march 5th

it's monday and i'm behind in my weekly update. nothing new about that :)

BUT, something very new is...

HAVEN STARTED SCHOOL! yes, yes we're fully aware it's the middle of the school year-- we're late bloomers, what can i say? ;)

 h started just in time for 'pajama day' -- each week the class learns a new letter. the 'p' week brought pajamas and pancakes, pink and purple paint, and as h calls them-- mashed potato chips.

here she is modeling her tinkerbell footy pj's with snow boots (*no snow in the state, but the only shoes that fit over her pj's)

 true's only pic this week...we'll make up for it next week!

my big girl and me

jon and i both took her to school on the first day and had feelings of anxiety mixed with excitement-- our first baby is growing up! this was her first little step into the world apart from us and i wrestled with wanting to keep her home forever or let her experience school with mrs. fabiano. she took to it beautifully and we followed her lead. she's constantly astonishing me with how adaptive she can be and how easily she handles new situations (aside from doctor's offices of course). 

we did homework together and i worked extra hard to find time for she and i to play a part from true. we had a tea party and painted her nails, cuddled on the couch with a movie, and played grocery store, doctor, dollhouse, and pirate adventures with princess figurines.

true is getting more and more charming by the day. she wrinkles her nose for extra excited smiles, is settling down more for car rides, and discovering her ears. she's stretching her bottles from 11:30p-5:30a pretty regularly now. she's still battling skin issues on her face that keep us putting socks on her hands to keep from scratching, earning her the knickname 'sock monkey.'

jon's role at work has shifted again and i couldn't be more proud of my husband-- for a whole bunch of reasons, but this one in particular this week. 

i'm dying to take the boarder out of the bathrooms but can't quite find the time or empty arm. i am however sneaking out to a sewing class once a week that i l o v e! laura and i had a spa date with chick-fil-a to round it out on leap day--a tradition to begin i hope!

february 19th

what a great week! well, for most of us. true had her 2 month vaccines and a bad reaction to them-- fever and fussy for a couple days, but is now on the mend. she weighs 11 + pounds and has grown almost two inches in the last month. haven started crying in the car on the way to the doctor's office. when i asked her why she was feeling sad, she responded that she was sad for true to have to get shots today. our doctor is SO great and invited haven (who is pretty petrified of the whole doctor's office thing) to help her sort some pens while the nurse came back with true's round of torture. we got a super cute hot pink highlighter family drawing out of the deal and only true had tears at the office. well, me too, but at least not h!

i realized i was getting older when a friend asked how old i was and thirty slipped past my lips. i'm not sad about the big 3-0-- it just felt so different saying it aloud. speaking about birthdays, haven's best bud had his birthday party yesterday and there is nothing cuter than a bunch of four-year-old super heroes bowling!

we dedicated true to God this morning with our church family. it was a sweet time. later, friends came over for chili and brownies. great day. 

 valentine's day was maybe my favorite ever. we surprised haven with cards and a balloon. we made heart shaped cinnamon rolls with pink icing and strawberry milk for breakfast and then joined friends for dinner with a chocolate fountain for dessert! haven gave out cards for her friends and even signed her name.

 h was super quiet last sunday during rest time (not typical) and when i opened the door, this is what i discovered! i had left a basket of clean clothes in the girls' room to put away and haven told me it just looked so cozy... :)

february 10th

thanks for my new blanket, linda!

this is 'mama' h with sara-- most days she's ruby, but today she's 4 weeks old and sara!

mama h's family picture :)

t and her double chin

just a few days away from 2 months! t is finding her hands and putting them in her mouth. h is playing babies a lot this week and her comments are cracking me up as she repeats much of what she hears me say "yea, she's been a little fussy today-- do you need another burp?" "sorry i was crabby, the baby didn't sleep well last night" i have a new favorite song and have been listening to it over and over all week. jon's started playing raquetball with friends and has some pretty amazing blisters to show for it.

february 4th

 God bless the creators of bjorn--t was fussy all day and this is her best shot :)

 h is awesome at hi ho cheerio! maybe because we practice all. the. time

we survived! our first week with jon back to work also happened to be our first week with him out of town-- whew! we have great friends who graciously filled in the gaps whether that was making dinner or feeding t so i could put h to bed/ do her hair; we are so thankful. haven is still up for best-big-sister award, true is growing like a weed and cooing at us, i'm proud that the house is still standing (and not on a foundation of laundry) and jon had a great week at the office with colleagues returning to 'normal'. haven and i learned about the letter 'g' and groundhog's day. i squeezed in a tiny photo session. true slept like a champ two days this week. we visited with new friends and old friends too. played at the park for two beautiful and unseasonably warm days. and lastly was introduced to chocolate pecan pie which i haven't stopped thinking about yet. oh my.

january 30th

oops. three weeks in and i've already fallen behind. true turned six weeks old and is ALL smiles and coos (that and a fantastic case of baby acne!) :) she loves when we mimc the noises she makes and will carry on a conversation of sorts with you. haven's favorite shows are madeline and sesame street and she's loving rediscovering old toys that we are still unpacking. we had a family date night this week to our mall's chick-fil-a and h and jon rode the train in the rotunda! it's physically impossible to smile more than she did-- so great. jon and i each spent some time dreaming and vision casting for the year and had a great time sharing with each other ON A DATE! our youth group watched haven (and a bunch of friends from church) and los campos kept true for us. it was great having a face-to-face conversation without interruption. we're excited to share more about one venture in particular soon, but just know that we want your bibles for our birthday.

january 20th

 teaching true her ballet moves :)

smiling at haven

this past week has served as a trial run for me. jon's been home with us since we came home to nj as a party of four and i've grown use to having him by my side 24/7 (literally). friends are still helping us with a few meals throughout and jon is just a shout away, but i've tried better to 'run our home' and return to my role as primary care-er. let me just tell y'all that there is an equation they do not teach in math classes i've come by--when you add one child to a family, the time it takes you to accomplish anything increases by 'x'; when you add a second kiddo to said family, said time increases by 'x+72 / the square root of how much laundry remains undone'! i'm curious to find if this remains true after infancy or could possibly grow even more.

 jon's begun work on the fence--his big hope to accomplish before returning to work. he is the best of the best and so humbly serves me and our family. haven was excited to return to bible study ("school") this week. we've been learning about the letter 'm' this week-- glueing marshmallows to 'm' outlines, eating m&m's, and finding books and roadsigns with our letter of the week. true's volunteering a few smiles for us, staring into space, and cooing more than ever. she's an attention hog and must be near your person at all times. two cars had issues that jz totally handled.

we talked a bit about dr. king with haven this week and it's funny what sticks in her sweet mind. 'martin' (as she refers to him--i wonder if he would mind, sorry dr. king...) lives in heaven with God, but used to live in 'merica before he died and he taught people to love each other no matter what you look like in your eyes. we definitely talked about this hero in three-year-old terms, but i love that she's getting the heart of his message. we are so thankful for the sacrifices he and his family and so many others have made, simply for the existence of ours.

 i'm sitting in 1thes 5 and soaking in being prayerful, thankful, and joyful in all things. it hits me, pretty often, this overcoming joy at this season of life. it causes me to wonder if it is in part to the sorrow that we've known-- if darkness makes light shine brighter? whatever way, i'm loving l o v i n g this season and humbled to feel so blessed.

january 13th

someone is one month old today!!!

our sleepy girl is doing so well-- tummy issues have disappeared and her first nj doctor visit was a success! all four of us, our doctor friend, a med student and all our favorite nurses squeezed into a tiny examine room; quite the site. two pounds bigger and almost two inches longer in this short month. haven was meant to be a big sister-- she is in her element and true loves her attention best it seems.

thankful for...
::friends with delicious dinners
::family dates to wendy's for frostys
::healthy girls
::caffeine
::a husband who installs dishwashers and wakes for midnight feedings
::white collar on netflix
::sunny windows
::isaiah 40:29

january 8th

haven is a great big sister!

 true is awesome at sleeping-- yay!!

 so tiny

 the newest family photographer sans pants, but with princess gloves so we're good, right?

 our first christmas as four!

 happy birthday jesus!

 introducing the sisters...

 h was so excited, she waited outside for t to arrive

 look. at. those. lips!!

meeting our daughter for the first time

i'm lost for words to describe the joy in my heart. God is so good. and gentle. and perfect in timing. and just plain ol' awesome. we are loving life as four and adjusting to 'fake' life (jon's on leave for a month) nicely. i'm challenged to learn/know/live ephesians 4:1-3, especially in my role as mama to these two girls. loving listening to haven recite over and over again the story of jesus' birth with her little people set. thankful for a date with h today at b&n for some book readin' and cupcake eatin'. can't inhale enough of the sweet smell of miss true. amazed at all my husband has accomplished this week and how he leads our family. thinking the christmas tree may never come down. oops.