Low tides

We have been very busy bees lately. Not crazy busy, but fun busy. I've found that with Steve not getting any days off this summer, and with our lack of "regular" activities of the school year (Bible study, MOPS, etc.), it really helps to get out of the house on an almost daily basis. Even if it's just a quick trip to the library or an hour at the park. Anyway, we are currently having some of the lowest tides of the year around here, so last week I packed up the kids to join some of our friends at Titlow Beach, where we did some exploring. Despite wearing the wrong shoes and forgetting how heavy Jayna feels after an hour of carrying her, we had fun! The crabs, starfish, and plethora of rocks were the highlights for Travis.

Happy Birthday, Travis!

I am feeling motherly guilt that I didn't get this posted in June, but oh well. Travis' birthday is June 29th, and we had a little birthday party for him on Saturday. He loved it! Travis has many loves, one of them being baseball, so we went with that theme. We invited his Bible study friends (clarification: not friends he does Bible study with...friends whose parents do Bible study together:) along with cousin Ethan and good friend Jenisa, and I think just being able to be with his little friends would have been fun enough. But we did throw in a little game, craft, and of course, presents. Highlights:
Travis and his pals, after they all decorated foam baseball caps. This is one of those pictures that we'll look back at 10 years from now and be amazed at how much they will have grown!

Thanks to "Miss Ladeliz" for the cool baseball cake and cupcakes!

"Pin the Ball on the Field"....so I'm not the most creative person when it comes to thinking of games...but the kids enjoyed it!

Jayna soakin' up the sun. I was thankful for the nice weather, as it would have been way too crowded if we'd been confined to the house.

Travis at 3 years old:

Travis is....so many things. He is as social as ever. When we're outside and he sees someone 3 blocks down the street...not anyone he knows, mind you...he waves and yells "hi!". Then he'll keep yelling it until the person acknowledges him. :) I do love the fact that Travis loves people, and he seems absolutely blind to all differences in race, age, gender, number of tattoos, disabilities...he greets and accepts people without thinking twice. The rest of the world could learn a lesson from him! Let's see...Travis is strong-willed with a capital S. I will be perfectly honest and tell you that he can be reeeaaaly difficult sometimes. As in, every day, many times a day. I pray, pray, pray that it is simply the age he is at and not an indicator that he is going to be a button-pusher and limit-tester for the rest of his life!

Travis currently has a love-hate relationship with Jayna. If he even sees her gazing at one of his toys from afar, he steps in instantly, in a "don't even think about it" kind of way. And he loves to be the boss over her. It can be exhausting. On the other hand, when we're riding in the car and Jayna starts to cry, he'll say "It's okay, Jayna Bee, almost home", in a high-pitched voice meant to comfort her. And he always wants to know where she is at and that she's okay.

He's turning out to be tall and skinny like his dad, and most people say he still looks like Steve. And he's still got the deep dimple in his right cheek that we noticed the hour he was born.

Some of his favorites: being outside (especially walks, going to the park), chocolate milk, books, watching movies (Toy Story's his fave right now), Super Why, yogurt, bubbles, games on the Sesame Street website, the zoo and animals in general, airplanes, baseball, singing songs, and daddy.

Travis,

You've had this idea in your head for the last couple of months that you wouldn't be "big" until you turned 3, and that magically, on that day, you would then be a big boy. Well, you made it! You are my big boy. You teach us way more than even we realize...lessons in acceptance, joy in the simple things, never holding a grudge...not to mention that you have built up your dad's and my patience levels like nothing else ever could! And even on days when you choose to be difficult, you make us laugh so easily. We take great joy in you and love you more than words could say!

Cousins

Travis and Ethan ready for a ride in the bike trailer. I love this picture!

Happy birthday, Jayna!

Yesterday our baby turned 1! As I was putting her to bed last night I thought back to the night she was born and what it felt like to hold her in my arms for the first time. I remember her birth so vividly, and in some ways wish I could go back and experience it again. Though I will certainly admit that it is so fun to watch her grow into her own little person!

Festivities for Jayna's birthday included a party on Saturday and a mini-party on her actual birthday. On Saturday we had some family in town (including my sisters who ran the Sound to Narrows run with me), so we decided to make a party out of it. After the run, we all went to the zoo, and then came home for a BBQ/birthday party. Thank you to Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Melanie, Uncle Eric, Ethan, Aunt Bonnie, Great-G & G Schwartz, and G & G Butts for helping us celebrate our little girl!

I'll post more 1-year pictures later, but these will do for now.







Jayna at the beginning and then end of our trip to the zoo.

At one year old, Jayna is 23 lbs. 11oz., and 29 1/4 inches. She's finally down to "average" size...70th percentile in height and weight. She most definitely has blue eyes, and as you can see, enough hair that I could braid it if I wanted. She sleeps 11-12 hours at night and takes 2 naps a day...I've lucked out so far with great sleepers! We have a "nigh-night" song we sing to the kids at bedtime, and she'll actually start singing it herself, which is often an indicator that she's ready for bed. She is an avid explorer, very cuddly, and has a very sweet demeanor, though I am starting to see that she can be a fighter when she wants to be (like when Travis won't leave her alone!). She is quite the talker...her current repertoire of words include: mama, dada, hi, kitty (ditty), night (niiii), and Jayna (nanna), and she has babbling down to an art. She doesn't mind being held by most people, but she definitely prefers Steve or me. And she thinks Ziggy, our cat, is the funniest creature ever, even when all Ziggy does is walk past her. Favorite foods include string cheese, pb sandwiches, bananas, graham crackers, ravioli, yogurt, and almost any fruit.

Happy birthday, sweet girl! You are beautiful in every way, you bring so much joy to our lives, and we thank God for you daily!

To the dads in our lives

Happy Father's Day!!

Grandpa Schwartz (or Great-grandpa):
My childhood memories of my time spent with you are some of my absolute fondest. And to this day, I look forward to every minute that we get to spend with you and Grandma. I love you both so much and can't imagine my world without you.

Gary (Grandpa Butts):
Thank you for always being supportive of Steve in all that he pursues...I know that means so much to him. Thank you, too, for being such a fun grandpa to the kids. I love to see Travis light up when he plays with you, and I know it will be the same with Jayna as she gets older. And thank you for always treating me as one of your own!

Dad (Grandpa Schwartz):
Even though I am a "grown woman", I still quite often find myself just wanting a hug from my dad. Somehow, there is nothing like it. I miss you, and I pray that life will soon allow us to be together more often (read: move back up to Western WA, pretty please?!). You really ARE a great dad...you make me laugh ridiculously easily, you inspire, and you love me deeply, I know. I love you so much.

Steve (Daddy):
I could not ask for a better dad for our kids. You change the poopy diapers, you play with the kids for hours at a time, you take great joy in them, you know their needs, tendencies, and favorites (many dads do not), you provide for them....I could go on and on. You really are amazing. As difficult as parenting can sometimes be, I am SO blessed and thankful to be a parent alongside you. I love you!

A Thousand Splendid Suns

My dear friend Kara recommended this book on her blog awhile back, and I just finished it at 2:00am Sunday morning. It is a book that every one of you should read, and easily one of the top 3 books I have ever read. Here's the synopsis from Hosseini's website:

"A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them. Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love—a stunning accomplishment."

Not only did I learn so much about all that has happened and is happening in Afghanistan over the last 30 years, but this book put all of that into human terms and gave powerful insight into what it means to live in Afghanistan, and even more so, what it means to be a woman in this country. I don't think that I can really give it justice with my words, so I'll just tell you to read it. And prepare to cry. I was literally sobbing through the last few chapters. And I'm still processing it all.

His first book, The Kite Runner, is next on my list!

So that you don't stop checking our blog...

Our poor blog...I've been neglecting it. I guess I just haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately...that, and it has kind of been "life as usual" around here. Anyway, for those of you who check our blog simply for your Travis and Jayna fix, here are a couple of videos you might enjoy. I'm not sure what this indicates, but both kids love the camera. Okay, especially Travis. As I watched the video of him, I noticed that one might think that we staged it, but we really didn't, he just gets all mesmerized and obedient at the prospect of being on camera. His video reflects his newest obsession with Toy Story ("to infinity and beyond!"...in a really weird voice that he only uses when he says this phrase) and his latest discovery on what happens when you drink a lot of water (if you listen closely you can hear it). Jayna is on the verge of walking, and every time we let her walk with the push-toy she giggles like she's so proud of herself. She loves to wave, but when she does it looks like she's waving at herself. And she loves to imitate noises and faces, which you'll see. Our sweet kids sure know how to make us smile!