because it was home

Random, unedited pictures of our house because I have a pile of boxes waiting to be filled and I have yet to document this space! So, before packing it all up and moving, I wanted to save these pictures to have to look back on, as I've done in every home we've had these last 7 years (that's 4 homes!) It didn't look quiet like this when we first moved in - the white bookshelves were rearranged, the gray chair from the dumpster (yes, we snagged that chair from the dumpster the day we moved in!) used to be white, our blue velvet love seat used to sit under the window, we had a play tent that sat in the corner for two years until it broke, we didn't have a cart full of school stuff, my desk wasn't always used as a natural collection table, our dining table and chairs were different for our first 6 months here, all of our throw pillows have played musical couches/chairs/beds and the baby items went from out, to storage, to out again...! 

I've never stopped to document this space because, honestly, I've never loved it. There's always something I wish was different or I wish I could add or, or... the list goes on. I've never loved that all our living takes place in this one space - how do you decorate for a playroom, living room, family room, dining room, school room and entryway all at once?! Convenient, yes, and easy to clean, yes, but I've just never quite found my decorating groove here and this space has never been one I've been proud of, particularly. So, I've kept it off the blog and Instagram. Which is silly because this has been home for the last three years and while I'm excited to finally get my dining room table out of my living room, I'm going to miss this little apartment (just a little bit!) and don't want to forget it. So, for me and my future self... our Palo Alto home! 

month seven

Size: Judah is wearing 6-9/6-12 month clothes and we are working our way through our last box of size 3 diapers. Every once in a while I catch a glimpse of just how long he is and it always takes me by surprise! 

Eat: Judah loves food! He took to eating solids right away and is now eating 1-2 times each day. So far he has loved it all - sweet potatoes, spinach, avocado, zucchini, green beans, blue berries, strawberries, banana, mango, peaches, apple, yogurt, peanut butter and whole wheat cereal. Still nursing like a champ, too and not looking to wean anytime soon. 

Teeth: Two teeth on the bottom and three on the top breaking skin! Ouch! It's made him a little more fussy than normal, but he was also desperate to crawl so it was hard to say what's what. Lots of drool and chewing on fingers! 

Sleep: Judah goes down for bed around 7, wakes around 6 and takes 2-3 naps during the day. We are so grateful for his flexibility! He is easy to put down, is willing to nap on the go and sleeps through the night. Heaven sent, I tell 'ya! 

Milestones: Crawling! Judah is on the move! It was a big month for him and he went from officially sitting to crawling all over the house in just a couple weeks! He's a determined little guy! In his first five minutes of freedom he found the outlets, cords and Legos...! He babbles all the time and will hold a "conversation" with you - my favorite! He's said "dada" a handful of times now but nothing consistent yet (Stephen's working on it, trust me! ;)) 

Likes: Judah loves his siblings! He follows them around, smiles at them, laughs with them and is always watching them. He loves playing peek-a-boo, splashing in the water (bath or pool!) and being outside. He loves Legos (but doesn't put them in his mouth!), Magna Tiles, food and his little bird toy. He loves being worn in the Ergo and the sling, loves his binki and his blankey and loves people paying attention to him - always smiling and laughing! 

Dislikes: He was pretty upset about wanting to crawl and not being able to, but now that he's figured that out he's been much more mellow. He's definitely vocal about being tired or hungry, but those are easy fixes. The only constant (and odd!) dislike that he has, is watching or listening to kids going down a slide. Who knew?! Haha! But he hates it! 

Things I want to remember: Gosh he's got the sweetest cheeks - I could kiss them all day long! His long blonde hair. His open mouthed smile that shakes his whole body. His squeal when I come to pick him up out of his crib. The hour+ that he snoozes in bed with me in the morning after our morning nurse. I love the way he adores his siblings. He snorts a little sometimes when you really get him laughing and it's one of my favorite traits I passed down to him ;) 

He's just the best. Everyone thinks so. We love you so much, Judah Budah! 

May

 ^^ In April, Uriah found a Mourning Cloak caterpillar (though we didn't know what it was at the time!) crawling across the sidewalk on campus on our way to the fountain. He convinced me to pick it up and store it in a plastic bag I happened to have so we could show our friends we were meeting. I was hesitant because it had huge sharp spikes and bright red dots suggesting that we "stay away!" Ha! We ended up taking it home in our leftover lunch tupperware and doing our research on it - turns out it was in it's "wondering phase" and was about to pupate! So we made it a safe space and sure enough, that night, turned into a chrysalis! The kids named him Spike and we all anxiously awaited his debut! Best science experiment, ever! ^^ 

^^ My two blondies! ^^

 ^^ Our last visit with Dr. Chaing when Judah turned 6 months old. We have been coming to her since Ezra was four months old and have loved her and the continuity we created. She equally loved the kids and cried at the end of our last two visits...! She was our first goodbye from Palo Alto and I will miss knowing our kids are so well cared for! ^^

 ^^ My little sous chef helping me in the kitchen while we wait for daddy to get home! ^^

 ^^ Friday Pizza Movie Night! Gosh, Uriah is the best big, big brother to Judah! ^^

 ^^ My parents came to town! Cue the happy tears! My mom and I (and Judah!) got in a little shopping date at the Stanford Mall - I will never tire of her company! ^^

 ^^ My parents took the bigs for the weekend so Stephen and I could go to Sacramento and house hunt. Plans changed and we ended up spending the weekend at home, but I had no complaints! We went on a hike that would have been a bit too much for Uriah and Ezra, ate out, had a romantic night in, spent the morning at the Farmer's Market, visited the gym, did some reading and home organizing/cleaning and loved every minute of one-on-one time with Stephen and Judah! ^^

 ^^ Meanwhile... my kids were being doted on by Nana and Papa! They went kayaking (with otters!), played endless rounds of mini golf and badminton, got to sleep over in their new Airstream, eat "yucky charms" for breakfast, watch movies and stay up past their bedtime. They are so lucky to be so loved! ^^

 ^^ Spike emerged! We missed him coming out of his chrysalis, but after a few hours to let his wings unfurl and dry out, we were able to set him free! It was honestly one of the coolest things we've done with the kids - a bit magical if I can be so corny! It was a little sad to see him fly off but the kids loved it and have been on the hunt for more caterpillars ever since! ^^

 ^^ Judah snuggles. He is getting too big too fast! ^^

 ^^ Just your average afternoon at Miss Nicki's house! Every time Stephen calls during lunch and asks where we are and I say Nicki's he replies with "of course!" What are we going to do when we move?! ^^

 ^^ Last Saturday morning for soccer! Love these handsome best buds and their families! Soccer was hard for Uriah - he doesn't like new people, lots of people or switching up his schedule. We are so blessed to do life alongside these friends, though, who help encourage, love and support my introvert! ^^

 ^^ Its only been two years in the making, but we finally got in our double date! We walked down California Ave for some yummy Mexican grub and came back for an evening in the hot tub with the Faber's! That's all I'm going to write out about this evening and these friends or I'll start my day in tears! ^^

 ^^ Mother's Day with my THREE babies! Thank you Lord for these beautiful, healthy, quirky, fun, sweet blessings! What an honor and joy! I spent the morning in bed with coffee and breakfast, we joined our friends at church before coming home to a big, yummy brunch made by Stephen, we all enjoyed an afternoon nap and we finished up the day playing games on the living room floor as a family of FIVE. Stephen had treated me to coffee with friends the day before and it was perfect weekend filled with all the things I love most! ^^

 ^^ Judah's eating! Avocado for the win! ^^

 ^^ What is it about sleeping babies...?! ^^

 ^^ Our last Wednesday at Bible study with sweet friends! ^^

 ^^ Camping! Judah slept through the night (praise the Lord!), Ezra befriended a dog and didn't play with anyone else, Uriah developed his first crush, Stephen and I set up the tent without yelling at each other, we forgot all the hotdogs, we convinced Paxton he needed his own pocket knife (sorry about that one, Nicki!) and we got to chat around the campfire with good friends. Success! ^^

 ^^ A day just the four of us including lunch at the soccer fields with a run through the sprinklers! ^^

 ^^ Judah's first time in the shopping cart! The Costco cart was Ezra's first time in the cart, too, so I found myself getting a little nostalgic - time and babies and memories and hormones... it's a good combination ;) Uriah and Ezra were stoked and so helpful and Judah loved it! ^^

 ^^ Uriah got to join his best friend, Paxton, on the evening of his birthday for swimming, dinner and a movie, so Ezra and I headed to Peers Park (per her request) and put Judah in the swing for the first time! The same swing Ezra sat in for the first time... The nostalgia continues...! ^^

 ^^ A weekend trip to Sacramento to house hunt! It took us four hours to get there, Ezra got car sick, we stopped at four different parks, drove every street of every neighborhood and came out empty handed (so to speak) but we had the sweetest, most patient children and got to spend the weekend away as a family - I'll count it as a win! ^^

 ^^ Memorial Day volleyball before swimming and bbq with friends! Ezra likes to say she's going to play volleyball at Stanford someday (an idea not at all put their by her daddy ;)) so we said we're saving this one for her senior slideshow! ^^

 ^^ My babies! ^^

 ^^ Day at the zoo with friends! ^^

^^ Judah crawls! And is finally able to play with the Legos he has heard from the womb and watched his siblings play with for 6 months - he was SO happy! ^^