Talking to Yahweh

If you know anything about Nathan and me, you know that our lives are centered around what we believe and our relationships with God. I've been trying to teach this to Milo as well, so we've started talking to Yahweh all the time.

At naptime, we tell him about our day - what we've done, what's made us happy or sad...

When Milo talks about our broken dining room chairs, we ask Yahweh for new ones.

When someone hurts themself, we pray for Yahweh to heal them. I think Milo's getting the message.

We had to turn Milo's bed back toward the wall so he can't get out. After countless naptimes and bedtimes where he would get out over and over again, it was too much. He would play, turn the light on, hide behind the chair... And Nate and I would get more and more frustrated every time. It really hurt his feelings when I finally turned it, though, especially because it all went down with him in the bed during an especially frustrating naptime (his being in the bed added dramatic effect). This was weeks ago, but apparently yesterday it really got to him. As we sat down to pray at naptime, he mentioned it...

"Yahweh, please help Mommy turn my bed back around. I got out of bed, I turn the light on, I was naughty and Mommy turn it around. Please help her turn it back around now."

Good to know he pays attention, right?

Tidbits

Overheard at my house:
Milo - "Hey Daddy. Let's go outside and squirt ours neighbors."
Nate - "No, sir. That is a bad idea from Mommy. It's inappropriate, and I'd better not catch you doing it."

And the Milo quote of the day?
"Mommy, sometimes babies not get patience."

My two kids

One of Milo's favorite things to do? Hold his baby sister... He climbs up into the recliner, holds his arms out, and asks me, "Pweese I hold baby Woosie?" There's no saying no to it.

Two happy campers

For your viewing pleasure...

Homemade Laundry Detergent

You know that every now and then (certainly not often enough) I like to give a little tutorial on my blog. Well, today's how-to comes to you from my own adventure into homemade laundry detergent. Now, before you think I'm too awesome (I know, there's the danger of that, right?), just know that this recipe actually came to me from my friend Emily, who is undoubtedly the coolest person I know. Not only did she pass this on, but she also convinced me to try sushi, so I hold her personally responsible for making me a better person.

So, homemade laundry detergent. First of all, your ingredients, all of which can be found in the laundry aisle at your local grocery store/Super Target/etc. Unless you're shopping at the Lufkin Walmart, and then you will be missing one ingredient, and several Walmart employees will wander around aimlessly pretending to help you but really just staring off into space and thinking, "Why does this crazy woman need Borax anyway?" And then you'll just head to Target, find it right off the bat, and wonder why you ever shop anywhere else. But I digress... Here's what you need.

One box BORAX

One box Washing Soda

One tub Oxy Clean (per Emily's suggestion, I purchased Sun brand instead)

Two bars Fels-Naptha (say WHAT?)

 Two bottles Purex Crystals (whatever scent you choose)

Okay, so you've got all your ingredients. First things first, grate up those bars of Fels-Naptha (seriously, what kind of name is that?). I used our cheese grater, and then it ended up looking like I had a massive amount of grated cheese. Make sure you tell your husband not to get too excited, that it's actually laundry soap in the making... And then think twice about using your cheese grater to grate laundry soap...

 Then grab your husband's giant camo bucket (or really, any large bucket, container, etc. - this one is a 5-gallon bucket and it ended up about halfway full, but made for much easier mixing since there was extra room) and mix all your ingredients together. Then get your husband to mix it up as well. Then snap that lid on extra tightly and congratulate yourself on having enough detergent for probably a year for under $30.

 

Were you wondering what your detergent would look like? Here's a little peek. Add 1/4 cup to your washer while running the water, let it fill up, then add your laundry and high-five yourself for being so frugal and having such lovely-smelling laundry.

 



Happy Laundering!

A little bit of everything

Okay, let me just show you all kinds of things at once... There's no telling when I'll have 2-5 minutes to myself again anytime soon.

Nate loves to get all cuddled up with both kiddos.

Oh Milo, what a cool dude. We spent a gorgeous afternoon last week playing outside because it was in the 80's. In Texas. In July. Totally unheard of.

This picture cracks me up for so many reasons - Number one, the classic Milo face. But if you look closer, you can see me squatting to take the picture on the left, and Nate giving the thumbs up on the right. Good times. Completely unplanned.

No explanation necessary.

More Daddy cuddle time. I think our kids might look like twins when Lucy gets older.

Milo and Lily having fun playing in Milo's room.

FINGERPAINTING!!!

The only child I've ever met who enjoys tummy time. Thank you, Lucy.

A peek

Sooooo busy, with this...

Peek at our newborn shoot

And so much Milo goodness to report when I have the chance. For now, I'll sleep while both little people do.

The best gift

Trying to clean the house, take care of the water that soaked Lucy's carpet when our air conditioner leaked (yeah, great timing with a newborn, right?), and get used to being here on my own with two kids. Wow, it takes some getting used to! Not in a bad way... Just in a "please, dear God, let them nap at the same time so I can at least get a 2-minute rinse off shower and a moment of sanity" way. But there are little moments that make everything so perfect. I have heard that the best gift you can give your child is a sibling. I don't know if Milo is convinced just yet, but he's doing pretty well.

Entertaining at tummy time

Both smiling

P's and Q's

Milo is a really polite little boy. We've got the "Yes, ma'am, no sir, please and thank you" bit down, and he nails it almost every time.

Last night Nate asked Milo a question, to which he responded with an emphatic, "NO!"

"No what?" Nate prompted.

"No WAY!" was Milo's response.

So it's a work in progress, right?

A bit of everything

WOW, having two is much busier than just having one. I'm not complaining at all - just stating a delightful fact that explains why I have barely updated at all and was all over the posting when Milo was first born.

So, Sabbath Campout. One of the best ideas Nate has ever had. We pulled all the couch cushions off, dragged Milo's mattress out to the living room, and set up the best movie-watching, popcorn-eating, stay-up-late fest with Milo. Then we all actually slept in the living room together (even Lucy, per Milo's request) as a family. Milo was beyond delighted and we all had a great time. It's going to have to be a tradition at least once a month at our house.

Also, let me just remind you that when you have a two-year old, you have to be careful what you say (we all know I've supposedly learned this the hard way). But something about childbirth really loosens the tongue for a while; then add breastfeeding on top of that and I find myself saying words that I would never normally use. Words like "nipple." And guess who jumped on that right away? Oh, that's right - my Milo. In fact, once he started saying it, he couldn't stop. Then he started pointing at random things like worms in books and saying, "That a nipple. Oh, Mommy, look - a nipple. Daddy, you see this nipple?" Thank goodness it was right before bed and he seemed to sleep it off...

Finally, does anyone know how to randomly just become independently wealthy? Because I'm loving having Nate home, and I'm already feeling a little sad that he goes back to work next week. Anyway, happy birthday, Grandma! Little Lucy Jane seems to have your eye shape already, which makes me so happy. I miss you!

Is this girl posing or what?

We let Milo pick our carrots, which incidentally turned out to be mini-sized.

Like her Mommy, Lucy usually has her mouth wide open.