Thursday, May 31, 2012

Happy 20 Months Troy!

This milestone really hit me hard . . . you are the age Ella was when you were born. It is so crazy to me. Every little thing you do these days seems to show me how far removed you are from your newborn days.

You’ve suddenly developed a fondness for your pillow and blanket. I’ll ask you if you want me to cover you up, and you’ll lay down on your pillow, stick your thumb in your mouth, usually curl up, and wait for me to cover you up. It is pretty precious! You’ll say “cover up, cover up.” Anytime you stick your thumb in your mouth, we know you are ready to go to sleep. That’s the only time you suck your thumb.

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You’ve had a lot of fun exploring water this mouth. You got to splash in rain puddles (although you had a knack for finding the mud puddles), and you went swimming for the first time this season. It was fun to see you in the swimming pool because you are so much older/bigger than last year when you were in the pool.120510IMG_2848.jpg

You’ve been able to say Ella’s name for a long time now, but you have started saying it a lot – calling her when you want her to do something with you or if you want something she has or if you want to give her something. You say “Eva, Eva, Eva!”

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We had the opportunity to hang out with your cousin a couple of weeks ago. He’s about 9 months younger than you, and when it was time to swim, he didn’t want to get in the pool – he’d only sit in the grass several feet away. You, completely unprompted by any of the adults supervising, filled a bucket of water, walked over to him, and poured the bucket of water on him. We all about died laughing!120517IMG_3042.jpg

You continue to love going outside, and often request to go outside by saying, “outside! outside!” You rush to the door if you think anyone is going outside to play. You love running and exploring, and also have a great time chasing dogs if they are outside with us.120517IMG_3250.jpg

You have always been pretty good at communicating what you want, but you continue to amaze me in  your speech development. You use lots of sentences with one of your new favorites being, “I want to take it.” You love to grab whatever it is you want (including a grandparent’s Sonic cup).  You’ve gotten a bit better about not throwing things (like your cup) as soon as you finish with them.120522IMG_3398.jpg

Signs you do: more, finished, milk, hungry, thank you, please, thirsty, sleepy, bath

Words you say: No way I can even count or name them! You say so many things!

Animal noises you make: chicken, duck, cow, dog

Body parts you identify: nose, eyes, mouth, ears, hair, head, hands, belly, teeth, tongue

Favorite foods: You are still a finicky eater in that one day you like something and the next you don’t. Generally, your favorites are banana, beans, cheese, chicken, and crackers (although the type of cracker changes . . . }

Favorite activities: walking (and pretty much running!) and exploring everything, especially following Ella or chasing a dog; reading books; watching Blue’s Clues or Finding Nemo; taking baths; playing with balls (you love to throw any kind of ball); playing outside; playing with toys, especially talking on the phone or putting things over your head or playing with the kitchen stuff; trying get any electronics or drinks you can spot.

 

Troy @ 19 Months

Ella @ 20 Months

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Catch!

This photo reminds me of something that I’d want to put in a graduation slide show to embarrass Ella . . . this “catch” was priceless!

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Friday, May 18, 2012

5 Reasons (of many!) I Love Being a Stay at Home Mama

  1. I get to watch my children grow up throughout the day almost everyday.
  2. It helps me fulfill my duty as the keeper of the home (Titus 2:5). {Please don’t mistake this for me meaning that I think you can’t fulfill Titus 2:5 if you work outside the home.}
  3. I get to see my children fight together, but also laugh and smile together.
  4. I’m blessed (and challenged) with the primary responsibility of training my children – from the mundane to the important.
  5. I don’t have to worry about their care or how they’ve been acting or what they’ve done because I’m their caregiver and I know what has been going on with them throughout the day.

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Thursday, May 3, 2012

Thankful Thursday

It has been way, way too long since I’ve written one of these posts! This post is a reflection from my time when I was a full-time work-at-home mom (plus attending school) to now (I only do contract work on the side when I choose – not a full-time work!).

I’m thankful for time to do so many of the things I felt like I missed out on when I had to work.

I’m thankful for time to spend with the kids (including spending time with them outside which was very difficult when I was also working).

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I’m thankful for time to make breakfast for my husband (now I just need to spend more time doing it!).

I’m thankful for time to attend (and teach) Ladies Bible Class without having to rush in and rush out to get back to my work.

I’m thankful for time to spend with the college students at our congregation (my husband is a college minister).

I’m thankful for not being stressed out over little things every day (not to say that I never have stressful days – but my life isn’t a constant mess of stress like I used to feel).

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Bluebonnets

We had a wonderful spring full of bluebonnets this year thanks to all the rain God blessed us with in the previous months. Although the bluebonnets are now all gone, I can’t resist sharing some photos of the kiddos in the bluebonnets. I would have shared these sooner, but I’ve been busy with lots of things, including getting back in the swing of things after a mission trip to Jamaica (like not continuing to run like I should, bah!), finishing up the school year, having a garage sale,  and getting things in order for my new photography business.

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And, one last one for good measure to prove that my kids are already conspiring against me! ;)

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