More Firsts

This has been a very busy week for Miss Lily! She has experienced several new "firsts" this past week and done great with all of them!

Lately, whenever I have my food around her, she leans forward and sticks out her tongue like this:

I decided to introduce puffs and Baby Mum Mums (rice cakes) this week and she loved both of them! She can not get enough of the puffs and opens her mouth like a baby bird anytime I come near her with one. Unfortunately, she still does not have a good pincher grasp so I have to feed them to her. Luckily, Parker thinks it is pretty cool to feed them to her, which is nice when I don't have time to sit around and play mother bird!

Lily also sat in her highchair for the first time this week. She has learned to scoot in her Bumbo so it is no longer safe for her to sit in it. She did a great job eating her snack in it yesterday!
Can you tell that Eden was a just a little bit jealous that she was not the one getting to sit in the highchair? She asked me all afternoon to sit in it, so I finally gave in and let her have her own snack in it. Hopefully the novelty will wear off soon and she won't regress to wanting to be the baby in the highchair anymore.

Finally, Lily had her first bath in the big girl bathtub last night! She has been sitting up on her own really well for almost two months now, so I decided she was ready to take the plunge into the big tub. She did great and she and Eden both loved playing together in the water. Lily was so calm and enjoyed all of the new toys that she got to chew on during her bath.
My baby girl is getting so big! I sometimes forget about all the fun "firsts" that happen during that first year. I am trying to savor every moment as these "firsts" are also our "lasts". It's quite bittersweet when I let myself slow down long enough to think about it. I am so thankful that I have been able to experience these things not once or even twice, but three times. It is funny how it never gets old to watch your child experience something new for the first time. It is just as amazing the third time around as it was the first time with Parker and then again with Eden. I am anxious to see what "first" is in store for Lily next!

Peep! Peep!

Yesterday afternoon the kids and I went up to my school for a retirement reception for our school counselor. As we were leaving, one of the teachers was changing out the box for the baby chicks that her class is raising and invited Parker and Eden to come in and take a peek. They were so excited and both asked to hold one. Visions of poor baby chicks being dropped to the floor and getting hurt quickly flashed through my mind, but I let them try it anyway!

They both did great and were very gentle with the chicks. They especially liked watching the 10 baby chicks eat after the teacher fed them. I did not think I was ever going to get them to the car! I will definitely have to remember to take them up next year when she does it again.

Splash Day

Today was Parker's last day of preschool for this year. They ended the year with a picnic and Splash Day. During the picnic, I was finally able to get a picture of Parker with his wonderful teacher, Miss Tammy. She has been exactly what Parker needed this year and he has grown so much in her class, both academically and socially. We will definitely miss her next year.
After lunch, Parker and his classmates were so excited about getting outside to play in the water.
As usual, it took Parker a little while to warm up to all of the fun! Parker is not, has never been, and will probably never be a risk taker. After many unsuccessful attempts in the past, we have learned the hard way not to push him into doing something that is new to him. When we do push him, it usually ends with a lot of tears, a very unhappy little boy, and a very frustrated mommy! We have learned that if we just let him watch for a little while, he will eventually warm up to the activity and join in with the other kids. Today was no different! He wanted so badly to jump into the water, but something inside of him just would not let him do it.
After several minutes of watching, I convinced him to try some bubbles.
Then Miss Tammy was able to ease him into playing in the water table.

Finally, he let loose and got soaked in the sprinkler. He had a blast squirting some of the other kids with the water and also enjoyed getting wet too!
Parker and his friend Caroline eventually got cold and went inside to play for a while. Overall, it was a very fun morning for Parker and his classmates. What a wonderful way to end a wonderful year of preschool! I am so thankful for everything Miss Tammy did for Parker this year and can't wait for next year when he is in the four year old class!

Seven Months Old

Lily-
Another month has quickly come and gone! You are now 7 months old! I am still amazed at what an easy baby you continue to be. You bring us so much joy every day! Here are a few of this months highlights:

-You are still a chunky monkey, but I feel like your growth is slowing down a little bit. You are still in size 4 diapers and have moved into 12 month clothes.
-You now have two teeth on the bottom. Your gums stayed swollen for a couple of weeks and I never thought that your second tooth was ever going to push through, but it finally did last week.
-You are still trying to figure out the eating thing. You always open your mouth so good for the first few bites and then you are done. I have to work really hard to finish a small jar of baby food, and I usually end up giving up after half the jar. So far we have introduced carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, avocados, and green beans. I also let you have a Baby MumMum this week and you liked that a lot! I am planning on introducing fruits this next month.

-You are still sitting up like a pro but have shown no signs of starting to crawl. You are now rolling from your tummy to your back without any trouble.

-You still love your exersaucer and this month have discovered the Johnny Jump Up. You also love to swing outside. Your face lights up with excitement every time we push you in the swing.
-You sleep great at night, but your daytime naps could use some improvement. There are many days that you only sleep 30-45 minutes in the afternoon. It seems like as soon as I put you in your crib, you are already awake and ready to play again!

-You are usually content to hang out in your stroller whenever we go on outings. I guess that is just part of being the third child.
-It is very hard for me to capture it, but you smile all of the time! It is not just a little grin, it is an ear to ear smile that lights up your whole face! I can't get enough of them!

-You have started being very bashful around strangers. You will usually smile at them and then hide your face in my neck until they leave you alone.

You are such a sweet baby and we all love you so much! I can't wait to see what new "tricks" you learn this month!

Parker's End of Year TOT Program

This morning was Parker's last TOT program of the year. He has had a wonderful time participating in this preschool basketball program and did a great job showing off the skills he has learned this year. Parker's favorite part of the program was getting his TOT Superstar trophy. Parker was so proud of it and has displayed it on the dresser in his bedroom. We are so thankful to his teacher, Miss TOT, for working with him week after week.

We told Parker to choose a spot right up in the front so that we could see him from the stands. He ran out on the court and chose the spot right on the back row. Oh well- at least he got a yellow dot to stand on!

Showing off his dribbling skills
Getting his trophy- he was so proud!

Two and a Half

Eden-

You turn two and a half today! You came into this world as a quiet, sweet, easy going baby and, for the most part, have not changed one bit. Your name means "delightful" and I could not agree more! You bring so much joy into our lives and our family would not be the same without you. Your easy going personality is a perfect balance to Parker's strong will. God knew just what he was doing when he created you! Here are some of the things I want to remember about you at this stage in your life:

-You are still very tall, slender and petite. I think you weigh about 28-29 pounds and are wearing size 3T clothes. Most of the dresses I buy for you are too short and most of the pants/shorts are too big in the waist.

-You have the craziest hair and I love it! It is wavy and curly and frizzy and I know you are going to hate it when you get older. It reminds me of your Aunt MerMer's hair- hopefully she will be able to give you some styling tips as you get older!

-You are still behind in your speech development but are making lots of progress every day. You always work so diligently with your speech therapist but do not like to practice your speech homework with mommy and daddy. You will sometimes join in but only if Parker is doing it with you. This week for the first time you talked with Parker while the two of you were playing. My heart swelled with pride to hear you finally communicating with him. I've waited a long time to hear you interact with him in conversation.

-Although you are very passive and low key, you still have many terrible two moments. You can throw a fit with the best of them, but the difference between you and Parker is that you get over it very quickly. After a few minutes in your room, you are happy again and ready to play.

-Parker is your best friend and your worst enemy! You love him so much and want to do everything he does, but get so mad at him when he irritates you (which is on a daily basis!). I always know when he is bothering you because you let out a very loud, high pitched scream.

-You are usually a good eater and will often try new things that I put on your plate. You have just come out of a mini eating strike where you hardly ate two bites at every meal. You had also been refusing to eat fruit but thankfully have started eating strawberries, bananas, and applesauce again this week. You are still a very slow eater and always the last one sitting at the table. Some of the things you love to eat are beans of any kind, black olives, fruit snacks, and anything sweet.

-You can recognize and name all of your colors and are starting to recognize some letters/numbers. You love the letter "E" and always point it out when you find one by saying, "I see E!".

-Your favorite things to watch right now are Little Einsteins and Dora the Explorer.

-You have a great imagination and love to pretend play, especially with small toys and figures. You can sit for long periods of time playing with small animals, toys, or the Little Einstein figures. You also love to play with the dollhouse at Granna's house. You also play very well on your own, which is great when mommy needs to get some things done around the house!

-You are a GREAT sleeper! It is very rare that we hear a peep out of you after you go to bed. I can only think of one time in the past year that I had to check on you in the middle of the night and that was when you were sick with croup. You currently sleep with two blankets and lots and lots of baby dolls!

You are such a beautiful little girl, Eden, and I am so thankful that God allowed me to be your mommy. I pray that you never doubt how much we love you and that we always make you feel special. You are the perfect middle child in our family and I would not trade you for anything!

I love you so much,
Mommy

Sleeping Beauties

Is there anything sweeter than watching a child sleep? That is one of the reasons I LOVE my video baby monitor. I love that it lets me "peek in" on my girls during their most sweet and innocent moments.

I have noticed over the past few weeks that Eden and Lily have definite preferences on how they sleep. Eden likes to put her feet and legs through the slats in her crib as she falls asleep. She doesn't stay like this all night, but she almost always starts out this way. In the mornings, she is usually curled up in a little ball with her blanket and/or baby doll under her arm.
Lily sleeps on her back with her hands behind her head. This is how I find her 99% of the time when I go in to wake her up in the mornings. Sometimes I just stand there, watch her, and thank God for my sleeping beauties!

Happy Birthday Granstan!

Today my dad turns 65!

My dad has always been so supportive of me and I know I can count on him to be there for me no matter what. It had been such a joy for me to watch him be the grandfather to my kids and I love that they love their Granstan so much. It is so fun to watch them fill bird feeders together, build towers out of blocks, or snuggle in his chair while they watch golf and football.

I did not get the chance to know either one of my grandfathers- one passed away before I was born and the other when I was 4 years old. I have very few memories of spending time with my one grandfather and I feel so thankful that my kids are already making so many wonderful memories with their Granstan.

Happy Birthday, Dad! We all love you so much and hope you had a great day!

A Perfect Day for the Park

The weather the last few days has been absolutely perfect, so we spent a lot of time outside enjoying it. Yesterday, we met some friends down at the city park and had a great time feeding the ducks, playing and swinging. We can't wait to get together with them again soon!

Today, after a nonexistent nap time, we loaded up and headed out to the Cleburne State Park. We have lived in Cleburne for almost 8 years now and have never been out to the state park. The last time I was there was when I was in high school.

They had a great playground area that the kids loved! When we drove up, Parker exclaimed, "Daddy, check it out!!".
Eden has been trying to conquer a certain part of the jungle gym for quite some time. She always tries to follow Parker up, but usually gets scared and stops about halfway up. Today, with a little help from her daddy and a lot of encouragement from all of us, she finally made it all the way up by herself! She was so proud and clapped every time she did it!
They all 3 had a great time playing. Even Lily seemed to enjoy herself.







After we finished playing, we walked over to the lake. There was a sandy beach area that the kids enjoyed playing in. Parker loved throwing rocks in the lake. Lily wasn't sure what to think about the sand. And Eden found a stick and a nice, wet spot right near the water to dig in! That's my girl! She was covered in sand from head to toe by the time we left! We all had a great time and I can't wait to go back again soon!