Our Littler Munchkin

Oh, our little Selah. Such a joy. Such a handful. Such a stinker. Such a sweetie. Love her to pieces. And she loves Ezra to pieces. It's so cute how he can make her laugh so hard, how she watches his every move, and how she always tries to steal his snack. She is not a very good sleeper...I am getting less sleep now than I thought was possible to function on. But everyone keeps telling me that one day I'll look back and cherish those moments we share in the wee hours of the night. One day. But what we lack in sleep is made up for in laughter (and coffee). Oh, little Selah - I love watching you grow and learn!

Backtracking a Bit

Okay. So I am REALLY losing momentum here. But my blog stats show me there are still a few faithful followers of this pathetic blog, and I REALLY want to get better at posting more regularly. I have a lot to catch up on...so maybe there'll be a few posts in a few days. Wow. That would be a record for me.

Let me start with our little man turning TWO in the beginning of September. Ezra is such a terrific kid. Seriously, I can't get enough of him. He cracks us up on a regular basis, and continually surprises me with what he knows and can figure out. His vocabulary has just exploded recently, and it's so great to hear him figure out how to use new words in context. One of my favorite things he says recently is: "Okay, now it's _______'s turn!" He says it really sweetly and nicely - no matter if he's trying to get something he wants...or get out of something.

For example. I pick up my iPod to check something important (who am I kidding, I am playing Words With Friends). He wants to play with the iPod, so he says : "Okay, mommy. Now it's Ezzie's turn!"

OR...
He is supposed to be finishing his eggs but he doesn't want to. I tell him to take a big bite, so he does. Then he says: "Okay, now it's mommy's turn!" and proceeds to shove egg in my face.

He has started preschool one day a week because I am teaching for a midwifery school - and he LOVES it. I think the social interaction is really good for him, and he loves his teacher. He always comes home singing new songs and talking about the other kids.

Here are some pictures of the Birthday Party and just of our sweet boy.

BC Trip in August

Okay, so this post is way overdue. I'll admit, I kind-of forgot about blogging.

But here are some pictures from our trip to British Columbia. The photos only begin to capture the fabulous time that was had by all. Oh, I wish we could have stayed a month! It was so great to spend time with my family and to see all the kids together. 

Ezra and Trey making music with a Haitian beat.

Janay and Ezra on Grandpa and Grandma's deck.

The whole clan - my parents, their three kids, and their spouses and children.  

Selah and I in Olympic Village, Vancouver

Jon and Selah in Stanley Park, Vancouver

The kids and I on the ferry to Vancouver Island

The City Kids checking out the cows on Uncle Brian's farm

Ez pulling Jakayla in the wagon. Look at Brian and Jess' view!

Grandpa getting some love.

Enjoying the Pacific ocean.

Tickling Selah's toes on the ferry back to the mainland.

Michigan Adventures

As usual, we went to Michigan for the Fourth of July. Most of Jon's extended family migrates back to the motherland for the holiday and we camp at "The Land" (some land near Lake Michigan owned by the family) and hang out at the lake. After camping, we stayed a few nights in Grand Rapids with Jon's parents and had some great food and great museum experiences - Ezra at the children's museum with Gram and Gramps, and Jon, Selah and I at the art museum. We have to admit, Ez seemed thrilled to be in the hotel room watching cartoons after our camping adventure. We're not sure he loved the great outdoors so much. But he DID love the petting zoo, and his cousins (well, second cousins. No, maybe third. Fourth? I dunno - his dad's cousins' kids). Here are some random photos:

 Testing the waters.

 Selah, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa. (I love this picture!)

 Hee Haw!

 Ezra calls camels "mamels" - it makes him sound super smart, like he's categorizing the camel as a "mammal"

 Ride 'em cowboys!

 Ezra and Ian getting down and dirty.

 Cheesy family photo op.

Hanging out with the big kids.

Selah - drooling - as usual. 

Hanging Out at Home

We're having a great time being a family. I have always said my favorite sound is that of a red wagon going over the sidewalk cracks. But I have a new favorite sound - it is both my children laughing at the same time. They make each other laugh back and forth sometimes, and it is such a great sound.
We've gotten into a bit of a groove with day-to-day happenings. At home we have lots of 'whatever' time, but I also try to get in specific letters, numbers, singing, reading and music times. Then there's our outings - to the lake a couple times a week, the neighborhood park, toddler time at the library, physical therapy and target. And I try for one play-date a week.
There are some days when I get something relatively mundane done and I feel extremely good about it. For instance, the other day I refilled all the soap dispensers in the house. And I don't know why, but it gave me great satisfaction. It's the same feeling many of you might get at your jobs after you completed a project or did well in a presentation. THERE. I GOT THAT DONE. Hmmm...is this a sign that I should get out of the house a little more often?
Besides filled up soap dispensers, here are other things going on at home:

 Fun times with Dad. Every Saturday morning the kids hang out with Jon as I teach an English class. I'm not sure what they do all morning, but they look a little mischievous in this picture, don't ya think?

 Selah started on solid food and LOVES to eat. Prunes are her favorite thus far.

 Everybody getting a little tummy time. 

 A little independence for Selah (and freedom for mom!)

 All toys with wheels are played with every day. The floor is constantly scattered with buses, cars, trucks, tractors or trains. 

Ez having a great time digging and dozing and rolling. "Mommy, where backhoe go?"

Charleston SC and Asheville NC

We went on a road trip a few weeks ago to Asheville NC, where Jon had a conference. On the way we stopped in Charleston SC and had a super fabulous time. We loved looking at the grand old houses. 

 With the most perfect window boxes.

We also did some kid-friendly stuff, since travelling with two children demands that.

It was a nice family vacation. Kids seemed to like the change of pace:

I took this picture while the kids and I were out walking around Asheville. Jon was in his conference, we were kicked out of the hotel, and I was trying to get them to nap. I wished we all had our suits on so we could play in the splash pad.

My very late introduction to Instagram

A blogging friend of mine had posted a few pictures using Instagram a while ago. And I thought the pictures looked supercool and decided I should check out this Instagram-thing. So I spent an afternoon Instagram-ing a ton of photos. And loved it. And then told my sister and my husband all about this new thing I found. And they both responded with something along the lines of: "Uh, okay loser...Instagram has been around for a LONG time. Where have YOU been?"  Well, apparently I wasn't on Instagram. Or Pinterest. Or Etsy. Heck, I'm not even on Facebook. Why? I guess I'm too busy trying to teach my kids the alphabet or get them to take naps at the same time. 

Anyhow, here are a couple Instagrammed photos. I still think it is supercool. Even if I'm not.

Hanging out with the boys......and my BFF!

About a week ago, my best friend came to visit with her two little boys. They live in Turkey and are home in the US for a couple months - we were thrilled to be a stop in their travels! It rained a ton while they were here, so we did have to try to "entertain" as much as possible indoors. This led to a bit of cabin fever, but we all survived. It was so fun to see her boys in person and to have her meet my kids. Every single day since they left, Ezra has asked for them. So sweet!

 Here the three boys are listening intently to a Bible story. Um, just kidding. They are watching a movie. 

 Ezra and Noah high-fiving. Both are not quite two...so they don't have the best aim. 

 Eli tickling Ezra. Eli is just the smartest little kid - and so creative! I don't know how his mom keeps up with him. Made me curious as to what Ez will be like when he's four. 

 Moms' night out! Woo hoo! Jon OFFERED to stay home with all four kids (who miraculously stayed sleeping) while Erika and I went out on the town. In the MINIVAN! Oh my, things have changed since ten years ago when we danced at the Salsa club in Seoul all night long!

 Picnic

 Richly blessed.

Fun times in the splash pad. 

I had anticipated that week for SO long....and then it was over in a flash. But it was a great flash. Come back any time, guys!