6 months old!

6 months old!

and now for the outtakes....

grillin' and chillin'

Michael manning the grill.

Relaxing in the backyard.
Trying out the baby pool while mom inflates it.

cutie pies almost 6 months

Smiles

It's very hard to get a picture of both kids smiling. So I decided to just post two pictures where each of them is giving a good smile in the picture.

Chance to win some jewelry...

My friend Erin is doing a giveaway on her blog for some awesome jewelry. Check it out and maybe you will win! I personally want to win because wearing jewelry will make me feel more dressed up. I hardly ever dress up anymore.

http://erinpatreiss.blogspot.com/2011/05/first-100-follower-giveaway.html

michael malia 6 months

The video is long, but it's so much fun to watch them interact and play. Enjoy!

michael 6 months

Michael spits up a lot. Luckily he isn't bothered by it so we don't have to do anything except be prepared for spit up at anytime. When you play rough with him or hold him upside down, you are most likely going to get some spit up on you. For example, at the end of this video Jason gets surprised by Michael's spit up.

Michael giving laughs while playing with dad.

Having fun! Almost 6 months old.

Aunt Jami loves hanging out with the kids.

Malia was being silly and blowing raspberries like crazy. The almost looks rabid with all those bubbles.

First fight. I caught them playing tug of war with this taggie blanket. Malia won. Michael gives in to her every time. I think it's because he's the older, wiser child.

Malia is fascinated with electronics.

Michael and Jason wearing the same outfit: red athletic shorts and a blue tee.

Almost sitting up on their own. They can sit but still have tumbles to the sides, so we put the pillows around them.

Sunny days are here again....

Sitting (with assistance)

Looking cute in the morning. Michael had a little spit up while I was taking pictures.

The kids are sitting up with assistance very well. It won't be long until they can do it all by themselves.

Grandma and Grandpa Theus visiting and cuddling.

I need to remember to bring a camera and take pictures more often when people visit and when we are out visiting. I'll work on that. :)

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

How do you make your own dishwasher detergent? (takes 5 minutes)

You will need: borax, washing soda, kosher salt, citric acid, and rice (optional). You can buy citric acid from any beer or cheese making shop.

Combine 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup citric acid, and 1/2 tsp rice. The rice prevents/reduces clumping. Add one tablespoon to each wash cycle. I put one tbsp in the dispenser and 1 tbsp in the pre-rinse section. We have had really clean dishes using this. Be sure to use a rinse aid in addition to soap for each wash cycle.

As a rinse-aid I use vinegar. I have found this to work really well.

Easy and cheap!

Homemade Laundry Soap

How do you make your own laundry detergent? (takes 10 minutes)

Here are the ingredients: water, borax, washing soda, bar of soap, and essential oil (optional)

Add 1 cup of washing soda and 1/2 cup of borax to 3 gallons of warm water. Mix well.

Shred a bar of soap. I use Ivory.

Dissolve soap in 4 cups of simmering water.

Add 40 drops of oil if you want to scent the soap. I used lavender.

Add melted soap to container and mix. It will be a very thin liquid when you are finished. Let it set overnight.

This is the final product after letting it set a day. It's goopy, but it works fine in the washer on hot, warm, and cold settings. Just put one cup of soap mixture in each large load.

Easy and cheap! You can store it in old pour-able laundry soap containers, but I did not have any. I don't think you can use large dispenser kind since this is goopy. I've never tried it, though.

My future's so bright....

Spending time inside

Together with silly faces.

Jason and I realized that we better get the gummy smiles before teeth come in.

Spending time outside

Hanging out together

Michael arching his back in his seat.

silly faces

5 months

first swim

This is the video from Malia and Michael's first swim. It's a bit long (8 minutes) but I didn't feel like editing it, so you can fast forward if you want.

Michael 5 months

malia 5 months

malia and michael in the boppy

Exciting way to earn free diapers!

I love free things. When I heard you could earn free cloth diapers by writing for a blog, I was all about it. My first article was published today and I'm so excited!

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2011/05/double-doody-cloth-diapering-multiples.html

So many changes

The kids are changing a lot lately. They both are almost sitting up on their own. Michael is blowing raspberries. Malia is grabbing for everything. They both are eating much better. Michael is still spitting up. We can't wait for that to stop. Neither one has any teeth yet, but both kids are chewing on their hands and slobbering a lot. No attempts at words yet. Michael moves so much it's hard to get a clear picture without using the flash. The flash makes everything too bright, so I try not to use it. Malia is rolling over in both directions and can scoot around on her back. They both grab for toys. Malia will steal the toy Michael has if she can reach it. She's already showing signs of being the dominate one of the two.