Happy First Birthday, Jo!

Little Joanna is one year old! She is jabbering and toddling around the house, tearing apart every (EVERY) effort I make to keep it clean, putting her big sister on constant guard of her possessions, and somehow keeping us grinning through the process. You can't help but smile when Jo's in the room, she's been a bright addition to our family.

She loves playing in her sandbox, dancing to music, and splashing in the water during bath time. She loves kicking back in her stroller for a relaxed, leisurely walk around the neighborhood. She shrieks with excitement when she spots a dog or kitty outside. She loooves attention from strangers, she's quite the show-off. She loves being pushed in her buggy car outside by her sister. She loves cuddles from mommy, tickles from daddy, and playtime with June. But, more than anything, she. loves. her. bunny.

Jo could walk out the front door tomorrow and head down the street without me, her daddy, or June and not even notice, so long as bunny is by her side. I go to get her from her room in the morning and she's holding bunny out to me as if I'm expected to say 'good morning' and acknowledge bunny before I lift Jo from the crib. Bunny goes with us on walks, to the mall, down the slide and in the swing at the park. He sits next to us during Sunday school at church and frequents the grocery store each week, taking a front seat in the shopping cart. Bunny is a regular member of the family. He doesn't leave the toilet seat up or require diapers, so I don't mind.

Jo has a mischievous little smile, which is only fitting as she was born on the 1st: April Fools Day. Her pranks started early, day one to be exact. She fooled the nurses and doctor at the hospital by coming hours earlier than expected. With little time to prepare, she shot right outta her mama who had originally anticipated a little relief from drugs. Ahem. I didn't think that was one of her funnier moments.
She likes to swipe things from her sister because she knows she'll get a rise...and June never disappoints. But Jo is also a tender little soul. She loves cuddles, she loves being with her sister, and she loves to share bright, blue-eyed smiles with everyone she meets. She's a happy little girl, full of energy, love, and a sweet gentleness. We feel so blessed to have her as part of our family.

We had a wonderful time celebrating Jo on her birthday a few weeks back. 

Here are some highlights from the day:

We started the day off right with a crib full of balloons.

She surprisingly seemed more excited about the bits of decor around the house - when she walked into the family room, she couldn't stop jabbering and staring at the balloons hanging above the fireplace.

The remainder of the day centered around everything fun and outdoors! Jo loves being outside, so we spoiled her with a new sandbox (courtesy of Grandma Shaw!). She spends so much time digging in the sand everyday. It's been a favorite activity around the house as of late.

We have a cute park near our house that has the perfect play area for toddlers. We made our way over after lunchtime to let the girls play. Jo loves to swing and recently learned how to go down the slide all by herself. She's always so proud of herself after the fact, and generally yells, "deh-det!" (did it!)

I found a cheap, used swing to hang in our tree out front. It was the perfect addition to her day!

And Grandma Miller sent a splash pad that the girls were so excited about. The afternoon was hot and the girls had a blast splashing in the water. It'll come in handy during the hot, California summer days!

And when did this girl get so big?!

We finished the day off with a gift from mommy and daddy...an indoor bouncer. We thought the girls would have instant fun on this thing.

Nope. They just sat there reading books and crawling around. Didn't really even try to jump. 

Lame-o's.

I've since hosted several play dates and the girls watched as other kiddos jumped like crazies on it. They've picked it up and love to jump - great way to get out energy during the day! 

It took some convincing, but it's now a hit.

Aaaand finally, birthday cupcakes for the one-yr-old.

This was her first cupcake ever. As if by instinct, girlfriend knew exactly what to do. 

She face-planted it.

We're crazy about this girl.

Happy birthday, sweet Jo! So glad you're part of the crew.

Jibber Jabber

Jo turned one a few weeks back (blog post to come) and it's fun to pinpoint the similarities and differences between her and June as she grows older and her personality becomes more pronounced. At this age, June wasn't on the move much, but she would jabber anyone and everyone's ear off. She loved to talk and talk and talk, talk, talk. Her favorite jabber word at this age was, "Deh-gah, deh-gah?!"

Jo, on the other hand, is a little tornado. She gave up crawling for walking just two weeks before her first birthday and never slows down. She loves rough and tumble playtime, and the talking has been a little bit more slow to come. However, the last month, her vocabulary has really started to develop. Her made up word of choice? "Boo-dah, boo-dah, booooo-dah!"

June generally expressed her "deh-gah?!" with an outstretched hand, palm turned up, as if she were asking you something or telling you something of the utmost importance. Jo just raises both hands like a wild thang and exclaims excitedly, "booo-dah!"

Yesterday I brought a newborn June home from the hospital and today I woke up with a boisterous one year old and a busy-body two year old at my heels. Where did the time go?! The days seem to be zipping past me in a blur that I can't slow down. We recently moved into a lovely new home, in a very family friendly town, and my girls have reached an age where they both play well. And I love it. Really. I'm tired much of the time and having two little girls so close in age, so young, and so dependent on their mama warrants the occasional fluster of tears. But especially in the past month since Jo has started walking and become a bit more independent, I've fallen so in love with our little family.

I love hearing Jo's pitter pattering little feet on our hardwood floors as she toddles
through the house and into my room in the morning with a bright, scrunchy-eyed smile on her face. I love getting June up in the morning and hearing her shout, "Hi Jo!!!!" the moment she spots her sister in the kitchen eating her breakfast. I love watching them discover a new park and excitedly navigate their way through the play equipment. I love standing next to June at the kitchen counter and walking her through the steps of making a ham sandwich as she stacks her bread with cheese and pickles and then proudly carries her creation to the table for lunch. I love hearing Jo say new words and phrases each week. This week's phrase is, "Did it!" pronounced, "Deh-d det!" I love hearing June belt out her favorite songs while laying in her crib after putting her down for a nap. We in fact just put her down for bedtime and she's next door to us singing, "Five Little Speckled Fwogs" at the top of her lungs. I love sitting outside in the evenings as we wait for Tim to get home from work, and the girls screaming, "Daddy daddy daddy!" the moment they spot his car. I love watching them run to him and give him a big hug, eager to talk to him about their day. I love our family walk on the greenbelt bordering our neighborhood each evening after dinner and listening to June jabber on about the cars passing in the distance, or the colors of the wildflowers we pass, or the duck floating in the pond. I love holding Jo's stuffed bunny out to her and watching her rush toward it and hug it tight with the sweetest exhale and the brightest smile on her face.

I could keep going like this. Our life is far from perfect, but today is one of those days where I just want to freeze time. I want my girls to stay in this stage forever. I want them to always be head-over-heels for their daddy. I want them to always beg me to hold them and tickle them. I want them to always sit in my lap and cuddle with me while I read them a book.

Today I took them to the mall and June begged me to take them on the carousel. I sat them both on a horse and stood in between them, supporting their backs. Then we hopped off and made our way to the indoor play area. We passed the Easter bunny on the way, taking pictures with kiddos dressed in their Easter best, and the girls were enthralled. They couldn't take their eyes off him. Then they climbed around on the play equipment that was swarmed with dozens of toddlers. And finally, we took a ride on the elevator to make our way back to the van and home for a nap. Each small venture we made at the mall today was so exciting to them. They were nothing but smiles while riding the horses up and down on the carousel, and I had a hard time convincing them to walk away from the lanky (and might I add, slightly creepy) Easter bunny. The play area that they had played at several times before today was just as exciting to them as the first time they visited. And the elevator ride was the icing on the cake for June. She had a small melt down as we were leaving the mall because she wanted to ride the "elligator" again. Anyway, my point with all of this? My girls are at a fun age where the world is exciting and fun and everyday brings new discoveries and surprises. And simply put, I love it.

Spring is on the Horizon!

It's a beautiful February day in Sacramento and we're currently taking full advantage of it. The last two months have been nothing but a succession of heavy rainstorms equating to cooped up kiddos and an antsy mama praying for a sun break. Today the sun is shining, the weather is pleasantly warm, and there's nothing but blue sky for miles around. June's busy stomping through our muddy backyard in her galoshes, picking up giant leaves and throwing them at Jo. Jo is watching her sister's every move, no doubt wishing she were able to tromp alongside her, but content to sit in her exer-saucer, bouncing and laughing at June's silly antics.

The past two weeks have been difficult. My chest has been tight with anxiety during every waking moment and nothing has seemed to alleviate that. My insomnia has kicked in full gear and I'm averaging 2-4 hours of sleep every night which makes for a tired, stick-in-the-mud mama the following day and only continues to trigger this cycle of anxiety.

But today the air is fresh. My girls are happy. And for the first time in a long time, the tightness in my chest has started to relax. My breathing is a little more slow, my mind has stopped racing, and I'm feeling so much contented peace watching my girls' faces light up from the uncomplicated joy found in sunshine and leaves.

I'm grateful for days like these.