My Birthday at the Beach



For my birthday we headed out to the Oregon Coast for a family weekend of fun, exploration and food. It was a blast and everything I hoped it would be. We took a little Jacobs family photo at the fresh water park after our day of adventures.



We stopped at my favoriate fish and chips shop and got halibut and big cut fries and then headed to the park for some blue grass on the beach. Jack loved the fish, fries and the music.

Jack was dancing around to the music and then would clap at the end of the set.

I just loved getting to sit and relax and enjoy the good food, music and entertainment of our little man.

Here is Amelie back at the house in her cute little poka dot "pink wale" outfit. It was perfect for our beach weekend. Amelie loves to sit up and stretch her legs. Here she was able to stand up pushing off the back of the couch. I am amazed by how strong she is.

On Saturday morning we headed out to the beach for a long walk in the sun. At 8am it was already 70 and perfectly still. No sandcastles or surfing but lots of exloring and rock skipping in the waves. Jack would find the rocks and dad would skip them out into the surf.



Jack loves being with daddy and they are quite the pair. Our walk on the beach gave Jack lots of things to explore. He did however show a healthy fear of the water and waves. He tried going out and wadding the in the water and he cried when the waves would get close. God's creation can be a little scary while still being majestic.



By 10:30 it was 75 and really sunny at the beach and the weather could have not been more perfect for our long walk, some lukewarm coffee and the sand between our toes. Thanks family for a very happy 29th birthday.

My Life: In MOM Motion

THE KIDS:
Amelie

Amelie is a complete JOY! She is such a happy baby in every way. At 2 months she weights just over 11lb. She is smiling and making all those adorable baby noises plus she smells great. The things I notice about her personality:
* She enjoys people in her face and doesn't mind being held or touched.
* Her smile will melt you and she normally coos while smiling like a little laugh.
* But...she doesn't like her head or hair touched. ?? Which people always do because she has lots of hair.
* It's a big deal when she's not happy because he rarely cries (unless Jack sits on her).
* She is a sleeper. Now sleeping from 9pm-7:30am without fail. Crazy zzzz baby.


Jack

Jack is such a great boy. He is very assertive but also seems like a watcher and thinker when around bigger kids.
* At 18 months he weights just under 25lbs and is over 33 inches high.
* He LOVES cars and trains. Mike's been working on the Mini a lot so when I need a break I put Jack in the mini and he is entertained for ever. He makes honking noises, says "caaar" and  "voomm" (check out the little video for proof).
* He is all boy when playing but also is become sweetly attached to people and will come and sit in your lap to talk (gibberish) to you.
* He loves flipping through books and bed time songs as well as play time with dad on the couch.
* He can make lots of animal sounds when asked "what does the *** say?"


 WALKS


We've had tons of good walks to the park (using mom's birthday present to herself). It's a daily routine that keeps me from being a shop-a-holic on Etsy. Thankfully Etsy has given me some fun ideas on things to make and I might actually get my sewing machine out soon. But back to the walks...in an effort to get the botty back in shape we get a nice 3 1/2 miles in by going to see the ducks. Jack seems to love it!

MY PROJECTS & FINDS:
The Playroom



I took our under the stairs coat closet and transformed it into a sky adventure playroom. In anticipation of the cooler weather and inevitably more time spent inside I wanted to create something really colorful and fun for Jack & Amelie. I keep all the downstairs toys in here and it really helps with a cleaner house and a place to send Jack to just explore and learn. I've also organized my "stuff" in super sleek ikea boxed.



The playroom has an airplane decal with a little boy and girl pilot, hot air balloons dancing in between puffy clouds and a bright sunshine light. It is wayyyy cute (if I don't say so myself).

 What a COLORFUN project!




 BABY "GOOD" FOOD



I love making homemade homegrown baby food. And I am blending tons! Peas, squash, carrots and potatoes. Next week I am going to pick fruit and then it will be cook then blend then freeze. Best for baby and best for the bank account.

GARAGE SALER?

GSALR!! This is one that any mom on a budget will like. This site takes all listing from craigslist and compiles all the ads onto a searchable map. I hated garage sales because I don't have time to just drive around hoping to find the good ones for toys and kids clothes. This site lets you search for keywords in the add and then see all the sales with those items on a map. You can plot them out and get directions and best of all, IT IS NOW AN IPHONE APP. So just save your favorites and GO. We've already found some great stuff and people are still having sales well into the fall. Check it out!





This was my most recent GS find: a toddler train table with Thomas trains for 25 bucks. It is the perfect height for Jack to stand beside it but he prefers to sit on top of it.  But already it has been lots of fun since he loves trains but is too young to put together tracks on his own. I can't imagine buying toys new now. And I've found some super cute girl clothes for Amee not to mention other great toys for $1.

 GREAT FIND FOR CLOTH DIAPER USERS


If you use cloth diapers and have any trouble with food allergies or diaper rash this stuff is miraculous. Sunshine Spray is all natural and safe on cloth and babies butts.

I LOVE BEING A M.O.M!





Summer Photo Journal

I am in complete denial that summer is over. Since no one in our house is going Back to School, I am just going to keep playing out the summer at any sign of sun. I am excited for the fall though. The fall colors and smells are a favorite. Here are some photos from the trip to the zoo, the wonderful many trips to my parents beautiful property and pool, the many play dates and days spend enjoying Jack and Amelie in the pool. 
pictures of the kids with my family. Jack loves his Papa and Oma and is always saying Papa, MaMaMaMa....WooffWooff. This means he is thinking about being at his grandparents house (we think).

Took the kiddies to the zoo so Jack could see the animals we talk so much about. He makes the sounds but doesn't say names yet. For example, "Jack what does the lion say" Jack opens his mouth wide "roarrrr" with a big smile.Jack saw all the safari animals like the zebra, giraffe and the lion. But the whole experience seemed to be really overwhelming for him. There were so many kids and so much to look at. Jack loves animals, more than toys or cars. He has all kinds of animals hanging from the tree in his room. Often at night he will climb onto the chair to reach up and pick new friends to put in his crib. When he gets up from his nap he will point at the pictures of the animals on his wall and say "What's dis" which really means make the noises mommy.

Everyone asks me how I like being home with the kids. Are you kidding me? Love it! Summer sun, the munchkins, tons to do. It's been awesome. I've gotten to go to my church playground and these were some shots from the week we met at Magnolia Park and played in the fountains. Jack likes to find the non toy items (ie Starbucks cup) and make them into toys.

This is such a cute shot of the kids enjoying banana Popsicles after fun in the pool. Can't believe they all sat contently next to each other for this shot but those Popsicles were "o so good".

Jack with some of his friends, Addie and Payton after some fun time in the pool.

These are some of my favorite photos of Jack from the summer. Not coincidentally several revolve around first experiences of food. As parents we find such joy and fun and watching Jack experience things for the first time.

1st ice cream cone

1st watermelon

Amelie at her 6 week check up weighed 9lb 5 oz and was 21inches long. She is such a doll and looking more and more like a little girl everyday. Her little noises are precious...until about 7pm when they turn to restless cries and she wants to be constantly held. Thankfully she has taken to the swing and likes to look around while being swung (often times, to sleep).

Amelie in her adorable bunny jammies.

Salute! We spent Memorial Day bottling my dad's raspberry wine. It has been brewing since July and was ready to have the sugar added back in so we all got a say in how much it was going to get. It was a blast. Tasting, tinkering and finally bottling It is delicious.