Middle of the night tales...

I am really starting to think that sleep is one of those luxuries that only some people can afford. Nah... not really. I just like to play my violin sometimes, you know, like in the "Poor me"-mode. Last night, however, something really funny happened, and I enjoyed being awake at 4 am.

"I said, 'Hug Baby'"

So my daughter is the best daughter in the www, but you already knew that, right? For some strange reason which I will call "God working within me", I am growing into a more patient, tolerant parent. I'm just more aware of how God feels about me now that I spend all day long with Elizabeth. She is way more difficult to entertain than when she was just a five month old, because to start with, she just sleeps two hours a day, sometimes less, and I'm with her almost every moment. And when she throws those tantrums... I swear to God... It's like she is a different person, like a crazy mini me! But then she forgets about it, and she is as happy as usual. It's very difficult for me to remain angry, even upset. I love her to pieces. 

The chair was a gift from Grandpa Carlos

So last night, we were hanging out at 4 am. I guess she had a bad dream or something, because she started crying awfully. It was an angry, mad cry, as if saying, "Mommy, I need you right here, right now!". I didn't go right away, I waited at least 20 minutes, but she didn't stop crying. I remembered last Saturday at small group she had cried that way, and she had a poopy diaper. So I went into her bedroom thinking that was it since before putting her to bed at 8 pm, she had been farting. But the diaper was clean, wet, but not messy. I stayed with her for at least five minutes, comforting her, and then I left. She cried for fifteen more minutes or so. I went in again, and I brought her with me to the living room, so that she could fall asleep in my arms.

Bad idea.

Hair style after waking up

What made me think she was gonna fall asleep? Many months ago when I did that she would never fall asleep. Was she going to fall asleep now that she's even more alert than before? Of course not. I guess I just wanted to hug her, I don't know!! I wasn't even angry with her... In the past, whenever she would get up in the middle of the night, I would get very mad, I just wanted her to sleep throughout the night, and let me sleep, or at least, let me try to sleep. The three of us were in the same bedroom, but now it is different. Last night I was trying to sleep in the couch, I don't sleep very well, and the baby doesn't help with that either. So I was fully awake when I brought her into the living room with me. 

This time I wasn't angry, instead I felt compassion. I felt she needed me, and I wanted to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be okay, that mommy was here, I mean, there for her. As soon as we got to the living room, she began calling Emerson. "Daaaaaa", she would yell. And our bedroom door was open. Dori got out. Libby started making the new noise for a dog, she sounds like she is a whining little dog. Then she began yelling,"Daaaa-Daaaa". But Emerson never woke up. I closed the door. She wanted to start playing with Dori, she was trying to get out of my arms, and off the couch since she was looking at all the lights from the router, the DVD, etc. So I told her that was it... I put her in her crib, and she cried on and off until probably 5:30 am. 

We woke her up at 7:20 am. For breakfast she only had a smoothie with half a banana, 5 oz milk, and 1/4 cup oatmeal... ONLY that :)) Merritt got here late, soI washed the dishes while Libby was watching Harry.  

After a bad night, Harry is the best medicine

She cried during our morning walk, but then we had fun walking with Kori. Libby has a beautiful heart. She was taking care of Kori all the time. She looked like her bodyguard. She would pat her in the back like saying, "Good job, Kori". Sometimes I would have to hold her because she needed to give Kori some room. Our routine didn't change much this morning, but she was obviously very tired after I took my shower. I gave her the morning snack, strawberries and cheese, and she took a nap from 10:30 am -1 pm. That was nice :)

I love her with all my heart. I just want to have the same energy when Baby is born and spend my day with them. It doesn't really matter if I don't sleep. I honestly have learned to deal with it. I even feel happy when I wake up, I don't complain like in the past... Ask my husband. I don't think, "It's going to be a long day" anymore. Actually, I feel really blessed, very thankful that I have a wonderful husband who provides for our family; a beautiful, intelligent, awesome, daughter; and a Baby who will be here in 6 more weeks to use the rest of my time :))

Thank you, God.

Loving Dori

When Mommy cries ;)

I think this has been - by far- the most challenging day for me as a Mom. Long gone are the days when I thought having mastitis was the worst, or that stop breastfeeding my daughter was the most painful experience I would ever have to face (both physically and emotionally).

Elizabeth will be 15 months old on Friday. She is acting like a teenager. Oh, well, at least right now she is not able to talk back or run away from home, but she is a handful...Lately she is getting more and more in tune with her emotions, I guess. She loses control over everything, she gets mad and angry for every single thing, and that translates into tempter tantrums and many episodes of crying a day.

Libby at story time with Mommy

The first one of the day was a kitty cat. I didn't know who the owner was so I didn't let her pet the cat. For all I knew the cat might have rabies. She cried, she stomped, and then she threw herself to the floor - the pavement, that is- in the apartment complex. Once she kinda settled down, I tried to explain that it was for her own good that I had to make that choice. I explained to her that sometimes when we don't really knows the animals, they can harm us, and that she was my responsibility. "A waste of my time and saliva", sometimes I think, because I have no idea if she is even understanding these things I tell her, but I keep on doing it in hopes - I really have hope- that she understands what I say, or that eventually she will.

There were probably other two incidents before that major one of the day. She usually gets mad when I don't let her play with my hair brush, so this time I didn't open the bathroom door, so that she wouldn't see me. It worked for a while, but she asked for it, somehow. I gave her a Winnie Pooh one, and that seemed to work. Then she began crying because she wanted out of the pack and play but I was putting on my tights, and the crying was so intense that I - bare with me and do not judge me- felt like hitting her. Please do not tell me you have never been so angry that you haven't felt like hitting something or someone.

Libby coloring with Daddy

I did not hit her, but the thought crossed my mind. Temptations come and go, I guess. It's my choice to act on them, and I didn't. I controlled myself because I remember getting slapped in the face (so I would stop) because I was throwing a tantrum at age five or so. Or at least I think I remember because there is a photo of me before the tantrum, and there's another one of me crying while rubbing my cheek. So I don't really know if it is the photo that makes me think that I remember. I do look  very sad in that picture. At least I know the mistakes I don't want to make as a parent: I won't slap my children in the face out of my own anger hoping they would stop crying, nor I will threaten to hit them in hopes of giving them a real reason to cry, nor I will shame them in front of everybody. It doesn't work, and that's why I walked away to put my tights on the couch, but Elizabeth kept on crying.

Just yesterday I was telling Emerson I had decided not to get involved in the crying, because I become angry when she gets angry, but then, after 10 minutes or so, she behaves like nothing happened! What the heck??!!

I think I read something about it in a developmental book, this is very normal. Great... like if that's gonna make me feel better. Anyway... we read our Bibles, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I explained to her why it is that God rejoices more over a sinner coming home, than over us that are always with Him. It doesn't mean Jesus loves them more, all God has is ours. But now we have to go look for them, and live our lives in such a way that they might be interested in getting to know more about this guy, Jesus. I'm actually thinking in inviting some people over for dinner :S

Sweet Libby

She took her nap, it was a short one, probably about an hour and fifteen minutes. We had lunch together, and Mommy cried at lunch. Elizabeth gets angry very easily when she is not able to do something. I am that way, too. I don't really think that is something you can transfer to your daughter, like genetically. On the other hand, she hasn't seen me lose control over something, so it is not like I have modeled it for her. But because I know how I feel when I can't do something, my heart goes to her every time she gets angry and starts throwing stuff. The way I was dealing with it before was that I used to take away the object she was getting frustrated with. She cried for a while, and then she would forget about it. The next day, instead of letting her play with the toy that caused the problem, I would choose to hide it so that we wouldn't have those tantrums that day. Then I stopped doing that all together, because I figured that eventually life will teach her that not everything is easy, and I'd better teach her how to deal with her frustration... and this is where we are today.   

I was very excited when I saw her eating her vegetables, "She liked shepherd's pie", I thought. Not really. She ate all the bread, but when it came to the meat or the vegetables she was asking for something. I knew she wanted a fork because she is practicing lately with it.  I asked her to sign please, and she did, so I gave her the fork. It's a metallic one for toddlers. She was doing great at the beginning. I don't really know what happened in less than one minute, but suddenly she began banging the fork against the food tray, she began crying, and in her anger almost poked her eye. Then she threw the fork to the floor... I looked at her and told her that was a No, No, that she knew she wasn't supposed to throw things to the floor, specially if she was angry. 

Lunch Tantrum - Part 1

I guess that wasn't enough, so she threw the sippy cup to the floor, and after I picked that one too, I knew what was coming: the food. I knew it because lately she throws the sippy cup, and then the food. So a smart mom I was when I took the tray away from her before she threw the food to the floor. She did throw a little bit, tough. I set the timer for five minutes. As I could - with all the crying involved, and that she probably didn't listen a thing I said- I told her that the tray was not gonna be given to her in the next five minutes, that she needed to calm down. I ignored her, and I have to confess I didn't make the five minutes of her crying, but I made three. I gave her the food tray back. I signed, "You eat, please".

But she wanted the freaking fork.

I told her she was not going to have the fork back by any means, that she was so angry before that she didn't realize she almost poked her eye, and that she had lost the privilege of using the fork for that meal. More hysterical crying. Sippy to the floor again, food to the floor again, food tray taken away from her, again. Three more minutes. 

Lunch Tantrum- Part 2

During those three minutes she was peacefully quiet. When I gave her back the food tray, she began "eating". Not really, more like pretending her index finger was a fork. I want to think she is not smart enough yet to try to play this one on me trying to make me feel guilt, or compassion, or whatever. If she did it because of that... Man, I have a smart one and I'll be facing some interesting stuff later. But anyway, I began explaining to her that the things I do, I do because I love her. That if I took the fork away from her it wasn't because I don't want her to practice, but because she was so angry she could have harmed herself. She just looked at me, whining about the fork, but not really crying, she was listening - I want to think. 

Lunch Tantrum- Part 3

I kept on telling her that I love her so much I cannot and will not allow her to do as she pleases all the time. It is because I love her so much that I must teach her to obey me, to trust me. I told her obedience doesn't come easy, that it is not something you wake up in the morning and you say, "Oh, today I will obey!". No. What comes easy is disobedience, selfishness, tempter tantrums. No one has taught her to lose her control, but she does it perfectly. And while I was giving this speech, my eyes filled with tears... It broke my heart to see or to imagine God telling us the same stuff over, and over, and over, and over again. It broke my heart to see my daughter being so angry at a stupid fork, so angry that she was willing to not eat. 

It was just very sad to even tell her "It is because I love you that I am doing this. Won't you understand, Libby? It is because I love you that I need to teach you right from wrong", and at the same time thinking or wondering if God has had teary eyes like mine when He deals with me or anybody else. So I didn't continue. I stopped and refocus my attention to my iced tea. The tears went away. I didn't want to cry not because it was wrong to cry, but because I didn't want my daughter to see me crying while I was disciplining her. I guess she saw it hurt me, and that was enough. Later I explained to her that what hurts her, hurts me, and hurts God even more.   

Less than an hour after that, the tantrum was about her pajamas, I was talking to my mom on Skype. It was awful. I put the pajamas on her, and it seemed to resolve the issue, at least for a while, but she was just crying, and crying. I don't really know what the deal was today, but it was tiring. I enjoyed it, though. It helps me to practice my tolerance to my own frustration, and to be patient, and self controlled. But I'm just ready to watch TV!

Watching Harry after the pajama tantrum

I thought she was tired, so I put her down for a nap at 3pm., but she didn't sleep. When I picked her up from the crib she asked for her milk since she was wearing pajamas. Another cry because I said no. I changed her diaper, she threw the doll at me, and the Winnie Pooh hair brush. I took them away and said, "No, ma'am, you do not throw things at Mommy because you are angry". Another cry.

And dinner was a similar story with Daddy at the table tonight... She didn't even try the fork this time, she just threw it to the floor right away, then the sippy. We took the tray away... gave it back. She tried to pull the index finger thing, but it didn't work wit Daddy either. She ate some vegetables, but after five minutes she signed she was all done, but there was no major breakdown. I told her I was proud of her for telling me she was all done without starting to throw food to the floor, and that I understood if she didn't want to eat without the fork. That was it.

Aug 22, 2012. Tantrum during dinner :))

She cried just minutes ago because she had to stop playing with La Nena to go nights nights. But now she is sleeping. Tomorrow will be another day. I wouldn't change this for the world. I love her and I love my life. Almost everything that happened at dinner was recorded on the handy cam.

I'll use those videos when she has children of her own, and calls me to complain about how difficult my grandchildren are. I'll say, "Well, let me tell you about difficult children..."

     

Was Jesus ever in love?

Today I cried like a baby, from 11 am-11:15 am. I think than once you've cried – at least, when I cry- you've gained perspective. I feel better after crying, and if I feel better then I am able to think better. I’ve always been that way. I don’t cry because I like to suffer, at least not anymore. I cry because whatever it is that hurts me, I need to get it out of my system. Once it’s out, it’s out. Then I can start dealing with it.

I put my daughter down for a nap at 10 am this morning. But she never slept. Actually, just now, she is taking her nap. It’s 3 pm. I put her down at 10 am because I needed to make bread. She woke up around 6:45 am, so I knew 10 am was probably too early, but you never know with her. I mean, she could fall asleep, if not, at least at 11:30 she had to be asleep. But she wasn’t.

I had finished cooking and whatever I had to do in the kitchen, but dishes where still everywhere. I needed to clean, but I wanted to have my “alone” time, relax, get comfortable with the feeling of my new pair of super sexy compression tights for my varicose veins that just got here yesterday, and drink my coffee. I didn’t even want to talk to God to be honest.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a serious conversation with Him. I mean, I know He is here all the time, but I’m so exhausted most of the time that I can’t read my Bible for more than five minutes. Honestly, I just want to have this baby… but then I won’t sleep because baby will be up all night, and you know how it is with newborns. But still, today, I felt like I really needed to talk to God just about anything, just make contact, if that makes any sense at all.

Ohhh!! Too close, Libby, too close...

I was so ungrateful, I guess. I thanked Him for everything: clothes, food, the fact that I don’t have to work. I was being honest. I wasn’t trying to impress Him with my many words. I asked Him for silence. That’s ALL I wanted: silence, because Libby was kicking the crib, or crying, or calling me with the, "Dahhhhh" sound she makes. I changed her diaper three times. Couldn't she just go to sleep once and for all? All I wanted was my daughter to stop making any kind of noise.

I told Him I knew she was a blessing, and that I loved her to death, but I was just so tired of the everyday life. Cook, clean, feed, cook, wash dishes. I was physically tired. I told Him I couldn’t understand why in the world I thought it had been a good idea to have a child after another when I was tired of just taking care of one. I said, "Don't get me wrong,  I love the babies, I'll just have tons of work to do!!"

I cried like a baby telling Him how He couldn’t relate to me – yeah, right –because He never gets tired, so that wasn’t fair. But then I realized Jesus got tired… not only physically, but probably mentally, too. I would get tired of dealing with morons who don’t even believe I am the Son of God, and don’t do what I said. Yet He loved them and died for them.

I cried telling God how selfish I knew I was, and how I wanted to do so many things, but I didn’t have the time to do them. And my near future looked like I will never have the time to do them. Of course I want to read books! Don’t you think I want to read?? Of course I want to scrapbook! Of course I want to entertain myself with many hobbies, but by the time Elizabeth is sleeping, all that crosses my mind is “I’m done for the day.” 

Libby and Baby (if you are a girl),

I LOVE YOU. I ADORE YOU. YOU WILL GET TO UNDERSTAND ME WHEN YOU HAVE CHILDREN OF YOUR  OWN AND DECIDE TO STAY AT HOME WITH THEM. TRUST ME. YOU WILL GET WHAT I MEAN.

I adore my life, but being a mother is really exhausting some days. I guess the same happens to my husband, and I understand why sometimes he is so tired of work. I don’t want my life to change, I don’t want my daughter to disappear from the face of the earth. All I want is joy and strength to keep going. All I wanted is perspective, I guess. I’ve got it, alright…

Hugging Dori :))

Don’t really know why a random thought crossed my mind while I was arguing my case with God, telling Him I was tired of this, tired of that… Oh, yes, and I said, “I’m just tired that my life is not my own anymore. I’m tired that I don’t get to do the things I would like to do anymore, and I won’t get to do them soon because I’m having another baby in 8 weeks. How can you relate to that?!”

It was then that I have this thought, “Did Jesus feel the same way, ever?” And I thought about Jesus being in love. Don’t really know why I thought about Jesus being in love. I mean, I could have thought about anything else, probably Jesus being interested in sports or something more manly… but I thought about Jesus loving a woman and having feelings for a woman.

The Bible never mentions Jesus being in love. It says He never ever sinned. If He would’ve been married, of course the Bible would mention it, because that would have been a big deal in Jesus' life. I believe He never married anybody.

But that doesn’t really mean He never fell in love with a woman. I believe HE never lusted after her, He never had impure thoughts about her, he didn’t sin. But I couldn’t stop wondering, “What if Jesus actually loved someone so much  that He wanted to marry her?”

How easy would’ve been for the very own Son of God to say, “Daddy, I love this woman. I want to marry her. I know we had plans, but I want to live my life. I want to enjoy the life you gave me.” He was a man after all.

If Jesus would’ve done that… all of us would’ve been screwed forever. He had all the rights to do it, by all means. The Israelites had had their chance. They had proofed themselves to be idiots who would never listen to God. Surely Jesus deserved to be happy, He hadn’t even thought anything impure about a woman! He deserved to be married to someone who loved Him as much as He deserved.

And yet, probably Jesus would’ve picked someone who I wouldn’t agree with. Because that’s who I am. I am discovering the ugly truth of my own self righteousness lately, and I’m working on that, hard. Anyway… if I was crying, then I began sobbing for idiotic stuff that the Bible doesn't even say a word about. But here I was complaining to God, telling Him He couldn’t relate to my “my life is not my own” when Jesus died for me so that I could actually complain about it!

Dori posing with Libby

Here I was telling Him He didn't know how I felt, when Jesus couldn't even get married if He was in love because He chose to die to pay for my sins so that I could actually have a conversation with God. 

He chose to die, He chose to not have a life of his own. He chose not to marry this woman – if there was ever any- so that I can live freely. What if there was actually a woman that Jesus loved? Well, that makes it even worse, because then I have no right to complain about my life not being my own, since my Savior, the guy I chose to follow has proven himself capable of rejecting the love of His life so that I could live!!

And that for me today translated as, “Karla, please, get a hold of yourself… Your daughter will grow up faster that you could possibly imagine. The time will come you won’t see her running arund like a crazy person just screaming  'Ahhhhh‘ as she runs from the living room to the patio door, and then you will ask yourself  ‘Where did the time go?’ and you will be alone missing her...”

And then I couldn’t do anything but ask God for forgiveness… because no matter how tired I am, I can choose joy over bitternes. I wanted to hug her so bad and ask her to forgive me for wanting her to sleep when I wanted her to sleep. And I can still put her in the crib! The time will come when she won’t stay there, and I cried, and I laughed, and I had my dosis of God in the morning in the least expected way. 

I prayed for my children to love each other with all their hearts, and to love God more than anybody or anything else, and for me to be the mother and the wife He wants me to be, and for endurance through the process of becoming more and more like Jesus – which I won’t be, not in my lifetime. I felt that my Heavenly Father loves me so much. I know He does.

And then, it was 12 pm, I picked her up from the crib, I fed her lunch, and we talked to Grandma, and we kissed each other many times, she hugged me many times, I told her I loved her many times. She finlally fell asleep in my arms after half an hour of acting up and fussing nonstop at exactly 3 pm.

And that’s the story of my day. I’m sure I’ll have many more stories once this baby is born. 

I am a mother of two. This is how God relates to me. This is the God I worship.  

Libby is super strong

Libby doesn't like fake food

Libby complaining for the spoon I took away

At the end of my rope!!!

I know she is only 14 months old, but she is FULL of energy... Maybe I should say she is full of energy BECAUSE she is a toddler!!

I don't really know what I'm going to do in three months, no... in seven weeks!! The other day I thought my life was going to be slower with two babies, like for example, when I'm folding laundry. It takes me twice the time to finish, sometimes more. But today I'm worn out. I'm worn out most days.

Elizabeth is getting faster and faster every day. I'm getting slower every day with this belly. Just the idea of having to take care of Libby and Baby makes me smile, then laugh, and although I don't end up crying, I feel like, "What in the world was I thinking?!"  Not really... What I mean is that random thoughts invade my mind, but nothing negative at all, which is very exciting and good news for me. I'm all over this motherhood thing and I'm loving it. I'm learning to enjoy my slow pace -which I thought it was slow already, but now it is slower-. So I don't end up crying, but I do end up thinking, "God, you have to help me do this, please!" 

I enjoy chasing Libby around so that I can wash her hands, and I'm also learning to say NO less. That doesn't mean I don't say No, but I used to get mad when she would go on the couch, but she keeps on doing it anyway. I give her time outs, but she still goes up. I mean, the time outs have actually helped, so now she knows to get on her belly and get down - sometimes :))

It doesn't bother me when she is seated down... What am I supposed to do? She is playing in her bedroom, then I go to the bathroom and when I come back, she on top of it already, just sitting there reading her book. 

I take care of her now when she goes on the couch, instead of just trying to make her obey me. It freaks me out when she starts walking on it, because she can fall. She fell two days ago, again. This time she was on the edge of the couch with her back towards the edge, and she fell. I was close, but couldn't do anything, nor Emerson. We thought she was gonna fall because of the laundry basket, but no, it was just the couch...  and Mom got it on camera! 

No wonder I couldn't do anything... I totally forgot I was taking a video of her when this happened. Now I feel even worse, because while blogging this post I just realized I had it on my phone :( 

Climbing the laundry basket

The Fall

It's been two days in a row that she goes night nights for the day at 6:40 pm. She is taking one nap only during the day. Actually I don't even know if she slept at all today. I put her down for a nap at 10:30 am. It was 12 pm, and she was still kicking her crib, kicking it hard. She had La Nena with her so I guess that doll gave her courage. That and the fishies. So I went in, took the dolly away from her, and turn the fishes off for good. She cried... and I passed out, because Merrith is walking faster lately. So I slept from 12-1 pm, and I woke up because Libby was crying. But I don't really know if she slept.

We ate lunch, and she was rubbing her eyes very badly around 2 pm, I thought it was her hair. After a ponytail, she kept on crying and rubbing, and I put her down again around 2:30 pm. She was tired...but she didn't sleep. I was able to wash all the dishes and cook something, though. 

Aug 4, 2012. New hair-style. 

Last week we went to the doctor because now that I don't have gestational diabetes, I have this huge varicose veins popping out - Thank you, Mother, for both things-. So I had an ultrasound taken of my leg, because I also had a bruise that's been there for more than a month, it's awful. So the doctor wanted to be sure I didn't have a blood clot. Libby was very sweet at the office. She hugged a little girl her age. The girl was like, "What are you doing? Okaaay... I guess I have to hug you, too"

I don't have a blood clot, but now I have to wear compression tights, in summer, in Texas. The nurse said I don't really have to wear them if I am able to rest all day, and being off of my feet most of the day. "Okay, so, how many pairs do I need to buy, Cathy?"

Four days ago, Libby pinched her finger with the toilet lid. She didn't cry, she just made this face of surprise and pain at the same time... And when we were walking in the morning, she almost put a cigarette butt in her mouth. Today we saw a worm that was being devoured by ants and I told her that sometimes animals die, and other animals eat them. That's life, that's how God intended stuff to work sometimes.  We also saw a froggie the other day.

Finger after toilet. She was perfect. 

Libby and the frog

The other day she "helped" me fold laundry, and she liked my pregnancy underwear. 

"That makes one of us", Daddy would say. She is really helpful and funny and smart. She is the best daughter in the whole wide world. 

Underwear fashion

Libby in the hamper

We also took her the other day... the other day, the other day. We do so many things most of the days, that it's like now I barely have time or stamina to write this blog. But I have to be consistent with this, I like doing this. One day, I will laugh and cry with this, and I hope my children will love it, too. So, the other day, we took her to the slides and swings in a little park near here. She didn't like the swing. 

Swing fail!

"Not my thing, Daddy"

Libby was trying to climb some stairs helped by a handrail and she did!! Mommy and her belly couldn't help much, so Daddy had to run and climb on top of the playground so Libby wouldn't fall.

Oh, goodness... We also play the piano all the time now since she knows how to turn it on. And we hug and pet Dori almost every five minutes.

On Saturday, we went to a beer competition. We had dinner there, and Emerson drank beer for me :)

Libby was bored inside, there were a lot of people, and she was in the stroller. So we took her out just to walk and play. I think sometimes she gets bored. I don't know, but it seems that she just wants to go, go, go all the time. And if she doesn't find anything new or interesting to do, she starts climbing on the couch, and touching cables and doing the stuff that she knows is a No, No.

I honestly can't wait for them to be 2 years old (and 7 months) and 14 months old. It's going to be interesting... and fun :)) 

I dressed them

Taping the cask 

Soccer and Dolls

They say talent skips a generation. Not really sure about that, but Emerson is not really gifted at sports, at least not soccer. When he has tried to play, he either sends the ball very far away where it's not supposed to go, or one time he kicked the ball and it hit me in the head, while I was in a pool. Even if he had tried to do that, he couldn't have done that. Or when trying to play "basketball" with the diapers, he always misses the trash, stuff like that... Anyway, my daughter seems to have much more potential than her dad. 

Go, Libby!! Pay your college education with your feet :)) 

Libby playing soccer

Libby says HELLO? (24 s)