lewis, the last babel, and my little babbler

How is it possible that a whole month has gone by since I last posted? Easy. I'm so busy. A whole bunch of new things have started this Fall for me, and while exciting and challenging, are also extremely busy. (Do you see a theme here?) For the first time in my life, I'm relying on things like a "calendar" embedded into Thunderbird. I have always dutifully hung up a calendar on a fridge, and put things like doctor's appointments, birthday parties, and deacon meetings on it, but these days, my calendars are more complex, practical and VITAL, and I don't even have kids in sports or orthodontics. So, what's going on?

I am directing two home schoolers from our church in their American Lit class & Spanish I class. I hand out assignments for the entire course, and we meet once a week two hours. I'm beginning to think that that time period is actually impossible to cram all of the review/preview/discussion that needs to transpire about their week's work of worth; but we make a valiant effort. The neat thing is that my students are, for the most part, bartering for my services -- and I have loved it! One of them barters for house cleaning. If they paid me cash, I probably wouldn't turn that money around to get my house cleaned, and sadly . . .I still wouldn't have the time to clean it! I also get some babysitting, and a few meals per month.

Another new venture is auditing a college class that meets at our church once a week in the evenings. It's a Lewis/Tolkien literature class & it is right up my alley. I'm being challenged, and any time I may have wasted before is non-existent now. :-) I used to laugh at my grades in college because it seemed that semesters when I maxed out my hours and worked a lot, I ended up with a better outcome than semesters when I took fewer hours. I guess it forces me to get really, really organized.

With all of this going on, I decided to step back into cooking some freezer meals, so I did that this last weekend. I LOVE the feeling of looking in my freezer & perusing 21 options for dinner tomorrow night. The time required on the front end is totally worth it to me.

The family in general is doing very well. Josh (& co) has just signed a contract on another investment house close by, and I can't wait to see the transformation this house undergoes. While it needs less work on the outside, there's much to be done on the interior. Plus, the place is bigger (ranch on full basement). If the master bath were a tad larger, I'd consider trying to move. The girls are thriving. Rachel is deep into the parroting stage now where she tries out new words every day and learns at least one new one per week. Here's her list:

shoose (shoes)

biyy (bye)

hii

papa

dadee

mo-mee

chees (just a plain old s sound)

bu-bow (bubbles)

ba (ball)

bay-by

bo (bow)

ah-duh (all done. She used to say ah-ba, but now has the 'd' sound in there. She also uses this frequently & correctly to let me know when she's all done eating.)

ni (night night)

uh-oh (usually it means that something has dropped or spilled)

shisha (sister)

mimi (for the first time this week! This is Mima, of course, but every time she says it she also points to herself twice -- some layered meanings there for her)

go

doggy

eggies (her cutest word, as far as I'm concerned)

And Kate is getting bigger every day, but today she had a couple of times where the 3 year old in her just couldn't help but come out. She pointed to a miniature Buckingham Palace guard I have haphazardly sitting above my sink (think souveneir) and said, "Look at that badger." HUH?? You mean soldier? "Oh yeah, I know it's a soldier." That "dg" sound must crossed some wires in her brain, I guess. Little later on, she asked to see which Chronicle of Narnia I was reading? She looks at the cover and says, "Oh, it's the Last Babel, Mom." (shake of head, slight laugh) BaTTle, honey. "Oh." :-)

the world according to Kate

Her world includes ...... a bowl of oatmeal today that was actually full of candy. The candies were in the form of "stripes" she had smoothed with her spoon. After each bite of this candy, it was imperative you smooth the oatmeal again, and redraw the stripes. (even mom had to do this). The really imaginative bit about the candy was that it could change color using a special button on the side of the bowl.........

and also...

...... a stuffed bear in her stroller she called a dog. This dog has a lovey and loves to shop at Kid to Kid. You want to know why? Because THIS doggy loves to try on shoes. Ahhh. I informed her that most dogs really just like to chew and slobber on shoes. Well, not THIS doggy. He definitely likes to try them on. (Guess who this doggy sounds like?) Lots of good laughs throughout the conversation.

More and more these days she is making me laugh out loud. She loves to do it, too, then she gets to do her truly favorite thing: laugh WITH me.

Can you tell that she has an imagination? What really gets me are the things she imagines that are so far out of the routine or even something she would see in a book. She really presses me to use my imagination, too. Typically question at bedtime: Mom, can you tell me a story? It used to stop there. Now it's: I want a story about Emma & Kate. When they go to their gramma's house for 5 days. But you have to start at Emma's house. My once upon a time's don't even stand a chance!

We are also doing a bit of preschool several times a week at home. She's learning to color, learning to write her capital letters, and most every school day involves working on a memory verse and reading a Bible story or the Bible. She especially loves her memory verses because we memorize them as songs using Songs for Saplings: ABC Scriptures. When I first got it, I found the cd to be a bit much to listen to all at once, but it has been really wonderful as a teaching tool. We also do Spanish or math sometimes, too.

I'm also reading chapter books aloud to her, listening to books on CD sometimes, and listening to 'Ventures in Odyssey. We've solved my quandary: How can I do my favorite thing of reading while eating lunch with children? :-) Kate loves to listen even though I'm quite unsure how much she absorbs of the stories; they are definitely meant for older children. We have finished The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on cd, Little House in the Big Woods and are working on the next in the series.

Baths have gone from being bad to good, and she has even enjoyed a few showers. Her shyness is gradually decreasing. She got to go to a grown-up party recently and well in responding to people's greetings and being polite. Also, a big difference can be seen during Sunday School. Even though she liked the idea of S.S., sometimes it was a struggle to drop her off. These days she loves it and does well listening & responding to questions (this we get from her teacher). That is so encouraging to me! She still doesn't enjoy tomatoes, but most everything else (including pickles, olives, and cucumbers) is on her good list. She drinks without a top on her cups and usually gets it on her own, too. She can also bring her laundry basket downstairs to the laundry room. Now, if I could get her to wash the dishes, I think I'll be in business.

More and more, she finds funny ways to play with her little sister. She loves to lead her, keep her safe, interpret her, and have fun with her. Sometimes she is protective of her things because she doesn't want sister to interfere with her dolly, her clothes, her toys, etc, but most of the time they get along well. I cannot wait until they are both playing pretend together!

do's & don'ts

A few lessons learned on our vacation.

DON'T leave the tripod at home or schedule THE family picture for one hour before you are checking out. Still; here we are on the last day of our fun family reunion in the mountains. We are lacking Elias, Becky's husband. While on the tour bus in Asheville, the tour guide couldn't get over how many kids we had and called us the most fertile family. In what world?? At this point we're balancing on "perfect American family" with 1 or 2 kids per family. Not saying it's going to stay there. . but really. Maybe it's amazing that my parents had 4 kids, that we all married amazing spouses, that we all love each other (still), and that we like to be together (at least once a year). Maybe. What's absolutely true was that it was truly a blessing to be with everyone. And, who can say what the Most Fertile Family will look like in another two years when we try for this again.

DO post on the internet slightly awkward, completely hilarious picture that you discovered after you sent your husband on a walk with the rest of the family. Really, I'm just trying to show you Ben & Jen's new van. :-)

DON'T wish you could take your little niece & nephew home with you; it's not gonna happen!

DO bring your best friend on vacation with you.

DO pick a place with an amazing view!! It made any tiny inconvenience in the house inconsequential. When the power went out for a few hours one night, I sat on the porch, rocked & read. Most relaxing hours of the vacation.

DO keep a weather eye for stranger people wearing way too many clothes on a hot day & playing the flute when you're in downtown Asheville. Apparently, this is what makes Asheville great.

DON'T forget what it's like to go on your first bus ride EVER! In case you've forgotten, it's pretty fun! Especially if it doesn't take you to a first anxiety filled day of school but rather a fun, family-filled day of walking, shopping, eating, and freak-sightings.

DO take your kids to a creek & let them play!!! (Thanks to Ben's friend for a great tip!) This park was located in Montreat, NC (5 minutes from Black Mt). It was shady & a creek ran through with many good spots of wading, splashing, excavating & lots of clambering. There were also play-sets, but who cares about swings when you can splash in the water!

DON'T trust the random guy at the bottom of the "mountain" who says the paved pathway doesn't go all the way to the top. Ask someone in a uniform. :-) But conversely, DO be thankful for grandpa's & brother-in-laws who can do the baby-lugging for you when your real baby carrier is fishing. (Thanks Dad & Patrick!)

DON'T listen to handsome, extremely photographic brother when he says, "Let's take this photo 19th century style." Especially when he nor youngest sister follow orders. At least Susie got it spot on!

DO bring a baby carrier along on hikes in the mountains! I'm sure glad I did. :-)

DON'T have high expectations about kids taking a beautiful, planned portrait! :-) Don't even expect everyone to smile OR look at the camera. Or, in this case, ANYone look at the camera.

but of course, DO plan on laughing a lot, kissing a few boo-boos, playing a few games, reading a book, watching Psych & Brian Regan (did I mention we laughed a lot), and wreaking havoc everywhere we went -- out for pizza, to the an Appalachian music concert, on a tour bus, to a park, a pool, on a hike, or just for a walk!

* This is my second post today, so don't miss the one about Rachel.

look at me, mom!

Beginning right before vacation, Rachel started to make some real spurts in mental & physical accomplishments. The funniest is that she has now started walking. It all started with our well check-up to the pediatrician the week before vacation. The Nurse Practioner asked if she had started walking yet. "Nope. Not really. I mean, she can walk, but she just doesn't choose to do so by herself." The NP replied that if she didn't start walking by the next month, to give her a call; she might need some physical therapy. (What??!!) Not one minute passed from this conversation when Rachel took about 5 steps by herself, going towards the NP. She sure showed that (very nice) NP that there was NO WAY she was going to have physical therapy at 16 months old! During vacation she really started to take off & everybody kept showing off by saying things like, "Rachel just took 10 steps toward me from that coffee table over there." She still crawls some, but she also walks when she finds it convenient for herself. So, we're gradually making the transition.

Her communication skills have also started to take off. Her babbling sounds a lot more like words now, even if I still can't understand most of them. Be-be is her newest cutest word & of course was learned with having her sweet cousin Norah stay with us after the vacation. Rachel sure LOVED to have a baby around & would try to pat her head or give her kisses all of the time. I am surprised, however, that she doesn't called babies "GENTLE" because that's really all she heard when she approached Norah. I wish I could describe how she treated Norah & Levi when they were at our house. She wanted to pat their heads & give kisses but all with an ecstatic squealing & jibber jabber; some be-be's interspersed as well. It was as though she was saying, "I can't believe the adults are letting me so close to this little human being! EEeeeeeekkkk! They are so cute! Wait, she has my toy! I want it back! And I also want to pat her head in a REALLY EXCITED way because I love her so much!!!"

She has also started to love baby dolls, & Kate is having to relinquish her control of the doll family & give some to Rachel. She loves to hold, rock & give kisses to them. She has moved towards saying Mo-mee instead of Ma-ma. After I wrote that she said Ray-ray one day; she hasn't said it again... but has started to use "Shishy" or something similar to talk about Kate. She loves shoes. She has started to bring shoes to me & try to fit her cute feet into my shoes as well. Just last night she learned (in a day or two) to hold up her cute little finger when I ask her how old she is. I have started giving her a spoon, which she is learning slowly but surely how to use. She really likes to participate when the art supplies come out; but currently her participation is making a few marks on the paper & then eating the crayons. :-(

My baby is growing up. I suppose it's inevitable that when I held Norah & Levi, it really banished the phrase "Baby Rachel" from my vocab. She's not a baby anymore, although her chubby cheekies say otherwise.

Cinderella. . .dressed in toast?

Wondering much at the title of the post? Kate was getting a little creative with her breakfast this morning & started off with a face that quickly morphed into one of her favorite story book characters -- Cinderella! Can't you see it? The picture was my ploy to save Cinderella in picture form so her dress could be eaten. I walked back to see if said toast was eaten & Kate looks at me quite glumly & says, "I'm disappointed, mom." Apparently she had been making all sorts of promises to Cinderella that her dress would stay perfectly. :-) She lives in another world sometimes!

Rachel is getting cuter by the second! I discovered her in the room yesterday opening books & reading them in a load babbling voice. Adorable! She is very close to walking on her own, but not quite. Favorite summer foods are watermelon & blueberries. I need to catch a picture of her chowing down on a slice of watermelon. The unfortunate thing is that it condemns whatever outfit she has on to watermelon juice being squeezed all over the front no matter what bib I have on her. Maybe I need to change her into a bathing suit first? Still loves to climb into things & almost hide, but since I cleaned the fireplace out, she hasn't been nearly as attracted to it. Is she craving charcoal or something? She's pretty outgoing when she wants to be. She'll give waves to people at the grocery store, but smiles have to be a bit weasled out of her. She loves her Auntie Jen & a few times I'm pretty sure she called her Momma. :-) Most of all she cannot wait to meet her two cousins very shortly! Woohoooooo!

One other note is that we are on the hunt to find out the source of Rachel's eczema. As it hasn't faded on its own (characteristic of infantile eczema), I'm trying to eliminate a food allergy as a possible cause. Since I'm still nursing her, that means I have to go on these elimination diets too. We did two weeks of soy-free living (just for me, since Rachel doesn't eat any soy). No results from that. We are in our second week of a gluten-free diet which has been significantly harder than soy-free. Gluten free basically means wheat free. So, no things like bread or baked goods, but there's also gluten in some hidden things like soy sauce & barbecue sauce. So, today at Chik-fil-A we enjoyed Cow Appreciation Day at with grilled chicken filets (no bun), french fries & a drink. I've actually seen some improvement in my skin, but none that make it seem worthwhile to me to go without bread for the rest of my life! And, the jury's still out on Rachel.

Summertime Girls

Ah, Summer! Finally hot enough to get in the pool, and then, in a matter of two days, it was almost too hot to do anything else! Thankfully, the temps have moderated a bit (not hitting 100deg), but there still must be water involved if I'm going to be hanging out in the great out doors.

Mom came for a visit & that coincided with Rachel's first time in the pool. She LOVES it. But, she isn't really into any supports except for mom or dad's arms. Those baby floats just don't allow her to experience the water as she'd like -- up close & personal. Really, I think she just wants to drink it (eww!). Kate is still remembering how brave she can be the pool. Feeling it out, as it were. So, lots of paddling about in her floaties, but certainly no jumping or dunking.

When mom visited, she spent several afternoons with her paints out & Kate loved sitting at the dining table & doing "art" with Grandma's brushes and special paper. I even joined in one afternoon and it was fun. Grandma finished a watercolor of the Rachel, Kate, and Lydia while she was here & it's currently hanging in Kate's room. This sort of inspired me to take Kate's drawing & writing skills a bit more seriously as I have noticed that she's regressed in her letter drawing skills. She no longer wants to make any attempts at K (unfortunate that this letter is in her name, huh?). So, I have bought some "school" books & many mornings while Rachel takes her nap we are found at the dining table with our writing, drawing, and Bible stories. It has been a lot of fun. We started with a Kumon workbook on Tracing. It starts of with straight lines, then moves to zig zags and then curvy lines, gradually increasing the difficulties of these zigs, zags, and curves. She LOVES to do it, and if I let her, we'd finish the book in one day. She's so great at drawing straight lines, and she's made a vast improvement on the others as well. We have been using a Bible Story series my parents got for our family and we've just made it through the Resurrection. Lots of good & fruitful conversations through that, too.

Rachel has been making some advances as well. Just this morning she said her own name, "Ray Ray." Very cute! This is added to a limited use vocabulary of: mama, da-dee, ba-ba (bye bye), bah (ball), ah-ba (all done), ta-too (for thank you), and her favorite is Uh-oh! The funniest is that she "grunts" the first syllable UH, and then says the latter one in a speaking voice. She still doesn't use them very often, unless prompted. But, of all the ones she uses contextually withOUT prompting, mommy, daddy, ta-too & uh-oh are it. And, though she hasn't learned to say no, she does a very cute shake of her head -- side to side. This gets used for "no, I don't think so," and also "the music is playing and I'm dancing," or just "you're so funny, mom & I'm so silly!" Frequently, this gets pulled out when I try to get her to stand up. I stand her up, and say Stand up, Rachel, and let go. Then, she plops down & starts shaking her head. However, the last few days she's been standing up some more, and today took a teeeeensy little step towards me before she catapulted to the ground.

It seems that every week, the girls find & make up new games to play. Latest game is a version of Peek-a-boo in Rachel's crib. If Kate goes to "get Rachel up," Rachel sticks her face in between the "lines" (according to Kate) and squints her eyes. Kate puts her face up close to Rachel's and they have a little moment. Then Rachel laughs really hard & picks a new spot to peek through. She loves to give kisses, too, although most of the time they are open mouthed. Mmm... And she makes a face that looks like a kissy face, a true pursing of the lips.

The four girls have a great time playing with each other. The two cousins sure love Rachel and really think she's quite special. Lydia is especially attentive to her, and will frequently sit and play with her even when the others have gone on. The girls are coming over later today & Lydia will spend the night so I'm getting ready for some more summertime fun!