sweeper

Today at the Mother's Bible Study, Kate acquired a mini-broom & dustpan set (Thanks, Steph!). She started sweeping up the Kitchen's house right away. When we left their house, she swept the sidewalk all the way to the car. Then, she fussed when I had to remove the broom from her hand in order to put her in the carseat. I promised her that I'd give her the broom back after she got buckled in. Ten minutes later, I turn around greeted by the sight of my darling baby girl fast asleep, clutching her new found calling in her hand. She held it for 30 minutes while she snoozed! Unfortunately, I don't even have a camera phone to capture those unexpected moments, so the scene passed unrecorded. I leave it to your imaginations! The addendum to the story: When we finally arrived at home, she walked out into the garage, asked for the broom and started sweeping up the stray leaves that swirl into our garage on windy days like today. She actually "picked" one up with the broom and was quite proud of herself. I think I may have a little helper on my hands.

raindrops on roses and.....

1. my sweet little cousins -- they're my favorite pals. I can say both EE-uh and AW-eh for Lydia & Lauren. Spelled out it doesn't look like much, but she's quite specific when she says these words. If I tell her we're going to see Aunt Jen, she immediately starts in with ee-ah, and aw-eh. I guess we've got to work on those consonants.


2. little spaces -- I love to find little spots that are the right size for me! I usually drag a book a long with me to enjoy in my small space. Mom found me perched in this blanket basket with one leg in and one leg hanging out, so she gave me a hand. I also like the step up to the garden tub in mom & dad's bathroom. A perfect bench! (see also new bean bag chair that mom bought me -- it's also a pretty good kid sized spot for reading!)


3. whistling -- I recently heard this funny little sound people would make with their mouths, so I try to make my mouth into the same shape & blow out. I haven't quite mastered the art, but I'm working on it! (Papa introduced her to this fun habit!) Some of you may have noticed that this is a variation on her surprised look. She loves to find pictures of surprised eyes in books. She'll point and then make this face with more arch in the eyebrows. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen!


4. spaghetti -- mom & dad have just realized that this is my ultimate favorite meal! look at all of teeth. I have 9 in all, including 3 molars!



Bonus Footage -- best picture of baby Lauren laughing hilariously at Lydia bouncing up and down on the bean bag chair.


Word Watch:
water
potty
diaper, purple, papa (they all sound the same! You just have to know the context)

seventy times seven

I had a revelation the other day about some of those daily chores that we do over and over again. I sat down on the couch thinking I would have a chance to relax for a minute, when my eye caught all sorts of particles reflecting the afternoon light as they took their rest on my hardwood floors. I grimaced & then ran to the closet to gather my weapon -- the broom. As I swept down the hall and into the living room, I couldn't help feeling a bit of deja vu. Hadn't I done this same chore earlier that day? How was it possible that so much dust & debris had accumulated in a matter of hours? The story of the disciples querying Jesus about how many times they had to forgive their brother came to mind. Shall we forgive our brother seven times? In my mind, I hear myself asking if I had to sweep seven times a day? And, what is the answer, ladies? No, you must do it seventy times seven. So, that little phrase now dances through my head anytime I feel that I must have already done this task for the millionth time! Obviously, we must not equate forgiveness with a swept floor or clean laundry, but, this simple ditty reminds me that these minutiae of housewifeliness will "always be with us." It will be rare that I will achieve a completely clean house to enjoy for days! That's the nature of truly living in your home. What's clean one moment will be cluttered the next. So, for me, my seventy times seven is sweeping. Maybe you're in a stage of life where dragging your child to the potty is your "seventy times seven." You get the picture. So, now I pick up a broom knowing that I'll have to do it again and again, and that's okay. The task is ongoing, not a one time thing. Plus, when I can get a little helper like this, who couldn't help but be encouraged!

what is about undergarments?

Apparently, Kate just can't get enough of mom's underclothes! I'm afraid to delve too deeply into what this might mean. Hopefully it just means that these are the only clothes of mom's that are "small" enough to put on Kate's head! :-)

mmmmm......

I had never had a homemade cherry pie -- so I made one. I've never had a lemon cake either, so next year's birthday cake will have to be lemon. I can't believe in my 29 years of existence there are so many more things to experience (and TASTE)! Even food-challenged persons like myself have many more flavors to savor. I bought two new things this week at the grocery store: mahi-mahi & broccoflower. I'll let you know if either lives up to the absolute deliciousness of homemade cherry pie!

talking, singing, and running (practically)

The last few weeks have seen a huge transformation in how many words Kate says & learns each day. It seems like it takes a much shorter time for her to learn a word (that she's ready to learn) than it used to. Of course, I've tried to teach Please & Thank You, but she must not be ready for those yet.

"What does a cow say?" Moooo
"What does a monkey say?" Oo oo
"What does a dog say?" Wow Wow

Of course, she's having a hard time realizing that not all animals make one of these three sounds. We were reading Goodnight Gorilla and she wanted the giraffe to say wow, wow. I told her that the giraffe didn't say "wow-wow," so she insisted that he must say "mooooo" then. Of this sound she would not be dissuaded.

She says "ni-ni" when we read one of our copious books about nighttime. Listen to this list,"Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Gorilla, I Love You, Good Night." We have more, too, but they aren't the favorites. We also have an inordinate amount of books about cows, too. I guess that children's book authors know a good thing when they see it. Moo Baa La-la-la, Moo Moo-moo Brown Cow, etc. I must tell you all that if you do not already own Goodnight Gorilla you run to the store & buy a copy for your child or children for Valentine's Day! It is the cutest children's book that we own. It's whimsical -- listen to the list of characters: gorilla (of course!), armadillo, hyena, lion, giraffe, mouse, zookeeper & zookeeper's wife. I have two favorite parts of this book. One, there is a page that is completely black & has only two small eyes staring out at you! How great is that! The other is that the mouse & gorilla are friends, and the mouse carries a banana on a string wherever he goes!

We haven't added any new songs lately, but she sure loves to practice them. She can actually listen for her part in the song & then say her word at the appropriate time. Example:

Mama: Old MacDonald Had a Farm (waiting......)
Kate: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai
Mama: O! And the on that farm he had a cow. . .... . . . . . (whispers ee-ai to Kate)
Kate: Eee-Ai--Eee-Ai
Mama: O! With a . . ... (whispers mooo)
Kate: mooo

You get the picture. Another favorite is POP goes the weasel. Of course, she inserts her pop in lots of places that aren't right, but usually gets one it on the right beat.

Mama: Round & Round the (Kate interrupts: Pop) Mulberry Bush, the (Pop!) Monkey chased the weasel. The monkey (pop!) thought twas all in fun (Now, Kate, Now!)
Kate: POP!
Mama: Goes the weasel
Kate: POP!
Mama: Goes the weasel
and REPEAT.

The favorite song of all is Row, Row, Row your Boat. I never knew that I could sing so many permutations of this song. I practically deserve a DJ name like L-mom or something. I'm so hot. I always start out traditionally, but then I just tire of singing the same old thing, so I spice it up. The best person at this little game is Josh. This is usually a night time activity when Kate is soo tired & fussy and just can't wait to get home & get to bed. So we distract her with our awesome rap mixes & we usually arrive at home a-okay. If I had a tape recorder... you'd all get to hear, just so you could laugh until your sides ached.

Also, Kate's confidence in her own walking skills have increased tremendously. Unfortunately, this has meant a sight more bonks, bumps, and bruises. She has handled these with aplomb most of the time. My favorite thing is to see her do a 180 degree turn. She plants one foot & then "spins" almost out of control, but somehow manages to land the other foot on the floor. She then regains her balance & proceeds to toddle in the opposite direction.