May 2009 Update

MARY

So after reviewing our budget Jared told me that he could allow enough money for me to furnish and fix up one room in our house per year. This year I decided to do our living room. Now after almost 3 months of waiting, we are excited to finally have our living room couches! Our house is finally starting to feel more like a home. We planned on getting end tables and decorating the whole living room before Nathan came, but we'll have to wait since our AC broke and its replacement will have to take priority. In the meantime I'm trying to endure the heat despite my big pregnant belly. Nathan is kicking more and doing well according to his ultrasounds. I'm trying to finish his baby quilt and get the house organized and things ready for him to come. I am both nervous and excited about our new addition. Right now my hands are pretty full just taking care of our two girls, but hopefully things will be better once Jared changes jobs and can help out more at home.

JARED
On the 16th Jared celebrated his 29th birthday. We just had a quiet celebration with the girls at home with cake, ice cream, and presents (Abby was disappointed that we didn't have an Easter egg hunt like on her birthday). That evening we joined Jared's co-workers for picnic and volleyball by the river.

This picture is of Jared soaking wet after fixing our sprinklers. Obviously they are working now! When Jared isn't busy working, he enjoys our backyard. He finished putting up the girls' swing set and is now busy trying to get our garden in. We are hoping for a big harvest this fall!

ABBY
These pictures are of Abby doing her pirate princess dance. Abby still loves to dress up and has developed quite the imagination. He new favorite books are the Fancy Nancy books which are about a little red-headed girl that loves to dress up and use big words. Abby's new favorite word however is not very big. It's "ya." She says things like, "Ya want lotsa ice cream?" "How ya doing?" Abby is growing up, and goes between being fiercely independent and wanting us to baby her. She has stopped napping which makes her quite difficult at times, and Jared and I are starting to realize how much patience parenting really takes. She is looking forward to visiting grandparents and cousins and has already started packing her bags with all her treasures. We made a renewed potty training effort and Abby is doing much better now--usually no more than one accident a day. It helps that most of her friends are potty trained which serves as a good example and motivation for her. She has developed a friendship with a girl named Natalie that we met at story time. It is good for her to have a friend her age that she can learn to share and play with.

Here are Abby and Maddy reading. They both love to be read to, but are at different levels when it comes to books. I usually have to make them take turns while I switch off between reading a baby book to Maddy and a big girl book to Abby.

MADDY

Here is Maddy swinging. It is her new favorite activity. As soon as we go downstairs in the morning she bangs on the glass door and says, "swing, swing swing." Her other favorite activities include: coloring, reading, pre-school with Abby, and watching Signing Time. She is signing and saying more words as well as starting to put words together. She says "dad home" when she wants her daddy and "no nap" when she doesn't want to sleep. Maddy remembers grandma and grandpa from their visit and likes to talk to them on the phone. She brings me a phone or puts her hand to her ear and says, "talk grandpa." Maddy just had her 18 month checkup and is growing nicely. She still has a large head, but her height is finally catching up to it. She finally weighs enough for a forward facing car seat. She just started Nursery and loves it. We think it helps that Abby is in there with her so she has a familiar face. Maddy has a very sweet nature and we enjoy her happy smiles.