Moving along

Just a short update on how the fam is doing. Both kids are doing great!

I have really been impressed by how much Selah has blossomed lately. She has become very brave, and is communicating so well with people now. People are able to see the Selah that we know and love. She has such a sweet, kind and compassionate disposition about her. Her teacher is continually impressed by how far she has come along since she first started in September. We recently had a conference with Selah's teacher and got great comments on how our girl is doing, especially the social aspect. Selah is beginning to read and is doing well with writing her letters. I am so proud of my girl and the progress she has made! Oh that reminds me, we have great news! She was accepted into Corbett Charter School, which is close to us. It's ranked 3rd in the nation. So we are super excited for this opportunity.

What makes my heart smile even more is that a few months back she accepted Jesus into her heart. One day she said she was going to draw a cross on her face so Jesus knew she wanted Him in her heart. So, we sat down and discussed what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. This is just the first step, and I pray that she continues to grow in her understanding and faith in Jesus and never wavers. She daily asks me difficult questions regarding our faith, which causes me to be challenged as well. The other day she said, "where is my heart that Jesus is in?" How do you explain the spiritual heart to a 4 year old? I did my best, but it is questions like this that really require some thought and the Spirit of Wisdom to guide me so that I do not misguide my daughter.

I must tell this funny story. About a week ago the kids were having a night with grandma (my mom). She was reading them a story and Selah was being really wiggly. Here is how the conversation went:

Grandma: Do you have ants in your pants?

Selah: No!

(Selah continues to wiggle)

Grandma: Are you sure you don't have ants in your pants?

Selah: Okay Grandma...(Selah proceeds to pull down her pants)...see I don't have ants in my pants!

One of those, "Kids say the darnedest things!"

Eli is doing well! He is beginning to put 2 and three words together when speaking to us. He is quite confident and outgoing. No fear in talking to people and showing affection. He has already charmed the preteen and teen girls at church. He is adventurous with food as well. He enjoys sneaking coffee and raw onions. He'll eat a bowl of salad and loves hot sauce. His taste buds are abnormally insensitive.

We are struggling with him sleeping at night again. He despises the thought of going to sleep, and fights bed time with a passion. Now determination and passion can be good qualities, we just have to help him channel those in a more productive way. He also must feel that we get lonely at 2 am, because he comes into our room each night. We are trying to break the habit. But at the same time I feel bad and want to cuddle with him, because I know this time will pass all too quickly.

My children are two completely different people, both in personality, and likes and dislikes. I can see that they complement each other well.

Christmas 2011

This Christmas was truly special. I surprised my mom with my older brother joining us on Christmas Eve. We hadn't seen him or his family in almost 5 years. I got to meet my nephew, who was born 4 days before Selah. I also got to see my cousin and her family. Her youngest is about 2 months younger than Selah, and they were babies when we saw them last.

We hosted my side of the family on Christmas Eve and Dan's side on Christmas Day. Busy weekend, but one that was so so blessed.

Chris and his family

Nick, mom, me, and Chris on Christmas Eve.

With my brothers!

Nieces and nephew.

Power wheels from Aunt Jenny and Uncle Dustin.

Selah received these giant pipe-cleaners as a gift, but it provided fun for all.

Nick and Emily, his lovely girlfriend.

Mom with one of her granddaughters. Yay for more grandkids!

Uncle Steve and Grandpa.

Nick and our aunt.

Eli is quite fond of his Uncle Nick.

Selah and Ayla

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet boy!

He gets this gleam in his eye to let you know he's up to no good. After taking this picture he ran off. The little monkey!

My little adventurer! Eyes wide with so many things to see at the zoo.

The cutest Buzz Light Year!

Clever boy and quite the prankster already. I went to run a load of laundry and found his sister's dolls in the washer.

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I am having to type left handed due to a fractured elbow, so this will be short...

Eli,

You bring such joy to us and our family and friends. You easily give smiles, high fives, and hugs. You perform tasks with such concentration and celebrate with great enthusiasm.

You are just so stinkin' cute! We are overwhelmed with our love for you and praise the Creator of the universe for giving us such a precious gift.

Love,

Mama

Pictures Galore

We went to the zoo with my mom earlier in the week. It was $2 Tuesday! It is usually crowded, but there was a bit of a sprinkle so people wimped out. We sucked it up, like any true Oregonian would, and visited the animals. As you can tell from the pictures we did have sun breaks with blue sky. Crazy weather!

Awww...so sweet!

Praying together.

Reading together.

Selah on her first day of Pre-Kindergarten.

Remember these times

Wow! I am such a blogging slacker. The only reason I am posting now is because I want to remember these times we are in.

Selah started preschool at the end of August. She has struggled, for quite some time, in social situations. Her doctor thought it would be good to get her involved in a community center class to help her. However, those run for such a short span of time that Selah probably would not get to the point of feeling comfortable. So, she attends preschool 2 days a week at an awesome private school. We have seen tremendous improvement already! We usually start off the morning with complaints, only because she is not a morning person. She loooovvves her sleep! Anyways, Eli and I pick her up after 3 hours and she is glowing and smiling from ear to ear. Not only is she improving socially, but academically she has sky rocketed beyond what I expected from a 4 year old. She continues to amaze us each day! Today was especially great! I noticed that Selah had drawn a cross on her cheek and one on Yellow Bear. I asked her about it and she said, "I want Jesus to know I'm here and I want Him in my heart." It's the moment you pray for, and it's the moment you never stop praying for. I sat down with her and we talked about what it means to be a Christian and then we ended with prayer. Beautiful moment!

Funny things said by Selah this week:

Selah: Do you want to see my owie eli?

Eli: Uh huh!

Selah continues telling Eli for the next minute how she got the owie.

Eli repeats owie over and over again.

Selah: Eli, can we stop talking about my owie I might get sad.

Selah is sitting at the table drawing a pattern and I hear her say, "Pink, Orange, Carmelly color, Pink, Orange, Carmelly color."

Eli is full on toddler! As I sit her trying to describe him in this current stage all I can do is smile at the thought of him. He is just a happy kid and brings joy and smiles to those around him. He is fearless and comfortable no matter where he is at. His favorite things lately are play dough, coloring, bugs, food, books, trying to hold our fish, more food, tickling his sister, playing outside, raiding the pantry and fridge for...food, and giving hugs and kisses. He has this zest for daily living like I have never seen before and it's contagious.

Selah is 4

We have had quite the birthday celebration these past three days for our girl who is now 4 years old. Saturday began the festivities with a little party with friends and family in attendance. The theme was Strawberry Shortcake. Sunday took us up to Washington to celebrate with Dan's family. Selah's little friend Samantha also joined us, because they were having a sleep over that night. On Monday we drove to Cannon Beach for the day. Fun was had by all!

My sweet Selah,

This past year has been quite the journey. We have seen you struggle and then triumph over your fears. You are becoming very brave. We have seen you develop your friendships and make new ones. We have seen you grow into a great helper. Daddy and I love that you are always looking out for your brother, sharing with others, and being more brave about letting others see your sweet personality.

Learning and growing is something that is never complete. Always persist, always seek, always desire what God wants for you, because He has great plans for you.

Love,

Mommy

Latest Happenings

The making and erupting of Mt. Koo-Koo Head.

Our new house!

Since I posted last we have moved into our new house. We are officially home owners! We really like it here. All of the neighbors we've met seem to be really nice and inviting. Selah and Eli now have their own room. It was rough at first. Eli kept calling out for Selah, but now seems to be fine. Selah on the other hand still asks for Eli periodically. Overall she says that she likes our new house, but is sometimes afraid of going to a different level in our home by herself. Her fear has transitioned into any social event as of late. We are working on bravery.

Currently we are trying to re-do our yard. We had an old above ground pool that someone came and got, and are thinking about replacing that space with a play structure of fire pit.

So many new projects as home owners, and I have been told the list never ends. Well, here we go!

In other news, the children's summer program has begun for me. The theme this year is Big Apple Adventure. Things are going well and smoother than last year for me. This year we also have our garden ministry project, which the kids are LOVING! I had quite a few skeptics in the beginning, and still do, but one's initial perceptions of whether something may fail or not do not matter if it is being led by the Spirit.

I recently purchased a set of26 books for the kids and they have been so beneficial. The books cover various topics (earth, space, people, time, science, animals, etc.) and include lessons, stories, and art projects with each unit. It is not intended as a curriculum, but I am using it as such. They give me a base to start from and I can expand how ever way I want. They can be used all the way up to 6th grade.

I am pondering the thought of home schooling. Although, people find it odd that I am not even sending the kids to preschool, but teaching them at home. Here is my thinking on the home schooling front so far...I am going to try and enroll the kids in a local charter school. If we aren't accepted then I will enroll them in a local district that is doing very well. However, since we are not in this other district there are quite a few hoops we would have to jump through in order to get our kids enrolled. If neither of these options work I am most likely going to home school. I feel as though these other schools can offer something I can't, but I can offer more than the school district we are currently in...does that make sense? I am researching state requirements and most importantly support in the area.

If you are wondering what the pictures are of up above, they are the making of Mt. Koo-Koo Head (as named by Selah). Selah has been fascinated by volcanoes, and so we decided to make our own volcano. All you need is an empty plastic bottle, newspaper, glue, paint, baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring...and voila you have an erupting volcano. Selah's words before it erupted, "This is not a sleeping volcano, let's make it erupt. Bring on the lava!"