Christmas 2009

Last year 2months old and not really concerned about Christmas. Just feed me and let me go back to sleep. This year was a much different story. A ton of fun getting new toys and books and more. Not quite ready to understand the meaning of Christmas but there is always next year for that. Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Piano Fun

The pictures say it all. Oh how I love my piano.

I'm dreaming of a sunny Christmas

Well.. in place of a cold white Christmas Patrick and I took a bicycle ride to Zoomars in San Juan Capistrano. Might as well make some good use of this 75F degree weather. It is worth the effort that it takes to ride the hilly 26 mile round trip with the bicycle trailer, Patrick and "the stuff" to see him enjoy one of his favorite locations. Today he moved from the Pony to the larger horse. A little scary but he adjusted and enjoyed it. Feeding the llamas carrots is one of the highlights along with playing with the bunnies. I guess someone should write the song "I'm dreaming of a sunny Christmas"!!!

Walking

Patrick took his first steps on Monday, November 23 in his room during evening playtime! Jim and I were both surprised by the three steps and did not capture them on camera. We were having too much fun playing with Patrick! But we knew that there would be more steps to come, so we waited for an opportunity to catch Patrick "in the act" of walking. He is still quite cautious and spends more time crawling and cruising, but his confidence is building daily.

What I love to watch is the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" present in each walking experience. Patrick gets so excited about getting where he is going that he moves a bit too fast for his legs and topples over in a big heap, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying. I think that adult life is a bit like that; we all must learn to relax, take our time, and not rush to the goal without savoring the process.

Well, that's enough Mommy Philosophy for one day! Enjoy our latest "Walking" video. We hope that you are taking time to enjoy the abundance of precious moments in this Christmas season.

Music and Me

It is fun watching the development of Patrick in the music world. I don't know if he is "advanced" or just "normal" but from a parents point of view it doesn't really matter. It is a joy to know that he loves music and enjoys the piano. It is our desire, being two musicians, to raise a child that appreciates music and maybe even finds an instrument to play or a love for singing and it seems that God has given us that desire. Enjoy the video

The Passage of Time

The passage of time happens quickly, ever when the momemt seems like forever. Enjoy the contrasts from the first year.

Zoomars Again but more fun!!

Patrick's most fun time yet. Zoomars petting zoo with Nana and Papa (Jim's parents). The goats were the most fun animals as Patrick couldn't stop petting them. The rabbits and llamas and goats were also loved by Patrick as he had a great Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Our Year-Old Teddy Bear

Here we are at our church's Fall Fest Event on Halloween night. Patrick, Jim and I had fun riding the train, looking at all the people, and Patrick enjoyed his bear costume until the warm weather necessitated its removal! He thinks of the costume as a glorified stuffed animal, and he is still talking to the bear as it hangs on his coat rack in his room. Here are Patrick's 12-month statistics from his doctor's appointment:

Height: 32 inches (96%)
Weight: 23 pounds, 4 ounces (60%)
Head Circumference: 47.5 inches

Hope everyone is enjoying the fall festivities wherever you may be. Happy Autumn!!

Patrick's First Birthday

Almost everyone is in the picture above from October 11th, the fabulous 1st Birthday Party of Patrick. Thanks to all for coming and helping celebrate.

Pumpkin Patch

Patrick had a wonderful time at the Disneyland of Pumpkin Patches. In case you haven't guessed it is the pumpkin patch at Avila Barn in Alvila Beach, CA.

Hollywood Here I come, I found the video camera!

It is almost time for the 1st birthday party and it seems crazy that just yesterday he was learning to roll over and crawl for the first time. Now Patrick is fully mobile, learning about how things work, checking out the video camera and on his way to the rest of his life. Watch out world, here he comes! But don't get too excited, he is only 1 year old on October 7th, 2009. You can leave the excitement to his parents!!

Enjoy the music by the Eric Mintel Quartet http://www.ericmintelquartet.com

Picnic in the Park

The moms live and attend the same church in Decatur GA, the kids and grandkids live in Aliso Viejo / Ladera CA. Today they some got together for a picnic in the park at Laguna Niguel Regional Park. It is a small world as they say.

Wildlife Week continued

It's wildlife week here at the Turner household. Today we had the pleasure of meeting "D" (Diablo) - Picture Center - and Rush - Picture lower right. They are the horses of our neighbors and friends Ron and Amy. Once again Patrick was at home with the horses and had a great time on top of "D" who is a quite large horse at 17 hands. "D" is a draft horse which is a relative of the Clydesdale horses and is the calmer of the two. I imagine we will be back for more visits with our new animal friends.

The Petting Zoo

What else would want to do on your 17th anniversary? You guessed it...Zoomars, the petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano. Patrick is the most happy when around animals and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the animals and going on 2 pony rides. As you can see, he is very comfortable on a horse based on his genes I am sure it will continue.

Party at the Beach

Patrick is loving the time at Edisto Beach, SC. He loves to play in the sand, with the toys and with all of the other 7 cousins and 6 aunts and uncles and 2 grandparents

A Day at the Beach

What a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon then getting wet and sandy at Doheny beach in Dana Point, CA. Very thankful that Patrick enjoys playing at the beach as much as I do!

Patrick and the playtime plastic

Let's go riding in the Burley!!!. Thanks to Lori and Robert King for giving us their Burley that was too small for their growing kids. Patrick will love it for many years to come.

"Aw, Mom. I was just playing with my friends!"

We are enjoying adventurous days with Patrick in our house! Today I put him down for his morning nap, started the colorful animal mobile that we use to help Patrick go down during naps, and bid my little boy "night-night." I went downstairs and started my morning task list, and I heard a "bang" that came from upstairs. I assumed that the breeze from the ceiling fan had closed Patrick's door, since that happens quite often. Since Patrick cannot yet sit up on his own or stand in the crib, I didn't think much about the sound. I went on about my business, showered, etc. I happened to walk by Patrick's room about an hour later and I noticed that his door was not completely closed. "Well, then," I thought, "what could that sound have been?" I walked into his room and saw what you are seeing in the attached photos: Our "he-man" son decided that he wanted to play with the animals on his mobile, so he yanked the whole contraption down (it was bolted to the top of the crib,) probably played a bit, and promptly went to sleep. Patrick knew that the animals would be there when he woke up, so he could relax and take his nap in peace.

Our little crawling wonder continues to surprise us with his strength, his determination, and his resourcefulness! But sometimes you've just gotta have your animal friends close by!

Thanks for reading.

Patrick's First Hair Cut

Patrick thoroughly enjoyed his first hair cut, much to the amazement of his parents. It was so much fun he didn't want to leave. Happy times at the hair salon!!!

Child Dedication

For a while I have wondered what about the purpose of child dedication? Then I realized that it is really parent dedication and a chance to show your child to the entire church family. In our case there were many people in our church who went through the journey of adoption with us, prayed for us and rejoiced with us at the beginning of Patrick's life. It is to those people that we affirm our commitment to raise Patrick by the guidelines given to use from God's word, the Bible. I also realized that just because there is not a commandment to do something does not mean that it is not a worthwhile idea. Thank you to Chris, Tressa, Katie, and James from our small group who joined us tonight as we dedicated our parenting of Patrick to God.

Yosemite

This was Patrick's favorite stop on the whirlwind 4 state (NV, UT, ID, CA) tour for Jim's Ironman 70.3 in Boise, Idaho. Patrick always enjoys the outdoors so it comes as no surprise that Yosemite was his spot!!! We spent time in Hetch Hetchy area on the west side which was very beautiful and devoid of tourists, my favorite part!

There is no coincidence

"Chance, luck, and coincidence just don't exist in this world."

On Friday we went off to a nice weekend in Crestline to getaway and see the Gatons (the family that let us stay in their 2nd house before the birth). After walking around Lake Gregory we went into the local grocery store to pick up a few items and walking the other way down the isle was Tim Comfort (Patrick's biological father) and 2 of the his kids. I had decided that if God wanted us to meet He would make it happen. Come to find out both the Turner's and the Comfort's were waiting for the other one to call and of course no one did. We agreed at that time to get together later that afternoon at a park in Lake Gregory. We had a wonderful time together and enjoyed the fellowship as can be seen from the pictures. We are planning to find another to hang out before the summer is over and they move back east in the fall. The reality is that this is not the typical adoption story that is broadcast on the news, written about in books or told over a lattee at the local starbucks. For that I am thankful and in awe of God's sovereignity in the entire process.

Thanks for reading

Piano Times at the Turner house.

It is a special day when Patrick starts to enjoy the same piano that I learned to play on. The best thing is that he will turn out to appreciate music and for that we are thankful. Enjoy the first recital from Patrick at 7 1/2 months. Thanks for watching.

It's Lunch Time

yumm. Sweet Potatoes and AppleSauce. Hold the Zucchini.

Hey cuz!! What's up!!

 

Grady James Collins,son of Julie (Jim's sister) and Jeff Collins and Patrick James Turner hanging out in house.

I love the beach and my Mom

 

Go Green

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day from P,V,J

The Roll Over Project -- all the way!!!

Our little bumblebee has now figured out how to roll over all the way. Thus we find him at various parts of the room when we are not looking. This must be a precursor to crawling when we will never be able to find him :)

Roll Over - The Dream Fulfilled

It may be that only parents get excited and enjoy watching little vignettes like this but nevertheless I present to you the Sequel to Roll Over Almost, the dream fulfilled. Now we just need to figure out how to go back where we came from !!!

Roll Over Monday

"They grow up quickly" they say, and it is fun along the way. Just when we turn around Patrick has figured out how to go from one side to the other. Video to come later.

Welcome to My Blog

I want to welcome you to the continuing blog coverage of the fun things in life. I hope you will enjoy your stay, look around, leave a comment or just have a good time.

Patrick

Thanks to JSTC for the iphoto inspiration.

Growing, Changing, and Hanging With Family

It is amazing how much Patrick has grown and changed within the last month. We call him our "little man" because he looks just like a miniature adult, expressions and all. Patrick's recent activities include working on his core muscles, trying (constantly) to sit up or roll over, and making us laugh with his cooing and high energy squealing. Most mornings Patrick wakes up a very happy baby; we are thrilled to watch his daily development and share in his new discoveries. Patrick is very inquisitive and enjoys being social with almost anyone, but he seems to have a knack for charming the ladies. I finally broke down and bought him a onesie that reads "Chicks dig me," which seems to be quite true these days!

We enjoyed a great visit with my cousin Denise and her family last weekend in La Jolla. As usual, Patrick was a trooper traveler, and we all had a great time. Patrick found two new buddies in his second cousins Helena and Jordan, and he enjoyed strolling along the beach with Jim and Denise, checking out the waves and catching a few rays of sunshine on the Pacific Ocean! We look forward to a few more car trips with Patrick before he becomes mobile, which could be sooner than we expect, based on his recent determination to roll over. I have nicknamed him "Protracter Man" because he pushes himself around on his side in his crib, making a 45 degree arc with his body. It's hilarious to come into his room after he has been awake for a few minutes, since we never know in what position we will find him! Stay tuned for more adventures from Patrick's Crib! Thanks for reading.

Grit, Determination and Frustration

Somethings take time and effort. Feel the grit, experience the frustration, vicariously live the dream, the dream of rolling over for the first time in this 1 min 15 second movie clip from Sat Jan 24, 2009.

Stay tuned for the Sequel

Jim

Things that make you go hmmm.

I often wonder why. Specifically Patrick has a Dr. Seuss outfit that says "up up and away" and every time we put it on him something else goes up up and away and the outfit must be changed. Things that make you go hmmm!! One day he will get to wear it more than a few minutes.

Sounds of Happiness

What do we do when Vivian is teaching a voice lesson downstairs? Have fun upstairs of course :)

You need sound for this one otherwise it won't make any sense!!

Taken via the digital camera movie function (not intended for HD!!!)