Welcome Isabella Madison!

Isabella Madison came into the world this morning at 6:07 am weighing 8 lbs 15 oz and measuring 19". She is absolutely beautiful and lovely and we are so excited to have her as a part of our family. Both mommy and baby are doing great!

The Beach

We took a much needed getaway as a family (with Grammie and Papa, too!) down to Cannon Beach last week. The weather was crazy- sun, rain, sleet, snow, hail, wind- but we had a great time. Markus LOVED the beach. He continues to talk about all that he saw- the water, the seagulls, the doggies (especially one named Abby who he continues to talk about by name), the duckies (don't think there were duckies at the beach, but that's okay), the kids, the sand and the rock. We had quite the time keeping him away from the ocean and he pretty much ran nonstop once he hit the sand. Halle never made it out to the beach- maybe next time :).

Happy Girl

Happy Easter

I wanted to post a picture of Markus looking super handsome in his Easter duds, but after I put him in said clothes I decided he needed a little rest time. I'm thinking he has another ear infection, and he's been acting pretty tired this morning, so I'm going to see if he can get a short nap in before church this morning. Halle is asleep in her swing right now, Mark is already halfway into the first of three services this morning, and I have a few moments of quiet.

We have been reading "The Easter Story" to Markus lately at bedtime. He loves it. He always asks for the Jesus book when we are getting ready for bed. When we get to the part that says "Jesus is alive!" Markus claps his hands and shouts out an exuberant "Yeah!". As I sit here thinking about what Easter means to me, I can't help but think of his exuberance. And my lack thereof so often. As a committed lover of Jesus Christ, the excitement surrounding His resurrection should permeate every part of my existence. It is because He is alive that I can choose joy in all circumstances. It is because He is alive that I can choose patience in the everyday moments. It is because He is alive that I can love my children and my husband sacrificially. It is because He is alive that I can sing through the tears. It is because He is alive that I can know with every fiber of my being that I will live forever. That is worth all the exuberance that I can give. And should give. Not just on Easter Sunday, but everyday. He is worth it.

First Easter Egg Hunt

Honestly, kinda lame. We were excited that they had a "0-2 year old" division. But the area they had was about 10 x 10 yards for a good amount of kiddos and their parents to get the eggs from. While there were plenty of eggs to be had, the area was so small that the minute the kids and parents let loose you couldn't see anyone. It was over in about 30 seconds. After Markus gathered his 4 eggs Mark kept taking them out of his basket and dropping them on the ground for Markus to "find"- this was just to appease me so I could get some pictures of Markus gathering eggs :).

The "Whee-uhls"

Markus LOVES the Wiggles (4 Australian guys sing and dance with a dog, an octopus, a dinosaur and a pirate. Who thinks up these things?). We had a special treat tonight- going to see the Wiggles live at the Tacoma Dome. The plan was for Abu and Papa to take Markus and Katie. I was super excited for Markus to go and spend the time with his grandparents and cousin, but secretly a little envious because I wanted to see my son in that environment! Well, Katie got an ear infection today and my dad needed to stay home with my Grandma, so I was able to go with my mom and Markus (and Halle, too!). I wish Katie would have been able to join us though- she would have loved it and it's such a bummer that she got sick. Markus took a little while to warm up to the show, but once he did he was a riot. He was dancing and singing and clapping and all the like. He talked about it the whole way home and while we were doing all of our nighttime routine. I have a feeling we'll be hearing about it for a long time to come. It was a great night and I am so thankful I was able to share it with my mom! Here's a couple unedited shots. Mind you, it was pretty dark in the dome. Plus, I was holding onto Halle. Plus, I was seated next to Markus and basically holding my camera out in front of him, unable to see him on the screen, and just praying for a decent shots. I actually lucked out on a couple!

Just a cute photo

Smiling

Our precious Halle Joy has started smiling. Note the small hand to the left of her head in this photo. It's big brother's. He is almost always near her when she is awake. He got the biggest kick out of her smiling at him. The more she smiled, the more he giggled. The more he giggled, the more he smiled. Priceless moments.

Does God have Candid Camera?

Halle woke up this morning with yellow, matted eyes. Markus scraped his chin on the dishwasher. At our playdate, Markus fell into a toy box. And lacerated his chin (on the outside and on the inside). Which sent us to the doctor. Where they attempted to glue the cut shut. Which was really difficult with a screaming toddler. Mark held his legs. I held his arms and torso. The nurse tried to hold his head. And the doctor tried everything he could to avoid gluing Markus' lips shut while he glued the lac. Halle screamed in her stroller. Sound like fun? If you're counting (I am!) that made the fifth trip to the peds office for me with either Markus or Halle in 10 business days.

A funny story in the midst of the chaos that has been my life. Markus, Halle and I were in the car yesterday on our way to have dinner with Daddy at church. We drove in front of the Donut House, where they make the only doughnuts we will eat anymore (they. are. amazing.). Markus pointed out the window and said "treat mommy!". Below is a picture of him enjoying one of said treats a couple weeks ago.

Three signs

Three signs at Trader Joe's that are indicative that I wasn't having the best afternoon:
1. I actually cried when I saw they were out of the pasta sauce I wanted.
2. I bought MYSELF flowers.
3. I asked the checkout guy to put the chocolate covered raisins on the top of the bag. That way I knew I could grab them right away when I got in the car.

Sometimes you have to laugh...

we have had some tough days with Markus being a toddler this week. He has decided when he doesn't like something that has been said or asked of him, that the appropriate response on his part is usually to hit whomever is asking/telling him what he doesn't want to hear. Seriously, the kid will walk across a room with the intention of hitting. It's tiresome and hurts my heart. We have spent a lot of time disciplining this week. There's been lots of tears. Lots of hugs. Lots of praying (me, for wisdom. Markus, for his "natties"- naughties). Tonight we went for a stroll around the block before bedtime. Markus was so excited to be outside (his favorite place) and I was enjoying the fresh air and watching my son run along the grass in his frog boots. We talked about the birds and the doggies and the cars. Halle slept in my arms, wrapped in a number of blankets. When we returned home, Markus wanted to play on the porch. I told him that we needed to go inside because we had to get ready for night-night. I saw the angry face and the arm start to come up. I knew he was coming for me. But he surprised me. He stopped, and instead of coming to let me know he was angry by way of his little hands, he let the poor bush next to the porch have it. I had to really work at not laughing out loud. What was that little mind thinking? I wondered if he was really thinking about the fact that he was going to be disciplined if he hit mommy in his frustration or if he just decided to take his frustration out on the closest living thing to him- that being a bush (he calls it a tree). I thought maybe we had made a breakthrough in his learning that hitting mommy=consequence. I thought maybe we had a small victory. That lasted about 2 minutes until we got to the bathroom and he didn't like the idea of brushing his teeth. Oh well. Maybe I just need to get a bush for my bathroom. And my kitchen. And the living room. And the car. And...

Tough Call

It's a tough call. Shower (it's Wednesday. Last one was Monday afternoon.) or Nap (haven't slept in a few days. And no naps since Saturday). Only one could happen this afternoon. Halle made the decision easy. She projectile vomitted three times because she was coughing so hard. I managed to escape the first two, but not the third. So we both showered. Poor thing has such a nasty cold. We haven't slept much. But when she is awake (and not coughing) she's not fussy at all. She's such a great baby. Mark is sick too, and I am not quite certain that Markus' ears are cleared up (he has been playing with one of them again). Praise the Lord that I am not sick.. yet. We keep praying!

One month

Technically, five weeks. But close enough. Here's some facts-
* Halle is 10 lbs 13 oz and 23" long; she is in the 85% for weight and the 95% for height *Nurses 6-8 times/day * Hates to be in the carseat if she is awake *Doesn't cry or fuss during diaper changes * Hates to have her clothes taken off/have clothes put on *Likes the binky when she is really tired, but otherwise can take it or leave it *Slept 12 hours with only one feeding last night (we weren't there with Markus until he was 1 year old) *Is starting to smile at us *Had her first trip to the mall today *Went to her first basketball game (Lynden!) on Wednesday *Loves to be in the Moby or the bjorn *Total snuggle bug- likes to nestle right in under our chin and tuck in her arms *Likes to sleep on her tummy *Has already attended a marriage conference (we like to start 'em young)

Such is the life...

when you have an almost five week old with a cold and an almost two year old with croup and a double ear infection. Here's the reality of my last few days...
* I just took my first shower since Sunday. Yeah, it's Wednesday.
* I got numerous hugs from Markus today. Not because he wanted affection, but because he simply wanted somewhere to wipe his nose and my shoulder is a fantastic spot.
* Sunday night I burned the chicken and turned off the wrong burner on the stovetop, so the rice I thought was cooking was in fact, not cooking. Dinner out that night. Monday's main dish was chicken nuggets. Tuesday's main dish was Papa Murphy's. Thankfully, tonight's main dish was some awesome chicken pasta at my mom's.
* Halle had to cry alone in her crib last night while I sat outside in the cold and sang a song about Noah and his ark over and over again to my croupy Markus. What a glimpse into the life of a single mom/wife of a deployed soldier. So glad we only have two nights a week where we don't have daddy.
* Halle spit up down my shirt this morning as we were on the way out the door. Guess what. I didn't even change. Mind you, I was 1. running late 2. Already wearing one of only a couple shirts that look somewhat decent on this post-prego body and the thought of trying to find something else that looked decent at that point was beyond me and 3. I already told you I hadn't showered for three days. What's a little spitup?
* I fought with my husband. Mainly because I was being ridiculous (hey- it's my blog and I'm just trying to be real). Then he had to mop up all my tears as I cried about not being able to care for Markus while he was sick like I wanted to because I had to care for Halle too. This one doesn't bother me so much though- it's my first meltdown since we brought Halle home. I don't think I went three hours after we brought Markus home without a meltdown.
* I have already visited our pediatrician's office twice this week. And we have to go back again on Friday. And I can't even look forward to getting a cookie when I go there (we miss you Dickson Medical Clinic!!!). And I might get the nurse again that couldn't figure out why the scale "wasn't working" when she was trying to weight Halle yesterday. I didn't have the heart to tell her it's because she needed to move the little sliding thing (there must be a name for that) so that more weight was registered so that the little arrow could get to the middle. She kept going the wrong way (so the arrow stayed up) and wondered, out loud, how Halle could have lost so much weight since her last visit. One of those very awkward situations where I wasn't sure if I should help her use the scale properly or just let her figure it out. Finally I got one of the other nurse's attention (behind the back of the confused nurse) and she came over and remedied the "problem" with the scale. Needless to say, if Halle would have had to have any shots yesterday, that nurse wasn't going to be giving them (again, we miss you Dickson Medical!).
* I had to clean out the tub on Monday after Markus pooped in it during his bath. Poor kid. It was the happiest he had been all day (being in the bath, that is. Not because of the pooping.) and he had to be wisked out and he had no idea why. But he was pretty fascinated when he saw the floaters (I realize I have just terrified any of you readers out there who do not have kids yet and like me, could not even say the word poop without getting embarrassed before kids. Sorry. )
* It's 8:30. I'm going to bed. But not without posting a completely unrelated picture.