Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Valentine's Day
I've been a little absent on the blog this month, not because I haven't had plenty on my mind to write about, but because the Jorgensens are getting ready to jump ship! Three days from now, we will finally move out of my parents' house! They aren't going to know what to do with themselves! This past week has been a complete whirlwind and I've come to peace with the fact that it likely will be for quite some time. None of this is easy with two jobs and two kids that require us around the clock. That said, though, I'm so ready to dive into the deep end and work my way to shore, hoping that by summertime, I'm sitting on the sand with a cold drink in my hand, shaking my head in awe when I look out and realize the extent of our swim. I just hope I can tread a little while longer...
Before I can turn the pages of this short but very full month of February, I had to share a few pictures from our Valentine's Day. Beau and I scored our very first date night since moving and we celebrated with hibachi at Sakura and a trip to Home Depot. Glamorous, I realize, but I had an ulterior motive for our stop, much to my husband's surprise. We were in the thick of ordering light fixtures for our new house that week and I had been utilizing Home Depot's online ordering service frequently, making a purchase and choosing the 'free store pickup' option on their website. I told Beau I had to pickup another light fixture at their customer service desk. I made Beau go up to the counter and inform the associate we had an order for Jorgensen waiting. To my husband's surprise, however, a shiny new table saw awaited his pickup instead of yet another schoolhouse light fixture for our hallway. He was surprised, excited, and then completely understanding as to why I tried so hard to convince him to drive my car instead of his. We made it work, though, and made a quick detour to our house to drop off his gift before making our way to Sakura.
Saturday was Valentine's Day and Beau spent most of it working with our dads at the house. My mom helped me celebrate with the kids and we had lots of fun dressing them in red and pink, corralling them for a picture together, and letting them open a special present. Mila received a plastic tea set and a new Llama Llama board book, and Cruz happily opened a new Switch and Go Dino and the book, Dinosaurs Love Underpants. He's been asking for another new dino since he opened his first one at Christmas and it was fun to fulfill his request and watch him be entertained the rest of the day.
To stick with his dinosaur theme this year, Cruz helped me assemble a special set of dinosaur Valentine's for his class at school. With 20 students in his 4 year old class, and 12 in his preschool class, Cruz had a big task of writing his name over 30 times, but he nailed it in one sitting and only grew frustrated at a couple. :) Then, he helped me choose a dino for each of his friends and we secured it with a piece of colorful washi tape. We also signed up to bring treats for his preschool party and made some yummy monster cookies, also per Cruz's request. It's so fun for me to sign up for these simple parent responsibilities and see how much joy they bring to the littles involved. Cruz was so proud to bring his cookies and so proud to share his Valentine's with his class. Miss Dana told us his dinos were a hit, especially with the girls in his class!
It was a simple, but sweet Valentine's Day, and I am so thankful for these little love bugs in my life. They are the reason for my smiles throughout the day, my reassurance after the hard ones, and I love the responsibility of filling their lives with joyful moments on the holidays, and the every days in between.
Friday, February 20, 2015
A Sledding Day
Some pictures from a sledding day in Allison a few weekends ago. Boy, am I glad we got this one in - the weather has been awfully cold since and now I can say Mila was in her snowsuit for the first time all winter! Between the cold, her colds, and the no snow on the ground for most of winter, we've hardly had a chance to wear it! Maybe she won't grow so fast and be able to wear it next year?! Oh well...
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Ten Things I Love About You
So Valentine's Day may have come and gone, but that doesn't mean I can't stop and recount some of the ways I love my two little heart breakers on this blog. It was a somewhat neglected holiday this year with Beau gone all day Saturday working at our house and yet another slew of colds that plagued all four of us with coughs, runny noses, and stuffed up sinuses. There were no heart-shaped cookies rolled and frosted, no planned photo shoots, and no themed tutu outfits for Mila or love machine shirts for Cruz, but there were plenty of hugs and kisses, cuddles, and a few presents. Both Cruz and Mila are at adorable ages right now, Cruz acting more mature and grown up it seems every day and Mila getting feistier and sweeter all at the same time. It's a wild world we live in, indeed, but these two little faces make it all worth it. They melt me, both in their own individual ways every single day and I am so very lucky to be their mama.
Four Valentine's Days with Cruz, themed photo shoots and all...
And Mila. No themed photo shoot, but the themed hats made up for it. :) Notice all from last year, for there's no way she'd keep a hat on this year!
Five things I love about Cruz this love month...
1. The way he loves to read. I hope he never loses this interest in books, the way his brown eyes light up every time we open a new adventure before bed. He loves all books, especially chapter ones as of late, and his sense of humor amazes me. when the day has been long and I'm feeling weary by the end of it, note to self - read Cruz The Book With No Pictures. His belly laugh makes my world go round.
2. The big brother he is. The way he reaches over to pat Mila's arm when she's upset in the car, or the way he shares his Rescue Bots with her and tries to teach her to play. She adores him and I don't blame her. He's patient, he's forgiving, he loves to include her, and he sees her as his friend. I love this about him.
3. His big vocabulary and the things he says. He'll talk to anyone and is at that point where he is always listening and will repeat most anything, whether we want him to or not! He told Mila the other night that he needed to "apologize to her" and told my mom all that the Joker is a "bad criminal". My favorite as of late, though, is maybe too much to share, but memorable to say the least. He plugged the potty the other day and as we stood above and watched it happen, he shook his head and said, "that is so embarrassing."
4. His sense of humor, especially with my dad. They've definitely grew closer over the past few months and sometimes act like bickering brothers, especially when the TV is involved. The other day Dad was giving him grief and Cruz calmly replied, "Santa isn't going to bring you any plumbing tools for Christmas, Papa."
5. He's a thinker and I love to watch his wheels turn and witness his little discoveries along the way. We had a long conversation about being married the other night after Cruz asked me about our wedding picture on my parents' wall. I told him that Daddy and I got married because we loved each other and wanted to be together forever. He looked at it for awhile and said, "And me and Charly got married, too, because we love each other and want to be together forever." I'm sure he's recalling being in my cousin's wedding with Charly this summer. Then last week, he filled out a questionnaire at school and when asked who he loved the most, he of course replied, Charly. He won't marry her, but I'm confident she'll be a special part of his life for years to come.
Five things I love about Mila this love month...
1. Her growing vocabulary. She's quite vocal and a little brash at times, but I love the way she points at pictures in her book and loudly asks, "What's that?" or says, "Goooo!" holding out her 'o' sound.
2. I love this little mama she is to her babies. She started saying "bae bae" this month and definitely has a sweet nurturing side amidst her melodrama! It's so adorable watching her feed her baby a bottle or put her up on her shoulder and pat her back. She's also equated the phrase I love you with kisses and will respond accordingly to her babies with lots of hugs and kisses. It's the sugar and spice I love about our Mila - one minute she's throwing a serious fit because we're attempting to read her the wrong page of a book and the next minute she's pouring on the charm with open-mouthed kisses and mama love to her baby dolls. She keeps life interesting for all around her, without a doubt!
3. Mila is 13 months old and is still not walking. She stands on her own all the time, is a pro at walking around furniture, and LOVES walking with someone holding her hands, but she hasn't mastered it on her own quite yet. A whole new world will open for Mila girl as soon as she figures it out, but for now, we suffer sore backs in return for her happy squeals as we make many many laps around the house with her.
4. Mila LOVES her baths, especially when Cruz takes one with her. I say the word tub and she immediately gets excited, crawling a hundred miles and hour to the bathroom and hiking her leg up over the edge as if she'd climb in fully clothed if I'd let her. She's showing signs of a little fish, completely unconcerned when Cruz "accidentally" sprays her in the face with water with a squirt toy. And the best is that she figured out how to spray him back and surprises him at all the best times.
5. My girl loves to eat and it's an absolute joy to feed her. Last night, Mom made ham and corn casserole, and I couldn't put it on Mila's tray fast enough. She inhaled it and was repeated her little more sign language before she even got the last piece in her mouth. I pray she keeps this adventurous side when it comes to trying new foods, and maybe teaches her brother there are some things better, although not many, than peanut butter jelly sandwiches. :)
Four Valentine's Days with Cruz, themed photo shoots and all...
And Mila. No themed photo shoot, but the themed hats made up for it. :) Notice all from last year, for there's no way she'd keep a hat on this year!
Five things I love about Cruz this love month...
1. The way he loves to read. I hope he never loses this interest in books, the way his brown eyes light up every time we open a new adventure before bed. He loves all books, especially chapter ones as of late, and his sense of humor amazes me. when the day has been long and I'm feeling weary by the end of it, note to self - read Cruz The Book With No Pictures. His belly laugh makes my world go round.
2. The big brother he is. The way he reaches over to pat Mila's arm when she's upset in the car, or the way he shares his Rescue Bots with her and tries to teach her to play. She adores him and I don't blame her. He's patient, he's forgiving, he loves to include her, and he sees her as his friend. I love this about him.
3. His big vocabulary and the things he says. He'll talk to anyone and is at that point where he is always listening and will repeat most anything, whether we want him to or not! He told Mila the other night that he needed to "apologize to her" and told my mom all that the Joker is a "bad criminal". My favorite as of late, though, is maybe too much to share, but memorable to say the least. He plugged the potty the other day and as we stood above and watched it happen, he shook his head and said, "that is so embarrassing."
4. His sense of humor, especially with my dad. They've definitely grew closer over the past few months and sometimes act like bickering brothers, especially when the TV is involved. The other day Dad was giving him grief and Cruz calmly replied, "Santa isn't going to bring you any plumbing tools for Christmas, Papa."
5. He's a thinker and I love to watch his wheels turn and witness his little discoveries along the way. We had a long conversation about being married the other night after Cruz asked me about our wedding picture on my parents' wall. I told him that Daddy and I got married because we loved each other and wanted to be together forever. He looked at it for awhile and said, "And me and Charly got married, too, because we love each other and want to be together forever." I'm sure he's recalling being in my cousin's wedding with Charly this summer. Then last week, he filled out a questionnaire at school and when asked who he loved the most, he of course replied, Charly. He won't marry her, but I'm confident she'll be a special part of his life for years to come.
Five things I love about Mila this love month...
1. Her growing vocabulary. She's quite vocal and a little brash at times, but I love the way she points at pictures in her book and loudly asks, "What's that?" or says, "Goooo!" holding out her 'o' sound.
2. I love this little mama she is to her babies. She started saying "bae bae" this month and definitely has a sweet nurturing side amidst her melodrama! It's so adorable watching her feed her baby a bottle or put her up on her shoulder and pat her back. She's also equated the phrase I love you with kisses and will respond accordingly to her babies with lots of hugs and kisses. It's the sugar and spice I love about our Mila - one minute she's throwing a serious fit because we're attempting to read her the wrong page of a book and the next minute she's pouring on the charm with open-mouthed kisses and mama love to her baby dolls. She keeps life interesting for all around her, without a doubt!
3. Mila is 13 months old and is still not walking. She stands on her own all the time, is a pro at walking around furniture, and LOVES walking with someone holding her hands, but she hasn't mastered it on her own quite yet. A whole new world will open for Mila girl as soon as she figures it out, but for now, we suffer sore backs in return for her happy squeals as we make many many laps around the house with her.
4. Mila LOVES her baths, especially when Cruz takes one with her. I say the word tub and she immediately gets excited, crawling a hundred miles and hour to the bathroom and hiking her leg up over the edge as if she'd climb in fully clothed if I'd let her. She's showing signs of a little fish, completely unconcerned when Cruz "accidentally" sprays her in the face with water with a squirt toy. And the best is that she figured out how to spray him back and surprises him at all the best times.
5. My girl loves to eat and it's an absolute joy to feed her. Last night, Mom made ham and corn casserole, and I couldn't put it on Mila's tray fast enough. She inhaled it and was repeated her little more sign language before she even got the last piece in her mouth. I pray she keeps this adventurous side when it comes to trying new foods, and maybe teaches her brother there are some things better, although not many, than peanut butter jelly sandwiches. :)
Monday, February 16, 2015
7/52
"a portrait of each of my children, once each week, in 2015"
Cruz: This little bug had a good Valentine's Day, bringing specially made dinosaur valentines to his friends on Friday and getting another Switch and Go Dino from his mommy on Saturday. On a question sheet he filled out at school, he said he loves when his mommy "cooks with me," but he really loves his cousin Charly the most. And my favorite answer he had when asked how he shows love? "When you get more play-doh after someone's dries up." I guess I know the way to my boy's heart. :)
Mila: Sitting on presents is the theme for Mila, and with two holidays and a birthday happening the past three months, she's had lots of places to sit! Mila opened up her very first tea set for Valentine's Day and she was so sweet and dainty with it. She watched me sip the make believe tea and immediately stuck her cup up to her mouth to mimic my actions. I'm seeing lots of tea parties in our future, and hopefully curls, too! I love to see those little curls peaking out from her little blond head.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
6/52
"a portrait of each of my children, once each week, in 2015"
Cruz: Some warm (hot) cocoa after an afternoon of sledding. It was his first sledding adventure of the year and he loved every minute of it.
Mila: First ponytail for this little girl, a long time coming! I'm dreaming of piggy tails, skirts, and sandals come spring.
Monday, February 9, 2015
scrub a dub love
Whatever kind of day we've had, we stick them in the tub at the end of it and get this. Two precious little babes, just happy to be together. Raising these two is tiring and hectic, but watching their bond form in these rare quiet moments brings me more joy than I ever dreamed. We can learn so much from their kind of love - their patient, selfless, uninhibited love. I love that Mila is most content when Cruz is near. I love the look of pure joy on Cruz's face when Mila does something silly. I love the way Mila watches Cruz and tries to mimic his moves and I love the patience he has for her when she wants to do everything like him. I love that they make one another feel safe, protected, and content. These bath nights are the calm at the end of my day, my chance to lather them up and soak them in.
Until Mila poops in the tub, that is. Which is like every time here lately.
Happy Monday. :):)
Until Mila poops in the tub, that is. Which is like every time here lately.
Happy Monday. :):)
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