One Year Old!

Helen is 30 inches tall and weighs 23 lbs.  This puts her in the 78 percentile.

She will walk everywhere with help, but is still holding out for those first steps.  She is, however, perfectly capable of climbing.

She is fearless and has no respect for her mother's anxiety level or the threat of head injury.  If she saw her brother do it, it must be a great idea to follow suit.  Pray for me.

She love to squish into small spaces and loves to take things in and out of bags.  She also loves music and dancing.

She cries easily, but makes up for it by her frequent smiles and giggles.  Her name means "precious ray of sunshine" and she lives up to it!

She can say the following: Dade, Buba (for Matthew), Mama, Hey, Ball and Get it (which we usually do).


We love you, Helen!  Happy Birthday!

Your first letter....

Matthew's birth marked one of the most defining times of my life.  I held that tiny being and wished with all heart to make him understand how much I loved him.  I felt that all over again with Helen.  When Matthew's first birthday came, I wrote a letter to him to tell him all he had meant to us that year.  Since then, I've found journals for both my children and write to them every year on their birthday.  My hope, my prayer, is that they will read them when I'm not here to tell them and be reminded of how precious they are...how vital they were to my life...how they have been, and always will be, loved.

 God, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Your works are wonderful, I know that full well  Psalm 139:14

And, now, to my precious baby girl- 

Dear Helen,

Happy Birthday to my unexpected sunshine!  You have entered our lives in a whirl, but brought us more happiness than we could have imagined.  You challenge us with your fearlessness and curiosity, delight us with your smiles and the joy you find in almost anything. You are
"Innocence playing in the mud,
Beauty standing on it's head,
Motherhood dragging a doll by the foot."  A.B.
May you change the world, my darling, even if it's only to make it better for those who love you most.
                                                                                                                               Love,                                                                                                                                Mama
                                                                                                                            
 

Happy July 4th!

This is my desperate, somewhat successful picture taking of my monkeys in their t-shirts!  Hope your 4th was a happy one.

 

Summer Time!

We've loved summer so far!  No set schedule has allowed for lots of play time for me and them.  Now if my house would just clean itself.....

 Helen really needs to learn to relax....

 First day of VBS - he is super excited about this!

 I have no idea why the both love to climb inside the walker, but they do.

And our latest experiment: Sidewalk Chalk Paint

First, sort broken chalk by color.  Then place in

baggie and crush into powder.  Return 

dad's tools before he gets home from work.

 You may need 3-D safety glasses.

 So might your baby sister.

 Add water and mix.

 Now paint!  The colors become more vivid as they dry.  This was a cool project!

 Sidenote: Don't let baby sister eat the chalk.

 Our neighbors tree grew over the fence making a perfect little boy hideout.  This was a fantastic find for my little guy.  Superdad he is, Alan agreed to mow around it for awhile!

And, movie night.  Look at that girl trying to swipe popcorn while mom is distracted!  Nope, she didn't get any!

The Proof

This is for those of you (you know who you are) who insist Helen would never throw a fit.  Watch what happens after I tell her she can't climb the shelves inside the refrigerator.  And, despite what my dad says, this video was not altered.  (Please excuse the sideways video- it absolutely would not flip!  Also, you might want to turn down your sound...)

The Heart of the Matter

If you know me at all, you know how I am about Helen's hair bows. She wears them all the time..she even has one to match her swimsuit.  This is especially true on special occasions.  With her first birthday approaching, I've been dreaming up all the details.  Last week, I finally got the chance to start on her party dress.  She was down for a nap, so out came the sewing machine.  For Matthew, nap times are a rare moment to pull out his Legos without Helen eating the pieces or clamoring for attention from her "bub".  But this day, he asked for fabric and a sewing needle.  He often helps me sew, and I was so anxious to get started, I handed the supplies over without question and we both went to work.  Finally, I was wrapping up for the afternoon and he came over.  His hands were behind his back and his grin spread ear to ear.

Momma, I made something for Helen.  It's a bow for her party.  And it matches her dress!

I wish I could say I was thrilled, and that is the reaction Matthew saw. But inside?

What am I supposed to do now?  I have a custom bow ready to order.  How is that going to look in her pictures?  How am I going to get around this one?  She cannot wear that thing.

But then, I looked at my little guy..beaming with pride at his gift and with love for a little sister that spends most of her day as his somewhat annoying shadow.  He had given up his free time to make a gift for someone who doesn't even know to say thank you.  And the decision was made.  She'll wear it.  Mostly because he'll be so proud.  But also because I desperately want my Princess to learn what my Pirate already knows.  That giving up what you want for someone you love is a precious thing.  Even if they don't even know you did it.

Month of May

May was a whirlwind for us...I think we crammed as much memory as possible into the month.  Here's what we did:

 Happy Mother's Day and Helen's Baby Dedication!

We left out the pictures where Alan is glaring at Matthew making

monkey faces at the whole church and Helen is lunging for my chest because it's time to nurse.   Sigh....

 Me and my daughter..doesn't that sound fantastic??

This was such a special day...for obvious reasons.

Alan's mom and Helen..our kids love their Gram!

 Matthew graduated from Pre-K!  Sniff, sniff

 So very proud

 Matthew and his best school buddy.  Funny, they usually got in trouble  at the same time.  Imagine...

 Another big accomplishment for our little guy.  After placing first place in a tournament, he earned his yellow belt in karate. 

Way to go buddy!!

 And to add to her own list of accomplishments, Helen learned to draw on the art easel (and the floor, the wall, the table...)!

And, finally, some general cuteness: