LOVE LOVE LOVE Tot Trays!

Okay, so I ran across this website from my friend, http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/totschool.html , Aaaaa-MAZING! This website has great ideas for 1-3 years, I mean GREAT ideas, not to mention free printables and links to so much more. WOW.

It was a bit overwhelming for my perfectionist, teacher brain to say the least. I have started small and filled time within our day with more purposeful play. Did I say I LOVE it?!?!

I started implementing their idea of Tot Trays in our own home. I bought 3 black baskets from the Dollar Tree store and started jotting down ideas and collecting stuff around the house that I know would fit C's personality and aid in her toddler development. Bottom line, it's fun and it promotes skills she needs.

 "Spooning"

Objective: Toddler practices hand eye coordination through the use of spooning 1 pom pom into each opening of the muffin tin.

Materials: Spoon of choice, pom poms, and muffin tin

 I was shocked at how much she loved this activity. Let me tell you she is so proud when she finishes and will do it over and over again. WIN.

"Beading"

Objective: Toddler practices fine motor skills while placing pony beads onto a pipe cleaner.

Materials: Pipe cleaners and pony beads

Again, she LOVED this. I had tried to bead with her a few months ago and beading with string is not, I repeat not easy for a toddler, the pipe cleaner provides just enough stiffness to learn how to string. WIN.

I can see jewelry making in her future, she loves to create. This activity will be helpful when we learn counting and patterns too.

Rice Sensory Box

Last summer when is was too hot to play outside I made a rice sensory box with a plastic under the bed storage box and a huge bag of rice from Costco. I added some household things to play with. Pros... C loves to dig and pour and hearing the rice fall. Cons... Be ready to vacuum up a whole lotta rice the first few times. I have taught her to keep the rice in the box and that she can't get "wild" with it, she understands the rules. It has been great fun. I love how I can put a lid over the top and stick under the bed and have it be outta of sight.

Working on colors: White

 It's been a while, yes I know... I have been busy child rearing and such. Forgive me. ;)

So for my efforts at teaching C her colors I have been creatively thinking like a teacher and scouring the web for fun tot-friendly ideas. I have come across SO much great information, I LOVE it! I am so happy C is excited to learn about her world and that she is ready to explore each day... well, at least most days! HA.

Charlotte and I have been "discussing" the color,  White and related topics. We touch on subjects like snowman and snowflakes and basically everything in our world that is white. Frosty the Snowman is one of her favorite songs right now. I have to capture it on video, she is great at it!

 She wanted her picture taken near the snowflakes we made. Do you LOVE learning in your jammies, C?!!? :)

 While we were learning somebody leaned in for a quick cat food snack. B MANNNNN!

 And look he was SO proud of himself!!! B MANNNN!!!

 Still proud of himself... oh that face melts my heart!!!

After painting with white, gluing snowballs (cotton balls) and gluing magazine pictures of white stuff C had her "white" lunch with, of course, a glass of milk... don't laugh. I burnt the toast when I ran excitedly to fetch my camera for this picture, the sourdough was suppose to be white. I said I am trying to be creative. LOL

Thankful for 4 years

Today is our 4th anniversary. WOW...four years have come and gone. Four years have built a strong marriage. Four years have changed me for the better. Four years have created 2 wonderful little people. Four years have been challenging. Wow... four years have come and gone.

As we celebrate the good memories, and the not so good memories, tonight at dinner I will be thankful. Thankful for my imperfect marriage that grows deeper in love everyday. Thankful for a husband that could care less about holes in his socks or the fact that his wife cannot seem to iron a business shirt if her life depended on it. Thankful that he overlooks an unkept house, but not his happy and content children. Thankful that our Charlotte Grace mawls him the moment he enters home from a long day at work... and he welcomes it. Thankful that he can lead our Bible study at church with one hand, while holding onto our Brady Christopher with his other hand. But what I am most thankful for... is that he has taught me more about unconditional love than any person I know. In my most selfish moments, and let me tell you there have been many of those, he has guided me and cared for me in the way God intends a man to be. You see, Kyle is dipolmatic and reserves the right to assume the best in most situations. He often tells me in a disagreement that "it's us against the problem, not us against each other". I could go on and on, but I won't. :-)

This anniversary will be different from our others. I am thankful that we will have our candlelight dinner with our 2 little people in attendance. I am thankful for our spaghetti and meatballs instead of a pricey meal at a nice restaurant. I am thankful we have enough to cover our needs instead of an amazing getaway on a cruise or relaxing vacation. I am thankful for F.F.T. (that would be Family Fun Time) instead of a night alone on a romantic date. This is where we are... 4 years later... I am SO thankful.

What I'm learning as a mommy...

2. Here are some tips that are helpful for me to remember in my day to day role as mommy...

• Know your own limits. And learn your baby's too.
• Plan ahead. Stay organized when you can.  Having a system is helpful too for example: pack the diaper bag at night before a busy day.  
• Prioritize your needs and wants on your to do list. Ask yourself these questions: What really is priority? Does it have to be done? What can you let go of?
• Enjoy this PRECIOUS time. Be present. Find joy in where you are now.
• At the same time understand the stage is temporary. Take a deep breathe, it will be over sooner or later. 
• You are imperfect. Understand that being a good mom means you learn from your mistakes... because it happens and no one has it all right.
• Don't forget to take care of yourself. Eat. Sleep. Pray. Spend quality time with the husband. Repeat as neccessary.
• Stay connected to who you were before you had kids. Don't forget yourself while taking care of everyone else.
• Find meaningful friendships with other mommies and be authentic about your short comings. This not only promotes social interaction but support for the good, the bad, and the ugly of being an imperfect mom.
• Be flexible. Nothing ever goes as planned.
• Eat dinner together and at the table. Making dinner a priority has only seemed to unify us as a family. Something special happens at the dinner table, it's probably a moment I look foward to the most in the day.

I will end with this... most of these things may come natural to other people, but not for me.

Charlotte Grace: baby toddler to REAL toddler

Excited to have her picture taken... I love seeing that expressive face!!!

 

Eating toast with a fork... Charlotte enjoys being a BIG kid.

I have been reflecting about my little girl these past few weeks. Charlotte has grown within the last few months. I literally think she has morphed from a baby toddler to a REAL toddler. She runs faster, moves more, and talks ALOT. Even the way she makes decisions is a step up from where she was. She is more aware these days too. I can't eat a cookie without sharing with her. :) I have to watch her even closer now as she is a bit more, well, destructive?! adventurous?! BUSY?! Here are a few things she loves...

• praise for doing good things
• being hands on, like pushing buttons, flipping switches, opening doors
• things open/close, up/down, on/off, etc. 
• playing with her "Ba-air" or Bear, the teddy bear
• telling stories in her babble
• counting in her babble
• singing songs, like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Old MacDonald, Isty Bitsy Spider, ABCs (of course in her babble)
• blowing kisses and giving hugs
• helping with baby brother, like kissing him and putting his pacifier back in his mouth
• likes to scribble in her coloring book, she often prefers her right hand
• playing with bubbles
• filling empty buckets or boxes with her treasures
• ELMO... she loves Seasame Street and watches it every morning while rocking in her chair and holding onto Bear
• dancing to music
• rough housing with her father
• pointing out birds in the sky, kitties on the fence, or flying airplanes
• sliding or swinging at the park
• running down hills while saying "whoa-whoa-whoa"
• eating with silverware... you will find even eating her toast with a fork!
• being in her Daddy's arms

She can say many words, some of them are: tank uuu, ba-bye, Ba-air for "Bear", mmmilk, wa-wa, appa-sauce, la-unch, doggie, kitty, meow, light, all done, duckie, moo, mama, dada, no, yes, uh-oh, baby, open, up, yay, hi, and Aaaa-menn. It seems everyday she learns a new word. She is such a sponge for learning in every situation that arises in the day. It's exciting to watch.

When Charlotte socializes with others, adults or children, she seems to be more of a cautious child. She observes at first, then becomes more comfortable with people. It does take her a while to join in, but when she does she gives it her all! She is very good at playing by herself, almost too good. I can easily finish a task around the house and not worry about entertaining her. This is especially helpful when I need to tend to Brady or sit and nurse him.

Yeah, I love her...

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Healthy.

Cheap.

Simple.

I heart new recipes. I like finding new ways to cook veggies as a side dish for dinner. We probably eat this at least once a week... YUM.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/oven-roasted-broccoli/

What I'm learning as a mommy...

"Parenting is one of the hardest things a person can do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love." -I think I read this in a Nicholas Sparks book. I guess it stuck with me...

1. Parenting teaches you.

Being a parent has changed me in so many ways. I am a different person now than before I had babies. My awareness has expanded. My soul has become more selfless. My mind is challenged. My body tires easily. My patience is tested. My character is stretched. My needs aren't my own anymore. My wants aren't met but joy is real. My happiness is full. Being a parent, sounds dandy doesn't it?!?! Ha. Well, it is because, all in all, I appreciate the moments of growth. I appreciate having the chance to be a mother and to be a part of a family. I see these roles as gifts.

Parenting teaches me to view my role as a gift EVEN when it's full of endless amounts of dirty diapers, a messy highchair with food stuck in every little nook and cranny, whiny babies at 5 o'clock as your trying to put dinner in the oven, and the feeling of not being able to have any sort of control over time. My role is still a gift. I do however love those moments that just don't last long enough like watching Charlotte blow kisses after receiving a cookie from my Dear Abby friend (I'll elaborate more on her later), hearing Charlotte hum Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star all day long or seeing Brady smiling ear to ear for the first time after hearing my voice call out his name. These moments are love.

Parenting teaches you the meaning of  unconditional love because you have to change and grow when this new little life enters the world. This life needs guidance, love, and discipline. This life needs you without any conditions. You are it. You have been given a miracle of God and now you are to train and care for him/her as him/her changes and grows. You are taught how to be a parent, when parenting begins to teach you.

Here I am

After a 10 month hiatus... here I am.

If you look at previous posts, I used to use my blog as way to post pictures for my family that live out of state. Now I have decided I have many other things to share like thoughts on being a wife and mother and daughter and friend and follower of Jesus, funny stories, pictures of my babies, recipes, and whatever that is leftover that I am learning in my life. I just can't keep all these thoughts to myself. So hopefully I will keep my readers interested and if not, I at least get to vent all the desires of my heart to my computer... who I know will listen. :)

Meet me, just turned 26.

I am a mommy... now of 2... under 2. Let's be honest, I am busy most of my day with things that go unnoticed and unappreciated. From the break of day I bounce out of bed (okay usually I fall out of bed) and tend to the needs of my small little loves who want nothing more than full bellies and dry shorts... and occasionally a cuddle from mom.

Meet Charlotte, she's 18 months.

She is an independent child. She desires to figure out her surrounding world by herself without mom or dad stepping in. She is observant in most social settings, but when you get know her she is quite the chatterbox and playful little thing. She often calls for "Bear", her blonde teddy bear, and cares for her baby dolls during the day. She reads books to herself and others, frequently pointing out Elmo, dogs and cats (kit-tees being her favorite animal right now) on each page. She sings songs that sound like a babbling hum most of the time. The love of her life: Daddy. You will find she likes to call Daadaa on her pink plastic cell phone throughout her day and runs into his warm, welcoming arms at the end of a long hard workday. Most evenings are spent watching Charlotte and her father wrestling on the carpet. Yep, they're buds and it makes this mama happy.

Meet Brady, he's a newborn.

He's a laid back baby. Not in a rush to eat or nap or do much of anything for that matter. He sleeps, he eats, he poops. He often enjoys his small blue newborn MAM pacifier and being swaddled in his stretchy green blanket that only smells of him. He is long, but his belly protrudes. He has a beautifully shaped fuzzy head and steel blue eyes with flecks of brown. He's a healthy growing boy and I love him. I am nursing him, which is a new experience for me as Charlotte was mostly bottle fed. Nursing is surprisingly natural. I didn't think it was for me, but it is. It's a privilege. It's different from what I understood of it. It's private though. It can't be rushed. It's going well and I am thankful.
I'll probably have more that to share at a later date.

Swimming

Kyle was part of a week long conference at the Hyatt conveniently located not too far from us. We went up for a day and went swimming. Here's C waiting for Daddy to return from his meetings. We had a great time and loved spending some specials moments swimming together as a family. Sorta like a mini vacation for C and I, Kyle was pretty busy the whole week. He had an amazing time learning and meeting new people. I am so glad he had the opportunity to go.

"Chubs"

Here we are playing...

and standing...

and crawling.

Mommy and her baby

Being silly.

Giving luvs.

She was so happy to see Daddy.

Happy girl in the pool.

Splish!

Splash!

She REALLY liked splishing...

and splashing!

My Little Fish