6 months

I made this little video of Jenna now that its her "half-birthday". It goes along with the music that is already playing, so you don't need to turn the player off at the bottom of the blog. :) Hard to believe the time has gone by so fast! I don't know her measurements yet as we haven't been to the doctor for her check-up yet, but I will post that in another post when we go. She is growing so fast and loves playing with Joshua and her cousin Elisha who is 2 1/2 months older than she is. In two weeks though she won't be the only girl - my little sister, Vanessa, is due to have her baby - Caitlyn Jane - on the 17th of June. That will make the score even with grandkids for my dad and Sherrie - 2 girls and 2 boys. Hope you enjoy the video.

Preach it!

We were up at my parents last night to visit some friends who were visiting from Cali. My dad was going to read the devotion right after dinner, and while he read, this is what Joshie had to say about it:

FAKER!

I know its hard to believe that this "little angel" could ever do something like what I am going to tell you about. I do have to give him credit for being incredibly creative for a one and a half year old! I don't know many kids his age who have attempted the following stunts......

DISCLAIMER: All these were catured right before he got in trouble and in the past two days...

First up: Yesterday it got very quite in the afternoon and I took a break from unloading the dishwasher to see what he was up to. This is what I found hime doing: unlocking and relocking the front door.....

Of course he was immediately punished as he can easliy fall of his little chair and hurt himself on the hard-wood flood. It was snack time, so we preceeded into the kitchen and put him into his chair to eat. We were having yogurt (nomulk as he says) today. I guess he didn't like the fact that I wouldn't let him watch Cars because he didn't take a nap today and he had already watched Word World (his new favorite show) and Super Why in the morning. This is what he had to say about it: Oh and he made these faces JUST FOR THE CAMERA!!!

Just remember your mommy when you become a famous thespian!

So that concluded yesterday. Enough events for me anyways. Well, today we are struggling with nap time again. He doesn't want to take a nap anymore he wants to play. So bad in fact that he stands at the gate blocking his room saying in the most pathetic little tones "play" and "water". I used to think he was thirsty. Nope - he wants in the pool! I guess he's a fish just like I was. :) Well, today he managed to move his bed across the room, throuw his laundry on the floor, spread the blankets around and I found him lying in the bed with his feet on the closet! Here's what the room looked like:

I put him back in his bed and was moving the bed back where it goes when he jumped and was trying to "play". He hit his fact on the little plastic side of the bed. Of course "playtime" was then over. I felt bad for him but also told him that's why we don't play during naptime. Sleepy baby boys need to sleep or they get hurt when trying to play. Needless to say he has his first "accident" from playing....I know there's many more to come. You can see it a little by his eye

Well, its been 2 hours now....and still no sleeping baby! I guess I'd better go make sure he's at least "resting" in his bed....maybe he'll close his eyes for an instant and then he'll fall asleep. Too bad he knows that's what will happen - that's why he doesn't stay in his bed for too long - he might actually fall asleep!

Look out world!

Here she comes!!! She might not be fast yet - but she is practising ALL the time!!

Two Peas in a Pod

Being the mother of two under two has its challenges, but it also has endless rewards. Take for example the fact that since the two kids are only 14 months apart, they think that they are twims a lot of the time. Forget the "big kid" toys - most of the time you will find Joshua playing with Jenna on the floor with the Leap Frog Music Table (the legs are off right now so she can reach it).

After playing a while, he crawls around trying to show Jenna how to do it. She's almost crawling - goes backwards quite well, but still struggles in going forward. Its so funny to watch them now as they are so intune with eachother. I know why they call it "Irish Twins" now.....I LOVE IT! I seriously wouldn't have it any other way.....plus, then they get tired together and just crash....

I just hope this continues when they are oder - say 12 and 13 when the "teenage years" come into play. I am sure they will drive each other nuts - but I know that they have a bond only I could have ever dreamed about! Here's a little sneak peak of them (notice the "joshie language" that we hear quite often)

Swimming!

With the summer weather comes pool time! On Memorial Day, Jason had off and so he set up the litttle pool for the kids on our patio. It is so nice for the kids to be able to play in a pool that is just the right size for them. As you can see they really enjoyed themselves!!! Here's Jenna in her little baby float....

She loved the pool because she could touch the bottom and "walk" all around the pool. She thought it was so much fun to be able to be a "big girl" and be able to play like her brother
I was surprised we were out there for so long - an hour!! That's a record with them being so small. Joshua liked playing with the aligator thermometer and the clorine tablet floaty. He had fun splashing and pretending to "jump in the pool".
It looks like a long, but fun summer ahead of us. I am hoping to teach Joshie how to swim, or at least go underwater this summer. Look for a new vieo if we accomplish that!

The summer has just begun!!!

Storytime

Even though Joshie can't read yet, I love having storytime with him. He amazes me how he "knows" his book. Take a look at storytime this morning: (You might need to pause the music player at the bottom of the blog...)

Astro's Game

Last night our church had a family night at Minute Maid Park to watch the Astros take on the Phillies. For you non-sports peeps out there - that's baseball. For anyone who knows me - you know that I love baseball!! Granted, we are in Texas now and I do "support" the Astros, but my heart still belongs to the Dodgers. Just wanted to get that out there if any of you are wondering why I am wearing a Dodger visor to an Astros game! :) Joshua did pretty good during the game considering it started around his bedtime. Here's Jason and Joshie before the game:

We lasted until the 7th inning and the Astro's were leading Philly 3 - 1. I wish we would have stayed though as the game got really exciting in the last 2 innings! The 'Stro's closer got nailed by a line drive ball in the cheek and still stayed in the game! The final score was Houston 4 - Philly 3.

Here's Jenna and I before the game. I am glad she still likes the sling so much - made it so much easier than trying to hold her still on my lap. She was perfectly content just watching the game. Me personally, I can't wait until July 1 - 3...The Dodgers are coming to town! I am hoping we will be able to go. :)

What do you think??

So I was playing around on the internet this morning while Joshie was finishing breakfast and I found this website that is supposed to tell you who your kid reesembles more. I get told all the time that they look exactly like me. I think Joshie is starting to look more like Jason though.... Here's what the "almightly look-a-like meter" has to say:

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Roots - Dynasty

It kinda depends on what picture you select though too - I chose a different picture for Jenna and it said 6% more like Jason, but i changed it because she was wearing a hat. Kinda funny though and interesting.......I did this when Joshie was little and it said "equal" too....hmmmm....

Sittin' Pretty

It might not be for very long,but as of last week Jenna Elizabeth can sit up!! Yeah Jenna-girl!! She is devoting most of her time to crawling so she can chase her big brother :)

Summer Days

You know when summer is right around the corner when you are able to sit out side in the sun and have a picnic and think about getting wet - or going swimming...That has been this week. It's been warm here this week - low 90's and since we don't have a pool, we improvise! Sprinkler!! I thought that Joshie would like the water sprinkler, but he was a little scared of it still. So, we laid out his "Cars" towel and had some lunch snacks and I let him get hot before taking him into the sprinkler with me to cool him down. That was a little better...still unsure, but next time it will be better. And yes, Grandma Lil - I put lots of sunscreen on us. :)

Jenna on the other hand looked like she couldn't wait to be big enough to just run out there and splash in the sprinkler. But she sat contently in her little walker in the shade and watched us.

Here's a little video of Joshie and Jenna:

26

I turned 26 this past Thursday (May 15th) and I think this was the first birthday that I wasn't really all that thrilled about. I had really enjoyed being 25 and all the wonderful things that it held. Don't get me wrong 25 was also the hardest year yet. There were a lot of financial and career decisions that were tough - but worth it - and our marriage is in its 3rd year which is finally feeling like we "know" each other beyond that new married state. PLus two kids in two years really "jump started things" LOL. Wouldn't change it for the world.

Anyways; I was truely blessed this year for my birthday. Jason really stepped up and took initiative and had the whole evening planned. He arranged for my dad and Sherrie to come over to watch the kiddos. We then had a quick bite to eat before heading off to a mystery location...The movies. I know that that might sound a little "teenagerish" - but how often to we get to go to the movie theaters alone?? Knowing that the kind of movies I like, he had pre-bought our movie tickets to see Narnia: Prince Caspian on opening day!!

The movie was awesome and the only problem was there was a glitch in the film reel . It was an adventurous scene and then everything just stopped and the lights came on!! Looking back it was kinda funny - a sort of intermission to the whole thing- just at the wrong time. We came home and the kids were in bed and asleep. Such a wonderful evening. So far being 26 is alright. I guess I'll give it a few more weeks to grow on me...

Pictures

These are some pictures my sister, Jessica, took and edited of the kids last month.

Boys....

All I have to say is that boys will be boys...... He was supposed to be taking a nap....

Mother's Day 2008

It's kinda hard to see, but Joshie colored this card for me in Sunday School for Mother's Day. Even though last year was my first mother's day, this one was special. This was the first time my baby was old enough to make me something for mother's day! I remember all the projects, cards, etc. That I would make for my mom. When I got older I thought that they were ugly, and how could she stand to keep them!! I made her a puzzle piece pin one year, a clay ring holder another year, and countless other projects. Now I know why she not only kept them but was proud of them - they were made with so much love that you can't help but love them and show them off. You might see a pre-cut card that says "mom" with Josh and Jenna's picture, but I see a creative 1 year old who loves to color and made mommy something special to show he loves me.

Jason also made it special for me this year. He took me out to a tuscan restaurant right on the waterway - Brio. Altough there was a long wait (Prom night somewhere) it was worth it. He arranged for my sister and brother in law to watch the kids and I was able to spend an evening with my love - just like old times. That was on Saturday night.

The actual day of Mother's Day we spent with my dad and his wife and then all joined up for a casual dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. Its always fun to eat together and spend some quality time together. We learned though that Joshie and Elisha can't sit next to each other - they are too worried about playing together and forget to eat their dinner. Joshua also informed us (and the rest of the restaurant) that he knows where his belly button is. The funny thing is that he can't quite say "button" so it comes out "butt"....LOL...Here's the video of it:

Jenna and "Shy-sha"

My nephew, Elisha, was born in September of 2007 and is a few months older than Jenna. Its awesome because he and Jenna love playing together and are really close already. Joshie loves him too and calls him "Shy-sha". Elisha was over on Saturday with my sister and bro-in-law and he and Jenna had a reat time playing together:

It Finally Happened

I know I said earlier that we were working on Joshie's room and getting ready to transition the two kiddos this summer. Well, I guess Joshie was ready for his big boy bed! Last Thursday he crawled out of his crib - didn't even cry - and was playing instead of taking a nap. I thought it would be hard for him to go to sleep and all that because he could "get out" of bed now so easily. The first night it took him about an hour to wear down and discover that ths is where he is supposed to sleep. Thank God I watch a lot of Supernanny and used some of her tips in there. It made for a quick and easy transition. The first night was the only night he gave any trouble. He goes to hius bed and loves to go "nite nite" in it!

Jenna then was able to move out of our room (she was in the pack-n-play) to the nursery! She sleeps better in there and although its across the house to get her, we're working on sleeping through the night. Its kind anice to have our bedroom back to ourselves! More room too!

Baby on the move

I don't know if you can tell from the picture above, but that's Jenna - and she's about 3 feet away from where I put her and flipped over, and in the opposite direction! Yeah, like I said she would surprise us all and "just do it". Well, she was playing with the ocean wonders aquarium and when I returned 5 minutes later from the laundry, there she was - trying to crawl around and wondering how in the world she can get back to where she started. Pretty soon she'll be chasing her big brother around and giving him a run for his money!

Whole-latta Happenings

This week has felt like a huge whirlwind - in a good way. There's just been a lot going on in our little family this past week. For starters, I am wrapping the school year up at Legacy Prep. Christian Academy. For those of you who don'w know, it's a God send for us. It is a University Model School which means the kids come to school on Mondays and Wednesdays (PreK - 6th) or Monday, Wednesday and Friday (7 - 12th) while the parents watch over studies on off days. I have double classtime on Monday and Wednesday which enables me to teach the two or three lessons so that all they have to do on Tuesday is a little extra homework. It allows me to "got out of the house" and still do what I love during the week, but still have three week days with my kids. The best part is that Joshie and Jenna go to school with me!! And boy does Joshie love going to school. He gets his backpack on and runs to the car shouting "school!" I hope this excited attitude will stick in there for the next 17 plus years!!

One of the funny things that Joshie has done this week is learn to jump. He gets so excited and we jump, dance and play here at home with the radio together that he wants to try and jump on his own....Here's a silly video of him trying to jump....soon he'll get it:

Jenna has been working on crawling still and sitting up on her own. She almost has the sitting part down. I've noticed that she is more of an observer and just watches everything. One day she will just decide that she knows how to crawl and start crawling around....just wait and see. As of right now she kinda crawls backwards but is more content on just rolling over. Most of the time she is just content to "be". Joshie likes playing with her, and she absolutely loves her big brother. Here's a picture of her at church this past Sunday playing on the foam mat while I set up the nursery:

Joshua really made my day on Monday morning. On the way to school it was a "typical Monday" - tiredness from the weekend and a dreary day outside. I was frustrated with traffic and then remembered my sweet little ones in the backseat. So, I told Joshie like I do many times, "I love you". Out of nowhere this little voice that could only be him replyed back, "I love you"....It made my day!!! Granted I can't get him to say it again, and of course I didn't have my camera ready!! I hope to get it again on film. It was the sweetest thing.

We're also slowly getting Joshie's room set up. Its a slow process. I finally moved his toddler "big boy" bed into the room so that he could get acustomed to it before we actually let him sleep in it. Boy am I glad I did that! He was so wound up and excited, he didn't take a nap that day! Here's a smal clip of his excitement:

I hate to say it, but what sort of excitement will next week hold?? Only God knows that!

Caught Ya!!

Like I said - being a mom of two under two is always exciting! Praise God Jenna can't walk yet...

5 Months

Happy 5 Month Birthday to you!!

Jenna-girl is 5 months old today and she has grown the most this past month so far. She can almost sit-up by herself - she can stay sitting for about 10 seconds; and she grabs at everything! Jenna loves watching her brother play, tries to crawl around, and of course since there is so much to do - hardly ever takes a nap!! Her personality is coming out more as she likes to "talk" to people and cries when she is alone on the floor. Her favorite thing right now is to play with her plastic links and make them make noise. She smiles a lot and is becoming quite ticklish - which of course I have to do often. Her favorite food is pears and prunes (ew) mixed with rice cereal. Here's a few pictures of our little princess: