Pictures

Some of the moments of our lives the last few months.

 Feb 22--Giant chalk drawing

 Feb 25--A little b-ball at school

 Feb 27--At the library

 Feb 28--Tracing toes

 March 23--Snuggle time

 March 23--Popcorn and milkshakes for dinner (something I did as a kid)

 March 25--Some lovely bed head

 March 30--Playing Legos

 March 30--A round with Dad

 March 31--Park fun

 April 2--Nature art together

 April 7--Checking out the ants

 April 7--Thunder during dinner

April 8--Flying high at the park

 April 12--Beautiful day

 April 17--School swing

April 21--Spin art

The Lasts: As Good as the Firsts

I came across this blog post on Facebook a while back.  It really hit home for me at the time and just now going back and reading it again it struck again.  I think I do a pretty good job of taking in and capturing all the small, seemingly not-so-significant moments in our lives.  Those are the moments I wish I knew more about from my childhood so I try to capture them for Luke and Hannah.  The author of the post reminds us the very first firsts are sweet but so too are the very last lasts--the last time you hear 1, 2, 3, 7, 8; the last day of school before going to kindergarten at a new school; watching the first steps of your last child; understanding that your help isn't quite as necessary as it once was.  All of this is supposed to happen; children are supposed to grow up and flourish and learn; however, for this mama it's just a reminder to enjoy those small moments that really aren't so small after all.

Today...

…we are supposed to be in KC but we're here at home.

…LJ is sick with the flu for the second time this season (and hello it's MAY--there shouldn't be any more flu around).

…the kids are watching Frozen for the second time already and it's only 11 am.  (I really like the movie too--good, strong female characters that solve the problem on their own and then get the guy.)

…Troy will be home from work about noon (love 1/2 day Fridays).

…I am hoping to work outside and get some flowers planted.

…I am also hoping for a shower at some point.

…I have the second load of laundry in the washing machine with 3 more waiting to be done.

…some words that Hannah has said:

     --doovie (movie)

     --Hannah do it (a big fav right now)

     --No dress (code for not wanting to get dressed)

     --Mommy, I drawing.  (She wants some paper and pen.)

     --1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10 (We're working on the missing numbers.)

     --A, A, N, N, A (She wants to spell her name.)

…some words that Luke has said:

     --singing and/or belting out the words to "Let It Go"

     --I feel a little better.

     --I want a fruit by the foot.  (He didn't get it since his tummy a bit questionable.)

     --I don't want that medicine.  (The tamiflu does taste terrible.)

…the sun is shining and it's supposed to be a beautiful day.

…I need to remember that these moments at home with my kids are ones I will always cherish, sick or not.

Grateful

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.  This one is worth that and so much more that can't be seen.  It seems like an odd picture to choose but it's a moment I'll not forget anytime soon.  

It was last Thursday night around midnight.  We had arrived in Topeka just 5 hours earlier for the Easter weekend.  Hannah woke up crying and asking for daddy.  Daddy informed me that she had a temp so we got her some medicine and I was going to sit with her in a comfy chair for a bit until she calmed down and went back to sleep.  Well, she threw up on our way to the chair.  It was all over us--YUCK!  So we went to the bathroom to hang out, get clean and throw up some more.  It took Hannah about 30 minutes to calm down after she was done getting sick.  Troy grabbed the iPod to play some music to help her calm down which really helped.  During the 30 minutes, she went from sitting in my lap to sitting next to me to laying her head in my lap.  When she laid her head down in my lap I asked Troy to play something pretty calm and mellow hoping she would drift off to sleep.  Here's the moment I won't forget.  He played our song, "I Could Not Ask for More" by Sara Evans.  It made me tear up because even though I'd just been puked on and awakened in the middle of the night I couldn't ask for more.  I was taking care of my baby while my husband looked on in support all while knowing my son was sleeping peacefully in the next room.  It hit me as an odd time to be grateful but I was truly grateful for the moment and the song.  I sang to Hannah as tears fell from my eyes and looked to Troy with love.  Cheesy, maybe a bit but I'll remember the moment for a long time.

I Could Not Ask for More
Lying here with you
Listenin' to the rain
Smilin just to see
The smile upon your face

These are the moments
I thank god that I'm alive
These are the moments I remember all my life
I've found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

Looking in your eyes
Seein' all I need
Everything you are
Is everything at me

These are the moments
I know heaven must exist
These are the moments
I know all I need is this
I've found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together
Could not ask for more than this time with you

Every prayer has been answered, 
Every dream I've had come true.

Yeah right here in this moment, 
Is right where I'm meant to be, 
Oh here with you, 
Here with me. Yeah

These are the moments 
I thank god that I'm alive, 
These are the moments 
I remember all my life. 
I've found all I'm waiting for (yeah)
And I could not ask for more.

I could not ask for more than this time together
Could not ask for more than this time with you
Every prayer has been answered, 
Every dream I've had's come true

Yeah right here in this moment, is right where I'm meant to be, Oh here with you, here with me.

No I could not ask for more than this time you gave me,
Cause it's all I've waited for and 
I could not ask for more.
No Yeah 
No I could not ask for more. 

We are...

I'm "borrowing" this title and blog post idea from Ali Edwards.  I figured I needed some inspiration to get back in the blogging mood.  So around our house we are…

…enjoying family dinner time together every night.  Something I don't want to change but know I'll have to be flexible with as the kids get older.

…loving that the weather is warming up and we can play outside.  The kids love the new flat driveway to ride bikes on and Luke is also enjoying playing basketball.

…anxiously waiting for the weather to be warm enough to swim in our pool!  Luke is asking constantly when it will be warm enough.

…looking forward to summer fun.  The kids have only 4 more weeks of school.

…playing lots and lots of Legos.  It is just about the only toy that Luke will play with for an extended amount of time.  Hannah loves to sort them and take things apart.

…ready to be well!  Luke had a stomach bug about 3 weeks ago that lasted over a week and Hannah had it this past weekend (while out of town no less).  Everyone seems to be suffering from allergies too.

…praying that our house will sell.  It's been 6 months.  I'm not going to say more.

…working hard.  Troy traveled last week to Kentucky to sample some core; he really enjoyed the trip.  I'm trying to get the front yard gardens taken care of and also have started our vegetable garden. 

…getting excited about our trip to the beach!  We're going to drive which will also be a new adventure for us.  It's 18 hours!!!

…playing lots of soccer.  Luke is really having a great time on his team this spring.  He has yet to score a goal but he's really made a lot of progress going after the ball.

…challenging mom and dad.  Hannah seems to be in stride with the terrible two's and Luke has starting learning the art of why do I have to listen.

…loving life and having fun and being a family!

A Video Comparison

I downloaded some new videos from my phone to the computer this afternoon.  It seems that whenever I do that I spend a little time watching some old videos.  Today I was trying to find some videos of the kids at about the same age for a comparison.  Luke's portion is from September 22, 2010.  He's about 26 1/2 months old.  Hannah's portion is from February 14 of this year.  She is almost 26 months.  They both loved/love to sing at this age.  

I think Hannah looks much older than Luke but that may be because Hannah is so much bigger at this age than Luke was.  At his two year check-up, Luke weighed 25 lbs 13.5 oz (just below 50%) and was 33 1/4 inches (between 25-50%).  At her two year check-up, Hannah weighed 31 lbs 11 oz (95%) and was 36 3/4 inches (97%).  Six pounds heavier and 3 1/2 inches taller--that's a big difference!  There is no doubt though that they are brother and sister; they both have chubby cheeks, round faces, button noses and about the same amount of blonde hair.  Love them so much!

1st Haircut and Black Eye

Hannah got her first haircut on Thursday.  It was more of a trim than a haircut.  Staci, the lady that does my hair, basically just straightened out her bangs and cut the super long wispy hairs off at the back.  I wasn't sure how Hannah was going to do but she did great.  She held still in the chair and only fussed a couple of times.  I had Staci save a few of the pieces of hair she cut off but there are so few and they're so light in color I'm not sure I'll be able to do anything with them.  I just realized that I don't have any before and after pics but at least here are some during the process. 

You might notice in the top picture that Hannah sort of has a bit of a black eye.  At school on Thursday one of her teachers was picking up a toy and was turning around to put it away and Hannah ran right into the toy.  Her teacher felt absolutely horrible and almost cried when I picked Hannah up.  Of course it was an accident and I told her it was okay.  Hannah did point to her eye a few times during the rest of the day but it was the wrong eye (silly girl) so I think she knew what had happened but clearly it wasn't bothering her too much.