New pics

Recently we took the family to American Adventures theme park with Nate's parents and Andrea and the kids. I am going to post those photos in the next few days, but in the meantime I thought I'd get these two up that were taken by Andrea. I just love them!




This first one is so special to me because both Luxie and I ended up looking halfway decent! And I guess I see myself in her face when I look at it. It is amazing to me how she has grown. Such a sweet picture of her.




And my baby girl with such a sweet smile. I just love it.

Life

*Zaine had her 6 month doctor appointment this past week. She weighed in at 16.8 lbs, which is in the 50th percentile, very normal. Based on Luxie's 3 year appointment this past March, she and her sister are now just 10 lbs apart! Luxie weighed in at 26 lbs on the dot, and that was with clothes. She is in the 5th percentile for weight. It appears that about a year from now they will weigh the same! And Zaine might be taller! This isnt because Zaine is some sort of "baby giant" but because Lux is so small, although very proportionate. It just goes to show you that every child really is very different!

*Luxie has her first VBS this week and I am so excited for her! Some of my favorite kid memories are from VBS and I know she will really enjoy 5 straight days with her buddies. I cant wait to hear all about it!

*We are traveling with the girls to Washington state for my family reunion in July. I am actually really excited to take the trip, especially because Nate will be coming along with me : ) You may recall last summer I made the trip back to visit my parents with Luxie while I was pregnant. It's just so much easier with Nate along! And he hasnt seen some of my family for years (actually, either have I.) It's been almost 10 years since Ive seen some of my aunts and uncles who live in other parts of the Northwest, and it's been almost 4 years since Nate has been back with me. The reunion will be in Portland, OR and I will post some pics when we return!

*Other than that, life is pretty normal. Lots of "pretending" going on around here--Luxie IS "Lightening McQueen" and that is what we are expected to call her. She has 4 different Lightening cars and every single one of the McDonald's Happy Meal cars (thanks PaPa and family for helping us collect them : ) She has seen the movie twice now and is fully immersed into the storyline. I am usually Flo or Sally, and Nate is Doc. Zaine ends up being Thunder (the Chick Hick car that races against Lightening.) She has even gone so far as to wear red most days and has asked us to tape numbers to her hips. On the Deepspace 5 song "Hold Your Head Up" (which she thinks is titled "Hold Your HAND Up") she asks us to "Hold our WHEELS up."

Life is good!

Owen : )

Owen is one of the buddies Luxie hangs out with at church. She actually hangs out with all boys, because the same boys are in her class while Im at Bible Study, and it just so happens that most of the girls she plays with are a year or more older than her. So she has decided the boys are her buddies. AJ, Gabe, Owen, Nico, these are just a few of the friends she looks forward to seeing each Sunday.

Well, one Sunday AJ was goofing off and started falling down, causing Luxie to laugh hysterically. The other boys joined in and so did Luxie. But Owen decided it was pretty neat how Luxie kept laughing, and each Sunday as we dropped her off at class Owen would hit the floor hoping for a laugh from Luxie. Then after class we began finding Owen always real close to Luxie, sometimes holding her hand. And Owen's mom mentioned that he sure talked about her a lot at home, and she wondered if he had a little crush.

Then last Sunday after church I asked who all was there. "AJ?"
"Yeah."
"Gabe?"
"No, he wasnt there today."
"How about Owen?"
"Yeah, he gave me a big hug."
"He did? That was nice!"
"He said, 'I love you, Luxie.'" (she said this with a shy grin.)
"He did? Did you say 'I love you too?'"
"Nooooo!" she said with a big grin.
"Well Owen must really like having you for a friend," I said.
"Yeah, Owen loves me."

And my heart melted. So sweet.

the girls

the girls a few weeks ago




Zaine at 5.5 months on May 20th


Just a few updated photos of my favorite girls. They are really starting to enjoy eachother so much and i love it! Luxie takes time to tell Zaine goodnight and give her hugs and kisses, and Zaine cant keep her eyes off of her big sister, so eager to join in the fun that Luxie creates during the day. Zaine is now 6 months old.

...

"[The goal of discipline] is not to produce perfect kids. Even if you implemented a flawless system of discipline at home, which no one in history has done, your children will still be children. At times they will be silly, lazy, selfish, and yes, disrespectful. Such is the nature of the human species. We as adults have the same weaknesses. Furthermore, when it comes to kids, that's how it should be. Boys and girls are like clocks; you have to let them run. My point is that the purpose of parental discipline is not to produce obedient little robots who can sit with their hands folded in the parlor thinking patriotic and noble thoughts! Even if we could pull that off, it wouldn't be wise to try.

"The objective, as I see it, is to take the raw material with which our babies arrive on this earth, and then gradually mold them into mature, responsible, and God-fearing adults. It is a twenty-year process that will bring progress, setbacks, successes, and failures. ...It is one of the richest experiences in living..." ~Dr. James Dobson, "Solid Answers"


I cant tell you how this quote has changed me. I know it seems silly, but I almost needed someone to say this to me for some reason. And let me tell you, this is one incredible book. I highly recommend it and look forward to each oportinity I get to read it. It is sectioned off by age of child, then a section or two on marriage, and various other family topics. And people ask a question and he gives an answer based on his years of experience as a high school counselor, marriage counselor, and advisor to the president.

I caught Luxie

....with her finger in her nose. Yes, the nose party has begun. I have been working with her, having her go to the bathroom to get a tissue and all of the other proper techniques to dealing with her nose. She has actually shoooed me out of the room when she hears me coming and she is about to be caught in the act, saying "Get outta here mama!" or "Dont come in here yet!" and i have to tell her we dont sit around doing that, we go to the bathroom and dispose of things there.

So the other day I caught her and I said "What are you doing?" And her reply, with her finger still in her nose was,

"Sometimes my boogies dont listen to me."

days are, once again,....

flying by! We are in the process of getting our house ready to sell, and it is a BIG task. We have lived here 4 years, and although we had a big clean before the baby arrived (remember that blog I had about "dejunkifying" the house?) the things that have gotten out of order need straightened, and then there are things that need fixed.

Our home is from the 50's, so the bathrooms and kitchen, while reasonably clean, are just not crispy clean. Older homes just have more wear and tear on them. Like the bathroom sinks, which were installed into the tile that covers the walls. They need replaced, but we dont have the money to take them out and redo the entire bathroom. So we had to replace the handles and nozzles just to spruce them up a little. And then the touch up painting, and organizing of things, and then cleaning. I have yet to do the deep down dirty cleaning that needs to be done, and i admit i am procrastinating! Partly due to the fact that i just dont like doing it, and partly due to the fact that it is much more difficult to find time to clean while taking care of the kids.

It has been so challenging! the last time we moved nate and i could fully devote our attention to the tasks that needed to be done, and we enjoy working together. in fact, if it werent for having kids, we would probably flip houses together. I am a very task oriented person, and have to remind myself to put people first. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is just how my personality is set up. I do much better working behind the scenes, assisting others, accomplishing work, than dealing with people or leading. So, as much as having children has really helped me with this, (in fact, to some extent i have gone overboard trying to show that they are more important and have done too much) when big things come up like moving, i become hostile! My mind is torn in two and i battle myself because i would prefer to be getting things done, but feel guilty because the kids keep requiring my attention.

I WANT TO ORGANIZE! I love to get things in order and honestly, being a mom i have given up on that to a certain extent. I have decided that spending time with Luxie is more important than my clean house. Maybe there is a way to balance it, but i havent figured it out yet. So to me, it is one or the other and i have chosen the other. BUT in my heart, deep down inside, I want to be helping more with the move! Everytime I start on something the baby needs fed, or is crying, or luxie needs attention because i have spent all day with the baby and trying to clean, and then there is me. I have begun to crave showers, because they are basically my only alone time!

Anyhoo, Nate has been tackling the big tasks and I have been doing what I can to help, and we are getting there! And I am so excited! Our home has been great, but I really look forward to something new. I think change is tough, but sometimes very refreshing and GOOD for us. I am excited to see what happens.