I once heard a friend say that there are some kids who are blessed by their moms, and then there are some moms blessed by their kids. I would like to think that there are moments for both sides of this statement: sometimes I bless my kids and sometimes my kids bless me.
This afternoon I put Hannah and Kate down for their nap, and honestly I was excited to get some down time. We have a routine of potty/diaper, book, bed and song. During the song Hannah kisses Kate, and then I kiss Hannah. I then kiss Kate and lay her down in her crib. Following my routine, I kissed Hannah and started to walk to Kate's crib to kiss her and put her down when Hannah grabbed both of my ears and kissed over and over with big wet kisses...my heart melted. She then looked at me and said in her loud two-year old voice "Luv ya!" while being on inches away from my face. My eyes began to water. I seriously wanted this moment to last forever, but she rolled over hugged her two doll dolls, not realizing the gift she just gave me.
Even when I am a tired mom, I get this unreserved expression of love. I am blessed beyond blessed!
The game is simple: one girl screams, the other follows and the game has begun. It used to end when I said, "Screaming is for outside." But Hannah has figured out how to open the door and get Kate to go outside where the game can continue. This is the tail end of the game, but it shows off Kate's great walking skills.
Hannah loves her medicine. She looks forward to taking her dose, and will often ask for more. I tried some just to see what it tasted like and YUCK!! It's strawberry flavored and has the worst after taste ever. No spoonful of sugar to get this medicine down!
Despite Hannah's UTI, we headed to the beach with a friend. It was a fun day, and the first day that Hannah did not seem to complain about her "ouchie." I really enjoyed the beauty of the beach and Olivia's help with the kiddos.
Hannah, making new friends. Kate's favorite view of the beach.
for some odd reason i can't sleep. so, i was beginning to compile pics for kate's one year slide show and came across this really cute video of my girls playing. you can see how their playtime also borders taking from each other, but their laughs show that they are indeed having fun together, and there is nothing more precious than the girls i love loving each other.
Bad news: It doesn't arrive until July 27...that's 5 days from now!! I have already been without a camera for two days, and I have to go 5 more days...UGH!
The bright side, I will have a new camera before Kate's first bday. Happy bday to me! :)
Here are some random pics that I never had time to blog about: Kate refusing a pretzel at Salk's family picnic Hannah enjoying the random toys at the picnic At the picnic there was an air jumper that Hannah just loved!!
Shoe phone is one of H's favorite car games. Somehow she managed to get Kate's shoe Kate basking in her tent The beach
When Hannah woke up on Saturday Jeff asked her what she wanted to do that day and she said, "Beach!" Sounds good to us! So, off we went to the beach, yet again. Kate loves the safety of her little tent, and would whimper like a sad puppy when she was out of it. Hannah loves running in and out of the waves. How will I ever take these two to the beach myself? I was able to spend some time catching up on PEOPLE magazine (thanks Audrey!). I love the beach!!
A great side benefit to playing at the beach is that not only do we havea fun morning, but the kids take such a great nap afterwards!
One more month until my baby girl turns one. I feel like I say this every month, but seriously, where has the time gone? My baby is such a delight in my life, and I love that she is my baby girl preferring to be in my arms or by my side much of the day. I know this phase is temporary, and I am really enjoying the extra attention from my sweet Cakes.
As Kate is getting older she and Hannah are enjoying each other more. I often hear Kate and Hannah laughing and it fills my heart with such gladness. Their play times usually end with someone squealing or crying, but the bonds of sisterhood are already taking root and I love seeing our family pull together and love on each other. Fun hug... ...not so fun hug.
If I had one word to describe Kate it would be cautious. She licks food before she puts it in her mouth to make sure that she likes it, even though we usually give her food we know she will eat. She searches for a finger to hold or open arms to catch her before she walks away from a chair or couch, even though she has the ability to walk without any assistance for a long stretch. She thinks about a toy or book before she reaches for it. She is like her mama: not a risk taker. But, once she finds something she likes or wants she is focused on getting it, and will not let anything stand in her way, just like her mama. Kate seeing if she likes a new toy... Yes! She does!!
Kate now eats whatever the family is eating, and will whimper like a sad puppy if someone is eating something that is not on her tray. I have begun weaning her, and only nurse in the morning and at night. There are times in the day that she wants to nurse (after nap especially) and I work really hard to distract her with toys or offer her other food. Sometimes it works, and sometimes I give in and just nurse her...it really depends on how focused she is, and how tired I am. I am hoping to have her completely weaned when she turns one. Smoothies are a family favorite! Kate has two bottom front teeth and no signs of more coming. Jeff and I thought it odd that Hannah only had 4 teeth when she turned one, and now Kate may only have two!! With our genes, both Kate and Hannah will probably need major dental work in their future! After 6 nights of crying it out, Kate sleeps through the night. There is occasionally one night that she will wake a few times, or cry for a long time, but she usually sleeps from 8pm to 5am without waking, then I nurse her and she sleeps for another hour or so. She can take a morning nap or go without, but her afternoon nap is usually 2 hours. As Kate is getting older I realize how many precious moments have already passed. At times I have rushed through stages, hoping for Kate to sleep through the night, walk by herself, or go to other people without fussing. I am thankful for the sweet laughs, cuddles, coos and smiles. I have many good times ahead, and many precious memories of my baby girl.
Do you remember the phrase Hannahchondriac?? Well, maybe we should add Katerchondriac to the list as well. Or maybe we can just sum it up as a more advanced stage of chondriacism and say I am a Murrychondriac... This weekend we went to the beach again. It was a wonderfully glorious day until Kate got sunscreen in her eyes. The back of the bottle says, "Keep out of eyes. Rinse thoroughly...may cause blindness..." Can you see where this is headed yet?
Jeff played with Hannah in the water while I watched Kate rub her eyes and begin to have tears come out of her eyes. She would not open her eyes, and I began to fear the worst...Kate was going blind and we needed immediate medical attention.
Sweet logical Jeff entered the over-emotional over-reacting scene and reassured me she was fine and that her eyes were doing exactly what they should. He agreed to go home though, clean her eyes out "thoroughly" and see if she indeed needed medical attention. Turns out Kate is fine and happy, and can see things just fine. Another tragedy adverted, thanks be to God.
Okay, some fun pics to show that the day at the beach was not a complete bust:
crawling... crawling.. FACE PLANT!!! Hannah loves the sand and is a total sand monster!
A much cleaner Hannah. Daddy bear... ...baby bear 1 ...baby bear 2
Hannah comes out of my room wearing the visor I wear when running and declares:
H: Need music. S: Hannah my iPod is not a toy. Can I find you something else to play with? H: Can't hear with music
Yes, that's what I tell her when I am running and she begins to yell at me. "Sorry, Hannah, I can't hear you over my music." I guess she's figured out that it's my way of saying, "I don't want to hear what you have to say right now."
While standing at the door with my purse on her shoulder Hannah yells :
H: Bye! Luv ya! S: Where are you going? H: Umm, store. S: Oh, what do you need at the store? H: Diapers
This morning Hannah and Kate played in their room while I cleaned the kitchen for the playgroup we were hosting. I heard Kate squeal and unhappy squeal and said,
S: Hannah what does Kate want? H: Pony. S: Can you give Kate the pony? H: O-tay.
I heard rummaging around and the sound of the pony carriage. I figured life was good again until Kate squealed again. I stopped what I was doing, started walking to their room and said, "Hannah, did you give Kate the pony?" As I turned the corner to their room I saw that Hannah was riding Kate like a pony, and Kate was trying to crawl away. This is why I don't clean until the kids are asleep. Here as a few pics of my girls playing together where both kids are happy:
Jeff and I realized lately that Hannah is looking older. Her cheeks aren't as full, and her toddler tummy is slimming down. She just looks older. She is also playing like an older kid. She will hold toys and pretend like they are talking to each other. She has the attention to sit and look at books, color or stack things in an orderly way. Even more shocking is that she has asked to play by herself in her room, with the door shut. She doesn't play long by herself, maybe 15-20 minutes, but it's the beginning of her wanting her space, and the beginning of allowing her to become independent. These pictures of her at the bridal store trying on a flower girl dress doesn't help either...man, how can she be growing up so quickly?
