Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Well, it has been almost a month since my last post, so it's definitely time to post some more here.

First of all, my firstborn is 4 years old today!! Wow--time really does fly! Hannah has turned into this super funny, sweet, energetic, precocious preschooler/young girl...what do I even call her now?! I guess she's more on the "little girl" end than the preschooler, since she'll be entering PRE-KINDERGARTEN in the fall! Ahhh! Anyway, we are so thankful to have our Hannah Mariah in our lives, and we are kind of celebrating her all week! Sunday night we celebrated with a family dinner, next Sunday we'll go to my parents' house for a BBQ, and today we are hanging out with friends & going to an ultra-special lunch at a nice restaurant...Shari's! :) That was Miss Hannah's choice, and she is super excited. We've been there a total of...one time, and that was after we saw "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, so I think she has fond memories of the place. Later this evening after Keith gets home, we'll just have a relaxing dinner, maybe a trip to the park, and I'm sure we'll sing "Happy Birthday" at least one more time! It is so fun to see how excited she has been about her birthday this year--she's been anticipating it for months, and we talk about it quite often. It's pretty cute! I'll post some pics later, but here's one of both the girls. Hannah is being her silly self.


Second, I've decided to leave the facebook world. I know that may not be exactly news-worthy (or even blog-worthy!), but it was significant enough to me that I had a really hard time clicking that "deactivate" button. (Which, in & of itself is probably a good indication that I should not be on there...) I won't go into all the details, since they are probably less interesting to you than they are to me, but basically after taking a few weeks off to participate in a prayer activity through church, I realized something: I didn't miss it! :) I also realized that I was spending more time in my bible, in prayer time, and reading good books. More importantly, I wasn't spending so much time telling Hannah "Just a minute!" while I caught up on all the Facebook news. The part I will miss is keeping in touch with all of you, but Keith reminded me that there are SO many ways to check in with one another, that I really am not losing much. :) I'm hoping to update my blog more often, in case you're interested, and I always love getting e-mails, texts, or even the good old phone call! Haha. I'll also try to post pictures on here so that if you are out of the area (Aunt Senia...sniff sniff!), you can still see what the girls are up to. Keep me accountable, okay??

What else is new?? Gemma isn't quite walking yet, although she is close. She walks around anything sturdy, and has even been caught standing for seconds at a time. She's not big on taking any steps on her own, and does more of the "lurch" thing than actually stepping, but she'll do it! :) In everything, I see more of her laid-back personality coming through, and I think that is beneficial when you have a big sister who insists on picking you up & "helping" you move around the house. Gemma isn't a total pushover, though, as she will wave Hannah away or flap her arms at her if she's really not into being carted. It's funny to watch them interact with one another, and I catch glimpses of them as they will play together in the years to come...with only a little fighting, right?!

Keith is really loving his job and the company. A couple weeks ago they had their annual community service day--a company-wide paid day of work that is spent helping in the community. This year they helped at a teen shelter, and they did a bunch of landscaping. Keith was tired after that day, but I could tell he was proud of the work they did. I am proud that he is associated with such a wonderful company that values family, a balanced life, and community-building. God has certainly blessed us with this job, and we are confident that the six to eight months of job uncertainty has made us all the more thankful & appreciative of how God provides so perfectly.

I am taking a couple months off from my regular piano lessons, with the exception of one very diligent student! :) It's nice to have a free schedule each week, and then to be able to do some spontaneous playdates, walks to the park, and backyard water play (hopefully!!). I'm doing a great bible study called "Experiencing God," and I am thoroughly enjoying that. It is truly changing my life. Look it up if you are trying to find something joyfully challenging to do this summer! :)

Tomorrow we get to have our reunion playdate with Lisa, Luke & Ellie, who have moved back to the NW after a stint in southern California!! YAY! We are so excited, and Lisa & I can't wait to visit in person while the kids get reacquainted. :)

I look forward to keeping up to date on here, so be looking for posts....weekly?? :)

There's something about...

For the next few weeks, I'm taking a break from facebook. It has been a little hard to get used to, and I find myself saying "I wish I could write that as a status on FB!" However, I know that God is going to teach me lots of things during all the time I would normally spend on Facebook...as long as I spend the time wisely. So far, I've found that it is a great time to pray, to crochet, to have fun with Hannah, to read, to reflect on my family & what a blessed life we live, to read my bible, to cook, to bake, and today, I found that it's a great time to clean random spots that need said cleaning. :) For example, how often do I wipe down the washer & dryer? From the looks of the rag I used, not often enough. :) Now it's all sparkly clean, with a load of rags in the wash. There's something about cleaning my pile of rags feels good.
I am also currently cooking up some dry beans for a soup tonight, complete with a chicken carcass. Now normally, that would really not be a step I'd be willing to take, but I feel so thrifty & "waste-not-want-not!" There's something about using every bit of a whole chicken.
Hannah is out playing in the backyard with nothing but the garden hose. She is really intrigued and interested in all the nozzle choices, and has been out there for at least 45 minutes already. In the meantime, she may or may not have peed her pants, and she's probably getting really dirty, but I'm actually okay with it. There's something about letting your kids play out in the backyard on their own.
Gemma is waking up from her nap right now, and I am having fun listening to her gibber gabber up in her crib by herself. She is really coming into her own personality lately, and I love that she says "Mommy" very clearly now. I also love how she reaches up for me to pick her up and then rests her head on my shoulder in the most loving, tender way. There's something about baby hugs.
Thanks for listening in this afternoon. Stay posted!

Babies are funny

I find it very funny and odd that a baby will crawl along the floor, notice something on the ground, and then proceed to put it in their mouth. It's not even a question of "should I do this?" It is: "I see something on the floor--I'm going to eat it!" As if we all go around doing that. How weird would it be if I just randomly walked up to a table or a counter, (thinking of something at my level) saw a rubberband or piece of fuzz, and then ate it?
Obviously, babies can get away with it because a) their immune systems are much tougher than ours b) they are exploring their world c) they just look so cute; they can get away with anything! :)

Just so you know...

I started a post (during a blogger update, unbeknownst to me) that did not save in my drafts, so I really did try to post something within a week of my last post. Unfortunately, I can't remember all the details, so I'm not going to try & re-do it right now.
However, I wanted you, my readers--(Senia... :)--to know that I had attempted! :)

It's been WAY too long!

Well, I don't even know how many people will see this post, since it's been so long--almost a year?!--since I posted.
However, lately some mommyhood things have happened where I've thought to myself "Maybe I should get back to blogging", and then I sort of forget the idea after a few seconds because something else happens to draw my attention. I think that I'm going to try it out again because I am feeling like it could be a good outlet both for sharing what's going on in my ever-challenging, but ever-rewarding life of being a mom and for the opportunity to express all the ways I am seeing God work in our family! I ask for your encouragement and even accountability to ask me when I'm not posting. :) I think it will help me stay focused & get these things written down where I can go back to them & refer to them years from now.
All that said, on to the "important stuff."
Gemma is now a year old, and she is quite the little charmer! She is very sweet & good-natured, and I often find her entertaining herself or observing the goings-on of Hannah, myself, Keith, or our animals. That keeps her quite busy! Currently she's pulling all the DVDs & videos off our shelf, which is actually okay by me, since she is apparently done with her nap for the day. :) (It was one hour. Ha.)
Hannah is almost four (yikes! How did that happen?!) and she continues to be my little fireball, both in regards to energy & attitude. We definitely have had our power struggles, tantrums, and breakdowns; and that includes Hannah! ;) At the same time, she is VERY imaginative (case in point: she discovered a long piece of blue yarn the other day and proceeded to pull it around, calling it her "hair," just like Rapunzel in the movie "Tangled." She still hasn't given it up!) and she also loves to play with her various fancy dresses. Most mornings before she comes out of her room, she changes out of her pj's and makes her entrance wearing one of her "wedding dresses", as she calls anything that is made of velvet, satin, or has flowers on it.
She is also very smart (if I do say so...), and every once in awhile, one of her arguments is so convincing and well-thought-out that I just changed my mind! :)

I think that today, for the sake of time, I won't go into too much detail about the latest...challenges...with Hannah's behavior or the like, because I sort of feel like starting over from scratch! Today we spent a wonderful morning & early afternoon going to Starbucks & Target, walking to a park, and just thoroughly enjoying a very sunny day--one of the first "full-sun" days we've had this spring!! When we got to the park, we came upon a big group of kids who all had disabilities of various degrees. I wasn't sure what Hannah would do, and I was glad to see she accepted them as any other park-goers! It was really neat to see all of the kids--of various ages--enjoying the park with joyful hearts. I found myself so close to tears just watching all of the kids with disabilities, who I later found out were from the class at the local high school. I think I was moved by how excited each of them were about being at the park, enjoying the day, and how much like Hannah they were. The sweet innocence that exuded from them was astonishing, but I heard the bittersweet thoughts that told me some of them would never advance much beyond Hannah's age in terms of development. It gave me pause, because I realized (maybe for the first time in the almost-four years since Hannah was born) just how blessed & fortunate we are to have two healthy, well-developed children. Please don't misunderstand me; I realize that if we had/have a child with disabilities, we would adjust. God would equip us for that parenting challenge, just as He has for the challenges we face with the children we have! It was just a good moment for me to be thankful, and yet somewhat awe-inspiring to see the happiness of these precious children who in some ways, because of their innocence, will never face the same frustrations or pain of this life. It's an odd dichotomy to face, I'm sure, to be "thankful" for their naivete in some ways.

Anyway, that may be too much for a Wednesday afternoon, but it was on my heart since we left the park, and I thought it'd be a good way to start back up to blogging regularly. My fresh goal is to be thankful every day for the children I have, and yet to know that EVERY parent has a tough job to do: correcting, encouraging, inspiring, and most of all, loving our children to the best of our abilities. Beyond that, we have to trust God to give us the rest of what we need, because we certainly can't do it on our own! :)

Thanks for reading!

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!