Retirement

Wow. I never thought I'd be saying this but today was my last day of my contract with my client. They weren't able to come up with the dollars to renew me right now so I am officially retired as of April 1, 2010. Weird. Of course, unless they end up getting approval and need me back part time. :)

Being "retired" is a bittersweet moment for me. I'm thrilled to be back full time with the babies and excited about being able to do more things now that the weather is getting nice again but scared too. I've always enjoyed my career so this is new for me. I guess it's just an odd and scary thought to leave all that behind.

I feel blessed that I am able to stay home with the children. God always provides and I am thankful for His many blessings in our life. So, "cheers" to being retired and "hip, hip, hooray!" for being home with my little ones full time again.

Loving Laís

The babies are really enjoying Laís and have welcomed her with open arms! She does such an amazing job playing with them, reading to them and is very talented at getting them down for their naps! We are so thankful for her. She has been a big, big help already! We often ask ourselves "how did we do this alone?"

Here are a couple pictures of the kiddos with Laís:

Grandma and Nana came to visit us!

In the last two weeks we've been spoiled by both Grandma (Ben's Mom) and Nana (my Mom) visiting us!! It's been so much fun. The babies loved the special attention they got. They just loved playtime with them! Too bad Grandpa (Ben's Dad) and Bompa (my Dad) couldn't make it too!

The babies weren't the only ones that appreciated their visits. Ben and I are so thankful!! We loved the extra help at night and during the day! Ben was busy with work while Sharon was here so having her around was beyond helpful! I couldn't have survived by myself. The babies aren't sleeping through the night yet after being sick with RSV so nights are really rough right now. We're slowly getting them back into a regular night routine again. Solomon and Isla are in the nursery and Simon is getting some much needed sleep training in a pack n play in our room. So far it's working great with Simon - 4 nights in a row without a peep!!! PRAISE GOD!

Here are some pictures of Grandma and the kids:





Here are some pictures of Nana and the kids:

Happy 8 Month Birthday Today!

Another month has passed and the babies are celebrating their 8 month birthday today! Happy Birthday Isla, Solomon and Simon!! Below are a few pictures of them on their special day. As you can see, it's difficult to get great pictures before nap time. The last two pictures are right before they each passed out. Sooooooo tired!!!! We'll try again this weekend to get a nice picture of all three of them. :)

Isla Kay:


Solomon David:

Simon Benjamin:

Picture of all three right before their nap - soooo tired:



**outfits courtesy of Auntie Heather and Uncle Andy. Thank you!

Look - I have two teeth!!

The babies are growing so quickly these days. Here are a couple of highlights:

Isla - She is almost crawling. She can get her legs and arms in the right position but isn't quite sure how to move forward. She is constantly rolling over onto her belly and likes to say "okay" or "m-kay". She loves to stand and is getting incredibly strong from resisting sitting so she can stand some more, except she doesn't mind sitting in her booster seat when it's time for baby food. She also is getting good balance by getting back into the standing position when we try to lean her for sitting or laying. She can stand without our help while holding onto the side of the exersaucer. She also LOVES books. The doctor's office gave her a tiny book and she won't put it down. If she's crying (and it's not feeding time) she wants her book and her pacifier! Below is a picture of her with both.

Solomon - Solomon is almost crawling too. He also gets up in the right position and has tried to move several times. Any day now!! He also loves to read but he really likes the freedom of playing in his exersaucer. He also can sit up by himself. He's a little wobbly but he enjoys being independent. His biggest news is that he now has two teeth - bottom teeth. Below is a picture of Solomon - if he could talk he'd say "Look - I have two teeth!!"

Simon - Simon's first word was "Momma". He says it all the time. He likes to try making new noises with his mouth. Unlike the others, Simon doesn't like to crawl but laughs when you put him in the crawling position. He thinks it's funny. He's also very ticklish. If you tickle his toes, belly, or arms he will laugh and laugh. He loves the exersaucer too and thinks books are the coolest thing ever. He likes to hold the books himself. It makes him feel like a big boy. Below is a picture of him with his favorite book. He can also sit up by himself too. He's a little wobbly but getting better and better.

Laís arrived on Friday night. Yippee! The babies accepted her right away and she immediately began playing with them. The transition has been working out great so far. We feel blessed to have such an amazing au pair as a part of our family. Here are a few pictures from her first week:

Laís enjoying her first snowfall:


Laís feeding her first bottle (Solomon and Lais):


Laís playing with Solomon and Isla:

A Visit from Great Gma and Gpa

Great Grandma and Grandpa Wald (Ben's Grandparents) came through Santa Fe on their way home from Arizona. This was their first time to meet the babies. They had a long trip back home but stayed at our house long enough to see each of the kiddos as they woke up from their morning naps. We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing them. Here are some highlights of their visit:

Solomon with Great Gma and Gpa:


Simon with Great Gma and Gpa:


Isla with Great Gma and Gpa: