Kate Evangeline: Month 8

Sweet, sweet Katers:

*4 new top teeth in at once! Yes, all 4.

*Rolling and scooting everywhere, though no true crawling yet.

*Loving solid foods of every variety (except meat in a jar; really, who invented that!?)

*Hilarious silent laugh

*Loves to swing at the park

Today

Today, I'm reflective. For the better part of 8 months, I feel I'm at a really good place with motherhood. Sure, I have tough days, but I feel I've finally come into my own which includes accepting my limitations, knowing what I need to stay refreshed (i.e. good self-care), and overall, really enjoying my kids. And being OK with the process of parenting, both in me and in them.

Yet, there are days like today, days that dawn gorgeous and bright and the beach beckons and I want to LOVE this day, but I do not. My oldest is in a tough spot at the moment, battling areas of grumbling and complaining, and general moodiness. In tears during lunch, I called my husband, expressing feelings of defeat, not a place I've been in a long time. He listened, encouraged, and prayed for me. I love that man with all my heart. And sweet little baby girl is getting in all 4 top teeth, yes, at once. All but 1 have finally popped through, but my usual very, very happy, best-sleeper-baby has not napped well today, was up at night, and up early. Sigh. My friend, Katchen, had a terrific picture-post on the joys and sorrows of motherhood that I related with.

I'm choosing joy today. I'm choosing gratitude. And I'm choosing to focus on the good things happening, too.

My sweet boy is now 2 nights in his big boy bed and has done amazingly. Better than I ever thought possible. He is also staying in bed until we come get him, a family rule we have. I'm hopeful it will continue. On Sunday before church he grabbed these 2 dolls and proceeded to park them in the shopping cart and wheel them around the back yard. He can be quite the gentle-spirited one!

I'm prepping for a visit from some seminary friends. We LOVE this family, they were some of our closest friends while living on campus in Dallas. Maggie and Avery are going to have a ball together, as they haven't seen eachother since they were 2 years old (they are 4 weeks apart in age). We made a paper chain and are counting down the days until she arrives (I did green and purple to distinguish the weekend days). Also, this was Maggie's verse from school last week and it's a verse that has come in handy lately!

I am reading an incredible book on discerning making big choices, even when the odds are not stacked in your favor. We are in the brink of some GREAT changes in our lives, and this book is bolstering my faith in the sovereignty of God when it comes to the choices we make. In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day may be one of the best books I've read when it comes to taking opportunities and stepping out in faith.

Aron and I enjoyed a date morning on Saturday, coffee and a movie. Later that night with his encouragement and help, we spent 3 hours cleaning out all our stuff we've been storing in boxes through the last several moves. I knew we'd get rid of some things, surely, but 30 boxes?? I'm stunned at how much we are "letting go of." It's freeing. I love, love my husband. And I'm terribly excited for what this next season of life holds for us.

I really do love this sweet girl, even when she is not sleeping her best. Hard to believe she is already 8 months old. Those blue eyes are so lovely.

And I really do love this sweet girl, even when she seems pre-pubescent in emotion. She is so creative! We played a matching game the other day and she then created her own game! She drew matching pictures in different colors and everything.

I'm getting my hair cut and colored tonight. That should lift any woman's spirits, right?

Kate Evangeline: Month 7

Our little sweetie turned 7 months old on the 3rd of this month. She is an amazing baby, so full of joy and life. I want 3 more! :)

them

This sweet girl is so incredibly articulate it blows my mind some days. She makes up hilarious stories, still loves to play "voices" (where we imitate a character in a show/book and "talk" to her in that voice), and has her first loose tooth! She is so excited and yes, it's very early for this (she is just 4, but apparently, those who teethe early, lose early).
This boy is always singing, and I do mean always: when he wakes up it's either his FAVORITE David Crowder song, "Oh, Happiness," "All Creatures of Our God and King," or U2's "Beautiful Day." If you start a song, he can finish it. He sings loudly in public now, too. For example, he was belting out "How He Loves" (a David Crowder cover song) in Target yesterday. He likes to play chase and hide-and-seek with his sister, even hiding his bear under the table yesterday, then racing to the wall to cover his eyes and count. How cute is that?! He accidently locked himself in the bathroom on Sunday afternoon and I had Maggie feed him chocolate chips, one at a time, under the door to pass the time while we waited for the locksmith. He LOVES chocolate and after he was freed he was begging for more "choco!"

This little girl is eating lots of solid foods: sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, green beans, squash, avocado. Her 3rd tooth is coming in, I'm sure of it. She rolls everywhere (and has rolls everywhere-ha!), still sleeps like a champ, loves to be cuddled, and always finds a way to take her socks off and eat them.

why living in SoCal in the winter rocks my socks...

Because we can have night-time, kite-flying, non-crowded, perfect-weather picnics on the beach.

In February.

Did I mention we ate Pedro's tacos? And it was Kate's first time ever at the beach? In winter.

I love it here.

twins

It blows my mind how much my girls look alike!

Kate at 6 months
Maggie at 8 months
Kate at 6 months

Maggie at 8 months

more Valentines-y things

For Maggie's class party last Friday, I made these yogurt parfaits. They were a huge hit! Instead of the suggested "X and O" in each cup (there were not enough in the cookie tub), I did each child's first initial. They loved it! I also whipped up some homemade vanilla whipped cream.

And Maggie and I also made these candies to pass out with her Valentines. So fun and quite easy (although because of the hot nature of the molten candy, I did most of the work).

Next year, I'd love to make these cards for Maggie's class; super creative!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Craft time: Valentine chalkboard jars

My creative friend Casey prepared this craft (which was given to her by her sister-in-law) for our biweekly MOPS group and I just LOVED it: the simplicity, the versatility, and the frugality. How's that for a great craft? In fact, I love it so much that I am making these in Maggie's preschool class this week for their Valentine's Day craft (and I listed some more uses for these jars below).

Simply purchase a cracker jar from Target; we used both the small ones ($3.99) and the large ones ($4.99). The important thing is that a few of the sides are square and flat, thus making it easier to write on.

Pictured above are the supplies you need, minus a paintbrush. But, I figured you all wouldn't forget that!

Use green or blue painting tape to tape-off your square (the lady at Home Depot swore to me that this green "Frogtape" was superior to blue tape; we shall see come Friday when I do the craft in Maggie's class).

Apply 1 coat of chalkboard paint (purchased at Home Depot for $8.99, but this stuff can last a long time AND they even have tintable chalkboard paint, how cool is that?!) and let it dry completely (doesn't take too long--3-5 minutes tops?). When dry, apply 2nd and final coat of paint.

Voila! A clever little jar of love. Set out in a prominent place in the home, place a stack of small pre-cut papers next to it, and ask family members to write down (or draw pics for the little ones) all the things they love about eachother. Use leading up to Valentine's Day and read together on the 14th.

Recently, I've been re-thinking what I like and don't like about V-day. Truth be told, I don't normally like it; it seems like a ploy by chocolate companies and greeting card companies to make money. And maybe it is. I also feel like I will be let down on this holiday that everyone gets to excited about. My husband and I normally mock it in some fashion, but really, deep down, I *think* I want to celebrate it. But, after reading this post by Shauna of "The Reed Life" I resonated with SO much of her musings and walked away with this: Valentines Day can be about celebrating our family's love for one another. And I want to be really purposeful in that, starting this year, and starting with this jar.

Other uses for said jar(s):

*How about pantry staples like pastas and grains?

*How about a seasonal candy jar?

*How about as a "birthday jar" for the week leading up to a child's birthday where you write his/her name on it, write down all the things you love about him/her, and open it on his/her birthday?

*How about as a "potty training" jar?

this and that

Lately, we've been doing much of the same things in our weeks and I'm loving the stability and routine. Blogging has lapsed as I've been busy with the family and doing our weekly activities. Here's a bit of this and that to fill you in.

Lately, I feel like I'm really enjoying motherhood, really being purposeful in my time with my sweet, sweet kids. We all go through funks in this role, but lately, I've been able to see some personal growth when it comes to areas where I struggle in motherhood. As this new year began, I started to pray about what my words for year would be and God brought to mind several that have stuck with me: "pray more," "play more (with my kids)", and "give more (finances)." This article from Simple Mom nailed it perfectly. I encourage you to read it, too.

This article (also from Simple Mom) about leaving your children a legacy has been playing over and over in my mind for weeks. Weeks and weeks. Her words were absolutely haunting to me: "I don't want my children to remember me only in silhouette--a face turned toward a screen." This line was a catalyst for an earlier post of mine on rethinking social media. I want to be purposeful as much as possible in my daily interaction with my children.

I finally started exercising again; going to the gym 2x a week with my friend Casey and trying to do "30 Day Shred" on my non-gym day. Setting my sights on my a half-marathon later this year.

After an almost-2 year lapse, I've begun meeting with a new friend for early morning coffee and accountability. I first did this with my sister for 4 years, then with my friend Erin for 2 years. Now, we all live far, far away and I've been craving this fellowship. I love early mornings and love that I have this to look forward weekly.

We've been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather here in SoCal while most of the country has been experiencing insane amounts of snow. Lots of outdoor time, park dates, and even some kite-flying last week.

I've been loving new music by The Civil Wars. Beautiful harmonies!

I've been pining after Anthro's latest catalog, especially these boots, these shorts, this shirt, and this shirt. I'm going to try to piece together this outfit from more thriftier places using Polyvore as my guide. What a cool concept.

Happy Sunday!

Kate Evangeline: Month 5 and 6

Kate turned 6 months old on the 3rd of February and I never did get around to posting her 5 month pic. Both are here now.

My good friend Rachel (uber-talented graphic designer) designed Kate's monthly bumbo pics. I took the idea from her, too. I just LOVE how she designed this collage! She never ceases to amaze me.

Kate's 6 month stats:

Weight--19 pounds, 8 ounces, 95th percentile

Height--26 inches, 80th percentile

Head circ.--17 1/4 inches, 60th percentile