ten on ten (april).

i finally managed to remember to snap extra photos for the blog! and then i was just too tired to add words last night. but still, vast improvement ;)

driving without contacts = double glasses

oh. zero miles per hour... EVERY morning. *cringe*

since our company down sized, i wear more hats than just "staff accountant", like today, i'm pulling orders. it's actually a nice interruption from data entry. 

are you bored with my ten on ten yet??

meanwhile at home, these two are suiting up for an adventure (hello baby wearing!). 

lunch meeting at independence hall??

daddy's mini-me. 

first time ever! 

one last birthday hoorah.

scraped the glass clean!

henry reads us a bed time story. 

henry & the duck.

i'm so proud of our little guy and his big heart. 

let me set up the scene: we're at the park swinging and kicking the soccer ball around and this kid (around henry's age) comes over with another little boy and a toy puppy purse... with a baby duck inside. awww, so cute, we're all instantly in love with this sweet teeny duckling! and then we're increasingly horrified watching this kid rambunctiously swinging said adorable BABY duck in the carrier; round and round, upside down, spinning spinning, fast fast fast. we can hear the frantic chirps and i say, "be careful with your duck, it's only a baby, you don't want to hurt her or make her sick, she's fragile." i'm totally worried for this creature, we all are. he walks to the teeter-totter, being slightly more fragile, and we go about our game of keep away from missy. 

we sip water and start to pack up, and we notice the boy is back to swinging that poor animal, when henry pipes up, and in a very concerned and unsure voice says, "i'm gonna go tell him he needs to take better care of his pet." joey and i give each other an instant grin and tell him to go for it! cause here's the thing, our boy is so shy and timid and doesn't "do" confrontation (do any of us??). it must have really bothered him a great deal for him to muster the guts to go up to that stranger of a kid and speak up for that duck's well-being. 

so brave buddy, man were our hearts beaming and proud. the kid, however, didn't care to listen so daddy stepped in and found his grandpa and there was a language barrier and i yelled (for the first time ever at someone else's child) because the littler kid who wanted so bad to play with this kid's duck, snatched up the carrier and swung it around at full force. "PUT THAT DUCK DOWN RIGHT NOW!", none of us could keep quiet. the grandpa was nice, and even though he didn't speak english he took the duck away and there was crying and we were leaving. i really think that kid loved his duck and was just "playing" with him, but like all kids, you have to learn to take good care of your things, or they break, or in this case possibly die (it was that bad). joey said: "it's a good thing aunt jaye wasn't here, she would have taken that duck and uncle steve would've punched that kid." i truly wished she was there (minus the punching bit). 

we praised our boy for doing the right thing. that park was packed with kids and parents who watched and turned a blind eye, but henry was brave and he acted on his conviction and spoke up and found his voice. what a big moment for him! at dinner it was still all he could think about and he requested we pray for the baby duck. we did, we prayed for the duck, for the boy and for his grandpa. 

his heart is growing, his empathy and his compassion and his voice, and we praise God for moving in our boy, and shaping his heart for the weak. 

also, monday's can be spotty, but yesterday was such a blessing as we started our week, felt much more like a friday. i love spring! 

happy birthday henry!

i sincerely feel like seven was a hard year for our boy. second grade is kicking all our butts, there are way more "big kid" responsibilities, plus the tough lessons of consequences, adjusting to new family members, and continually cooping between the back and forth that comes with two homes. yes, his seventh year was a toughie. 

we have this sweet boy, who will go on for five intense minutes about the "epically fierce" lego battle he's setting up. who will ask Siri endless questions like: are dragons real? what are the four elemental powers of spin-jitzu? he will build you up and tell you what a good job you're doing as he's kicking your behind in a board game. he's sensitive, helpful and sweet and we try so hard to nurture those traits especially in the midst of procrastination, consequences or the umpteenth reminder to put his stuff away. he's quite shy and naive and still very much a little kid when stacked up next to his peers. he'll crawl into your lap and wrap your arms around him while watching some toons, he'll still hold onto your hand after you've crossed the street and he'll let you brush his bangs aside when you're talking about big life stuff. his laid back tude reminds me to rein in my need to micro manage, to take a moment to turn around and actively listen instead of the auto prompts of "uh huh" "oh wow" "that's cool buddy", and to laugh (which sometimes can be the hardest thing to do when my focus is on cooking or cleaning or homework or bills...).  

he maybe in a season of struggles, but they don't out shine his heart, not in the slightest. and we are so excited to watch year eight unfold, to keep leaning on the Lord for direction in parenting, to strengthen his character, fill his heart with love and teach him to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit. over the last two years our guy welcomed a little brother, a little sister and three new cousins. he went from being the only child and grandchild (on mom & dad's side) for many many years, to sharing time and space and attention. he is an outstanding big brother and leader of his little baby minons, and we understand the "that's life" of the situation, but that doesn't mean it isn't tough on his little eight year old feelings or sometimes hard to adjust to all the sharing or extra responsibilities of being "the oldest". so this birthday, we just really wanted to lift up our boy, put him center stage, and create a fun day that shouts so loudly "we love you kid! we think you're great and wonderful and we celebrate YOU!" 

we do. we celebrate all that you are, your generosity and wit and even your spoiled entitlement. we are so lucky to tuck you in bed, to pray over your life, and kiss you and love you and grow you. 

now for the pics...

we started the day with some family bouncing. 

sof's newest adorableness: "super sof!"

audrey got her biggest bestest brother a build-a-bear (just like he got her on her day of birth). she picked him out and named him (banged on the keyboard) herself! meet afflix!

we celebrated in true mine-craft fashion (holy cow did all this crafting leave me with bags under my eyes, but he was so thrilled, and that made it all worth it).

shoot the slim!

+ birthday dinner to round out birthday month.

we love you buddy, daddy and i are super proud of you. 

ten on ten (march).

i know, i know, it's not the 10th. and i didn't even take any pics on monday. it will be a rare occasion to do this blog in its intended fashion. for now, it's a photo dump of my randoms that may or may not have made it onto IG & FB.

we dedicated our baby to The Lord. 

BFFs

also BFFs, it's really a one-sided relationship. 

"I've been wanting this since 2012!", a 'just because' present from nanny & pap. 

babies on the hips. 

i spy. 

minecraft-crafting. 

hand-holder/nurser/napper. 

the experts on baby gaming. 

advanced level ;)

9 months!

i can hardly believe how quickly these nine months have come and gone. just this week we passed st. jude on the way to her wellness exam, and i (as if on que) got teary thinking about the magic of birth, "that's the last time i cried, i was so happy to meet her" he says, "i think about it every time i drive by here." i crave that first week of her life often (so does my biological clock!), how much weeping and joy and pure adrenaline i ran on. everything was uncharted territory and mystical and perfect and brand spanking new in all ways, so of course i get all blubbery and sentimental every time i think about those early days. she is the perfect addition to our family, balancing out the rough housing and farting (soooo much farting!) with baby giggles and uber doses of sweetness.

at 9 months, she:

• is still the BIGGEST fan of "peek-a-boo".
• coming in at a close 2nd is the ABC song.
• standing up! up, down, up, down, up, down all day long. she's getting better and better everyday. she can balance hands-free, correct her wobbles and when she plops down she claps! 
• if you *rap* "bounce bounce ba-ba-ba-bounce bounce," she takes it as her que to dance.
• she's still our velcro baby, i wear her often around the house while cooking, folding laundry, doing dishes, or when we're out and about. 
• there's this immediate change in demeanor when she's outside, it's like magic out there in the sunshine. and she's just happy as a clam when daddy wears her on walks.
• "da-da" is her favorite word to say. and if she's froggy in the a.m. she will babble on and on just to hear how funny her voice sounds. 
• she refuses anything on a spoon. she's a big girl now and she wants to eat with her hands!
• brother's room is her favorite in the house, she oohs and ahhs every time we're in there.
• she is fascinated by the kitty, as if vivers is some majestic creature from a far off land. it's so comical, i MUST catch it on video.
• she will be our naked child once she can take master taking her clothes off, she is her happiest in the nude. 
• she knows what kisses are and will give you a big open mouth smacker. they are my favorite! right up there with baby hugs.
• she probably could wave... but we intercepted, we sing "rollin' with the hommies" - and now it's a wave with a wrist roll! 

she reaches for you, smiles with delight, lays her head on your shoulder, talks while everyone else is talking, gets excited for dance parties, chugs icy cold water, loves to snuggle, will laugh at your baby jokes, and uses her pointer-finger for everything.

i am so happy and in love. there's no tantrum a nap can't fix or any other game i'd rather be playing then picking up the toys she's tossing on the floor. happy nine-month's to our sweet sweet baby girl.

ten on ten (february).

we do make-up together every morning. (brush eater)

if you could have seen her face when brother came home, it was like Christmas morning times one thousand. (watching sesame street)

target trip with daddy. 

good night, sleep tight. (can she get any cuter?!)

and because those are the only photos i managed to snap (i suck at 10 on 10), let's see what else i can find on my most recent camera roll. 

i got to meet this handsome dude over the weekend. 

pets are protectors, and thus the cat can stay. 

playing dress up. 

zombieeee babyyyy. okay, it's just black berries. 

equally amused by zu-zu pets. 

my sweet sweet bundles of love. 

my motherhood.

we're coming up on nine months since our little babe came into our family and everyday i'm falling more and more in love. if you ask me how my baby is out of polite conversation, i'll go on and on about her newest achievements, show you pictures and makes you watch video after video, i'm THAT mom, i'm just absolutely crazy about her! i'm experiencing motherhood in a whole new way with audrey, but as much as she solidified my motherhood, i learned everything about being a mommy from raising our henry. it's crazy to think his teeny tiny one-and-a-half year old self, his drooly chin and big blonde curls and infatuation with jumping stole my heart so long ago. that for the last six years i've been his missy. tucking him in, and packing his lunches, and teaching him about God, and kissing his boo-boos, and being zebra, and nurturing him in our home. and i know he won't ever really understand how he transformed my heart, or the impact he's made on who i am, or that being his step-mama is my most greatest privilege. but i know, i will always know, that he is a part of me and i am a part of him and that he will always be my first baby.

we get to play witness to henry and audrey and the bond that they share, and it is hands down beyond our biggest blessing. audrey doesn't light up as bright, smile as big, or laugh as loud, as she does for her big brother. she is his biggest fan. and henry is just thee sweetest big brother, dotting on his sister, always expressing how much he loves her and how she's his "sweet baby girl". he is constantly holding her, carrying her around, teaching her about her toys and doing anything he can think of to get the toothiest grins outta her. he is her protector. their love for each other is as plain as day and as bright as the sun and i'm just beside myself so often with their sweetness.

with two, our home is louder and at times unruly, and always messy. everyday i remind myself to take a break from all my mom chores, to not let "no" be my go-to reaction when the baby is exploring, to not be in constant correction mode with henry. to stop, sit, and play. to kiss, hug, and affirm them often how absolutely wonderful they are. they are my pride and joy. and on the days it seems that nothing is getting done around the house, i'm a-okay with it, because my most important and hardest work can't be measured in to-do list form. i am teaching my tiny people the foundations of love and trust.

i adore motherhood, i adore step-motherhood, i love that no matter how unordinary our family dynamic is, our love is BIGGER. and it's ever growing.

we are so so rich ♥