toddler thursdays: stone soup

For the past year or so, I've been hosting a free toddler class (lovingly named "toddler music fun" because I wasn't sure what to call it) where we gather together with our kiddos (mommy and me style!) to sing songs, dance and do little activities together.  Early childhood learning has always been a passion of mine - I always said that if I had not pursued nursing as a career, I probably would have wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. Even before I had kids, I envisioned myself doing crafts and setting up fun activities for my kids and their friends, going through the alphabet or the different colors of the rainbow.. etc.  So in a way, this has been a sweet way of me living out this dream! Once Asher entered the thick of his toddlerhood, I began to see the many opportunities I had to engage with him through song, play, art and just teaching him/learning with him!





I wanted to put him in classes but realized that a lot of what these classes offered were things I could easily do with him - so in hopes to save some $ and also serve my friends/the moms at our church, I decided to start this class! we usually meet indoors, but I have been growing in my love for playing outdoors (thanks to tinkergarten!!) During the summer, I brought our class outside so that we could do a fun and interactive activity. I remember reading this book about stone soup in kindergarten, so I adapted a tinkergarten activity to fit the age of our group and it was such a fun time together!





After reading the book, we did a nature walk to gather ingredients for our soup!





Then we added it to a big pot, imagining that the sticks and rocks and leaves we collected were ingredients from our book: onions, carrots, beef bones etc.





I had the mamas bring veggie scraps that they had at home so that the little ones could practice their fine motor skills by cutting some real vegetables with plastic knives. (I couldn't believe how many veggie scraps we had!)





One by one, the kids brought their cut vegetables to add to our big pot.

Next up: the water! Each of the kids had tiny buckets to draw water with and added it to our big pot of "soup".

Here we learn and practice hand eye coordination, concentration and taking turns! 

Lastly the spices! I brought different dried herbs for them to smell and add to the pot. (sensory!)





After all the ingredients went in, we needed to wait for our soup to "cook" so we came to the grass for some music time and bubbles! 


One of the moms had the awesome idea to make an actual soup for the kids to enjoy after the activity and graciously offered to make it (thanks, Loro!!!).  So after our music time, we gathered around to see that our stone soup finished "cooking" and was ready for us to eat! The kids were so excited to taste the soup that they "made" and gobbled up all that veggie goodness (well, most of them anyway!) - it was awesome! 





It was such a fun time to play, create and imagine together.  I can't wait to have more of these playdates and to spend more days outside- esp as the weather cools down!

Happy November!

(thanks CJ for these awesome pics!)

beauty in the everyday

I have at least 6 blogposts in my que, filled with photos and things I've been wanting to share. but long story short - my hard drive died (lost all my pictures and everything!) and the app I use to blog on my phone was undergoing updates so I wasn't able to post! I haven't found the time to sit down to do much of anything recently as my first born decided to stop napping completely at the tender age of 2.5 (*quiet sob*) and subsequently pushed his bedtime back 1.5 hours. it's been a little exhausting but also fun, sweet and full of lots of funny and precious moments shared with my silly little boy.

all to say - its been hard to post!

 I've been putting it off for weeks but I just set a 15 minute timer to at least get one post out tonight. so as I always do as way of getting my blogging engine running once again - here's an every day life post (though now, my blog is mainly made up of them...heh!) 

here's a sneak peak of our everyday.

we recently enrolled in a once-a-week mommy-and-me preschool prep class and its been a blast! 

best part is being able to share it with friends and meeting other local mamas! 

we've also been knee and elbow deep in tinkergarten fun - playing in the outdoors, exploring in nature and just learning how to enjoy the simple beauty of God's creation! 

I love being outside so much and Asher has been loving it too! 

Asher is in this really fun age where he's thinking, imagining, exploring and asking thousands of questions a day. it's been so neat to see how the wheels are turning inside his head and he's being more and more shaped into his own person. 

at his current age, Asher loves to be silly and make people laugh, is still figuring out his feels (so. many. feelzzzz), is warm, tender-hearted and is a complete free spirit (loves to run around, sing songs that he makes up himself and talks all day long). so much fun! 

everything is sweeter with friends! 

 in true California fashion, the summer was stretched by long long weeks of hot weather even as we entered the fall months. the heat is most definitely not my favorite but this past summer was such a blast being able to soak up the sun and lots of water fun with friends.! 

I've been trying to be more intentional about spending time at home. it's been a sweet season of learning how to really have the eyes of faith to see my home and my family as a ministry that God has entrusted to me and learning what it means and looks like to be faithful in caring for it (my home, family, etc) 

I'm still a little behind (like 1.5 months) on a bday post for Avery, but she's one! I can't believe it. so weird to think that she's a toddler now! she's been walking since about 11 months and I just can't keep up.
she is the teeniest and tiniest walker I ever did see. 

as the weather cools down we are trying to spend more and more time outside. here we are eating outside of our garage after a busy Sunday at church. love quiet moments like this! (ps. Asher has recently become obsessed with onion rings. and ranch. which means now I have to share, HALP) 

not sure if I can say that I have a favorite season because I seriously love each so much for different reasons! but once October rolled in, I was in fall mode 100% (even though it was still 90 degrees outside). The absolute first foggy autumn morning I wore my furry boots out. It was blissful. it lasted about 45 mins I think because it was super hot afterwards and I was dying in my boots (if I remember correctly I ended up just walking barefoot, lol)

but FALL. I love thee.

I also wasted no time buying literally every kind of squash the first week that Trader Joe's started selling them.
 I love everything about fall.

one of the biggest blessings of this past year has been our toddler music class. we have only been hosting it for the last year but it has grown in so many ways and we have so many exciting plans ahead. it's been such a joy because I feel like every month, season and activity is just SO MUCH more fun because it is shared with all of our friends. here we are ringing in this new season with DIY wreaths. PSA: toddlers LOVE glue. like a lot. I bought a 30 pack of Elmer's (LOL I LOVE SCHOOL SUPPLIES)

We've also been so blessed with so many fun activities from Bitty Beginnings! it's definitely helped me so much in having activities to do with Asher as we celebrate each month and holiday and has really been making learning so fun for him! 

there are lots of exciting things I'm planning to share - and I can't wait to get back to sharing them with you here! 

until then, stay cool. see ya laters!

xoxo

10 things: sick days

10 things I’m grateful for today - even though its a sick day! (both kids AND Eugene are sick.)

1. I am so thankful that I was spared from whatever bug they all caught so that I have the energy and capactiy to wholeheartedly care for them and tend to their sicky needs.

2. that I was able to sneak out this morning sans kids after Eugene came home from work (and before he took his post-shift nap) to go grocery shopping and get myself a venti iced starbucks DRANK (FUEL!!)

3. For the blessing of TV!!!!! And Daniel Tiger. (“when you’re sick, rest is best! rest is best!” he says) And Leap Frog. and that it serves as just something to distract Asher with from his sickness woes and allows me to have some time to make food and take care of the baby. (He pretty much asks to be held constantly whenever he is sick.. so this is my saving grace!)

4. The fact that they both napped at the same time (right now!) giving me some respite from the chaos to read, pray, drink coffee and recharge for the rest of the day! 

5. The shotglass that Eugene got at some pharmacy conference that serves as the perfect cup to give Asher his tylenol mixed in with some green juice in (only way he will take the meds!) haha

6. The fact that their fevers mean that they have an immune system that is strong and active and fighting against whatever bugs there may be. So sad to see them all fever-ish but so thankful that this means that God has granted them the gift of health! Always so thankful.

7. For more than 5 hours of sleep last night. Recently I’ve been feeling so restless at night and have had such a hard time sleeping (been averaging about 4 hours and its been killer...) but so thankful that for some reason I was able to fall asleep right away for the first time in weeks and slept almost 6 hours to be fueled and ready to take on today.

8. For God’s grace that sustains and strengthens and brings joy even in days like today! And how they help me to fight against the temptation to complain (or to fall into the pit of self pity — they somehow only get sick on the weeks that Eugene is gone for work..haha) but to really see even mundane tasks of caring for my family as an opportunity to worship Him with my heart and actions! 

9. For iced caramel macchiatos! (It deserved its own post today. Thanks for making me happy, CM. ILY.)

10. Reminders and encouragements in God’s word! 

"God is our refuge and strength,  a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). 

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of faing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me!” (Phil 4:11-13)

everybody needs you

At the tender age of 2.5 (or as he would like to call, “2 almost 3”), Asher has become quite a character. He is loud, vibrant, silly, strong-willed, opinonated, dramatic at times (SO MANY FEELZ) and learning and growing so much everyday.

There have been a few instances recently (and more frequently as of late) where he will act out and do something blantantly rebellious or (dare-I-say) mean and I have to sit down with him after an epic meltdown and many many tears (on his and sometimes my end) to talk about what happened. Most of the times, our conversations go like this. I say one of the following:

“Asher, that was really hurtful what you did. Why did you do that?”
“Asher I know you understood what I told you to do, why did you disobey?”
“Asher, why are you mad/sad/crying/screaming?”

His response is one of two things usually. It is either, “Because......(and some sort of reason)” or “I dont know”. I think it’s hilarious when he says “I dont know”, especially when its in response to “why are you sad/mad/crying?” In my head I am thinking “Me too, homie. sometimes I have no idea why i am sad/mad/crying”  I love it.

So innocent and honest.

Recently, I have been trying to teach him that he can’t be “good” or do good on his own - but that only God can help him to truly be good. We have been talking about how because we weren’t good, Jesus had to come and die for our sins so that we could be saved and have a reconciled relationship with God and it is only then that we can truly be “good”. I’ve been reminded of this truth recently for myself — that there is truly nothing good that I can muster up on my own but that any “good” that is born in me is fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart and life.

After many of these conversations, we usually try to pray and in these prayers I ask God to help us to understand that because we can’t do good or be good on our own strength, will or power - that He would teach us why we need Jesus. and why we need God to help us to trust in Him to believe that Jesus has saved us from our sins and ourselves and that we can find new life in Him!  It has been a sweet time together for us (and mostly for me) to learn and be reminded of how much we truly need Christ in our day to day and how it truly is only through Him that we can be saved.
 

Sometime last week, Asher had a really off day and got in trouble 4-5 times in the span of 2 hours for not listening, doing something mean/hurtful (usually being too aggressive or spiteful to avery when she takes his toys or ruins his magnatiles creations) or acting out in a tantrum. By that last time I was at my wits end/about to pull out my hair and asked him

 “WHY ARENT YOU OBEYING?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?! WHATS GOING ON”

and his response, in tears:

“I NEED GOD TO HELP ME”

I nearly bawled.

I know that he is merely (and most likely just) regurgitating things that he has heard me say but hearing him say that with his own little mouth and squeaky voice nearly ruined me and drew me to my knees to just pray that these truths will slowly but surely be used by God to bear fruit in his heart and that one day He will truly see with unveiled eyes that there truly is no joy or hope or “good” in life apart from Christ.

Sobering reminders that this is a high and glorious calling. A noble task. and that the mundane things we do as moms and the (sometimes) inconvenient moments where we have to repeatedly for the 50th time discipline our kids in love — are all orchestrated opportunities for us to share Christ with our littles.

May we redeem every opportunity.

<3

9 month mark

here we are, you guys! the 9 month mark.

 

(well, technically it is closer to 10 at the time of my posting this.)

WE MADE IT, FAM.

baby girl has officially been outside of me for the same time she was baking inside. how surreal! these 9.5 months have gone so, so fast and she is growing so much (though not in weight - she is a petite one! less than 4th percentile in weight..)

 

As I had expected, I've been pretty terrible at posting and taking pictures and what not - so for the sake of catching up, I thought I'd recap her 9 months of life and our transition as a family of 4 by answering a set of questions! (A long set, sorry!) These questions are actually FAQs but also questions that I had for myself before baby came. I actually wrote a blog post 2 days before baby came (she was born 2 days before my scheduled c-section), and listed these questions out for me to revisit after baby was here.  I thought it'd be a fun way to recap and record (for myself) now that 9 months have gone by, so here it is!

fyi - i've consolidated/reorganized some of the questions for the sake of simplifying!

 

will I eat a lot of sushi after she's born? (I really crave spicy tuna..)

I don't think I eat sushi too often, but I definitely have appreciated my sushi more this time around haha. my sweet friend kat postmated us sushi (and soo much spicy tuna) shortly after we came home from the hospital and i was so excited i literally peed in my pants (lol, true story. and tmi sorry.) thanks kat!!

 will my recovery be similar to last time or will it be harder this time around? 

so i was expecting to have a c/s again but ended up having a VBAC so it was a completely different recovery. and IMO, this recover was harder than C/S! that postpartum stress incontience is real yo. (sorry, TMI again hehe.)

how will breastfeeding be different this time around? do I even remember how to do this?

surprisingly, it still hurt the same but the pain went away earlier than the first time. thankfully, avery latched really well and didnt' have problems but she became a snacker (eating smaller feeds rather than being able to take full feeds) because many of her early feeds were interrupted by big brother (either bc he needed me to do something or get something for him, or he had to be disciplined or re-directed in some way...) poor baby. so my supply this time around was way way less than the first time! 

will she take the bottle? (asher never did..)

it took some training but we started early this time (at 2 weeks with avery! with asher, we didnt try until like 2/3 months) and now she is a pro bottle drinker. initially she took it really well and we were so excited but stopped for a couple of weeks and then she refused it!! around that time, I had to go back to work (night shifts) and she wouldnt eat AT ALL with eugene while i was gone. so she essentially went 13-14 hours without ANYTHING when she was about 2 months old... it was so stressful! and so so sad. so after that we had to retrain her and we still offer her a bottle every night to keep her used to the bottle. I am also SO thankful for formula. we didnt use it at all with asher because he NEVER took the bottle but I am so, so thankful for the blessing that we have to supplement with formula! (esp because of her low weight and everything!)

 p.s. even the the whole not-taking-the-bottle-while-i-was-gone-for-work phase was so stressful and hard, there was good that came out of it!  she kiiiinda, sorta night weaned herself at 2 months. (OOPS. lol) she initially woke every 2 hours to eat (becuase she was a snacker. *sob*) but after that little debacle, she woke up every 5 hours. PTL!!!!

 

will the baby be used to sound and loud noises (asher was!) or will she be super sensitive?  

thanks to big bro, she can sleep thru anything! though we did keep her outside in the living room with us for most naps early on so that she would get used to it. so asher would sing and shout and dance around her like a ceremonial sacrafice and she woke up the first 10 times or so but now she is used to most sounds! thank you, asher!!!

 will I love baby as much as I love asher?I totally do! It definitely took a while, and wasn't as immediate as it was with asher. but I definitely love her the same. I didn't think it would be possible, but it's true when they say your heart and capacity to love really doubles. but i can definitely say I love them differently - not sure if its because shes a girl or if its because shes my second.

will I love asher less because of the baby?
I didn't think this was possible, but I actually love him more! seeing him grow into his role as a big brother has been so, so heart-warming and I just love and adore him more because of it. also, he is the BEST helper and sweetest brother ever. he always offers to throw away baby's diapers and wants to put her pacifier in her mouth for her (even though it fell on the ground outside..and before i had a chance to clean it...) but it's cool. he's the best!
 

is it [life with two] as cray cray as people say it is? or as I feel like it will be?
YES and no. It is cray cray - especially the beginning when you feel like a complete hot mess and you are 40 minutes late to everything. but i realized that overtime i became a lot more laidback and chill about things that don't really matter (like, "oh shoot i havent changed their diaper in 10 hours. but well, at least they didnt poop" or "oh man, i ran out of wipes and im not going home for another 4 hours...okay, well i guess i will just wet these paper towels...") you get the picture haha. it's crazy and it's so hard to get yourself to go out and do things when you have two unpredictable, dependent creatures on my own but eventually you get used to it! and now it's our new normal and i love it! (though i do appreciate solo trips to the grocery store...it's a treat and and a luxury!)

will my brain feel fried?
more than "fried", I think I more often feel scatterbrained...?

like i'm thinking of 1,000 things at once and realizing i was supposed to do this or that, or that i was supposed to email this person about that one thing and omg what am I gonna make for dinner i don't have any groceries, where did i leave my keys? omg they're still inside the car, please please please dont be locked. dang it did my milk expire yesterday? aw man i left the ice cream out overnight. omg avery is eating something whats the in her mouth? wait, im meeting someone for lunch tomorrow i forgot who it is. okay wheres my car, i dont remember where i parked my car. oh em gee the rent was due 4 days ago. omg omg omg where's asher? ASHER ASHER LISTEN TO MOMMY. i need coffee.

yep. kinda like that.
 

how do I go grocery shopping?! or do anything outside of the house by myself?
I initially ordered a lot of groceries online - just because I was so nervous about timing the outings right with naps and feeling anxious about wrangling both of them in the cart and taking them in and out of the carseats (my least favorite thing...) but now that she can sit up in the cart it's so much more fun!

    

who do I put in the car/carseat first? who do I take out first?
i realize that this depends on if avery is still in the infant car seat/stroller - but our typical routine is i plop asher in the front driver seat (without the car on/keys in the ignition) and close the door so that he can just play inside (because otherwise he runs around the parking lot like a crazy person). then i put avery in. then i have asher climb from the front to his seat (which is literally his favorite thing to do) and then i buckle him in!

I almost always use the stroller when im out - so in terms of taking them out, i will set up the stroller and then just put one of them in at a time (doesnt really matter the order, unless one of them is crying!)

- will I have time to do laundry? or cook? (i completely failed at meal prep btw. oops)

I do, but i realize only during naps and at nights. still been a challenge to do any housework during the day while the kids are awake unless there is a magic moment when both of them are playing quietly together -- but during the day, most of the time at least one of them needs me so it's hard to get things done. Asher is at a really fun age where he loves engaging with me but it requires me to sit with him for almost the whole day - reading, talking, playing, creating, dancing, singing, etc. and avery is still nursing every 4 hours, and has been sick on and off for the last few months and wants to be held almost all day (like this past weekend..) but i'm trying to make it more of a priority to stay on top of my chores! especially as a way to love and serve eugene more tangibly!

but for now, when i just need a couple mins to myself (usually to pee or something!), this has been working pretty beautifully:

how do I pack my diaper bag with two-kids worth of stuff (i.e. two diff sized diapers)?

clearly based on my answer the to one of my previous questions, I have not figured it out yet haha. but i realize its not too bad! just 2ish diapers for each kid, a pack of wipes, two bibs, and one water bottle (most of the time, i just make them share..haha) and SNACKS IS A MUST (preferably one they can both eat..which is most things. baby girl has gotten to taste some of the goods way earlier than asher did when he was a baby! #PERKS) i haven't really been good about packing them extra clothes and am considering getting a bigger diaper bag. or maybe just using my northface backpack (#COOLMOM?)

how will our family dynamic change after baby girl is here?
our family definitely feels more full and complete now that she is here. initially i was so nervous about her coming and how she was gonna change up our family unit - but she has been such a sweet and fun addition to our little family.



will it be/feel different having a girl this time around?
 we definitely love and treat her different because shes a girl. but its not too different. she is so girly (in how she cries and whines and her drama) and we love to dress her up with bows and dresses! but apart from that, at this age, its not too different.

how will I guard my time with the Lord in my personal devotions?
as i expected, this was definitely a challenge after adding another baby into the mix. especially since i've been struggling to figure out how to get housework and chores done after the kids go to bed. i found myself constantly putting seemingly more urgent things (like laundry and finishing the dishes or preparing the next day's meals) before my time in God's word and prayer -- and then days and sometimes weeks (eep!) would go by.

but something that i've been learning in this season is that there is really no excuse! i learned that time is not found but made. for things that are important and valuable and priority - we don't merely "find" time for it but we make time for it.  We always make time for things that we want to do and things that are important to us. We switch our schedule around to make things work and no matter how busy or tired or crazy my day was - i always somehow find pockets of time to look at my phone to reply to messages, mindlessly browse through social media or watch mukbang videos (is anyone else obsessed with these? haha) so i decided to stop making excuses for myself and to really strive to guard my time with the Lord. it's definitely far from perfect and I am still figuring it out - but I'm seeing that there is nothing of greater importance than this!

 

on most days, I feel like a hot mess and my place looks like a hurricaine dump site. chores are often left unfinished and eugene has run out of clean underwear and socks on so many occasions that I just bought him a 12-pack of new socks last week lol. I felt a lot of guilt for not being able to figure out how to balance everything well, but I realize that I really have to fight to guard this time with God and make it a priority - for the sake of my kids and my husband. if i'm abiding in Christ and really fighting to stay spiritual sober and focused - it helps me to be a better mom and wife. i'm able to see  with eyes of faith that my day-to-day tasks and mundane responsibilties have great purpose and are opportuntiies to worship. it helps me to do all things with greater joy and intentionality. when my eyes and heart is fixed on Christ and His example, it stirs me to really see each day as an opportunity to love and serve with the same heart.

my current "how": striving to seize any and every idle time i have to be in His word and to fill my mind with Him! i've been trying to listen to podcasts and sermons while I wash dishes or do chores around the house (Risen Motherhood is my current fave). I've tried to wake up before my kids but haven't been too succuessful so i''ve been trying to read and pray during nap times or after the kids go down (before I start any chores!). also, Eugene tries to give me a short break whenever he is home from work so that I can go out for a bit (he calls it "treat yo self" time - he's the best!), I try to use that time to go to starbucks to read and journal. COFFEE AND THE WORD, YALL. still the best combo ever.

definitely still trying to figure it out...so if anyone has any tips for me, please send them my way!

--

so, so thankful for these last 9 months of growing, learning, being stretched, being tired and looking like a hot mess (esp with my shiny unwashed hair and post-partum hair loss flyaways!)

I just want to be faithful during this season and really redeem and every opportunity I have in this life with my two littles to bring glory to Christ! praying that thru my feeble efforts, God will continue to work in my heart and through my life to magnify Him, to my kids, to my community and to those around me.

He is good!

xo

life lately

It’s been a while!

I’ve been meaning to get back into the swing of blogging things but kept postponing it because — LIFE. But, here I finally am! A ton has happened in the last 2+ months, so here’s a little update on what’s been going on. (And by little I mean HUGE with like 100 pics and stuff. Ya know, the usual. Har, har — well, lets get started!)

So back in January I became a consultant for Usborne! It’s been a blast and things were busy, busy, busy as I was hosting parties, selling them books and getting a lot of my friends a ton of freebies! As of late, things in the UBAM world have died down for me because it was too hard to balance that with everything else, but hopefully I can get back into it one of these days. We are such huge fans of Usborne and love their books! Here’s a part of our collection (emphasis on “part”, hehe)

In the last couple of months, Asher has become a complete HAM. He is always dancing, and joking around and talking nonstop. It is so, so, SO much fun! But he also drives me a little bananas sometimes. But I love him to pieces. As I’ve said in the last 209 stages - I’m convinced that this is my favorite stage thus far (Honestly, every single stage has been my favorite - each one is better than the last.)

The last few months have been a little tricky trying to figure out how to balance both of our night shift schedules with the demands of taking care of two littles while still trying to prioritize our marriage and keep the apartment decently maintained while also not neglecting our community and church, etc etc. It’s an ongoing thing we have been trying to figure out and work through but definitely learning to treasure any and every opportunity we have to spend together as a family. It’s crazy how purposeful and intentional you have to be to really have quality time with people you live with — always rang true with all roommates but even more so with my little family! Work in progress..

Been doing a ton of pretend play and learning activities here and there. I am planning to start a more structured “school” routine at home with Asher this month — stay tuned for more! Exciting things to come :)

   

My three favorite people in the world.

We signed Asher up for a multi-sport/T-ball class and it was a bad decision, haha. There are too many stories to tell, but let’s just say I am waiting a full year to sign him up for another sports class (maybe 2 years old is too young? haha I dont know.) but I need some time to recover from the trauma (i'm being a little drama - heh)

here are my beautiful babes on Easter moring. I had wanted to make them matching outfits (like matching tie and dress combo) but I forgot and then Easter came and gone. But I'm so, so happy that I did the resurrection eggs with Asher and can't wait to do it with him again.  

When baby girl started eating solids, it was tricky trying to figure out how to feed and bathe both of them -- and get them ready for bed at the same time when Eugene was gone for work. This was a great temporary solution - probably not the most sanitary but hey, it worked for us! 

 

My sister created an AWESOME mural for the new Target that opened in Koreatown. She's so cool, I could cry. I am seriously her biggest fan and I legitly fangirl anytime people ask me about her. Check out her work here: www.audreyjl.com

The more asher grows, the more fun it's been to play with him. We love to read books together, play pretend and his recent obsession has been PUZZLES! 

 

This boy LOVES his puzzles and sometimes we do the same puzzles multiple times a day (if I'm completely honest, I get a little tired of them....hehe but don't tell him). BUT, it is the greatest feeling when I see how happy and proud he is after he finishes.  It's so exciting seeing him learn and grow and I can't wait to continue to teach him things! 

Asher's naptimes used to serve as my special one-on-one times with Avery. We would read books and play for a bit (her attention span is much worse than Asher's at this age though - she can barely sit through one book. I have to pin her down haha) and so I used to put her in the jumper to read to her and then spend some time doing other things (chores, read/journal) while she jumped around in this thing. Since then, I have synced their naps at the same time (HALLELUJAH!) but I do miss my one-on-one time with her. It goes too fast! 

I don't remember how old Avery was one she started crawling  (oops -- hehe, sorry 2nd child!) but once she started it's been more crazy but so much more fun! She loves going over to asher to see what he's doing and bothering playing with him. It's been so fun to see and I can't wait to see their relationship grow as she gets older! Hopefully she will grow to love books like her big bro.

  

We started Avery on solids around the 6 month mark and she started enjoying solids after about a month into it. Initially she had no interest and cried everytime we tried to give her something. Now we can't get her to calm down when she has food in her hands haha. I love being able to eat together as a family. Recently, it's been harder to have sit-down meals at home with the whole family, but hoping that we can make it a daily part of life and use that time together intentionally. I love doing flat lays of our meals together - so much fun. His, hers, little his, little hers. 

And she especially loves bread. This was the first time she was big enough to sit and eat in a highchair at a restaurant. So much fun! And that bread had no chance - ma girl TORE. IT. UP. #YAAAS GET IT.

I love hosting dinners  - but recently my evenings/I have been more of a hot mess with the kiddos and it's been harder to host dinner parties! but hoping that as the kids get a little older and I get a better hang of things - i'll be able to host more get togethers. Our place is small and a chaotic mess at times --  but I love being able to open it up for others to come and gather for a meal. Plus, I really don't know how to make meals that are less than 6 portions so -- come one, come all!

In March, we started regularly meeting at our church for a mommy-and-me toddler music class and it's been SUCH a blast! We play, sing songs, dance and jump around like crazy and just started incorporating crafts and toddler learning activities. I've always had a passion for teaching and early-learning so it's been so fun and sweet to be able to create an avenue where moms can come together with their kiddos to play and fellowship together. Praying that we can be faithful in using this as a means to love on our community and that God will be able to use this as an instrument for His purposes! (I wouldn't have chosen this picture to showcase our time together - but didn't want to post a pic with too many of the kids' faces for privacy reasons!) And yes, that's Avery in the ergo - haha, it always cuts into her nap time and most of the pics of our toddler time is of me jumping around while shes dangling from the ergo. My friends want to start a hashtag: #pooravery, LOL.

 She's the real MVP.

The weather is starting to warm up and I am so excited! I usually don't really care for summer (not really a fan of the crazy heat and sun!)  but kids make summer times more fun! BBQs, splash pads, park dates, water table fun! I can't wait for it all. And these two are just the cutest. 

I'm currently in the process of creating some summer goals (post, hopefully coming soon!) in hopes that we can fill this summer with fun, enriching and intentional things and I am so excited! 

Asher has recently been super into cars. He loves all kinds of trucks, cars and machines. He loves the fire/garbage truck, loves construction vehicles (the crane and excavator are his current fave) and LOVES pretending that he is one of Mickey's Roadster Racers.  I love him so much. 

Some fun pics from playing at Pretend City! 

Lots of fun celebrations recently and so many exciting changes ahead. Here's a fun parks-and-rec baby shower we hosted for one of my sweet mama friends! Is there anything better than a ron swanson party? Nope!

We love, love, love disneyland! Asher is obsessed and Eugene (though initially very hesitant) is becoming a fan too! Most of the time anyway. I grew up loving all things Disney so it's been so special to be able to share it with my kiddos and see it all again through their eyes. 

One of our favorite things is the cream-cheese stuffed pretzel!  

And I LOVE eating pho after my disney trips (I don't know why...but its just one of my favorite things). One time, Asher fell asleep prematurely in the car while we were driving to a pho place for lunch ('twas a fun and busy day at disney!) but the restaurant was SO accomodating and let us sit outside, literally right next to my car. THE BEST. (hi, GDY)

All to say, these last couple months have been so sweet. 

No matter if each day is easy or  hard - as always, I'm trying to find joy and gratitude in all things big and small. Life is busy and crazy and I am literally a hot mess almost every day but it is also very full and fun and exciting! Praying that I can just be faithful and redeem all things to bring glory to God! 

I have so many things I want to share (our summer goals, our first official morning basket, mid-year resolution eval, and recent faves -- including shows and apps for kids, books, etc!) so I hope I can come back here soon to share it with you all. 

Cheers to a new week!

xoxo