1 year old

This month we celebrated Simeon's First Birthday! We had a simple little party with Simeon's godparents and our neighbors.  He had a ball!

Phoebe's First Birthday and Justus' First Birthday are here and here.

Now That She is Six!

Now We Are Six -- A. A. Milne 

When I was one I had just begun 

When I was two I was nearly new 

When I was three I was hardly me 

When I was four I was not much more 

When I was five I was just alive 

But now I am six, I'm as clever as clever; 

So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

We had a fun time celebrating Phoebe's birthday- back in May. Shortly after she turned six she also became a big sister to her second little brother and since then I have haven't had much time to post. Enjoy the video of some of her favorite things! The list is below if you don't understand the answers.

What is your favorite color: turquoise
What is your favorite toy: Bitty Baby
What is your favorite fruit: watermelon
What is your favorite TV show: Carebears
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch: pizza
What is your favorite outfit: an outfit from Katherine that looks like "Turks and Caicos" (has palm trees)
What is your favorite game: Sneaky Snacky Squirrel
What is your favorite snack: Blondie (bars)
What is your favorite animal: the new elephants from Asia (at the zoo)
What is your favorite song to sing: Amazing Grace
What is your favorite book: Goldilocks and the 3 Dinosaurs
Who is your best friend: Aelis
What is your favorite cereal: chains (Cracklin Oat Bran- they look like chains)
What is your favorite thing to do outside: jump rope
What is your favorite drink: apple juice
What is your favorite holiday: Christmas
What do you sleep with: Bitty Baby, Bao Bao (stuffed panda bear), and blanket
What do you like to eat for breakfast: cereal
What do you like to eat for dinner: sausage
What do you want to be when you grow up: veterinarian

7 Weeks

With a new baby, a common question is; Who does the baby look like? I can never tell. The Mister always says, they look like themselves.  What do you think?  

Here are each of the babies at 7 weeks old.  

It's a Boy!

On June 6, 2014 at 2:13pm our family was blessed with another little boy. 
We welcomed him with open arms and joyful hearts.

We did not know the gender of this baby, which made his birthday a fun surprise!  The Mister and I were both convinced the baby was a boy, and so he is.  He came into this world slowly and quickly, I don't know which- it was a little of both. I had contractions for a little over 24 hours before I was convinced he was really coming, but once my body got all synced up, he came right out.  We arrived at the hospital around 1pm and our boy was born at 2:13pm. Around 12:15 I sent a text to some friends and family saying, "Headed to hospital, may be a while before baby comes, but doc suggested we go." I really did think it would be more than a few hours before the baby came.  But around 1:30 my body kicked into high gear and the baby descended and came out without too much hassle.  (don't get me wrong it is still labor and still painful, just short.)  We were blessed to have our dear friend, Stacy Stavlund, with us from 4 am through the birth and she stayed with us after to help us welcome our sweet little son.  Stacy was a gentle spirit in the midst of the confusion of child birth.

Since we didn't know the gender, we didn't work too hard on solidifying a name before baby was born. However, we had a girl's name and not a boy's name.  We had a number of great options that we could not agree on.  But we finally came around to Simeon Markus.  I love the story of Simeon in the New Testament.  I love the description of him, and his purpose, I love that it says the Holy Spirit was on him, and we have hope for this little boy that he will be filled with the Spirit and that he will always be in tune with where Jesus reveals himself.  Markus is the Mister's middle name and it was given to him because it is a family name.

^{25 "}Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

³³ The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”  Luke 2:25-35

Simeon has been with us now for 11 weeks.  The 'big kids' (as I have taken to calling them) adore their little baby brother.  And we are all settling in well.  Simeon is a peaceful baby and seems to take after his momma in his need for sleep, quiet, and time alone.  We are so happy this little one was put in our family. 

Justus is 2!

Today Justus turned 2!  He slept in until 8:30, just ten minutes shy of his debut into the world.  On 2.3.12 @ 8:40 am this fantastic little boy entered our world, and today we celebrated his first 2 years.

We started the celebration yesterday, since it is easier to celebrate with friends and family on the weekend.  This little guy celebrated in style with a Construction Site themed party.  Justus loves big trucks and little-big trucks, he loves constructions sites and building.  He got a construction site cake, made by momma.  When he saw it for the first time he was so excited, I was half surprised he understood that it was supposed to be a scene from a construction site, but right when he saw it he got the biggest smile and exclaimed, 'STURCTION SITE'.  And the rest of the day he would say 'Happy Birthday struction site.'

With all the trucks he got yesterday at his party, he happily spent the morning building and moving things with his dumper and excavator.  Justus enjoys playing quietly by himself when his big sister is off at school.  He will sit and build with legos or make a cup of coffee at the play kitchen.  Often times J and I find ourselves working along side one another when it is just the two of us at home; he is playing and I am cooking or cleaning.  But, it is a different story when Big Sister is home!  Justus loves trying to keep up with Phoebe; if she is running, he is running; if she is jumping off the couch, he is jumping off the couch.  It is fun to see these two play together and enjoy one another.

Here are a few fun facts about Justus, age 2....

• He loves fanfakes, AKA pancakes or waffles.  But I find our little guy is a bit of a picky eater, he loves yogurt and fruit but beyond that it is a bit of a struggle.  I am always trying new things, and I hope this is something that fades as he gets older.
• J is a great sleeper, he take 1 nap a day - normally around 3 hours, sometimes 4!  He sleeps with a blanket, stuffed monkey, stuffed elmo, and a pacifier in a crib.
• Books- He loves books, especially books about trucks, his favorite books are Little Blue Truck and I Stink.
• Toys- Top 5: Legos, Play Kitchen and coffee maker, Firetruck, cars, and anything small he can gather in his pockets (often this is magnets).
• Most common questions we get about J: "Where is his blond hair from?"  (Matt had blond hair when he was young) and "Is he always this happy?"  (Yes, he is an incredibly happy child)
• He has lots of words!  Our favorite phrases right now are: 'Wuk-a-me' - Look at me and 'Wuk-a-dat' - Look at that.  He picked up 'I two' quickly!  He loves naming things; my pants, my sweater, my pocket (he is kind of obsessed with pockets and filling them) my room, Phoebe's room, Daddy's pants, Daddy's wallet.....etc. 
• Friends - His best buddy is our friend Hannah who lives just across the street.

Overall, we are very in love with our little guy.  He fits our family perfectly.  

Let's Explore

DSC_1652, originally uploaded by 207 Living.

Not many people 'vacation' in Nebraska, we normally don't vacation there as much as visit. But this summer we tried something new with my family; we rented a mini-lodge (house) at Ponca State park in northeast NE and enjoyed an extra long weekend together.

The house was plenty large for our family that continues to grow....another grand-baby on the way...hopefully another sister-in-law someday, but I am not holding my breath. ;)

The weather was quite nice- cool enough that we could spend a lot of time outside and our trip was early enough in the season there were no bugs!!

We were all pleasantly surprised by the lovely woodlands shooting range in the park where we tried archery, tomahawks, pellet guns, shotguns, and riffles. I had never actually shot a gun, and tend to be against them in most settings, but I had a great time trying them out in a controlled environment where nothing was going to die because of my arrow/bullet. There was also horseback riding, bird watching, hiking, and a family 5K run that Uncle B won!

The 3 granddaughters had a great time exploring the park. If you click on the picture, you can spend some time exploring our pictures of our lovely Nebraska Vacation.

Fairies and Elves

 

The months leading up to Phoebe's 5th birthday I was planning a fairy themed party in my head, she wasn't really aware of this, and truth be told if she could pick a theme I am not sure it would be "fairy".  So, I also spent those months suggesting that a fairy party would be a great idea!  (who does that?)  I love the whimsy of fairies, that they are feminine and outdoorsy, that they are creative and caring- at least according to all the stories I have read of fairies.  Oh and they are also magical!  And it makes a great theme.

To start off the party the little fairies and elf decorated fairy houses under the tent on the patio.  Each child got also got a set of fairy wings and a fairy for their house.  It was a great start to the party.  I gathered some stickers, pebbles, moss, and flowers to glue on to the milk carton fairy houses.  (I was collecting milk cartons for a while specifically for this project.  The were cut almost in half, painted with gesso, and glued onto a cardboard base.)

 

When they were done decorating we had story time in the garden.  The mister read a few stories and poems from Come Follow Me to the Secret World of Elves and Fairies and Gnomes and Trolls.  It is an old book I found second hand that is full of beautiful illustrations and lovely words to encourage the imagination.  Once I found it I knew we would use it for the birthday party story time.

After story time we had lunch and after lunch all the fairies and elf got their fingers painted and tattoos put on.  Some of our neighbors helped out with this, which was really nice!  Then Phoebe opened her gifts, she got lots of lovely things from her little fairy friends.  It was a lovely time with some close friends, and the weather was perfect- actually a little chilly which is so odd for the end of May. 

 

Here is Phoebe's fairy house with a few left over fairies.  I bought some wood pegs; painted hair, eyes, and lips on then hot glued on the acorn tops and the felt clothes and wings.  It was a quick little project and everyone got to take home a fairy house and little fairy to live in it.  

Reflection

Last night we ate dinner together after the kids were in bed.  I realized that sometimes our last hour as a family of 4 is better spent playing together rather than trying to sit at the table together. 

Phoebe is Phive! (5)

We have been so busy celebrating our little girl, I haven't had time to write much about that.

We started the day with donuts and gifts and ended with Pizza and more gifts!  Phoebe and I did a little recording in the afternoon to see what her favorite things are now that she is 5.  You can listen to it here.

Our little girl is getting to be a big girl, 5, seems so substantial.  (I think I say that every year?)  And she is just as spunky and fun as ever.  Phoebe loves to help her dad with projects, she loves to learn new things, and she has a very kind heart.  In school her friends got to tell her what they love about her, and they all said they love how nice she is.  (she is extra nice there!)  We are also learning that Phoebe is a feeler, she feels things very intensely, which I love and struggle with!  I think we all will learn how to help her with her emotions as the years go on.

 

On Saturday Phoebe had a fairy birthday party (more of that to come later), here is a great shot of her surrounded by some of her best little buddies, I just Love it!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl.  I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Counting

This little guy is 15 months today....but who's counting?  He is apparently!  Actually, the abacus gets used more as a spinning toy than a counting aid, but it is fun to see him sit and spin the beads- he really gets going.  This stage of life is so fun because he is becoming aware of the world around him, making connections between sounds and meaning, and figuring out a way to communicate to us.  Justus is quite the explorer, and loves to be outside.  We have had a beautiful spring here, so we can enjoy lots of time outside.  Though, J has proved to be a bit more clumsy than his big sister, this week alone he had a black eye, 2 scraps on his forehead, and a fat lip.  Yikes!  If I can keep him inside counting, his face will thank me for it! 

B....B....Bye

This little one is keeping us all on our toes, just as his big sister did!  We just got back from the park where he acted as if he was a big kid; climbing to the top of a play structure and going down the slide all by himself.  Then running up a hill and turning around to run back down as fast as his little legs could take him till he fell into a tumble along with a fit of giggles.  It is a joy to watch him go, go, go.  

Along with his physical development, his little brain is working over time.  Just yesterday he mastered "Bye" and today I heard him say "bah-bah-bee-bah-baby".  Baby was one of Phoebe's first words and I thought for sure 'ball' or 'book' would be Justus' since those seem to be his favorite things right now.  He loves kicking the ball, any ball, and to sit in a chair with a stack of books.  He is a sweet little one.

Just Joking

Lately, Phoebe has been intrigued with the idea of "Jokes", though she doesn't understand the concept of a joke.  (It is a hard concept, right?)  Here is her latest joke:

P: Why did the raindrop turn into a sunshine?

me: I don't know, why?

P: Because it was a sunshine drop of rain.

me: (puzzled)

P: (burst into laughter)

I vaguely remember telling jokes when I was young, and I am sure they were about as funny as this one of Phoebe's.  There is probably some sort of humor development happening now that encourages our 4.75 year old to think that putting together a random grouping of questions and answers is a joke.  The funniest part is that she thinks she is funny.  So, we laugh at her as she giggles about her 'joke'.    One of my favorite parts of the joke telling is when she is done giggling she often asks, "Was that a joke?"  

No, no it wasn't. 

I see you

"Do you see me?"  I wonder, is that the same as,"Do you love me?" or "Am I important?"  It is so hard NOT to see this little one.  She is bright, charismatic, and energetic.  She makes sure you see her.  You cannot miss her.  I cannot miss her.  But she still (we all) yearns for the answer to those questions to be "YES!" Emphatically, Yes!  P and I struggle in the day to day, but I love her with my whole being.  And I hope that she knows that beyond my frustration or correcting of her, my heart is full of love for her.  

He is Risen Indeed!

Celebration, originally uploaded by 207 Living.

We had a beautiful weekend celebrating life, the risen life of our Lord. Once again, we went to the Easter Vigil on Saturday night hosted by our church-- where we start in the darkness of Holy Saturday and into the Light of Easter morning. Then on Easter day we had brunch with dear friends, followed by Easter service. And then a surprise feast at our house; a number of neighbors came over with food and we pulled together a 14 person feast followed by a fire pit fire on the back patio. A lovely day together with friends, basking in the life that Christ offers.

Today is Friday

In our home we started lent with one rock, and we went through lent one rock at a time. Now, the Stone is rolled over the grave and we wait. As Watchman Nee says, "We would like to have death and resurrection put together within one hour of each other. ...we cannot bear to wait." This is so true. But we must sit in the darkness today, tomorrow, until Sunday. Today is Friday. 

We follow Lent to follow Him

A time of sacrifice and prayer

We give up something we desire

That His example we might share.

-Excerpt from a Lenten poem by Elena dal Friuli

 If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.

If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

-Edward Shillito

Maundy Thursday

^"3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13: 3-5

Tonight we weren't able to make it to church for the Maundy Thursday service so we held our own at home.  Phoebe has been soaking up so much of the Passion story over lent that I have been hoping to encourage that with as much physical-ness as I can.  Tonight after saying the Vespers Office from Phyllis Tickle's, The Divine Hours, we washed one another's feet and served communion to each other.  It was a lovely service and a great way to help us all remember what we are heading into over the next few days.

^"1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.^[b]"Psalm 22:1-2

finding your voice

- Shel Silverstein

Naps

Today he took 2 naps, but his rhythm seems to be shifting.  Could be already be dropping a nap at 13 months?  It is inevitable, our quiet sleepy mornings will soon be filled with play....only to rush home for that sacred afternoon nap.  At least the afternoon nap isn't going anywhere for a while!

Snow Days

Baking with Auntie, originally uploaded by 207 Living.

Our trip to KC was all about Snow....we were hoping for a warm spring weekend, but it was a weekend full of snow....which meant hot cocoa, baking, and sledding. So Fun!

The Library

We Love the Library! The one that we like to go to is in Shaw. We can't walk there, but parking is always a breeze. It is the perfect after-nap-activity because we can get there, pick out our books, hang out for a bit, check out and get home in about an hour. Phoebe loves new books, and we love when we have new words to read to her. Though, her taste in literature isn't always the same as ours, we can always agree on Mo Willems! Last time I was there I found out they have 'kits', which are books with a cd of the book being read aloud; this will expand our horizons giving Phoebe a new activity at home.  And something about this library attracts some awesome librarians; engaging, young, high energy, and quite trendy.  (makes me giggle a bit to see a tattooed, hipster reading to and singing with a room full of babies)

Story time with a little egg shaker music.

Love running into friends at the Library

J picking his own books

Reading