Memorial Day

My mom came up on Sunday afternoon and brought Ephraim his new bedspread (I will post pictures of that later). On Monday we helped my cousin Paige move out of her house and then had my aunt Peggy, uncle Charles, Kimi and Christina over for dinner. Forrest and I were determined to barbecue despite the weather and had a yummy meal of hamburgers, ribs, pasta salad and green salad.

June 1st is Christina's birthday (21!) so the Rogers brought brownies.

The best part was that Peggy had just grabbed whatever candles were in their kitchen - and most were trick candles. Christina finally had to give up and dump the candles in water.

Thanks for coming down Rogers family!

Meet "Yam"

This adorable creature is "Yam" (Lamb). If you know Ephraim, then you know that he has never developed an affinity for a stuffed animal or blanket. My mom bought him this lamb a few months ago, and Ephraim is more connected with this lamb than any other toy he has. (He doesn't sleep with Lamb, and doesn't have to have it, but he likes it).
I am often required to put a diaper on Lamb, and a few times Lamb has made the trip in the car. The other day Ephraim made Forrest put the clothes we had just taken off of him on Lamb (including socks and shoes, but the shoes didn't stay on). Ephraim then lifted up his shirt and said "Eat" while he was feeding Lamb like Momma feeds Selah. I thought it was super cute and love that he is understanding what is going on in the world around him.

Fun with the Moody's

The Moody's came to visit last weekend and we had lots of fun - going for walks, talking, and drinking my first glass of wine since Selah was born.

At breakfast on Sunday Nate was feeding Judson banana and Ephraim went to the kitchen, got a baby spoon out of the drawer, and started to help.

Adventures with Ephraim

Life with our adventurous 2 year old has been quite funny lately. I have so many crazy stories to tell.

Like today - when I thought he was watching the garbage truck drive around the neighborhood and went downstairs to put in a load of laundry - only to come back upstairs to find out that he had dumped a carton of juice on the ottoman while watching the garbage truck (the juice had been on the kitchen counter)

Or two nights ago when I left Forrest in charge while I went upstairs to change Selah. Forrest was on the couch and fell asleep. I came back downstairs and found Ephraim on top of the table wielding a large bread knife in one hand and digging in the butter with a butter knife with his other hand. There was also a large wad of butter in Forrest's milk glass.

Or last Friday - when Ephraim was in the bathroom while Forrest was taking a shower. I was feeding Selah in her room when Forrest brought me this:
That is toothpaste. All over. Who knows how it got on his head. While we were taking pictures, Wallis came over to see what the fuss was about and Ephraim decided to pet him.
Toothpaste on the dog. Awesome.

2 Months

Selah's 2 Month Stats (on 5/17)
Weight: 13 pounds 1.2 ounces (95th percentile)
Height: 23.75 inches (92nd percentile)
Head circumference: 15 inches (33rd percentile)

We knew that Selah was getting big and were taking bets on how much she was going to weigh. I can't even mentally try to compare her to her brother at this age since size wise they are polar opposites (Ephraim weighed 10 pounds and was an inch shorter at 2 months)

(is there anything cuter than a chubby baby in a dress?)

What Selah is up to:

• She smiles a lot. She tends to hide her smiles when the camera gets out, but she loves looking at faces or her "guys" on her swing or bouncer.
• She is cooing and talking. I love the little sounds she makes when she is happy.
  
• She eats every 2 hours during the day. I would love to try to extend the feeding times, but feeding her on demand is working well for us. It makes getting her down for a nap difficult sometimes, but she is going 8-11 hours in between feedings at night and I don't want to screw that up.
  
• Since she eats so frequently during the day it really varies on how many naps she takes. I like to keep her on an eat, awake time, sleep schedule, but she will often try to stay awake till her next feeding and then fall asleep right afterwards. She isn't consistent on when she tries to do that so it is hard to figure out her nap schedule.
  
• She can go from happy to mad in an instant. Usually a pacifier and rocking her will make her calm. I laugh and call her Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde because nothing will set her off and she will get extremely loud.
  
• She loves to be held. I often wear her in my moby style wrap just so I can get things done.
  
• She is completely in 3-6 month clothing.
• She loves tummy time and I often lay her down on my lap if she starts to get fussy.
  

Selah isn't quite sure what to think of Ephraim. Most of the time he makes her smile, but sometimes she gets a little nervous. (In the picture below Ephraim had to make sure that the lamb was kissing Selah too).

Fun In A Box

We got our latest "toy" (a double Chariot) recently and Ephraim has been using the box as a slide all week. On Sunday I heard giggling downstairs and came upon this.

Car Washing

From May 15th
Saturday was absolutely beautiful so Forrest decided to wash the cars. (of course it rained on Sunday) Ephraim jumped right in a started to help.
He kept saying "bath"
Good job buddy. In a few years you will get to wash the cars by yourself!

Sleepyhead

From May 9th


Ephraim doesn't usually take a nap on Sundays - church starts late and screws up his schedule. This Sunday we had a bunch of friends over after Selah's baby dedication and Ephraim played his little heart out. We also went for a walk to the school playground near our house.

Right after my mom left (around 5)- Ephraim asked for some crackers. We gave him some and he came to stand next to me. I was trying to get Selah to sleep and looked over and Ephraim was standing up with his head on the couch fast asleep. I asked Forrest to grab the camera, but by the time he got back Ephraim had fallen down and was sitting - not sure what to do.

I then moved him to the couch with me and he fell asleep very quickly.
Forrest changed his diaper and Ephraim slept through it. That hasn't happened since he was little!
We thought he might sleep through the night - but he woke up around 7:30 starving.

since Sunday - Ephraim has fallen asleep on the couch around 5 twice. I'm not sure what to do when he does that - Any suggestions?

Getting Big

Look who decided to get big and hold her head up high yesterday?

She is giving us big smiles all of the time - but when the camera comes out she stops

Being A Mom of Two

So far I have really enjoyed being a mom to two little munchkins. It seems so "right" and I have a hard time remembering what it felt like to just be a mom to one. With the addition of little Selah have been many ups and downs and lots of lessons learned.
I have learned I have to discipline the oldest right away. Selah won't remember me stopping feeding her to give her brother a time out, but Ephraim will remember getting away with things.
I can do a lot one handed and while nursing a baby including pouring sippy cups, vacuuming and doing laundry. Ephraim's love of books is great while I am nursing. He is currently into pop up books which is a lot of fun.
Naptime and Bedtime are my two most difficult times of the day. I often start trying to put Ephraim down around 12:30 and I give up on naps if he isn't asleep by 2:30. It is a constant juggling game. I get Selah down only to have her wake up shortly after (she doesn't like to sleep by herself during the day.) Ephraim will start to wind down and then Selah starts crying and he gets wound up again. Forrest and I decided to have 2:30 be the time I give up because otherwise it completely drains me. Thankfully most days Ephraim naps. Bedtime is the same cycle. Forrest has been working a lot lately - which means I do most of bedtime. I feel successful if we get Ephraim to sleep before 9.
I remember when Ephraim was born feeling overwhelmed and didn't know I how I would ever complete a project again. That feeling has returned. I can empty the dishwasher, but can't do the dishes in the sink. I can do the kids laundry, but not mine and Forrest's. I can do a load of laundry, but not put it away. I know that I will eventually get back into a routine, so that gives me hope.
It has been enjoyable to watch Ephraim love his sister. He can be aggressive and jealous, but most of the time is loving.

Bubbles

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outside. Ephraim loves bubbles and this three dollar toy is so much fun.
I am loving this stage because he is really into figuring things out and making things work.
Ephraim and Jason.

Selah's Baby Dedication

Today we dedicated Selah to Jesus. Several friends joined us at church along with my mom. The campus pastor had asked us to write a letter to Selah and choose a verse to be her life verse. Since I was the one that agreed to write a letter - I got to read it. Selah was quite upset during her dedication and cried the whole time. Thank you friends and family for joining us!
Dear Selah Ruth -
We are so thankful that you have joined our family. In the 7 and a half weeks you have been here, we already feel blessed to be your parents. We love that your name means "pause and reflect". It is our prayer that as you grow and develop your gifts and talents that you will cause others to pause and reflect on God. We pray that you will come to know Jesus at a young age and that you will never waiver from that decision. As your parents we promise to love you unconditionally and will do our best to train you in God's word. We promise to obey and follow God in our own lives so that we can ask you to follow our lead without any reservations. We have chosen Proverbs 2:1-6 to be your life verse "My daughter, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. We love you.

Just Call Me MacGuyver

The window on my car got stuck in the down position - so this is what I came up with to keep the rain from coming in until Forrest came home. Garbage bags and painter's tape.