Wednesday, October 6
Back to Baby Food
Makena has taken a few stabs at eating baby oatmeal. She barely kept any in her mouth the first couple times, but she's been getting better at it. The last time I fed her, she giggled every time she opened her mouth -- she's definitely enjoying the experience. Now I have to get better about doing it every day.
Thursday, September 30
Tuesday, September 28
Sunday, September 26
The Church Family
What a blessing it is to have a church family.
Most of our family is not in the immediate area. Having kids sure makes us wish we were closer to all of them. Even though we don't have our family, we have an amazing church family that we are so thankful for. So many have offered to watch the kids for us. So many have done so, especially when we've had unexpected things come up. There are still so many we can call upon that we haven't yet. There are two women in particular that have been a tremendous help during this season of craziness with two young babies.
One night a couple months after Makena was born, I shared with our small group how tired and exhausted I was and that I needed a break. I was practically in tears. Our friend, who is a special ed teacher, was soon going to be on summer vacation. She offered to come every Thursday afternoon for about three hours. It was great to have some time alone and a few hours to get things done. It was a huge help for me, but it also filled her desire/need to serve. She and her husband were unable to make it to Sundays for a few months to serve regularly, so she saw this as another way to serve the church body.
When our friend had to go back to school (so sad for us...), I was in a much better place. I had a routine and was no longer in "survival mode."
A few months later, another women from church offered to give me a morning off. Her children are teenagers and she still remembers the challenges that young moms face. I took the opportunity and got my nails done and ran a couple errands. She then offered another morning... and then another morning just last week... This last time, when she was leaving, she told me she wants to come every Thursday. She said first and foremost, her heart is to bless me. However, she is going through some personal things and coming out to spend time with the girls has been good for her. She needs the time here. How could I say no? I plan to use the time not just to run errands, but to take some personal time to reflect and refresh.
So I'll always remember that I got through this challenging season with a great husband and partner, an awesome church family, and a God who supplies me with lots of energy and endless love for my two great kids!
Most of our family is not in the immediate area. Having kids sure makes us wish we were closer to all of them. Even though we don't have our family, we have an amazing church family that we are so thankful for. So many have offered to watch the kids for us. So many have done so, especially when we've had unexpected things come up. There are still so many we can call upon that we haven't yet. There are two women in particular that have been a tremendous help during this season of craziness with two young babies.
One night a couple months after Makena was born, I shared with our small group how tired and exhausted I was and that I needed a break. I was practically in tears. Our friend, who is a special ed teacher, was soon going to be on summer vacation. She offered to come every Thursday afternoon for about three hours. It was great to have some time alone and a few hours to get things done. It was a huge help for me, but it also filled her desire/need to serve. She and her husband were unable to make it to Sundays for a few months to serve regularly, so she saw this as another way to serve the church body.
When our friend had to go back to school (so sad for us...), I was in a much better place. I had a routine and was no longer in "survival mode."
A few months later, another women from church offered to give me a morning off. Her children are teenagers and she still remembers the challenges that young moms face. I took the opportunity and got my nails done and ran a couple errands. She then offered another morning... and then another morning just last week... This last time, when she was leaving, she told me she wants to come every Thursday. She said first and foremost, her heart is to bless me. However, she is going through some personal things and coming out to spend time with the girls has been good for her. She needs the time here. How could I say no? I plan to use the time not just to run errands, but to take some personal time to reflect and refresh.
So I'll always remember that I got through this challenging season with a great husband and partner, an awesome church family, and a God who supplies me with lots of energy and endless love for my two great kids!
Sunday, September 19
Makena is 6 Months Old!
Our sweet baby girl is already 6 months old. It's usually hard to watch your kids grow up so fast, but honestly, I wanted Makena to grow up quickly the first few months. Having two so close in age is tough!
The past couple months have been easier and more enjoyable now that Makena is older. She is a happy baby who smiles and giggles often. She loves to play on the floor or in her exersaucer. It's fun watching her interact with people and loving the attention.
She loves to watch what's going on around her. This makes it hard to feed her a bottle or for her to fall asleep when we are out and about. At home, she typically gets tired after being awake for 1-1/2 hours. If we're out, she'll stay up for 4 hours without a problem.
She is starting to sleep through the night (Technically, "sleeping through the night" means 6 to 8 hours. To me, it means I get to sleep through the night!). She was waking up for a 4 o'clock feeding for awhile, but just recently she's been waking up between 5 and 5:45 am. The only downfall to that is that she doesn't go back to sleep after her bottle. She's up and ready to start the day. Needless to say, I am not quite ready at that hour! I can't wait til she sleeps until 7 am.
She is getting better and better at crawling. When I put her on the family room floor, she always makes her way to the entertainment center. What is it with kids these days?! They can't stay away from electronics.
She started solids a few weeks ago. I've been giving her oatmeal to give her some fiber in her diet. She has had constipation issues since she started formula. We tried close to 10 different formulas with her and chose the one that made her spit up the least, but in turn makes her constipated. She drinks a little bit of prune juice every day. =( As our babysitter says, she's on an old lady diet -- oatmeal and prune juice.
Makena lights up whenever Karis is around. She gets so excited to see her. Karis will sometimes indulge her and let her grab her arm or touch her hair. Karis is still trying to figure out this baby and what she does. But most often, she'll just snatch Makena's toys from her and put them out of arms reach. Sometimes Makena will hold tight to the toy and give Karis a run for her money. She usually loses, but one day very soon she'll hold her own, I'm sure!
The past couple months have been easier and more enjoyable now that Makena is older. She is a happy baby who smiles and giggles often. She loves to play on the floor or in her exersaucer. It's fun watching her interact with people and loving the attention.
She loves to watch what's going on around her. This makes it hard to feed her a bottle or for her to fall asleep when we are out and about. At home, she typically gets tired after being awake for 1-1/2 hours. If we're out, she'll stay up for 4 hours without a problem.
She is starting to sleep through the night (Technically, "sleeping through the night" means 6 to 8 hours. To me, it means I get to sleep through the night!). She was waking up for a 4 o'clock feeding for awhile, but just recently she's been waking up between 5 and 5:45 am. The only downfall to that is that she doesn't go back to sleep after her bottle. She's up and ready to start the day. Needless to say, I am not quite ready at that hour! I can't wait til she sleeps until 7 am.
She is getting better and better at crawling. When I put her on the family room floor, she always makes her way to the entertainment center. What is it with kids these days?! They can't stay away from electronics.
She started solids a few weeks ago. I've been giving her oatmeal to give her some fiber in her diet. She has had constipation issues since she started formula. We tried close to 10 different formulas with her and chose the one that made her spit up the least, but in turn makes her constipated. She drinks a little bit of prune juice every day. =( As our babysitter says, she's on an old lady diet -- oatmeal and prune juice.
Makena lights up whenever Karis is around. She gets so excited to see her. Karis will sometimes indulge her and let her grab her arm or touch her hair. Karis is still trying to figure out this baby and what she does. But most often, she'll just snatch Makena's toys from her and put them out of arms reach. Sometimes Makena will hold tight to the toy and give Karis a run for her money. She usually loses, but one day very soon she'll hold her own, I'm sure!
Why Do I Feel Like She's Mocking Me?
Maybe it's because of the way she's holding the pacifier in her mouth with that silly little grin.
You Can Find Us On The Playground
It's been quiet on the blog for a little bit. My camera broke and you know I don't blog without photos! In addition, when we got back from Phoenix, three out of the four of us got sick. I was the "lucky" one who didn't get sick and got to take care of everyone else.
Everyone is finally back to normal except for Makena. Unfortunately, she's still fighting her cold.
I got a new camera the other day so let the blogging resume...
Here are some pictures of Karis at the park across the street. We've been spending more time there since Karis hasn't been playing much with her toys. By the end of the day, she's bored and has reached her TV time limit, so we head to the playground before dinner. I think she's outgrown most of her toys and we need to get some age-appropriate toys. But too me, that means bigger and louder toys... and we definitely don't need more toys around the house!
Here are a few pictures of a trip to the park with her cousins. Here she is watching them run ahead of her to the park.
Karis loves riding the rocking truck with Jessi.
Karis watched a little boy on this spinning disk. He got hurt and whimpered off. Karis took the opportunity to get on it herself and take a spin. 
Our little monkey.
She loves to climb and she can actually climb this ladder. It's quite impressive to watch as she figures out where to put her hands and feet to make her way up. It also makes me nervous and I keep a hand on her at all times!
Everyone is finally back to normal except for Makena. Unfortunately, she's still fighting her cold.
I got a new camera the other day so let the blogging resume...
Here are some pictures of Karis at the park across the street. We've been spending more time there since Karis hasn't been playing much with her toys. By the end of the day, she's bored and has reached her TV time limit, so we head to the playground before dinner. I think she's outgrown most of her toys and we need to get some age-appropriate toys. But too me, that means bigger and louder toys... and we definitely don't need more toys around the house!
Here are a few pictures of a trip to the park with her cousins. Here she is watching them run ahead of her to the park.
Karis loves riding the rocking truck with Jessi.
Deciding whether they want chocolate or vanilla "ice cream."
Dad supervising ...
Showing off her strength!
Karis watched a little boy on this spinning disk. He got hurt and whimpered off. Karis took the opportunity to get on it herself and take a spin.
Our little monkey.
She loves to climb and she can actually climb this ladder. It's quite impressive to watch as she figures out where to put her hands and feet to make her way up. It also makes me nervous and I keep a hand on her at all times!
Wednesday, September 8
Family Trip to Grandma's House in Surprise, AZ
We went to visit Grandma over Labor Day weekend. We left Thursday evening after dinner. The girls did relatively well on the six hour drive (from 9pm-3am). When we stopped for gas a little after midnight, both girls woke up and it took a while for them to settle back down. They kept waking each other up, but they eventually passed out and so did I.
It was 100+ degrees while we were there. Karis cooled off by hanging out in the pool we brought with us.
Makena didn't go in the pool, but she got a bath in Grandma's sink.
Derek and I took Karis out on Saturday afternoon. We wanted to give her some undivided attention and get her out of the house. When we got in the car, she kept asking for Makena to come with us. It was sweet! We went to Target to pick up a couple things and we let Karis run around the store. We then headed to the mall for lunch and let Karis play in the children's area.
On the way home, we ran over a large 4" bolt. Thankfully, we were close to Grandma's house. We continued to drive home and Derek put on the spare tire. He went and got all four tires replaced. We were due for new tires anyways, and we were glad nothing happened on the way back to CA. We were also thankful that it didn't happen on Sunday or Monday/Labor Day when it would have been hard if not impossible to find a tire place open for business.
We went to Grandma's church on Sunday. It was nice for me to have some help getting the girls ready for church and to actually go with Derek (as opposed to meeting him there since he's there most of the day). Below is a pic of Grandma and Makena right before we left. After church, Derek and I went to lunch and saw a funny movie while Grandma watched the kids. It was great to spend the afternoon together -- alone!
Makena has been practicing sitting up all by herself. Here she is happily hanging out on Grandma' couch.
Makena slept in Grandma's room. Grandma took care of Makena overnight so it was REALLY nice for me to get some good sleep and a nap or two during the day!
This trip was a great time for Derek and I to rest and catch up on sleep. It was great for the girls to get lots of lovin' from Grandma.
Here is a pic of Makena a little startled as Riley curiously sniffs her out.
Monday, September 6
Now She's Really Moving!
Makena has made significant progress since the last video that was taken two weeks ago. Here is another video that shows her crawling (and not just getting up on all four). Last year, Karis started to crawl at Aunt Stephanie's house in Illinois. This time, it's at Grandma's house in Arizona!
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