The First Day of School

Ella's first day of school interview:

1. What do you want to be when you grow up? Any kind of doctor
2. What was your favorite thing you did during the summer? Play in the pool with the cousins
3. What is your favorite thing to learn about in school? Math
4. What is your favorite color? Purple
5. What is your favorite thing to play? Little legos

Troy's first day of school interview:

1. What do you want to be when you grow up? I'm thinking something with a ninja
2. What was your favorite thing you did during the summer? Go to Disney World
3. What is your favorite thing to learn about in school? Reading
4. What is your favorite color? Red
5. What is your favorite thing to play? Little legos

I don't know how many posts I write where I feel like starting it out, "I can't believe it is already time for . . ." This summer flew by, and it is hard for me to believe that it is already time for the kids to go back to school. Ella and Troy have both been anxiously waiting for the first day of school, and I love their enthusiasm.

Troy, who has been an early-riser for some time now, asked Trent if he could "sleep a little longer" when Trent went to get him up, which we thought was hilarious and ironic. I think he had a great first day, although in some ways I think he was disappointed because it wasn't exactly what he thought it would be. The first thing he said to us was "I didn't get to use any of my school supplies!" He was pretty excited about getting to go to the library and touring the school.

I think Ella was a bit nervous about being in a new classroom with a new teacher because she had formed such a great bond with her first grade teacher. However, when we dropped her off, she seemed like an old pro who knew exactly what do. And, when she came home she was excited about her day especially that she got to make "Jitter juice" (I think something like punch), and that she already had homework. Last night Ella's teacher even called to tell us how she enjoyed having Ella in class, and wanted us to tell Ella that she was looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow. I appreciate that her teacher took the time to call us (as I'm sure she did with all the students).

We are looking forward to a great year, and cannot wait to see and hear about what they learn and experience!

"Meet My Dad" by Ella and Troy

Happy Father's Day! We are so blessed by Trent in our family. I am also blessed by my father, and the love and guidance he has shown me throughout the years.



I've been completing this interview about Dad from Ella and Troy for a few years now. Their answers are always telling and entertaining! I originally found this interview on Pinterest. 

• What is Daddy’s name? 
• Ella: Trent
• Troy: Trenton
• What does Daddy do for fun?
• Ella: I think he likes to play with us
• Troy: Play with us
• What does Daddy do at work?
• Ella: He. . .  let me think. He studies with students; he helps people learn about the Bible.
• Troy: Works on his computer
• What are his favorite things to eat?
• Ella: Brisket, jalapeño, a lot of things with onions
• Troy: Jalapeños, onions
• What does he like to drink?
• Ella: Diet Dr. Pepper and sometimes coke, and sometimes regular Dr. Pepper
• Troy: Dr. Pepper
• How old is Daddy?
• Ella: Hmm . .  let me think. 33
• Troy: 33
• Where did you and Daddy meet?
• Ella: Whenever you borned me
• Troy: That's hard to tell
• How long have you know Daddy?
• Ella: For 7 and about half years
• Troy: 1000 days
• How tall is Daddy?
• Ella: About 10 ft.
• Troy: Taller than that, a little bit taller than that (reaching his arms way up high), 6 ft. tall. Wait is he that tall? Is he 2 ft. tall?
• What is Daddy’s hair like?
• Ella: Bald, pretty much and then he has little dots on his hair area.
• Troy: No hair
• How much does Daddy weigh?
• Ella: Hmm . .that's hard. Let me think for a minute. Much more than me.
• Troy: Huh, 10 lbs. Does he really weigh 10 lbs. pounds? How much does he weigh?
• What makes Daddy the best?
• Ella: Having fun and playing with us.
• Troy: Letting us watch a movie.
• What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
• Ella: Have a day together and have fun.
• Troy: Play with him

Happy 1 Month Annie!

You are such a sweet baby girl! In some ways it doesn't seem like you could already be a month old, but in some ways you seem much older than one month. You really have been an easy baby, and remind me of Ella as a baby in that way.

 

For instance, you sleep really well most nights considering you are only a month old. You got off to a rocky start in the hospital (barely sleeping at all the two nights we were there), and I was preparing myself for some really long nights ahead. But you have proven me wrong! Most nights you sleep at least a 4-5 hour stretch, and one night you even slept for a 7 hour stretch. You are spoiling me! We've had a few nights here and there where you've kept me up, but overall you are a really good sleeper.

You are also bigger than your siblings were at this age. I don't know how much you weigh, but you have definitely been growing! Your clothes are getting snugger (in fact, you've outgrown a couple of things already!), and I can tell you've grown when I put you in your bed, your carseat, or your swing.

You enjoyed your first Christmas this month as well . . . or should I say, you slept through your first Christmas. I think you slept through every Christmas celebration we had during the holidays!

You smile sweetly at times in your sleep, and it melts my heart. You also started making some sweet talking/cooing noises when I talk to you. You love white noise and being swaddled. You also like to be carried in my sling. You do not like pacifiers no matter how hard I try to get you to like them. You do like to suck on our fingers, and you've sucked on your hands a few times. I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up being a thumb sucker, but you haven't quite figured that out yet.

Your siblings absolutely love you already (although Luke was really unsure in the hospital!), and have been quite patient with you. They all love to help out by getting diapers or my diaper bag for me. They also all love to sing to you when you are crying. There are times we've asked them to sing when you've been sad, but they've also started singing to you when you are sad without us asking them. They love to give you hugs and kisses throughout the day, and always insist on a goodnight hug. Luke loves to tell us "Annieee cwying" when you are crying. Luke also likes to direct us to put you down in your bed or swing, and looks around for you if you aren't where he thinks you should be.

Your siblings holding you for the first time: 

Luke @ 1 Month
Troy @ 1 Month
I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old  

Happy 2nd Birthday Luke!

As I'm sitting here writing this post, you are showing off just how big you are these days. You've got some sort of superhero toy that has a disc you can load and then shoot. You are loading the disc, then aiming and shooting it at me, with a huge grin on your face each time you succeed.

Your language and communication have really exploded over the past month. It is hard to describe how many more words and phrases you are saying compared to the previous month. You are putting many more words together into phrases such as "Gone. More please." One of my favorite things you say is "I'm coming mama" whenever I call you. Your voice is sooo sweet when you say it.

With your communication explosion this month has come your ability to really say Ella and Troy's names well, and to say them often. You've been able to say them for a while, but you've really started to use them to call them or direct them to do something for you. I often hear you say "Ell-A! Elp me! (help me!)" One day we went to drop Ella's water bottle off at school, and when we pulled up you started saying "Ell-A! Ell-A!"

You love to give directions to us these days, sometimes with words and sometimes by pointing. For instance, if someone gets up and leaves you start pointing for them to come back to where they were. Though you are still a stubborn two year old in many ways, you've really been obeying better each and every day. You do a great job coming (most of the time) when we call you to come. You also love to complete tasks that we give you to do such as taking something to the trash, putting shoes by the front door, or even going to find your cup. However, with that said, if you get something in your mind about how you are going to do it and we ask you to do it differently, you usually end up throwing a fit.


I think you really missed our dog Reeses while we were in Paraguay, though I'm not sure how much she missed you ;) ! You love to chase her around, even though she isn't very keen on that these days. You also LOVE to let her in and out the back door, and  you don't like if someone else lets her in or out. Not only can you open the back door, you can also unlock and lock it too. A couple of times you've decided you'll go outside and play on the slide or in the sandbox by yourself.

This past month you also moved officially into a twin bed. When we left for Paraguay, I took your crib down, and didn't intend to put it back up when we got back. I was pretty skeptical at how you would handle being in a twin bed (especially since at the moment you are sharing a room with Troy), but you've done pretty great. I think the first week you were in the twin bed you didn't think you were allowed (or could) get out of the bed without us getting you. You've since figured out that not only can you get out of bed by yourself but you can also open the door and leave your room.

You are quite the sorter of objects. You sorted (without instruction from us) your animals in the photo by color and kind, and also sorted all the jenga blocks by color. You also love to stack and build things

You've loved to color for a while now, but this past month you've started doing what I call "squiggling." You get really intense, and then draw these little squiggles over and over again. It is quite funny to me! Even your Bible class paper was covered in squiggles when you brought it to us. And, speaking of Bible class, you've moved into the 2 and 3 year old class, and seem to be doing great in there. I was a little concerned about how you'd transition from class in Paraguay to the older class back at home, but you've done well. We've been told by a few different people that you love to do the puzzles in there, and that you do a really good job with them.

Our one day excursion to Disney World was really fun with you! You were SOOO excited at all the characters, and loved waving at them during the parades. I wished we could have taken you to meet Mickey Mouse, but in our short time there we didn't get to do that. I know you would have loved it though!

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

Body parts you can identify: nose, ears, mouth, eyes, tongue, teeth, hair, face, hands, feet, belly, neck, arms, legs (You can also identify soem body parts by their Spanish name)

Animal noises you make: cow, duck, dog, anything that roars (especially dinosaurs!) (I think you can do more, but I didn't take good note. . . .)

Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), nutrigrain bars, donuts, mac and cheese, ice cream (if we offer you ice cream you start jumping up and down and yelling "yay! yay! yay! ice cream!"), and foods you get to eat with a fork

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars, buckle stuffed lion. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids. You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo! You really love singing as well! One of your favorite things to do is to "wrestle" with your dad and siblings.

Words you say: I cannot keep up with the words you say anymore! You say so many things (in English and Spanish)!

Luke @ 23 months
Troy @ 24 months
Ella @ 24 months

Happy 19 Months Luke!

Every month that passes, you show how "big" you are getting, and this moth was no exception. You are a month closer to two years old, and you let us know every day that you are really a little boy.

You really do enjoy your toys, and one of your favorites is the "gumball" machine below. You like to put all sorts of toys inside it, and then get them out (or get us to get them out!). You also really enjoy playing with your cars.

This year was your first opportunity to really hunt eggs at Easter. You loved it! It is right up your alley because you love to put things into containers, so putting the eggs in the basket was an easy and fun task for you! You also enjoyed eating the candy inside the eggs. :)

You continue to love to sing, and this month you've gotten even more vocal. When "Let it Go" comes on in the car, you literally yell "GO" at the appropriate times. You get SO excited and you are incredibly enthusiastic about singing. 

You started coloring this month. I don't know what it is about coloring, but seeing you do that really made me think about how big you are getting. Your speech continues to remind me how big you are getting as well. You say so many things, and you respond to us (even when we ask you to do things in Spanish sometimes!). 

You also learned how to climb into our chairs on onto our couch this month. You are SO proud once you get in the chair or on the couch. Once you get up there, you often want to stand, so it has been a little bit of a trying time as we remind you that you can't stand up in the chair or on the couch. You love sitting with your siblings, especially Ella (probably because she doesn't get in your face as much as Troy does). Troy wears on your nerves at times, I think partially because he really loves to give hugs and kisses, and you don't seem to care for that very much.

One of your absolute favorite things to do is to "wrestle" with Daddy, Ella, and Troy. In fact, you'll even try to initiate it if someone is sitting on the floor by going and jumping on them. You also like to try to play hide and seek, and you will also try to play duck-duck-goose. I got a video of you trying to play duck-duck-goose below.

Luke playing duck duck goose from Lisa Kennedy on Vimeo.

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

Body parts you can identify: nose, ears, mouth, eyes (I'm sure you can probably identify more, but I didn't do a good job noting it)

Animal noises you make: cow, (I think you can do more, but I didn't take good note. . . .)

Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), nutrigrain bars, donuts, mac and cheese, and foods you get to eat with a fork

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars, buckle stuffed lion. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids. You like to chase after Reeses as well, but she's not to sure about that. : ) You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo! You really love singing as well! One of your favorite things to do is to "wrestle" with your dad and siblings.

Words you say: I cannot keep up with the words you say anymore! You say so many things!

Luke @ 18 months
Troy @ 19 months
Ella @ 19 months

Happy 18 Months Luke!

Each day that passes reminds me just how big you are getting. The 18 month mark also reminds me that you really aren't a baby anymore, but fully toddler in all that you do. You can still show your very serious face, but you've also got an amazing grin that you love to flash at us. Sadly, I did not take many pictures this past month. :(

You love, love to play with buckles. You are greatly entertained when we go out to eat, and the high chair has a buckle you can play with. You also love the buckle lion toy (called a Buckleyboo). Unfortunately, you can't unbuckle the buckles yet, but you have a great big sister who loves to help you out. :)


You've had an explosion in your communication this past month. You've started saying many, many more words (I can't even keep track of them all anymore). You also finally decided you'd sign the words we've been trying to get you to sign for months now! You've also been demonstrating a good understanding of both English and Spanish. Our entire family has been working towards becoming fluent in Spanish, and you've done a great job picking up on it. Though I'm not sure you say anything in Spanish (though I've been suspicious a few times), you definitely recognize and understand phrases such as when we ask you if you are hungry or for you to say please in Spanish.

You continue to be a very busy baby, often running wherever you go. You are into everything, and you can be very stubborn about getting into whatever it is you want. You are slowly getting better about not throwing a fit when we tell you no, but you still don't like to be told no (who does??).

You are getting somewhat better about not being quite so picky with food, and I think a large part of that is that you love to get to use a fork. You do a GREAT job with your fork (sometimes better than Troy it seems!).

You really love to play with balls, and you've really enjoyed your new basketball goal. You're pretty good at it too!

Luke basketball from Lisa Kennedy on Vimeo.

You continue to love to sing, and you've gotten even better at singing and doing the motions to your favorite song over the past month ("Read Your Bible and Pray Everyday"). You also do some of the signs to the song "My God is So Big."

Luke singing from Lisa Kennedy on Vimeo.

You also finally made an animal noise! It was so funny - you walked into the room with a cow saying "moo!" when you hadn't ever done it before with us.

The cow goes moo from Lisa Kennedy on Vimeo.

Signs you do: more (you finally started doing the sign correctly!), finished, thank you, hungry, thirsty, please, sleepy

Body parts you can identify: nose, ears, mouth, eyes

Animal noises you make: cow

Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), applesauce, nutrigrain bars, donuts, mac and cheese

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars, buckle stuffed lion. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids, and you've added a new level of "fun" since you started walking. You like to chase after Reeses as well, but she's not to sure about that. : ) You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo!

Words you say: You have had a huge explosion of words this month. It is hard to keep track of them all - but here are ones that you say most often: Mama, Dada, Eh-wa! (Ella), "anks" (thanks), "eeses" (Reeses), hi, bye, "inished" (finished), "ba" (banana), Rhu-Rhu (your grandma), Pop-pa (your grandpa), "pees" (please), "mah!" (more), uh-oh, yay, my (you yell this a lot, and we think you are trying to say "mine"), grow, go, God, baby

Luke @ 17 months
Troy @ 18 months
Ella @ 18 months

Ella's 6th Birthday Interview

I know I say it every year, but it is hard to believe that Ella is six years old. It is strange sometimes to think about life before her, and I'm so thankful we have her in our life.

1. What is your favorite color? Pink, purple, and red
2. What is your favorite toy? My dolls
3. What is your favorite fruit? Pear
4. What is your favorite vegetable? Sweet potato
5. What is your favorite TV show? Handy Manny
6. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets
7. What is your favorite outfit? That dress and sweater and stuff I wore last night
8. What is your favorite game? That up and downs games (Chutes and Ladders)
9. What is your favorite snack? Pretzels
10. What is your favorite animal? Zebra
11. What is your favorite song? Let It Go (from Frozen)
12. What is your favorite book? Green Eggs and Ham
13. Who is your best friend? Karsyn
14. What is your favorite cereal? Chocolate Chex
15. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Bounce on my bouncy thing
16. What is your favorite drink? Sprite
17. What is your favorite holiday? Valentine’s
18. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Everything in my bedroom
19. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cinnamon Roll Pop Tarts
20. What is your favorite thing for dinner? Sweet potato
21. What do you want to be when you grow up? An eye doctor
22. What is your favorite movie? Frozen
23. Who is your favorite Disney princess? Elsa
24. Where is your favorite place to go? McDonald’s and Chuck E. Cheese
25. What is your favorite Bible story? Moses when he was a baby
26. What is your favorite memory verse? Mark 16:16 
27. What is your favorite letter? E . . . L  . . . every letter in the alphabet!
28. What is your favorite thing to do in school? Read a book

Check out the rest of the birthday interviews!

Happy 17 Months Luke!

I'm only a little late writing this . . .:)


This past month has been somewhat challenging. Although you have been doing so many fun new things, you have also been testing us quite a bit. You do not like to be told "no" and often break out into a full on cry when you don't get your way. Hopefully this is just a product of some "growing pains" as you learn there are some things you can do and some things you can't do. :)



Lately, you been quite intrigued by music on tv shows. You often start dancing when you hear it come on. I haven't caught it on video yet, but hopefully I will soon. It is pretty cute!

You continue to LOVE books, and ask us to read them to you. You can be very demanding when you want one of us to read you a book. You really love "Goodnight Moon" right now.


You've been testing Ella and Troy quite a bit as well, also letting them know when you don't like that you don't get your way or the toy you want. But, although you've been testing them, you've also been super sweet with them at times. One of the new things you've been doing is plopping down in their laps when they are sitting on the floor.

You are quite obsessive about making sure that buckles are buckled, doors are shut, and drawers are closed. You can make tasks in the kitchen quite tricky when you won't let me keep the fridge door or the trashcan drawer open because you are so worried about closing them. Speaking of the trashcan, you will now take things to the trashcan when we ask you to. Sometimes you even find something that doesn't need to go in the trash to put in. : ) You've also started wanting to turn off the light switch when I carry you out of your room when you get up from sleeping.  

You are a little singer, and I love it! I havne't caught it on video yet, but you love to sing "Let it go!" I think a lot of that stems from listening to the Frozen soundtrack A LOT when you were younger on car trips : ) You also will sing and "grow" when we sing "Read Your Bible, Pray Everyday"  - which I did catch on video!


Luke grow from Lisa Kennedy on Vimeo.

You love to laugh at yourself, and if we laugh at you that only fuels the fire. A perfect example was when Ella and I were saying "shoooy!" to you when you were stinky. You thought was sooo funny and you started laughing and grabbing your nose too. (Ignore my voice trying to get his attention again : ) )

Luke grow from Lisa Kennedy on Vimeo.

Luke is stinky from Lisa Kennedy on Vimeo.

Signs you do: more (though you are "lazy" most of the time and do a modified clap instead of the official sign), finished, thank you (one time!)

Body parts you can identify: nose, ears

Words you say: Mama, Dada, Eh-wa! (Ella), "anks" (thanks), "eeses" (Reeses), "eye" (hi), "inished" (finished), "ba" (banana), Rhu-Rhu (your grandma), Pop-pa (your grandpa), "pees" (please), "mah!" (more), uh-oh, yay, my (you yell this a lot, and we think you are trying to say "mine"), grow, go

Favorite foods: This is so tough! Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), applesauce

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids, and you've added a new level of "fun" since you started walking. You like to chase after Reeses as well, but she's not to sure about that. : ) You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo!

Luke @ 16 Months
Troy @ 17 Months
Ella @ 17 Months

Ella's Kinder Curriculum

As I started thinking about writing a reflection post about how homeschooling has gone so far, I realized I probably should start with a post about what curriculum/materials I decided to use with Ella for kindergarten. I meant to write this post back in September, but since I didn't I can actually comment on what I like/don't like so far.

I'm not using an "official" pre-made curriculum for everything, and honestly, particularly for kindergarten I'm not sure that official curriculum is necessary. But there really is some great material out there, and so far I'm glad that I've chosen to use at least some pre-made curriculum with Ella.

1. Reading. I taught Ella to read using Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons prior to starting kindergarten with her. So, right now our main focus has been to have her read at least one book at day and then for her to draw a picture about one of the books she read. I plan to start using Book Adventure with her as well. She also did some work with the Reading Eggs App (which teaches sight words), but she had already completed most of that prior to us starting kindergarten stuff.
2. Spelling. I will freely admit I was not at all excited about teaching Ella spelling. In fact, after we had a kinda rough (yet perfect in its own way!) start to the first week of school, I put off starting spelling with her while things got settled. I chose to use All About Spelling, and this curriculum has changed my mind about spelling. I initially chose to use this curriculum because I had been advised that this method flowed really well out of Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons, but I didn't know a whole lot about it otherwise (turns out it really does flow well as a next step after that book). I really, really love this curriculum. I like how it teaches the rules about something rather than focusing on memorizing how things are spelled. We can go over a new rule about spelling and Ella can then usually spell all the words in the spelling list for that section without ever having spelled them before. I also enjoy how the review is built into the method. And, although she was reading prior to starting this, she could not spell (these are separate, yet related skills). There is also a curriculum for reading called All About Reading. I have not used it, but am curious about it because I like All About Spelling so much.
3. Math. I struggled a lot when it came to choosing a curriculum for math (more than for anything else). I really wanted to do Singapore math when I first started investigating, but ultimately decided against it as my main material (I think in the long run I might incorporate some of it as supplemental material). I ended up choosing Math-U-See, and I've liked it so far. I started Ella with the Primer because I wanted to make sure that she had all the basic things down before moving to Alpha. However, I found that ultimately Ella probably didn't need the Primer. She is partway through Alpha now and she's covering several of the same topics again that were covered in the Primer (which ends up being boring to her). I like how there are several worksheets for each lesson to give extra practice if needed. So far, I also like how the concepts are taught, and Ella enjoys watching the short lessons on the DVD.
4. Handwriting. For handwriting we've been using Handwriting Without Tears (which was recommended to me by just about everyone except those who didn't actually use a curriculum for handwriting). I also really like this curriculum. It was really cheap too, which is a plus! Ella really likes that she gets to color pictures with each lesson as well. This is one curriculum that I felt that I didn't really need to use the teacher's manual for (I have it, but haven't used it since the beginning). We also used the Wet-Dry-Try app that goes with Handwriting Without Tears. I made Ella complete all the letters on the app prior to starting actually using the workbook. I think some may choose to use the app for a particular prior to the lesson on that letter though. I really like this app as well. Prior to using this app, I'd downloaded several handwriting apps and this one blows them out of the water!
5. Science. I have not been using anything official with science. We've been reading through the AP Advanced Readers, which Ella has really enjoyed. We've also explored different animals (through some books from the library), as well as tracking leaf colors as we moved into fall and winter.
6. Bible. We have a devotional (including Troy and sometimes Luke) just about every day. During that time we sing, pray, maybe read a Bible story, and/or ask some Bible questions. We also use the Charlotte Mason Scripture System, which has been great! Ella and Troy have both learned several verses, and really enjoy doing it. I've also been teaching Ella how to look up scriptures in her Bible, as well as having her read aloud some from her Bible.
7. Spanish. One of the reasons that factored into choosing to homeschool was that I wanted to include teaching Ella Spanish as part of her homeschool. Ella has been using Rosetta Stone, which I would say is ultimately probably a bit above her level. She's able to do it so far (though she isn't that far into it), but she needs my guidance quite a bit of the time. I was hoping that she'd be able to be more independent with it, but that will come with time. She's definitely been picking up on some things though, which is good. 

This isn't a comprehensive post about everything we've done so far, but describes the main curriculum/subjects we use for kindergarten.

Happy 16 Months Luke!

Watching you grow each month is a true blessing. It is amazing how much you grow and change in just a month's time. From the way you walk, you'd hardly believe that you only started walking last month. You get around with ease, and quickly follow after Ella and Troy or chase after Reeses. You've also had an explosion of words this month. In just a few days time, you had several new words. You get better at communicating each day. You like to yell "my" at us - we think that means something along the lines of "mine."

You are very funny when you don't like something. One of the funniest times was when we were opening our Christmas presents. You didn't know what was going on, and you did not want Dad to help you with unwrapping your present. You had a complete meltdown until you figured out what was going on.

You continue to love books. You love to look at them on your own, or for someone to read them to you. One day you asked me at least twenty times to keep reading the same book over and over to you.

 

You are so proud of yourself when you do new things. I wish I could capture that essence in a photo. For instance, you had been carrying that little green seat around, and then finally sat it down and climbed into it. When you got into it, you were so proud! 

We have said for a while now that you are a "busy" baby. You are always up to something or playing with something. One of your favorite things to do over the holidays was to buckle your seat over and over again. You couldn't unbuckle though, and would "yell" at someone until they would unbuckle it for you to do it again. You also loved playing with the hammer and nails set. You actually did really well using the hammer (I was surprised at how well you could coordinate to use it). 

You really did well over the holidays. It is never an easy time for you or your siblings with all the travel, crazy sleeping arrangements and schedules, extra excitement about Christmas, plus grandparents and cousins around. You had lots of fun opening presents, and playing with new toys as well.

Signs you do: more (though you are "lazy" most of the time and do a modified clap instead of the official sign), finished, thank you (one time!)

Words you say: Mama, Dada, Eh-wa! (Ella), "anks" (thanks), "eeses" (Reeses), "eye" (hi), "inished" (finished), "ba" (banana), Rhu-Rhu (your grandma), Pop-pa (your grandpa), "pees" (please), "mah!" (more), uh-oh, yay, my (you yell this a lot, and we think you are trying to say "mine")

Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), grilled cheese, baby pouch foods

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids, and you've added a new level of "fun" since you started walking. You like to chase after Reeses as well, but she's not to sure about that. : ) You love to push things around too (boxes, your push toy - especially if Ella is riding on it, etc.).

Luke @ 15 months
Troy @ 16 months
I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old