Our little song bird

 

Ada, reading and singing Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes out loud to the rest of us. She does it nearly all day, every day.  The list of memorized nursery rhymes grows every week.

Enjoy!

Happy Friday

Constipated, teething and running a fever. What a fun day that was.

Wide awake at 3:30am

I intend to sleep this weekend. 

Ada & Quentin

I am happy we made the decision to have me home with the kids. It is difficult -- patience, finances, isolation. All of these things make it difficult, but I have been reminded lately why it is worth it, or more, why I need to be grateful for it.  Just look at these faces.

I see her changing. It is hard when you are with someone everyday to notice the subtle changes, but this week I have noticed them.  She is growing, changing, moving on to the next big phase. 

The best part of it is her needing to feel secure while she moves through this transition. That she comes to me a dozen times a day and asks me for a hug, gives me a kiss or asks that I hold her. You betcha!


He is growing too. The endless eating, the independent play, the way he turns himself inside out when he wakes up first thing in the morning because he is just so stinkin' happy to see his mom, his dad and his sister.

And my favorite part -- the crazy way that the two of them together are developing the sweetest, safest and incredibly special relationship with each other. I know they will bicker, tattle and get on each others' nerves someday, but for now it's the highlight of my day listening to the two of them laugh out loud at each other. Love it.

 

Q-ball at 10 months

Little Turkey

Taking a nap at Holly and Dan's house -- don't worry, I was right there.

I wish this wasn't so blurry

Getting as many pictures as I can of his gummy smile -- before the 4 top teeth he is working on cut through

Express yourself!

Ada and Charlie having fun playing with their rain forest

I mentioned a few posts ago that I would never buy another toy again. I have gotten 4 weeks mileage out of this box. It is played with on a daily basis, and has evolved over the past month. Most recently we turned it into a rain forest, which was and still is a big hit, "Mom, can we make a rain forest today?!"  Want to make your own?  Go here, print, color, glue and pretend.

I love this box.

This week we focused on the letter "B".  We made a letter "B" book with these print outs by coloring, cutting and gluing them into our very own book made with construction paper and bound with yarn. 

Today we made bird cages (because B is for birdcage and bird, you know), and hung them from the kitchen chandelier.  Go here and here to print and make your own.  We printed one of each bird, cut them out, glued them on each side of a piece of cut out cardboard, strung some yarn through it and voila -- a hanging bird cage you don't have to clean. 

Now what should we do next week for the letter C?

Labor Day on the Lake

A few pics of our weekend in North Carolina with Sam's old friends, and Ada's new friends...

Showing off his mad skills

Now it's Dan's turn to show off

I promise she was having a blast

Floating with her new friend, Holly

Cornbread and Butterbeans for Labor Day

I am a sucker for a banjo - and I love cornbread and butterbeans.

Getting in a North Carolina frame of mind as Sam and I prep to head to Goldsboro, North Carolina to visit our friend Holly and her husband, Dan.

I found this little gem from a fabulous string band called the Carolina Chocolate Drops performing for the Blue Plate Special on WDVX in Knoxville, TN. I used to listen to the Blue Plate Special while on the road as a case manager for a psychiatric hospital in Tennessee. Here is a little toe-tapping song to begin your holiday weekend -- I mean come on, the man is playing bones and a jug!

More on the significance of Black String Bands here.  Read it.

This holiday promises rest, football, the lake, good food and good company.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!