Random Summer Pics

Just a few random summer pics. No blog inspiration tonight. Soon maybe...

Big Sister and Little Sister. Happy Sister and Scared Sister. More to come, i'm sure.

Fancy face painting during after a trip to the local Farmers Market.

Can you tell how pleased she is?

Starting to walk....ever so cautious...every day a few more steps

This is what happens when you don't take your afternoon nap.

Love the snack trap still in full grasp.

Ahhh, the sunglasses. Is there any better toy?

Seaweed, Crabs, and Sand Castles

We spent Sunday afternoon at the beach in Edmonds. It was a gorgeous day and a very low-tide. Michael had checked the tide-charts on Friday and said we should hit the beach over the weekend, since we'd see some good stuff. We'd never seen the tide so low at Edmonds. It was quite fun with Dad picking up shells, crabs, and other stuff as we went. The girls were loving it and it felt great to be out on the water.

Big Girl Bed

Madelyn moved into a twin bed over the weekend. It was big news and a huge step in our house. The child who in the past has not done well with change, is now asking for new things and new experiences. I'm continually shocked on how much she is changing and realizing she is becoming this Little Girl and not a toddler anymore.

I admit, part of this was mom's subtle doing in planting the idea in Maddy's head. But she was off and running with it and couldn't stop talking about getting a 'Big Girl Bed'. So on Saturday Maddy and I, headed down to Ikea to pick out a bed. The trip was exhausting but Maddy was really good. Just hard wrangling her inside a big store with so many items to touch and see. We checked out our options, had some "discussions" and found one that was just right. Headed to the warehouse, where Mom soon found out how hard it was to hold onto a bunch of small stuff, track the child, and load large boxes onto carts. It was a workout, at one point holding two carts with a 35lb child inside one. But we did it, paid for it and headed home.

Making her bed and setting up all her 'fussies'

Dad had the bed set-up by late afternoon and then the true test began. Was she really going to sleep in it? And thankfully yes, she did. Bedtime took a bit longer with more stories, songs, and a threat of a move back into the crib...but she did go to sleep in her bed. All night long. I am amazed and she is so very proud....and its just about all she talks about. This morning she told me she didn't feel very good and was going back to bed. Okay, I said, head on up. It didn't last too long, but she is thrilled with that bed. Nap times have been more interesting. I found her sleeping on the floor, at the end of the bed, with her fussies. Not sure how she ended up there...and was very shocked when she woke up. And as long as she stays in that room, I don't care where she sleeps!

One Year Old

We are a little behind on the blog. Check back for posts in May.

Makena Hope is One Year Old. Its so hard to believe how fast it comes up, yet there are so many moments in the last year we felt like we were stuck in time. My sweet little baby is supposedly no longer a baby and now a Toddler. You can see her changing almost daily. Her reactions to new things, and giggles to others...and the way she interacts with Sister.

Then - 10 days old

Now - 1 year old

We celebrated her birthday with a small party of family and friends, thrilled she is turning one year old...and mostly so happy to have made it through this year. I'm excited to see her start walking and move into the next few months. I remember it was a good age for Madelyn, so we'll see what it brings for Makena.

Makena was having nothing to do with her cake. Big Sister tried to show her how its done, but Makena wasn't convinced. Funny thing is Maddy was the same way but worse!

We made it to the big One. The kids look a bit glassy eyed, but we did it.

Maddy and Meme sharing a moment.

Makena is not walking yet, but cruising from furniture to chair and around the room...and standing on her own for bits of time. She has only 5 teeth so far, and we are still trying to move her onto table foods. She seems to be picky about foods, just like Big Sister. I'm holding out hope this will change. She is now sleeping through the night, which feels miraculous. I almost hate to put it in writing because I'm sure I've cursed it. She had her One Year check-up last week and she is doing great. She weighs 22.13oz and is in the 75% for weight, and 31" long and in the 95% for height.

Next big hurdles - walking and more table foods. Sooner, than later we hope!