Catching Up...

Well... I haven't posted for a month or so - It is partially my fault (busy having summer fun with my girls) and partially my computer's fault (we had a virus that shut us down for a few weeks) So-- I will give you the Cliff Notes version of what has been going on with us.

Isabel-- Almost 3.5 years old already and going on age 13. She is a sassy little thing with a big vocabulary and an "answer" for everything. Jason says she will be a lawyer someday. She has been having a great summer going on "adventures" with her mom, Lucy and Payton. We have visited Santas' Village, Legoland, library, splash parks etc. She also participated in her first dance recital in June. (That was quite an extravaganza-- 3.5 hours at the Hemmens Auditorium :) Isabel also spent a week at Hot U Jr. (our church's version of  Vacation Bible School) which she loved and I volunteered to be a small group leader there-- I think I have discovered that I am best suited to teach middle school kids though- God bless you preschool teachers.

dance recital

 I think Bel loves having mom home during the summer and we try to get outside and be active on most days-- it has just been so ridiculously hot!! We have also been working on letters, numbers and writing her name so she will be ready for her new preschool in the fall. Isabel LOVES playing with her baby sister Lucy. She is very sweet and gentle with her and has discovered that she knows how to make Lucy laugh.  She tickles and talks to her and even helps mommy feed her cereal. Bel's other faves include her Barbies, dressing up in tutus, watching Doc McStuffins or Dora, going in her kiddie pool, having her friends over to play, making "smoothies" with mom and dad, and eating apples (the girl eats 2 or 3 per day!!) She is really a sensitive girl and has a big heart. I love hanging with her-- she is my little bestie :)

Lucy-- What can I say? She is a mellow, chill, happy little nugget. She likes to smile. She sleeps so well (7pm to 7am.. sometimes I even have to wake her up!) She started eating solid foods at 4 months and now eats rice cereal, oatmeal, and pureed ruits and veggies. Last week, I finally stopped breastfeeding. I hoped to make it to 6 months but I fell just a little short of that. It was kind of bittersweet because she will most likely be the last baby I nurse and she is no longer a tiny infant anymore. I just love her sweet little personality. She is an easygoing girl-- I think she gets that from daddy.

However, no matter how sweet and easy your little one is-- there always seems to be something to worry about as a parent. First we were concerned about Lucy's "flat head" and tight neck. That seems to have gotten better with more tummy time and stretching. Now, since her four month apt. we have been concerned about her meeting some of her other milestones. Pushing up on her arms and using her hands to reach, grasp, and hold objects have been a few of the issues she has struggled with. (She is doing these things but at a  slower rate than we have expected or the books suggest) Her 6 month appointment is in early August so we have been keeping track of some concerns to check with the pediatrician about. It is always a fine line between wanting to be proactive and observant and overreacting and accepting the fact that all kids develop at different rates. We just pray that Lucy will continue to grow and develop at a healthy rate.

Jason and I -- Jason is working, working, working at his new job at the Hospice which is challenging but he loves. I am playing "stay at home mom" for a few more weeks until school starts again in Aug. We are coming up on our 5 YEAR wedding anniversary already on Aug. 18th and we have planned our first overnight since Lucy was born. Looking forward to that time alone together. Our house is coming along-- we still have so many projects we would like to do but there never seems to be enough time or money to do everything we want. A cool milestone for Jason this year was that his doctors told him that he could skip his annual colonoscopy if he wanted because he had been cancer free for three years. He will now only do that test every two years. Yay! Other than that, we are boring. Just busy with life! Last week we had our family photos taken again by Julie- they turned out pretty great even though I didn't think the girls were cooperative :) Julie is engaged and moving to Haiti to be a wife and missionary so it may be our last photo shoot with her for a long time.. sigh. That's okay- she has an exciting adventure ahead of her too.

Our little family makes me SO happy--  I really think it will be hard to go back to work this year.