Big & Little

We had our regular Tuesday photo shoot today. I included Jonah this time. Taking pictures of two moving targets is not easy. Especially when they are not synchronized!  But, I am always glad I have the photos. I am happy to capture whatever kind of moment we are having. 

12 Weeks

Twelve weeks! Wow, what a whirl! 

These past six have been much better than the previous six. Really, the last three weeks have been pretty great. I feel like we're finally hitting our stride.

This collage is not my favorite/best work. But, it will do. (the 10 week photo is my favorite)

Today, when I was taking pictures I clicked one that immediately reminded me of 

one of my favorites of Jonah. 

So, I dug through my files and found it. Isn't the comparison amazing! 

I love that they are making nearly the same expression. 

 He was two weeks younger when his photo was taken. I sure do love these beautiful kids! 

one fish, two fish

I had a tiny little photo shoot to capture the kids in their matching shirts. The pictures could be better, but they could be worse too. 

If Eliza was looking, then Jonah was moving. If Jonah was cooperating, then Eliza had her hands in the way.  Oh well. I got pictures taken!

and, after editing, I've got my new favorite of my girl...gonna frame this one.

Elizabeth Anne 5.5 weeks

worth 1,000 words

i am loving this photo. it really captures the moment!

i'd love to know what it says to you. 

leave a comment with the caption you would give this picture.

Beautiful Bedding

Would you like to see what I believe to be the most beautiful baby bedding I've ever laid my eyes on?

My mother is a genius with fabric. 

Mom and I don't usually agree on colors/styles. I usually like more colorful things, she usually likes more ruffles. But, when we found the fabrics used in Elizabeth's bedding, we both had love at first sight! And it's even more beautiful all put together. 

We had picked out a quilt pattern a long long time ago. Before I was pregnant, much less knew I was having a girl. We loved the Amy Butler quilt pattern. She took it a step further and made it two sided. I love both sides very much! 

I'm not sure the pictures do it justice. I LOVE it. 

Also pictured: our sweet baby bag (vera bradley, folkloric)

and my latest craft project...I took a wooden letter E for less than $3 and covered it in those pretty beads! 

This baby room is a joy for me to walk into! I'm loving it. 

Birthday Buddy

 This is Baby Drew. Isn't he a cutie!! He and I share a July 1 birthday. The Atkins family couldn't be more happy to know Baby Drew and his family. They are really great. If you don't know them, you are missing out! 

After pausing to take the above photo I went searching for Jonah so we could leave church. THIS is what I found! Isn't it the cutest little moment! These two boys are truly like brothers. :) I love them dearly (both together and individually). 

Splish Splash, I was taking a...SHOWER!

Our little water-loving boy has made a big transition. He doesn't want to take baths anymore. It was the strangest thing. One day he was completely terrified of the shower head, and seemingly the next he wanted to  use it. He requests a shower every night now. I love this new phase. Showers are faster and easier. There is also much less splashing of water onto the bathroom floor! Other than me scrubbing his tooshie, he can wash & rinse himself now. Hair washing is much less of a battle.

 I bought a little shower head holder that suctions onto the wall...to adjust the shower head to his height. It is the best $4. I spent this week! Now I just need to find the right kind of non-slip surface for him to stand on...he's had a few tumbles. 

 Getting in the shower...reaching for the loofah....and showing off that he is all clean!

Here he is..."saying cheese", wrapped up in a ball (for some reason he does this the instant I get a towel around him), and finally you see him with the towel around his waist. He told me he needed it that way because "that is what Daddy taught him to do."

Playing at the Ballpark

Jonathan is playing on our church softball team this year. Jonah and I like to tag along to the games. The ball field just so happens to be at a park with a nice playground, so we take full advantage. Jonathan likes to get there early to warm up, so Jonah and I play at the playground until game time. 

The slide is his favorite. 

But, watching the game is not torture for him:

Last week he was the BEST little cheerer in the stands. He was cheering at the top of his lungs for each and every member of the team when they got up to bat. This week, he had a little buddy to play with and got distracted, but he was still very cute and had a great time. 

After we got home and ate a bite of supper Jonah wanted to watch a little Veggie Tales. He very lovingly invited Jonathan to watch with him, and then lovingly commanded Daddy to lay on his tummy like Jonah was. 

They are my favorite duo.

New Driver!

Well, the day has come much more quickly than I anticipated....my little guy is a new driver! Granted, he does have a few more skills to learn (umm, steering), he sure is cute behind the wheel! 

We had a sticker chart (that came in a package of pull ups) that Jonah got to fill in each day that he was "all clean all day" while potty training. At bath time each evening, if he had not had an accident, he got to place a sticker on that chart. We told him when it was full he'd be getting a big truck...he just had no idea how BIG it was! 

By Good Friday he had earned his last sticker...but he wasn't home that night, so we waited until Easter Sunday. It was getting dark when we got back home, but not quite as dark as it seems on the video. We let him "play" with it that night, but didn't charge the battery until after....so I took more video the next day. 

The things my kid says.

these quotes may not interest people all that much, but I want them recorded permanently....

In the car last night Jonah dropped the toy he'd been playing with. He said something like "oh no! what gonna do?" I commented back to him "Are you asking what Mommy's going to do?" To which he said: "No, not Mama. Oh nooo! What JONAH going to do?"

Yesterday afternoon he was playing golf in his room while I swept the other floors in the house. He was armed with two golf balls and a plastic bat that he was using for a club. All of the sudden he (very proudly) exclaimed:  "I got A DOUBLE BOGEY, Mama!" That's what comes of watching golf on tv and watching Jonathan play Tiger Woods Golf on our Wii.

And many of you may have seen my recent Facebook post, but some of you may not have. A couple of weeks ago Jonah was in a phase of calling me "babe." This followed spring break when Jonathan was home more than usual (since there were no schools needing substitutes). One specific example was when the two of them were on the couch. Jonah called to me in the kitchen saying: "please, may I have a drink, Babe?" We were in stitches! 

The next week he had one instance of calling me "Amy." I didn't react much and he hasn't done it since. He wasn't being disrespectful...I guess he's just making some observations/learning how his little world works.

My Favorite Jonah Quote!

Tonight Jonah said something really cute. It might be my favorite thing of all the cute things he's ever said! I smiled myself to happy tears. (but, then, that doesn't really take much when I'm pregnant)

He was sitting on my lap; we were face-to-face, or, more importantly, belly-to-belly when he said: 

"What's that?"

(me: what's what?)

"The girl, she's knocking!"

I guess his little sister had moved right when Jonah settled against my belly. It was a moment I will treasure for a long time! 

Valentine's SNOW DAY

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. We got out as a family this morning to enjoy some of the snow that fell all day yesterday. This was really the first time Jonah has appreciated/understood anything about snow. He was so excited to get all bundled up!

 Jonathan built him a snow man...which pretty much cleared the ground in that area. We didn't have a ton of snow, but it has been pretty. It is all melting away now. 

I caught some of the fun on video for you. Since I didn't get around to making Valentines this year, I hope that this goes straight to your heart! 

Piggy Pig.

The other day, completely out of the blue, Jonah started making this pig sound. I was on the phone and he was trying to get my attention. It worked. I could not stop laughing. While the sound is cute, and I love that he just came up with it on his own, the face he makes is my favorite part! Hopefully you can see the cuteness I saw. If not, I'll just treasure it up for myself. 

Wake-Up Wednesday

I have not posted much Jonah footage lately. I've mentioned that he's hard to "catch in the act" these days. Anyway, I heard him wake-up today. So, I turned on the video before I went in. It isn't fancy, but he is always cute!

Just Monday

It's just a plain old Monday around here. Nothing fancy. Shoot, rarely do we get fancy. However, plain does not mean dull. 

There are so many funny and cute things that Jonah is saying these days. I really should write them down through the day. I WISH I could capture all of our conversations on video, but it happens so quickly, I would do good to just get it recorded on paper. Some of them are only funny in the moment/context in which they happen. Others, like today, are just so sweet and cute that I must share!

Jonathan got the chance to substitute teach at the local high school today. So, he came home right as Jonah and I were leaving. And then he headed out to the ice cream parlor soon after.  (translation: we only saw Jonathan for a few minutes today) In those few minutes Jonah very simply, yet completely, stole our hearts and made us laugh. 

               Jonathan: Jonah, do you know how much Daddy loves you?

               Jonah: SO much!

               Jonathan: Jonah, do you know how much Mommy loves you?

               Jonah: Too much!

I can SEE clearly now!

Well, they FINALLY came!! We got the call Wed. morning and jumped right into the car and went to get Jonah's glasses! 

He is SO cute!! 

The first two days were easy...he's been doing great. Today is day three and I've had to put them back on him a bit more frequently. I find that when he has pulled them off, they usually need cleaning! 

We still patch him several times a day...to try to strengthen his "lazy" eye. But, we have a much better patch now. It slides on the glasses and kind of pockets the lens. I've trimmed it now, so it fits him a little better. He still isn't a fan of the patch, but he does (mostly) keep it on until the timer goes off.

oh, and if you can't tell, he kind of likes to pose for the camera! when I pull it out he automatically says "cheeeese!"

Mama, Ah-mere!

This afternoon I was getting ready to go to work. I had just left Jonah who was in my room playing with colored pencils and a notebook when I heard him call to me, "Mama, ah-mere!" (mama, come here!!)

So, I went. 

And then I quickly turned around to get my camera.

Yes, he is sitting amidst our unpacked luggage!

translation (in case you can't follow him): six, six, six, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleben, tummy, one, three, four, five, six, five, six, six, six, six, one, three, four, five, two, five, five, six, one, i drop it

our FAVORITE Christmas gift!

I don't usually label things as favorite. Especially when there is risk of hurting someone's feelings. BUT, I think we can all agree that this is the best Christmas gift a mom can receive!

In case you can't tell, it's a canvas.

(I didn't capture the brown ribbon by which it hangs, but you can imagine)

My mom had a secret photo shoot with the little guy...in a borrowed suit. I loved all of the pictures, but this one is just takes the cake! We love it!

We had a lovely Christmas. We have now celebrated with both the Varnell and Atkins families. We love this time of year and really enjoyed the nice weather. Now we are glad to be home and are going to try to force ourselves back into that elusive regular routine! 

Have a Happy Beginning-of-2012. 

Soon I'll tell you about our overwhelming exciting New Year's saga adventure. 

Sneaky Little Sneak

The other day Jonah was in my bathroom while I was getting myself ready for the day.

He likes to go through my bathroom drawer. I HATE when he goes through that drawer. He always finds earrings and contact lenses that DO NOT need his attention. 

He also often finds floss. 

Well, on this particular day he was pilfering as usual. I was trying to dry my hair and couldn't see what he was doing. I thought I saw him snatch something...then he ran away.

I quickly followed, but couldn't find him. I walked from my room, past the computer desk to the living room, then into his room and his bathroom. I just wasn't seeing him. I called his name, but got no answer. 

So, I headed back through the house thinking maybe he didn't leave my room in the first place. On the way there, I found him. He was crouched down in the computer desk chair HIDING. He was so cute hunched against that chair back. And sure enough...he had the floss!

Sweeping me off of my Feet!

The other day I gave Jonah some graham crackers for his snack. I don't remember if I gave him the package, or if he snuck it while I wasn't looking. Somehow he ended up with the package. And made a mess. 

But, then he did the cutest thing.....

all on his own, without me even asking him to!

Makes me so proud!