Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Remembering ...
"Trust is the bridge from yesterday to tomorrow, built with the planks of thanks. Remembering frames up gratitude. Gratitude lays out the planks of trust. I can walk the planks -- from known to unknown -- and know: He holds." - Ann Voskamp
Enough time has passed now that our journey through infertility and our difficult pregnancy aren't something I think about all the time. Days and weeks go by and I forget ... forget where we came from, forget the loss and anxiety and pain that brought us to where we are now. But remembering is good and therapeutic and always, always brings me a place of thankfulness. Thankful, of course, for our two little ones that bring more joy than we deserve. But thankful too for what we went through before them. Our marriage is stronger, our faith is deeper and we hear other people more fully and with more understanding than we ever could have without that period of waiting. We're walking through infertility right now with several friends that we love dearly and their stories become part of us just as our story is now part of them ... that's how it works. We learn from each other and grow together in trust and in prayer and we learn what it means to wait.
Enough time has passed now that our journey through infertility and our difficult pregnancy aren't something I think about all the time. Days and weeks go by and I forget ... forget where we came from, forget the loss and anxiety and pain that brought us to where we are now. But remembering is good and therapeutic and always, always brings me a place of thankfulness. Thankful, of course, for our two little ones that bring more joy than we deserve. But thankful too for what we went through before them. Our marriage is stronger, our faith is deeper and we hear other people more fully and with more understanding than we ever could have without that period of waiting. We're walking through infertility right now with several friends that we love dearly and their stories become part of us just as our story is now part of them ... that's how it works. We learn from each other and grow together in trust and in prayer and we learn what it means to wait.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Fun with Martha!
The other day Martha stopped by at just the right time to help me pack up the babies and head to the park! I had fun getting some pictures of her playing with Lukey (I had Amelia so I didn't get pictures of her). It's been a rainy week but since March is just around the corner I'm really hoping that we'll be getting more sunshine soon ... looking forward to easier outings with the babes. Thanks for your help Martha!
Oh, on a random note, there is a great sale for Carter's baby clothes right now at carters.com ... I stocked up on sleepers for next year since they were $2.99-$3.99 a piece! A great deal!
Oh, on a random note, there is a great sale for Carter's baby clothes right now at carters.com ... I stocked up on sleepers for next year since they were $2.99-$3.99 a piece! A great deal!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
A few of our favorite things ...
Luke and Amelia are getting old enough now to start showing their preferences ... and they aren't shy about letting us know!
Favorite toys: Amelia's would be the shopping cart. She played with Caroline's all last weekend so we got her one this week and she loves it (although not quite as much as Caroline's. When it's at your own house it's not quite so exciting!) I'm not someone who loves to shop, so of course since God has a sense of humor about these things, I'm sure my daughter will be :) Luke's would be my new iphone! He cries if he sees it and I don't let him have it. So funny how at such a young age they're both already drawn to electronics. They have plenty of toys with buttons that light up but they much prefer our phones. By the time they're three I'm sure they'll be teaching us things about our computers and phones!
Favorite foods: I've been having fun experimenting with new finger food recipes. There are two foods that they both just love and prefer over others. The first is cottage cheese pancakes, you can see a recipe here. I blend the ingredients all up in the blender first (I don't think this recipe says to, I also substitute whole wheat pastry flour for the white flour) I know it sounds a bit strange and I was skeptical when my dear friend Michelle made them for Scott and I several years ago, but they're seriously delicious. Luke and Amelia agree! The second is sweet potato fries. I just peel and thinly slice sweet potatoes and coat them in olive oil and broil them. Yum! They are gone quickly! I feel like there is a great deal of compromising with kids' diets between what they want to eat and what we want for them to eat, so it's nice when I can find things that are healthy AND they love them.
Favorite activities: Amelia loves dancing. She loves when Scott and I turn on music and twirl and dance around with her -- she just laughs and laughs. Luke is so proud that he can walk now! He'll walk without coaxing now and just grins as he walks across the room.
I'm sure I've said this before (and will probably continue to) but this age is my favorite so far. They are just so much fun!
Favorite toys: Amelia's would be the shopping cart. She played with Caroline's all last weekend so we got her one this week and she loves it (although not quite as much as Caroline's. When it's at your own house it's not quite so exciting!) I'm not someone who loves to shop, so of course since God has a sense of humor about these things, I'm sure my daughter will be :) Luke's would be my new iphone! He cries if he sees it and I don't let him have it. So funny how at such a young age they're both already drawn to electronics. They have plenty of toys with buttons that light up but they much prefer our phones. By the time they're three I'm sure they'll be teaching us things about our computers and phones!
Favorite foods: I've been having fun experimenting with new finger food recipes. There are two foods that they both just love and prefer over others. The first is cottage cheese pancakes, you can see a recipe here. I blend the ingredients all up in the blender first (I don't think this recipe says to, I also substitute whole wheat pastry flour for the white flour) I know it sounds a bit strange and I was skeptical when my dear friend Michelle made them for Scott and I several years ago, but they're seriously delicious. Luke and Amelia agree! The second is sweet potato fries. I just peel and thinly slice sweet potatoes and coat them in olive oil and broil them. Yum! They are gone quickly! I feel like there is a great deal of compromising with kids' diets between what they want to eat and what we want for them to eat, so it's nice when I can find things that are healthy AND they love them.
Favorite activities: Amelia loves dancing. She loves when Scott and I turn on music and twirl and dance around with her -- she just laughs and laughs. Luke is so proud that he can walk now! He'll walk without coaxing now and just grins as he walks across the room.
I'm sure I've said this before (and will probably continue to) but this age is my favorite so far. They are just so much fun!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Boise videos ...
Scott took Amelia to see GG Ruth at her retirement home while I stayed back with Luke since he had been sick last week. I loved that he got this video of Ruth and Amelia together. Precious. I also had to include this one of Scott making all three babies laugh. Love that man.
Boise!
Whew -- we got home this afternoon from a whirlwind trip to Boise to visit family. It was a really good trip. Probably the best yet in terms of the logistics of traveling with kids. We flew this time instead of driving which felt much easier and the fact that my sister's baby girl is only a few months younger makes it very easy to stay at their place with two one-year olds. It's totally baby-proofed which is so great when they're going in different directions :) Having my mom travel with us was also amazingly helpful. A 3:2 ratio makes things like airport security lines much more manageable!
Luke and Amelia loved having all the family around and so much attention and activity (and stealing all of Caroline's toys). It is so special to see all three babies playing together. I love the fact that they'll grow up together and be so close in age. Luke was getting over being sick (It's been a very.long.winter. This mama is ready for cold/flu season to be over!) so he was a bit overwhelmed at times with all of the activity but he did really well for not feeling so hot. My sister got the babes a birthday photo shoot for their first birthday so we had a lot of fun getting cousin pictures done. I'll attach a little video of the babies eating their cakes -- Amelia takes after me and has a terrible sweet tooth but Luke couldn't be less interested in treats. I've only offered them sweet things a few times and he spits them out! Silly monkey! For these pictures he's actually eating rice crackers because we couldn't get him to eat the cake :)
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| Amelia visiting Great-Grandma Ruth |
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| Cousins!! |
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| Amelia with Scott's cousin Kristy and her husband, Jim. |
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
13 months!
Luke and Amelia are 13 months old! I'll attach a few videos of their favorite activity right now -- cruising around and pushing whatever they can find -- chairs, toys, each other. I feel like in the last few weeks we've been getting more glimpses into their personalities. In the past I've been hesitant to verbalize too much about what I notice just because I don't want them to feel like they got labeled as "the quiet one" or whatever -- but they go through so many changes and I know that parts of what I notice will change and parts are likely there for good.
At this point, Amelia tends to come across as a bit shy. It takes her awhile to warm up to new people and new situations. When we got somewhere new she often will stay right by my side for a good 30 minutes before she's ready to venture out. She gets overwhelmed in big groups of people (the church nursery is not her favorite place, I usually get paged after about 10 minutes to come pick her up). She has a very sweet way of coming up to Scott or I and laying her head down on our lap or shoulder and looking up at us as if to say, "Mom, Dad, I sure do love you!" It melts my heart! She is very agreeable about things like having her teeth brushed and diaper changed (Scott and I both try to call dibs on Amelia when it comes time for baths/teeth brushing!) Amelia is an amazing sleeper. She usually sleeps at least an hour later than her brother in the morning and her naps are twice as long. Thank you baby girl!
Luke can be quite a ham! When I go to pick up Amelia in the nursery he's usually crawling around making friends with anyone and everyone. He is quick to laugh and his laugh is so contagious! ... but also these days quick to melt down. He's starting to throw tantrums (isn't it a little early?!) If I take away something he wants he'll scream and throw himself on the ground, kicking his feet. Really?! It can be hard not to laugh sometimes at his antics. Luke is an early riser but more often than not he'll fall back asleep on my chest (I move out to the couch with him so he doesn't wake up his sister) and we get a good hour of snuggle time which I love.
Everything I've read about parenting two at a time emphasizes the importance of one-on-one time for each kid which is something I've started trying to incorporate. The other day I left Lukey at my parent's house and took Amelia to the store with me. It felt so simple to just be able to put her in the cart and not navigate the double stroller :) It was so sweet to just get to be with one baby for an hour and focus all my attention on her. Luke will have to have a different type of outing since he tries to escape from the cart as quickly as possible!
Both babes are getting their molars right now ... ouch! Two of Amelia's have come through and poor Luke just has swollen gums. Now for the videos ...
At this point, Amelia tends to come across as a bit shy. It takes her awhile to warm up to new people and new situations. When we got somewhere new she often will stay right by my side for a good 30 minutes before she's ready to venture out. She gets overwhelmed in big groups of people (the church nursery is not her favorite place, I usually get paged after about 10 minutes to come pick her up). She has a very sweet way of coming up to Scott or I and laying her head down on our lap or shoulder and looking up at us as if to say, "Mom, Dad, I sure do love you!" It melts my heart! She is very agreeable about things like having her teeth brushed and diaper changed (Scott and I both try to call dibs on Amelia when it comes time for baths/teeth brushing!) Amelia is an amazing sleeper. She usually sleeps at least an hour later than her brother in the morning and her naps are twice as long. Thank you baby girl!
Luke can be quite a ham! When I go to pick up Amelia in the nursery he's usually crawling around making friends with anyone and everyone. He is quick to laugh and his laugh is so contagious! ... but also these days quick to melt down. He's starting to throw tantrums (isn't it a little early?!) If I take away something he wants he'll scream and throw himself on the ground, kicking his feet. Really?! It can be hard not to laugh sometimes at his antics. Luke is an early riser but more often than not he'll fall back asleep on my chest (I move out to the couch with him so he doesn't wake up his sister) and we get a good hour of snuggle time which I love.
Everything I've read about parenting two at a time emphasizes the importance of one-on-one time for each kid which is something I've started trying to incorporate. The other day I left Lukey at my parent's house and took Amelia to the store with me. It felt so simple to just be able to put her in the cart and not navigate the double stroller :) It was so sweet to just get to be with one baby for an hour and focus all my attention on her. Luke will have to have a different type of outing since he tries to escape from the cart as quickly as possible!
Both babes are getting their molars right now ... ouch! Two of Amelia's have come through and poor Luke just has swollen gums. Now for the videos ...
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