Giving

I don't know if it's just my kids (I highly doubt it), but it seems like this time of year just makes them crazy with wanting stuff (Jonas hasn't really started expressing this yet :). I really want to raise children who are generous. I feel at times like I am fighting a losing battle. Part of me wants to buy our kids everything they ask for. Another part of me, wants to have them give everything away. I was really proud of Sara today because she decided to use her money to buy presents for other people. She needed a bit of reminding while we were at the store that she was shopping for other people, but it was really neat to see her heart in the right place. I am definitely looking for ways to get myself and the kids more outward focused, though. So, if anyone has any ideas let me know.

7 Months

Today, Jonas turned 7 months. In the last 2 weeks, he has started clapping. In the last 2 days, he has started doing it a ton! It is so fun to watch him start clapping. He also reaches out to be picked up, and has started rolling over again. Jonas still doesn't believe in sleep - maybe next month :)

The Hunt

This year, we decided to get a real Christmas tree. We have in the past, but the debate around here is ongoing. The smell is wonderful and makes it seem like Christmas. The mess they make and having to throw it away, make it kinda hard to do, but in the end we decided to go for it. Now finding the perfect Christmas tree is serious business. When you add two little kids and cold weather, it makes the hunt all the more interesting. After looking at one place for 45 minutes, Sara and I decided our toes were frozen. We all decided that this place did not have the perfect Christmas tree. We went to 2 more places. Jon was the brave tough one of the fam who went out to find the perfect tree. Sara, Jonas and I hung out in the car and sang Christmas Carols. Then we got it home, and Jon had to drill the hole in it. Oh, the work that is involved :) Sara is so excited that we have our Christmas tree! She takes everyone that stops bye to see it. She tells people about it, and she even calls people on her pretend phone to let them know about it. So, overall it is definitely worth it :) She asks every night if all the people driving past our house or in the houses around us can see our Christmas tree. Kids sure do make Christmas exciting :) Sara was also a big help in hanging the ornaments. Jonas took a much more relaxed view of the whole event, but he does really like staring at all those lights!

Wagon Ride

A few weeks ago, it was surprisingly warm. We decided to go for a walk, and we decided to take the wagon around the block. It was really easy after pushing a stroller, keeping tack of a toddler on a bike and having a dog pull my arm off. We couldn't go too far because Jonas is still pretty young, but it was a nice change and a taste of next spring.

Passing An Afternoon

Jonas and Sara have found their favorite spot in the house. It is sitting on the loveseat and looking out the window. One afternoon, they sat there for a very long time watching the guys pick up all the leaves we had raked. Oh, how the simple things occupy them. I have to admit I enjoyed watching too.

Daddy's Birthday

Jon celebrated his 29th Bday the Sat after Thanksgiving. Sara was very excited to help celebrate. She helped me make cupcakes. We had to buy balloons blow them up and put them around the house. We started talking about plans the Monday before his birthday, and every morning she would wake up and say, "Is it daddy's birthday today?" She was very excited to see all the candles and watch him blow them out. She definitely knows how to celebrate. She was very good at keeping the secret of what his birthday present was. She was concerned, though that she had bought the same card for him last year. Before he opened his present she asked him if she gave him, "Did I give you the one with the dog wearing a hat last year?" Jon asked her if she was giving away his present. She said, "No, I was talking to Jonas." She already knows how to cover her tracks :) Jonas even decided to wake up for the occassion of blowing out candles.

Turkey

Sara made a turkey in preschool group. She named her Cindy. Cindy the turkey has been our centerpiece for a few weeks now. We had to negotiate whether Cindy could go with us to Grandpa Allen's for Thanksgiving. She thankfully forgot about Cindy in the excitement of getting out the door :) We had a great Thanksgiving relaxing here at home and then headed to Grandpa Allen's for lots of yummy food. Sara enjoyed playing with her Aunt Arielle and Uncle Brandon, who are 7 and 5. She talked about them continuously for the next 2 days. We have a lot to be thankful for - that's for sure.

Sitting

At 6 months, Jonas is enjoying sitting up by himself and checking out the toys. He still needs somebody near to help him when he decides to lean to the left :) He continues to love being near Sara and watching her. He is still sleeping about 2-3 hours at a time. However, he is getting better at naps during the day. He smiles so much! It has been fun to watch him become really interested in toys. He likes to try and press the buttons, spin things, or get them to do something.

Words

Yesterday, when we were eating dinner, Sara took a bite and said , "Mm mm, scrumptious." Who knew she knew words that big? She now talks to people on the phone for several minutes at a time telling them whole stories. Every once in a while, I have the privilege of hearing her playing in her room with her toys. She will have these long conversations between her dolls and stuffed animals. I am constantly amazed by her ability to communicate. We stopped by the McDonald's play place today. When she was telling Jon about it, she told him "I went down the slide a million times." This is actually a very exciting day because it was the first time we didn't have to climb up and rescue her :) Today, I found out that my favorite house in Milan is for sale. I was kind of bummed because I was hoping it would be available in about 5 years when we would maybe be able to afford it (possibly dreaming), and I was expressing my sadness that we couldn't get the house. Sara said, "Don't worry about the house mom." I love the simplicity and honesty of that statement and so many others she makes. She helps me stay grounded and realistic.

6 Months

Jonas is officially 6 months old today. He is getting to be fun as he interacts more. I can't believe how much he observes all that is going on around him. He is becoming more interested in all that is around, which makes nursing very difficult at times :) He continues to wake up every 2-3 hours at night. Each night as I lay him down I think, this may be the night that he sleeps through, so far it's still just a thought. I realize, though, that I will miss him being this little and hanging out with me so much. Sara continues to be one of his favorite people. Every time she is near him he just stares at whatever she is doing. Today, she was making music with her tambourine and morraca and he was laughing and smiling at her. The other big thing he has done recently is taking his first ride in the shopping cart. We lucked out and got a "car" shopping cart yesterday. Sara thought it was the greatest to have him ride next to her through the shopping cart. He seemed to really enjoy the process too :) He pushes himself up on his arms, now, but seems to have forgotten or conveniently blocked all memories of rolling over. All in good time I'm sure.

Dedication

Jonas was officially dedicated on Sunday at our church. It was a cool way to say that we know he is a gift from God, and we want to acknowledge that fact. We were able to pray for him and give him back to God. Parenting is this awesome responsibility. He truly is a gift. We love him so much, and we know we're not going to be doing everything right. We need lots of help from God and the church. It's also a neat way for the church to say they are going to help us, which we all know we need :) We did the same thing with Sara a few years ago. It reminds me of what a holy task this is, and how much I need to pray for wisdom and help. It also helps me to remember that it's not all about me or my plans for our kids, but what God is up to in their lives. I want to look for that, watch for that (for what God is doing) and then encourage it. I don't want to try to live out some agenda of my own in their lives, but I want to learn to say yes to whatever God is doing and then give the kids the freedom to run after that. I'm excited to continue watching them grow and become who God created them to be.

Talking

On Sunday, Nov. 2 Jonas started making lots of babbling noises. He sounds like he is talking now. When he starts to cry he adds his babbling to it, and it seems like he is trying to say what exactly is wrong. It's fun to watch him grow and learn.

Shoes

I heard shoes clicking in the kitchen and I wondered what shoes Sara had could make that sound. Well, she had managed to put my boots on and was walking around. The impressive part is that she could walk in these - I hardly can :)

Leaves

A few months ago Sara and I read a book about Clifford and the other dogs jumping in leaves. Since then, she has talked a lot about jumping in leaves. Finally, the leaves have fallen and we started raking. It was so beautiful this past weekend that Sara and I spent a lot of time jumping in leaves and burying each other. Sara thought it was so funny to be buried and jump out. Who knew leaves could be so fun? The only problem is that she does not want the city to pick them up. She may cry. We'll see :)

Trick or Treat

Sara had so much fun going "Trick or Treating" this year. She couldn't quite decide between being a princess or a butterfly, so she was a "princess fairy". She would run up to the houses and say "trick or treat", and in the end she was even remembering to say "thank you" without being reminded. Jonas went as a pumpkin. He slept through all of it in his stroller. We started going to TT's house last year to pass out candy and trick or treat. Not many people come through our neighborhood, but a lot of people go through TT's. Sara also really enjoyed giving candy out to trick or treaters, unless they had a scary costume. Then she would run behind an adult and refuse to give them any candy. We also went to Toys R Us earlier in the day. They passed out trick or treat bags and had four stations with candy and other gifts. It was very fun.

School Bus

Sara is part of a Pre-school co-op. We go every Thursday. It is always a lot of fun. Several of Sara's close friends go to the co-op, including her friends Elle and Ava (in the picture with Sara). Anna Grace, Bella and Nathan Jo are also in pre-school with Sara. Today, we were able to tour a real school bus. Sara adores school buses. We constantly look for them when we are driving around. Sara was so excited to sit on a bus and we were even able to ride around the building. We also read a very fun book about buses. I can't believe how many verses there are to the "Wheels on a Bus" song. I feel so blessed to be a part of this group because the parents in it are super talented and are challenging me to do more crafty things with Sara. Jonas enjoys listening to the songs and watching all the activity.

Praying

At night time, Sara prays before bedtime. She usually prays for all of her friends and family and ends with "and bless lots of people. Amen." Yesterday, she added "Bless all the people in the whole world." Today it was, "Bless all the people in every country." I love listening to these prayers.

Drawing People

Today, Sara drew her first stick people. She drew her friends Elle and Colin. Very cute :)

Sara and Grandma TT

Yesterday, Sara and Grandma TT had a fun outing. She took Sara to Jenny's Farm Stand where Sara was able to go on a pony ride and hay ride. Sara rode a pony named Cinnamon. She had a lot of fun with Grandma TT. They also went to Sara's favorite restaurant, McDonald's.

First tooth

On October 25 Jonas' first tooth broke through his gum. Let's just say it hasn't been exciting or fun for him, but eventually, when he can eat yummy food and has forgotten the pain, I'm sure he'll appreciate all the hard work.

Fun Things

Can anything be more entertaining than water? Sara can play with it for a long time. We decided to add a little food coloring to the water to make it more exciting. She then found every measuring cup, tupperware, bowl, etc. and started transferring water back and forth. The clean up wasn't too bad. The kitchen floor received an extra cleaning :) Jonas is enjoying sitting in his Bebe Pod and grabbing things - especially Sara's hair :) Sara and her friend Anna Grace love being together. Here they are hanging out and laughing.

First Hot Chocolate

Sara and I read a book where Dora had some hot chocolate. Sara thought that sounded like a tasty treat, so yesterday, we decided to buy some hot chocolate at the store and try some. She really liked this special treat.

The Dunes

The kids and I went to Warren Dunes State Park with Aunt Maria this past weekend. We had a blast. It was beautiful! Everyone loved the beach. It was a bit of hard work climbing the dunes, but it was worth it to get to the beach. We found a mound of sand someone had created and Sara and Aunt Maria added some huge sticks to the top and made windows. We had a lot of fun. Jonas loved watching and listening to the waves and decided to take a nice long nap. Sara decided she wanted to stick her toes in the water, but after taking off her shoes and socks she decided it was too cold. Apparently, the park closes their bathrooms on the beach during off season. So, that made for an intersting adventure with a 3 year old pottier. She learned about life before toilets :) After that, we went to the woods and took a long walk. Sara collected lots of leaves, including one bigger than her head :). We stayed at a cute Bed and Breakfast in Three Oaks, MI. Aunt Maria was a great help with the kids. They loved being with her. Sara wanted her to come home with us. It was a wonderful time.

5 Months

On Oct. 12, Jonas was 5 months old. He has grown so much. He now loves his "Johnny Jumper". We attempted cereal for the first time on Oct. 13. He did not like that. He spit it back out. So, we will give it a few days and try again. He still isn't sleeping much, but he is so cute and smiles so much I tend to forget that I haven't slept :)

The Entertainer

Jonas thinks Sara is hilarious. She dances around and he cracks up. He can't stop laughing. She of course thinks this is great and continues to do whatever she can to make him laugh. It is so much fun watching them together. Most of the time, she just talks and he smiles. He follows her around the room, turning his head to keep her in view. The other day, Jonas couldn't stop crying. I had tried everything. Sara decided to play the piano. All of the sudden, he stopped crying. When she stopped playing, he started crying. When she played, he stopped crying. So, she composed a song for him. The title is, "Don't Cry Little Man". I don't know what I would do without her. Go Sara!!

Connections

Today, Sara informed me that Eeyore and Ariel are alike. I wasn't quite tracking, so I asked her how. She told me, "they both have tails."

Makeup

Sara received some make-up for her birthday. She has really enjoyed playing dress-up, wearing jewelry and doing make-up. She is still working on the application...

First Time in a Stroller

The other day, Sara and I took Jonas for a walk in a stroller (without being in his car seat). It was very fun. We love to be outside, and this provided one more way for Jonas to travel. He fell asleep pretty quickly. He also enjoyed the view. Sara rode her bike. She is really good at riding her bike now. Sometimes, I have to power walk to keep up. Before long, these excursions may actually count as exercise :)

Dressing Alone

This morning, Sara woke up, got dressed and came out. I thought it would be nice to showcase her outfit. I have to give her points for creativity. I think it's one of God's ways to help me stop being a control freak :)

Just a Box

It's true, you buy all these great presents, but at the end of the day it really is the little simple things they enjoy. We received a package in the mail and for two days Sara played with the box and paper inside of it. One day, when she was cleaning up her room after playing with the box I asked her how clean-up was going and she said, "I'm almost done. I just have a lot left to do" (see photo 3).