He's Into Everything!

In addition to climbing, this boy is into EVERYTHING!

I swear! I turn my back for two seconds and he has found a way to escape and get into something. He's either busy climbing up and down, making messes, exploring, or creating more work for me! But honestly, if he's happy... I wouldn't have it any other way!

Getting into our toothbrushes

Finding his way into a neighbors dog crate.

Dumping out all the recyclable items in the trash. When this happened, I didn't even clean it up for an hour because it gave me 15 minutes of solitude while he felt so proud of himself for getting into the trash! The fifteen minutes quickly went by though, because the next destination was the lazy susan where I spotted him just in the nick of time.

Opening and closing drawers.

His favorite spot to play hide and go seek: in the rotating cabinets!

This is the mess I get to clean up for having a peaceful shower.

Getting into any snack possible, and dumping it all over himself!

At the end of the day (or nap time) when he goes to sleep... I can breathe a sigh of relief. Sometimes I just sit and stare at how adorable he is and think to myself, "How can someone so small be so destructive in such a short amount of time?" 

My little climber

Out of the blue, this little boy became a climber. It's on his daily checklist to climb up and over as many obstacles, stairs, and people as possible. He used to be so content with being held, but now has turned into a typical boy: one who gets into anything and everything!

Right now I feel like it's a full time job to keep him alive. I never thought a baby could be this much work. He wears himself out from how active he is, but more so... he wears me out too! When he goes down to bed (at around 5:30pm) I just want to crash and take a moment to breathe. I can tell... this is just the beginning... he's going to be trouble!

Lily Loves Marco - Part 2

I am fully prepared to take back anything and everything I ever said about not having two children, because having a second child was one of the best decisions I have ever made! 

Now that Marco is older and more interactive, these two are able to play together more often. 

Often times it starts and ends with Lily smothering Marco with hugs... or sometimes just pushing him away.

But there are rare moments when they are able to sit and play with the same toy together. Marco wants to be just like his older sister and he wants to play with everything that she does. It has taken a lot of coaching to help Lily understand that Marco is not trying to take away her toys, instead he wants to just "look at" her toys and see why Lily likes them so much. And that he wants to be like her so its important that she be a good big sister.

When she understands her role as a "Big Sister," she takes it seriously, she wants to protect Marco and make sure that he is happy and no one (but her) is bothering him.

And I feel that with each week, or month, that Marco gets older and plays more and more with Lily, that their bond gets tighter and tighter.

And while I still have to supervise everything that they do together, its getting easier and easier. More often than not, I'm able to steal away a few moments and just watch them interact and play together.

It melts my heart when they see each other and get so happy. And the climax of watching them care for each other (Marco likes to look to Lily for approval and laughter, and Lily likes to make sure Marco is okay if he needs help or new toys to play with) was watching them reach out to each other when we were in Utah seated in the back of Grandpa's truck. They sought each other out to hold each other's hands through the snowy ride. And they were so happy just having each other.

I can't imagine life without these two. And I am so grateful that they are growing up as friends and treasuring each other as much as I treasure them!

Swings

Fall 2015 has been good to us in North Carolina. We haven't seen any snow and have only had frost on the ground a handful of times. Because the weather has been so cooperative, we decided to capitalize on this and take advantage of the swings at local parks. 

November was a bit chillier than December. Michal and I bundled the children up, walked 2,000 steps (thank you Fitbit) to the swings, played for 30-45 minutes, and walked 2,000 steps back home. It was a nice 90 minute activity to get some energy out before bedtime.

But the greatest surprise was December. We had numerous days where the temperatures were over 70 degrees! I'm usually a person who likes to get all my errands run, and chores finished, so when the kids go to bed I have time to myself. Nevertheless, sometimes sunshine is good for the soul. It nourishes and strengthens us and our heavy load seems to become lighter - all by spending time outdoors. 

Instead of going home on Lily's last day of preschool in December we headed to the park to play on the swings. I should have been cleaning and packing for Utah. I was only leaving in 18 hours - but we took a necessary break to enjoy the sun. I knew that Utah was getting hit hard with snow and we needed this extra warmth before heading to colder temperatures.

I don't know how long this unusually good weather will last - but I am going to continue to take advantage of it for as long as I can!

Other Outings in November

This month was dedicated to very few outings with the kids, a handful of playdates, and me only stealing a couple of hours sans children to spend with other fun ladies in the area.

We always try to take advantage of Forsyth Family's "Kids Morning Out" each month. This month it was at the Wake Forest Football Stadium, and was geared towards much, much older children since the day it was hosted was a day that older age kids had off from school. While we just observed other kids playing in the bounce-house and while Lily had fun watching Mommy hula-hoop... the only thing that she really was able to do was color. It was slightly a bummer to come all the way out just for her to color. But, at least I now know where Deacon's stadium is located!

We didn't have very many play-dates this month. People were busy, busy, busy preparing for Thanksgiving. But we did manage to sneak a few in!

I was able to step away from kids one Saturday and participate in what our church has nicknamed: "Super Saturday." Essentially it is one Saturday in the Fall where you come to the church for several hours and complete as many crafting projects as possible. You can bring your own, or sign up (in advance) for those that are being offered as classes. I only signed up to do glass etching. I got four of my pyrex 9x13 pans etched and they look beautiful. I wish I would have brought anything and everything that was glass to have my name etched on them!

I was also able to sneak away one evening for Book Club. The book of the month was: "Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard." Not my favorite, not likely to ever recommend it to anyone else, but definitely interesting and definitely gave me stronger opinions about our (flawed) prison system.

Even though this month wasn't jam-packed full of activities, it was a nice month. The weather was great, no one was sick, and we were all about to get out and enjoy the company of others a few times throughout the month!

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving, our family was doubly blessed with invitations to spend the afternoon eating and relaxing with others.

We were invited to start our Thanksgiving dinner with the Dazey family. They had a FULL HOUSE! The missionaries came over, we were there, their immediate and extended family all came from all over North Carolina. It was jam packed full of conversation, good food, and love. They are such a delightful family and we have really enjoyed getting to know them on a personal level. I wish more people in the area could be more like the Dazey family!

Our next stop was at the Marshs. This family has made us truly feel like North Carolina is home. Their daughter, Anna, is our super-star babysitter. And Mason is in Michal's Sunday School class. Before that we had Chris (who is on a mission) in our YSA class. This family truly embodies what it means to be Christlike. They have done nothing but show us acceptance, kindness, and love. I just wish I knew how I could return the favor and let them know how much we appreciate all that they have done for us! Words seem meaningless in comparison for how they have opened their arms to us and how they have made us feel. Right now the only way I know how to show gratitude is to emulate their example and show that same love and kindness to new families that move into the area!

** Need group photo from Keri Marsh **

I can't quite pin my finger on how to articulate it, but it means so much to me and my family to be included for such a traditional family-style-type meal at another's home. We feel extremely blessed that we were able to spend Thanksgiving with such incredible families. We felt right at home and it was one of our most memorable Thanksgiving's yet!

10 Months

Happy 10 Months Marco!

I almost dropped the ball in getting Marco's 10 month pictures taken. All of a sudden life became busier, and his sleeping schedule became more consistent - and that left me with very little time to find moments to take a couple amateur photos of this boy and his growth.

Latest Achievements:
* Climbs upstairs
* Sneaks away
* Makes messes in everything
* Has a great set of vocal chords. Marco never cries, but is so loud at whining and grunting. I swear that the neighbors wake up when they hear him moaning.

Milestones:
* Sometimes says Ma-ma
* Sometimes says Da-da
(neither on command)
* Went from being in the 4th percentile (for weight) to the 6th percentile

Teeth:
* Four

Clothes Sizes:
* Pajamas: 9 Months
* Clothes: 6 Months
* Socks: everything's too small (picture is proof of that)

Favorites:
* Loves his blankets and won't go to sleep without them.
* Food: Guacamole, Cheese, Applesauce, Bread, Bananas

Quirks:
* Goes to bed between 5:00 and 5:30 pm.
* Hates cuddling or being held close or tight.
* Won't fall asleep on Mommy, but loves to fall asleep on Daddy.
* Very much a Daddy's boy as he prefers to be held or spend time around his Daddy instead of his Mommy.

I feel like Marco sleeps so much and hasn't been as communicative as Lily was at this age. Any moment he is going to surprise us with his words and his interaction, but until then... we will take any snuggles or playtime we can get with this extremely energetic baby!