malia and michael standing in crib

malia and michael standing (with help)

michael malia 6.5 months

Video is long, but the kids are so cute in it!

Michael is starting to get into the crawling position and Malia is making her crazy face.

First Summer!

Our baby pool has too many holes to repair it, so we had indoor fun this first day of summer.

Happy Father's Day

Taking a picture using the timer on the camera is a little difficult. This was the best of the three photos taken.

We busted out the jogging stroller and the kids love it. They both get a good view and they can reach each other which they love.

These are adorable onesies we borrowed from a friend with twins.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.....

We took our first zoo trip recently and boy was it fun!

Malia enjoyed pretending to drive while Michael ate.

Penguins

Lunch!

Fish!

I returned later to go it alone and I ran into a buddy who sent me this picture.

So glad the zoo is near home, and how wonderful to have a pass.

time savers

6 month stats

No picture to go with this post - sorry. I know posts without pictures are no fun.

Anyway, here are the stats from our 6 month checkup.

Malia:

11.47 pounds

24.25 inches tall

Michael:

11.97 pounds

24.5 inches tall

Both kids are in the 0 %tile for weight. Michael is in the 2nd %tile and Malia the 8th %tile for height. We go back in 6 weeks for a checkup to make sure they are gaining weight. The doctor said their development is right on, but their weight is low. As long as they keep increasing then we do not need to worry. (I'm trying to not worry.)

In order to encourage packing on the pounds, I received some advice from a friend who also has a small baby. We will be upping feedings to every two hours and changing the solids to more calorie dense solids such as avocados and greek yogurt. I've never fed them yogurt before, so we'll see how that goes.

Other than the weight, everything went really well at the appointment. More shots, but the kids did great. A little cranky the following day, but what do you expect?

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.