Self Serve

One thing I learned about my daughter over the course of the Christmas celebrations: she is self serve at any party tray she can get her hands on. She grazes. Desserts. Appetizers. Candy. Crackers. She overcomes the obstacles in her path to reach the snack food of her choice.

 What, Mom? What's weird about this? You moved the tray, so I had to climb up on the diaper bag to get to the grapes.

Get It Right the First Time

I may have written about this before, but I have noticed something about KW as she passes her milestones. It is that she practices all little parts of a task before actually doing it. For example, when learning to crawl, she would get up on all fours, get her bearings, do some swaying, pick up her knee, then sit back down and scooch. Eventually, she crawled perfectly the first time. Right now, she is still working on perfecting her walking.

This one may be a little different. As in, when Lee (yes, Lee) put her on the truck six weeks ago, her legs were not long enough to reach the floor (so I don't know if there was much to work on). I didn't realize she had grown so much taller since that time, so imagine my surprise when we walked in the other day to find her jetting all over the place! I was really impressed with how well she handled herself her first time behind the wheel.

Christmas Dress! (Store-bought Version)

It has been a while since I posted a Sunday morning picture. I couldn't pass these up.

 And, as a side note, her mad "writing" skills are blowing me away. Lee only really started coloring after he was two, and infrequently. Tonight, she took the crayons he had received in his stocking, and started coloring in his coloring book! I guess I shouldn't have left her out!

It's Unplugged

Sooner or later, they all discover the monitor. And its cord. And how to unplug it (so it beeps incessantly downstairs.) But the pictures are still cute!

She was having so much fun, she bumped her head on the door. So cute!

Smash It Out!

So far, one of my biggest challenges "doing homeschool" with Lee is that he likes to give me the wrong answer - on purpose. This is very frustrating for me, especially when I suspect he knows the right answer (and we both want to move onto something else). So how to trick him into giving me what I want?

I wrote the letters on an egg carton, and told him he could smash the letter if he could identify the sound I made. Pretty quickly, he was telling me the sounds, then smaaaaashing away!

(The plastic Easter eggs were from an entirely different activity, but he had placed them in the carton. I suggested we take them out first.)

Popped

Last week, Lee popped the question, and we said yes.

Can she get in the bathtub with me?

Lots of conveniently placed toys and cups! That's my girl! Keep it up, KW.

Little Lady's One

I could not leave her birthday off the blog. What a celebration I felt inside passing the one year mark with her. What a tough year it was! Newborn, toddler, tiny house, hormones, heat wave. You name it. Just passing her birthday on the calendar made everything feel more manageable.

My favorite picture from her birthday party, compliments of The Godfather.

Saucy

In some ways (not many), I am more fun with KW than I was Lee. I don't think he has ever looked like this, yet!

Out For a Walk

 I am so glad that both of my kids love to go for a walk in a stroller. With KW turning a year old, my days of burning 500 extra calories a day are quickly coming to an end, and I will have to be throwing them in there again for some real exercise! And the holidays are coming, too! Yikes!

Coordinated leg work!

When did those legs get so LONG?!

Packing Help

I have not had time to post since the move, but it has not been for a lack of help. For example, Lee helped me pack all the silverware, tupperware, and a jumbo die before we moved.

Bend and Snap

Thankfully, KW is not really working on her "bend and snap" in these photos. But she was doing her squats so she could "stoop and pick up". It is really fun to watch her in this phase, because there is so much more practicing than went on with Lee. I think one day she will just up and walk, seemingly out of the blue. But there is actually a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on!

Showing Some 'Tude

The girlie-ness in my little one is starting to emerge. This is a new look I get pretty much anytime. It is as if she is issuing a challenge to me to make her smile or not go drama queen on me about nothing. Sometimes she is in the right. Like, here, she is perhaps trying to tell me not to make her wear her brother's "Chick Magnet" bib.

When her smile breaks, it is the most heart-melting thing. Her nose crinkles as it takes over her face.

Sit and Spin

I am slowly learning that if I want to catch something KW is doing on photo or video, I ought to pick up the camera. She rarely holds onto a habit for long, and by the time I try to get her to do something, it is over. I have missed capturing several things.

On this day, she was working those legs to turn around and around and around in circles on her bottom. I had seen her do it several times, and apparently, this was the last moments of the last time.

The Catwalk

Lee has entered a phase where he wants to pick out his clothes all by himself. He also does not mind striking a pose for me to take his picture just before we walk out the door!

First Swing

Right or wrong, KW either hangs in the carrier or the stroller when we go to the park. We finally put her in a swing a couple of weeks ago, and she loved it. She also showed off her top teeth in the video. I just love how her feet are constantly letting us know when she is thinking, excited, nervous. Always in motion!

Two Little Teeth

KW finally let me get a picture of her teeth! She actually had at least two up top in these photos, but they seem to be impossible to capture thus far. This will also have to suffice as her 10-month-old photos, as she will be eleven months on Monday! Ha!

May I Hold the Baby?

Every little girl wants to know if she can hold the baby. It didn't take too long for this to become a bore for Lee, though. He wants more action. When he wants KW to sit on his lap, he asks, "Can I do Walkie with her?"

I love the look on her face!

While the Cat's Away...

... the mice will play!

Out of the Dust

There was a book I wanted to read. No telling how long it would have taken me to get around to purchasing it, but - thankfully - a friend sent it to me out of the blue one day. Then I finally read it. Then I finally started my journal (because, of course, I had to get a picture of it without any gifts recorded for this post before I could write anything). And, you know what? It works. Being thankful to God for every circumstance, finding something to be thankful for in the moment. It works. Yet, somehow, my journal keeps getting closed. After all, it is taking up valuable (scarce) counter space. And once it is closed, it takes a momentous day to get me to re-open it and start recording God's gifts to me again. I need this.

This past summer may have been the hardest on record for me, only to be rivaled by the summer of 2003. My boy hit the tremendous three's. I was adjusting to motherhood with two. Our house was teeny tiny. The days were hot, and we were stuck inside together, day after day after day. I didn't get a minute alone to myself for I don't know how long. I cried every day. I screamed and yelled. I was angry, and I don't think I have ever felt so alone and hopeless in a long time. Whew.

I am so glad I finally decided to take this up. Now, only to not put it up. Ever.

I heard a song a month ago that I cannot stop singing. "You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of us." I take hope that this is about me. I know it is. "You make me new. You are making me new."

To keep it real - this is what the counter really looks like with my journal on it!

Teeny Tiny

Even though this post is a little late, the photo was only on the second day after KW's nine month birthday. Love the teeny tiny barrette! It doesn't really stay in yet, but all I needed were a couple of photos.

She wasn't really overjoyed about taking these pictures, but I still think she looks cute as a ... teeny tiny barrette!