lil athletes

Since their mother is less than coordinated I am hoping these two have inherited daddy's athletic gene.

Hallel sat down one day across from Simeon and said, "catch this". 

 Simeon is kind of a ball hog and didn't want to throw it back. So much for fair play!

 We tell Simeon to go get the football and he happily plays "fetch" any time we are willing.

 Trying to hold it like daddy.

A few small steps with a HUGE smile!

 Hallel trying out her birthday skates from G & G Mathews.

 Rockin the 70's skate outfit.

 SO proud of herself. 

She gets jealous these days of Simeon getting praise for taking a step. So she is happy to put on her skates and say, "I walkin".

put a bird on it

You know how a one liner floats around your conversations for awhile and makes you laugh every time you hear it (one of the things I love about marriage is having jokes between Josh and I that make me smile)?  Well this one has stuck around for about a month or more and I thought it was just too fun not to share. If you don't get my humor, sorry, it's part of my quirky side.
There is a show on TV about the town of Portland, Oregon were Josh grew up and I spent 10 years living there. It's called Portlandia and I have only seen a couple shorts online so I am not giving my recommendation. But this short was hilllariouuuuus!!!!! It is sooooo Portland and so me!
I absolutely LOVE the bird craze. So much so that I tried starting an etsy shop with handmade bird cards (much to no avail but it was fun), have birds in my living room decor, a bag with birds and the list goes on...so here is the video

12 months old

Yes, our little man turned 1!  What a great time to reflect on so much change in 12 quick months.  Simeon has changed from being an 11lb chunk who could not distinguish night from day to a 25lb chunk who is trying to stabilize those wobbly legs to take a step. He clearly says dadda, momma, and to the correct person. His other favorite word being "quack, quack" which he shouts for any animal we talk about. He loves his sister and he and Hallel have created such a unique bond from being so close in age and sharing the same room. Hallel tells us all of the time how Simeon is talking to her and she repeats back his baby talk in their conversations.
I think one of the most real reflections for me is the memory of birth. It is just an amazing experience forever imprinted on my heart. I will never forget the excitement when Simeon was delivered. The cheers of the nurses in the room when they put him on the scale and yelled out 10lb 8oz! The nurses rushing in when he stopped breathing and the realization of God's constant presence when he started breathing again. Holding him for the first time. The feeling of being so close to Josh by going through something so intense and life changing together. Hallel's tears the first time she saw her brother cry. Such a significant day to be celebrated over and over!
So enough sentiment now to the day. Simeon was actually sick on his BD with the stomach flu a few days earlier and then a bronchial virus. Usually Simeon loves to eat but because of being sick he lost his appetite. We put his cake in front of him and he was less than impressed. So we thought we would give him a few days and try it again. Once again, big tears and sadness even when Josh fed him chocolate frosting! That's our boy, always a goof! Oh well, someday he'll figure cake is amazing.

book review

Since Josh has had his nose in the books these past four years I thought I would give you faithful readers a little book review of my own. We aren't into very heavy reading these days but books are very important to my two little thinkers.

Hallel's love for books mean that we often read the same stories over and over. And it is apparent why Curious George, anything Dr. Seuss, and so many others remain classics. There is a whimsical harmony of concise yet descriptive words married with delightful pictures that capture the imagination. So without further ado, I come back to this book over and over again: The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.
It is a simple story that describes the animals on a farm, but my favorite part is that the day starts out with the sun coming up and then takes the reader through the sequence of daylight, dusk, and then night. I can't help but lowering my voice as the pages turn darker to the night. I think it has a soothing effect every time I read it.

A few other favorites are The ABC Bible Verse Book by Deedra Scherm.
It is a great way to learn the ABC's and simple verses that start with the letter. What I love is that the pictures are great and as we read Hallel tells me what the pictures mean and in turn learns the meaning of that verse. Most verses are hard to explain to a 2 year old and this book is a wonderful tool.

Another Bible story book that Hallel is enjoying is The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. We read one each day before nap time and she is so excited that she runs into her room for nap. Going to sleep is another story but i'm excited that she loves to read the "Bible" at this age. The pictures are sometimes funny to me but she absolutely loves them. The writer conveys the message of Christ through the eyes of a child. I think that the book appeals to different age levels too. Even though Hallel doesn't understand a lot she still gets "it" at some level and loves the stories.

Simeon is just starting to babel as he "reads" and actually look at the pictures rather than just be fascinated with turning pages. That's my boy!

There are so many amazing kids books out and I love that most kids love to be read to so let me know what is one of your favs and we'll try to find it.