Happy Father's Day

Daddy is the inexhaustible fun. Always there to go "walkin' 'round!" and when things get hard it's okay because "Daddy do it!"(Great phrase that gets Mama off the hook for many things: opening jars,taking out trash,changing diapers,fixing things..she knows who takes care of us!)

Selah LOVES playing with her Daddy. She adores him. Josiah does too in his own little newborn, snuggly, "thanks for cleaning my 4am poops, Pops" kind of way.

Parenting is such a large part of marriage together if you have kids. Nate and I decided it is a good thing that we picked eachother well because there was no preview for how the other person was going to do as a parent. We just had to rely on the integrity of character to trust how parenting was going to go.

Nate is the best husband. Best Dad. Couldn't do this without him. Wouldn't want to anyway.

We LOVE you Daddy! Happy Father's Day!

Five Years!

What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life?
I have only one request of your life.
That you spend it all with me.

Nate and I are celebrating five years of marriage this week! It's been insanely hard and extraordinarily wonderful. We made a list during our anniversary dinner of "You Know It's Your 5th Anniversary When...". Here they are.

"You Know It's Your 5th Anniversary When..."

...you both order onions with dinner.

...you have a 3rd wheel in the form of your second child.

...you have to remind yourself to not talk about kids or home improvements while on a date.

Car Wanted. Non Smoker. Non Ugly.

We did it! We bought a car! Or at least bought 1/3rd of a car and are financing the rest. It is SHOCKING how easy it is to get a car these days. Great car. Great deal.

She is a beauty. 2007 Honda Pilot. Barely any miles and plenty of space for our family to grow and friends to ride along. Pilots are the Dodge caravans of our generation. But more stylish.


We are so thankful!

She Was a Good Car...

but it's time to say goodbye.

(I feel like my left side is my "good side" too.)

The '93 Camry served her masters well. Hers was a legacy of generosity. She began her life with the Hibbs family in Northern California. When one Hibbs daughter grew into an adult and became a married woman, the Camry traveled with her into the Hiroto family as part of that dowry. When the newly married Hiroto family flew off to their new unknown lives in Malawi, the Camry was bequeathed to us, the Leboffes, just as we returned bedraggled and penniless from our own married lives in Africa. It served all families well. The odometer is proof. We'd like to pay it forward to honor the legacy of the Camry by donating our vehicle to charity (which isn't as selfless as it seems b/c we will be reaping the tax return benefits of that decision come next spring).

You were a good car Cam. Thank you for those years. But now our family needs something not quite so high maintenance.

Farewell!

Confessions of a Tired Mom

1. Night Parenting is the Worst!
Let's start a communication of honesty. Too many parents are lying about it. Too many moms feel like they have to say what a "special time" it is to just sit with their baby from 2-4am while their little one voices intense displeasure with life. The truth is I don't like night parenting. Really, who enjoys waking up multiple times a night, forever hovering in shallow sleep? Not I! But the wonderful thing is that even though night parenting is hard all the time and frustrating sometimes, we do not love our kids any less. There is still so much love for them that our hearts can't keep it all in.

2. Good Food is Best, but Sometimes ANY Dinner is a Victory!
I love watching my 2yr old eat a rainbow of vegetables with gusto. But sometimes dinner can't be a production. Last night Selah Grace ate neon orange mac and cheese...and an oreo. She loved every bite.

Mimicking Mama

People have been asking us a lot lately about how Selah's taking being a big sis and having a new baby around. The answer: wonderfully. This kid is going to have two moms; me and big sis. She cares for him and bosses him. Both of which will most likely never change.

We have one exceptionally observant daughter. From the day we brought Josiah home from the hospital Selah Grace has been watching me and mimicking what I do. In the mornings I unzip her footy pajamas to find breast pads she's stuffed inside and she spent a few weeks sticking kotex to her pants.

And she loves the new baby. She used to ask about her Daddy first thing in the morning. Now she asks about Baby. When he cries she loudly makes sure we are all aware, then helpfully tries to ram a pacy in his mouth: his, hers, clean, dirty, it doesn't matter. She piles blankets on him because that's what makes her feel better when she's sad.

Lately Selah's DVD watching choices have been Happiest Baby on the Block and Itsy Bitsy Yoga, both are how-to tutorials for parents. She jiggles Josiah in his carseat and swing when he gets fussy, kisses his head or feet and makes the white noise shhhhh sound to calm him. Dr. Karp would be so proud. A few times, to our quick heart-attacks, she's tried to scoop Josiah all the way up to rock him. Selah Grace has welcomed him unreservedly into the family and refused to be tucked into bed if Josiah is not there to share in bedtime books, prayer, and kisses.

Pooh Bear has been adopted as her own baby. He gets carried around in a sling. He is held under the nursing shawl in the rocking chair to eat. Pooh gets burped and swaddled, taken for rides in the carseat and snuggled into the baby swing. His diapers are changed continually with an exclamation, "poopy again" (a commentary on how much little brother poops).

It has been a joy watching her so naturally fall into her big sis role. Plus, it has been a good (and weighty) reminder that even though she's so little she is watching and taking in every move we make as parents! Yikes and wow.