Just some tidbits

We've had a really busy month of July around here, and I am looking forward to a little quieter August. For one thing, we don't have any trips planned, and our weekends are only partially filling up at this point. (Room to get together with friends & family!)
Keith's still looking for another job, so that has added some interesting emotions to these last few weeks as well. While I really enjoy having him home to keep me company, help with the girls, and do things around the house, there are days where the house just doesn't feel big enough for the both of us! :) Keith is in the process of finding places to apply, as well as generally re-evaluating his career and future. I think we will look back on this time and realize that it was a huge turning point in our family's life. God is moving in such big ways, and we have been blessed by His provision. The generosity of family & friends to help with expenses, entertain the girls, and most importantly, keep us in prayer have all been greatly appreciated.
Hannah is turning into a big girl right before our eyes! She is such the little mama/maternal girl, and she is loving being a BIG sister. She goes in to Gemma's room after her naps (or sometimes, Gemma "conveniently" wakes up upon Hannah's entering the room) and says in a high-pitched, crooning voice "Good Morning, Gemma. Hi honey!" :) It's so funny.
Gemma is cooing, spitting and near-laughing a lot these days. It's so fun to hear all her little noises. She laughed once with Keith, but I've yet to hear a real giggle. :) This weekend marked a big deal for me, especially, as we picked up a pacifier while we were at the beach. Dun, dun, duuuuunnnn! I've always sworn that I would never use one with my kids, so this was a big step. Gemma just has a harder time with the transition from breast to bed :), and since she hasn't found her thumb like Hannah did so early on, we figured it was time to try the "Paci." It was definitely the right move, since she was asleep within 20 seconds the first time we gave it to her, and since then, I've used it for bedtimes & in the middle of the night if she's a little fussy but not hungry. It works! :) We are promising each other that we'll only use it when necessary, and that we'll have her give it up when she starts saying words. (One of my biggest fears is that it will negatively influence her speech development.) Anyway, we refer to it as the OTT (OT Tool), because Senia (an almost-certified Occupational Therapist) has reassured me that pacifiers are used in the OT setting to help babies work on their suckling skills. :)
Anyway, that's our latest. Currently Keith is keeping busy outside while I hang out in here. We're watching our friend Luke for the day and unbelievably, all three kids are sound asleep! Luke and Hannah have been playing so well together, so they must have worn each other out. This afternoon I'm going to turn on the sprinkler for some water fun!
More later...

Another month has gone by...

Gemma is four months old today, and that is really hard to believe when I think about the days since I was still pregnant with her! Now that she's here, it's hard to remember how it felt before she was born (which is exactly how I feel with Hannah, too.) Gemma is doing so many fun things now, including squealing in a very high-pitch voice, laughing (although Keith is the only one who's heard it so far!), reaching for toys, and generally looking around at people, toys, the animals, etc. She loves to move & stretch out on her back, and she doesn't even mind a few minutes of tummy time. Overall, she's a very easy baby, although she doesn't like putting herself to sleep. Hannah never seemed to have too much trouble with that, but Gemma is definitely more of a cuddler (which, I gotta say--is kind of cozy & fun.) We are even CONSIDERING the pacifier possibility, although I'd really rather she just find her thumb or fingers. :) We'll see what happens. She's starting to watch food travel to mouths, and she's even grabbing for plates & cups, but I'm kind of in denial about that. I'm perfectly happy nursing her exclusively for a couple more months (interesting how that changes with the second baby, too) and I think I'm going to be a little sad when she cuts out one or more feedings per day. :( Right now that's my time to just cuddle & hold her, since I don't have as much time to do that with Hannah needing my attention & focus as well. A big deal in Gemma's life so far is that we had her dedicated at church a couple weeks ago. She was really good and just looked at everyone while Pastor Dave held her up in front of the congregation. We were touched by all the friends that came up front to pray with and for us. :) I should get pics of that up pretty soon!
Hannah is doing well also, and she is growing up to be quite the fun, caring, maternal girl. :) She still loves playing with her baby dolls, and she recently rediscovered one from Gemma's basket of toys, whom she named Titi ("Teetee.") (Who knows where that came from...) Anyway, Hannah loves to play mommy to all of her dolls, including nursing them under her shirt, putting them to bed while reading them stories & singing to them, and most recently, having them tied into her "Moby," which I tied up using a pashmina. :) It's pretty cute! The other day, she and I went on our first outing together since Gemma was born. We had ice cream at Sheridan's Frozen Custard, and when we were leaving, she asked "Isn't Gemma coming?" When I said no, that it would just be the two of us, she said "Oh" in kind of a awe-inspired way. :) That was a fun afternoon! Hannah also loves to dance to my Celine Dion concert video, and she now knows some of the (appropriate) lyrics to the songs. It's quite funny to see her dancing around in her ballerina outfit and singing "You can see/I can give you/everything you need/I'm the one/who wants to love you more..." Haha.
Keith is back to looking for a job, since the company he got hired with after his layoff has now been really low on work. Besides a week in Yakima, he hasn't worked in three weeks, so that's starting to get frustrating. We know God will provide, but it's hard to wait! :) Keith is doing well at staying positive & keeping busy, and we've been able to get caught up with a number of household projects (yard work, cleaning the garage, etc) while he's been home. I definitely do not mind the extra help & company during the day, but I know Keith is ready to get back to a regular job. He's doing some odd jobs for family & friends, but mostly we're just trying to keep an ear & eye open for work! It will happen, and we know it will be a blessing when it does. In the meantime, we're trying to be frugal & smart about our spending, so that takes some extra planning & dedication. :)
Other than that, our life is really great. The girls keep us busy & happy, and we love spending time together as a family. Our church life is wonderful, and we are feeling so connected with the families there. We are finally getting the summery, hot weather we've waited for, so we are spending time outside as much as possible. We had Keith's family reunion at Ocean Shores last month, and this weekend we're going to Seaside with my family. Hannah has discovered a love for the sand & surf!
That's all for now, but thanks for reading & we appreciate your prayers for our family. :)

Hannah in the "sauna pool" at Grandma & Grandpa Jutila's.

Here is one of my bathing beauties!