Clara's First Day of 3 Year Preschool

This girl is getting so big!! She was so excited to go back to school today. She walked right on in her class and I had to stop her to even get a kiss! This girl is 3 going on 13 these days! She's quite the fashionista and likes to pick out her own clothes and dress herself. She'll be wearing a dress of course because seriously who wears pants or shorts? 

Yesterday we had a story for the record books. It started with Clara telling me she wanted to go to the jumping place that morning. Since we didn't have any plans I told her we could do that but she would have to hurry because we only had an hour before we had to leave. After her refusing to get dressed then refusing to located and put on her shoes them protesting at pretty much anything else I asked her we finally got in the car only for it to be too late to make it to the jumping place on time. So I tell her we are going to have to do something else. She wants to know why and I explain that she didn't listen to mommy to get ready quickly and now its too late to get there in time. She then tells me that I'm a mean mommy and she is going to move to Mimi and Pop Pop's house and never ever come back. After much effort of keeping a straight face I tell her that if she leaves I won't be able to give her hugs and kisses when she gets hurt or tuck her in to bed at night or give her kisses. And won't you miss me? No I won't and Mimi can do all those things for me. Well then...

Today was also Clara's first ballet class at the community center. We got her all dressed up in her leotard, ballet slippers and of course a bun in her hair then daddy picked her up to take her to class. Talk about one excited little girl! 

Miles was 18 Months Old! (last month)

I just found Miles' growth charts from his pediatrician visit last month so this is an 18/19 month old post. He weighed in at 23.4 lbs (20%) and was 32 inches tall (40%). Dr. Franklin commented on how muscular he was as he ran all over the exam room in his diaper. Yes, thats from climbing EVERYTHING. He's not swinging from the ceiling fans yet but I'm guessing we will be able to check off that box by his next visit. The last two months his words have really increased and the last two weeks I've really felt like he's starting to communicate well with us (which has taken away a lot of his frustration). Some of his words include: nak (snack), momma, dada, mimi, bop bop (pop pop), gigi, g-pa, love you, thank you, dog, kitty, more, all done, come on, upstairs, I don't know, truck, car, airplane, apple, blueberries, oatmeal, eyes, nose, head, ears, belly, blocks, book, outside, and slide. I'm sure there's a few more things I can't remember but I think that's pretty impressive considering two months ago he only had 4 or 5 words.

Miles favorite toy is a set of blocks that stack and then fit within themselves. He LOVES to play with these and wants you to help him do it over and over again. Last night he cooked in the play kitchen and brought me a plate with eggs and then when I asked for a fork then a drink he went and found each item and brought them to me. He put Clara's baby in the high chair and fed it some eggs too. So fun to see him starting to pretend! He also loves books. He doesn't have the patience for me to read to him yet but he likes to flip the pages and me ask him "where's the dog?" "where's the ball?" and he points things out.

Little man's favorite food is still fruit. We've been making frequent trips to the farmers market this summer to meet this little guy's fruit quota. He also really likes black beans and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Breakfast is our most difficult meal because he really doesn't like breakfast foods except things that are messy like oatmeal and yogurt. He's been known to have black beans and cheese nips for breakfast on more than one occasion.

Miles continues to be our fiercely determined little boy who knows exactly what he wants. The terrible twos are already creeping in with fits and tantrums. Some days are very long and very hard but then this energetic little boy will crawl into my lap and say love you and blow me a kiss or snuggle his head up against my neck and say book book momma and its all worth it over and over again.

Also, did I mention that we went to the beach the last two weekends and Miles slept through the night every night somewhere other than at home! Alleluia!!

The bandaid is because Mr. Miles tried his hand at shaving his face like daddy.

Rainy day fun

It's been hot. I mean really hot. So about the only time we can go outside is first thing in the morning but today it rained during our tiny window of outside time so I had to get creative to keep these two crazy kids busy. 

First we painted...

Then we took a real bath with lots of scrubbing because that food coloring paint was no joke. Clara still has some slightly blue body parts. 

Then I got out a little yard sale find I had stored away for a rainy day...

Possibly the best $3 I ever spent. I thought it was just a tunnel so I was surprised to find out it was a whole maze! The kids loved it and played in it way longer than I expected. I actually got a shower without any "help". 

Then Clara informed me she was ready for a snack. I was getting ready to tell her no because she didn't eat her breakfast but then Miles walks to the door, points and says snack (ok it sounded more like nak but I got the point). So of course we had snack to celebrate Miles' new word. 

Then finally it looked dry outside so we got everyone's shoes on (this takes at least 20 minutes to locate and put on said shoes) and headed outside. It was only 90 degrees but thanks to the rain it felt like a steam room so we played tee ball for about 15 minutes before I thought I might actually melt. Clara has improved tremendously since last summer and Miles has amazing coordination and was able to hit the ball off the tee all by himself a couple of times!

Some black beans and fresh peaches for lunch and off to bed. I made it!! Now two precious hours of quiet before they are ready to go again!

Miles is 15 months!

At 15 months Miles is absolutely adorable but is all boy and a handful!! His favorite past time is climbing.... anything. It turns out, if you pull open a drawer and then proceed to empty it by launching all the contents over your shoulder, it makes a fabulous step stool. So then you can reach all the things mom has put on the top of the dresser to keep away from you! Also dinning room chairs slide easily on hardwood floors so you can get to things out of your reach. Tables are meant for standing on and furniture doubles as a trampoline or jungle gym.

Another trait we are seeing in full force is Miles' temper. This little one year old can throw a fall on the floor tantrum that rivals any two year old. It is quickly followed by pouting and withholding affection from the guilty party.

Example:

Miles throws a toy in the trash can for the 20th time that day.

Brian: Miles we don't play in the trash and spanks his hand.
Miles: Cries, starts shaking he's so mad, falls on the floor screaming. In the process of falling on the floor he hits his head so now he's screaming even more.
Brian: Helps him stand up tells him its okay but we don't play in the trash.
Miles: Pulls his arm away from Brian, stomps down the hall crying and refuses to look back when Brian calls his name.

A little while later Brian is holding Miles and asks him for a kiss. Miles shakes his head no and turns his head away from Brian then holds his arms out toward me.

I'm hoping he gets all of this out while he is tiny, but I'm guessing that isn't going to be the case. I'm pretty sure I'm going to spend a lot of time on my knees with Jesus when this one gets a little older! Although I dislike the one year old tantrums, I do see that they often stem from him being highly motivated and very determined. If he gets something on his mind that he wants to accomplish, like reaching toys on a table he is too short to reach, he will find a way to do it. It may take him a week to figure it out and many failed attempts but he will find a way to get to the stuff on that table! As he gets older I think this trait will serve him well in life, as most successful people I know are very determined and highly motivated. However, from the perspective of being the mother of a one year old with this trait, its going to be a rocky road.

At Miles' 15 month check-up he weighed 22 lbs (20th percentile) and was 31.3 inches tall (50th percentile). As much as this little boy can eat, its absolutely amazing that his weight is only in the 20th percentile but its because he doesn't stop moving all day long (unless he's asleep). At the doctor's office I tried to hold him while the doctor was talking to me but he wasn't having any of that so I put him down and he is running like a crazy man all over the exam room in nothing but a diaper. He tries to climb up the exam table, into every chair in the room and then decides to empty out the diaper bag by putting all the contents in the nearest trash can. Dr. Franklin watches him and tells me he has a few observations: 1) Miles has no problems whatsoever with his gross motor skills, 2) this is why young people have the children not older people like him, 3) his muscle tone is quite impressive, 4) it looks like I am going to have my hands full with this one and 5) I am very blessed to have such a sweet and healthy little boy. In case I haven't said it before, I LOVE Dr. Franklin and if he decides to move his practice to Timbuktu, I will gladly drive there to see him. For his assessment he was on target with everything except for his verbal but the doctor said that was completely normal and that its actually pretty rare for boys to talk before 15 months because the muscle tone in their mouth develops later for boys than for girls. He still only says 3 words consistently, momma, dada and more. He can also say no but most of the time he just shakes his head no. Yesterday he said ugh oh very clearly a few times but when I tried to get him to say it for Brian he wouldn't. He still mostly communicates by nodding his head yes or no and pointing or bringing me things. If he wants to go outside he starts by pointing at the door and if that doesn't work then banging on the door. If banging on the door doesn't work he brings me his shoes and then any other shoes he can find in the house. He clearly understands most things we say although sometimes he choses not to acknowledge that he does.

Miles favorite things in the whole world is riding on the four wheeler!! This past Sunday we spent the day at the farm having a picnic and riding the four wheeler. If someone took Miles off the four wheeler for someone else to have a turn he would immediately go up to them with his arms raised in the air and grunting wanting to get back on. When someone would take off without him on it he would cry. He basically spent the entire afternoon on the four wheeler. He also loves riding in Clara's electric car. The car will be sitting in the garage and he will go get in it and start grunting and yelling for Clara to come and drive him around! Thankfully she loves to drive him so it works out nicely. He also LOVES playing with a stick. All the toys a kid could ask for and he walks around the back yard until he finds a stick then all is well in his little world. Rocks come in a close second followed by eating dirt. He's still a big fan of his paci which comes in handy when we are outside because it keeps him from tasting all the nature around us.

Even though he is all boy and loves going all the time he still loves cuddling with his mommy. He gives the best hugs and kisses and if I'm sitting on the floor he wants to be in my lap. He still likes me to cuddle him like a little baby when he's ready to go to sleep and I don't mind one bit. Daddy is also moving up on his list of favorite things. He use to be all about mommy all the time but now he is in love with his daddy. During the day any time the phone rings or he hears someone in the drive way he starts dada dada dada dada. When Brian gets home in the evening he wants Brian to hold him and not put him down for at least 10 minutes which can be difficult since Clara wants daddy love to.

The last month Miles has gotten a ton of new teeth which has been really difficult. Day after day he's been fussy and crying a lot. After 4 weeks of this I was wondering if this is going to be his new temperament but 4 molars later he is back to his happy self thank goodness.

This little guy is always keeping us on our toes but we love him dearly and couldn't imagine life without him. I love his sweet spirit, his admiration of his big sister, his cuddles, his laugh and his willingness to try new things!

Mommy is in the shower so lets play with her sewing needles!

April in pictures

This month we...

Figured out how to access the camera on mom's phone and took lots and lots of selfies.

Did lots of snuggling since we were fussy because of new teeth coming in. (Photo credit: C. G. Henderson).


Reviewed the songs we sang at church which we hosted Easter weekend.


Finally got to wear the cute outfit Aunt Cat got Clara in Indonesia, although the warm weather only lasted two days. What a cutie!


Spent the weekend with Mimi and Pop Pop so mom and dad could go on a date!



Practiced for our future profession in the medical field. Hello Dr. Henderson!

Snuggled and watched movies.



Played at Lowes on a rainy day.


Went to Defy Gravity for toddler time.


Had a mommy daughter date at Starbucks and a new haircut!




Played with cornstarch paint.



Went to the Prairie Ridge Ecostation with Daddy and got just a little dirty.


Made a really big mess in the playroom and tried on the new outfits mom got her.


Played at Bass Pro Shop on another rainy day.



Took a noo noo bath!



Went to the zoo.



Did some chores.


Played in a jello swamp on another rainy day.


Begged to go outside... a lot. (Photo credit: C.G. Henderson)


Had ranch sauce for the first time... and LOVED it!!

It was a cold rainy month but we made the most of it and still had a blast! Love our little family!!