a new find

for those of you that live near the lakewood mall, have you visited the 'one dollar bookstore' that just opened up in march, located near joann's? i just went today to check it out and was pretty excited about the find. i am always on the lookout for inexpensive children's books cause even though we enjoy borrowing books from the library i think it's vital for kids to have books they can read again and again and again...without the worry of renewing. :)

ALL the books in the store are $1! they are not in top notch condition necessarily and you do need to sift through them since they are not displayed in a terribly organized fashion but for a buck i think it's worth it. they are displayed on shelves along the walls but they are not alphabetized by author or anything.

i took both kids with me this time but i think next time i'll leave them at home with papa so i can really enjoy searching. ever since i visited my parents in texas and was introduced to half price books i have been searching for something like here. i think this is the closest thing!

another month older

5 months today! our zoe girl continues to brighten our lives with her mesmerizing smile, adorable giggle and big, blueberry eyes. she is still working on cutting those two bottom teeth. she can sit on her own, only falling over every now and then. she has figured out how to lunge forward but showing frustration that she doesn't know how to truly crawl yet.
she isn't letting that get in her way though. the other day malachi left his sippy cup on the carpet near her. she figured out how to move close enough to grab it and decided she was thirsty. i found her sucking away on the straw. i'm not sure how much she got but she was enjoying it while it lasted.

all fours

a few days ago zoe figured out how to get up on her knees. she's doing some lunging and making great efforts to learn how to move forward. she is VERY good at going in the reverse. :) she spends most of the time rocking back and forth. she is also sitting briefly on her own and chewing on everything, mostly her fingers and toes.

who needs high tech toys

our boy is such a boy!

8 Years of Blessings

yesterday we celebrate our 8th anniversary. it has not always been easy, actually we have had some very challenging times but through it all god has sustained and blessed us! kurtis was able to take the day off work and we spent the entire day together as a family! with kurtis working quite a bit lately time together has been a rare thing so this was the best gift we could give one another.

after getting to sleep in a bit we woke up and got out the door by about 9. we drove into la and had breakfast at the pantry.

i had never been there and we figured it would be fun to enjoy some of the historical things that surround us in this city. after a yummy and indulgent breakfast we had to work off the calories so we did a hike to the hollywood sign.

we had brought our back pack for malachi but we have a stud of a son and he was able to complete the 3 mile round trip hike on his own! (kurtis only carried him for about a quarter mile)

we stopped at home for a quick shower and then went to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner, open sesame.

what a fabulous anniversary, spending it with each other and the 2 biggest blessings god has given us in the last 8 years. we had a lot of fun talking about all that we have experienced since august of 2000 and about hopes and dreams we have for the next 8 years. only god knows but we look forward what he has for us!

did my 2 year old just say that?

in the car the other day i noticed malachi holding zoe's hand. when i commented on how kind that was he said, "i hold zoe's hand otherwise she cries." otherwise? when did he learn that? probably when he learned the word "actually." what a fun time this is, watching malachi's vocabulary explode! :)

face painting...

...with yogurt!
this is what happens when
mom is distracted and i am left at the breakfast table
by myself.