Dance like nobody's watching

Sometimes I envy my kids.  I envy their freedom of expression, their complete lack of inhibition, and their ability to find utter delight in the simplest of things.  Take our recent trip to Best Buy for example.  Grace was wearing clothes that she picked out with her rain boots on the wrong feet.  Yeah, that's how we roll around here.  And Grace was totally and completely confident in her wardrobe choice - leggings because they're "soft pants" and a shirt with her name on it "so everybody will know my name's Grace."  Then, Grace discovered some headphones she wanted to sample.  And she rocked out to the tunes only she could hear.  And you know what?  Grace couldn't care less if anybody was watching or what they thought.  She just felt the urge to dance and she went with it.  Just imagine how much happier we could be if we would only follow our children's examples.

So, today take a lesson from Grace.  Wear clothes that are comfy and be confident in your choice.  Put your shoes on the wrong feet because that's what the cool kids do.  Get loose and groove to your own personal rhythm.  Rock to the music in your head. And dance like nobody's watching. 

Then, post it on youtube so I can laugh myself silly. 

Dress up

When Grace was around 18 months old she really enjoyed playing dress up.

And that trend continues with Faith.

She, too, enjoys hats and fancy clothes.  Both my girls are like pretty dresses, long necklaces, hats, and makeup.  There's no doubt about it, they are two very feminine little girls.  And they both captivate my heart.

Our first homemade king cake

It's Mardi Gras season, y'all.

So the girls and I attempted to make our very first homemade king cake.

We made ours with whole wheat flour, lots of cinnamon, 1/2 the called for butter, and about 1/3 of the brown sugar.   Faith did not like her hands being sticky from the cinnamon and butter.

So she just licked them clean.

After it baked, we tucked the little plastic baby inside.

And Grace covered the top with purple, green, and yellow sugar.  King cakes are typically loaded with sugar.  That's why I cut the filling by so much.

And as I was taking a picture of our finished product, I saw Grace licking the counter top.

She said she was cleaning the sugar off for me.  How sweet.

I will say that I enjoyed the baking more than I did the eating.  I'm not much of a fan of crunchy sugar.  In fact, I think I'd just prefer a donut or a cinnamon roll next time, but Faith and Grace both loved it.    Of course, they love anything with sugar in it.

A fashionable walk

This morning Faith kept running around the house say, "Bee!  Bee!"  

Finally, I understood she was talking about her pull-along-toy, Bee.

And she wanted to take Bee for a "wok" (walk) in my red high heels, of course.

Birdseed popsicles

Today I let the girls each have half of a whole fruit popsicle.

It just so happens that it was strawberry.

And Grace spit it out her first bite saying, "There's birdseed on my popsicle!"  After I told her it was just strawberry, she was okay eating it.  We've been feeding the birds on our porch and making quite the mess with the seeds, on our clohtes, in their hair, etc.  Hence, Grace believed I'd managed to get birdseed on her treat.

After they devoured their snacks, Faith and Grace took turns making smushy faces in the screen.

Oh to be that young again.

A trip to the zoo

Today I took the girls to the Gulf Coast Zoo.

We love this zoo in particular because everything is at the girls' eye level.  They can just peek through the fences and see all the incredible animals up close.

Like this porcupine.

And the baboons.  

We saw these monkeys frolicking.  I'm not exactly what kind they are but they were quite frisky.

We fed deer.  Grace named this one Bambi.

And we tried to feed the numerous rabbits running around.

We saw the tigers.  This one was twitching his tail as he watched my girls as they walked along the path.  Then all of a sudden he pounced towards Faith and she yelled, "Ah!  It stared me!" (Ah!  It scared me!)  and ran towards me saying, "Hole me, hole me!"  (Hold me, hold me!)  I was just thankful for the fence.  That tiger moved incredibly fast.

Then we watched as this peacock strutted his stuff across the sidewalk.

Next, the girls wanted to ride the merry-go-round.

And they didn't want to get off after their ride was over.

Until they saw that peacock start shaking his tail feathers!  Then Grace and Faith hopped down and ran over to him.  Faith was utterly delighted as she yelled, "Burd!  Burd!" (Bird!  Bird!) and he didn't fly away.

Grace prounouced, "Momma, I don't want to see his hiney.  I want to see his rainbow again!"  How sweet.

And after a moment or so, he turned around.

He shook his tail feathers for over 10 minutes trying to impress this lady but she just wasn't interested.  She was quite lovely, though.  I have to admit she's much more striking than the other brown birds we saw around.

Making Valentines for school

Grace's school is having a Valentine's Day party on Tuesday so we made Valentine's for all 39 of her friends.

Grace diligently worked putting them all together.  And I'm certain her friends will love them.

Montessori has a strict no sugar, no candy policy so it can be challenging to come up with a Valentine gift that conforms to those rules that the kids will actually like.  And I just can't bring myself to buy the store packs of mini cards and not include the lollipop.  Last year Grace handed out tubs of play-doh but this year we decided on glow sticks.   Although I should mention that glow sticks are quite fragile.  Several of these sticks started glowing while Grace was taping her cards to them.  I changed them out after she went to bed for new unglowing sticks.  

Roller skating

Grace was invited to a roller skating birthday party and we were really excited to go.

Grace has never really roller skated before but look at how easy it is with this helper!  And her Daddy, too.

Soon she was skating with her helper "all by herselth!" (all by herself - one of Grace's favorite phrases right now.)

Soon she was zipping around the rink.

And then she wanted to try without her helper.  Again, she was wanted to do it "all by herselth!"

And she did.  I can't believe my 4 year old can skate better than I can...

Don't forget your blessing

Anytime we sit down to eat a meal or snack, Faith always reminds us to say the blessing.

 First, she folds her little hands together.

Then, she presses her hands to her forehead and says, "I wun pay!"  (I want to pray!)  How that warms my heart.

What Faith's saying

Faith is just over 18 months and she has developed quite the repertoire of phrases.  Here are a few of her my favorites.

Dat uz fun-knee.  (That was funny.)  This was the first phrase Faith ever said.  I still remember how she was listening to me and David talk and he said something that made me laugh.  Then Faith fake laughed and then plain as day said, "Dat uz fun-knee," shocking both me and David.

I uv ewe.  (I love you.)  This was the next sentence we heard Faith say.  And she said it to David first.  I'm sure he will treasure that moment always.

Ah!  It stare me!  (Ah!  It scared me!)  I have a feeling that Faith is going to like scary movies.  She loves to pretend to be scared.  

Ow!  It bii me!  (Ow!  It bit me!)  She likes saying that even if nothing was there to bite her.  For example, if Faith stubs her toe on something she automatically says it bit her.  

I wun pay!  (I want to pray.)  This one warms my heart so much.  Anytime Faith has food in front of her, whether it's breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner, she sweetly folds her hands together, presses them to her forehead and says, "I wun pay!" and waits for me, David, or Grace to say a blessing.   I love that at such an early age she knows how important it is to take a moment and thank our good Lord for all the many blessings He gives us.

I wun shews!  (I want shoes!)  This baby definitely has a shoe fetish.  She thinks that everyone should have on a pair of shoes.  She even likes to sleep with hers on.

I wun boot!  (I want a book!)    Faith loves looking at books but she does not like us to actually read them to her.  She just wants us to hold her in our lap and let her look at the book as she flips the pages.  If we actually try to read or turn a page a complete and utter temper tantrum results.

I wun tuh-er!  (I want to color!)  Faith really likes to color now.  She likes to color on paper, on the countertops, the carpet, tiles, bedroom sheets, the walls, her arms, legs, and bellybutton.  Basically, anything she thinks needs a little spicing up.  So I have to be diligent and keep all crayons, markers, pens, and pencils hidden until I can actually watch to see what she wants to color.

Tank ewe Momma!  (Thank you, Momma!)  It doesn't matter if David gives her something or Grace or anyone, Faith usually responds with "Tank ewe, Momma," and a sweet, sweet smile.

Doe pah-ee!  (Go potty!)  This is a phrase she uses constantly when we take Chloe for walks.  She also uses it whenever Grace goes potty or when she wants to sit on the potty.  It does not mean that she will actually go potty.  Rather that she wants to pretend.  And lately she's turned it into the song, "Doe, doe, doe, doe. PAH-EE!"

I boo booed.  (I poo pooed.)  I tee teed.  (I tee teed.)   That alone tells me she could be potty trained.  We're trying but that potty seems to "stare" her.  She sits and sits and then starts to fidget until I take her off.  As soon as her diaper goes on, Faith sighs, smiles, and proudly says, "I boo booed" or "I tee teed" according to whichever bodily function she just performed.

Peas!  (Please!)  This has been a challenge to teach to Faith.  For the last six months or so whenever Faith would ask for something we would tell her to say 'please.'  Her response was to look down and away from us and she absolutely refused to say it.  And nothing we did or said would make her say that one little word.  Then one day I guess she got tired of doing without whatever she wanted (book, bow, pacifier, etc.) and finally said "Peas!" with the sweetest of smiles like it was no big deal.  Now she says it and she rubs her hand over her chest saying it in sign language, too.

Mohr!  (More!)  This is a simple one.  She says it loudly and often.


Mmm-EYE-n!  (MINE!)  Faith usually shouts this one.  And it's usually followed by Grace yelling back, "No!"  Unless I see it with my own eyes, I'm never certain about who had it first.  Typically it's a toy that Grace had and Faith wants to take it away.  Faith is something of a bully to her big sister and until recently Grace always just gave in to Faith.  For a while now, we've been trying to teach Faith that she can't take things from others and we're trying to get Grace to learn to stand up for herself.  She's 4 years old and lets her 18 month old baby sister run all over her...


I wun bow!  (I want a bow.)  She wants a hairbow to keep her bangs out of her eyes but that doesn't mean she'll actually keep it in her hair.  Faith likes to play a little game by pulling it out and then handing it back to me or David while saying, "I wun bow!"  Silly girl.

Oh pri-ee!  (So pretty!)  After we've put Faith's bow back in her hair for the umpteenth time, she runs over to the sofa, climbs up, and then looks in the mirror and says, "Oh pri-ee!"

Aye!  (Hey!)  Eh-woah!  (Hello!)   Bye-bye!  Faith could be talking to a complete stranger, one of us, on the phone, or even to a bird out the window but whenever she says, "Aye," "Eh-woah!" or "Bye-bye!" she grins as big as she possibly can and enthusiastically flaps her entire arm up and down like a wet spaghetti noodle.  It's the cutest thing ever.

Bee bee!  (Baby!)  Faith is currently fascinated by babies both dolls and real babies.  And it's a good thing, too, since we'll have another one in the house in just a couple of months.

Hole me!  (Hold me.)  Faith does like to be held.  And she likes to cuddle.  I wonder how she's going to take to having a little one at home that needs to be held, too.  I think Faith may has some adjusting to do.

Foan!  (Phone!) Faith loves to hold and talk into a phone.  And it doesn't matter if it's her plastic toy phone, our house phone, or her Daddy's smartphone.  She tries to prop it on her shoulder and then she just jabbers away.  Sometimes I can understand what she's saying but most of the time I can't.

Off!  This can be in regards to turning the lights off or in taking her clothes off.  Just like her big sister, Faith likes to be naked.

Moan!  (C'mon!)  Doe wok!  (Go walk!)  Faith adores being outside and loves to take Chloe for a walk.  Lately she's been wanting to take Puppy Friend with us, too.  Which is fine as long as Grace is in school...

Eye, tew, fee!  (One, two, three!)  We count to three every time we let her jump from the sofa or table or countertop and we catch her.  It didn't take her long to learn 1, 2, 3, but I worry that she'll start counting and I won't be there to catch her because that little girl is fearless.

Uh burd! (A bird!)  Teet teet!  (Tweet tweet!)  Faith loves birds.  And she often yells "Burd!" at them scaring them away and then she calls out "Teet teet!"  trying to convince them to come back.

Waird it doe?  (Where did it go?)  Faith almost always can be heard asking this after she's scared the birds away failed to convince them to fly back.

I know there are a lot more things that Faith says but for now this is all that comes to my mind. 

Faith plays with her spin toy

Faith's 18 month checkup

Today was Faith's 18 month checkup although she was a little overdue for it - about 3 weeks overdue.

 It was the first time she got to stand on the big girl scale.  She wasn't impressed.

 She sat quietly and colored on paper while we waited for her doctor.

 Faith really likes to color now.  She may be an artist in the making.

 And she's such a sweet little girl.

But Faith has her dark side, too.  This is her "mean girl face."  You say "mean girl" and this is the look she gives.

Her doctor visit went great.  She does have an ear infection and she did get 3 booster shots which she did not enjoy.  She weighs 24 pounds (45th percentile) and is 34 inches tall (85th percentile).  Still looking tall and skinny.  Her next appointment is when she turns 2.

Grace sings a song about 5 little monkeys teasing Mr. Alligator

Fishing through Grace's eyes

Grace received a wonderful camera for Christmas this year and she loves to take pictures.

Here are some of the photos that she captured at the pier today.  A closeup of Chloe.

Our cast net.

Fishing poles not yet in the water.

The sky.

Her dress.

And a view of the bay.  I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical about purchasing a refurbished camera but I must admit that I am more than pleased with the quality of pictures it produces.  And I especially enjoy seeing the world through Grace's eyes.

Waiting for the birdies

My girls have been waiting patiently to catch a bird eating from our homemade feeders.

Grace, especially sits quietly at the window almost every morning before school.

Just hoping some bird will come and eat.

Even Chloe likes to keep watch.  Actually, she climbs into our lemon tree pot and tries to sneak a lick of peanut butter off our feeder.  Grace does not tolerate that at all.  If she sees Chloe out there, Grace yells, "NOOOO!" as she chases Chloe back inside.  Poor Chloe.  All she wants is a treat.

And then there's Faith.  She loves to see the birds on the porch, but quite often scares them away by dashing to the window while yelling, "Burd!  Burd!"  (bird! bird!).

Then she just turns and looks at me and asks, "Wared it doe?"  (Where did it go?)  Eventually those birds will realize that she is on the other side of the glass window or perhaps Faith will learn to be a bit stealthier and quieter.  It will be interesting to see which it will be.