Well, Micah is growing fast! I don't remember Hannah growing quite this fast. But maybe it's just the time that's going faster. His Baby dedication was last month. Coincidentally (or Providentially) it fell on the Sunday that Nathan's Mom was here visiting with us. The great-grandparents on the Heijermans side were also able to attend. It was a day to remember.

Grandpa, Grandson, and Great-Grandson

Grandma Heijermans

These days, we have two finger-sucking children in our home. Hannah is actually an adamant thumb-sucker. And Micah is only 4 months and he already prefers his fingers to a pacifier. I included this shot for some of you who may know Nathan. He sucked these two fingers when he was little and Micah reminded me so much of Nate's baby pics when I saw this pose. I just had to snap a picture.

And here he is, sucking the fingers that I chose as a kid.

It's Summer time in MD. Which means hot. We like to stay cool as much as possible. (Not that the heat seems to bother the kids. They don't seem to notice at all.) We've had a few fun family outings lately. We've gone mini golfing, to the beach, and done lots of bike-riding.

A Hole in the Sand

Digging Daddy into the Hole

• Listening to the sound of a baby cooing on my shoulder at 4am.
• My 6am wake-up call/cry
• The happy smiles of children just waiting for me to say "Good morning!"
• The crunch of Cheerios under my feet when I walk across the dining room floor.
• Finding little dirty fingerprints all over our sliding glass door.
• Putting on three sets of jackets and shoes.
• Pushing the cart through the grocery store to the sound of Hannah singing "The ABC Song" (with the words changed to "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy...")
• Jamming to Veggie Tales while driving in the car.
• Folding ALL the tiny clothes and socks.
• Washing ten shirts of mine a week due to spit up and blow-outs.
• Having a reason to take an afternoon nap.
• Getting cozy under a blanket to read a book with my little girl.
• Playing peek-a-boo with my baby boy.
• Trying to cook supper with chaos all around me.
• Blowing bubbles, coloring a picture, or feeding doll babies, for the hundredth time.
• Kissing boo-boos and drying tears.
• Combing out long curls after bath time.
• Tucking my dear little ones into bed.

I'm a Mom. And although there are days that I wish I wasn't... days I wish for quiet and calm...the truth is, I wouldn't trade this for the world. And I know someday, I'm gonna miss all this...and more.

Well, life gets busy and blogging seems like the last thing on my "to do" list. But I wanted to catch up a little bit. In the past four months, we have:

1. Gone on vacation to North Carolina.
2. Moved into a new condo, after much painting and cleaning.
3. Got an ultrasound of our 2nd child. (This time we'll will be surprised about the gender.)
4. Went to a costume party for Halloween.
5. Had our 3rd wedding anniversary.
6. Visited Nathan's parents in Luxembourg.
7. Celebrated Thanksgiving at home with Nathan's grandparents.
8. Celebrated Christmas at my parent's house with my sister and her husband.
9. Rang in the New Year with friends.
10. And had a birthday party for Hannah(today)as she turns two!

As I look back on all of that, it's no wonder I feel tired. I guess part of that comes with being pregnant. In the next 2 months, life may slow down slightly. But in March, a new baby will arrive. That will add to the tiredness and the busyness, but of course we look forward to the joy it will bring too. Here are a few pictures of the past four months. Enjoy!

At the beach in N.C.

Our New Living Room

Our New Kitchen--What an improvement!

Hannah dressed up as a ladybug

Anniversary celebration

Nathan's parents and Hannah after breakfast at a cafe

Thanksgiving with Grandmom & Grandpop

Looking for a Christmas tree

Chopping it down!

Decorating it

Stayed tuned for birthday photos coming soon!

Last week Hannah was given a toddler bed. She was very excited about it, and kept crawling in and out of it. Putting her dolls, bears, and blankets on and off of it. Yesterday she took her first nap in the "big girl bed" and did great! And she is doing so again today. I was a little nervous about it, but she's loving it. Here are a few pics of her trying to convince Mommy that she was ready to sleep in her bed.

So eventually Hannah will sleeping in her toddler bed at night too. In fact, it works out to be perfect timing, since there will be someone new needing her crib. Yes, this is an announcement for those of you who haven't heard. I am pregnant with our second child, due in March. Needless to say, we're very excited. Hannah doesn't yet understand what's happening yet, but the 'big girl bed' is just one of many changes coming soon in her little life.

My friend Dawn tagged me. It looks like fun. Here goes:

Rules: You must answer the questions using only one word. Then tag four others.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? Nathan
3. Your hair? ponytail
4. Your mother? wonderful
5. Your father? godly
6. Your favorite thing? books
7. Your dream last night? bizarre
8 Your favorite drink? latte
9. Your dream/goal? contentment
10. The room you’re in? den
11. Your hobby? piano
12. Your fear? heights
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
14. What you’re not? brave
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? car
17. Where you grew up? West Virginia (a state counts as one word, right?)
18. The last thing you did? email
19. What are you wearing? capris
20. Favorite gadget? straightener
21. Your pets? No
22. Your computer? Laptop
23. Your mood? calm
24. Missing someone? sister
25. Your car? Sentra
26. Something you’re not wearing? make-up
27. Favorite store? IKEA
28. Like someone? Hannah
29. Your favorite color? Navy
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Wednesday

Okay, so I tag Christina, Kari, Stephanie, and Nathan

I'm sure you're wondering what we're up to these days. Why else would you be looking at our blog? During these hot days in early June, we've been...

1. Wearing sun hats and sunblock,

2. Watching Daddy grill on the balcony while we enjoy the A/C

4. Going to the Baltimore Aquarium with friends,
(This is Hannah and Audrey looking at a fish as big as they are!)
4. Drinking lots of juice,
5. and having indoor tea parties

It's been lots of fun so far.
If you want to see more pictures of these fun events,
you can visit www.heijermans.us
I'm in the process of learning how to help Nathan out
by uploading the pictures myself. I'm slow, but
I'm learning. Happy Summer everyone!