Finally I have been able to get some pictures of Jane! It seems like it goes in shifts on who I can catch pictures of and who gets left out from time to time. Here she is looking FABULOUS! for her field trip to see a play. She was very excited to go and wanted to look her best! I even got a good smile!

We started giving Fiona bananas this week. It has apparently made for some interesting diapers but she sure loves them! We started with bananas just because it's what I happened to have on hand and she was watching me eat one. So I smooshed a little piece and gave it to her. She just loved it. Normally I would worry about them causing her to be a little constipated but since she only gets breast milk the rest of the time I know she'll be fine. She had a little bite of potato at dinner the other night and liked that too! Maybe we'll try some avocado later. I know babies usually start off with cereal but I would rather start her with whole, "real" foods. Since she's not eating them for any nutritional reasons (all of a baby's nutritional needs are met with breast milk until they're a year old) I don't see any real reason to give her any kind of "filler". She really seems to enjoy the taste and texture and she's learning about new things!

~mmmmm, nanners are goooood!~

~Look how cute I am! More, please!~

Maybe I'm Amazed

Watching Doug with Fiona has been such an amazing experience. He has astounded me with how natural he is at taking care of her. There are still things that he forgets. Like making sure she has on a clean, dry diaper before putting clothes on her - especially when we are going somewhere. But there are so many other things that he does that he is better at than I am. When she's in her swing or her bed and starts to fuss I will start to go to her and he stops me and says "she's just fussing, just give her a minute". Sure enough, she calms down in just a few moments and is fine. He can calm her faster than I can and put her to sleep deeper. He says it comes from spending most of the time trying to keep her quiet so I can sleep or work. I think it comes from more than that. These things come naturally to him. He has almost endless patience with all of the children. Patience I can't even pretend to have. It's been a real gift to share these things with him.

We're back

We had a great time in California. It's good to be back. I've got a lot of work to catch up on from being gone and homework to do. Yuck.



It was so good to see everyone! Here are some of the 500! pictures that I took.
Enjoy!

Valentine's Day

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day. After cards (all of the one's Doug got us made me cry) and chocolate we headed into Seattle. One of these days I WILL make it to Woodland park zoo. By the time we got into Seattle and had lunch it was after 2. The zoo closes at 4. No point in going for a couple hours. So we skipped it. Again. We will have to make that an early trip one day.
We headed to the science center instead. We have a membership there and should really use it more. But for us, using it twice a year makes it worth the cost of it. The girls had a good time. We went to the Lucy exhibit which was pretty interesting. Lucy is the oldest human remains ever found. There was a lot of history on Ethiopia and I really enjoyed it. I know it got a little long winded at the end for the girls but it was still pretty cool. There wasn't much time after to wander the rest of it but the kids still had fun. Whenever we go we make sure to go to the butterfly house. I love the warmth, the light and the butterflies all around. Fi could've cared less about the butterflies but it was fun for me.
It was nice just to spend some time together. Family outings are fun, we just need to do them more. Now that the weather is clearing up a bit I may look into some day hikes and such. Maybe we'll head to the falls or the coast soon. Even a good hiking trail to the mountains would be great. I should keep an eye out for some kayaks. I think the girls would like that.

Blessed

I've been thinking lately that Doug being laid off is a blessing in disguise.
We have our expenses handled until about May. While we won't be living extravagantly in that time, we will be comfortable. We are still going to California at the end of the month and are planning at least one day/weekend trip with the girls before they go to Wisconsin for the summer (there will be tulips this year!).
I've convinced Doug that he needs to go back to school and finish his degree. He was so close to being finished when we met. But, the whirlwind that was the beginning of our relationship had him sidetracked. From single, to living together, to fancy wedding, honeymoon, and baby all in under two years is a lot! He says getting sidetracked from school was worth it. Now it's time for him to finish. Since his school is self paced he could finish in a relatively short amount of time. It means more student loans. In the end he will increase his yearly salary more than we could borrow. I'm proud of him for making the commitment.It's also been nice having him home with me during the day. He has been a wonderful help with Fiona. This time that they are spending together is precious time that he'll cherish. He's getting to see so much more with her and enjoy this fleeting time. She is getting bigger every day and there are just some things that you miss when you're working away from home. I think they're relationship will be stronger for it. I know it is making him a better dad. He is more in tune with her moods and knows her cries. He knows what she wants and how to make her happy. That is a marvelous feat in itself. Being the only man in a house with five women it is a grand accomplishment to be able to make at least one of them happy at a time! (Everyone has accepted that the next one will be a girl too right?)
Because Doug has been home he has been able to get Allie back on track and give her the individual attention that she needed. We've had two weeks without a single missing or late assignment! I am so proud of her and I believe it is because of the time that Doug spent coming up with what has worked. I was at my wits end and didn't know how to get through to her. One full day of exercise and chores and a new way to do things helped put her on track. She will need us to continue to check on her every day for the rest of the year, but I think we are definitely building the foundation for success from here on out.




Friday was Jane's Valentine's Day party at school and Doug was able to be there with her and help out. She said it was a lot more fun since she had someone there with her. Not only did we bring something, he was THERE! It's great for him to have that time and I know he enjoyed it.
While we didn't initially think of his lay off as a good thing, it is turning out to be that way.

Fiona's Baptism

Fiona's baptism was Sunday. It was so nice to see those of you that were able to make it. Thank you for all of the blessings and prayers that everyone sent. They were just beautiful. It is so wonderful to know that this little girl is so very loved by her family and has such a fantastic support system already. A good community of friends is just as important for a child as her parents.

First Pictures for February

Doug is finally learning not to move when I pick up my camera. It's not always easy to catch these moments but it's great when you can. I absolutely LOVE my camera. It's one of the most expensive things I've ever bought for myself but I'm glad I did it. I wish I had more time to get in the technical side but for now I'll be content with catching shots like these.