Crafts

Here are just a few of the projects I had going for Christmas this year. Some of them are yet to be delivered (or finished - oops!), but I don't think the recipients frequent my blog. If you do, act surprised. ;)

My mom got this lovely apron, a la Andrew:


I made crayon rolls for the little people in our lives.


The girly ones are not quite finished. Luckily, our world is 99% boys!


Taggie blankets! One has been gifted. The rest are for friends who are expecting 2009 babies.


And a book for Abigail. It's a soft, fabric book - but it's not rocket science to assemble. LOL! This was probably my easiest project.

Catch Up

Gosh - this is the hard thing for me. If I can't be consistent about blogging, I avoid it all together. Blah. So here, a couple months have zipped by. Let's recap:

November
Abigail turned 9 months old! She started waving, and towards the end of the month she started saying, "Baaah!" while she waved. She wrinkles her nose and makes some cute faces. She loves to eat finger foods and anything else she can get her hands on. I gave Andrew a half of a banana and she grabbed the other half. And ate it. She started showing some interest in pulling up - but really only by climbing on Mommy and Daddy. Oh - she also learned to throw her arms up in the air for "So big!!"

Andrew turned THREE. Eeks! What a big boy he has become! His imagination amazes me and he says the funniest things every single day. For awhile, he was calling me "honey." He goes potty on his own (for #1) pretty much all the time. He still loves running around in his underwear and wearing the coolest socks he can find. They are his tires, after all.

As a family, we had our first family picture taken. Mommy, Daddy, and Andrew were healthy and in good spirits. Poor Abigail was under the weather and turned out to have an ear infection. Poor thing! We had the pictures taken anyway.



December
Abigail is starting to find her knees, as I like to put it. She's rocking on her knees and testing out real crawling. She's still much faster doing her army crawl, but those knees have helped her pull up on more things. Besides her waving and saying, "Bye!" (even for 'hello', or just for something to do - not exclusively for goodbye-ing), she's started saying "Uh oh!" and babbling up a storm.

This week, both kids were in their chairs eating lunch. Andrew kept saying, "Bike. Bike, bike, bike. B starts with bike. Bike. BIKE!" Out of nowhere, Abigail says, "Bike!" I looked at Andrew and said, "Did you hear that?" Andrew, very unimpressed, says, "Yeah, she said bike." He couldn't care less. Abigail also moved on, to more non-sense babbling.

Andrew's vocabulary is growing like crazy. He uses words like, "creature" and "car transporter." He's loving the Christmas carols right now, and sings them at the top of his lungs. He loves playing with Rugby. Oh - and his birthday present - a train table. Fun stuff! He also got a kids' shovel recently, so he can "help" us clear the sidewalks and driveway.

I will do better about posting. Both of my sweet babes do something just about daily that is blog-worthy. Funny stuff from Andrew. Lots of firsts for Miss Abigail. For now, Merry Christmas!

Fall

We've been busy this fall. Back to school for me. A new building and lots of new things to figure out. Back to Aunt Kim's for the kids. The sun is rising later and setting sooner, making it feel like the days truly are shorter and time is going faster.

We made some time to go get pumpkins last week. We tried to pick pumpkins in the 'pumpkin patch' at this apple orchard. But hmm... I guess they call it an organic patch. Which really means, good luck finding a pumpkin amongst the weeds.





But we found a couple, and then picked a couple more out of the front - where hundreds were pre-picked for your shopping convenience.




It's also officially fall. The leaves have really started to turn and fall. We made a little pile of leaves this week - perfect for jumping.



All in all, things are going really well for our little family. The kids are growing and changing. Andrew has started with the "Why? Why? Why?" Abigail is army crawling like nobody's business. We're trying to stop and smell the roses - or - as we did this week - the leaves!

Quotables

Man, this kid keeps crankin' out the one-liners. Three is going to be a fun year, I can tell!

All from the past 2 days:

Andrew: (speaking gibberish at dinner) "Yuiejhg skjouk wewowom nuquimk blaaa."
Daddy: "Andrew, are you speaking in tongues?"
Andrew: "No, Daddy. I eating my yogurt."



Also at the table - this time it was lunch with Mommy:
Andrew: "Mommy, I funny."
Mommy: "Oh yeah?"
Andrew: "CanIeatasquirrel?!? Moahhahaha!!" (hysterical laughter)
Andrew: "I funny."

On the potty:
Andrew: "Mommy, I stink."
Mommy: "Did you poop?"
Andrew: "No, Mommy. I stink. I just need the fan on."

Baby talk

Last week the kids had to stay home from daycare - so daddy took the day off to stay home with them. I called to check in on them a few times, and things were running smoothly. At the end of the school day, I hurried home to find Andrew still napping and a very happy baby Abigail in the basement playroom with daddy. She was chillin' in the walker.

Of course it warmed my heart to see her light up when she saw me. I miss these guys when I'm at work. And while it might sound a little self-centered, sometimes it's nice to feel missed.



So Abigail gives me some big smiles, then she looks right at me and says, "BA. BA BA BA." Now, this wasn't just happy "Bababababa" babbles, which still would've made my day. But she "spoke" right at me and seemed to be so proud of herself. Like, "Look what I figured out today, Mom." I'm not sure what it was about that moment, but my heart just about burst.

She continues to babble - although I haven't heard the "Ba ba ba" again. It seems to be a different sound each day. This morning when I got her out of her crib, she looked at me and gave me, "Geeeee!" So all day today, "Gee! Geegeegee. GEE!"

And finally, for the purposed of bookkeeping (as this is sort of my online baby book), Miss Abigail has figured out how to sit independently. Rarely tipping over. This is about 6.5 months. She also does a mean army crawl, which has established itself over the past 2-3 weeks. She throws her head forward and to the side, rocking her body and pulling along with her arms. But, man... she gets where she needs to go! Usually to Andrew's toys!

Goin' for a Walk

We went for lots of walks this summer. Sometimes Abigail would be in the stroller and Andrew would walk (er... run. He has one speed: run). Sometimes I would carry Abigail in the Baby Bjorn and Andrew would ride. This was a workout for mommy.



Today we walked to the library. We found some books, looked at the gardens and the fountain out back, and walked home. Fun stuff!



For the transportation-loving book enthusiasts (particularly in the 2-6 age range), we found some cute and funny books today:

Three Little Rigs: A spoof on the classic pig tale, but with trucks

Hansel and Diesel: A truck-version of the kids who eat the candy house

While both are 'cautionary tales' and a teensy bit violent for truck lovers (near-death experiences for the good guys, death by melting/grinding for the bad guys), they are really cute stories. Andrew has asked us to read each one several times already.

Are you God?

Andrew and Daddy have been sharing some Bible stories at bedtime. Andrew has a little children's Bible and another book of Bible stories. I'm not sure exactly which one they read at bedtime - or how many stories. I do know that Andrew says a short prayer at dinner time that sounds something like this:

"Thank you God... for my Daddy. For my Mommy. For Abigail. For Rugby. And thank you for Jesus. Aaaaaaaamen."

That's generally what it sounds like, give or take a few 'thank you's'.

So when Ryan came down from bedtime chuckling this weekend, I didn't know what to expect. He had read some stories with Andrew, and then Andrew looked at Daddy and asked:

"Daddy, are you God?"

Heh. Not exactly, little buddy. Ryan explained that Jesus is God. God is in heaven. Some of those basics. But how do you begin to explain this to a two-year-old? This is new territory.


Cloud-watching this summer


Oh - and one more. Just tonight I was giving the kids a bath. I start bathing the kiddos, then Ryan comes and takes one of them and gets them in pajamas and whatnot. Tonight he came and got clean Andrew out of the tub. He wrapped him up in a big towel and picked him up.Andrew was all swaddled up and he LOVES this. "Aww, baby Andrew," Daddy teased him. "Are you a baby?"

"I'm baby Moses!" Andrew says. Silly kid. Gotta give him credit. He's got a great memory!

Six Months

Happy six months old, sweet Abigail!

A half a year has passed since your birth. While some of those moments have seemed long (there have been a few long nights, sweetheart), your little life has zipped by so far.

You are rolling all over the place now. Rolling for fun and rolling with purpose. You try to grab Rugby, but he's still faster than you. You spot toys and wriggle your way closer to them. You don't crawl, but you've got this wiggle that starts with driving your head into the carpet and kicking your legs up. Not exactly prety, but effective. Between your wiggle and reeeeeeaching your chubby little arms, you are starting to keep Andrew on his toes. His toys are treasures to you.

You weigh 15 pounds and measure 24.5 inches. You are a small little thing, but you manage to have some chubby cheeks and legs. We love every inch of you. Go easy on us - we want to slow down and enjoy the second half of your first year.

Woopty Woop

Ahh... I've experienced many funny speech things in my work. Now it's my turn to see these silly speech patterns at home, in my own children. Here's a conversation I had with Andrew today:

"Wook, Mommy! I made a woopty woop!" He's made a circle out of train tracks. A loopty loop, of course.

"Oh, wow! You made a woopty woop?" Bad modeling, mama. But it sounded so cute, I couldn't resist saying it back to him in his cute way.

"NO! Not a woopty woop. A WOOPTY WOOP." Like, duh, mom.

Hee hee... it's so much funnier when it's your own kid!

Giggles and Rolls

Abigail is developing quite a personality! She copies our laughs, she smiles and flirts, rolls all over the place, and can usually get a toy or her pacifier in her mouth by herself. She also has learned the 'dropsies' game in the high chair. I was trying to get some stuff done in the kitchen today, so Andrew was coloring and I kept handing Abigail toys. I call this picture, "Gravity":

Trucks!

Last weekend we went to a local "Touch a Truck" day. All sorts of community vehicles were there and kids could climb up and sit in them. And honk them. It was a bit loud.

Andrew was in his element. He loved all the big trucks, diggers, dozers, semis, etc. Here are some highlights.

Summer's End

This is my last week of summer vacation. Next week I start back to work. And, while I'm excited to be working just three days per week instead of five, I'm still feeling blue about summer ending. When Andrew was a peanut, that first summer, I had a hard time being home. No routine, no structure, nowhere to go? I don't know, but I felt restless. Last summer I was newly pregnant and very ill. It was mostly a blur.

But this summer. This has been pure joy. I'm not a brand new mommy anymore - I found the guts to travel all over with two wee ones. Everywhere except the grocery store. I'm still not that brave. But we went to beaches - big and little, the zoo, children's museums, parks, picnics, walks, blueberry picking, visiting family, and much much more. The blissful part of summer is that we could do all that but still not feel rushed or hurried. It has been wonderful.

So last night I told Ryan, "This is my last week at home. I don't know if I should try to cram it full of lots of fun things. Or if I should just stay at home and play with my babies." Today we stayed home. Played outside. Made a chalk racetrack for Andrew to "ride" his bike (read: sit on it and walk with his feet).






Before the day really got going, before the racetrack and lunch and tantrums around naptime, we had a sweet morning. Abigail dozed off on me and I reclined a bit on the couch. Andrew came over with his favorite yellow blanket and cuddled up with us. Awww... how long will both of my babies fit on me like that? Hopefully they'll still fit next summer. Cuz mommy isn't ready to give that up.

Zoo!

We went to the zoo last Saturday! It was a perfect day, too. A little on the cool side, perfect for strolling around outside. The kids both did great and we saw some cool animals.


The highlight was feeding the giraffes. You can buy crackers and these dudes are ready to eat. They just stick their faces right up there and grab the cracker with their huge tongues. Andrew thought it was funny at first. Then he decided, "You do it, Mommy." It was more fun to watch.



The first time we spotted the zebras, I asked Andrew, "Look! What are those black and white animals?" He answered, "Cows. Mooooo." I guess that could be right - had we been at a farm! Then he saw the zebras and caught on.



Abigail enjoyed the view from her favorite spot - the Baby Bjorn. But mostly, she snoozed in the stroller.



Daddy rode the train with Andrew. I think this train ride may have tied "Feeding the Giraffes" as Andrew's #1 activity of the day. He loved it! All in all it was a great day! And both kids slept on the ride home. What more can you ask for?

First bites

Today, for the first time, my baby girl tried some not-completely-liquid food. Well, it was rice cereal with breast milk, and it was pretty close to liquid. But it was her first non-milk meal, how about that?

We captured her first bite and first reaction on camera. She opened right up, like a little birdie. Heck, she's been trying to grab food from our hands and plates for awhile now. But once that oozy cereal hit her mouth, poor Abigail gave us quite a sour expression. She tried more and ended up eating about a dozen bites. Of course, much of that was pushed back out by her tongue. But she welcomed each spoonful.

I know Andrew started on these 'semi-solids' earlier in his young life. (We were hoping it would help him sleep longer at night!) But somehow, this still seems so early. Like my baby girl is too young for this. But she's getting bigger. More coordinated with her hands. More expressive with her laugh. And she might just be ready to join us at the table.

I don't know how that cereal mush tasted to Abigail, but to me, it was bittersweet.

Time of Need

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

This verse popped out at me at church last weekend. I wasn't sure why - but I felt the need to write it down, post it somewhere prominent, and mull over it all week.

Early in the week, I was struck by the word "confidence." Reminded that we are not cowering in the presence of our Creator, but invited to approach Him with our concerns, our gratitude, our prayers - and to do so with confidence. Wow. That stretched my brain for a bit.

A couple days later, I was caught up in the last part - "time of need." Well, shoot. We're doing pretty well. We've been blessed with two beautiful children, health, family, friends, jobs, and we're surrounded by many comforts. It reminded me that many of my prayers lately have been for the true needs other people. And for personal growth - to learn more about seeking God with all my heart. But I hadn't really felt any strong "needs," per say.

Thursday we got news of some changes at hubby's job. Not life-altering yet. But a sign of the times. I guess it's cheaper to pay someone overseas to do a techie job than it is to pay someone in the States. While I trust that God will provide for us - and even more, that He'll use this change to challenge us and bless us in new ways - still I admit that my heart fluttered with panic for a moment. We've grown accustomed to hubby's income. It's allowed us to have these comforts, to let me work part-time or take an unpaid maternity leave.

His job is secure at the moment, but change is in the air. And it brought this verse back to my mind. This time it's the "grace to help us in our time of need" part. I pray that I'll find that grace, and continue to search for it with confidence.

Blueberries

I really wanted to pick some blueberries this summer. Some to enjoy now, some to freeze for later. My mom and I went this week with FOUR kids ages 3 and under. Call us crazy, but it worked out okay. I didn't get quite as many berries as I'd hoped, but I'm not sure if that is because of the kiddos or because it's a little too early in the season. I hope to get back out there in another week or so - possibly kid-free - to get more blueberries.



I have to say, Andrew took this blueberry picking thing quite seriously. For being 2 and a half, he had more focus than I thought he might. He really searched for the blue ones - and got excited when he found one.

Letting go

What a big boy you're becoming, Andrew! You've summoned the courage to go down slides by yourself. You have always been a cautious kid - not one to run right to the edge or tumble down stairs. But I take the blame for your hesitation at the playground. Last summer you were the perfect age to climb and explore and be a rough 'n tumble boy. You were 18 months - 2 years old. You had lots of energy to burn.

But last summer we learned that our family would be growing. You would be a big brother soon. And, for mommy, that meant a sick tummy and trouble getting off the couch for those beautiful summer days. Daddy took you to the park sometimes. So did some of our family and friends.



It wasn't until this spring that I really saw you try to tackle a slide and a playground. And my oh my - you were nervous. Slowly, the fearful cries turned into "Mommy, you slide with me?" and then "Hold my hand, Mommy." Finally, mid-summer, you've built up your confidence enough to go it alone.



What a big boy you are! I'm proud of you for doing what seems so hard for me to do - letting go. When you finally did let go, your face lit up like a Christmas tree. I love that you're careful and cautious, but I hope you keep learning when it's okay to let go.

Five Months Old

Happy Five Months, baby girl! You've been a joy since you arrived, Abigail. In the past weeks, we've watched your personality start to emerge. Giggles, raspberries, squeals. You love to go where the action is. You're happiest when mommy is holding you and carrying you around. Partly because it's mommy, but partly because you love to watch everything and everybody. And your brother. Holy smokes, he can make you laugh.

I love watching you grow and change. But it is so bittersweet. I peek ahead and think of what the next month holds: baby food, learning to sit, maybe adding a high chair back to the kitchen table. And while it's exciting to see you morph into this little person with likes and dislikes, it's so hard to say goodbye to the previous stage. The cuddles, snuggles, first smiles. I'm trying hard not to think about how big you'll be in five more months. Let's just enjoy today and try to burn these memories into my brain.

I hope...

I hope that you remember this love that you have for one another. I hope you can always make each other laugh and smile. While I'm sure there will be bickering, I hope you'll always stand up for each other. I hope you will grow up to be good friends.

Andrew, you're so excited about everything your sister does. I hope you never lose that enthusiasm and pride for her accomplishments. Abigail, while still being so very little, you love to look up to your big brother. I hope you will always try to cheer him when he's down and comfort him when he's sad.


What a wonderful gift you've been given - to have a sibling who loves you so much. I hope that never changes.

But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more. Psalm 71:14

Humble

I had a profound thought today. Well, a rather simple thought that struck me as profound. There will always be somebody better. I mean, I like to think that I'm doing a good job as a mother. But I no sooner think this thought, showering myself in some pride, and I hear myself snap at my sweet boy or scowl at a fussy baby. Surely there are more patient parents. Ones who talk more lovingly and gently to their children.

Likewise, I think to myself, "What a good.... cake I baked - deal I got - picture I took - etc." But there will always be a better cook (many of those!), a better bargain, a more breathtaking picture. To me, this lesson is more than resisting the urge to compare myself to others. The "Keeping up with the Jones'" bit. It's an important lesson God is teaching me in humility. In learning to be humble and meek, without belittling or devaluing myself. It's a fine line, if you ask me. But it's one I'm eager to walk.

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12

Distraction

I don't consider myself the best housekeeper in the world, but I try. I try to stay on top of the piles of laundry. I try to do a once over with the vacuum and Swiffer every once 'n awhile. I try to clean the smudges off the windows and tv. I really try.

But today, there was a greater force working against me. Not just the pleas and cries of my little ones. But the greater calling of nature. It was one of those perfect days outside. Not too warm, not too cool. 100% sunny with a sweet summer breezy. Perfect.

So that is my excuse for a messy house today. We had to get outside and soak up some sun. The dishes (and laundry and dust and dirt) will still be there when the sun goes down.

No Greater Joy

Here we go. I'm setting out into the world of blogging. I hope to record memories of my life, my children, and my walk with God. My kids are still pretty little, but I still feel like the youngster. A true child of God. I am learning that there is no greater joy and no deeper love than that of our Creator. Through Him, I'm blessed with the joys of motherhood. Joys that fill my heart to its limits. With a love so deep, it can only come from Him.