Thursday, March 24, 2016

hooray for spring!

We are jumping for joy that it is spring! All the flowers and trees are starting to bloom, the weather is staying about 50 degrees (some days even 60), and we have started taking walks again around the neighborhood.


Our everyday hasn't changed much but I am looking forward to having Ari home for a week!


We were able to go to the zoo a few weeks back for Selah's birthday.


I'm not sure if every parent thinks this about their own kids...but my kids are hilarious. And nutty.


And always do goofy things to make us laugh, especially when the camera is out. I love how crazy they are.


Conversation with Evangeline the other day:
E: Marhabaan!
Me: What does that mean? Is that another language?
E: (In a serious tone) Yes, it means hello. In Arabic! When I say marhabaan you are to say hello back. 

Thank you VReader for educating my child. Apparently I need to get with the program :)


But then every once in a while we have one that goes on strike and decides she doesn't want her picture taken. :)


The polar bear wasn't sleeping! It's always sleeping! After a few minutes of watching him look around, he decided to go ahead and take that nap.


And the tiger didn't disappoint. This thing is a monster of a cat. He kept pacing back and forth, didn't mind us standing in front of his face. But seeing that he was taller than all the kids I'm sure he wasn't intimidated at all!


And of course this little guy was tired of being pushed around or carried. He just wanted to walk. So we had to take a few rest stops for him so he wouldn't scream his head off :) Ahhh the sound of babes expressing themselves.


He doesn't like to "crawl" much. He insists on being walked everywhere by fingers. 


But then yesterday he decided to be big and walked behind this toy for quite a while. Go buddy!! Look how proud he is :)




And I shouldn't be surprised at the accessories Selah has chosen for the day. But for some reason this one just cracked me up.


And this one.


Oh and this one was sweet- pretending to feed her baby :)




Saturday, March 19, 2016

it's been a year?!

This has been the fastest year of my life. By. Far. But what a fun ride it has been. I love to look back and see how much he has changed each month.


1 month- so sweet and snuggly

2 months- loved to be carried upright so he could see everything

3 months- was ticklish on his neck and "bubbled" when he was happy

4 months- loved to fall asleep in your arms

5 months- rolled 3 times then stopped until 6 months

6 months- put everything in his mouth and drooled all the time

7 months- not sleeping well but so happy during the day

8 months- loved to grunt when he wanted attention and also wave hi to everyone

9 months- loved to grab everything and if he didn't get it then he turned angry :)

10 months- no interest in crawling but wants to pull up with my fingers and stand all.the.time.

11 months- if he wasn't standing, then he was eating (2 things he preferred)

12 months- only content sitting if he is being fed, otherwise he wants to walk with your finger (I think I'm seeing a pattern here)

What a fun year it has been. He may not sleep through the night but he has definitely improved. His siblings love having him around and are so helpful. Ari will even walk him around for me when I need to get some stuff done. Evangeline loves to feed him and Selah still brings him toys. I love how they interact with him and want to make him laugh. We are so blessed by this little babe. Happy birthday!


Sunday, March 13, 2016

3 years {Selah}

This little girl claims she is a "big girl" now. She refused to swing in a baby swing at the playground because she isn't a baby anymore. Then a few minutes later she saw how much fun Lincoln was having and decided to join him. :)


In many ways she does seem so big. She can hold her own in conversation. She's always spoken more mature than her age. Lately she has been using the terms "probably", "actually", and adding "-ish" to words like "it's a little blue-ish.


She is officially potty trained. (Something I never thought was going to happen!) She loves to be independent and do things in her own timing (like potty training, eating food, getting shoes on, taking a bath, you name it :) )


Selah thinks she is bigger than she is too. She loves to pick up and hold this little man (who doesn't like it - ever) She will squeeze and squeeze and squeeze. She gives the term "tough love" a whole new meaning. But she really does love him. She just wants to do what everyone else does.


This was the excitement they had over sharing an ice cream for her birthday :) I love the joy in simple things.


And this was Selah's birthday face all week. It was her "I'm 3" happy dance.


She wants to help do everything. From cooking (her favorite!), to cleaning, to dishes, to sweeping. She is so confident in her abilities that I feel like I have to tell her no a lot. But she does love to help. Which is ironic because she generally is the one who refuses to pick up toys. Hm...did I mention she likes to do things in her own time? :)


But really, she is my little buddy all. day. long. I call her my shadow. She follows me wherever and would rather just tag along with me then go play with others.


Sometimes we like to call her our crazy wombat. For some reason it just seems fitting.


She loves, loves, loves to snuggle. She wants me to carry her all the time "like a baby". She is our early riser. (It used to be Evangeline at this age but now she sleeps in-maybe there is hope that some day we can sleep past 7)


She is hilarious. Shy. Loves to make people laugh. Gets overwhelmed in groups of people, even if it's family. Likes to push the boundaries and even cross them just to see us fume. :)


With Ari being in school the dynamics at home has changed a lot. It has been neat to see Selah and Evangeline bond. Selah is mostly a "loner" so I really cherish the moments I hear them playing house and Selah is calling for "mommy" and it's not for me :) Selah wants to wear a dress everyday (just like her sister), loves to have her nails painted (except that she has started biting them--eek!), and accessorize with sunglasses.

We have been stretched in many ways -- many new ways -- in parenting her. But it's the little victories that we hold on to. Looking back over the year we have seen her grow and mature in so many ways. And honestly...we have too. It's a blessing to look at her and think that God has put her in our life. She is so special to us.