Two Girls & A Guy

more christmas 2011

2012-01-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

Trying to get all of these pictures uploaded. Time seems to pass so quickly and our kids are growing up so fast. It makes me sad. And it makes me want to get lots of pictures of them so I can remember them at every age.

These kids really loved Christmas this year. Leah is still walking around the house singing the Rudolph song, and she gets pretty excited whenever she sees a Santa Claus (usually a doll or a figurine of some sort and not the real thing).

the play kitchen

2011-12-26T11:35:00.001-08:00

I got a *good idea this year to make a play kitchen for Leah and Ian. I saw some really cute pictures online and decided to take it on about 2 weeks before Christmas. I had an old toy chest that we had acquired (this is just a fancy word for me seeing a craigslist ad for free and running out to pick it up before Michael could get home from work and tell me to stop bringing junk into the house. I might be a hoarder) and I decided this was the perfect project for it. It took lots of work and only a handful of trips to the hardware store. In the end, I'm trying to embrace the imperfections and I hope it will be something the kids will get lots of playtime out of. It was fun to do. Maybe next year I can start a little earlier than 2 weeks before Christmas. (Of course, next year, I'm sure I'll just hire someone else to fill my Santa's workshop with goodies since we'll be in China. Should be interesting...)

We wrapped it up in a blanket and the kids pretty much ignored it until I pointed it out as the last present to Leah and then she went at it.

They both started playing immediately.

It has only caused about 63 fights between these two since Christmas morning. I thought new toys for Christmas were supposed to help keep the kids happy longer. Not so much here. Maybe when we get them off the sugar they will be better.

some random christmas part 1

2011-12-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

Working on getting all of our pictures from Christmas posted for all of you who want to feel like you spent Christmas morning with us. Enjoy.

christmas eve

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am posting all of the pictures we took on Christmas Eve. We had a great time celebrating with an old friend we know from Corpus and her sweet family, who allowed us to crash their party. It was so nice to be able to see Diane and her family (here in the unfriendly northeast, where we don't have many friends : ) and have a fun celebration. Everyone was so nice and the food was amazing. The kids had a great time playing with all of the visiting grandchildren and we may have met a future babysitter for us here in Alexandria. Bonus.

After a family wide talent show (which was great) and acting out the nativity, where Leah was quite an inspired angel, we headed home and everyone received their matching pj's.

I'm not sure how much Ian realized about Christmas, but Leah was super excited. It's really fun to be a parent for Christmas. I was almost too excited to sleep as we went to bed that night.

Leah was funny on the way home from our Christmas Eve party. I asked her if Santa was going to come bring her presents. She said yes. Then I asked her what he would bring. She said "Toys, musics, and boxes." I think she may have watched one too many Christmas movies this year. Michael is pretty determined to introduce her to all of the claymation Christmas movies, even the creepy ones.

The kids ended up not getting up Christmas morning until 8am, which made for a pretty hectic day for us. Church was at 11, so we hurried through opening gifts, then rushed to get ready for church, suffered through an insane Ian at church, and ran home so I could get the ham into the oven in time for dinner. Busy day!

our October snow

2011-11-01T04:54:00.001-07:00

We were surprised to get a flew snow flurries on our way home from shopping on Saturday afternoon. It was so cold and I just wanted to run inside, but the kids clearly wanted to enjoy the winter weather. Makes me wonder what we might be in store for in a few months. Might need to invest in a windshield scraper (sure didn't need one of those for the past 4 years in Corpus!).

our fam

2011-10-25T16:17:00.001-07:00

Michael is working on his camera skills so he took a few snapshots of us a few days ago. I can't seem to find the time (or motivation!) to learn how to use our fancy camera, so I'm glad he is. Does anyone out there think Ian needs a haircut?

keep the pictures coming

2011-10-23T14:05:00.001-07:00

Keyla emailed me all the pictures she has taken of our family outings the last month or so and so I'm just going to post them all here. Most of these are from Leah's birthday party. The only oddball one is the one of Ian below which was taken at the National Harbor on Labor Day. These kids just keep getting bigger with every passing day!

more pictures

2011-10-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Keyla and I went on a field trip to Old Town Alexandria with the kids to get some shots of Leah and Isaac. Leah wasn't in a very cooperative mood and the pictures show it. She ended up getting sick later, so I think she just wasn't feeling up to it.

our trip to the zoo

2011-10-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

In an answer to all of the requests to update the blog with new pictures, here are a bunch from our trip the zoo back when my family was visiting for Leah's b day. It's kind of crazy to go to the zoo with that many people, but it was fun. All of these pictures were taken by Keyla.

alright, alright, some new pictures already

2011-09-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

I've gotten some complaints that although some people were sick of looking at Bernice, they were now tired of looking at the old pictures of Leah too. So, without further ado, here are some new pictures from just last weekend.

Leah turned 3 a few days ago and we had a small birthday party. My family came from North Carolina and we had a great time.

Ian was pretty excited about all of the festivities.

anyone else tired of looking at Bernice yet?

2011-08-27T19:37:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to our world friends. We're finally starting to get settled in here in Virginia. Not settled enough to have taken any recent pictures of the kids, but I just had to move the Bernice post down from the top of the page. When I put that one in, I certainly didn't mean for it to be our defining blog post for about 4 months (that was a complete guess - I don't know how long it's been). Anyway, we've just gotten internet access here at home this week and my iphone broke last week, so I don't have any fresh pictures to post but I do have a connected computer.

These pictures are from our trip to Honduras back when Leah was about 9 months old. It seems fitting to be posting these pictures because Mark and Keyla and Isaac moved to the area the same time we did (randomly) and so we've been spending lots of time with them. In fact, I'm pretty sure Ian prefers his Aunt Keyla to me. What can I say? I'm not used to being so close to family. I like it, but I think it might make our move to Beijing even harder next year. We'll see about that.

I can hardly remember when Leah was that small. And now Ian is older than Leah was here. I'll try to get some newer pictures posted soon. Ian is starting to look way too grown up, if you ask me. And although he still doesn't say much (except an enthusiastic "Da-da" when I ask him to say "Mama") he can roar like a dinosaur. I guess boys are boys, even when they're little. Stay tuned for our next post, hopefully soon....

Bernice, oh Bernice...

2011-05-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

For those who may be wondering, yes, Bernice used to be a lovely shade of pink. She used to be just as fluffy and full as the new Bernice pictured here. She is so loved. Leah needs her everywhere. Leah will hug her tight and announce, "hug Bernice" as she's doing it. If she drops Bernice, she'll quickly pick her up and say "I sorry Bernice. You okay Bernice? You okay?"

I was naturally excited when we found a "new" Bernice at the mall a couple of weeks ago. Without even thinking about the cost, I snatched up two new Bernices and promptly hid one away when we got home. I was kind of hoping we could retire the old Bernice and bring the new one on as her replacement. I mean, it's embarrassing to carry the old dingy one around. Gross. Unfortunately, Leah now wants the old Bernice and sometimes the new Bernice at the same time. Leah is not being fooled. She's just a companion Bernice, not a replacement. Oh well. I guess I tried.

the hair massacre, eh, cut

2011-05-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

I decided today that my children needed haircuts....today. I got a bee in my bonnet about it (why??? who knows?) and took them to the salon on base. I didn't know quite what to expect. Leah, along with Bernice's help, did great. She did look so grown up sitting in the chair by herself. She just got an easy trim, to cut off all of the scraggly ends. Easy peasy.

I wish I could say the same for Ian...

Before

and After.

This picture doesn't quite do it justice. His hair looks busted. It was a bit of an ordeal, though, since he basically didn't stop moving the entire time. I held him in my lap, trying to distract him with pictures on my phone. It didn't work. But the girl was a trooper and kept going. It actually wasn't too bad (although at one point as I looked on the floor and saw all of his curls laying there, I felt instant regret and wanted to cry a little) until she got the razor trimmers out. Since I hadn't taken a child for a haircut ever, I didn't realize it was at this point that I should have spoken up and said, "no thanks." I wanted his mullet to be gone, but I didn't necessarily want him to look like he had had a haircut. The razor trimming didn't go well, as the noise of it bothered him and he kept moving his head about. It ended up very straight and blunt near his ears and on the back of his neck. The good news is that it grows back. I have a lock of his curls saved so I can remember my sweet curly haired baby when he's all grown up.

happy {sniff, sniff} birthday Ian

2011-05-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Ian,

Today was your first birthday. I cried about it a little last night. Your dad didn't quite understand why. I just don't know why time has to go by so quickly. I feel like we're on fast forward mode. I want life to slow down so I can take the time to cherish all of the moments I have with you and Leah and your daddy. I think it's special to have your birthday so close to mother's day each year. Last year, you were born on the Monday after mother's day. I think you're just about the best gift I could ever get and I'm glad to be reminded of it on your birthday.

XOXO
your mom

ps - you've got to stop eating soap. How will I ever cure the potty mouth you're sure to have later on (thanks to your father, I'm sure) if you have developed the taste for soap? And I won't even go into the grossness factor of putting your mouth in the bathwater....

the birthday partay

2011-05-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Ian turned one and we decided to keep it nice and low-key with a cake and a candle. My mother informed me that now was the time to establish with my children that birthday parties consist of our family and a cake and some balloons. The balloons didn't quite happen this year, but if Ian asks, I'll have to cover for myself.

Looking pretty interested in the candle on top. He doesn't get the whole blowing out thing, so Leah and I helped him. I was surprised to see that Leah knew to blow it out.

No, it's not a number one cake (sorry Elizabeth!) or a pirate cake or a dinosaur cake. It actually more closely resembles a wedding cake. It was the best I could do last minute (when I decided today at naptime to figure out what kind of cake to make for the party tonight).

Ian is a big fan of cake so I knew this was going to be a no-brainer for him.

It didn't take long for him to dig right in. This is one of the reasons that I think he's so awesome.

Don't you love the crossed legs??

Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Red velvet cake + cream cheese frosting + red sprinkles = a very pink and sticky Ian

After a much needed bath, we got down to the real birthday business: unwrapping presents.

He didn't quite get it, but Leah was kind enough to "help" Ian unwrap all of his gifts and steal them to play with herself. Big sisters are the best!

Easter 2011.....please be kind

2011-05-01T18:30:00.001-07:00

Ok, before I start on this post, you have to know a couple of things:

1 - Leah needs a haircut (like nobody's business). I am aware of this, and hope to fix it soon (we'll see...)

2 - This is the first thing that I've made for my little boy. You must know that I love it (the night I finished it, I just sat back and looked at it over and over again and kind of giggled to myself. Lame, I know, but true.). With that being said, I am fully aware that it is very close to being too girly for a little boy. So don't you just sit there in your computer chair, thinking to yourself, "Wow, look what Becca is dressing her son in." I know, I know. And it has lots of issues that could be repaired. Like the elastic in the back is pretty much big enough for Michael's waistband, not Ian's. I know. It may be hard to look at the pictures and see what I see, but just know that I love it, flaws and all.

Ok, now that that's out of the way, here are the pictures of our little ones' Easter outfits. After hunting down Ian's outfit, we staged a little photo shoot last week. I don't think Leah could understand why none of the eggs had candy in them. I was kind enough to take all of the candy out of the eggs on Easter night after bedtime. No one who lives at this house (under age 3) needs that much candy at their fingertips. She keeps looking though. Good luck Leah.

So I also made Leah's dress. I used a pretty easy tutorial I found online and I think this is the most "un-handmade looking" dress that I've ever made. Score one for me (especially after Ian's Holly Hobby dungarees). I'm pretty proud. Leah called it her princess dress and enjoyed twirling in it. After eating her lunch in it today, I'm kind of rethinking the whole silk fabric choice. Hmm...

I just can't get enough of that little face. He's really getting big. It's sort of breaking my heart, but I'm trying hard (kind of) to not be that crazy mom who doesn't want her kids to ever leave her or grow up.

Leah is always kind enough to show Ian the ropes. These two play together lots, if playing together means Leah stealing all of Ian's toys and yelling "mine!!". She's got it down to an art form.

Even Bernice got in on the photography action. Leah laid her nicely down on the rocks and then said "smile, Bernice, smile" over and over again. I loved it. What else could I do but take a picture?

I'm famous one more time

2011-04-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

this picture has nothing to do with the post, but who posts without a picture?

So back in February of 2009, I wrote in to this amazing interior design blog for some help with my house. I posted about it here. Christine was awesome and gave me great advice, which I didn't exactly follow. Because of that, I never sent in my "after" pictures. I've had some guilt issues about that, as I've continued to follow her blog. And even though I didn't follow her exact advice for me, I did use the advice she gave to others on her blog to help me finish off my living room and kitchen. I finally wrote back in to her and sent her some pictures of my finished room, which she nicely posted on her website. You can check it out here.

Remember those before pictures? How embarassing!!! Somebody needed to slap me - Mom where were you? Seriously.

I didn't realize...

2011-04-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

how hard it is to get a house ready to go on the market. Yikes. But here it is. We had pictures taken on Friday, and it should be officially on the mls tomorrow. Also, I realize that it's Easter and we had a little sewing factory set up here until very very late last night. I'd love to post pictures but I don't have any yet. And I was hoping to get some put up tomorrow but Ian's outfit is missing in action (he gets passed around a lot at church and after changing his diaper, Michael didn't put it back on him. "too confusing to figure out" was what he said. Because that's why I stayed up late to finish his little outfit last night, so he could hang out in church in his onesie polo shirt??? Anyway, they are just a little pair of dungarees so I'm not really sure I agree with good old Meeshell). I'm on the hunt for it and as soon as I locate it, I'll get some pictures taken.

In the meanwhile, if you know of anyone who might want a lovely vacation home on the southside of Corpus Christi, send them my way.

Kitchen

kitchen 2
kitchen 3

living room

living room

laundry room

computer room

kid's room

master bedroom

back patio

the potty part that wasn't {warning: gross post below}

2011-04-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

I had a really good idea a week ago or so. I decided it was high time for Leah to join the world of big girls and princess panties. Let's be honest, I'm really just growing tired of spending so much hard-earned money on diapers. I mean, there are so many more fun things to buy, right? So, in mentioning that I was planning on doing the potty training thing, a good friend informed me that I just had to have a potty party. "Make it a big deal," she said. Ok, I can do that. We made cupcakes, we bought balloons, we welcomed a lovely little frog potty into our home to live, we even bought the plain (cheaper) panties and convinced Leah that they were really princess panties. The party was to commence at 3pm, after Leah returned from preschool.

It started out very promising, as I pumped her full of juice, soda, chocolate milk, water. Anything to fill her little bladder up. We then took all of her clothes off (I know this sounds weird, but many have informed me that this is how you do it) and waited around. We tried out sitting on the little frog potty, we tried to "go", we even tried to sit on the big potty. No luck. That little frog potty is just as pristine today as the day we brought him home from the store. The highlight of the party was when I looked over and saw a piece of, well, poop on the floor. Who knows how or when it got there (well, I guess I know how, but the question is really how I didn't notice...). It was gross. I ceremoniously cleaned it up and continued to encourage Leah to try to go. No deal. Early evening and one wet carpet spot later, Leah was fighting me to even sit down on the potty. It was at about that moment that I decided we were going back to diapers. I mean, it's pretty lame to have to change diapers, but it's worse to have clean it up off the floor. And while we're on the subject, how come there wasn't any pee next to the poop? I mean, who poops without peeing?? Is that even possible?

So, there was one little guy who really enjoyed the potty party, and more specifically the cupcakes at the potty party. The picture at the top of the post is of Leah's cupcake, barely touched. She was quite ladylike about it. Ian, on the other hand, annihilated his cupcake. He took it in his two fists and went to town. It was impressive. Almost as impressive as Leah's short potty training career. We've put that idea away for another time and another day...

braids braids braids

2011-04-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

So, it has been well established in calls to Elizabeth and calls to Mom that Leah's hair needs to be cut. So does little Ian's, but this post has nothing to do with him. Back to the subject at hand. Leah's hair is so long these days that I've been trying to get some more exciting hairstyles going. We tried two french braids for preschool this week. I was quite surprised that Leah sat still for the entire operation.

And in my own defense, I think Leah's head was a bit tilted in this picture. I mean, her braids were crooked but not that crooked. We're going to work on our technique a little bit.

our day at the park

2011-04-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

We love the swings!

little teeth

2011-04-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ian is working on getting his upper front teeth in completely. He's been a bit miserable lately.

That makes all of us miserable in our house.

But he still knows how to have a good time. Especially when peek-a-boo is involved.

just another day at the beach...pool

2011-04-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

While the rest of the country is still deciding if it's springtime, we're already enjoying the bright sun and warm weather. We decided to take a little dip in the pool last week.

Ian loved being in the water. I read some advice the other day somewhere that said if you're baby is cranky, put him or her in water. That sure works around here.

Ok, so I know I always act like people who ask me if my children are twins are so silly, but I think this picture makes these two look pretty close in age. I'm sure that will be the case more and more and Ian continues to get bigger and Leah continues to stay the same size (generally).

my little one

2011-04-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

I must admit that when I found out that Ian was a little boy during my ultrasound appointment, I cried. I could picture my two little girls in matching dresses with matching hairbows. Not so. I cried. And then I cried more for being a bad mom. I had my heart set on another little girl. I just pictured all the stinky, loud, dirty boys that I had ever seen. As it turns out (months later) I'm in love with my little boy!! He's not stinky or loud or dirty. Well, actually he is all of those things, but I sure don't care. He's my little boy. I was wrong. And I'm so glad to have him!! As far as I'm concerned I could have lots more boys. Just as long as they're not too loud or too stinky, I guess.

more by America

2011-04-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

Got some more pictures from America from our spring break photo shoot. Just wanted to post a few more pictures. We're in the midst of getting new carpet, cleaning out three and a half years of junk, and finally getting the garage organized (because that's what you should do when you're getting ready to move...get your house just like you like it. So lame, but what can I say??). Anyway, so I haven't been taking many snapshots of my kids. When my house is all ready (and after the cleaning lady comes on Monday : ) I'm going to take pictures and post them here. When it's all clean and organized, I'm going to be pretty proud.

So, here's a picture of all of the little ones (minus Sebastian who was being a fantastic sport about the whole thing). I love that America brought the lollipops. My kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. And America did a great job!! She's so talented (much more so than she thinks).

These two have really learned to get along and play together much better than they used to. Mia is less of a bully and Leah is less of a wimp (we call it "tender", Leah used to be "tender" alot). I think mother's day out has really toughened her up. Thank goodness. We don't want any mealy mouthed wimpy girls around here!!

So, thanks America for all of your hard work!! America's got more posted over at her blog (http://ririeville.blogspot.com/). Check it out!!

a little love for Leah

2011-03-16T19:54:00.001-07:00

We got together with our good friends this week (spring break!!) and staged a little photo shoot, thanks to the talent of my good friend America. Leah and little Mia were mostly cooperative, although it started to get a bit rough towards the end.

This is the pure bliss that Leah feels whenever balloons are involved.

Seriously, this is awesome.

Hey Mia, you go play. I'll sit here and hold on to the balloons.

Mom, why do you keep trying to make me smile?

Can you believe how grown up my little girl is?? I love watching her turn into a little person and become good friends with Ian. They're pretty cute together, when Leah remembers to share and to be nice. I tell her that over and over, "Be nice Leah, be nice." Then she pats his head and repeats over and over "Be nice, be nice."

the latest installment of "crap I've made"

2011-03-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

It was a busy sewing Saturday for our house this week. Michael was out of town this weekend, so my friend Leisa and I took advantage of naptime and finally sewed new dresses (matching : ) for our daughters. We had all of the pieces already cut out, but we did all of the sewing (except the very first step) all in one day, in one naptime.

Ian even got some sewing done for him too yesterday. Every 10 month old needs a bowtie, right?
In the end, Leah's dress turned out to be so small it wouldn't even fit over her head, so I remade it late last night (the risk of sewing during naptime). It was even easier the second time. I used my serger on all of the inside seams and I love how it looks on the inside. So neat. It's the little things in life, isn't it?

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss

2011-02-26T12:09:00.001-08:00

We decided to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday on Saturday by going to the Dr Seuss storytime at Target. Ian had to take one for the team and skip his morning nap (look at those poor tired eyes!). Too bad my kids are pretty unfamiliar with the idea of sitting down and listening to someone read a book, unless they're sitting in your lap (how we do it at home).
You see all of the nice attentive kids sitting quietly with their attention on the person reading the book? Notice that none of them belong to me. These two just couldn't keep still.

Leah was pretty happy when she realized that there were snacks being handed out. That worked for a little while. She even got a juice box.

moving on up

2011-02-24T19:57:00.000-08:00

We've had a bit of a bed problem ever since we became a family of four. I'm not sure if it's a problem of too few rooms or the wrong beds or what, but bedtime has always been a bit of a rigamaroo. Two cribs in their room, a pack n play in the kitchen, a bassinet hiding out my closet. Lots of options. You never knew who was going to sleep where and in what bed. I recently discovered that Leah's crib had been recalled so we returned that one to the store and moved her to Ian's crib. Then Ian was relegated to the bassinet.

It's a cute bassinet, but I really got the feeling that Ian was beyond it when he started standing up in it. Safety is of the utmost importance around here (which explains why we would put an 8 month old to sleep in a bassinet). It was on this day that Ian was then assigned to the pack n play, which is now shuffled around for naptime and bedtime. Ian spends his naptime in my room and then I have the distinct pleasure of moving the pack n play back into the kid's room for bedtime each day. Yikes. I'm expecting that we'll have more bedrooms in our house in Beijing. Boy, we'll sure know how to put all that room to good use!

Speaking of sleeping, a few weeks ago I put Leah down for her nap, forgetting that I had left a couple of clean shirts hanging on Leah's (Ian's) crib to dry. Leah took this opportunity to stage a wardrobe change.

"Hey, Mom, I've got my clothes changed. Now can I just get out of bed already??!?"

I can't tell you how awesome I think that girl is. Being a mom is such a gift.

fei ji

2011-02-22T19:04:00.001-08:00

The piglets and I found ourselves finishing up our grocery shopping at the commissary the other day right as Michael was finished with his flight. We took the chance to stop by work and let Michael show us the ins and the outs of the airplanes that he flies {including the weird bathroom corner in the back, in such a small plane, so so strange. And, just for information's sake, it is generally used only for#1 in desperate situations, but legend tells us that one guy in one of the other squadrons had to use it for the big business. Yikes. Really wish I would've gotten a picture of that. Who cares about the outside of the plane anyway, right?}

"Hey Michael, I know. Since we're all here, let's take a nice family photo. What do you think?"
"No, Leah, try to look at the camera like the rest of us. Come on."

"No, Ian, you too. Come on people, is this your first family photo, or what??"

"Ok, whatever. I'm obviously the only one who gets what's going on here."

v day 2011

2011-02-22T18:46:00.000-08:00

We love valentine's day at our house. This year, Leah and I made Mee-shell some cookies. Leah helped roll them out, cut them with the cookie cutters and even helped a little with the frosting (mostly she just acted as quality control, making sure the frosting tasted good).

I know what you're thinking - no these are not cookies that I purchased at the bakery. These are THE cookies we made. And yes, we are professionals.

Mee-shell even got in on the kitchen action. He made me a lovely plate of heart shaped french toast with strawberries and cream. It was a delicious breakfast. Leah obviously agrees.

help!

2011-02-21T22:34:00.000-08:00

I need a haircut and I can't stop drooling and all my mom wants to do is take pictures of me. She's no help at all.

bath time

2011-02-21T22:27:00.001-08:00

You have to take these pictures when you're a parent, right? No butt crack shots though. Not yet anyway.
I'm pretty sure their heads are the same size. I think that explains why when we go shopping, people keep asking me if they are twins. That would be a no, as Ian is playing bobble head in the front of the cart, holding on for dear life and Leah is in the back trying to jump out.

Maybe looks can be deceiving?? No twins here so far. Wouldn't that be nice, though? Ooh if Michael read this blog he would be so mad I even typed that. It's pretty much his worst nightmare (trumped really only by the idea of triplets!!). And no, I'm not pregnant (in case you're wondering). Just contemplating how I'm going to get my babies here before my husband is officially an old man. Multiples would be nice for that.

in lieu of a video...

2011-02-21T22:19:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post these awful blurry photos to show how Ian and Leah like to spend their time together during the day. Leah loves to have Ian crawl on her. The minute he even sets foot (or should I say 'knee' as he crawls over) in her direction, she starts laughing hysterically and says "I got you, I got you." Yep, it's pretty awesome to see.

For these pictures I'm pretty sure Ian had started to climb up on the bookshelf and Leah basically crawled underneath him so they could play.
They entertain each other pretty well.

don't act like you're not impressed

2011-02-21T22:16:00.001-08:00

Thank goodness Leah doesn't do this very often.

shake what zumama gave you...

2011-02-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

So, with it being just barely February, I'm still working on my new year's resolutions (although I have less than a perfect record thus far, I keep climbing back on the horse when I fall off, or rather when I stay in bed). One of those resolutions obviously includes becoming more healthy, fit or skinny, however you want to label it. We have a great zumba studio here in Corpus called ZuMama Fitness that I really like going to. They're pretty hard core here. I realized this when during one of my first classes a couple of the girls pulled on a (no kidding!) belly dancing scarf, adorned with chimes and coins and sparkling diamonds and whatever else you put on a belly dancing scarf. What in the world?? It was pretty awesome. I ridiculed (in my mind) this idea until tonight when I thought perhaps this scarf could help me to shake what my mama gave me with a little more power or vigor or whatever. So, I looked on the internet to get a picture (no, not to buy one. How could I ever begin to explain that purchase to good old Mee-shell???) and found a fantastic quote.

"This scarf is great for Belly Dancing, Zumba or casually wearing with jeans, skirts, swimwear or with just about anything." That is what this website said. Seriously. You know I've lost it when I start thinking I can wear one of these puppies over my jeans or "with just about anything". I'm really going to miss this place when we leave. And I honestly am going to miss my zumama classes. The instructors are great there. And just so you don't worry, I'll be sure to post a picture of that if I ever get one. You never know....

today

2011-01-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

I snapped a couple of pictures today because I realized I really don't take that many pictures of my little ones on a day to day basis. I think that will become something that I may regret, so I'm going to work on fixing that. As for the blog, I'm going to try and be a bit more diligent. Maybe I can post more than once every four months. For now we're doing really well. We're trying to get our house ready to put up for sale, in preparation for our move to Washington DC in the summer. We'll spend a year in the DC area and then it's off to China for 3 years. Maybe I'll have really interesting things to post about then. We'll see.

Just so I can keep track of it (because I literally have no memory), Ian is 8 and a half months old and is scooting around, or rather dragging himself where he wants to go. He has 2 teeth on the bottom, and he loves to eat! Incidentally, I think he's eaten more in his 8 months of life than Leah has in her 28 months of life. He loves it and it shows. He's much bigger than she was at this age. Leah is able to count to 10 in both english and chinese. Her english is edging out her chinese right now (just barely) thanks to her mother's day out program. Everywhere we go in the car, she looks out the window and warns me when there's a "big truck." And not to be too sappy, I love those two little children more than I could have ever thought was possible. Rocking Ian to sleep tonight (because he was WAY over the edge) was so wonderful. Having children is such a blessing from the Lord. I hope to have lots more. : )

bowling with the browns

2011-01-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

We were invited to a good friend's 11th birthday party at a bowling alley here in Corpus last week. It was great fun and took me back to the days of dating and having to be all goofy in the big unflattering shoes (making my long feet look more like skies) and figuring out how to confidently return to my seat next to my date after some of the worst bowling turns in history. I figured out it's way more fun with your husband and kids!
Leah was in heaven as she was able to hold on to 2 ballons, wear a stunning princess crown, and bury her face in a delicious cupcake with 2 inches of icing on top.
Oh, and she also got a lei and star sunglasses. She was quite glamorous.

Her dad even helped show her the perfect form for bowling. It made for a great Saturday afternoon!

mother's day out

2011-01-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

Leah and I decided we needed to take some time apart from one another so that we could fully appreciate our relationship. We decided as Leah moved fully into the terrible two's, that this was a phase of her life that I wanted to be able to check out of for at least a few hours a week. That's when we walked into the glorious doors of Yorktown Baptist Church and signed Leah up for a mother's day out program. It meets for two days a week from 9am to 2:30pm. Yep, it's pretty awesome. Leah has done great from day one. And I relish the opportunity to go shopping with only one little friend to get in and out of the carseat and shopping cart. The only person who seems to struggle with it is Ian. He is a bit out of sorts on the days Leah is gone. They have become pretty good buddies lately, entertaining each other underneath the kitchen table during the day while I try (mostly unsuccessfully) to get my household chores accomplished. They don't do much besides laughing hysterically at each other while Leah steals toys away from Ian the moment he shows any interest in them. She also says a very stern "no, no, no" as she takes the toy away. I wonder where she learned that from?

Anyway, so Leah needed a napmat for "school" so I whipped one up the day before she was to start. As I was making it, I thought "Yeah right like my daughter is going to lay down on this thing in a room full of kids and go to sleep. Good luck!". Day one, no sleeping but her "teacher" reported that she was quiet during naptime which I guess is acceptable. Then when I picked her up on her second day, her face clearly had the "I just woke up" look to it. And sure enough, they said she fell asleep no problem. I was astounded, but pretty glad about it. To put her down for a nap after she gets done at 2:30 in the afternoon means a very speedy drive back home to get in before the 'it's too late in the afternoon for a nap' time hits. All in all, I'm very happy with her going to this mother's day out program. She seems to love it and has no problems being dropped off. And I pick her up hours later feeling like a much better mother. Everyone wins.

Something weird seems to be going on with her hair in these pictures, but there's really no telling what since I spent this entire afternoon sewing her napmat. Everyone survived and I guess that's all that matters.

Happy Birthday Mee-shell

2011-01-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

{The pictures are in random order because I haven't posted in so long, I've forgotten the correct way to load pictures in order here on good old blogger}

Ok, I realize I'm a month late, but here we are. We celebrated Michael's birthday with tickets to see the Nutcracker while we were in NC and a romantic date for two at a restaurant in Raleigh that we went to before we got married. Thanks to the babysitting skillz of my mom, we were able to enjoy a really nice night with just each other. On Michael's actual birthday once we were back in Corpus, we had the Kings and the Sillimans over to celebrate Michael's birth with some delicious pumpkin cheesecake. Michael doesn't look or act 36, but maybe he's starting to feel it??? Closer to 70 than to birth. Scary thought, huh?

The green beans won

2011-01-28T12:30:00.001-08:00

Ian is getting bigger and bigger. He'll soon outgrow little Leah, I'm thinking. After such a long break from blogging (what can I say? I have no defense...) I thought I could climb back on the wagon with some pictures of my favorite little boy.

The birthday cake

2010-09-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

We got a chance to celebrate Leah's birthday at her grandma and papa's house. We've got lots of pictures, but today I'll just do a preview with a picture of the cute dog cake that my mom made. Leah had lots of fun!
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A visit to the aquarium

2010-09-03T11:17:00.001-07:00

Leah, Ian and I tried to escape the south Texas heat yesterday with a trip to the aquarium with my friend Kristi and her son Braden. For the first time, Leah really seemed to respond to all the displays and the dolphin show (a little).

Here's Leah and Braden waiting for the dolphin show to start.

Checking out one of the tanks that have fish and sharks (yikes!) that are bigger than Leah.

Leah and Kristi spying on the dolphins in their tank, below where they do their show.
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in case you missed it

2010-08-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

I don't think this ever made it onto the blog after I posted it on facebook, so here it is, better late than never. Life has improved a lot since this picture was taken (I'm thinking back in June sometime??), but some days are still like this. It's not quite as bad as it looks. When they are both crying, I try to remember how much of a blessing they both are.

Leah at the library

2010-08-29T22:27:00.001-07:00

Leah got the front seat in the stroller last week while we were at the library. Even though I visited the childrens room to grab a few board books for her, this is the book she snagged from the shelf as we were making our way down the aisle. Silly girl.

My little family

2010-08-29T22:23:00.001-07:00

Leah has started to enjoy her little brother. She seems to act pleasantly surprised when she comes into a room and "finds" him and often holds out her hands as though she wants to hold him. Yeah, that will happen.

That's exactly what happened as I took these pictures. Leah still needs a little help with infant care. Darn it - I was really hoping I could count on her for some free babysitting. Maybe in a few years...
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Ian A

2010-08-29T22:18:00.001-07:00

Still looks like Leah, but also tends to favor stephen a bit too, at times. This is 3 and a half months. Almost time for rice cereal!!

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Do you call this eating?

2010-08-29T22:16:00.001-07:00

Seriously Ian, how are you ever supposed to get full if this is you at feeding time? Put your game face on already.

The poor man's waterpark

2010-08-29T22:13:00.001-07:00

It's still so hot here that Leah didn't mind the shower she got from Michael a few days ago.

It was a bit of a surprise for her though.

She just kept coming back for more.

Church clothes, bowtie included

2010-08-29T22:09:00.001-07:00

Not everyone can look this good with at least 4 ounces of spit-up on their shirt. Ian was excited to wear his first button up today to church.

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Swimming...sort of

2010-08-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to get Leah a pool all summer long, but just hadn't gotten around to it. Last night, I spotted this lovely on clearance at Toys 'R Us for only $7.99! I filled it up this afternoon (evening) and she spent lots of time getting out of it

And then back into it

Perhaps I shouldve spent some of the money I saved on some pool toys or something. I guess as it turns out, just sitting in a plastic pool on the hot driveway with your mom next to you, playing on her iPhone isn't that entertaining. Next time I'm at Toys 'R Us, I guess I'll look for some water toys...
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Summertime love

2010-08-13T13:14:00.001-07:00

We got together with some friends on Friday for lunch and swimming. It was lots of fun. Leah seemed to especially love the pool time.

I brought her little float, thinking she would love floating in/on it , but she spent almost the entire time just carrying it.

Ian (shown here with holly) spent the whole time in the shade, in his carseat. He refused to even get up. He's such a baby sometimes.

Where did Leah get the aquanet?

2010-08-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

Um, Leah, is that your best impression of that highly favored and sorely missed late 80's and early 90's tradition of 'bangs to heaven'? We better get a closer look:

Oh sure enough, it is. But you weren't anywhere near the aquanet. Hmm, you must've used the syrup from breakfast. Look how smart you are!

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Ian's latest

2010-08-09T12:36:00.001-07:00

Ian turns 3 months old this week - I can't believe how fast time flies! It feels like I was still pregnant with him just a couple of weeks ago. Here's an update on him and our life with him in it:

He loves to smile at people. This is especially true when meeshell is the one in front of him. Michael comes home from work and he and Ian have a nice little chit-chat. He gives most of his smiles to his dad. It's pretty cute to see.

Ian is also cooing alot these days. He'll even laugh outloud, especially if you tickle him. He's a pretty easygoing baby as long as he is fed and his diaper is clean (he gets that from his dad I'm sure).

Leah interacts with Ian more and more everyday. She tried to share her cookie with him today. She'll talk to him and try to cover him up with his blanket. She takes good care of him, lucky for me.

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My little pacifier hoarder

2010-08-05T08:11:00.001-07:00

I so wish I could think of funny or witty or even semi-intelligent posts for my blog. Unfortunately, this is what you get: silly photos of my children. Oh well. Leah is loving pacifiers more and more since she only gets hers while she's in bed. Lucky for her, there's usually a few of Ian's lying around. This morning she took full advantage of what she could find. She's working with what she's got. I love it.
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Father and son QT

2010-07-20T20:20:00.001-07:00

Michael recently decided to share some of the finer things in life with little Iowa (ie Super Mariocart on the wii).

They are both pretty fond of the frontpack. Soon after being loaded up, Ian went right to sleep.

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Stuck on the couch...

2010-07-20T20:13:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when you are stuck on the couch nursing your little baby after your bigger baby grows arms long enough to reach the countertops. Thank goodness I moved the knife that I used to cut the cantaloupe to the back of the counter. I'm pretty sure she realizes the freedom she has once I grab the boppy and the baby and head for the couch. Now if I could just work up enough energy to mop the now sticky floor.

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visiting...

2010-07-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

We tried to show off the best of what Corpus Christi has to offer while family was in town visiting for Ian's blessing. First stop was the new Bayfront Park in downtown Corpus. Leah loved splashing around while Mom, Dad, Ian and I watched. She is a girl who loves accessories, so I had no trouble getting her to keep her hat on while in the sun.

Leah is having a quite enchanted love affair with my dad these days. While Papa is awake and around, she wants nothing to do with anyone else (including me!!). While visiting, Grandma could only get Leah to hang with her if Papa was still in bed. It was pretty cute. She would sit with him or stand next to him and lean over for a kiss every few minutes, just to make sure we all knew he belongs to her. It was only a problem when Dad was trying to pack up the car and Leah insisted on following him everywhere. It's hard to get things done with a toddler as a shadow. I wonder if it will be the same when we see them next.
We also took a trip to the beach. It was stinky and the beach was full of seaweed (so could not compete with the beaches that we're used to in NC!), but Leah was pretty happy to be there.

Spike's blessing

2010-07-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

Our little Ian Alexander was blessed on Sunday. We were lucky to have lots of family in town for his special day. My mom made an adorable outfit for him to wear with a matching blanket. He was all smiles for most of the day.

I think he was getting lots of attention during his little photo shoot.

Umm, a family of four? What are we - real adults now? This picture kind of blew my mind when I saw it. Not a great one, but the best one that shows the whole family.

Grandma and Papa with little Ian. Mom did such a good job on his outfit - thanks Mom!

At the park

2010-07-03T08:40:00.001-07:00

There's an awesome new park here in Corpus downtown on the bayfront. We had a little playdate there this week prior to the hurricane weather moving in (although check out the sky in some of the pictures!). Leah got to play with Holly and Cason. She loved it.

-

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Date night

2010-07-03T05:48:00.001-07:00

Michael left on Tuesday afternoon to evacuate planes for the impending hurricane that never stopped by our house. I had the pleasure of taking care of our children while sick with a virus (so glad I'm not a single mom!!!). It made it a little of a challenging week. So when Michael returned on Friday morning, I decided we (I) needed a date night. We even left Ian with the babysitter for the first time. It was a real treat to be alone. We had dinner at Rudys Bbq (and wished the Arthurs were with us!) and played putt putt (and wished the arthurs were with us again). Meeshell beat me (obviously) but I wasn't that far behind him.

Then we got ice cream at Sonic, where we saw a possum run into a tree in front of our car. I think I've watched 'Ice Age' a few too many times with Leah because embarassingly enough, I asked Michael if possums walked on two legs or four. He explained to me that in real life, they walk on four legs and they don't talk either. Yikes- turn the tv off becca.

(can you spy michaels legs in this picture? He's trying to shake the possum out of the tree so he can see him again. Strange.)

All in all, it was a fun date and a great way to spend a Friday night.

Lulled to sleep

2010-06-28T21:45:00.001-07:00

Leah has a rough night last night and was up rather late, which she is not used to at all. This morning, she was enjoying her breakfast while I was enjoying (?) my time on the treadmill. I hopped off to turn on the fan and noticed she had fallen asleep. Poor girl. I stuck her in bed and she slept for 4 hours!

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Is this how I hold him, Mom?

2010-06-28T19:41:00.000-07:00

Poor Ian - he looks so pathetic and helpless (like he is, when at Leah's mercy). Leah has started acting more interested in Ian. She often wants to "hold" him and help me take care of him. She sometimes will walk up to us (me, sitting on the couch, holding Ian) and try to take him off of my lap. She is most interested in sharing his pacifier with him. If it's laying on the couch, she eyes it from across the room ("I spy with my little eye..."), darts over, her hand shoots out to grab it, and then she runs off, too fast for me to catch her. She thinks its the best game, mostly because she gets to suck on a passy.

Dr. Evil?

2010-06-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

Michael and I have recently had an "Austin Powers" marathon (should I really be admitting that??), so when I got this picture of Ian, I immediately thought of Dr Evil ("one hundred billion dollars..."). Here is our little guy. I think he's looking a little like Stephen, no? Maybe it's all the middle of the night feedings when sometimes I go to switch sides and I can't remember if I already nursed on both sides or just the one. Yikes.

2010-06-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

For the record, it takes much longer to get a blog post done when you're only using one hand to type and one hand to hold the baby. But I digress...

So I realize my blog has been quite neglected lately, with all the baby-having and adjusting to life with two kids that's been going on around here. I'm going to try to get back on the wagon and use more blogger and less facebook (which is so easy to upload pictures, it feels like I'm cheating).

Here are a couple of pictures of Leah from Sunday. I made her dress this week (which I'm proud to say was finished by Saturday afternoon - I'm usually pushing midnight or later!). Unfortunately, as you'll read below, I perhaps should've worked on it a little longer.

Funny story: this fabric (I think it's called "linen-look" at Joann's) unravels quite easily, much more easily than the cotton I usually use to make her dresses out of. I noticed as I was dressing her at 8:52 on Sunday morning (church starts at 9!) that I had missed a bit of the side seam when I was sewing the front to the back. This is just fancy talk for what basically amounts to a hole in the side of her dress. In my defense, it was quite small and we were t-minus like 6 minutes for church. So, I just figured I could fix it later, hoping beyond hope that Michael wouldn't notice. I mean this kind of craftmanship would give him ammunition for years. As it turns out, the hole got larger as the day at church wore on. Michael did notice and continues to doubt my sewing abilities. And when I picked Leah up from nursery, one of the leaders said, "I think Leah might have torn her dress". How sweet to not say, "um, Becca, it appears that you need to go back to sewing school to learn that you shouldn't send your daughter to church in a holey dress (I couldn't help saying that, he he )". I haven't fixed it yet, but I did inform Michael that sewing is a skill that is developed as you sew. So, I have to keep on making things that might 'look' homemade to get a finished product that isn't noticeably homemade, or maybe could be described as 'handmade' rather than 'homemade'.

he's almost as big as Leah

2010-06-28T18:14:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture I took of Ian yesterday after church. He's hit the point where he will respond to you when you talk to him and smile a lot. Since we're his parents, we think it's pretty much the most awesome thing in the world. You know how that goes.

Ian's photo shoot

2010-06-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

My brother Mark and his family drove all the way from North Carolina to visit a couple of weeks after Ian was born. Mark's wife, Keyla is an amazing photographer and she got some great shots of our new little boy. She worked so hard while trying to get him to pose just right! If you live in NC and you haven't had your family's picture taken in a while, hire Keyla. She makes everyone look good!

We were happy to have them visit. Leah wasn't so sure about having to share her toys with Isaac (their 3 year old), but we had fun. Michael and Mark are secret bff's, and they were able to spend many hours playing video games. We visited the aquarium and the Selena Museum. We were sad to see them go. It was a fun visit.

I knew I never liked shopping at Motherhood Maternity...

2010-05-14T06:56:00.001-07:00

Two stories to tell this morning. The first one goes along with the pictures, so I'll tell that one first. Before I do that, here's some details on little Ian: he weighed 8 pounds, 1 oz and measured 21" long. Almost a pound and a half more than Leah!! I knew I was bigger with this one. He came very quickly (we were quite happy with that) and he's been a great baby so far. He latched right on about 30 minutes after he was born. The only struggle is keeping him awake so he'll actually eat. We feel so blessed to have such a sweet, healthy baby. And in comparing him to newborn pictures of Leah, they are like carbon copies except for the dark hair. We'll see if that sticks (Leah hasn't stopped looking like Mee-shell since birth).

So, if you know me (and you do, if you're reading the blog), you know that I sometimes struggle to get things together. Easy things. Like finding a cute outfit to bring my newborn home from the hospital in. Other people make this look easy. When Leah was born she was so tiny she wore preemie clothes for about 3 weeks. So I thought I would be smart with this one and buy a couple of preemie outfits for his trip home from the hospital. I thought he was bigger and probably wouldn't wear them as long as Leah did, but I felt sure they would work for the first couple of days. So, baby comes and it's time to go home. I get his little sleepers out (3 to choose from, all preemie sized. Could I not have brought a couple of bigger things to choose from???) and none of them fit. He's skinny enough, but he's just so long. What to do?? You can't take the baby home naked. Don't worry - Michael took charge and goes out in the hall to find some scissors. He cuts off the feet of his little dog sleeper and comes back in, proud of himself that he preserved the cute doggie feet. And sure enough, the sleeper works. But you'll see in the pictures that where the little feet are supposed to be hit him almost to his knees. I hope he'll get his height from me. Judging the size of his feet, I think he will.

Ok, second story. This one is a bit more tragic. I have heard that wearing a belly band, like a compression band can help your belly return to normal faster after a pregnancy. I have been meaning to get one, but just keep forgetting. So, last night Michael and I went to the mall to get one. Because this belly needs some help! So, keep in mind that I'm only 3 days past giving birth. I walk into Motherhood Maternity and ask about the belly bands. She starts to show me and I'm asking about what size. She says to me that I need to wait to have the baby and then see what size I am. I told her (with clenched teeth, I'm sure) that I had already had the baby. She asked when. I told her on Monday. Then she had the nerve to ask me if I had a c-section or if they had kept me an extra long time at the hospital. No, I answered to both of these. Then she asked, "Well then why are you just here buying this tonight?" Did you not hear me lady??!!!!!! I said I just had a baby. They're not like cabbage patch dolls that you bring home from the hospital. You actually have to care for them around the clock. I'm going to have to assume that this person has never actually given birth or taken care of a baby ever in her life. I think my shopping experience might have gone better if she had.

Ian Alexander

2010-05-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

spring is here

2010-03-21T17:52:00.001-07:00

The weather has been great here this week. It's usually already starting to hit summertime temperatures, but this year, we're really enjoying some beautiful days. Like real spring. Anyway, here are a few photos I took today of little Leah in her church dress. She even got a matching purse to take some toys to church with her.
It's getting quite hard to get her to sit still long enough to get a good picture.
With James Brown coming soon, we've really started to encourage her to walk much more (rather than us carry her everywhere). She is embracing her freedom and usually knows exactly what she wants to do and where she wants to go. Life will be very interesting in a couple of months. I'm starting to think that we may not be quite ready for an addition to our family(I don't think I'm allowed to say or think that...).

Hawaii..it feels like so long ago

2010-03-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

I think I posted already that we took a trip to Hawaii to visit Laura and Eric in February. It was Mee-shell's very thoughtful and generous Christmas gift to me. I know it's only March, but it seriously feels like forever since we've been there. I just learned how to get my pictures from my iphone to my computer today (I am so proud of myself for figuring it out) so I thought I'd put a few of them here. Leah really is a beach girl. We're just waiting for all of the crazy spring-breakers to go home so we can spend some time at the beach here. We learned 2 years ago that spring break is not the time to go to the beach. It attracts all the wrong kind of people.
Leah loved being able to run on the beach.
Laura generously agreed to watch Leah so that Michael and I could have an overnight date down at Waikiki Beach. This is the beach right across from our hotel. It was pretty early in the day (10am-ish?) and the beach was already pretty crowded.
Laura and I picked Leah's hair out. I think she looks fantastic. I can't believe she didn't come home with more of a sunburn. She gets her alabaster skin from her father.

my grown up girl at eighteen months...already

2010-03-08T19:54:00.001-08:00

Leah is officially 18 months old this week, which essentially means 3 things around here:

1 - we snuck her into nursery 3 days early on Sunday. More on that below...
2 - she needs another doctor's appointment for a well baby check up (and if I was a good mom, I would have already made the appointment...)
3 - Leah has to bid farewell to an old friend - the binky. She only gets this sucker at night and at naptimes, so we'll see how traumatic the parting is. I'll let you know. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If you know us, you know how important (some might say extremely vital) sleep is at our house.

With her very mature age, Leah has also graduated to the honor of wearing pigtails in her hair. I like to think it helps to hide the baby mullet (or "bullet", as its known in some circles) that she's still sporting. At least it's an excuse to put hairbows in her hair. And sometimes she even lets them stay a while before she pulls them out.

I think Leah has been practicing her dance moves for the camera - this shot is at the end of a little hop and arm shake move. I really can't believe how big she has gotten lately. While I was extremely relieved and excited to be able to drop her off at nursery on Sunday, I pulled one of those crazy mom moves in sacrament meeting. Get a load of this: I started to remember back to about three weeks ago (or was it 17 months ago...it feels like just a few weeks) when we were there at church for her baby blessing. I'm so embarassed to admit (no one mention this to Michael, who thankfully does not read out blog generally) that I had to blink back the tears so Michael wouldn't see. I can imagine the water works that will come when I have to take her to kindergarten. Anyway, long story short, Leah did great in nursery. I dropped her off and she didn't even look back. At the end of church when I went to pick her up she was much too busy watching some of the nursery leaders blow bubbles to worry about her mom there to pick her up. I had to call her name like 6 times and then walk right up to her to get her attention. Seriously. Such a relief that she was good. I'd hate to be fighting a battle every Sunday. On the other hand, does she have to grow up so very fast? Time flies when you're an adult...

a little taste of our Hawaii trip

2010-02-25T21:17:00.000-08:00

We've been having the best time in Hawaii, enjoying the lovely weather and smooth air (my mom told me even the air feels better in Hawaii and I have to agree with her). Here are some pictures taken a yesterday. One thing we've learned is that Leah loves the beach. I guess she's old enough to start enjoying the beach in Corpus Christi with her. Here is Leah riding on the board with Aunt Laura. After a few minutes, Leah started to feel pretty independent and tried to push Laura away, as though she wanted to ride the waves all by herself.

I think Leah might need some sunglasses...

Leah and Eric playing on the beach. Who knows what Leah is reaching for??

After a dive into the sand, Leah's cute little forehead sported this look until her dad took her and showered her off when it was time to go. She loves being at the beach. She runs out to look at the water and then turns around and runs as fast as her little legs will carry her as the wave comes in. It's pretty funny to watch. I'm going to try and post a video later (those things take so long to upload!).

a post for Charlie Brown's grandmothers

2010-02-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

It appears I've been enjoying a few too many Valentine's treats myself. This picture is for my mom and Michael's mom, who have both been asking for pictures of me. Yes, I'm pregnant. Yes, I'm huge. And yes, none of my clothes fit (skirt is not fully zipped in the back....when did this become ok??). Our little boy is expected to arrive in about 3 months, and we're very excited.

valentine's day mess

2010-02-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a shot of Leah enjoying valentine's day chocolate chip pancakes, a bit of cookie from her grandma and a strawberry cupcake. She really knows how to celebrate the holidays. I did get a bit concerned when I put a bite of cupcake in her mouth (to convince her it really was something she wanted to eat) and she spit it out. It was at that point that I started to worry that she wasn't my child. A child that came from my womb would definitely come to this earth with a strong affinity for cupcakes, right? Perhaps switched at birth (with another woman's baby who was also fathered by MB??). She laid my fears to rest when she took matters into her own hands and got down to business with the cupcake. Whew, what a relief!

(I'm pretty sure that's a thumbs up, Jenn. Wish you guys were here to have more Valentine's fun this year...)

our new friend

2010-01-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help using my 50% off coupon at Michael's to buy this little beauty. What little girl doesn't want a pony to play with? I'll be painting it later, and perhaps adding some polka dots? I'll post more pictures when that happens.
Leah doesn't seem to mind that it's unfinished. I wish I had gotten a picture of her in the store, trying it out. She didn't want to get off so I could buy it. Might be the best $15 I've spent this month...

maybe she loves cornbread as much as I do?

2010-01-29T15:04:00.001-08:00

I was working on the computer the other day, while Leah was supposed to be playing in the living room (I was checking on her often, but obviously not often enough!). I noticed it had gotten pretty quiet, and so I decided to do some investigating. Here is what I found. She seemed to be pretty excited by her discovery of cornmeal. Thankfully, it was a pretty easy clean up. Even Bernice (Leah's elephant friend) managed to get clean (relatively speaking).

hope you're sitting down...I'm actually posting something on the blog

2010-01-17T11:42:00.001-08:00

No one will be blown away by this post, but just wanted to post some new pictures of Leah that I took today after church. We've got the "get Leah into nursery" count down to 2 months and boy are we keeping track! By the time I'm done with the young women, Michael is usually ready to kill Leah. Today he decided that by noon she was at "defcom 5". He's a saint - the third hour is obviously the hardest!
I have to secretly admit that this blog post is really here just to show my mom the dress I made Leah. It was supposed to be her Christmas dress, but I obviously didn't get it done in time. Then, last week when I finally worked on the dress I planned to make (and I was even going to follow a pattern this time!), it didn't work out. Last night after deciding I didn't have anything to put on Leah for church, I took that dress apart and remade it into this. I love pleats on a little girl...

I just wish Leah would've turned around and faced me while I had the camera ready. She was beyond control though, with a desperate need for both lunch and a nap. She got both soon after our photo shoot and everyone here at the Brown house is much happier now.

encouraging words

2009-10-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

I watch this video over and over because I love it. To me, it's so inspiring and encouraging. I also think it maybe explains this compulsion I have with making things - whether it be sewing or crafting or scrapbooking. When I was little I remember feeling bad because I didn't feel like I had a definable talent, like singing or dancing. I am happy now to be able to develop talents in sewing and in making pretty things. It also confirms to me the gift of being a mother. There is nothing like knowing you are carrying a child that you and your husband created. I remember feeling so lucky to be able to carry Leah, feeling her move and knowing it was a special bond just between us. What a gift from our Heavenly Father!

she's walking!

2009-10-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

so depressed to be away from YPG!

2009-10-18T18:17:00.001-07:00

We were lucky enough to go see Liz and her family last weekend in Arizona for little Stephen's blessing. It was a great time!! We started off the trip with a day and a half in San Diego (where I saw Shawna and little Shane, but I didn't get a picture of our meet up!! It was so fun, Shawna!). We went to this great park and the kids had a great time playing. Leah was practicing her walking skills with her Papa.

Here is an upside down picture of little Stephen. I was able to get him to sleep so he didn't interrupt any of our girl time (with Mom and Liz, after Catherine already left). He's such a pretty baby.

We went back to Yuma Proving Ground after our time in San Diego. We all loved it there! It's a really small base where the kids kind of have free reign to play and go wherever they want. We had a great time. Even Michael was able to join us by flying a cross country to the marine base in Yuma. We played lots of games and had really good food. I even discovered that unlike I thought, Leah is a good eater. I came to the conclusion that she just doesn't like my cooking, which is why she's such a picky eater at home.

This is a picture of us at the Cactus Cafe, the bowling alley at the YPG. I'm sad to report that I came in last. Yes, below even the 3 year old's score. I always thought I wasn't half bad at bowling. I've since changed my opinion.

We even had time (at the sacrifice of sleep) to set up a make shift bow making sweat shop. We had lots of fun, and I was quite sad to come back to Corpus Christi. I don't understand why we can't all live close to each other anymore. And it's only going to get worse (here we come China!!).

our little spring chicken

2009-10-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

Michael's work had a Halloween party for the kids yesterday so we were happy to dress Leah up and go. We're going to miss our party at church and the actual Halloween celebration because we'll be in Florida (I can't wait to see you Jenn!!!), so I was glad we had this party to go to.

I was originally going to make Leah a ladybug costume, but after receiving so many orders for them on etsy, I just couldn't bear to make another one. And this little chicken costume was quite easy. The only problem was that it made huge mess everywhere we went. Michael had to clean up after us when we left the party.

This looks a little bit like a smile, but it's the beginnings of her getting upset. I think her little molars are coming in and it's no fun for any of us! She screamed when I put the costume on her at home, but she was pretty good at the party.

Here is a real smile from the chicken. I think she liked all of the attention she got at the party. I don't know how kids catch on to stuff like that so quickly!

fall photos

2009-10-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Since setting up my etsy shop, I've decided Leah will be the perfect model for my handmade tutus and dresses. Here's some photos we took today. I know, I know - she's not wearing a shirt (and I'm totally against naked baby pictures!!), but I did think these turned out cute.

In this picture, she was crawling to get onto the concrete and off the scratchy grass! Smart girl.

finally......Leah's birthday

2009-10-01T15:43:00.001-07:00

Leah turned one back in the middle of September. It has taken me a while to post these pictures (as usual). We did celebrate, though. And I'm not sure why Leah and her little cake both look so rough (and this was the good picture of Leah - in another one she looks exactly like Pigpen!). Long day, I guess.

Although it looks like she might be interested in the cake in this picture, she really wasn't. She only took one small handful of cake to enjoy. She then decided to wipe it all over her face, instead of putting it in her mouth. See the picture below for evidence of this:

Pretty happy there. But who isn't happy with chocolate cake
and frosting spread all over your face?

Just like a big girl, Leah even got presents. She got lots from family and friends. These pictures just show a few of those presents.

Very studious. She's just getting old enough to enjoy looking at books by herself and we love it. I can't believe she's 1 already! Where did the time go??

trip to Ohio - getting there

2009-09-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Leah has been on about 73 flights since she was born (almost). She's not as good now as she was when she was about 3 months old, but she's still not terrible. The best flights are the ones when we have two seats to ourselves. I was so happy during our flight to Columbus Ohio to be able to put Leah in the seat next to me and have her look at a book. What a relief! We'll see how well the flight to Arizona (to see Liz and her new baby) goes in a couple of weeks.

Our long travels this day obviously wore Leah out. This is after leaving the airport in our rental car and heading to the hotel. She was out cold!

our trip to Ohio - Part I

2009-09-28T10:50:00.001-07:00

Leah and I recently joined Michael on a work trip to Ohio for the big Ohio State/ Navy football game. We were excited to come. We bought tickets for the big game, which was the highlight of the short weekend trip.

Once we got there, however, we were informed that even though Leah was 11 months old at the time, she needed a ticket. We were so mad! Tickets were really pricey, and the game was sold out. So, after given the pleasure of purchasing another ticket (at $67 a piece!), she would still have to sit on our laps for the whole game! Needless to say, we didn't buy her a ticket. In fact, we sold our tickets to someone else and made a little money on the deal. Can you tell how disappointed Michael is in this picture?

Leah didn't seem to mind at all. To be honest, I was a little worried about how she would do during the game anyway. I guess it all worked out for the best, but it still seemed like such a rip-off!

Leah and I waited in the grass for Michael to go get the car and come pick us up after we were denied access to the game. She loved being able to crawl around.

Honduras 2009

2009-09-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

We took this trip to Honduras a long time ago(at the end of June), but I just got the pictures off my camera today. Here are a couple shots from our trip to the Mayan ruins. It was so interesting to be there.
Leah enjoyed being carted around by her dad so much that she decided to catch a quick nap. Thank goodness - as I recall, she was pretty cranky at this point.
You must know that it was very very hot at the ruins. So hot that Mee-shell decided Leah (after waking up from her nap) should continue the tour sans clothes. I'm not sure why he thinks taking your shirt off is the solution to all problems. I could barely keep him from stripping as well.
Mom and I on the tour. I'm so glad we were all able to visit Mark and Keyla at the same time. We had a great time!

Miss Polly and her dolly ... and Leah

2009-09-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

I've been singing this song about Miss Polly and her dolly since Leah was very very little. We were so entertained the other night when I sang it to Leah and she decided to shake her head along with me. Ok, so she weighs almost the same as some 3 month olds (ahem, Holly) and she can't walk yet, but we think she's doing just fine. Sorry about the bad singing - I usually only torture Leah with it.

this one is for you, Mary

2009-08-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest photos of Liahona with a bib that belonged to her Daddy a long long long time ago. I think she enjoyed the meal even more with this bib on!

I had to include this photo of the pink pants so you could tell she's a girl.

And apparently Leah wanted to show us what she's eating - literally.

who wants a camo baby sling?

2009-08-25T14:50:00.001-07:00

I know you're amazed right now - amazed at the beauty and wonder that is this baby sling. Let me tell you how it came to be. It all started one innocent Saturday morning while I was sitting at a craft show, minding my own business while trying to sell some of my most treasured handmade crafts. This very nice gentleman approached the table and I proceeded to convince him that his daughter, a new mom could not live without one of the beautiful baby slings that I had lying across the table. He agreed with me, but then in trying to select a sling, he asked if I had any in camo. I told him I would be happy to custom make a sling for him, and the story goes on from there. A few interesting things I learned during this custom job:
1. there are many many different kinds of camo patterns out there. And I'm not just talking about the pink or blue camo. Who knew?

2. Those who love hunting love camo and anything made out of camo. It's a beautiful thing.

3. Our town has many very nice people that I am glad to become acquainted with, from customers at craft fairs, to other vendors, to salespeople at the fabric store.

The other side of this reversible sling. It's scary to say that at first, this nice man wanted two different kinds of camo for the two sides of the sling. He decided after thinking about it a couple of days that perhaps his daughter was not quite so enamored of camo as he is and that she might like something different. I got to choose this pink print myself and I loved it so much I made dresses for Leah, and her cousins Jordan and Emily (well, Emily's is almost done..).

dinner in 30 minutes or less...

2009-07-30T03:51:00.000-07:00

So, we all know I'm not much of a cook, but here is a picture of dinner I made a few weeks ago with only 30 minutes of prep time. Mostly because Michael called and said he was coming home and he was hungry. So I kind of threw something together. Doesn't it look delicious (the white washed out things are slices of bread toast)? Unfortunately, it wasn't. Apparently the pork that you buy that costs 57 cents for 8 pounds (or almost that cheap anyway) doesn't taste very good. Even if you put curried mango grill sauce on it. Michael was a good sport and finished his. I did not...

Look at me - my name is Leah and I love big bows.

2009-07-30T03:43:00.000-07:00

Or maybe my mom loves big bows. Just a few new pictures of Leah. The longer I live in Texas, the bigger the hairbows (or flowers) get for church. This one was taken Sunday morning, a few weeks back.

Show me your teeth!!

And see my latest tricks! Do you think it's time to baby-proof the house??

on my way to being a real pioneer

2009-07-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

My very own Wondermill

So, in my quest to be a real pioneer, I recently purchased a wheat grinder. I also got many many buckets of wheat. Because that's what pioneers do. Anyway, I actually grinded (or do you say ground here? I think it's ground...) some wheat. It was amazing. And when I served whole wheat pancakes to the missionaries for dinner a couple of weeks ago, I think they were pretty impressed to hear it was freshly ground wheat.

I know Leah looks a bit like a demon here, but I wanted to demonstrate how excited she was that her mom was grinding wheat.

My beautiful bucket of wheat. I've got lots of these - stuffed in all the closets in my house. If that isn't pioneer-ish, I don't know what is!! I think my pioneer training is almost complete.

my latest scheme

2009-07-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of pink polka dotted hairbows.

I often get these sometimes crazy ideas about what I should do in my spare time. They often involve lots of work and money to buy the necessary supplies. I don't know why I seem to be obsessed with doing something besides just being a mom. I just am. Anyway, Michael calls these ideas "schemes" because I usually grow out of the idea right after I've bought everything I need to do it. I try to tell him to be nice about it. I mean, it drives him crazy I know, but can you imagine being inside my head and having to deal with crazy ideas all the time? He usually is nice and allows me to do what I want and keeps the teasing to a minimum. So, my latest scheme is to sell my handmade creations (dresses, hairbows, baby slings, dresses, hooded towels etc etc) on etsy. I also decided to participate in a craft fair. Here are a few photos of some of my creations.

A hooded towel and matching washcloth. This one says "splish splash" on the hood.
A baby sling that I made for a friend's baby shower. I hope she likes it. I thought this fabric was pretty gender neutral, since she doesn't know what she's having yet.
Here is the whole gift I gave her. It included the baby sling and a matching bib and burp cloth. I must say I really loved this set. You know sometimes you love what you make and sometimes it falls short of your expectations. I hope my friend gets good use of this stuff.

dear blog

2009-07-26T06:35:00.001-07:00

Hmm, well it's been over a month and I've got so much to blog about. So much, it's almost intimidating. I don't recommend spacing your blog posts out so much. But with me (and it's everything in my life, not just blogging), it's all or nothing. I'm going to try and get it all down. A trip to Honduras, a craft fair I participated in, and just plain old life with little Leah. She's working on getting a few more teeth in. When these ones are completely in, she'll have 8 teeth!

So, stay tuned in for some new posts in the next little while. We'll see if I can catch up! The picture above was taken in Honduras by Keyla, my sister-in-law. It doesn't have anything to do with what I'm typing, but who likes a blog post without pictures?? Nobody does, that's who.

Dionna's party and birthday cake

2009-06-21T18:00:00.001-07:00

My mom made such a cute cake for Dionna's party (Sarah's stepdaughter) that I just had to blog about it. She doesn't have a blog herself. (Liz - she wanted you to see how this cake turned out. So cute!)
The ribbon on the "present" is made of Fruit by the Foot and the dots are Dots (the movie theater candy in a yellow box). I think they got this idea fromFamily Fun. I think that's what that magazine is called...
Leah is getting so big that she sits up and forward in her carseat and rocks it like a rocking chair. During the party, she rocked herself right out of it and was so pleased to have freed herself on her own.
Dionna is showing off her new sunglasses, a present from Grandma. (Sarah, look how easy it is to blog about your family. Maybe you should try it sometime...)

swimming with the McCrimmons

2009-06-21T17:45:00.001-07:00

After our weekend trip to Charleston to meet up with the Arthurs (I miss you Jenn!!) was canceled because Michael's plane broke during a fuel stop, I stayed in Fayetteville and we had lots of fun! On Saturday, we went to my sister's house for a fun birthday pool party for her daughter Dionna. Leah, as you can see from the photo, loved it!

I think this is how Sarah spends her summer. Lucky girl!

Here is Dionna, Marcus and Jordan, with her very important goggles.

Trying to show just how big her little diaper got during the swim. This picture doesn't do it justice; she looked pregnant! I guess they make those swim diapers for a reason.

This is the goggles picture: Damarcus, Jordan, Dionna, and Marcus. What a fun day!

Leah's latest moves

2009-06-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a video of Leah's latest moves for the grandmas to see. Enjoy!

ps - Not quite sure why Leah doesn't have any clothes on. Perhaps she's trying to be like her daddy, who only wants to be pictured on the blog without a shirt on.

I finally finished this one

2009-06-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

I posted about this dress a few weeks back. I finally finished it and Leah wore it to church yesterday. I love how cute she looks in blue and white.

She's getting quite tall. At the doctor's office last week, she measured 27 inches (and just under 16 pounds!).

As a general rule, I hate photos taken of anyone while they are laying down (babies included) from above them. It's usually pretty unflattering, but I had to get one to show off the dress.

Leah got a new hairbow to match her dress. I hope as she gets older, she won't fight the hairbows. I really do love making them (with the help of my bow-dabra!)

Memorial Day 2009

2009-06-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

We spent our Memorial Day this year celebrating with friends at a cookout/ swim party. It was lots of fun and I think Leah really enjoyed soaking in the pool.