I think every mother can relate, at least I hope I am not alone!

I had one of those days today that you are so glad to see end. I blew it with my kids on so many levels today I am pretty sure they will still be living with me when they are 35 and I will be making them lunches while they live in the basement searching the web and connecting with people in chat rooms. Ok so I might be exaggerating a bit but really it was an exhausting day of crying and not just from the kids, misguided attempts to redirect Symeon, some scolding, some guilt, multiple times of losing my patience, an ugly incident with a slide and Symeon's two front teeth which made him unable to eat or drink just about anything which led to lots of crying once again from both of us, and finally a hair pulling incident which was an accident but it still hurt really bad regardless. The day did end with lots of love, hugs, kisses, cookies and books so it was not a total loss. Now they are both sleeping and I am soon to join them. Thank God tomorrow is a new day we all really need a clean slate.

Here are a few cute pictures that I needed as a reminder of fun loving days that far out weigh the rough one we had today.


Symeon loves to tickle Marin's feet and then they both laugh.


Symeon loves to get in Marin's crib with her and she enjoys his antics and once again laughter is sure to follow.

A budding artist

Symeon loves to draw he has coloring books, a dry erase table, and even markers that you can use in the tub and with all these outlets he decided he needed a new medium ...



If you are wondering what you are looking at it is a picture drawn on our sofa with a pen



I call this one "Ode to the Couch"

Ok I love this sofa and it took me months to pick it out when we were living in Denver. With kids it has taken a hit some snot, some puke, something split here or there and through it all it has come clean amazingly well but I am not sure if we are coming back from this incident. The hard part is that I did not catch him in the act. I came home from work and Shawn was in the our room changing Marin and Symeon was with him. I walked in and asked Shawn what happened to the sofa and he had no idea what I was talking about. So I took Symeon to the sofa and asked him who drew on the couch and he just looked at me and then I said where did you get the pen and he smiled and took me to Shawn's desk and behind the computer laid a pen. You see Symeon has a problem with pens so we keep them out of his reach but I guess we missed one and he found it. I would just turn the coushion over but since Marin is right behind him I figure I might ride it out with the pen on it and flip it over when they are a bit bigger.

4 months old

Every time I post about how old Marin is I want to cry because I am not sure where the time is going. I enjoy every minute with her and the age she is right now is one of my favorites. This month she continues to roll all over and she will get a toy out of her reach through an assortment of wild moves. She grabbed a handful of her brothers hair recently and we had to pry her fingers loose while he protested. We had her "say" sorry to him and give him a kiss which is what he has to do when he says sorry to her but Shawn and I were laughing because it was so funny and to be honest he had it coming.

Marin has become quite the chatter box the other day I had her in the bjorn at the grocery store and she talked the entire time we shopped and everyone would stop and laugh and talk to her which she just loved. She is so social and loves to go new places and have everyone and anyone talk to her. She goes to sleep so easily and still prefers to be put in her bed then have you rock her to sleep at least for naps but at night I snuggle her to sleep and I love every minute of it. Shawn and I both love to hold her and we take every opportunity we have because we know all to well that before long she will be on the move and being held will not be her preference. Her greatest discovery this month were her feet which she loves and actually she gets a bit frustrated when she is in feet pj's and can't get her toes in her mouth. She has developed the greatest laugh that comes easily especially when Symeon is around. She adores him and often in the back seat of the car they will be looking at each other smiling and laughing. At her check up she was 15 lbs 14 ozs and 26 1/2 inches long so she is a healthy girl in the 95% for her weight and off the curve for her height.


Marin can cry at the drop of a hat if she does not like something and usually that means if you try to put her down when she prefers to be held. As you can see she was not to happy with this photo shoot. I love this sun dress and hat she has on but she was not in the picture taking mood.


Here we are at Spruce Lake in the Poconos mountains over labor day. You can't tell in this photo but she is wearing carpi pants and they are just down right funny on her short chubby legs.


I love when babies sleep with their butts in the air.


The other morning she was talking in her crib and then she was screaming blood murder I jumped up to see what was wrong and I found she had pushed her leg out of the crib all the way up to her thigh and then she bent her leg so she couldn't pull it back in. I don't think it hurt her as much as it made her mad because she could not move. She moves all over her crib, turns around, pulls at the sheets, and scratches them with her nails. Honestly she is the loudest sleeper, I use to think Symeon was loud but I had no idea she grunts, talks, sighs, and scoots all over which some nights can keep me up but I do enjoy waking up in the morning to her cooing, talking, laughing, and sucking her toes. Some good news is that she seems to have traded her thumb for her toes and since I haven't heard of any kids going to kindergarten sucking their toes I figure we are doing just fine.

Mosquito Bites

Symeon has not had any mosquito bites until this past weekend and now that he has had a few I think he is going to be like his Mama which means every bite becomes a welt rather than a simple bite and they take weeks to go away. Sorry Symeon it is one of the curses we red heads must endure. There were five on this one leg but I couldn't get them all in one picture.

Spike

We get lots of comments about Marin's hair because most of the time it sticks straight out all over her head. I must admit it is pretty cute and honestly we don't comb it like this it just happens. The other day I tried to comb it down and when it dried it was sticking out all over so I have given up and honestly it just fits her. So one of her many nicknames has become Spike especially right after her bath.

Things I don't want to forget

The other night around 4 am I was awake nursing Marin and although she went back to sleep easily I was up for several hours. During that time I was thinking about a few things I don't want to forget...
1. I don't want to forget how soft Marin's skin is and how wonderful it feels to hold her hand while she nurses and drifts off to sleep.
2. I don't want to forget how wonderful their hair smells right after their baths.
3. I don't want to forget how Symeon runs to the door when he hears his friends on the other side talking.
4. I don't want to forget how great it is to walk into their rooms in the morning and see them smiling at you.
5. I don't want to forget how wonderful it feels to hear Symeon call MaMa from another room because he wants me to join him.
6. I don't want to forget how sweet he looks when he puts his arms up to me when he wants to be held.
7. I don't want to forget how wonderful it is to snuggle with him on the couch.
8. I don't want to forget the sound of either of their laughs which always make me laugh as well.
9. I don't want to forget how wonderful it is to hold Symeon's hand when we walk across the parking lot.
10. I don't want to forget to hold them loosely because they are gifts from God and being entrusted with their care means I will have to let them go and be and do all that God has for them.

Conspiracy Theory

Ok so this might sound a bit paranoid but I am pretty sure that some days our children are plotting against us. For instance Marin who usually sleeps until 8 or 8:30 was up at 5:30 the other morning ready to start her day. Now granted she was so cute I could hear her talking in her crib cooing and giggling and when I went to look in she was holding her feet in the air and gave me a big smile. But that same morning Symeon who usually is up at 7 slept until after 8 which means I could have slept until after 8 myself but instead I was up at 5:30. You see what I mean I am pretty sure they must have chatted a bit the night before. Then there are the nights when they are both awake in the middle of night and I no sooner get one back in bed and snuggle in to my bed when the other begins to cry for me. Conspiracy for sure. Babies unite!!

Marin rolls over

Marin has been able to roll over for a bit now but I finally caught her on video.

Hide and Seek

Symeon loves playing hide and seek and it is pretty funny where he chooses to hide. Here is a video of us playing he could do this all day if we were willing. Shawn and I are amazed at how long he will sit and be quiet when he is hiding.

Being sick stinks

Symeon was really sick this past weekend. He picked up a summer virus and he ran a really high temperature for several days and he had soars in his throat. He laid on the couch or in my arms for a straight 24 hours in a diaper burning up. Saturday he woke up at 3 am and he never went back to bed. The one thing that made him happy was a Veggie Tales video and every time it ended he would take his limp arms and sign more and we would oblige. Honestly I think we watched this one video about 25 times. I have seen it so much that I wake up some nights with the tune in my head and I find myself humming it at work.



Here is the video it is actually really good and after about 10 times I found myself enjoying it. Veggie Tales saved the day.




Here he is on Sunday morning with his get well soon balloon that Daddy and Sissy got him when they went out for a few groceries. On Sunday he would run a fever off and on and most of the day he sat on the couch in a diaper with that balloon next to him watching Moe but at least he ate and drank that day so there was some improvement.

Sibling Love

Here are some cute pics of Symeon and Marin. He has been asking to hold her and it is just so sweet I can't help but take a ton of pictures of the two of them. He is so tender toward her and she just adores him.



Here they are reading books together



Marin was sitting in her chair and Symeon brought over his rocking chair and sat down next to her like they were having a conversation.


Here he is holding her. He does a really good job until she starts wiggling then she usually falls over.


Whenever we leave our apartment he points to her and then to her stroller and he is never to far from her side and usually he is pushing her with us.


I love this picture for so many reasons but one is that I love this dress she is wearing, thanks Lisa she gets so many compliments on this dress and I must admit it is really cute.

Symeon is 18 months old

It is hard to believe Marin is 3 months and even harder to believe my first baby is a year a half. He looks like a little guy these days which is fun and sometimes heart breaking as I watch my baby become a toddler. Symeon continues to have this spark in his eyes and when I see it light up I know something is about to happen. He is sweet and fun loving and he is quick to smile and laugh. He has the best laugh and you can't help but laugh with him when he gets going.

He is learning so much every day. He says some words and communicates in his own way. He loves to do puzzles, read books, and kick balls. Symeon is also a milk addict and would drink a gallon a day if we let him. His obsession with balloons continues and any book that has a balloon in it has quickly become one of his favorites. Symeon also loves letters he can recognize some of them and will often point them out if there are words on our tee shirts. His favorite letter is "S" and purple continues to be his favorite color.

Symeon continues to love Cat in the Hat and he pulls his tail through his fingers over and over as he puts himself to sleep. He is always eager to help with dishes and laundry. He has started pointing things out now when we drive like every playground we pass and trucks and buses are also a big hit. He likes his Sissy and he often wants to hold her but he is confused now that she can grab him and move around a bit.

Symeon continues to be a snuggly little guy who is quick to give loves to everyone as well as high fives and fist bumps. He is a delightful little man who warms our hearts a million times a day and tries our patience about as often. He has thrown his first real tantrums when he was denied milk and he has started getting time outs which seem to be more affective now. At times he seems frustrated between being a baby and a toddler he gets frustrated when he can't get us to understand him and when he can't seem to do something on his own but overall we are enjoying him so much.

Symeon reminds us both on a daily basis that life is to be enjoyed and that chasing bubbles, splashing in puddles, eating ice cream with your whole face, and throwing your hands up in the air and yelling dishes is how we should all approach life. God has truly blessed us with a son that is as full of spirit as he is tender hearted.




Here he is at his 18 month check up. He stands on the big boy scale now which he thinks is pretty neat. Symeon weighed 28 lbs and he is 35 inches tall. The doctor told us he is the size of your average two year old so he is a big healthy guy.


He loves to climb and the slide is always a hit especially when he can climb up from the bottom.


Here he is drinking a glass of milk and in the background 4 of six balloons that are floating around our apartment. Thanks to our friends at Paxton who gave him a whole bunch of balloons. When he sleeps a few have met an untimely demise since our place is so small too many balloons makes for a frustrated mama.


Symeon has a set of tools so he is always fixing things especially if Shawn is working on something. This was taken when Symeon was working on his laptop and Shawn was working on our laptop because of a run in with a bowl of milk. In the same morning we learned that Symeon has learned how to unscrew lids we found this out when he was being quiet standing right next to me in the bathroom and I looked down to see him watching hair gel flow out of an open bottle and forming a puddle around his feet. We are really lucky that our laptop still works and our blackberries which also were laying in milk are fine. To clarify Symeon was only pointing to his hair and Shawn was standing next to him with a bowl of cereal and when he brought his hand up he accidentally hit the bowl and milk went everywhere.


Symeon loves to sit on the counter and assist us with everything we are doing. He really loves it in the morning when we are getting our breakfast. I use to sit on the counter at home and there is something so fun about having him at eye level with me so we can chat in the morning.

Marin is 3 months old

I find it hard to believe my sweet girl is already three months old. Marin is becoming quite an easy baby. She still sleeps 8-10 hours at night and although I was dreading a 3 month growth spurt because I had visions of her wanting to nurse every two hours I had little to fear it came and went with a few nights of getting up once and it really wasn't a big deal. Going to bed at night and for naps has gotten pretty easy, Marin seems to love to go to her bed. We hesitated letting her cry because she is still so small but honestly she really wants to be left alone so we put her in her bed and sometimes she will cry for a couple of minutes and then she falls asleep. I am amazed at how young she has developed this skill but we are thankful for a second good sleeper.

Marin rolls over easily now from her back to her belly. She loves her thumb and although she doesn't suck it she often has it in her mouth, I have tried pulling it out but I have learned if you don't make a big deal out of some things they go away on their own so that is what I am hoping with thumb chewing. It is really cute and she often tries to chew her thumb and nurse at the same time which is a bit difficult for us both.

Marin continues to smile lots and she uses her whole face which melts even the toughest heart. She is a celebrity at my work and sometimes we are mobbed when we come home or leave the building with everyone trying to get her to smile. In the morning I often hear her talking and blowing raspberries and when I go over to her crib she is smiling and talking to herself and holding her feet in the air. I love this age she is finding new things like her feet and her hands, she loves any soft toy and they all go right to her mouth, and she loves her brother. She continues to grab him and often we have to pry her little chubby hands off his shirt. Marin prefers to sit up with some help and she loves to stand she does not want to lay back often and she is very alert and interactive with her surroundings. She is such a joy and a blessing to our family.

At her 3 month check up she weighed over 14 lbs and she was 25 inches long so she is a healthy beautiful delightful baby. I must say her first couple of months were rough so I feel really blessed to be posting about how happy and content she has become.



Here she is getting weighed at her 3 month check up



She loves for you to read to her and we are happy to oblige



Look at that smile it lights up her whole face even her extra chin!



Everyone say she has the best facial expressions and I must agree she is so funny and she uses her eyebrows all the time when she is talking, laughing, or crying.



Here is the thumb action