She is not yet walking, but loves to stand up. Her 11 month mark passed last Sunday, so she is quickly cruising toward her birthday!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Amanda's newest "stop" before playing in Farley's water bowl is at the dishwasher where she takes all of the magnets and throws them on the floor. Although it requires me to pick up magnets several times a day, it is a good thing because it gives me a few extra minutes to realize where she is before she dumps Farley's water.
She is not yet walking, but loves to stand up. Her 11 month mark passed last Sunday, so she is quickly cruising toward her birthday!
She is not yet walking, but loves to stand up. Her 11 month mark passed last Sunday, so she is quickly cruising toward her birthday!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I just love watching the talents and gifts that are developing within my kids and wondering what they will be when they grow up. Scott loves all things science. He loves to explore, ask questions, take things apart and put them back together. This week, his favorite Library book has been this one:
So, I came outside today to discover Scott digging like this:
He showed me that he thought he had found an old knife tool. He also showed me how carefully he was digging with his shovel, even though it was really too big to use at an archeological dig. He took soil samples and then sifted the soil for clues.
I can't wait to see where his passion for science leads him.
So, I came outside today to discover Scott digging like this:
He showed me that he thought he had found an old knife tool. He also showed me how carefully he was digging with his shovel, even though it was really too big to use at an archeological dig. He took soil samples and then sifted the soil for clues.
I can't wait to see where his passion for science leads him.
Soccer!
Can you guess where we went Friday night?
Yes! We purchased shin guards for soccer practice that started on Saturday morning. We only needed one pair (for Scott), but you can see that we left the store with a pair for Andrew as well. It broke my heart not to get him a pair. They were so excited that they insisted on wearing them home from the store. Unfortunately, Scott did not quite have on the right foot apparel.
*************************************************************************************
Andrew & Amanda at Home
Andrew, Amanda and I are having so much fun filling our days with learning and activities. In the last two weeks, we have started our own little school at home and played with many friends.
Isn't it fun to go to school in your pajamas?
Andrew is such a different learner than Scott. He absolutely loves sitting at the table and working on activities and games. It makes teaching him such a joy.
Amanda is learning through exploring...
...especially trying to figure out how to open Farley's cage. It is still her favorite spot. I've had to start keeping it locked during the day, whether or not the dog is in it.
As much fun as we have during the day, I think the time we most look forward to is Scott's arrival home. Andrew misses his playmate during the day and I miss my little helper. We always try to make 3:00 a focused reunion with some food and focused conversation. However on Thursday we decided to greet Scott's bus with loaded water guns. He thought that was hilarious and jumped right in on the action.
Isn't it fun to go to school in your pajamas?
Andrew is such a different learner than Scott. He absolutely loves sitting at the table and working on activities and games. It makes teaching him such a joy.
Amanda is learning through exploring...
...especially trying to figure out how to open Farley's cage. It is still her favorite spot. I've had to start keeping it locked during the day, whether or not the dog is in it.
As much fun as we have during the day, I think the time we most look forward to is Scott's arrival home. Andrew misses his playmate during the day and I miss my little helper. We always try to make 3:00 a focused reunion with some food and focused conversation. However on Thursday we decided to greet Scott's bus with loaded water guns. He thought that was hilarious and jumped right in on the action.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Our Shopping Trip
Yesterday morning, I took Andrew and Amanda (at 7:45AM) for a nice quiet shopping trip at Walmart. We went at that time last week and it was delightful. Since everyone is up at 6:15 anyway, why not venture out early.
We arrived to find that they were holding the grand opening celebration for our newly remodeled store. It was an employee breakfast celebration, complete with a live band. So much for my quiet trip...
As we were completing our shopping in the vegetable section, the band played "Proud to be an American." He finished the song and said, "I'm proud to be an American. And, I'm proud to be here at your new Walmart!"
The irony, I thought. Walmart represents everything I dislike about America - big, gluttonous, disposable, homogeneous. And its low prices (the only reason I shop there) are due to buying everything from China. Pride for America is not what I feel when I shop at Walmart. I'd rather see the mountains & fields, taste food at a local restaruant or simply hear my son recite the Pledge of Allegience.
*************************************
On another note, I looked at the calendar yesterday and could not believe it has been two weeks since school started. In some ways, it feels like we have had this schedule forever. But I also miss Scott when we do fun activities without him and we are definitely still adjusting to our morning schedule. I've been taking some pictures of our days without Scott and will post them soon.
We arrived to find that they were holding the grand opening celebration for our newly remodeled store. It was an employee breakfast celebration, complete with a live band. So much for my quiet trip...
As we were completing our shopping in the vegetable section, the band played "Proud to be an American." He finished the song and said, "I'm proud to be an American. And, I'm proud to be here at your new Walmart!"
The irony, I thought. Walmart represents everything I dislike about America - big, gluttonous, disposable, homogeneous. And its low prices (the only reason I shop there) are due to buying everything from China. Pride for America is not what I feel when I shop at Walmart. I'd rather see the mountains & fields, taste food at a local restaruant or simply hear my son recite the Pledge of Allegience.
*************************************
On another note, I looked at the calendar yesterday and could not believe it has been two weeks since school started. In some ways, it feels like we have had this schedule forever. But I also miss Scott when we do fun activities without him and we are definitely still adjusting to our morning schedule. I've been taking some pictures of our days without Scott and will post them soon.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
A "busy" baby
Our little girl is growing by leaps and bounds - literally! I didn't think toddlers were supposed to be "busy" until they were able to walk, but Amanda has already proven that theory wrong. She is into everything and especially likes to be places where she is not supposed to be.
Not all of these pictures were taken today, but you will get a picture of how active she is. She was wearing the pink sundress today. The dog crate pictures were from yesterday, but I caught her heading in that direction at least 10 times today. She has also discovered Farley's water bowl in the kitchen and loves to splash in it.
"Farley's crate is the best place to play!"
"Hi Farley. Do you want to play?"
"This looks like fun. What is it? Oh, it is your little fire hydrant toy that I love to chew on." (Notice Farley's ears perking up, thinking "hey, that's my toy!")
"Let me just give you a little kiss to make everything OK." (Actually it turned out to be an eyebrow tug.)
"It sure is fun to share toys."
"I don't want to sit still for a picture with my brother!!!!" (She has perfected the art of arching her back in just the right direction to wriggle out of arms.)
"This looks like a fun new toy." (If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see a bit of drool hanging out of her mouth. Still no teeth, although we think she must be working on them.)
"Hmmm, I sure do like this standing up stuff."
"52 card pick up is Mommy's favorite game, so I make sure I let her play it often." (Although it is highly unlikely that there are actually 52 cards left in the deck, since it is on child #3.)
"LEGOS!! The perfect size to put in my mouth. Yum!"
(About 15 minutes later.) "Wait a minute...what happened to the Legos? Why did Mommy replace them with these trucks that don't stand a chance of fitting into my mouth? Hey, look! They swing! Right to the floor! Cool."
"I love my Pack & Play. I'm in here a lot. Mommy says it is the only place she can leave me and feel safe. It is a great place to watch my brothers play, practice standing..."
"...and read a good book. Actually, I'd rather just turn the pages and eat them."
This video is truly unbelievable to me. It is the first time ever that I have actually caught the first step of a child. I wasn't even planning to. I just thought I'd get some video of her standing and crawling. (I apologize that you have to turn your head to watch it.)
Not all of these pictures were taken today, but you will get a picture of how active she is. She was wearing the pink sundress today. The dog crate pictures were from yesterday, but I caught her heading in that direction at least 10 times today. She has also discovered Farley's water bowl in the kitchen and loves to splash in it.
"Farley's crate is the best place to play!"
"Hi Farley. Do you want to play?"
"This looks like fun. What is it? Oh, it is your little fire hydrant toy that I love to chew on." (Notice Farley's ears perking up, thinking "hey, that's my toy!")
"Let me just give you a little kiss to make everything OK." (Actually it turned out to be an eyebrow tug.)
"It sure is fun to share toys."
"I don't want to sit still for a picture with my brother!!!!" (She has perfected the art of arching her back in just the right direction to wriggle out of arms.)
"This looks like a fun new toy." (If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see a bit of drool hanging out of her mouth. Still no teeth, although we think she must be working on them.)
"Hmmm, I sure do like this standing up stuff."
"52 card pick up is Mommy's favorite game, so I make sure I let her play it often." (Although it is highly unlikely that there are actually 52 cards left in the deck, since it is on child #3.)
"LEGOS!! The perfect size to put in my mouth. Yum!"
(About 15 minutes later.) "Wait a minute...what happened to the Legos? Why did Mommy replace them with these trucks that don't stand a chance of fitting into my mouth? Hey, look! They swing! Right to the floor! Cool."
"I love my Pack & Play. I'm in here a lot. Mommy says it is the only place she can leave me and feel safe. It is a great place to watch my brothers play, practice standing..."
"...and read a good book. Actually, I'd rather just turn the pages and eat them."
This video is truly unbelievable to me. It is the first time ever that I have actually caught the first step of a child. I wasn't even planning to. I just thought I'd get some video of her standing and crawling. (I apologize that you have to turn your head to watch it.)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
New Software
Can you tell I have time on my hands today? We have spent so much time and energy preparing for the start of school that we forgot to look beyond it. So, much to my delight, we have a FREE weekend! They will fill up soon with soccer, fall festivals, birthdays, weddings, etc., but I am enjoying today.
While everyone else is napping, I'm playing with my new photo software. I have been looking for some editing software that did more than take out red-eye and found the Creative Memories Memory Manager was exactly what I was looking for. Plus, I'm able to export the pictures (and my blog stories) to the scrapbooking software to make books in which to store these memories. (I don't have much faith that Blogger will store all of my memories for my grandchildren to read.)
Below is my favorite photo that I've worked on. My Mom took this picture at the beach. She said that when she took it, she saw the trashcans, but would miss the moment if she waited for a better background.
This isn't perfect, but is certainly much better. I thought about covering the entire area with grass, but realize that the grass at the bottom is much bigger than that on top. I may work on it a little more, but I thought it was good for my first try.
Andrew gave me a great smile in this picture, but I wanted to see what else I could do with the picture.
I began by fixing the red-eye and removing the piece of chair on the left edge. Then, I played with the color a bit. Again, I'm no artist and certainly not ready to quit my day job, but I really like the way the bottom photo turned out. It makes it look like it could be from my childhood (when all my Mom could do was take the picture and hope for the best.)
While everyone else is napping, I'm playing with my new photo software. I have been looking for some editing software that did more than take out red-eye and found the Creative Memories Memory Manager was exactly what I was looking for. Plus, I'm able to export the pictures (and my blog stories) to the scrapbooking software to make books in which to store these memories. (I don't have much faith that Blogger will store all of my memories for my grandchildren to read.)
Below is my favorite photo that I've worked on. My Mom took this picture at the beach. She said that when she took it, she saw the trashcans, but would miss the moment if she waited for a better background.
This isn't perfect, but is certainly much better. I thought about covering the entire area with grass, but realize that the grass at the bottom is much bigger than that on top. I may work on it a little more, but I thought it was good for my first try.
Andrew gave me a great smile in this picture, but I wanted to see what else I could do with the picture.
I began by fixing the red-eye and removing the piece of chair on the left edge. Then, I played with the color a bit. Again, I'm no artist and certainly not ready to quit my day job, but I really like the way the bottom photo turned out. It makes it look like it could be from my childhood (when all my Mom could do was take the picture and hope for the best.)
Do you Twitter?
I read a funny statement in the paper this morning. It was from an AP article discussing the Twitter outage yesterday.
"Tens of millions of people have come to rely on social media to express their innermost thoughts..."
Yikes! What kind of society have we become that we express our innermost thoughts to a computer? What happened to sitting down with our best friend for a cup of coffee? Or sharing our thoughts with our spouse and kids over dinner?
I don't Twitter, but I do have a Facebook account that sucks my time about twice a month when I log in. And while I like recording the funny stories of our lives on this Blog, my "innermost thoughts" are saved for less public outlets.
OK, I need to stop this blogging and go spend some quality time with the family.
"Tens of millions of people have come to rely on social media to express their innermost thoughts..."
Yikes! What kind of society have we become that we express our innermost thoughts to a computer? What happened to sitting down with our best friend for a cup of coffee? Or sharing our thoughts with our spouse and kids over dinner?
I don't Twitter, but I do have a Facebook account that sucks my time about twice a month when I log in. And while I like recording the funny stories of our lives on this Blog, my "innermost thoughts" are saved for less public outlets.
OK, I need to stop this blogging and go spend some quality time with the family.
more back to school thoughts
In my last post I mentioned that I may be a little jealous of Scott, but yesterday I realized that I'm also doing my three favorite things: learning, playing and meeting new people.
Andrew, Amanda and I played all day on Thursday. It was a different kind of play than what we have with Scott because he wasn't around to influence it. We played pirate outside and spent over an hour with the play doh inside. It is fun to let Andrew direct our play.
Yesterday we played with cousin Callie. She and Andrew got along great because she is another oldest child and Andrew is used to taking directions from an older sibling. :)
I'm also meeting neighbors and other parents at Scott's school. One of my dreams is that we have some neighborhood friends for our kids to play with. We live in an older neighborhood with lots of retired people, but just yesterday I met a Dad with a Kindergarten boy who lives just around the corner. I look forward to getting to know them better this year.
It would be a stretch to say something like "I'm learning my new schedule," but I realize that I have a bit more free time and I'm able to use it to learn what I want. It is exciting.
Here is Scott getting off the bus on Wednesday. It didn't arrive until 3:20! (On Thursday and Friday it came closer to 3:00.) He thinks it is fun to ride the bus, but says it is very hot. That's what you get when you start school in August!
Andrew showing off his Smoothie mustache on Thursday morning. He has been waking up early with Scott. I wonder when the novelty will wear off and he will sleep later again.
And loading the bus on Thursday morning. Notice how dark it is...6:45 is pretty early! Scott gets up pretty well...too well, in fact. This morning everybody was up at 6:03 - entirely too early for a Saturday.
Andrew, Amanda and I played all day on Thursday. It was a different kind of play than what we have with Scott because he wasn't around to influence it. We played pirate outside and spent over an hour with the play doh inside. It is fun to let Andrew direct our play.
Yesterday we played with cousin Callie. She and Andrew got along great because she is another oldest child and Andrew is used to taking directions from an older sibling. :)
I'm also meeting neighbors and other parents at Scott's school. One of my dreams is that we have some neighborhood friends for our kids to play with. We live in an older neighborhood with lots of retired people, but just yesterday I met a Dad with a Kindergarten boy who lives just around the corner. I look forward to getting to know them better this year.
It would be a stretch to say something like "I'm learning my new schedule," but I realize that I have a bit more free time and I'm able to use it to learn what I want. It is exciting.
Here is Scott getting off the bus on Wednesday. It didn't arrive until 3:20! (On Thursday and Friday it came closer to 3:00.) He thinks it is fun to ride the bus, but says it is very hot. That's what you get when you start school in August!
Andrew showing off his Smoothie mustache on Thursday morning. He has been waking up early with Scott. I wonder when the novelty will wear off and he will sleep later again.
And loading the bus on Thursday morning. Notice how dark it is...6:45 is pretty early! Scott gets up pretty well...too well, in fact. This morning everybody was up at 6:03 - entirely too early for a Saturday.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
First Day of School!
We survived!
Yesterday we took Scott to his "Meet the Teacher." We were thrilled that his teacher is a woman that I knew when I first moved to Athens. She and I were in the same bible study and I think she is wonderful. He also has a full-time para-pro in his classroom who is also fully-certified. When we arrived yesterday, they welcomed Scott and asked him to draw a picture of himself and write his name. He got to work immediately. They also gave him a card welcoming him to Kindergarten. There is nothing better to calm nerves than walking into a room where they are expecting you.
"Meet the Teacher" was a family affair, minus Derrick.
This morning, I served Monkey Muffins to my two monkeys. Scott had a late arrival (9:00), so everybody was awake in time for breakfast. I took Andrew and Amanda to visit a friend, so I could make sure Scott was settled and attend the "Boo-Hoo" breakfast for parents.
Scott was eager to enter the building and start school...
But, he caught me by surprise when he stopped to smile at the camera. Maybe I have taught him a thing or two in the last five years! This is my child who used to never pose for a picture.
Scott's picture was hanging by his name outside of his door. He went right in and Miss Ashley (the para-pro) helped him unpack his bag. Then, he sat down on the rug to listen to Miss Laurie (the teacher) read a story. (I think all the teachers are called by their first names here.)
Proof that we still have many things to learn. Maybe he will finally get the S and the C to go in the right directions this year.
I have to say that I did not boo-hoo at the "Boo Hoo" breakfast this morning, but it felt a little weird not having him around all day. I was maybe even a little jealous of him. I mean, what better environment for doing three of my favorite activities - learning, playing and meeting new friends!
Yesterday we took Scott to his "Meet the Teacher." We were thrilled that his teacher is a woman that I knew when I first moved to Athens. She and I were in the same bible study and I think she is wonderful. He also has a full-time para-pro in his classroom who is also fully-certified. When we arrived yesterday, they welcomed Scott and asked him to draw a picture of himself and write his name. He got to work immediately. They also gave him a card welcoming him to Kindergarten. There is nothing better to calm nerves than walking into a room where they are expecting you.
"Meet the Teacher" was a family affair, minus Derrick.
This morning, I served Monkey Muffins to my two monkeys. Scott had a late arrival (9:00), so everybody was awake in time for breakfast. I took Andrew and Amanda to visit a friend, so I could make sure Scott was settled and attend the "Boo-Hoo" breakfast for parents.
Scott was eager to enter the building and start school...
But, he caught me by surprise when he stopped to smile at the camera. Maybe I have taught him a thing or two in the last five years! This is my child who used to never pose for a picture.
Scott's picture was hanging by his name outside of his door. He went right in and Miss Ashley (the para-pro) helped him unpack his bag. Then, he sat down on the rug to listen to Miss Laurie (the teacher) read a story. (I think all the teachers are called by their first names here.)
Proof that we still have many things to learn. Maybe he will finally get the S and the C to go in the right directions this year.
I have to say that I did not boo-hoo at the "Boo Hoo" breakfast this morning, but it felt a little weird not having him around all day. I was maybe even a little jealous of him. I mean, what better environment for doing three of my favorite activities - learning, playing and meeting new friends!
Monday, August 3, 2009
answers!
The answers to the pictures are:
Andrew
Scott
Amanda
That wasn't too hard, but I still get a kick out of seeing how much they look alike. Since they were all summer beach pictures, the boys were only about 4 months each, while Amanda was 10 months.
We have an exciting week this week. It's Back To School around here. Derrick started with his kids today and Scott starts on Wednesday. We meet Scott's teacher tomorrow.
He is ready. I am ready. Since we registered for Kindergarten in March, it has been a long 5 months. I feel like a parent must feel when sending a child to college. We have countless conversations per day that start with "when you are at school..." They range from reminders to obey the teacher and throw away his trash at lunch to discussions about what he will learn and friends he will make. I've just about exhausted my list of "what ifs" and am ready for life to move forward. We are ready to start our new routine and see how it goes. It is going to be a big change, but I am tired to waiting for it.
I realized this morning that I was dwelling too much on Wednesday and not savoring our last days of summer. So I let Scott determine the day. We went to swim with friends and lunch at McDonalds. (It's funny - we have NEVER been to the McDonalds that is 1/2 mile from our house and I can probably count on one hand the number of times we have ever been to any McDonalds. But, we had a coupon from the library and that is where Scott chose to go.)
I think that Andrew is also ready. He is ready to be the big boy at home and ready for some special Mommy attention. I know he must feel negelected since the whole family world is revolving around Scott right now. Every time Scott gets something new, Andrew gets a hand-me-down. But, God has gifted him with the gift of encouragement and such a positive attitude. He has not complained a bit and rejoices with Scott. Maybe it is just Mommy who is ready to shower some special attention on sweet Andrew.
I'll post pictures on Wednesday!
Andrew
Scott
Amanda
That wasn't too hard, but I still get a kick out of seeing how much they look alike. Since they were all summer beach pictures, the boys were only about 4 months each, while Amanda was 10 months.
We have an exciting week this week. It's Back To School around here. Derrick started with his kids today and Scott starts on Wednesday. We meet Scott's teacher tomorrow.
He is ready. I am ready. Since we registered for Kindergarten in March, it has been a long 5 months. I feel like a parent must feel when sending a child to college. We have countless conversations per day that start with "when you are at school..." They range from reminders to obey the teacher and throw away his trash at lunch to discussions about what he will learn and friends he will make. I've just about exhausted my list of "what ifs" and am ready for life to move forward. We are ready to start our new routine and see how it goes. It is going to be a big change, but I am tired to waiting for it.
I realized this morning that I was dwelling too much on Wednesday and not savoring our last days of summer. So I let Scott determine the day. We went to swim with friends and lunch at McDonalds. (It's funny - we have NEVER been to the McDonalds that is 1/2 mile from our house and I can probably count on one hand the number of times we have ever been to any McDonalds. But, we had a coupon from the library and that is where Scott chose to go.)
I think that Andrew is also ready. He is ready to be the big boy at home and ready for some special Mommy attention. I know he must feel negelected since the whole family world is revolving around Scott right now. Every time Scott gets something new, Andrew gets a hand-me-down. But, God has gifted him with the gift of encouragement and such a positive attitude. He has not complained a bit and rejoices with Scott. Maybe it is just Mommy who is ready to shower some special attention on sweet Andrew.
I'll post pictures on Wednesday!
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