Great weekend

A weekend full of family is the best kind of weekend. Sometimes I just can't believe it when we have big dinners or get togethers with everyone that we are really all family. I feel like I get to hang out with my best group of friends when we are with family, so blessed!

Birthday Fun~Thank you my loves~

Savannah loves her new job of setting the table, it's so cute!

Ahi salad and sushi rolls

Our new favorite thing, rockin out-dancing and singing!
She was cracking up.

She now picks out her bows, and mommy has to wear one (or two) too.
Daddy too if he's lucky...

She loved dipping her sushi in soy sauce. We hear slurping and look over to see this! Yes, she was DRINKING her soy sauce! Luckily there wasn't too much left, and it was low sodium. Oops...

Yeah to Daddy!

Mikey (daddy) has been working so hard at work, lots of studying, focusing, training etc. and we've missed having him home lately because of this. His hard work has paid off, he passed both sections of his test! We are so happy for him, and know that it's not by chance or luck. Thank you Lord for equipping my hubby with such dedication and hard working hands. As I've said before, this is one of my favorite qualities that he has. When he sets off to do something he does it full force, with 100% effort. I hope to instill this quality in our children, not being idle and hard work pays off!

Nurturing

As I said previously, I want to write 'mom' stuff as I think, hear, read etc. about it so that it is a reminder to me. I in no means am writing this because I think I'm a pro at this, I'm just in the process of tyring to learn what I need to do as a mom to be the best I can be, so I need to get it out there so it sticks more for me.
When I set out to do something I want to give it my all, that's just the way God has wired me up. I try to do my best at what is at hand. I've been so blessed to be able to be a wife and mom, and they are my top priorities, so I better be knowledgeable and equipped to successfully give it my all. I have one chance to be the best I can be. It's not going to just come to me...I have to read, observe, learn, study and practice if I want to accomplish this. Wow, I guess this is more like journaling today.

So these are some things I'm focusing on for now in my role as a mommy

Nourishing-defined as, sustaining, supporting, feeding, fostering, cherishing, educating, training and rearing.

*Nurturing is essential
*Spending time together, taking time to nurish is far more important than accumulating 'things'
*I want to be available, approachable, and tuned in.
*We can't nurture from a distance
*Nurturing is built upon our availablity and our wise understanding of each of our children's personality and needs, not the things we provide for them.
*In order to build a strong house, we need to begin with a solid foundation.
*Cracks in the walls=faults in the foundation
*The nurturing we do as moms is what builds the foundation, it's not instantly measurable, but it has such critical importance.
*The foundation I lay for my children is far more important that anything else I can ever produce or purchase for my children.
*I want my babies to feel good about life and themselves. I will nurture their precious little hearts and spirits the best I can to always let them know they are loved and cared for.
*I will strive to help my children have a high self-esteem.
*They must feel loved and capable. I want them to believe they are worthwhile, have something to offer, and can handle what will be at hand in their lives.

Bear Crossing

Savi and Emily were sooo excited to go to the Irvine Park Zoo

There were two real 'brown bears'!

Our little buddy

Combing the goat's hair

Sweet little girls.
She wanted to feed Emily, I think she's practicing....

They are both so sweet, and get along so well!
We had such a blast, one of my most favorite playdates yet. Definitely need to go more often. And the best part is we only spend 2 bucks!

Savi's Latests

At Savannah's 18 month check up she was almost 20 lbs.
She is repeating almost everything we say, not always making sense of course, but it's the effort that counts right?
M words seems to be here favorite and most clear. Mama, moon, more, move, moooo.
She still loves storytime on Tuesday mornings.
Dadddyyyyyy is very pronounced.
She's been having fun on playdates and playing with little John next door who's 2.
When I tell her we're going to the doctor she says, "Mama, boo boo." I have to explain to her that the doctor is just checking the baby in mommy's tummy. Then she pulls up her shirt and says boo boo. I love it!
The night is not complete if we don't go outside and see the moon. It's been sleeping for about a week now, so moon please come back soon...
She loves being out and about with us.
Loves the park, especially the 'weeeee' (the slide).
She had a blast with daddy at the discovery science center/museum.
She's all about crafts and making pictures of the moon. We make moons out of cotton ball stuffed cut outs of scrap paper in the shape of the moon.
She still loves to eat anything in sight.
One molar has come through, and 3 others aren't far behind.
She's so smart and coordinated, we love her more every day that passes!
She loves drawing circles, and can identify blue and red. I need to move onto the other colors, but got stuck on those two.
Clapping, snapping and dancing to music is a love too!
She tells me poo poo when she needs to go, sometimes we get to the potty, sometimes we don't. But hey, she knows what's going on. I think we'll wait till her brother gets here to really go forward with it. If she keeps doing well we'll just go with it...
Oh how fun it is to see her grow, she's so smart, decisive and loving.
She still LOVES animals. We read books about animals, watch animals on youtube, look at them outside, we can't get enough. We need to go to the zoo again soon!