Wordless Wednesday

Somebody...

Learned how to roll over last week!

Yup!  When I put Cora down for her nap the other day, I came back to the living room to find that Carys was on her tummy.  And, I say to you, she was none to happy about it!  Yet, after I roll her back over on her back, what does bebecita do?  You got it! She rolls herself right back over to her tummy!  Silly girl!  I guess she also doesn't realize that this means her days of swaddling are rapidly coming to an end.  We'll see how that goes come bedtime!!

Four

Carys, you're four months old.  What's new?

You weigh 13 pounds, 6 oz (50th percentile)
Your height is 23 1/2 inches (20th percentile)

(I would describe your figure as a bit buddha-esque, hee hee hee!)

You love to stand up.  You will take hold of our fingers and use your abs (and a little of our assistance) to pull yourself up to a standing position.

You are trying very hard to sit up on your own.  You will hold yourself upright for a few minutes in the boppy.

You are also trying very hard to roll over.  You have almost made it from back to front as well as from front to back, but your pesky old arm keeps getting in the way!

You love to hold your toys (even though you're not quite sure what to do with them when you have them)

She's pretty pumped about her new skill.

You love to talk and  laugh.  We're anxious for cold and flu season to be over so you can go with your baby friends in the church nursery.  You keep getting us in trouble by vocalizing your agreement with the preacher.  (Though we wouldn't have it any other way!)

You are quite the social butterfly.  You will coo and smile at anyone who pays you attention.  You love to be around people.

You just light up my life baby girl!  I sure do love you!

Easter Playdate

This past week I hosted an Easter playdate for some of Cora's friends.  This was my first time hosting a kid party.  (I know, I know.  I have an almost 3 year old. . .it was about time for me to jump into the kid party pool!)  I'll be honest; I was so nervous, y'all!  After one of Carys' early morning feedings, I lay awake just going over the details.  Apparently, the teacher in me refuses to die!  My thoughts swirled around the order of events, transitions, timing, etc.   It was like I was working on one giant lesson plan all night!  Fortunately, the event came and went with only a few minor hitches.  (And, it totally would have gone great without me laying awake worrying/planning all night, sigh...)

Naturally, Cora started off the party like this:

Eliana's Hattie wanted to do something fun for all the kids.  So, she brought everyone a big mylar balloon.  Apparently, mylar balloons are akin to the boogie man in Cora currency.  Oy!  Who knew?!  

Nevertheless, we plowed through.  I read a preschool friendly book of the true Easter story.  And, then, we headed to (the safety of) the backyard where there were no balloons to strike fear in the hearts of small children!  (At least I know I can save money on balloons at her birthday party!)  

The actual Easter egg hunt was really fun.  The two older kids knew what to do and needed no assistance.  

Skylar on the prowl.

Aniketh scoring some Easter loot.

Everyone else had an adult filming/assisting the process.

Julie filming Aiden.  

Yvette filming Lily.

Susy filming Eliana.

Auntie Linda helping Cora.  (I was filming her, naturally!)

(Talk about the mamarazzi!)

My wonderful friend, Smitha, held Carys while I was busy being a shutterbug.  (It is clear to me in this picture that baby girl needs some sun.  She's practically translucent!)

Then, it was group picture time.  That was an adventure!  Here are the outtakes.

This is the best one as far as I could tell.  Or, at least it is the one where you can see pretty much everyone's face!  I have come to realize that trying to take a picture of a group of preschoolers is much like trying to herd cats.  Can I get an amen?!

After some snacks, we introduced Carys to her new boyfriend, wink!  Don't tell Carys' dad.  This is Skyler's brother, Cooper.  He is about a month younger than Carys.  He really didn't seem that interested in her, but I'm sure he's just playing hard to get.  What a cutie!

Right before the party ended, Susy offered to take some pictures of me.  You guys know how it is, right? Once you have kids, the pictures you have of yourself are few and far between.

Sweet Skylar was making me laugh.  She REALLY wanted to be in the picture.  

I'm so thankful for all of our friends who came to play!  And, I'm even more thankful for a Lord and Savior who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - 

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6-11

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

In the Nature vs. Nurture Debate

I'm leaning toward nature!

Carys Anne 4 months

Me approximately 8 months

It's Not Summer Until

You run through the sprinklers in just your skivvies.

(No, not me!)

(I realize that it's not really summer as far as the calendar is concerned, but in this part of Texas, summer starts around mid-March!)

Y'all, I have discovered the joys of a child who can entertain herself!  Lately, it has been beautiful outside.  So, I've been able to open up the back door and let Cora out to experience the freedom that a completely fenced in backyard can provide!  This is a lovely little arrangement until our sprinkler system decides to turn on. . .but, what is childhood if it is not running through the sprinklers in the summer?  Naturally, (pun intended) we just strip ourselves down and enjoy the fun!

Happy summer, y'all!

A Little Dose of Mommy Psychiatry

I honestly don't know why we didn't think of this sooner!  Susy and I have been getting together about once a week for the past year or so now.  And, while playdates are awesome and fun, free babysitting is even better!  Susy came up with the brilliant idea of alternating a little drop in mother's day out.  (You know, so neither one of us ends up on the news!)  Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't enjoy my job as a stay at home mom. But, I know all you mommas out there can agree that sometimes you just need a change in routine.  We enacted our brilliant little plan starting yesterday.  Cora's bff Eliana came over yesterday morning (meaning a change in routine for moi) - winning!  And, Susy got some much deserved alone time - epic winning!  At one point in the morning, she texted me "The sound of silence in the car is fabulous!"  Oh, how I relate!  Witness a typical car experience around these parts:

Cora:  Mama, what're you doing?
Mama:  I'm driving.
Cora: Oh, you ARE driving.  You see a school bus?
Mama: Did you see a school bus?
Cora: Yeah, right dere!  Oh, no!  Where'd da school bus go?  I don't see school bus!  Where's da school bus?  Mama, where's da school bus? Mama, da school bus, da SCHOOL BUS!!
Mama:  I don't know where the school bus is.  We will have to look for it.
Cora:  Yeah, we have to wook for it!  Do you see my sister?
Mama:  Mmmmhmmm...
Cora: Yeah, she's so cute!  Awww, she's smiling to you!  Awww, she wikes you!  Baby Cawys! Oooh, it's a big twuck!  That twuck is 'normous! It's bery big!  You see a big twuck, mama?  Big twuck goes bery fast!  Mama, what're you doing?
(And...begin again!)

So, I'm glad that Susy had some precious quiet in her car yesterday!  Over at our house, we didn't have quiet, but we did have fun!  We started the day with the girls deciding that they would like to watch a princess movie.  Cora has (actually) been talking about Princess Puzzles (Rapunzel - from Tangled) after we watched that movie at Susy's house last week.  Surprisingly, though, they ended up selecting Princess Roara (Aurora - from Sleeping Beauty).  It's funny because  they did very plainly insist that they wanted to watch a movie, but I'm not sure how much of the actual movie that either really watched.

Although, by these pictures, it looks like all three girls were glued to the tv!

After the movie, we headed outdoors for a quick round of golf.  I'm really not sure that the girls quite have the concept down.  Cora's version is to roll the ball and then try to furiously hit it with a club.  She mostly ends up soundly beating the ground and sidewalk around the ball.  Eli's idea of it was to hold the club in one hand while she threw the ball for 'puppy' to fetch.  (Unfortunately, 'puppy' was being quite uncooperative in this game of fetch and preferred to jump around the monkey grass looking for lizards.)

Right before lunch time, the girls decided it was time to swing.  Awesome!  They managed to be totally self-sufficient...

Cora swings; Eli pushes!  

We had a yummy lunch of chicken nuggets and applesauce.  It was at this time that the girls chattered and giggled like a couple of teenagers! But, sadly then, it was time for Eli to go home.  

Now, what was Carys doing all this time, you ask?

Smiling...

blowing little bubbles...

And, just all around being cute!  

I think a great time was had by all...and, next week, it's my turn for a little bit of silence in the car!

Much Crow Must Be Eaten

By me, that is!

Never in my wildest, wildest dreams did I ever picture myself as a homeschool mama. In fact, when John would casually bring up the fact that homeschooling could be a possibility for our kids, my lips agreed with him while my brain screamed "No way, mister!" I can admit that I thought the idea of homeschooling was odd. I mean, why would you want to deprive your child of the opportunities that public (or private) school has to offer? After all, I went through public schools and had a truly wonderful experience. But, that was over 20 years ago, and things have most certainly changed. It's not that I don't think that Cora and Carys could get a good education at our neighborhood school; I mean I, of all people, know that there are FANTASTIC teachers everywhere. And, I know that teachers work themselves to exhaustion to provide the best education they possibly can for their students. It's moreso that my heart hurts for the state of education today. Rising class sizes are practically a given. And, with the extent that standardized testing has permeated the system, the focus has to be on the results rather than on cultivating lifelong learners. In my 10 years of experience as an elementary teacher, I watched as the vital developmentally appropriate practices were gradually phased out in favor of overly rigorous methods designed to sway the results of the big, bad TAKS. We were expected to do more with fewer resources while programs were being cut left and right. If it weren't for the outstanding pay {wink, wink}, I would have quit long before Cora gave me an important reason to! (Don't get me wrong, I was actually quite satisfied with my pay and my benefits. I would have loved more money - who wouldn't? - but it's not like the comparatively low salary was a big shocker to me!) I firmly believe that the vast majority of teachers do their job and do their job well for the love of the students. That fact is actually what kept me teaching for so long.  I know that my girls' teachers would surely love them and care for them as best they could given the conditions they are put in. But, they can not truly care for my children's education as much as I do. So, I have now arrived at a crossroads. 

A big part of this mission (should I choose to accept it) will be retraining me.  The thought of getting a group of 22+ five year olds from A to Z in a year does not frighten me in the least.  In fact, I actually had the naive thought while pregnant with Cora that parenting would be a snap for me because of my teaching abilities.  God had to knock me down to my knees pretty fast for that assumption.  But, then again, aren't we all perfect parents BEFORE we have kids?!  I am, however, quite a bit intimidated in taking on the full responsibility for my own children's education.  How do you even begin to draw the line between what is play time and what is school time when the little red schoolhouse happens to be in the same exact location as the fun time playhouse?  Which methodology truly is the best?  Will I be able to be objective in evaluating my girls?  Will they be prepared for when they do enter public schools (whether that be high school or college)?  And, a thousand more questions at that. . .

I have about a year before I would start something 'formal' with Cora. I've been furiously researching methods and philosophies online. I have found some local homeschooling co-ops and support groups. And, I'll admit the freedom of the calendar that homeschooling provides is very enticing . . . Disney World in the off season, anyone?!? So, we are prayerfully seeking God's will. I am seeking Godly counsel from some other homeschool mamas at our church. I truly don't know for certain where we will land, but I'm intrigued to see what God will reveal.

Wordless Wednesday

A Preview of Things To Come

My brother brought his family up to our neck of the woods this weekend so the cousins would have the chance to play together.  Between us, we now have 4 girls ranging from almost 6 to 3 months old.  This means there were 6 girls (7 if you count Penny) in our house.  John and Scott are awful lucky to have such wonderful and gorgeous females around them!

Scott and Celeste arrived Friday evening just in time for the girls to get all wound up before bed!  Due to some space constraints, we had the big girls housed in Cora's room.  That was a lot of fun!  Hannah had her pallet on the floor, Cora had her bed, and Miriam was borrowing Carys's crib.  Did I mention that I love the video monitor?!  Hannah went right to sleep.  Cora, however, spent the next half hour or so wandering around her room and trying to figure out how she could get to the kitchen set without stepping on Hannah's head.  Apparently, she has a very loose interpretation of the 'stay on the bed' rule! It appeared to be just another preview of what to expect when Cora has sleepovers.  Thankfully, this little sleepover did not involve putting the sleeping someone's hands in cold water or frozen undergarments!  Eventually, though, everyone got to sleep in their own designated spaces.

On Saturday, we decided to take everyone to the park though, ironically, we seemed to spend very little time on the actual playscape.  Here is their beautiful family on the large rock Cora calls the gorillagator (don't ask!).

And, my incredibly photogenic niece posing for the camera.

My other gorgeous niece enjoying a snack.

And, some of my other favorite people in the world relaxing in the shade.

They look so happy, huh?!

It was a little hot for all of our tastes, so we headed back to the house for hamburgers and brownies.  (We also attempted to put the little girls down for a nap. . .what were we thinking?!)  After a mini dance-off (check out their mad skillz!), we played a little bit of Rock Band.

I'd show you the picture, but it is the main reason that my diet started today!! EEK!!  Scott and Celeste left early Saturday evening.  It was such a fun visit, though.  I'm looking forward to when we can all get together again!

Triceratops Bones

Have I mentioned before that Cora loves dinosaurs?!?

It so happens that the Witte Museum in San Antonio has a complete triceratops skeleton as well as a T Rex skull.  Of course, we had to take Cora over to see them.  She was so excited. . .that is, until she actually saw the huge dino in person.  I guess when you are under 3 feet tall, an 11 foot tall, 33 foot long beast is a bit frightening!

Those horns look much more menacing in person, huh?!

We abandoned hope of getting a picture of Cora with the bones.  Instead we headed out to the children's section of the museum.  Cora had a blast exploring the kids' exhibits.  She especially enjoyed the light game that you could play as well as the sounds exhibit that involved banging different materials with a drum stick.  

On the way out, we passed by T Rex one more time. (He has teeth the size of bananas Cora will tell you!  She also likes to tell you that "he's a meat eater, a herbivore" lol!)

And, this time, we did manage to get a picture with the triceratops.

Can't wait until we can take her to Chicago to see Sue the T Rex!