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Portraits of my children once a week, for a year.

Olive - Has been asking every day for me to teach her how to weave. I have procrastinated way too long, but today is finally the day I'm going to surprise her with my loom all set up and ready for her to start practicing on when she gets home from school!

Silas - I got to sleep in a bit this morning, (hallelujah!) and when I came downstairs Silas barreled towards me with the biggest smile on his face and arms outstretched. Made my day! I am so thankful for my affectionate, funny, sweet son.

Oona - Has developed the habit of needing to tug my hair every time I feed her a bottle. I simultaneously love and hate it - (ouch!) 

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Portraits of my kids once a week for a year.

Olive - Just came home from school and we're curled up on the couch together watching "Ella Enchanted." I love hanging out with her.

Silas - Obsessed with Matt lately. He asks repeatedly "where's Dad?" (which gets old pretty quickly since Matt is always in his office, just a few steps away!)

Oona - She had us rolling with laughter during her bath last night. She gets so crazy - trying to eat bubbles and splashing everything (and everyone) in sight!

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Portraits of my children, once a week (mostly) for a year.

Olive - my poor girl has her first cold of the season. Keeping a close eye on it, as her colds have a tendency to settle in her chest. 

Silas - needs new pants - so many growth spurts this year!

Oona - also growing at super speed. She's in 18 month clothing already!

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Portraits of my children, once a week for a year.

Olive - Knows all the continents and almost has her two times table down. She adores school.

Silas -  My introvert. This week he survived a much needed haircut, a day without a nap, grocery shopping (with Oona too) and a meal of spaghetti (he hates spaghetti nights.) Overall he was a real trooper.

Oona - Oh, that grin! She has us all wrapped around her chubby little finger. She's catching on that all it takes is one heartbreaking Oona-grin and we're her willing servants. 

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Portraits of my children, once a week for a year.

Fall is here!

Olive - Today she had her first show and tell at school. She brought her favorite toy cat.

Silas - Today he kept pointing at the sky and exclaiming how pretty it is. 

Oona - And now we're at the stage where anything and everything goes right in her mouth. I need a second pair of eyes and hands to keep up with this one.

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Portraits of my kids once a week when I remember, for a year.

Olive - It's been a rough week. She has been taking school-mandated swimming lessons the last week and a half and I've watched her go from excited and confident to absolutely refusing to cooperate, paralyzed in fear, arguing with and bellowing at her poor coaches. Matt and I are struggling to find the best way to deal with it - trying to build up her confidence while at the same time getting her to realize that fighting with her coach is unacceptable is not an easy thing to do.

Silas - My (mostly) pleasant tag-along as I run here and there doing errands, Bible study, swim lessons, etc. Good things he loves to "go" because we are doing too much a lot of running around these days. He is obsessed with "Hoodwinked" which has to be the weirdest-yet-most-lovable kids movie I've ever seen. (Love "The Thin Man" references.)

Oona - Last night as I was getting her ready for bed, I made her sit on my lap and rock in the rocking chair for a while. She didn't like it very much, because she thinks she's a big kid and doesn't have the time for snuggling with me like she used to. Good thing I'm still bigger than her (wink.) I'm soaking in her quickly disappearing infancy. Makes me sad.

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Portraits of my children once a week when I can remember, for a year.

Olive - Looking way too grown up in that picture. 5-going-on-18, that one is.

Silas - He wears that pensive, anxious face a lot. He is a bit of an anxious introvert, like his old mom. I think we're both loving all the "mommy and Silas" time since Olive started school.

Oona - Fell down the stairs today (just two steps, but still - heart attack.) A gate is going up pronto, now we have proof of her speed and stealth. She is incredibly fast on all fours. 

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Portraits of my children once a week, for a year.

Olive: Painting is her favorite.

Silas: Not the most flattering picture, but getting any picture of this 2 year old on the go is hard these days.

Oona: Constantly on the move. If she's not crawling after me as I go about my business, she's trying to break my toes with her walker. But really, 7 months is such a fun age - so much personality shining through.

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Portraits of my kids once a week, for a year.

Olive - enjoying her last week before becoming a full time kindergarten student.

Silas - demands me to take him to the beach every single day, and throws a big ugly fit when I say no.

Oona - she's a skilled crawler now, and is getting really good at walking in her walker. This kid likes to move.

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Portraits of my kids, once a week (mostly) - for a year.

(Sometimes I get way off track when life gets cray cray. Wink.)

So long time no see. Summers are a little busy. We just got back from a week up north with Matt's whole family. Next week my whole family's rolling into town for a week of fun in the sun! So posting will be sporadic at best. For now, here's a few favorite snaps of my cuties vacationing in Glen Arbor, MI.

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Portraits of my children once a week, for a year.

Olive: Loving "spinny" dresses, the Betsy-Tacy & Tib books, riding her scooter, watching "The Adventures of Milo & Otis" and splashing around in Lake Michigan.

Silas: Loving his ultra-strength Desitin, (seriously, he begs for it and calls it the "feels good meh-sin,") riding in the stroller, playing at the beach, jumping, and blueberry smoothies.

Oona: Loving the vintage dress I found for her downtown for an easy $5 (shown above,) chewing on her toes, swinging in the swing Matt hung for her on the back porch, and trying to escape her cradle. (It is time to move baby Oona into a bigger bed!)

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Portraits of my children once a week, for a year.

Olive - made a new friend at the library yesterday named Ida, and found out that they are practically neighbors AND will also be in the same kindergarten class this fall! I just can't get over how cute the names "Olive and Ida" are together. 

Silas - likes to watch me doing my hair and washing my face in the morning while asking "all done now?" every two seconds. Other favorite sentences: "Time to go?" "I go walking?" and "Outside?"

Oona - was about to send Matt and I to marriage counseling with her sleep (or lack thereof) antics. When she started getting up every two hours, Matt finally convinced me to try a few nights of careful "crying it out" training (meaning, we set a timer for 20 minutes before getting her up.) Not my favorite thing to do...but it has worked! She is napping and sleeping at night much better now, thank God. We are making plans to move her into her own room soon. It is time, but she's also my littlest one, and I find myself getting overly emotional about all her milestones.

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Portraits of my children once a week, for a year.

Olive: 5 years and 2 months old. So scary smart, questions everything, argues frequently. She has a brilliant imagination, a huge love for words and is a doting big sister. She's growing so fast. I am so tremendously proud of her.

Silas: 2 years and 2 months old. Always getting into trouble, always covered in scrapes and bruises. So sensitive and loving. We "get" each other, he and I. The other day he snuck up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist and started singing "Let it Go" with all his might. I love him so much it hurts.

Oona: Exactly 5 months old today. She's a wild card, this one. Always surprising us. She's all rolls and chub, but so strong. She's very mobile for such a young one, and is working hard to learn to crawl. She has the sweetest smile in the whole wide world. 

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Portraits of my children, once a week for a year.

Olive: Loving sand

Silas: Hating sand

Oona: Oblivious to sand

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Portraits of my children once a week for a year.

These were taken very hurriedly this morning as we were getting ready to head out the door to church. Some weeks I don't remember to take any pictures until I realize I'm already days behind!

Olive: I'm pretty lenient about letting her wear whatever she fancies during the week, no matter how (ahem) creative the get up may be. But I draw the line on Sundays, and she fights me every single week. Maybe I'm an uptight mom, but I want her to learn to go into church ready to just focus her mind on Jesus and the word - NOT on her tiara and fairy wings.

Silas: Don't be fooled by this smiley face, he was wailing a second and a half later. He is going through a very sensitive, whiny (miserable for everyone) phase right now. Sometimes I think that amber necklace is helping but on mornings like this, I'm not so sure...

Oona: Getting her springtime on. A tulip sweater for the beginning of Tulip Time! 

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Portraits of my children once a week, for a year.

Olive: I usually refuse her requests to paint her nails because she is a nail biter, but every once in a while I give in.

Silas: Such a funny kid. He makes me laugh every day.

Oona: So cranky this week. Ran to Urgent Care this morning on suspicion of an ear infection, only to be told: she's just a crank. At least she's a cute crank. 

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Portraits of my children once a week for a year.

Olive: Bookworm. She reads to herself daily, (she is loving the Jesus Storybook Bible lately,) and often reads to her siblings. Her love of books makes me so, so happy.

Silas: His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. It's a nice-weird to have him ask for things rather than just point and whine.

Oona: Getting so strong. She's the happiest, roly-poliest girl.