9 Months Old

Hey Israel! You're 9 Months Old!!!
What are you up to these days???


You continue to amaze us everyday! You are so bright eyed and love taking in the world. Your smile is always bringing joy to those who meet you.
You weigh 17.6 pounds and are 26 inches long.
You wear a size 2 or 3 diaper.
You got your first ear infection and sinus infection…which were horrible…but were quickly remedied with antibiotics, thank God!
You still love your sleep! Taking 3 two hour naps a day and sleeping 12-13 hours at night!


You much prefer to hold your own bottle instead of having someone feed you…quite an independent little boy already!
You will eat baby food and a few different kinds of big people food…but don’t much care for either of them. You are happy to just have your bottle every three hours.
You experienced your first Christmas season with all of the fun and festivities and loved it all…especially the lights!


You continue to amaze us with how adaptive you are with what you have. You can pick almost anything up…even the smallest items! You can bend over almost to where your face touches he floor, pick up your toy, and sit back up!
You are the happiest baby I have ever known!
You gabber such things as mama and dada…and are starting to say Mama with intention!
Making clicking noises and blowing raspberries is something you love to do!
You absolutely love the water! We take you to the Kroc center 1-2 times a week and go swimming in the big pool and you think its wonderful!
Israel…we love you so much and are so proud of you! You are a miracle and a blessing to us each and every day!

Merry Christmas!

~ Our Christmas newsletter...from our family to yours ~

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that it is almost the end of 2009 already! This year has flown by for us! It has been an amazing one of blessings and joy. We are coming up on the 2 year mark of owning our own business. God has continued to show that he is faithful in this area by bringing lots of jobs our way, even despite the economy. We always say our business is run by God’s economy, not this world! In fact our business has been doing so well that we had to hire a bookkeeper and a part time employee! Praise God! Owning our own business has been such a blessing to our family and has allowed us the flexibility and freedom to control our schedules, and thus our lives. Just this fall, Becca has taken on the position of Co-Children’s ministry director at church with another gal. This has been an awesome opportunity to sew into the little children’s lives at church and really make a difference for eternity.

Life with three kids is just as busy as it sounds. But honestly, we wouldn’t want it any other way! Again this year, Becca is able to stay home and homeschool Rachel and Jaxon. Last year was such a wonderful experience we wanted to do it again. Rachel is now 7 years old and in the 2nd grade. She loves getting her work done quickly and having the rest of the day to play! She is a super fast learner and enjoys reading and discovering new things with science. She read her first chapter book this year and has been breezing through them ever since! Rachel also did swimming lessons and gymnastics this year. Both were fun experiences for her. Jaxon is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. He is very bright and picks up on concepts fast. However his favorite subject in school is math and is flying through it! Jaxon did swimming lessons and played soccer this year. Jon was his soccer coach and they really enjoyed having this time together. Israel is 8 months old already and learning new things every day! He was born on March 18th. He came right into our lives and stole our hearts! He is a miracle and a huge blessing to our family. He has overcome many challenges and obstacles already and is thriving! As many of you know, we have a blog dedicated to him. We update it regularly with any new information on him and what’s going on in his life. Feel free to check out the link below.

We pray that this Christmas season will be a time for you to reflect on all of the blessings God has given you and your family over the past year. We pray your Christmas is filled with love and laughter…and the joy of Jesus.

All our love,
Jon, Becca, Rachel, Jaxon & Israel Turkington

Santa Baby

This week we took the kids to see Santa. I was a bit nervous at how Israel would respond because it has been just recently that he has really started developing stranger anxiety. Rachel went first...


Then Jaxon...


All while Israel watched. Then it was his turn. I sat him down, and he turned and looked at Santa...and just stared!


No Crying!!!


I was so thankful he did so well and that I was able to get so many great pictures! Of course I have to share them with you all!

Self Diagnosis

You may remember a post a few months back about Israel having a rash. He had a continual rash for over three months...no one could figure out what it was, we saw two doctors and then a pediatric dermatologist...yet no one could find what was causing the rash. We tried multiple creams and other medicines. We even did a culture...yet no results. I was bound and determined to find the cause of this rash. So I started doing some research on my own and decided to give something a try. I took every piece of clothing Israel owned and washed it all with "ALL Free and Clear" with an extra rinse at the end. I also wash all of our families laundry and towels and such the same way. Guess what happened...the rash was almost completely gone in 3 days! I was shocked! And so thankful to have found the answer to sweet Izzy's rash! To this day it has never come back!

8 Months Old

Hey Israel ~ You're 8 Months old!
What are you up to these days?


*It seems as though this last month has brought along big changes for you. You have grown and changed in so many ways!
*You sit all on your own...and pretty much wouldn't have it any other way these days!



*You weight 16 pounds and are 26 inches long! You have grown tons this month!
*You are enjoying exploring new foods and are willing to try just about anything. Although we learned at Thanksgiving that mashed potatoes are one of your new favorites!
*You are learning how to play with new toys and getting creative about how to adapt them to meet your needs.



*You took your first trip to the snow...which you mostly slept through!
*You have found a new love for the water and enjoy our twice a week swimming at the Kroc Center!
*Baby Einstein movies totally captivate you! If you are really into it you will watch it through the entire 30 minutes!



*Since it's winter time around here, the dogs have been spending a lot more time in the house...and you LOVE them! You get so giddy and excited every time you see them!
*The jumparoo is one of your new best friends! You can actually bounce in it and find a lot of pleasure moving around in it!
*As I say every month...you continue to surprise and amaze us every day. You are bright and curious and you are going to continue to do amazing things. We love you precious miracle of ours!