There Were 10 in the Bed and the Little One Said:

"Roll over, roll over."

The First of Many, Many Firsts

The last few weeks have been jam-packed with new experiences for Liam.

We went swimming (he loved it!)

He had his first St. Patrick's Day, which included his second holiday-themed "flirt shirt"

He also had his first real laugh (kind of a squeal, with a "ha") and rolled over for the first time, both of which Liam has refused to repeat on command so we have been unable to catch it on video.

And the big fun, first trip to Disneyland

This happened to coincide with my brother Philip and his family coming to town. I loved spending time with my niece Abby, and nephew Spencer.

Liam even got his very own pair of Mouse Ears to match Mommy.

We also got ears for my neice and nephew.  

The above picture is one of my favorites. The kids look so cute as MousetEARS! Abby earned her ears by going on Tower of Terror twice and also Space Mountain. She was so scared that she even wanted to say a prayer for courage before getting on the ride. Lightening McQueen especially loved his ears. It made his day.

I especially loved Spencer's face in this photo. As you can see, he is VERY excited to be here. He made this same face when he found out he was getting Lightening McQueen ears.

Liam, unfortunately (for him), slept through many rides.

but he was awake for "It's a Small World" and "Monster's, Inc."

We went to CA Adventure with my friend Jen and her little boy, Matt as well as with my brother's family. Sorry my face looks kind of weird in this photo.

Disneyland also included Liam's first date with Kate and her mom, Dagny. Dagny is a friend of mine from college.  We had all our classes together for a few years.

With the first date was Liam and Kate's first time holding hands. They really hit it off. Dagny said that she isn't opposed to arranged marriages, so we might even get to be family one day...

Liam also got to take home a souvenir Mickey.  We were going through the gift shop to get a gift for Steve (who had to work and couldn't come) and his face lit up when I showed him this Mickey.  I couldn't resist getting it for him when I saw how happy he was.

Needless to say, our Disneyland adventure left him pooped.  Good thing we have season passes.  We'll be back soon!

Fitness Buff

Liam has added new skills to his workout routine:

Pushups

And Swimming (thanks for the tips, Juie and Rush!)

Grandma Visits

My mom came down last weekend to see her grandson and the new place. It was nice to have her company and her help. William clearly enjoyed hanging out withhis grandma as well.

Uncle Dave and Aunt Mary Lou even swung by for a barbecue.

At Catherine's request we took the oprotunity to get some updated family portraits. Mom took them in the back yard.

Come back soon.

Photo Tour--For All of You Who Wish You Were Here Visiting Sunny So. Cal.

Steven's mother, Karen Garff came to visit this week.  In preparation for her coming, we used this opportunity as a goal to get the house (mostly) put together.  At least as put together as possible while trying to care for a 3 month old at the same time.

Per popular request, I have taken pictures of our new home.  I LOVE LIVING IN A HOME!  We used to live in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment with a small patio.  We have filled up the entire 3-bedroom house with our stuff (garage and closets, too!); only purchasing a few small items such as shower curtains, photo frames, and a bookshelf for the baby's room. How did we fit it at the old place?  Let's just say that Steven and I are good at Tetris...

When we first got married.  We had no furniture for a few days, save a folding table/chair set that we borrowed from Steve's uncle, Dave. I had the forethought to take pictures of our humble beginnings to remind us of our many blessings (yes, we slept on the floor in the University Village hard carpet.  I would NOT recommend it).  This was before we moved into the 1-bedroom in Palms and moved the dogs down to CA.

Are you ready for the grand tour?  Follow me into the living room...

Thanks Mike and Bri for the couch! Glad it couldn't fit into your place.  It has a good home now.

Need to use the restroom but don't want to go up the stairs?  That's okay, we have 2.5!

Need somewhere to stash your stuff (or a small teenage boy with magical powers)?  Plenty of storage in the cupboard under the stairs.

Our dining room is small, but you're more than welcome to stay for dinner. Maybe I'll even make you my famous cheesecake.

And you don't even have to do the dishes.

Tired after a long day? Kick back and relax in the den and watch TV.

And on those cold winter mornings, we can start a fire and drink hot cocoa.

Need some sun or a place to run around?  Check out the back yard and patio.

Complete with cactus garden, compliments of my dad and grandpa.

And if you need some good exercise, try running up the stairs.

The master suite...

And in case you were interested, I made the blanket chest and dresser back in high school. My sister Rosie made the nightstand.

Our master bath has a sweet tub to relax in after a long run.

If you'd like to stay the night, you can stay on our inflatable mattress in the office/guestroom.

Hope you don't mind the mess, moving is hard work when Liam doesn't take long naps very often.

And my pride and joy for my pride and joy:  the baby room...

I spent two days on this.  It was worth it. I love every minute I spend here.

The only new piece of furniture we bought was the bookcase.  Everything else (except the rocker) was in our bedroom.  How, I have no idea...

I found the most adorable shower curtain/shower hooks yesterday at Target. Matches the baby/guest bathroom perfectly with the aquarium tub and fish towels.

Hope you enjoyed your time at the Garff house.  Please come back soon!!!