"Say cheese!"
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Christmas Lights
Tonight we enjoyed some warm cookies with milk then loaded up and went looking at Christmas lights around town, everyone donning their stocking cap.
Cole Musings
Cole is changing once again. Here are some of his latest tricks.
1. Today he put two words together..."Hi, Mama". Music to my ears in that sweet little voice of his! Ahhh!!!
2. He can open and close the zipper on ziploc bags. He LOVES pulling things out of the bag and putting things back in and zzzzzipping it up!
3. I am almost positive that when we were watching the video he likes and the lady held up two fingers he said, "two". I wonder if he'd do it again? Was it a fluke? Maybe. I was so surprised!
4. He has started playing differently. He's been content to sit or stay at one thing for longer lately. Most often, he is emptying a drawer or basket or whatever and then putting it back or sorting it somehow. He really likes to sit in the empty basket and then bring all the toys or items back in the basket with him. It's hilarious and a lot of fun to watch!
5. He has started mimicking our motions to songs like "The Wheels on the Bus" and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider". It's so fun! He asks for "The Wheels on the Bus" song or book by putting his finger to his mouth and saying "shh, shh, shh" like the "mamas on the bus" do. Ha!
6. He is just doing a lot more jabbering, in general. He can get frustrated if you don't know what he's trying to say, but that doesn't happen very often.
7. Tonight he ate his grilled chicken right up! He hasn't been very fond of chicken, so I kept looking in the pocket of his bib to see if he was stashing it in there. But nope! He was eating it faster than I could get it to him. I guess Cole likes Marc's barbecue, too! I have come to find that Cole seems to eat more if I let him just sit in his chair while I start to clean up. Don't know if it's because he's not distracted by us or by asking us for something more or different or just needs more time. We are glad to see him eating more at meal times instead of just snacks.
1. Today he put two words together..."Hi, Mama". Music to my ears in that sweet little voice of his! Ahhh!!!
2. He can open and close the zipper on ziploc bags. He LOVES pulling things out of the bag and putting things back in and zzzzzipping it up!
3. I am almost positive that when we were watching the video he likes and the lady held up two fingers he said, "two". I wonder if he'd do it again? Was it a fluke? Maybe. I was so surprised!
4. He has started playing differently. He's been content to sit or stay at one thing for longer lately. Most often, he is emptying a drawer or basket or whatever and then putting it back or sorting it somehow. He really likes to sit in the empty basket and then bring all the toys or items back in the basket with him. It's hilarious and a lot of fun to watch!
5. He has started mimicking our motions to songs like "The Wheels on the Bus" and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider". It's so fun! He asks for "The Wheels on the Bus" song or book by putting his finger to his mouth and saying "shh, shh, shh" like the "mamas on the bus" do. Ha!
6. He is just doing a lot more jabbering, in general. He can get frustrated if you don't know what he's trying to say, but that doesn't happen very often.
7. Tonight he ate his grilled chicken right up! He hasn't been very fond of chicken, so I kept looking in the pocket of his bib to see if he was stashing it in there. But nope! He was eating it faster than I could get it to him. I guess Cole likes Marc's barbecue, too! I have come to find that Cole seems to eat more if I let him just sit in his chair while I start to clean up. Don't know if it's because he's not distracted by us or by asking us for something more or different or just needs more time. We are glad to see him eating more at meal times instead of just snacks.
A Few Things
From Dana:
1. I saw an article on Facebook that showed a before and after picture of a lady who drank a gallon of water a day for a month. The results were visible and astounding. It piqued my interest, for some reason. And, I immediately thought I would incite my favorite "partner in crime", Julie. She was up for it, so we began a few days ago. I've been really surprised how easy it's been. The hardest part is just being mindful to actually do it. (I remembered I was doing it as I went for my second pop at Subway yesterday...habits die hard.) The biggest change I've seen is that I'm not craving snacks as much and often feel full. Of course, I've had to go to the bathroom a lot, but not as much as I was expecting. I'm wondering if I'll notice a change in the dark cirlces under my eyes - one of the things the lady in the article noticed. Time will tell! Wanna join us?
2. Our small group friends, Anne and Nathan, are taking a last minute flight to North Carolina to visit Nathan's family, so they were needing someone to take care of their dog, Riley. We have watched him before, and he is a great house guest. We were quick to offer to take him. During the conversation, Anne was very apologetic and worried and said something like, "Christmas is crazy enough as it is without adding a big black dog to the mix." I quickly replied, "Oh, Christmas isn't crazy for us." And it's true! I'm not sure why, exactly. But, it's not. We aren't that busy. We aren't scurrying around. We have lots of time. Maybe it's because Marc is off more in the winter. Maybe it's because we don't go all out with decorating or gifts or stockings. Maybe it's because we don't have jobs that have Christmas parties...or friends that have Christmas parties. But, for whatever reason, Christmas isn't crazy for us. And, I'm glad about that. (I have a sneaking suspicion that Marc Voth might be behind this...)
3. I have continued getting up before Cole wakes up (though it's getting harder as he keeps waking up earlier and earlier, which has been frustrating) to spend some time with God and get some alone time before the day begins. My friend, Whitney, and I text each other to keep each other accountable. My friend, Jonae, turned me on to this Advent reading plan from SheReadsTruth, and I have really enjoyed it. It's been good prep for Christmas. (And look at these fun pictures that accompany each day!)
1. I saw an article on Facebook that showed a before and after picture of a lady who drank a gallon of water a day for a month. The results were visible and astounding. It piqued my interest, for some reason. And, I immediately thought I would incite my favorite "partner in crime", Julie. She was up for it, so we began a few days ago. I've been really surprised how easy it's been. The hardest part is just being mindful to actually do it. (I remembered I was doing it as I went for my second pop at Subway yesterday...habits die hard.) The biggest change I've seen is that I'm not craving snacks as much and often feel full. Of course, I've had to go to the bathroom a lot, but not as much as I was expecting. I'm wondering if I'll notice a change in the dark cirlces under my eyes - one of the things the lady in the article noticed. Time will tell! Wanna join us?
2. Our small group friends, Anne and Nathan, are taking a last minute flight to North Carolina to visit Nathan's family, so they were needing someone to take care of their dog, Riley. We have watched him before, and he is a great house guest. We were quick to offer to take him. During the conversation, Anne was very apologetic and worried and said something like, "Christmas is crazy enough as it is without adding a big black dog to the mix." I quickly replied, "Oh, Christmas isn't crazy for us." And it's true! I'm not sure why, exactly. But, it's not. We aren't that busy. We aren't scurrying around. We have lots of time. Maybe it's because Marc is off more in the winter. Maybe it's because we don't go all out with decorating or gifts or stockings. Maybe it's because we don't have jobs that have Christmas parties...or friends that have Christmas parties. But, for whatever reason, Christmas isn't crazy for us. And, I'm glad about that. (I have a sneaking suspicion that Marc Voth might be behind this...)
3. I have continued getting up before Cole wakes up (though it's getting harder as he keeps waking up earlier and earlier, which has been frustrating) to spend some time with God and get some alone time before the day begins. My friend, Whitney, and I text each other to keep each other accountable. My friend, Jonae, turned me on to this Advent reading plan from SheReadsTruth, and I have really enjoyed it. It's been good prep for Christmas. (And look at these fun pictures that accompany each day!)
Friday, December 12, 2014
Organizing
From Dana:
I think I've mentioned how much we'd really like to get our house organized and decluttered. I've heard that a good strategy is to work on a small section each day - like a drawer or cupboard a day. Cole has been "helping" by exploring and pulling things out of drawers. I got three much-needed drawers cleaned out that way this week, thanks to him.
Today, I ended up tackling the front closet (well, at least the floor). It has been an eye sore for a really long time. Really long time. It seemed so daunting.
As I was going through the stuff, I kept reminding myself, "this is prime real estate in our house. Does this NEED to be RIGHT HERE?" It was a good way for me to get rid of or move a lot of stuff we don't use on a regular basis - ski gear, buckets, bullets, my gym bag I don't use anymore, our pool bag, etc.
The result was breathtaking!
Cole noticed it right away when he woke up. He immediately walked in there and got out all General's toys and took them to him. It was cute!
Whew! What a relief! Another big project - the pantry...
Christmas Toys
Mom and Dad got Cole a playskool nativty last year. It was fun to pull it out this season. He plays with it a lot differently than he did a year ago. It's been a good way to talk about and introduce baby Jesus, shepherds, star, angel, wisemen, etc. Mary and Janet also got him a felt nativity to play with, and it's been the same way.
Voth's are Decorated
Sublette is having a contest for the best decorated house for Christmas. The prize is $100 plus a $100 credit on your electric bill.
Do you think we will win?
Cookies at the Library
Today the library had a Christmas storytime and cookie decorating for the kids. We had a great time!
Cole is growing up. He went up and got a carpet square for himself and sat down on it in front of me. He sat quietly for a little bit during the first of three books and then started to roam around. Luckily everyone knows him, so they just said hi when he came up to them and directed him back to the group if he started to wander off. There were a few times that he went up to the woman reading the book and stood right in front. She handled it great, and I only let that happen once or twice before going up to get him.
A new woman has taken over our Learn and Play functions. I am excited for her. She has an early childhood education background, so she was asking great questions while she read the stories and had the kids join in and count or use their math skills when possible. She kept it simple, which I appreciated.
Decorating Christmas cookies (pictures taken by my friend, Haley)
She did a great job organzing this! She gave each kid one cookie on a plate with a plastic knife and one bowl of icing per table. Cole tried to spread his own and enjoyed putting sprinkles on while eating them. It was a fun activity.
I'm excited for our year ahead with Learn and Play!
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