So here is an abbreviated post to catch you up on what could be 5-10 individual posts!
Faith and Jonathan have been living it up this summer. There have been overnights at Baba and Pappy's house, overnights at Aunt Debbie and Nance's house, a trip or two to the zoo, water activities including swimming, berry picking and family picnics. We have gone on play dates, lots of bike rides and more! It has been a really great summer thus far.
Here is a quick check-list on the kids:
Eating: appetites are hit and miss. Some days they eat a ton, some days they don't. Jay and I have taken a very laid-back approach to eating. I have decided that my job is to offer the kids a variety of healthy, nutritious, delicious foods, and it is their job to eat it...or not. I refuse to argue with them about this. If they don't like what they were served, too bad. If they eat it, great! If they don't, that is fine too. They are now in charge of emptying their plates into the trash, and putting their dishes in the sink. This way, they clearly understand that meal time is over, and it keeps me from picking at their leftovers. Also, Jonathan figured out how to get out of his chair, so this allows me to be in charge of meal time ending.
I am thankful that the kids have healthy appetites, and we don't have to worry about their growth. Really takes the pressure off of forcing them to eat. Because Jay and I struggle with weight issues, we are in agreement that we aren't going to force the kids to eat. We have regular meal and snack times, but you won't hear us telling the kids to "eat one more bite." We are experimenting to see if this will help them to actually listen to their bodies when they are full.
Sleeping: Oh my gosh! Separating the kids has done wonders for nap time. I am not kidding, I rarely struggle with them anymore. It is fantastic!!! Jonathan didn't sleep through the night for almost 2 weeks after Faith moved into her own room. Mama was VERY tired. This is par for the course for Jonathan, as he has always drawn comfort from Faith. But, they both seem to be much more rested and they are actually happy to see each other in the morning! In fact, one of their favorite made-up games is to play "Wake up!" where they pretend to sleep and the other one yells "WAKE UP!" I think the time alone has done wonders for their moods.
Potty Training: Did I ever mention that I had a very bad flare-up with my back? Well, I did, and it really sapped my potty-training efforts. The problem was that Faith also wanted to practice on the potty, and my back couldn't take the lifting of two kids on and off the potty a million times a day. Jonathan is a champ at peeing on the potty, but we have only had 1 or 2 #2's. He is happy to use the potty when I make the effort...we will get back to it eventually.
Learning: Daily, they are learning new words, skills, songs and routines. Their very first song was: "Jesus Loves Me," which is oh-so adorable, and warms my heart. Their vocabularies astound me, and at times I will look around the house for another adult, while saying out loud: "Who said that?!"
Faith has been very into artistic things. She happily sat outside the other night and painted, and painted, and painted. She must have done 6-8 full size papers while Jonathan and Toby ran around playing. She also has a long attention span for coloring and doing stickers.
Jonathan told me the other day to use the "white mote" (remote) to turn on the TV. He told me "Cleaner empty!" when he dumped out the contents of the vacuum cleaner. He was dangling from a play structure this morning and said "I swinging! I heavy!" and fell to the ground. The kid is a ham. He absorbs so much and narrates absolutely everything, all day long. At what point do little boys stop talking so much? Because most men I know aren't big talkers.
Faith is a comedian, and will do what ever she can to make us laugh. She is also tough. She falls down way more than Jonathan does. She has scraped knees, a bruised toe, legs and scratches. Sometimes her clumsiness worries me, but I myself am less than graceful, so I will just continue to keep an eye on her.
Jonathan has taken to leaping off of higher and higher structures. He is rough and tough, but everyday before naps and bedtime, he gets his special blanket and cloth and rocks with me. He is so big his limbs spill all over the place, and it has become harder and harder to heave him into his crib, but he is my snuggler and loves to cuddle.
We have done a lot of baking lately and both kids really like helping. Jonathan has taken over carrying the recycling bin into the house every week, and Faith helps me put the trash can away. We do laundry together, empty the dishwasher together, and while at Aunt Debbie's house, Jonathan helped wash a car! (And squirted A Deb with the hose while her neighbor doubled over in laughter.)
Here are a few random photo's thrown in for good measure. I am saving up for a new camera, as one of my switches broke, and although it is still usable, I am saving up for the next one. Needless to say, I haven't been camera-happy lately!
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