Sunday, August 31, 2008

Growing up!

Sierra got her very own library card today! She is VERY proud of herself. The only requirement for a kid to get a card is that they are able to write their first and last name without any help. She managed just fine and didn't even have trouble making it fit (she usually writes really big). Pictures:


Tuesday, August 26, 2008

ninety....one HUNDRED!!!

Sierra learned to count by tens yesterday. She is very very excited and proud (as she should be). It all started b/c we were learning the difference between dimes and pennies and adding up how much money was there given an assortment of dimes and pennies. Duh, mom, she doesn't know how to count by tens yet. So, we took a detour and learned that skill. Didn't take her long at all and, even better, she retained the information and could still do it this morning. I'm told she ran into her classroom this morning to tell her teacher and even had to tell the guy that mows the grass at the school when he came by ("Momma, I told Ernest my new thing I learned!!").

I came up with way too many good ideas at the CAPPA conference and now find myself busy busy trying to get it all done. Well, actually, Sedona is sick and cranky and keeps me busy all day, so the little hamster wheel in my brain is squeak squeak squeaking away as it thinks of things to do all day. I manage little snippets here and there and by the end of the day I've accomplished quite a bit. Next on my list is a childbirth class I'll start in September, which I'm pretty much ready for, but need to gather visuals and put together packets. Then in October, I'll be holding a lactation educator training in Houston. If you're interested, or know anyone who might be, check out my website or the CAPPA website for more info.

Also on my list is the 2008 Hi-Fi Tri. It's a sprint triathlon (.3 mile swim, 19 mile bike ride, 3.1 mile run) being held in Galveston at the end of October. I'm 99% sure I'm going to do it, and Josh mentioned tonight that he might want to sign up too. I'm sure all I have to do is fill out the registration and it will ensure this to be the first cold Texas October in years ;-)

Monday, August 25, 2008

Home again, home again

Made it back home from the CAPPA conference yesterday! CAPPA holds a free conference for members every year and this year it happened to be in Dallas, so it was pretty convenient for us. I made it home with lots of ideas and the energy to put them to work! Loved, loved, loved the information about prenatal exercising for better baby positioning and also the $15 DVD I picked up that will show parents what I keep trying to explain to them about "fussy" babies and how to calm them. Also had a great time networking and sitting down with the lovely CAPPA ladies.

Today it's back to trying to settle into a routine again. The first thing on my to-do list this morning was to go by a good swimsuit. I've just about committed myself to doing my first triathlon (haven't signed up, but told my friends I'll most likely join them there). When we first started running, I wanted to give triathlon a try, and then when I got my bike, it became a serious goal. I'm still gonna have to learn more about getting through the swim in one piece, but I can do it!

Sierra quote of the day: "there's magic in my heart" I choose to believe it's "magical world of disney" magic and not black magic. Life is good.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Sierra's Turn!

Sierra found the ants today. Of course, it was when we were leaving school b/c dramatic, "my foot is going to fall off!" screaming is always better with an audience of other parents. Even better when your little sister is right there to scream and cry with you b/c you're crying. She got three bites on her foot, but they look fine. Either they weren't fire ants (though it sure sounded like it from the screaming), or she's not insanely sensitive to them like her daddy, or they just haven't had time to swell yet. I like getting rain. I don't like when we don't get rain for weeks and then get so much that it completely saturates the ground and pushes all the ants to the surface.

Sedona seems to be hitting the first "verbal explosion". She said "more" today (expanding her vocal vocab to 5 words) and signed "bath" (expanding her signing vocab to 6 words). You can tell the light bulb's gone on--she realizes that all this "blah, blah, blah. blah, blah, blah, blah" she's hearing actually means something and that joining in the conversation will get her things she wants. She gets all sorts of happy and excited when she knows she got her point across. If she signs "please" and you say, "bath?" (they're similar signs, especially when a baby's trying to do them) she just stares at you; if you say, "please?" she laughs hysterically. Her favorite word to say is still daddy, and I have to admit, as nice as it is to hear "momma", I've never heard anything quite so cute as her little voice saying, "daddy".

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

School days, school days...

Sierra went back to school today! She was excited and happy to go back. Sedona, on the other hand, is experiencing severe sister-withdrawl. It almost makes me wonder how Sierra made it being the only child for 3 years, Sedona looks so sad without her playmate around. This might prove problematic for our homeschool plans (Sierra is only going a half day now and in the afternoons I will work with her to do the schoolwork she "missed" by coming home early). I have a feeling Sierra will sit down to work (which she LOVES) and Sedona will be pulling at her and trying to get her to play.

Sedona has learned the sign for "please". Even though she still just screams half the time, it's really really nice when she signs "more, please" instead. She's also starting to sign "thank you" every once in a while. SOOOOOOO much easier to deal with a toddler that already knows those words, just makes you a little more patient with them.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

More ants...

Josh found fire ants again. He came home from a soccer tournament with two new bites. This morning his hand looked like this:


You'll notice there are no wrinkles on the knuckle of his right middle finger. It's actually not too bad in this picture. Saw him at lunch and the next knuckle down (towards his hand) is swollen now too. There's also one (yes, ONE bite) on his leg that's about the size of a baseball now. Craziness.

A few pics of the girls from the park:


Saturday, August 16, 2008

Snapshot in Time

Got this idea from another blog I read, thought it'd be neat to list some facts about the kiddos.

Sierra--3 years 10 months
*36 pounds, 40.5 inches
*Cut her own hair for the first time a month ago (well, I found out this week that my nephew helped)
*Climbs everything--the fridge, the cabinets, the wall, the carts at the store
*Explains her emotions in relation to her heart (i.e. "you made my heart sad", "that scared my heart")
*LOVES to learn and would do schoolwork for hours at a time if I didn't steer her towards "fluff" activities every once in a while
*Already reads books that focus on short vowel sounds and have 2-3 sentences per page
*Recognizes the shape of Texas and points it out wherever we go
*Loves to ride her bike on the driveway, but prefers if we will take her to ride on the street
*Loudly discusses the specifics of how cow's milk and chicken get to the store when we go grocery shopping
*Claims to like vegetables but wouldn't actually touch a vegetable with a 10 foot pole (well, except for french fries, which don't really count)
*Loves yogurt and applesauce
*Gets a box of apple jacks every time she visits grandma and pa paw
*Loves the taste of all kinds of medicine (yuck! blech!) and pretends to be sick to try to con us out of medicine
*Loves to do chores
*Is as excited about the new Target as I am
*Very badly wants to join the book club I attend
*Plays "little momma" to Sedona--wants to take care of her, feed her, change diapers, share her room, and play with her
*Wants so badly to have more control of herself and the world---there's more frustration in that little body in one day than I see in most kids in a month.
*Plans to be a princess, a mermaid and a doctor when she grows up (she doesn't change which one depending on the day, she says all three at the same time every time)
*Not a big fan of the dog

Sedona--13 months
*20 pounds, 29 inches
*Now walks 10-20 steps at a time
*Has long, blond, mostly straight (how'd that happen??) hair
*Eats everything
*Feels the world is best experienced by tasting---everything goes in her mouth for at least a little bit
*Loves rattles and shakers
*Cries if her sister cries
*Has 6 teeth
*Loves the dog--pets her, shares food with her, tries to eat the dog food
*Has been sleeping through the night (well, 10p-5a) for about 2 months now
*Feels the best response to being told no is dramatic yelling and banging her head on the floor
*Loves playing with baby dolls
*Has never been super interested in nursing and has only asked (through signing, etc...) to nurse a handful of times. She wants to snuggle up every time she sees me without a shirt, but she'd just as soon stick to solid food and water/juice for nutrition.
*When she hears the truck pull in the driveway, she yells "daddy!!!!!" and makes a bee line for the front door
*Loves to cuddle
*Got her first drink of coke thursday (I was holding a coke and her in one hand and holding Sierra's hand and trying to get across a busy parking lot---Sedona leaned down to reach the straw and CHUGGED. The more I said, "no" the faster she drank!!)
*Can say: momma, daddy, kisses, hi
*can sign: more, food, all done, milk, hi/bye (just waving) and understand all those signs plus "drink" and "water"
*Loves music and seems unable to avoid dancing when music comes on
*Loves playing with magazines and newspapers

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Say what???

Sierra got in trouble today (again) for not "listening the first time". She went to time out and then she got a lecture about how she hasn't been being respectful lately and I was putting my foot down b/c I'm sick of it. Her response...."I'm gonna take my brain out and put it in the oven and cook it until I'm nice children and then I'll be able to act like a big girl" huh?????? The only thing I can figure is she is somehow mixing up good behavior with how to do shrinky dinks (which we did yesterday). I suppose I need to somehow put a lock on the oven if she thinks she needs to cook her brain. aye yi yi.

Monday, August 11, 2008

It's in the genes

Made an impromptu trip down to Houston this weekend. We took Sierra to the health museum. Random pictures:

Riding a bike alongside a skeleton that rides the same pace that you do (to see how your bones work together)


They happen to be hosting "Grossology" for the summer. Here she is shooting "dust" up a giant nose. Once you got enough, the nose would "sneeze" all the dust back at you:



Sedona was fascinated with the giant animatronic guy with a faucet for a head (yes, green snot oozed out of that faucet as he explained why/how you make snot....blech)


I supposed we can't blame her (it has to be in the genes, right?) but we couldn't get Sierra off the climbing wall. Being the "grossology" exhibit, the wall was supposed to be skin and the climbing holds were made to look like pimples, cuts, moles, etc... again.....blech. She liked it though!



Then when we came home, Sedona had her very first encounter with an oreo cookie ;-)

Friday, August 8, 2008

Prayers for Baby Max

My best mommy friend found out during her last pregnancy that she is a carrier for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Yesterday, they received the news that their precious baby boy does have DMD. They could use whatever prayers, good thoughts and positive energy you could send their way. He is only 3 months old, and it will likely be a few years before they see any symptoms, but they are starting the process of accepting this news and finding doctors and therapies that will help him.

My friend mentioned wanting to help raise money for MD research, and I'm hoping to help her with that. She obviously has other things on her mind at the moment, but I found a small, grass roots charity that raises money specifically to advance Duchenne treatments and has been pretty successful. If she decides it is a charity they would like to support, I'll be posting here with donation/how you can help information.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Ouch

Ouch. Josh got three fire ant bites on his ankle the other night. Here are pics about 36 hours post-bite. Not really sure what to do for them besides benadryl (which really hasn't done anything)??

Friday, August 1, 2008

A New 'Do

A friend made Sedona a bunch of gorgeous bows for her birthday. Sierra thinks they're super cool and has been wanting to brush my hair all the time. You can see where this is going, can't you? Sierra did my hair for me and I think we can safely scratch "beautician" off her possible careers list ;-)


ETA: yikes! ignore the mountain of dirty dishes...I promise, we really do wash them after the girls go to bed!
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