I asked Heidi what she wanted to make yesterday and the answer was lambs, so we made some more letters
and put together these empty spool/ cotton ball/construction paper creations. She's been pleased with the outcome and can't stop petting them
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
More Easter Decorations
I asked Heidi what she wanted to make yesterday and the answer was lambs, so we made some more lettersand put together these empty spool/ cotton ball/construction paper creations. She's been pleased with the outcome and can't stop petting them
Spring, Have You Arrived?!
Yesterday was absolutely beautiful and I celebrated by sitting on the porch with my leg propped up watching my girls enjoy the weather and their new ribbon sticks. Joy indeed!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Easter Banner
Looking for Easter craft ideas to do with my girls I realized that most of what's out there involves chicks and bunnies and such. Cute, but not really the heart of Easter in my opinion. I wanted to do something to celebrate our Risen Savior. So, while lying on the couch yesterday, I cut these letters out of card stock:
I let Hannah color them, then while she napped, Heidi used water colors to paint them (I usually would let Hannah be involved in this step, but the idea was a craft where I could lie down for the majority of it - and not have a mess afterward). You can't see the crayon resist very well in the picture, but I really like the way these turned out. Now I need to come up with activities for the rest of the week.
I let Hannah color them, then while she napped, Heidi used water colors to paint them (I usually would let Hannah be involved in this step, but the idea was a craft where I could lie down for the majority of it - and not have a mess afterward). You can't see the crayon resist very well in the picture, but I really like the way these turned out. Now I need to come up with activities for the rest of the week.Saturday, March 27, 2010
Pretty in Purple
Just thought Grandma and Aunt Amber would like to see how the fabric they helped choose looks now that it's dresses.
All those sparkles make even lavender acceptable to my red lover.
Heidi was cooperative that morning, but Hannah certainly was not, so this is the best I got of the two of them together.
All those sparkles make even lavender acceptable to my red lover.
Heidi was cooperative that morning, but Hannah certainly was not, so this is the best I got of the two of them together.
Sledding on the Prairie
With all the snow we have around here in the winter it's only natural to want to go sledding.
There's a slight problem, however, when the land is virtually flat, and the "hill" you choose to slide down is only half the length of your sled.
It's nice when Daddy comes to the rescue and takes a bit of time out of his busy schedule to take you to the near by man made hill to sled.
Especially when it's the last week before all the snow disappears.
Happy times from about three weeks ago!
There's a slight problem, however, when the land is virtually flat, and the "hill" you choose to slide down is only half the length of your sled.
It's nice when Daddy comes to the rescue and takes a bit of time out of his busy schedule to take you to the near by man made hill to sled.
Especially when it's the last week before all the snow disappears.
Happy times from about three weeks ago!
Friday, March 26, 2010
My Darling, Darling Hannah
How does she grow so quickly? It seems I turn around and we are into yet another stage of her life. I'm loving the one she's in at the moment, one and-a-half is a great age! Such personality, such sweetness!
She's all giggles and laughs and smiles. Loves to joke and play with her family. She's also sensitive, though, and those giggles can turn to tears in the blink of an eye if her feelings get hurt.
She loves to have her picture taken and says "Chee" (cheese) as soon as the camera comes out. She did not get this from me, but from Heidi whom she looks up to in every respect, and I don't know where Heidi got it. It makes for lots of close-eyed pictures.
She's all Independence these days and "I do" has become her favorite phrase. Momma must remember she is no longer a babe and allow her to do things on her own. Otherwise we have to back up and start from the beginning so Hannah can accomplish it on her own.
Did I mention she loves to laugh? And that her vocabulary is expanding daily? And her favorite thing of all at the moment is singing. It makes me laugh to hear her lilting little voice sing "Op oh ah wee-wal" (pop goes the weasel) and I love to hear her sing along - and even get some words right - when we sing hymns at bedtime.
Her imagination is showing itself to be alive and active. What a joy it is to watch she and Heidi invent and play games with each other. A great favorite is restaurant where Heidi is the waitress and Hannah gets to sample all the food. "A num, a num a num!" Be warned, however, that you may not order whatever you like at their establishment, Heidi is very concerned about the dietary habits of others and quickly corrects you if you try to order dessert before a meal.
Playing "nie-nie" (night-night) and "bye- bye" are two of her favorite games. I love to watch her put on her hat, place a purse over her arm and tell me a couple hundred times, "bye-bye, ee you" (see you) as she heads toward the door.
My Hannah, I love you, and while part of me wishes I could bottle up some of this season of your life and save it forever, I'm so thankful you are learning and growing. Growing, I pray, into the woman God has created you to be.
She's all giggles and laughs and smiles. Loves to joke and play with her family. She's also sensitive, though, and those giggles can turn to tears in the blink of an eye if her feelings get hurt.
She loves to have her picture taken and says "Chee" (cheese) as soon as the camera comes out. She did not get this from me, but from Heidi whom she looks up to in every respect, and I don't know where Heidi got it. It makes for lots of close-eyed pictures.
She's all Independence these days and "I do" has become her favorite phrase. Momma must remember she is no longer a babe and allow her to do things on her own. Otherwise we have to back up and start from the beginning so Hannah can accomplish it on her own.
Did I mention she loves to laugh? And that her vocabulary is expanding daily? And her favorite thing of all at the moment is singing. It makes me laugh to hear her lilting little voice sing "Op oh ah wee-wal" (pop goes the weasel) and I love to hear her sing along - and even get some words right - when we sing hymns at bedtime.
Her imagination is showing itself to be alive and active. What a joy it is to watch she and Heidi invent and play games with each other. A great favorite is restaurant where Heidi is the waitress and Hannah gets to sample all the food. "A num, a num a num!" Be warned, however, that you may not order whatever you like at their establishment, Heidi is very concerned about the dietary habits of others and quickly corrects you if you try to order dessert before a meal.
Playing "nie-nie" (night-night) and "bye- bye" are two of her favorite games. I love to watch her put on her hat, place a purse over her arm and tell me a couple hundred times, "bye-bye, ee you" (see you) as she heads toward the door.
My Hannah, I love you, and while part of me wishes I could bottle up some of this season of your life and save it forever, I'm so thankful you are learning and growing. Growing, I pray, into the woman God has created you to be.Wednesday, March 24, 2010
An Unexpected Vacation
Yesterday I was thinking how wonderful it is to have made it nearly half way through this pregnancy without any major complications. Maybe I could actually make it through without bed rest!
Last night I noticed a hard lump in my varicose vein right above my knee. This morning the doctor confirmed my concern. I have a blood clot. Thankfully I caught it before it got bad so a lot of leg elevation and heat should take care of it without medication.
Here I lay, not actually feeling bad, but assuming what seems to be my typical position during pregnancy, on the couch with my feet up. No accomplishing lots as I hoped to over the next few days, but at least I have an excuse to neglect the dishes!
Last night I noticed a hard lump in my varicose vein right above my knee. This morning the doctor confirmed my concern. I have a blood clot. Thankfully I caught it before it got bad so a lot of leg elevation and heat should take care of it without medication.
Here I lay, not actually feeling bad, but assuming what seems to be my typical position during pregnancy, on the couch with my feet up. No accomplishing lots as I hoped to over the next few days, but at least I have an excuse to neglect the dishes!
Monday, March 22, 2010
She Talked Me Into It
My barefoot princess got to put in some outdoor time after all.
It was almost 40 degrees out there today, and after feeling that number on the minus side of the scale, the positive side does feel rather warm.
It was also hard to resist her request to throw rocks in the river. It did look tantalizing with the water so high and moving so fast. 'Though I'm sure she's getting a bit weary of the refrain of "ONLY when Momma is with you".
What joy a bit 'o spring can bring!
It was almost 40 degrees out there today, and after feeling that number on the minus side of the scale, the positive side does feel rather warm.
It was also hard to resist her request to throw rocks in the river. It did look tantalizing with the water so high and moving so fast. 'Though I'm sure she's getting a bit weary of the refrain of "ONLY when Momma is with you".
What joy a bit 'o spring can bring!
One of the Perks of Living Here
Front row seats to one of God's greatest nature shows.
Winter's silent solid river leaves with Spring's liquid rush.
Winter's silent solid river leaves with Spring's liquid rush.
It's "a little bit spring" here as Heidi says. No, that doesn't mean she can run around barefoot outside as she wants to quite yet, but it does mean the snow has disappeared and the ice is following it. I'm also not ready for that canoe ride she's pushing for. But it does mean it's much more pleasant to be outdoors and those warmer temperatures will be coming soon!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Naps Were Precious To Me
Not mine (I rarely am able to nap), my children's. Having both girls go down for a nap every day meant I had a little bit of "me" time. Time when I could clean, sew or have a chance to read the Bible without interruption. A few weeks ago that all changed. I had been fighting Heidi for two or three hours every night at bed time.
You must realize this is a child who has NEVER needed much sleep. While pregnant with her I wondered if all babies moved as much or as constantly (I found out with Hannah they don't) and used to asked Karl if our baby would ever sleep. When she was born I found out she didn't - at least not much. Therefore, until around a year ago, her bed time was anywhere between 12:00 and 1:30 am. There were a few times when I would give in to peer pressure - all those other parents looking down their noses at us, saying, "surely that can't be good for her" - and put her down at a "normal" bedtime of, say, 8:00 or so. Right on schedule, six or seven hours later, she would be up, not crying, but RUNNING back and forth in her crib and giggling. I like my sleep. I would switch back to putting her to bed at midnight and getting up at 7:00 instead of 2:00 or 3:00.
All that to say that when I couldn't get her to go to sleep at bed time I started to realize a change was needed. She knew she was to stay in bed (except to use the bathroom which she would do twenty times an hour in an effort to see what I was doing -usually trying to go to bed myself), but she would come up with incredible excuses to call me back to the bedroom. Often I would hear tears (she's a great actor folks) and go to check on her. She would be sad , "because my friend died". "That is sad", I would respond, "which one." To which she would emotionally choke out "Toma" or some other such name she had made up on the spot. She was "scared" of all the scary lions and bad wolves in her room, but once I realized I had authority over them, I would tell them all to leave the room before she even though to call me back to do so. I thought I had that licked until one night when she called me to inform me, "Momma, there's a HIPPOPOTAMUS in my room". Hmmm.
All this and I still didn't want to give up naps. When I realized how much I (not just her) was dreading bedtime every night and that it often was reducing me to tears, I finally surrendered. Heidi no longer takes naps, and she is a happy girl. She goes to bed within a couple minutes of being tucked in every night with no complaints and no excuses. It's wonderful. Except that I no longer have any alone time during the day. I try to enforce a quiet time with her, but Heidi is a chatterbox and very social. If there's someone in the same room she has to talk. When I finally get through to her that Momma needs a bit of time where I don't have to answer questions or listen to prattle, she'll start talking to herself. Not much help. So, without naps now, when do I sew? When do I clean and organize? When do I pay bills? When do I blog? When do I fit in a quiet time? I know I'll find a way sooner or later, but for now I feel a bit disjointed. I'm sure you other mothers out there have experienced this. Any advice you have to offer would be appreciated. Or, maybe I should just forget about getting anything accomplished and hire a maid. At least I can go to bed when I want to now.
You must realize this is a child who has NEVER needed much sleep. While pregnant with her I wondered if all babies moved as much or as constantly (I found out with Hannah they don't) and used to asked Karl if our baby would ever sleep. When she was born I found out she didn't - at least not much. Therefore, until around a year ago, her bed time was anywhere between 12:00 and 1:30 am. There were a few times when I would give in to peer pressure - all those other parents looking down their noses at us, saying, "surely that can't be good for her" - and put her down at a "normal" bedtime of, say, 8:00 or so. Right on schedule, six or seven hours later, she would be up, not crying, but RUNNING back and forth in her crib and giggling. I like my sleep. I would switch back to putting her to bed at midnight and getting up at 7:00 instead of 2:00 or 3:00.
All that to say that when I couldn't get her to go to sleep at bed time I started to realize a change was needed. She knew she was to stay in bed (except to use the bathroom which she would do twenty times an hour in an effort to see what I was doing -usually trying to go to bed myself), but she would come up with incredible excuses to call me back to the bedroom. Often I would hear tears (she's a great actor folks) and go to check on her. She would be sad , "because my friend died". "That is sad", I would respond, "which one." To which she would emotionally choke out "Toma" or some other such name she had made up on the spot. She was "scared" of all the scary lions and bad wolves in her room, but once I realized I had authority over them, I would tell them all to leave the room before she even though to call me back to do so. I thought I had that licked until one night when she called me to inform me, "Momma, there's a HIPPOPOTAMUS in my room". Hmmm.
All this and I still didn't want to give up naps. When I realized how much I (not just her) was dreading bedtime every night and that it often was reducing me to tears, I finally surrendered. Heidi no longer takes naps, and she is a happy girl. She goes to bed within a couple minutes of being tucked in every night with no complaints and no excuses. It's wonderful. Except that I no longer have any alone time during the day. I try to enforce a quiet time with her, but Heidi is a chatterbox and very social. If there's someone in the same room she has to talk. When I finally get through to her that Momma needs a bit of time where I don't have to answer questions or listen to prattle, she'll start talking to herself. Not much help. So, without naps now, when do I sew? When do I clean and organize? When do I pay bills? When do I blog? When do I fit in a quiet time? I know I'll find a way sooner or later, but for now I feel a bit disjointed. I'm sure you other mothers out there have experienced this. Any advice you have to offer would be appreciated. Or, maybe I should just forget about getting anything accomplished and hire a maid. At least I can go to bed when I want to now.
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