6 months old

Time flies when you're having fun.

Leia turned 6 months old on February 5th!

This month was not as fun for Leia due to cutting teeth. Her front bottom teeth started to come in at the beginning of January and finished breaking through by the end of January. A lot of waking up during the night not just from tooth pain but also from a cold. She got through it and now looks extra cute! I on the other hand am a bit sleep deprived and zombie-like.

An extra perk for being six months old... finally being old enough to get her flu and H1N1 shots. Poor baby girl had four shots today and needs to go back in a month to get some more. She did great until the first needle went into her thigh and then got the look of "what the heck just happened" followed by crocodile tears. Once all four were over she received a huge hug, kisses, and began to calm down.

Her measurements are:
weight- 18lbs. 2oz.
length- 27 1/2 in.
Head Cir. 17 1/4

Since turning 6 months old she began to do all kinds of stuff. I'm still debating posting now or waiting for her seventh month update. The baby girl amazes me. She is our snuggle bunny and her smile can light up a room. She is our little firefly... amazing, beautiful, a little light of joy, and a wonder to watch.

A classic must be passed on to future generations

Our church block is now in the morning so we have the rest of the day to spend together. As a family we have started watching a movie after church. I pop popcorn, the kids get out their sleeping bags and set them up in front of the TV and then shortly after we start the movie. So far most of the movies are chosen by one of the kids but this time I chose a classic... The Princess Bride.

Let's back track a little, shall we. A couple months ago Jonathan became very sick and Ryan was trying to find the movie Princess Bride but was unsuccessful. He thought Jonathan could relate to it, especially since the boy was at home sick, like Jonathan. Anyway yesterday we were at our local library and a copy was available so I picked it up and that was the movie we watched. It is a movie Ryan and I both thoroughly enjoy, were glad to see it again and secretly hoped Jonathan would like it as well. Who wouldn't?

We watched the movie together and Jonathan seemed very interested and kept asking questions. Ella lasted through most of the movie but left to play upstairs towards the end. Ryan and I just enjoyed reconnecting with the beloved movie and would smile or laugh during our favorite parts and yes, we would take a peak at Jonathan to see if he was enjoying it as much as we were.

So if anyone doesn't know this, Ryan frequently calls me "lady". He has done this for years and got the idea from The Princess Bride. The scene is at the very end of the movie where Andre the Giant just showed the crew 4 white horses and remarked one was for the princess in case they came back with her. He then sees her and replied, "Hello lady". When this scene was playing, Ryan and I looked at each other and smiled. It ended up being the perfect Valentine's Day movie... kids and all.

As a side note, the movie was made in 1987. Quick, do the math... it's been around for almost 25 years! Yet another reminder time keeps on ticking by!

darn gopher.. umm, I mean groundhog

The great blizzard of 2010 hit our area. I really thought it was a bunch of hype and didn't expect the amount of snow we did receive. Anyway, the night before we received a phone call that school would be canceled on Wednesday even though when I looked out the window it wasn't snowing yet. The snow did come and continued to snow and snow and yes snow for a good part of Wednesday. I was waiting for it to stop and then shovel out the walkway but realized I could not wait any longer when I tried to open the door to let Jak Jak out and could barely open it wide enough.

I shoveled the back and front areas, just enough to make a path and open the doors. When I came back into the house I could not find Ella. I kept calling her name but no response. My heart sank. I was searching the house randomly because I was so worried. Anyway, Jonathan found her. She was in his room, a place she knows she should not be, so she quietly hid in the closet hoping not to be found. When we did find her she bawled her head off. I am so glad she was safe.

After the drama and dinner I dressed the kids up and let them play in the snow. I think we had at least a foot of snow. You can see how deep it was by looking at the table in one of the pictures. The kids had a lot of fun. The kids decided to build a fort while I attempted to build a snowman.Ella kept getting her foot stuck and when trying to unstick it would loose her boot and sock thus exposing her bare foot. We made a couple trips into the house to get snow gear back on.

School was yet again canceled today, Thursday, with holidays on Friday and Monday. So Jonathan will have 6 consecutive days of no school! Too bad Ryan is working or we could go somewhere. Oh well, we'll just spend the time enjoying the snow.

my car



kids playing... Jonathan decided to just jump in the snow and land on his belly.

Our snow angels

We woke up to snow on Wednesday so Ella was itching to go out and play. We waited for Jonathan to come home and then I just let the kids play outside with some neighbors. They made a "castle" out of the pile created earlier in the morning from the streets being plowed. It was the only good amount of snow left. There was only bits and pieces in other places since the sun melted most of it.

Right before going in I wanted to take a picture of the kids making snow angels. Ella loves making them and was rather disappointed the three she made earlier in the day were gone. Well, at least she made one more before going in.

stressed?

I finally realized I bake when stressed. I have made so many goodies lately that the kids are starting to ask what's for dessert... after every meal! Last week I made two cakes! Ella helped out with the second one. She had so much fun, especially when licking the spoon. So yummy.

I am still trying to figure out why I'm stressed.

Anyway, moving on. Leia has been even more adorable lately. A lot of sleepless nights due to cutting teeth but she still dishes out loads of smiles. The girl is super curious as well. My heart is filled with joy just watching her explore the world around her. She bangs on things, fiddles with tags and rolls her way around the living room. The other day she attempted to try and roll up a step. Luckily she was unsuccessful... but crawling is not too far away!

Don't blink!

Kids grow up so fast. It's true they grow up in the blink of an eye. This past week was a humongous wake up call that Jonathan is a boy. There is no resemblance of a baby, toddler or even a little boy. He is just a boy.

His mannerisms have changed. He shovels food into his mouth. Quite interesting to watch. Kind of like a train wreck. You don't want to see the outcome but can't help looking. Last night I watched him eat a personal pizza where he gobbled one slice at a time. He chewed with his mouth open because the piece of pizza was too big for him chew with his mouth closed. Watching the pizza roll around inside his mouth, kind of like a dryer at a laundry mat, made me realize the preteens are really not that far away. I do get nervous with his new eating habits because my grandfather died due to choking on food so we do remind Jonathan to not stuff his face or bite off more than he can chew:)

What Jonathan talks about other than Bakugan boggles my mind. He thinks about many topics some grown men don't give a second thought to. The other day during his bedtime routine he told me he wanted to start saving his money. He heard about saving for 20 years... I am drawing a blank to the actual name of the type of investment... but what ever it was, he wanted to start one. He told me to remind him to save his money and then quickly figured out how old he would be in 20 years. He is only seven and luckily went back to 7 year old thinking when he saw a few toys he wanted to buy.

The most eye awakening difference for me is his voice. It has changed. It's deeper. No more little toddler voice or baby babbling. When he says, "bye Mom" at the bus stop I feel sad. Not just because he's leaving but just hearing him talk, which is quite often, is a constant reminder time ticks on, we are all getting older and my baby boy is no longer a baby.

A surreal moment happened last week. Hanging up in my room is a picture of Jonathan and I that was taken when Jonathan was somewhere between 3 and 6 months old. Anyway, Leia was in my room chillin' out while I was taking care of laundry. I walked into the room, looked at the picture, then at Leia and was confused because for a split second I thought the baby on the floor was Jonathan. Leia's face looks similar to how Jonathan looked at that age. I was so confused but then realized it was Leia and Jonathan is 7 now and at school.

So life goes on. Our kids keep growing and changing... and so do I. After the next 7 years Jonathan will be a teenager. Oh, I'm not ready for that!