Wednesday, April 23, 2008


Doesn't he have a total look of mischief on his face in this picture?

Monday, April 21, 2008

Sunday Seven

A day late... oops!

1. Markus staying the night at Abu and Papa's. I love the boy to bits, but it's really nice to get one on one time with Halle Joy and to get some house cleaning done too :).
2. An opportunity to spend some time with my new neice and my Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Mike from Indiana. Halle Joy looked HUGE compared to little miss Isabella!
3. Halle Joy in her brown polka dotted baby legs. Too cute.
4. Markus laying his head on Halle Joy's lap and saying "Ohhh, so nice". He could not be any sweeter with her. He melts me.
5. Girls night out to Joeseppi's on Friday. Fantastic food (if you live in the Tacoma area and have never tried it- GO) and great fellowship. Lots of laughs and no kiddos. Eight girls at one table. Need I say more?
6. A new haircut. That I only paid $11 for. And I LOVE it. Make an appt with Krista at the Salon Professional Academy now. Before she graduates in November and you have to pay more for her awesome skills. But I would pay more. Because she is talented. And she is just a delightful young woman to be around.
7. A husband who stayed home with the kiddos two nights in a row. What a gem of a guy I have!!!!
8. Bonus- Watching Markus give "sitos" to Jack the dog. It was an absolute riot.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

They both love to read



Markus loves his books. For that, I am thankful and excited. I have always been a reader and always hoped that my kids would find as much enjoyment in books that I have through the years. We always read a few books to Markus before bed. When Halle is awake and not too fussy, we have her join in the fun. She loves them too! She smiles and laughs at the books just like Markus. What fun!

Birthday Pics





Friday, April 18, 2008

Baby Besito

For all of you who think I am exageratting when I say that all Markus does around Halle Joy is ask to give her "sitos" (besito- kiss)... A couple days ago we were on our way to play with Markus' best friend Grace. While they were waiting for us, Lisa, Grace's mommy, asked Grace what Markus' mommy's name was. She promptly replied Kelsey. Then she was asked what Markus' baby sister's name was. Grace's response? Baby Besito.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Sunday Seven

Time for this week's Sunday Seven!

1. A fantastic, small birthday party for Markus on Monday that included Halle Joy, Mark, Abu, Papa and Dita. We had dinner, ate cake and opened presents. It was a blast. Markus loved his "piano" (he calls it the poe-py), his new bike and his sand and water table (currently filled with rice- way easier to handle on his little body than sand!).
2. Great conversation at our Tuesday morning Mom's Bible study. I love being with those gals. Highlight of my days each week.
3. A fun playdate at Katie's during which Markus and baby Zach got so soaked at their water table that we had to change their clothes. But we were at a house with only girls, which meant Markus and Zach were dressed in pink from head to toe. Markus even had a diaper on with the Disney princesses. Classic.
4. An overnight with just Halle Joy in Lynden staying at Dave and Carol's. We had a blast the whole day on Friday, visiting with the Clays, the Bargens, the Dunkins and the Zweegmans. Saturday morning was breakfast at the Hilltop with Dave and Carol and then off to a wedding in Bellingham. There we witnessed a lovely young couple start the most amazing journey of their lives and we were blessed to see lots of loved ones at the reception.
5. A surprise visit with my dear friend Kristi on our way home from Bellingham. Halle Joy was starving and very angry in the car and we just happened to be right near Kristi's exit off I-5. It was so fun to see her world and catch up a bit- and get Halle to stop screaming for a few minutes :).
6. Coming home from our time away to a little boy who couldn't have been more excited that we were home. I tried to tell myself he was the most excited to see me... but deep down I know that it was really all about Halle Joy.
7. Mark being a fantastic Daddy and giving Halle Joy a bottle tonight... and she took it!!!!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

2 years and 2 months

Halle Joy and Markus had their checkups today. Halle Joy is 12 lbs 3 oz and 23 1/4 inches. That means she is in the 75% for both height and weight. Markus is 28 lbs and 33 1/2 inches, putting him in the 25% for height and the 40% for weight. His head is still off the charts :).

Monday, April 07, 2008

You are two

Dear Markus Jaden,

Today you are two. I cannot believe you have been in my life for two years now. As a wise friend of ours posted on their blog once, the days have seemed long but the years have gone by so fast.

You delight my heart each and everyday. You are extremely others-oriented and have a tender spirit. When others are crying or upset, you share in their pain and often cry too. You are at a loss when others are down. When we are in public places, you will often find the one person that really doesn't seem to want to notice you (often someone that seems a little downtrodden) and you will do everything you can with your charm to get them to see you and smile. You love your little sister more than I ever imagined you would. You hold her hand, give her kisses and stroke her cheeks. You wanted her to lay on your pillow with you this morning- and the smiles when you laid down next to her on both your faces would have lit up the darkest of rooms. You have an incredibly special relationship with your beloved "Dita" (Abuelita). You keep her going. It's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. You love animals, and talk about them constantly throughout the day. Whenever there is music playing, you dance, clap, spin and/or shake your little body right along with it. You love to play the piano and the "drums" (bang your hands on anything you possibly can, or better yet, bang two things together). You always remind us to pray before meals. Your favorite books right now are about some of your favorite things: "Is Your Mama a Llama?", "My Daddy and I", "Noah's Ark" and "The Easter Story". You know that Jesus washed the disciples feet, and that He prayed in a garden. You know even before I ask you to that we need to pray to ask Jesus to forgive you for your naughties when you disobey. You hate the doctor's office, and scream "all done" the entire time we are there. There are so many people that love you. If you could be anywhere, it would be outside- preferably running on the grass, playing at the park or blowing bubbles. You are all boy. You are an observer- you take everything in that is going on around you, process it, and then make your decisions. You have a memory that blows my mind. You love The Wiggle and Mickey Mouse. If you could eat fruit for every meal, you would. You love to put money in your piggy. You have the most contagious and precious laugh. It is music to my ears.

Markus, my sweet boy, I love you. You are my joy and the best gift God could have ever given me. It is an absolute privilege to be your mommy.

Love,
Mommy

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Sunday Seven

I was blog surfing tonight (it's 11:50 pm and I'm a bit wired after getting things together for Markus; 2nd birthday tomorrow!). I came across a great idea on another blog. Every Sunday, this woman blogs her "Sunday Seven"- seven things she is grateful for from the past week. Isn't that a cool idea? I'm totally copying it. Here goes.
1. A husband who sees the roll of crepe paper I purchased and asks if he can help me put it up. I say, I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. He grabs it and runs with it and makes our kitchen look super festive for Mr. Markus' big day tomorrow.
2. Seeing our sanctuary packed tonight for a lecture on Biblical creation and climate change according to the Bible. Super informative and really interesting. I did find it interesting, however, that the church was about 5 times as full as it is on the evenings we set aside for concerts of prayer. If only we put as much importance on the power of prayer as we do on gaining more knowledge... but I digress.
3. Watching Markus run up onto the stage last night at church, run straight to the piano, climb on the piano bench, lift the lid, and happily start playing away.
4. A fun dinner in our home with our dear friends Jeremy, Jodi and Abigail. Abigail is Markus' future wife, and we couldn't be more thrilled :).
5. An afternoon at the park with my kiddos and my hubby. Mark kept Halle Joy in the Bjorn which meant I got to chase around after Markus. So fun.
6. Seeing my child run and play with absolute abandon at Pump it Up on Saturday.
7. Decorating a cake last night at 11 pm that almost actually resembles a choo-choo. Hope he likes it.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

"Bay-Bears" and "Hay-Bears"

I never understood how parents could understand their toddlers before I actually had one. I know that a complete stranger walking into our home would have no idea what Markus is saying most of the day, but I do. For example, Bay-bears and Hay-bears. Any guesses? Bay-bears are gummi bears- one of Markus' favorite treats (thanks Abuelita!). Now do you have a guess about what hay-bears could be? Airplanes. Seriously. One letter- the b or the h- makes a big difference :) !

2 months old

I cannot believe Halle Joy is 2 months old already. It's gone by so fast. She is a delightful baby, and all of us are completely smitten with her- especially big brother. So far she: * still hates the carseat * sleeps about 9-10 hours a night with one feeding * eats about every 3 hours during the day * loves to kick around on her back and face out when she is being held * falls asleep instantly in the bjorn or the moby * fills out her 0-3 month clothes extremely well * becoming more attached to her binky * usually doesn't fall asleep when nursing (complete opposite of big brother!) * loves to be outside


"Away"

Markus is not a fan of shoes being left by our back door. He has taken to picking them up, telling me "away" and walking them into our pantry/laundry room where he places them on the shoe rack. It's a riot. Today he wanted to wear the shoes before he put them away.


Bath time

Here's a glimpse at the difference in our bathtimes with the two kiddos. Mark was giving Markus a bath in one tub, and I was giving Halle Joy a bath in the other :).

Pump it up!


We went to a birthday party today at Pump It Up in Tacoma. It's a place with all sorts of inflatable toys for kids to bounce, climb and slide on. We weren't sure how Markus would do there... he LOVED it. He ran around for an hour and a half without stopping. He had absolutely no fear of any of the toys and was trying desperately to conquer things that were much too big for him. Here's some unedited photo proof of the great time he had (if you click on "view your images" you can see the photos bigger!).