First, I want to introduce you to the Thursday Thirteen. In the blogging world, bloggers will often use daily memes to get inspired to write and update. One of my favorite meme's is the Thursday Thirteen, because it forces the writer to pause and come up with thirteen things that he wants his audience to know. Not just anything, either, because the thirteen is limiting - one is forced to pick the information that he most wants to share! It wouldn't be truthful to say that I'll aspire to create a Thursday Thirteen for you every week - but it certainly is a handy way to get caught up and back on track!
And now, an update. In no particular order:
Thirteen Reasons (or Excuses) that we have been too busy to update the blog!
- We're mobile. Noah is mobile! And he's sooo fun to play with. The girls like to "chase" him and I love to encourage him to keep moving because it's so fun to be a part of. He is still doing the backwards scoot - but a forward crawl is not far off! (Promise: Video coming soon!)
- We're pottying! Savannah is learning to use the potty. With so much support and encouragement from home, we are using books (Potty Time with Elmo, and Zoo Poo), songs, dolls, and M&Ms to help Savannah become independant in the realm of elimination. This is so super exciting. I always feel so honored to be a part of such a huge life milestone... and I've known Savannah since just before she turned one year old!
- We're playing outside. We all have spring fever. Whenever the outside temp is above 40 degrees, we try to make it outside for playtime. I never remember to take my camera - and wouldn't really use the time taking pictures anyway... I love to run around and be silly just as much as the kids do!
- We're eating! The babies are great eaters... Noah and Rebecca love to eat - and boy, is that time consuming! N shares a breakfast and a lunch with us, while R is enjoying breakfast right now and will be having lunch very soon. I've always thought it to be good practice for children (well, okay, adults too) to enjoy food every two hours. This way, we don't eat too much in one sitting and we never get hungry. So, we have two meals and two snacks every day. Thank goodness for nap time!
- We're learning. Julia is learning new things everyday and running with it. (I might be a little biased because I happen to be her mommy, but c'mon - this kid is smart!) She's picking up on writing letters and numbers and loves loves loves making "birthday cards" for people (even when it's not close to their birthdays!). Savannah is learning a lot by joining in on Julia's child-initiated activities... so there's always paper, crayons, markers, scissors, and glue at work.
- We're being safety-conscious! We had a fire drill yesterday, and the girls talked all day long about fire safety (which, though exhausting, is a GREAT thing!). So, a fire drill that could have only taken us 5 minutes lasted a couple of hours, by the time I was able to successfully transition to something else. That was yesterday. The first thing we did today? Practiced dialing 911 on toy phones, and talked in depth about what is an emergency and what is not.
- We read. A. Lot. Of. Books. Everysingleday! I have a B.A. in English, so I've always loved books. Lucky for me, Savannah and Julia loves books, too. It's amazing how many HOURS we spend reading books every day. Sometimes, I attempt to just sit and read and read and read and read until both of them gets tired of it and asks me to stop... It has never happened. I'm always the first to resign!
- We groove. As you've seen in clips and stories past, we also love music! Even Noah can do a little jig when the tunes get cranked. I've recently witnessed him shaking his booty and bopping his head around. I love it. Whenever someone asks me what kind of music I listen to... I almost always embarrassingly reply, "kids music!" This is great exercise and a wonderful release of creative energy for all of us.
- We are pretending. The imagination that Savannah and Julia have is amazing. I've been everything from a ferocious lion (attacking the kids with a loud RAWR and a pretend jump to run after them) to a sickly mother (needing tender medical care by Nurse Julia and Dr. Savannah). It's during these pretending skits that I so wish I was filming ... I'd love to share it with you. For now, you'll just have to take my word for it!
- We're crafting. The girls create something at least once a day. Whether it's simple coloring or an elaborate craft, they enjoy table time. On Monday, we made Snakes for the letter S. Yesterday, we made Snails. When nap time is over today, we're going to make Snowflakes. Fun fun!
- We're cleaning. Thankfully, the girls enjoy washing toys with me. They also enjoy wiping tables (Just water and a rag, I go back over it later with sanitizer, hehe) and chairs. They also LOVE vacuum time - which, incidentally, creates a much cleaner rug in our playroom than it would ever be if the girls were not around all the time. (I'm not gung-ho about vacuuming but they inspire me, haha!)
- We're bonding. I'm a sentimental person and quality time is my primary "love language." So, whenever an opportunity arises that I get some one-on-one time with a child, I jump on it. They're only going to be this little once. The days are precious, the time is short.
- We're maturing. Okay, maybe this one is just for me. I'm maturing as a caregiver, as a mommy, as a Christian, as a person. I love that the children teach me more than I would ever learn from books or seminars. I'm learning a lot about my need to appreciate my ME time. I'm forcing breaks on myself... when all the kids are sleeping at the very same time (not as rare as you may think! I have them trained! hah), I'm learning that it's okay to take 15 minutes to myself. Without cleaning. Journaling. Preparing. Planning. etc... I'm remembering to pray and enjoy the moments!
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