First week with Pete

Two days old.

Selah at three days old (for comparison)

Petros "Pete" Avaran Mathis

Announcing the birth of Petros "Pete" Avaran Mathis.  Born at 11:42 pm on June 23, 2012.  8 lbs 6 oz.  20.5 inches.

Finally, a big sister and a little brother.

Last picture as a family of three!

We called Grandma at about 12:00 to wake Selah up and head up to the delivery room to meet her new brother.  She held him and kissed him a million times.

 

Grandma's in town, and it's Selah's fourth birthday...and no baby yet

New bike, she has to get used to pedals

Making birthday cake (zucchini with cream cheese frosting)

At gymnastics

Our best friends threw Selah a surprise party on Tuesday night!

This is the first picture of all of us with kids... so different!

No nonsense

After singing Selah Castle in the Clouds for a bedtime song:

Selah: God lives in the clouds.

Lisa: God most likely wouldn't live in the clouds.  Clouds are moisture in the air.  It's fun to imagine walking in the clouds, though.  We don't know where God lives.   He made the clouds and the world, but he doesn't live in it.  (And then I tried to philosophize using her doll house and a toy maker as examples, and all that)...

Selah: Yeah, but the world is the world, and a doll house is a doll house... (pause)... and play dough is play dough.

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Selah has been very vigilant about whether I'm in labor or not, and when we'll go to the hospital, and when we'll pick Grandma up, and how it will all work out logistically.  So, at a restaurant tonight, out with the Shapiro's:

Selah tapped me on the shoulder and leaned in, whispering: Mom, are you having contractions?

Lisa: Not at the moment.

Selah:  Well, if you get into labor, just tap Dad on the shoulder, or me, and just whisper to us that you got into labor.

I guess at that point we would tip-toe out of the restaurant and hope no one noticed.

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Selah, having an imaginary conversation between two people, possibly represented by her hands as they tapped on the piano cover:

Imaginary person #1: There's P90X and Tai Chi.
Imaginary person #2: Hmm, Tai Chi.
Imaginary person #1: No mom, P90X is the best.
Imaginary person #2: No. Tai Chi is the best.

It doesn't make sense to me, but I thought it was a funny topic for her to be processing out loud.

A Silly Story Combo

Told this story to herself while walking around the house April 21, 2012:

Once there was a boy named Goliath and a boy named David.

David got out of the mouth of Goliath.

And another giant came and ate Boris.

And a next giant came and ate Amos.

And Amos and Boris and everyone got eaten up.

Except David, he was the son of God

Bed Cover from Doris

My coworker Doris made this beautiful "scrap"-quilt.  Not so scrappy, though.  Selah makes her own bed every morning.

Aunt Vanessa!

Playing with Aunt Vanessa while waiting for Sushi

Aunt Vanessa brought piano books and read Selah great fiction and non-fiction

Playing around at Tempe Town Lake

Eating again up at Pane

New best friend Simeon came over so Selah could babysit

Selah likes learning how to take care of babies.  She never takes her eyes off of them.  Oops.

Home group with little friends Brynlee and Macy

Selah, trying to convince that her baby brother's middle name should be button: His middle name can be Button while he's small.  Then, when he's bigger, it can be...Sweater...or...Truck!

Love is relative?

Dad to Selah:  I love you more than a monkey!
Selah to Dad: Well, I love you more than a hippopotamus.
Dad: Whoa, more than a hippopotamus.  And you really love hippopotamusses!
Selah: No I don't.  They're all muddy.

Grandma and Papa visit Arizona

Sonoita Wine Festival

Playing around at Granada Park

Grandma and Papa like lots of bike rides - thankfully we had great weather for it

Easter in Sedona

Selah, being considerate because I agreed to get on the floor to play some dollhouse:
"I'll put this pillow down for you mom, because you're pregnant, and I know that pregnant womans like to sit on pillows."

So very Easter

West Fork of Oak Creek

 

Easter bunny laid eggs around the campsite.

Yelling from her crib after laying down for the night:

Selah: "Mom, where do bears live?"

Lisa: "In caves, in the forest!"

Selah: "No, I mean do they live in Africa or in Phoenix?"

Camping at West Clear Creek with the McDaniel Family

Last weekend we camped and did a little hiking
with the McDaniel's: Dave, Charis (7 months), and Rachel

McDowell Mountain Hike

Selah hiked three of the ten miles!

The prettiest sight in the desert

Great view of four peaks with recent snowfall, looking east from Windgate Pass

The desert view from the eastern side

Selah and I

Selah and Casson

Bad Mothers

During dinner tonight, I was enlightening Selah about how I'm a good mother because I make her eat all of her dinner and especially her vegetables, and how bad mothers only feed their kids gallons and gallons of ice cream until they can't move.  She said "Yeah, so we don't eat any ice cream" which is not true, and I smiled and told her it was really fine to eat ice cream too, yadayadayada.  Just then, Casson called from the kitchen "Hey Lisa, where did you put that bag clip?" and I said "I didn't do anything with it."  He then found it in a random place where I had stuck it in the cupboard.  Then he started singing a song "Oh, I like to put things in random places..." I laughed and said "Don't be making fun of me!"  Selah turned to me and said softly with her hand on my arm, "Just ignore him mom.  He's not making fun of you.  He's just singing a song about bad mothers."