First week of school filled with firsts!

August 23rd we welcomed a the start of new school year with the students.

So thankful we spent the past two weeks getting into a routine and working out the kinks so that our mornings run pretty smoothly.  Granted I know every morning won't be easy, but it was still nice to have a relaxing morning for the first day of school.

The Mister celebrated 21 weeks of life and it was time to start introducing solids other than cereal. 

 

Leinna LOVED green beans, so let's see if that's what Lukkas is going to like...

Are you sure about this momma?

Hmmm...

Okay - I'll try some more...

The verdict - was NO!   

Ha, ha, ha....  We did try bananas and he really liked those.  Tonight I tried the green beans again mixed with his rice cereal and he did great.  I can already tell this little mister is going to be eating me out of the house!

Mister also decided to show off his new talent of sitting by himself. He is so proud of himself when he can push his hands off the floor and sit so tall! Too bad it only lasts about 5 seconds before he either flops forward or on his side.  When he does get upright- Leinna just giggles looking at him. It warms my heart. 

I have a very challenging school year ahead and I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family to come home to each night. 

 

The Last Days of Summer

  The cooler night air and the smell of new school supplies (yep, I'm a school nerd!) reminds me that we are in the last days of summer.  We've been blessed in our remote little town with some beautiful sunny days to end our summer season.  It hasn't been much of a summer, but these last few days of sunshine remind us all why we live where we do.

With school starting officially on Monday, I've been busy getting my classroom ready. It promises to be a challenging year, but my mottoes are: One day at a time!  and The only person you have any control over is yourself!   I think as the year gets going I may also take Lukkas's advice and...

when I'm feeling overwhelmed or exhausted, just curl up on the bean bag in my school closet and take a nap! 

While Papa has been back to work for almost a month already, I've been in and out of the classroom until this past week.  Both Leinna and Lukkas returned to full time day care. Trust me, I'm a much better Momma for going to my classroom a week early than I would be keeping my kids home and stressing about all that I need to get done.  I'm so thankful for our Ms. Sarah and the wonderful job she does.  Mister Lukkas as transitioned very well to day care and Leinna seems to enjoy having her brother there.   The best part about my kiddos being at day care, is there smiling happy faces when we get home!

With these sunny last days of summer, we've been enjoying every evening moment we can. Even though being tired for working all day, we eat dinner and then outdoors we go!

Leinna's been learning the fine art of berry picking!  She's a regular pro now :-) 

Lukkas has been patiently watching his sister have fun at the park, in hopes that one day he will figure out how to enjoy the play equipment too!

Now for those of you with a fear of blood or spiders, you may want to stop reading.

We've also had a "Not so Itsy Bitsy Spider" catching flies at the house...

And a minor injury to Momma's thumb...

Yep- was slicing a bun open for dinner, told myself 'be careful so you don't cut yourself' and sure enough - slip and sliced my thumb.  It was pretty tender for a few days. I never realized how much I use my left hand thumb until this.  As I was nursing my injury I kept telling myself, imagine what my students go through everyday with their disabilities and how there isn't a "cure" for them. They must learn how to advocate and adapt to the world around them.  I'm so blessed to work with such a unique population of students and I hope to remember this all as we end our summer days and begin the new school year.

Oh... can't forget to show off Mister Lukkas another week older...

20 weeks!

An update on the kiddos

Mr. Lukkas at 19 weeks sporting one of his many smiles. He sure is a happy baby.

He's recently started to enjoy the game of Peek-A-Boo - and I just love watching Leinna play with him. It's so adorable. 

We are also hitting the stage of drool and everything goes into the mouth! 

Getting to be such a big boy, when the bottle is close to the end, he likes to hold it all by himself.

 Leinna's new favorite game is to climb up the back of Papa and then...

Ugh... jumping onto his back. We've only had one injury so far, when she slipped and busted her lip open. After a few tears, she was right back to climbing on Papa.  Such a tough girl.

Yes, this bucket is full of water - after less than 36 hour rain storm- it was over flowing! 

Gotta love living in a coastal rain forest!

Being childlike

I recently listened to a great sermon from Pastor Jim Roberts of Solid Rock Church in Spearfish, South Dakota (got to love technology!) His sermon was about being childlike in the way we live out our faith. Children are so loving, trusting and enjoy life by doing the simplest things. So, in an effort to be more childlike, I've been focusing on looking for the little things in life that make me smile...

For example, this amazing dahlia from my mother-in-law's garden. I must have taken over 20 pictures of the flower while learning what all the setting on my camera would do for the image. Then, I decided to snap the above photo with the camera on my phone and it is by far the best image that captured how beautiful this flower is. I hope to remember that with all the technology surrounding me, the simplest tools may work better than the high tech.

Another example, is taking a look at Mister Lukkas's smiling face! One would never know that he had is 4 month shots only 2 hours before. (All is well with both children!)  I love this about children, they can experience something so painful and within minutes they are back to being all smiles. So much to learn from this- especially as we face troubles in our everyday lives. Let's take a deep breath and maybe even a nap and things will look so much better.

Busted! Leinna is way too big to sit in the exer-saucer toy, but who am I to stop her from enjoying a toy. Lesson to be learned- take time to enjoy your day - whether its a few minutes reading a good book, knitting, playing games, whatever- make time for something fun!

Lukkas certainly enjoys the toy!

Learn something new! Lukkas learned to roll from his back to his stomach this week. I'm not too sure I'm ready to have two mobile children, but it sure is fun to watch Lukkas's face when he finishes rolling over- he's so proud of himself!  Give yourself a pat on the back and be proud of completing a task or learning something new.

I was certainly proud of myself for competing in our local Salmon Run. A dear friend invited me to walk a 10k (6miles) with her. We figured we can walk 3 miles in 45 minutes so our goal was to complete the walk in under 2 hours.  Well, 1 hour and 36 minutes later, we crossed the finish line! Great conversation sure made the time pass quickly, but I was also proud that we met our goal!

Let's also remember to take time to rest and at the end of the day...

(Can you see the two rainbows on either side of the sun?)

enjoy the beauty of all that surrounds you - focus on the positive as you go to sleep and let go of the negative.  Easier said then done sometimes, but as I begin this new school year and juggle life with two young children, I'm going to do my best to follow these lessons and live child-like in my faith.