September 15, 2008
There and back again
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August 14, 2008
Other memoirs from our time with "Aunt" Jess
Thanks to Aunt Jess...
Ian sticks his tongue out.
Elanor waves bye-bye.
They both (sort of) give us five.
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August 11, 2008
Fun with dad and "Aunt" Jessica
A few more pictures from last week...
They loved sitting in grandpap's lap.
Jessica made the kids laugh soooo hard! They would just squeal with laughter.
Everyone's smiling!
Tired after a long day...
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August 3, 2008
Peek-
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July 25, 2008
Vacation: The Kids
Tim and Joanna: This past week, we spent a little mini-vacation with the grandparents at Tybee Island with little jaunts into Savannah.
The first morning before breakfast we took the kids down to the beach for a taste of the old briny. Elanor liked playing with the sand but Ian was a bit skeptical of the whole ocean thing. "What is this grey watery stuff and why is there so much of it and why am I in it?" They would grab some sand in their hands and stare at it as if they were thinking "what...the...heck...is...THIS...stuff??" Ian remained somewhat wary of the ocean for the rest of the visit.
Tim was sympathetic--considering all of the unknowns in the ocean, a healthy skepticism was not an inappropriate reaction on the part of our little guy. Between the sun, the sand, and pondering the incomprehensible forces of nature, Ian soon tired himself out.
They loved their beach toys. Even though they had no conception of their proper functions, the brilliant colors and unusual shapes amused them.
Elanor loved the water in every shape and form. The pool was her favorite, though. She would laugh, cackle and shriek for joy as she kicked in her little floaty. She also loved looking at water, especially if it had bright little fishies swimming around in it.
We buried the twins in the sand up to the waists and they didn't seem to mind, as long as we kept the waves from creeping up on them. They took a few tastes of sand and found that it didn't sit well on the palate.
The apartment was equipped with a double sink that was just their size. Some days they seemed to have more fun getting the sand and gunk off of them as they had had putting it on themselves.
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Family portrait
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July 5, 2008
More 4th Fun!
Elanor wore a festive bow (her first).
Ian found his favorite perch--an uncle's head!
Their cousin gave them dolls. Actually, these three look like little dolls all in a row.
Ian loved his boy dolly.
Maybe later I'll post some outtakes!
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July 3, 2008
Happy Fourth!
Yeah, yeah, I know it's the third.
But it's our fourth!
Four years ago today, we were at a big party.
For a brief moment, our communities collided, our past and present, friends and family, childhood, schools, churches, the North and the South.
It feels like this tangle of communities is a huge part of what marriage is about. My friends are his friends. His family is my family.
And then our communities literally collided in the festive mosh pit otherwise known as the Slovakian Bridal Dance.
This year, we've learned to know each other as parents. Though we had a couple of wiggly but self-contained sweet potatoes this time last year, this year we've had to wrestle with the realities and responsibilities of parenthood.
It's been hard at times, but it's also helped us to get to know each other at a deeper level, to work together as a team, and to realize more and more how dependent we are on God for getting through each and every day.
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June 30, 2008
discipline
Ian's new skills have brought us into new realms of parenting. He can get into everything. Sometimes what he is trying to do is amazing, his combination of physical strength and problem-solving skills are mind-boggling at times. Sometimes, it's a day full of moving him across the living room away from the "no," and having to repeat that process ad nauseum. Elanor doesn't get as many no's because she's not nearly as mobile, and in general she can be redirected more quickly than he can.
So far, we've only set up a very limited number of no's, some of them of a more serious nature than others: don't touch the DVD player, don't turn over the living room table, don't pull your sister (or brother's--we've realized Elanor can be the silent but deadly instigator here) hair.
Jonathan's post really made me think through some thoughts that have been bubbling through my mind lately.
With pregnancy, there are variations, but most of the advice can apply to most pregnancies. Don't drink, smoke, etc., eat well, and so on.
When it comes to parenting advice, especially in regards to discipline, advice runs the gamut. From people we know in real life, to blogs I've visited, to parenting experts, there are so many conflicting voices. Plus some of the books by experts subtitle their works to indicate that this (and only this?) is parenting "God's way." Some say that you should "always" discipline this way. Others say you should "never" use this technique. And sometimes I feel like we're fumbling our way through the always and nevers trying to find what's best for our family.
The thing is, though, every parent is different, every child is different. Though there are principles that can be applied across the board, I don't think there will ever be one system that fits everyone into it. Already, we're seeing that Ian and Elanor have very different personalities, and that we'll have to handle them in different ways. It's hard, even when tone of voice and redirection are the main discipline tools we're using right now. It's trying to find the right tone of voice that shows I'm serious (no, this is not a game!) without breaking his heart. There are certain tones of voice I use that just crush his little spirit. I want an obedient child, not a squished one!
I really like this. About how it's too easy to idolize having the perfect family, and putting that in the place of Christ's work.
I also appreciate those who remind that the goal of discipline is part of discipleship. Not that punishment won't eventually be part of that, still thinking through all of that, but that discipling and training our kids is the focus, rather than punishing them.
And our old pastor's reminders that believing in the covenant, we have no place treating our kids as "vipers in diapers." He also said, right before our children were baptized, that apologizing to our kids when we make mistakes is one of the most powerful discipline tools we have, and that it's best to get a behavior to change using the gentlest means possible to accomplish that change--anything else is overkill.
And after a discouraging days of no's and redirecting, when I was greatly longing for immobile babies, I appreciated Tim's reminder that Ian's mad skillz aren't things to be discouraged about, they're things to rejoice in. He's growing up!
And, the other day, after telling him "no" as he crawled ever closer to the DVD player, he stopped, looked me in the eye, and turned around. I was astonished--he had a choice, and he used his will to make the right choice.
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June 22, 2008
Cousins!
Recently, our kids got to meet their cousin Andrew and their dear aunt.
Ian loved snuggles with his Aunty.
The kids had lots of play time with their cousin. They played together on the floor. In the pool. On grandpa's lap. And so on.
This one pacifier got passed around to all three kids.
Spit-cousins instead of blood-brothers?
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Saturday in the park
Yesterday, we took the kids to a little local park.
Among our recent realizations as parents is that many of our activities are going to revolve around our kids' activities from now on. I know, pretty obvious. But going to the park and watching the geese hasn't been on our top to-do-list in the recent past. But now, it's one of the fun perks of parenting. Anyways.
While we were at the park, we took the inevitable two-in-one-swing pictures. A twin forum Joanna is on had a whole series of these pictures awhile ago, and we're just now catching up. Enjoy!
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June 15, 2008
Happy First Father's Day!
The kids are blessed to have two fun grandfathers,
One great-grandfather,
And a daddy who adores them!
A daddy...
-who wouldn't ever miss a play time with them
-who can't keep his hands off of them in the morning before he leaves for work (because he's missed them so much overnight), even if they're still sleeping
-who has changed at least as many dirty diapers as mommy
-who got up with them almost every night until they started sleeping through the night
-who makes them smile and laugh just by walking into the room or saying hi
-who prays for them each day
Happy First Father's Day, Tim!!!
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May 23, 2008
Pittsburgh Trip: Lots of family!
Getting into mischief with grandpa...playing with cousin Jessica...fun with Aunt Kim...reading with Aunt Martha...twins with twins...snuggling with Great-Grandma...and the list goes on.
Even though we couldn't fit everyone's picture here, the kids loved spending time with *all* of you!
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April 2, 2008
Grabbing grandpa's beard
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February 13, 2008
Happy bday from twins & daddy
So....I got my first birthday present from the twins. They picked it out. Really. Look how exhausted they are from shopping.
Their daddy has been busy. He planned out a whole week of birthday surprises. More importantly, he kept these surprises secret, which is quite unusual for him. He's usually too transparent for subterfuge.
On Saturday, my childhood best friend and my cousin Melissa made a surprise appearance. Jennifer brought me candy in quantities of 30 each (I had forgotten how fun pixie sticks were!), and Melissa brought me a purse full of fun Bath & Bodyworks stuff, as well as anti-aging cremes (haha). Elanor stole the purse.
On Monday, another pile of friends came to visit! Ruth made me a chocolate and apricot birthday cake--we share the same middle name and the same birthday.
Elanor found a new friend in Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn was part of the baby countdown last fall. Unfortunately, Elanor said something that Kaitlyn didn't like, and Kaitlyn burst into tears. However, it appears as though they patched it up in the end. I hope they have as much laughter over the years as I've had with her mother and all her wonderful aunts and uncles.
Apparently there are more surprises on the way, so I'll just have to wait...
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July 3, 2007
Three Years Ago
Three years and two sweet potatoes later....
...we're still having just as much fun. Actually, more! I never realized marriage would be so terrific--to have your best friend and best pal right there every day.
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June 2, 2007
'Way down south...
Weeeeeel....
It's official--we've now moved down to the sunny south! We drove down over the past few days, and a whole troop of teenagers helped us unload today. A whole troop of people helped us load up, too, on the other end. I don't know what we'd do without our church families.
I wanted to write some posts about my favorite things about Pittsburgh, but I miss it too much right now.
I'll write more when we get more settled.
Tim's reaction to southern culture, "Well, I like barbecue. That's about it." Hee! I think he's going to have some adventures adjusting to life down here.
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May 1, 2007
Soon their duet will become...
...a quartet!
Yo-de-lay-he-yo-de-lay-he-two!!!!
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April 23, 2007
pregnancy stuff
Well, the semester is almost over (hurrah!). And the trimester is about two-thirds of the way through (hurrah!).
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April 14, 2007
Where we parked today...
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August 15, 2006
Back from vacazione
Here's a preview of the triple shot of cuteness that deluged us on our family vacation. More later!
Little twinsies
And big brother, luxuriating in the local handcrafted furniture. "A high quality, one-of-a-kind piece" he ruminates, "but will it enhance my decor?"
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March 21, 2006
Hands full!
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