Never Too Young to Start

How many other 2-year-olds have their own 7ft 3 weight Saint Croix rod with Lamson LP1 reel?

5 Years & 2 Kids Later....

It's so hard to believe how fast 5 years can go by! Ben and I have had some good, bad, happy, sad, miraculous, devastating, breathtaking, overwhelming, laughable, hectic, crazy moments throughout! It hasn't always been easy or stress-free. But there is no one else I'd want to go through it all with!

Here's just a little bit of our history, in pictures!

2003:
We met in January via the telephone. I was going to school in Idaho (of all places!) and he was living and going to school in Utah. He called my roommate, I answered the phone, and the rest is history! Long story, short... We worked the long distance thing quite well!

Ben came out to Boston in October to ask my dad if he could marry me. We're traditional like that!

2004:
Wedding planning. Need I say more?

21 May 2004
It was such a perfect day!

In retrospect I would have changed only 2 things:
1. Wore heals like everyone else...instead of flip flops!

2. Rented the prettier chairs for the reception!

But everything was perfect!!

2005:

I couldn't find any pictures of us in 2005!! It was a crazy year though! Ben switched his major from biology/pre-med to aviation. We were both really busy with work and school. There was a trip to Yellowstone, but we forgot our camera... and my makeup! Oh well.

2006:
An even crazier year! I switched jobs twice. Ben was really busy trying to finish school as quickly and efficiently as possible.

(21 May 2006)
We started off our third year of marriage with another trip to Yellowstone.
Then in August we were "surprised" with the news that our little family was going to be expanding in April, 2007!

(19 weeks)

In November we found out that this new addition was a GIRL!!

2007:
The majority of 2007 was spent preparing for and adjusting to having a baby.

Jocelyn Michelle was born on April 6th at 9:46 am! She tipped the scales, weighing in at 8 lbs, 11 oz (& 21.5 inches long)! Yeah, a c-section was definitely the best choice!


2008:
After exactly one conversation in February, we agreed to purposely add to our current family of three (not thinking our efforts would be rewarded right away). Ha! On the 9th of March we found out that we'd be having another baby in November.

After a trip to see family in Boston, we found out that we were having another sweet little girl!

Sophia Leigh arrived 12 days early, on November 5th at 6:03 pm. She was quite a bit smaller, weighing 7 lbs, 9 oz (& only 19 inches long).


2009:
Thus far, we have celebrated Jocee's 2nd birthday. Sophie is growing like a weed. Ben works a lot (and loves what he does). And I get to hang out with the littles all day!

We love our girls and we love each other!
The end.

Ps.. For pictures taken in 2009, just read our previous posts! Re-posting the same pictures just seemed redundant.

Sophie's First Cereal

I started Sophie on solids today! She had her first bowl of rice cereal and handled it like a pro! I originally wanted to wait until her 6 month well-check visit, tomorrow. However, we started noticing that she had a somewhat insatiable appetite over the weekend. After waking up with her 2 times last night, I decided that today was the day.

We are constantly reminded of how different both of our girls are. Sophie was so calm and patient. She actually kept a lot of it down. She was really good about taking bites, although she didn't seem to like it very much.

Ben went to work extra early today, so I had to take pictures by myself. Jocee insisted on trying the cereal, too! She said, "It's good. I yike it!" So I let her have what Sophie didn't finish.

(I decided she was done at this point.)


Just for fun!
Jocee's first solids....
11 Oct 2007



The pictures alone show their personality differences.
I love my girls!!

Savoring the Moments

There are days when I feel like, despite my best efforts, I just can't succeed. The house can't (or won't) get clean enough. The temper tantrums and "time-outs" seem much too frequent. Requests seem infinite. The 24 hours of time I thought I had gets grossly mismanaged and passes too quickly. These days usually end with grilled cheese or spaghetti on the table solidifying a slight feeling of overall guilt.

Over this last week or so, I've had too many of those days. While they haven't all ended with mediocre entrees, I haven't been able to escape that overwhelmed feeling.

My sweet Little Miss can be compared to a tornado, leaving a trail of chaos in her wake. I know I've mentioned that she has been using her training potty as a stepping stool (and never for it's intended purpose). Ha! Absolutely nothing is safe. There's not a counter top out of reach, or shelf too high!

(This photo makes us both laugh. It's Jocee to a TEE!)

If I refuse a request, she will find her own way. She is tenacious when she puts her mind to something. Her resourcefulness amazes me!

(Pink princess toothpaste. I did get it all out of the carpet, and her hair. Yay.)

But how could I ever get angry at that lovable face!??

Then there's Sophie. Sweet little Sophie!

Between Jocee's demands and temper tantrums, sometimes I worry that she's not getting enough of my attention. She's so mellow and easy to please. I never ever want her to feel neglected or over-shadowed. So, on days when Jocee is extra needy, I always try to include Sophie and give her some extra attention, too.

I want things to be as equal for both of them as possible. I feel like everyday is a juggling act. Why can't I always keep everything perfectly balanced? There are mothers with more children or with full time jobs who all seem to handle things with much more grace. I really do have a tendency to concern myself with trivial things that really don't matter.

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Luckily, there is always something that snaps me back into reality. Today we gave our baby swing to friends who are about to have their first baby. (We are so excited for them! It's a boy!) And that's when it all hit me.

Just a moment ago, Jocee was playing in that swing. It feels like we brought her home from the hospital just a few days ago. Exactly 19 short months later, Sophie joined us too. And now that little newborn is an almost crawling 6 month old. It has all seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

(Jocee, 2 months old)

(Jocee, just last week)

So I'm making a choice. I am choosing to savor every fleeting moment. I refuse to fall into the trap of thinking there will always be time to spend with them, later (like after the laundry is folded, or floor mopped). They will only be little for such a short time. Jocee will only ask me to sing and dance with her so many times before she realizes that I'm terrible at both. Sophie is growing equally as fast and will be walking and talking before I can blink again. From this point on, I will savor every fleeting moment.

Jocee Being, Jocee

We love our Little Miss!

Sophie is 6 Months Old!

Since so many of my posts last month were all about Jocee and her birthday, I have decided it's time to focus just on Sophie.

It's so hard to believe that Sophie was born six months ago, today! She is so different from her big sister. She has so many adorable and unique qualities. We love her so much and are all so happy that she is a part of our family. Here are some of the things that we LOVE about her...

• She is such a happy baby! Eye contact is usually all it takes to get her smiling.
• She is content almost all the time. (She gets fussy only when she's tired.)
• She is NOT nearly as dramatic as her big sister was! (Yay!)
  
• She is extremely vocal! She squawks all the time.
• She loves her crib! She gets so excited for naps and bedtime.
• She is an amazing sleeper! She's been sleeping 7pm-7am, every night since about 6 weeks old.
  
• She is always so excited when we get her from her crib.
• She barely ever cries.
  

• She loves giving and getting hugs, especially from Daddy!
  
• She is a total Daddy's Girl and is Ben's carbon copy. She's always happiest when she has some time with her daddy. (I used to take this personally, but it really is the sweetest thing to watch!)
  

• She loves being with her big sister!
• She loves sitting on Jocee's lap.
  
• Sophie is already trying to do things that Jocee does and loves hanging out with her!
• She has become very assertive, and will even try taking toys away from Jocee!
  

Sophie is such a sweet little girl! There are so many other things I could mention. We love every little thing about her! She has been the perfect addition to our family, and we can't imagine life without her!