grateful I was able to go and I’ll never forget that time.  And words can’t describe how amazing it was when my whole family was able to spend a few days together around New Year’s – my brother’s family from Arizona, my sister in Georgia, me/Jake/Rush from Utah, and my sister/mom/dad (and Cec’s boyfriend) in California.  That doesn’t happen very often!

My sister is a nurse and spent day after day in the hospital with my dad (and mom), so she did a pretty good job explaining it all on her blog.  I am so grateful for the many prayers and miracles my family – and especially my dad – experienced during this time.  I can’t believe we made it through this, but we did – stronger as a family, more humble, and with a definite knowledge that Heavenly hears and answers our prayers.  Life is so fragile!  I am acutely aware of that these days.  Tell those you love that you love them often!  Hold your babies closer!  Thank God for every single day!  And don’t take anything or anyone for granted.  Life is good.