The Banks

Zechariah turns 3!

2010-01-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

Never would have thought a three year old could sport such an awesome mustache!

Caleb, The Determined.

2009-12-21T20:59:00.001-08:00

I caught Caleb just yesterday attempting to pull his knees and feet underneath him so he could scoot forward. His first attempts at crawling! He's just 24 weeks old. This was the second time I have ever seen him do this and was able to get a few moments of it on video. He's not quite sure yet what to do with his arms, but he'll catch on I'm sure. He's a determined little bug. Before you know it, my littlest guy will be all over the place!

I remember the first time Riah started crawling, and I lost him in the house!! After a few moments of panic, we soon after found him playing behind the toilet.

New Mexico by God's grace.

2009-12-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

We have been continually in prayer for the past few months for God to give us direction for our family. We have felt God to be moving us, but not sure where. The past months have been a difficult transition period, seeing so many different directions we could just "go!". Patience is not an easy thing for me, especially when it comes to direction. So this time in my life has been especially hard.

Slowly, it has become clear that God is moving us in ONE specific direction. Our desire is to love and serve the Lord wherever we are. Our hope is that we will be able to be God's hands and feet at a Christian Camp in New Mexico. It would be a huge move for us, but God continues to stir our hearts for the center.

We are continuing in prayer that God would continue to confirm this move if that be what he has for us to do. We are very excited about the opportunity and are praying that the doors will continue to pave the way for us to fill the needs that the camp has. It would be a whole different kind of life there, living in the bush!

God is soo big! Excited to be a part of what he is doing down there!

October Family Visit

2009-11-19T07:40:00.000-08:00

We were blessed to have our family here over Halloween weekend. My mom was able to fly out thanks to my aunt Dana and Claudine who give so much of lives for her. We are extremely thankful for what they do for my mom. My sister Jess was also able to come out again. We don't ever get to be together ll at one time, so this was a special blessing.

Halloween out on the town for the parade.

Breakfast made by Jesse. How awesome it was to spend this time with my mom and sis. Couldn't ask for anything better to wake up to!

We had one beautiful day in the park without rain. Took full advantage!

My little guys...

2009-08-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Caleb is now 7 weeks, 3 days old. He is beginning to hold his head up very well on his own and has begun trying to push himself up with his hands. I would imagine he is weighing in at over 10 lbs at this point. I'm still waiting for him to give me a big smile while he is AWAKE! They're the moments that bring so much joy...

Sister Weekend

2009-08-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

My sister Jessica came to visit from Phoenix, AZ. She stayed with us for 4 days. It was a long-awaited visit, and not long enough! Riah quickly became attached to his favorite aunt, and was sad to see her go. He will never forget who gave him his first soccer ball now that he is going pro! Thanks Aunt Jess!

I loved nothing more than getting some time to spend with my sis! I wish we could live closer to one another. Though it was a short visit, it meant the world to me.

We also had the chance to take some family shots in the park. The weather was fantastic, could not have been better! When we weren't strolling through the park or downtown, we spent our days at the pool lying out while the boys napped.

Overall, it was a great week, minus the lack of sleep Jesse and I were getting. :) We look forward to more family and friends visiting in October! Can't wait!!

Sweet Dreams

2009-08-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Riah got a new firetruck after visiting the fire station with his daddy. Whenever he gets a new toy, he always brings it into bed with him for naptime. Too cute! I couldn't resist :)

Love these moments of joy!

2009-08-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Caleb is just about a month old now. I adore him! These are the moments he sees Jesus in his sleep :)

New Do

2009-07-29T16:07:00.001-07:00

We gave Riah his second haircut FINALLY. It was getting a little wild!

The end result...

Father Son Duo

2009-07-12T13:18:00.002-07:00

Jesse had his first day off since Caleb was born. Riah loves his time with his daddy!

2009-07-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Caleb is now 1 week old. He is doing great! Nights are getting easier, as he is getting more of a routine down. He sleeps 23 hours of the day right now. I forgot about that! I am recovering well, but it is a slow process for sure! He is gaining weight at a rapid pace which is awesome. He is so tiny! I am so madly in love with him, I just want to hold him all day!

just a little miracle

2009-07-07T10:15:00.001-07:00

THIS IS CALEB.
He came into our lives a bit sooner than we expected at 37 weeks. I had just found out at my regular checkup that he had turned to breech. If you remember I had a lot of extra fluid which showed in my ultrasound. The u/s tech had warned me that it was plenty to allow baby Caleb to turn any which way he pleased. Well, turns out he did.
Soooooo, I went in for an external cephalic version (where they turn the baby manually back to the head down position). It worked. If you can imagine a coupe of sumo wrestlers sitting on your stomach and chest giving your stomach a sort of "indian burn", that is what it felt like.
Afterwards I was monitored. Everything looked and seemed fine to me, but Caleb's heartbeat just wasn;t moving up and down like it should while I was having simple braxton contractions. Jani, my doctor, was concerned and didn't feel quite right about it, so she told me that I need to have this baby today!! BIG SURPRISE!! Either I was going to have to get induced with pitocin or opt to go straight for a c-section. We choose the pitocin, so we could attempt a natural birth.
Once they started that, my contractions began to come every minute although they just felt like strong braxtons. After reviewing the monitor and baby's heartrate, Jani just did not feel good about what she was seeing so she said I needed to have a c-section NOW.
Even though I really didn't have time to face the reality of Caleb being born that day, we had no choice, something was wrong. It was extremly tough. Turns out, Caleb's cord was tied in a knot! An actual knot! Very rare. If he would not have turned breech and I had not gone to the hospital for the version and to be montiored, it would have been a much worse outcome. Caleb is really a miracle! He knew just what to do to let us know he needed help. Smart little guy!
And here he is.. born July 3rd at 4:15. 6 lbs. 9 oz. 19 iches long.... Caleb Timothy Banks.

36 weeks

2009-06-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

One more week till I'll be considered full term. I have an ultrasound this morning to check the size of the baby and my fluid levels, because I have been measuring 3 cm ahead. Baby has dropped about a little, not too much. I'll keep ya'll posted.

So, my ultrasound showed a healthy baby average size they say at 36 weeks, although what is making me measure big is not the baby, (they guessed 6.5-7 lbs right now), but the OODLES of fluid I have. I guess we have a swimmer on our hands! Hopefully he'll stay head down. He had what looked like a mohawk, which the doc pointed out was a full head of hair!! Wonder who he gets that from?! :)

My son is potty trained!!!

2009-06-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

The day before we were having all of Jesse's family over for his graduation was the day I decided to give potty training a try on an aggressive approach. I was extremely skeptical and after the first day ended in about 3 different loads of dirty soiled blankets and underwear, I was about to give up and just accept that my 2 year old would not be using a potty until after 3. Jesse was quick to reassure me and gave me the encouragement I needed to keep going.
Sure enough, day 2 ended with only 1 load of partially soiled underwear and Riah was going to the potty without being asked.
Day 3, I was amazed!...He was pooping in the potty, and was going on his own all day! Only once did he have an accident while trying to get his pants down which just didn't happen quick enough in front of the potty,
Day 4..no accidents AND a dry diaper after a nap along with him saying "mommy...go pee??!! (as he headed off to the toilet once he woke up) Sorry for all the details. I just want to encourage mommies to keep going and not give up too quickly, also so I can look back on this when it comes time for Caleb to be trained. I am soo proud of my son! He did it! Now the challenge comes of everyday routine and errands. How will he do outside of our home?! We will see this week. To be continued....

The ABC Video

2009-05-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

I tried to get Riah to sing his ABC's on video. I wish I could have gotten the whole thing, but it is quite hard to capture it just right.

31 weeks.

2009-05-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

This morning, I am heading off to the Dragonfly for brunch with some girlfriends for my baby shower. I can't believe how close it's getting to Caleb's arrival!

Fun at the pool

2009-05-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

The weather here has finally been getting really warm! The pool was just about 72 degrees and getting warmer. This was the first day we actually went out to use our pool this season. Riah's favorite is the hot tub! He also liked "the boat" a.k.a raft in the pool. Fun day! Looking forward to many more of these before baby comes!

29 weeks and 4 days

2009-05-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

MY PROGRESS AS YOU CAN VERY PLAINLY SEE IS COMMING ALONG !

I am super excited that I only have about 2 1/2 months left to go!! Feeling GREAT!:)

The Sandbox

2009-04-26T17:32:00.001-07:00

Jesse worked hard all weekend building the perfect sandbox for Riah and Caleb.

Hard work paid off! Riah loves his new sandbox. :)

Congratulations Riah!

2009-04-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Zechariah, now 27 months old, is happy to announce that he went poop in the potty for the first time. ALL BY HIMSELF! Then came running to tell us. Usually he will say that he did, but to no avail. This time he did not cry wolf. Unless, your a parent, I am sure this does not sound so great, but let me assure you IT IS! YEAAA RIAH!!!!

An answer to prayer...

2009-04-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Jesse was out of work a few weeks ago, and we were praying that God would bring him some so our bills would continue to get paid and well..... We found out just how mysterious God can work and in what miraculous un-thought of ways. We woke the next morning to find the pool and hot tub looking like this! Turns out some old evicted tenant pulled a little prank, thus giving Jesse a days worth of work because of it. PRAISE THE LORD! :)

A Visit to the Farm

2009-04-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

Took Riah to see the goats, pot-belly pigs, deer, wallaby,donkeys, llamas, turkeys, sheep and ponies at the petting zoo called The Farm. He did NOT want to leave!

He had a great time running up and greeting each of the animals by saying hello with much enthusiasm. If one came straight at him he would look hesitant with arms reached outwards, stepping backwards a bit saying "it's ok, it's ok". He really liked watching the ponies, although when you would ask him if he wanted to ride one, he said plainly "NO." (Still traumatized by the "very loud" horse at the animal fair I guess) It was all a great experience. When we got home, he fell right asleep. PERFECT. :)

Riah Can't Dance.

2009-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

We entered a baby dancing contest for Caleb to win a BOB stroller. :)

25 weeks, 5 days

2009-04-15T19:14:00.001-07:00

So Caleb is really getting BIG these days. They say he is about as long as an english cucumber, and weighs like a pound and two thirds. Seeing as how I am again measuring BIG, it is my guess he is already over 2 lbs, but who knows! I do know that I have been growing like mad! I don't get a break, its crazy. It's fun to nudge him back when he kicks and moves around now. It's very easy to feel his little body parts moving around and pertruding through my belly. This, along with the restless legs and only having essentially 2 sleep positions has made my slumber quite disturbed lately. All comes in one miraculous package I guess, and I'll take it if I get another boy like my Riah. :) 100 DAYS TO GO!! woohoo.

A little overdue....

2009-04-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.......HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you......

Zechariah's 2nd Birthday........ Lost pics found!
I know, I am a little late, but I misplaced these photos a while back and just found them. For Riah's Birthday Party we had a few of his friends over for waffles and whip cream. It was a lot of fun.
Alot of juice and sugar later....

Growing so fast!

2009-04-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Zechariah David Banks. 26 months old. Some of my favorite things are coloring, talking, driving my cars, playing outside, skype 'ing grandma, tormenting Jake, chocolate milk, books ("I almost forgot"), playing drums, being loud and Daddy!

21 weeks and counting down!

2009-03-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ya'll Are probably sick of seeing pictures of my belly. Sorry :) I am enjoying blogging my progress. A friend of mine just had her second little boy and visiting them in the hospital has made me even more super excited and ANXIOUS to bring Caleb home in my arms! I could not be happier and am feeling great! I look forward to what God has in store for us as a family, both the good and the bad....I will continue to learn to trust Him everyday for everything he has given and taken away in and from our lives. He knows exactly what we need, which is great because I get confused most of the time!

HALFWAY THERE!!

2009-03-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

Just a quick photo update of my latest growth. I feel the baby constantly now. Sleeping has become one of my NOT so favorite activities now that it has become so difficult to find a comfortable position. I usually find myself waking up in the middle of the night numerous times on my back and having to roll over on a side(your not suppose to be on your back) :)
Zechariah now walks into the baby's room which he now calls Caleb's. Soo cute. If I forgot to mention, we have decided to name him Caleb Timothy Banks.

IT's a BOy!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

This morning I had my BIG ultrasound, as they call it. I went in thinking that the crazy little baby inside me was going to be stubborn and not share with us the big news...BUT, he was not only willing, but he was not camera shy either!! Yep, it's a boy!! We got to see him lounging with his hands behind his head (just like Riah does), then a somewhat different quality that I have not seen Riah share...sucking his thumb. So cute! I am super excited, I was secretly hoping for another BOY :) Guess we'll have to try again for a girl sometime down the road, hopefully a good long road until I can get used to having 2!! I really can't wait. What a blessing!

Pregnancy for dummies.

2009-02-16T07:35:00.000-08:00

I am currently 17 weeks along. Its been fun to compare our baby every week to a fruit or vegetable. It's nice that the pregnancy websites explain your growing baby in "laymans" terms. Like were not spacey and scatterbrained enough! Today I had to envision a turnip as the approximate weight of my baby right now. This was right after i went to top off my coffee this morning, yet insteadtook my cup to the fridge and began filling up with water from the filter. Fortunately my one cup of coffee was not ruined. :) To all the baby websites out there who understand....thanks, 5 ounces will do just fine.

16 weeks 6 days

2009-02-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Mile Stone this week. My already "outie" belly button is beginning its popping stage. This is huge!

Something familiar.

2009-02-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, our baby is now the size of an avacado! Approximately 4 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 ounces. They say your suppose to gain 12-15 pounds this trimester.(I've already gained 12) ALOT of growth going on!

15 weeks 5 days...

2009-02-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

So, I have made it into my second trimester. Things seem to be moving along these days fairly quickly considering in a month I will be halfway there!! At the end of this month I find out the sex of the baby. I know its a boy, but we'll see! As of now, Jesse and I like the name Caleb Timothy Banks (if its a boy of course :). Just thought I would log a quick pic of my progress. I never did in my first pregnancy and wanted to try it this time around to watch how I grow!

The incident.

2009-01-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

One day when I had put Riah down for a nap in his room, I noticed he didn't quite fall asleep right away. Which is not unusual because he usually will play on his train table with his cars and puzzles for a while prior to putting himself in bed. Downstairs with my keen sense of hearing :), I can hear him banging around and doing stuff, so I never really worry. Although one day he was being suspiciously quiet and I asked Jesse to go and check on him. And we found......

And the guilty culprit.

Luckily, the marker came off the mirrors quite easily. I only wish I could say the same for the artist. :)

What's been going on!

2009-01-11T15:32:00.000-08:00

These days seem to be flying by lately. I am currently 12 weeks into my pregnancy. Continuing to feel sick mostly in the evening around bedtime and some into the morning. I am noticing quite a lot more back pain and cramping then I remember in my previous pregnancy. I am hanging in there :).
Riah is just growing up on me so fast. He is now counting. He knows how to count to 10. Well, I have heard him do it more than a couple times. Other times, he forgets a 3 or 6 in there, but he is doing great! He still absolutely loves coloring and writing. He loves to make circles and what he calls the number four. He will point out who everyone is in the room including himself, just in case we might have forgotten who we are.
And, in a week we will be celebrating his 2nd birthday!! We have decided to have a few of his friends over to just hang and eat waffle and pancake sundaes. (It is going to be a brunch party) Riah loves waffles and pancakes.
Jesse has begun school and is in the process of adjusting to all the reading once again. I think he has to read like 60 pages a day in order to stay caught up. That on top of work, being a daddy and husband to a sick and sometimes grumpy pregnant lady can be rough! But I must say, he does an amazing job!

Hear the news people!

2008-12-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

Yep, so it happened once again. I am officially pregnant. I am currently over 8 1/2 weeks preggo! Jesse and I could not be happier. We are very excited that Riah will soon be a BIG brother!! I have been feeling tired, nauseous, bloated, MOODY...all that good early pregnancy stuff. I had an ultrasound when I was 5 1/2 weeks and heard the little ones heartbeat. Crazy how something so tiny already has a beating heart! Below is a photo from the ultrasound. (will add soon) :)

Riah's Latest FIlm

2008-11-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

Need I say more.

Sneak Peek

2008-11-22T16:19:00.000-08:00

For the past month or so, I have been working on illustrations for a childrens book. I did not write the book, I actually answered an ad which I found on craigslist, for a lady looking for an illustrator. After submitting some of my ideas, she picked me! And after a few weeks and some intense hours of work, I finished.

I do not want to give away too much about the book, but I can tell you I have submitted my final illustrations, and now it is onto the publisher and up to the world to find enough interest in it to buy it. :-) The drawings on the right are my original sketches. Not the finished work but enough to give you an idea of what I have been so busy with lately.

The book is called "Dr. Shawn and his Magic Needle". Maybe you'll see it around someday! And yes, it is in color!

Time with Grandpa.

2008-11-22T15:46:00.000-08:00

My dad took Riah out in the yard one day to see the river and the ducks. It was soo cold, Riah just kinda froze not knowing what to do. It wasn't long before they were back inside where it was a little warmer! Riah also enjoyed his time with his cousin Gavin who is almost 4...and especially with all his toys. Thanks for sharing Gavin! :)
It was great that we were able to spend some time with my Dad and Cathy in my old hometown!

Some of my favorite moments from Chicago....

2008-11-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

Here Comes the bad weather!

2008-11-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

So we have been in Wisconsin now for 6 days. Tommorow morning, we will be leaving to head for Chicago. Well, Barrington to be exact...my hometown. I am quickly becomming homesick at this point, but I know it will be great to spend some time with my dad and his wife Cathy. Riah is going to have a great time playing with his cousin Gavin who is 3 and all of his toys! My dad also just got a new BIG puppy who Riah will automatically fall in love with. I am also super excited to spend sometime with my good friends from high school! So it should be a great visit. One more week and then back home. I am sure I will have many new stories and pictures to share by then. I am hoping we get a crazy big blizzard! I miss those!

Our Trip to the Zoo...

2008-11-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

View Album

Get your own

Today we went to the Zoo with my mom and Aunt Dana. It was Riah's first experience and he just loved it!! Out of all the animals, we spent the most time in the primate house and with the polar bears which were so cool! We packed a lunch and ate there. It was really the greatest little adventure for him, and it was free too! It was fun to watch him explore, and rome around. My mom had a good time to. And yes, it was yet another gorgeous day here.

Another beautiful day at the park...

2008-11-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

WHERE'S RIAH?!!

Today, Riah and I spent the morning in the little town of Lodi where we visited Suzie the Duck. Afterwards, we walked with my mom to the park where Riah had a great time showing off how great he can now climb and go down the slides all by himself! He becomming so self sufficient, I almost don't know where my place is anymore.
He loves to say "hi" to everyone who walks by. He just loves people all around. He calls my mom "poppa" sometimes, but will easily point her out as Grandma Lou if asked.
Aunt Dana or "Neigh Na" is Riah's favorite person here. He has a ton of fun with her and will call for her around the house while she is at work. He is definitely going to miss her when we leave.
Still can't beat this 70 degree weather!! I think the rain AND SNOW are comming though. :(

Farm Fun

2008-11-04T06:57:00.001-08:00

We spent some time outside yesterday in the beautiful 70 degree weather. Riah got to see a tractor cutting the corn stalks down. It was very exciting for him, although a little scary when it came close. He ran close to me to watch it. :)

Fun with Grandma

2008-11-03T12:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to our great Grandma's birthday party.

Today, my mom taught Riah how to play cards. They both cheat. :)

See, that's a cheating face!

Grandma Lou

2008-11-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

My mom reading to Riah his favorite book, "Mr. Brown Goes Moo" and the ABC Word Book. Priceless moment.

Riah Experiences Take Off

2008-11-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here's just a short video of Riah during our take off flying to Madison from Denver. As you can see, he is more than interested. :) It was definitely hard keeping him entertained during our 2 flights. He slept a total of 30 mintues out of a 6 hour trip. I guess he was just way to excited to sleep, but I can assure you, he was very tired! The biggest hit was the Cow-Pig movie, and his color wonder markers! Benedryl did not seem to work. Although both flights, I was lucky enough to have the seat next to me open. A total blessing!

After a long first flight in Denver. Not tired at all! :)

Off to Chicago!

2008-10-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

4:30 Tommorow morning, Riah and I will be leaving for Chicago for 2 whole weeks! It is a long overdue trip to visit my parents who have not seen Riah since he was 5 months old. He is now almost 22 months. Our bags are packed, I have gone to many measures to make sure I have everything I think Riah should need on an airplane. We could not go without his favorite book "Mr Brown can Moo", and his favorite movie "Barnyard" a.k.a. "Cow-Pig". A few other thigs added to my list include: some color wonder markers, fruit gummy snacks and various other goodies he never gets to eat, toy airplanes, a sticker book, and of course his Monkey. Alot of the things I am bringing are new to him and he has never seen, so it should be fun for him to explore some new territory and hopefully keep him busy. Busy is good, busy is happy! Many searches through the wonderful world of the internet led me to some great ideas for plane activities. And yes, benedryl will be close at hand if needed. :)

Motivation for another moment like that.

2008-10-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

The other day I came across an old journal of mine and saw an entry about Riah when he was begining to crawl, and growing out of his Baby bathtub. At the time, we did not have a real bath tub, just a shower. So we put Riah in a baby tub placed in our shower. He was quickly outgrowing it, and I prayed in my journal that God would provide us a house with a bathtub for him. Boy, did he ever! But the thing about that entry made me realize how much I wish I would have entered more about Riah and the things he was up to on a daily basis. Hence, i am starting this blog. So whoever may come across, enjoy!

Good Bye Mae

2008-10-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

So, after spending about 9 months watching Mae. She will be leaving us this week to venture on to Daycare! Riah and Mae have become the best of friends, and she will be greatly missed.

A stuffed up nose. Literally

2008-10-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had a little incident with Riah and his nose! Turns out he stuck something up there without my notice, and got it stuck. We were not able to tell what it was exactly but it measured about an inch long and 4 centimeters wide. Thanks to a doc friend who made a quick house call to remove the foreign object, we were able to skip a visit to the E.R. To me it looked like a clove of garlic. Poor Guy!