Father's Day

We had such a wonderful Sunday celebrating Father's Day! We started off worshiping with our church family. We rarely get to worship together since Jon runs the broadcast, but we have decided to plug into a Sunday School class last hour and went for the first time this week and really enjoyed it! We have missed being in a Sunday School class together so much , but with Jon's responsibilities on Sunday morning it has been a challenge to make it work! We really are hoping to be able to plug in without too many interruptions!!

We then went to my grandparents house and had a nice lunch, some homemade ice cream and great fellowship! Anderson and I are so blessed to have Jon! He is a wonderful dad and loves Anderson so much! Anderson lights up when Jon walks through the door and there is nothing sweeter! Thankful for a godly, loving, thoughtful, passionate, hardworking husband and father! Here are 2 of my favorite pictures from the day... Best Buddies!

Most recent project

I have been dying to have a chalkboard wall in our house - and we finally do!!! Here are the steps:

1. Wash your wall

2. Paint 3 coats of chalkboard paint letting each coat dry

completely

3. Wait 48 hours

4. Using the side of a piece of chalk draw all over your wall and then erase it

5. Repeat step 4

6. Get creative! Your chalkboard wall is READY!

I painted a calendar on our wall because I want it to always be there! I seriously can't stop staring at it! Can't wait to erase it all and start over again :)

~Brooke

My Water Bug!

I'm glad to report that Anderson LOVES the pool! We went Thursday and he had a blast! He loved the water fountain in the baby pool, was not afraid to splash or be splashed, and didn't even mind getting floated on his back. When I put him on his belly he naturally kicked his feet and used his arms! Maybe a future swimmer??? His favorite part was probably watching the big kids play! We see much fun in the sun in our future!

I think this picture captures his excitement about swimming!

8 months and 4 days

I had to give you a quick update! Last night Anderson did 3 new things...

1) Sprouted the tippity tip of a tooth through the gums!

2) Actually chewed and swallowed a puff - he normally just plays with them or spits them out!

3) Said "mama"! Obviously he doesn't know what he is saying but it was music to my ears!!

I also forgot to mention that Anderson loves animal noises! His favorite sound to hear me make is a cow - he grins and laughs every time! He will try to imitate a few too! He will do a cat almost every time and occasionally he will imitate a dog if there is a dog around but it sounds more like he is doing a deep cough and he get a really funny face when he does the dog sound - he furrows his brows and looks kinda mean! haha!

8 Months

Anderson is so big!! I cannot believe 8 months has passed since we brought him home from the hospital! And I cannot believe how much he has changed and all the things he can do! Anderson now crawls on his knees! He can get anywhere. He has learned that he can come to where mom is instead of crying for her to come to him. He imitates noises and sounds that we make. He says "DaDa" all day long. Besides blowing raspberries that is pretty much what i hear all day every day. He loves bath time more than ever now that he can get in the big boy tub all alone. He plays in the tub on his belly and sitting and with all kinds of toys! He also has started the early stages of cruising and I have a feeling in a week or so he will be a full blown cruiser! Our little man is a busy boy and on the go all day long. He chatters constantly too! He also loves to explore - in the tupperware, trying to help momma unload the dishwasher, he can basically get anything anywhere and we have had to start paying close attention to things laying around, especially his 3 favorites - outlets, cords and shoes!! He also has become quite the wild sleeper. I love to watch him in his moniter roll and twist and even crawl in his sleep! His favorite sleep position is on his side cuddled up to his puppy "jellycat" toy! We love life with our little booger. He is so sweet, has the most gorgeous smile, tons of thick course hair, and a crazy funny personality! We are so thankful for the gift of Anderson! The Lord is truly gracious!

Recent Celebrations

The Malko home has been full of celebration lately! Last weekend we had a wonderful Mother's day - or i guess I am the one who had a wonderful Mother's Day! My guys were so sweet to me and I was so blessed, as I am every day, to be Anderson's mom! We enjoyed church first thing Sunday morning and I was able to serve in the nursery. Anderson even had a flower waiting for me when I picked him up from his class :) When we got home Jon and Anderson had some gifts waiting for me! Godiva Chocolates from Anderson and new PJ's from Jon. Then we went to my mom's house for a wonderful lunch with the whole family! It was a joy to celebrate my first Mother's Day and a joy to celebrate my mother for the first time as a mother myself!

Monday will be Jon and I's 3 year anniversary. Since it falls on a Monday this year we celebrated last night (Friday). For the first time Anderson stayed the night with his Granna and Pap. We dropped him off around 4 and then came back home to finish cleaning up and exchange gifts before we headed to dinner at Ruth's Chris! I got Jon a Dovo Straight Razor, a strop and a travel case for the razor. He shaved with it before we left and his face was soooo smooth! Jon got me a beautiful ivory throw from Arhaus and a beautiful dress from Loft - which I wore to dinner! He did such a great job picking it out all by himself!!! I am so blessed to be married to such an observant and thoughtful husband! Our dinner was fantastic and Jon declared it officially the best steak he had ever eaten. We then headed to the movies - thanks to the living social deal we got several months ago. We saw Water for Elephants and we really enjoyed it. It had been quite some time since I had been to a movie, and it was nice to stay out late together - even though we missed out little buddy and checked in on him often :) This morning we "slept in" and then headed out for brunch at Toast on Market. After our yummy meal we walked around the cute little shops downtown and then grabbed a cookie from Blue Dog cafe to enjoy as we walked around Frankfort Ave. Mom and Dad had agreed to keep Anderson until 3:30, but we couldn't wait - we headed to their house to love on our little man around 2! We were so excited to see him but thankful for a full nights sleep and some much needed time together.

This afternoon I also got a spare of the moment opportunity to grab a mani pedi with my mom before she heads off to Florida tomorrow! All and all the past week has been fantastic! But honestly - every week feels full of celebration with my family! So bring on the celebrating! Can't wait to see what is in store for us this week :)

7 Months Old

I feel like so much has happened over the last month, and that my little baby is turning into a little boy right before my eyes! The weather has finally gotten nice and going outside is one of Anderson's favorite things to do. We go on walks a lot - to Aunt Lo Lo and Uncle Chad's house, to the park and to Check's - a local dive that we love to go to for lunch. Anderson also had his first trip to the zoo! Everytime we go I feel like he notices the animals more! It is so much fun. Anderson also had his GiGi come to visit from Florida and went to his first birthday party - for his buddy Liam! Here are some new things Anderson does:

• He Army crawls with ease - and we are starting to see more time with the tummy off the floor
• He can pull himself up on just about anything! He loves standing!
• He eats anything and everything! And lots of it (still just baby food though)
• He takes great naps - and apart from a bad spurt last weeks is sleeping much better at night - still not all night though :(
• He rides in his stroller great!
• He plays better on his own but we are still working on this!
• He loves to drink water from mom and dad's glass and is trying really hard with the sippy cup.
• He loves to play in the grass.

All and all we are having a fun spring! And loving are 7 month old boy!

6 months old!

I can't believe my sweet little man is 6 months old already! He is so much fun and full of a outgoing and adventurous personality! He likes to be busy and, though he can sit now, he never sit still - he likes to be on the move and is anxious to be able to get on the move by himself - but no crawling yet! Here are some new things in the life of Anderson James:

• He sits all alone - no problem and no toppling!
• He can move easily from sitting to his belly and can spin all the way around and scoot a little too. He can even get his knees up but can't move on them yet.
• He can sit in a high chair when we are out to eat and TODAY he rode in the cart at the grocery for the first time!
• He EATS!!! I wasn't sure we would ever get there but he eats so good! So far he likes Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Apples, Bananas, and Pears. Today we bought Mangos, blueberries, Butternut squash, spinach, broccoli, corn and avocado (round 2) for him to try! We want a well rounded eater on our hands!
• He LOVES to look at pictures of our family. I recently hung some on the wall in our hallway and he reaches for it every time we walk past and get so excited when we stop and look at it.
• It takes him a LONG time but he can flip the light switch off.
• He loves to explore and the bathroom is one of his favorite places. He can turn the sink on when I hold him down to it.
• He could soak through 5+ bibs a day - he is a drool bucket.
• He loves to hit things with his hand - like bang on the table or pick up a piece of paper and sling it around.
• He can play with his toys more than ever!
• He is still the most precious little boy we have ever laid eyes on :)
• Stats: He weighs 16lbs (25th percentile) and is 26 inches (just under the 50th percentile). Dr said he is right on track for a breast fed baby (they normally drop off in weight around 6 months because they are preparing to transition to more calories in solid food)!

We are taking Anderson to get 6 month pictures made this weekend! But for now here are a few more recent ones.

Spring has Sprung

Spring has Sprung! At least that is what the past two days have felt like! Yesterday Anderson and I went to the park with my sister Lauren and her puppies! Anderson got to swing for the first time and he LOVED IT! I also took him down the slide in my lap! We love our neighborhood because we can walk to George Rogers Clark Park and it is so nice and never crowded! We had a blast and then waled to Check's restaurant and ate while my little buddy took a nap! It was a long fun day! Here is a picture and video!!







Another really funny thing Anderson has been doing lately is scrunching his nose up when he thinks something is funny! He started yesterday and we have pretty much been laughing about it ever since. He does it ALL THE TIME! I managed to catch it on camera...

Valentine's Day 2011

The Malko's celebrated Valentine's Day last Saturday, February 12th! My parents kept Anderson so Jon and I could celebrate with a day together! We dropped him off around 1pm with them, but before that Mommy gave Anderson her Valentine's gift! Here are the pics:

Here is Anderson Pre opened gifts - this picture is hilarious to me - he is making the funniest face! I love it!

Here he is with opened gifts. He got a new book, a little soft toy mouse the plays music and vibrates so it will move on it's own across the floor, and a red and white striped onesie.

After Jon and I dropped Anderson off at my parent's we went to lunch at PF Chang's. We then went to downtown Louisville and perused the Antique/design shops on Market and Broadway! We had a ton of fun just hanging out with each other! For dinner we enjoyed J Alexanders.... mmm! We were going to go bowling to complete our evening, but the wait was so long we decided to just walk around the mall and enjoy each others company! We were SOOO excited to have some uninterrupted time alone together that we totally forgot to take pictures! We did exchange small gifts. I got Jon some candy and Microsoft Game points. Jon got me an iTunes card for some new music, some candy, and some coffee. He also made me such a special card which was prob my favorite part of my gift! All in all we had a great day!

~Brooke