On a more serious note...

You all should know that I have struggled with the idea of writing the following post regarding an accident with Jonah because of fear, guilt, and sadness. Fortunately, as time has gone by, I know that I cannot keep my eyes on him 24-7 and I feel more comfortable talking about how he scared the living daylights out of Sam and I!

Just a few hours after a previous post (discussing how busy and active Jonah is,) we had a pretty good scare. It seems that even limiting him to 2 totally kid friendly rooms of the house does not guarantee safety.

The blinds in our playroom were pulled up completely (something that we never, ever do) and Jonah was able to play with the long flowing cord that dangled down, somehow wrapping it entirely around his neck and pulling it tight.

I am so thankful that Sam responded to his whimpering because if he went too much longer, it could have been a totally different ending to this story. He basically had a rope burn around his entire neck.We are very thankful that his Guardian Angel was watching out for him that night.

You know you're a hygienist when...

...your daughter's fight goes as follows:

Jocelyn: "Mom! Jenna didn't brush her teeth correctly, she only brushed 3 quadrants!"
Genevieve: "No I didn't, I brushed all 4 quadrants!"

Life with boys

Although raising girls (especially 2 that are 14 months apart) comes with it's own issues, like emotional drama, an overload of accessories and an abundance of irrational tears, the issues don't compare to those of boys.

Jonah is only 13 months old and comes with habits of putting things in his mouth. I'm not just talking about little choking hazards that most kids enjoy trying to eat (although that can be included in our list). I'm talking about finding him roaming the house with a cigar in his mouth...handfuls of fireplace soot, dirty diapers from the garbage, a RAZOR, and urine soaked toilet paper. Seriously! Nothing stops this kid. Ok, to be honest, the toilet paper wasn't in his mouth (that we know of) but it was definitely being played with.

Unfortunately, we have resolved to having EVERY door in our house shut at all times. Jonah can only be in 2 rooms unattended.

What's wrong with this picture?

The wife, working ever so hard, trenching a yard for an irrigation line while the husband sits back, drinks a beer, and takes selfie.

We are both fans

We have been working with Jocelyn on not eating her dinner with her fingers, but rather with a fork.

I had already reminded her a few times when I caught her snatch a piece of feta cheese with her fingers while eating her salad.

She looked up at me while in action and saw that she was caught.

"Sorry mom, I'm just a feta fan...more of a Seahawks fan, but I AM a feta fan."

The way her little brain works continuously amazes me. She is the most quick-witted little girl and even if she has bad manners at the dinner table, I am a fan of Jocelyn!

Jonah Analogy

I have a bit of a fear of spiders. Some may call it irrational, but I beg to differ. I find it quite possible for a spider to bite through the paper towels (I usually use about 14) to kill them, or even jump around the shoe I try to squish them with, only to attack my face. If they are high on a wall, I will keep my eye on them until they are close enough for me to dispose of, or better yet, until Sam is home to do the dirty work for me. But the darn things can be so fast!

Jonah has recently been reminding me of a spider. 

One minute he is happily sitting and playing with his toys.

I look away for a split second, like to add salt to my boiling pasta water and when I look back, he's gone!

And the same, very rational fear goes through my body. The fear of the spider suddenly hanging in front of my face ready to suck my blood is similar to the fear of Jonah getting ready to play in the dirty toilet water, eat the fish food, or knock the glass end table over.

But I suppose to be fair in my comparison, I should note that Jonah is WAY cuter and lovable than any spider!

Summer of 2014

I hope you're ready for some pictures. Here was our summer...

We spent a couple weekends on Loon Lake. The girls enjoyed playing on the beach and knee boarding!

 

We spent a  few days in Leavenworth, enjoying swimming, hiking, and relaxing

Jocelyn celebrated her 7th birthday

I competed in a Sprint Triathlon, placing 3rd in my age group. I also ran my 4th half marathon!

Jonah celebrated his first birthday with a very fitting "Whale" theme

And of course the summer wrapped up with the girls starting another year of school