Favorite quotes from The Guy

Check out our awesome friend and photographer: http://www.tabitharheaphotography.com

http://www.tabitharheaphotography.com

  

 My little boy has a way of mixing and combining his favorites into little rhymes and songs all day long. He chants and talks to himself and to his toys and I TRY to catch the treasures he says:

Our garden!!! We actually ate tomatoes this year. That's a first for us!!

 This is a merge of a favorite Joy School song and Mulan:
"Look around the room with me.... I can see...Chinese" (He spotted the characters in the Lo Mein noodles on the table)
I was so impressed!

"You're a gas, mom"
"What?!?"
"I'm gonna put you in the car because you're a gas!"
I still have no idea where he got this from. I don't normally go around telling people they're a gas, but then again I wouldn't put it past my old fashioned self.

"L's going to go to Joy school too?"
"Yes, when she's big like you"
"Oh, YES! She will get bigger like I. You are sure right!"
I wish you could hear him say "you are sure right." with all his excitement. Who knew a kid could be so happy his mom's right?

 "Who's at the door? Anne Shirley and Diana! Come in!"
This is because I read several Anne of Green Gables books, some with him and then we watched the movies. They were his new imaginary friends.

A fun day trip to the Baltimore Aquarium with Aunt Sara and Grma Bev

Everyone else is going forward, we are going back in time to VHS's. They are free and include the classics we love!

 "I want to go on a bear hunt and work and preach as missionaries do."
A merge of We're Going on a Bear Hunt book and I hope they call me on a mission primary song.

"How does your garden grow? With cockle crows and cockle hens and let's get down to business!"
A merge of Mary, Mary Quite Contrary nursery rhyme and Mulan's song - "let's get down to business and defeat the Huns!"

This last quote was so funny that Jared posted it on FB and his step mom called it a "great birds and bees discourse." HA!

I love this little boy like I never knew I could love a kid! I'm so pleased that he is growing with an imagination and loves books, nursery rhymes, and singing. He is such a treasure in our house.

L's ONE YEAR OLD

M'lady has been one year old for too long and I'm finally getting back to sharing her glory with the world.
She is growing into a beautiful lady. Seriously. She is gentle, feminine, social, snuggly, and full of emotions. Such a lady. She communicates and listens like a lady. She points and says ever so sweetly, "da" and I just can't help but respond and reassure her that mama understands. My favorite moments are when she comes over to me from playing and burrows her head into me and moans softly, no matter where I am. If she can reach my knee, she'll burrow into my knee. If she can reach my arms, she'll burrow in there. And then moans or hums. It's the B.E.S.T.

She LOVES food now. She's picky and fickle, but loves food nonetheless. With two teeth and a third on the way, she's a regular pro. She did not handle them cutting through very well, but I think she's glad to have them. She has wanted to eat table food since she started noticing her world around her. She has always wanted to be part of the group and do what mom, dad and brother are doing. She eats three helpings sometimes, more than her brother most of the time. You just wonder where it all goes, because she's so small.

She was mad she had to stop taste testing.

To celebrate her big day, I made a mini apple banana cake with homemade raw milk cream cheese frosting. And she would not put up with anything short of helping me every step of the way. Then we used the cake so our friend and fellow Joy School mama could take amazing pictures of L's cake smash. Thank you Tabitha!!! Check out her incredible photography skills at http://www.tabitharheaphotography.com. Tabitha said she has never seen a one-year-old so focused on eating, and eat so much of the cake. Like I said, she loves food.

notice she grabbed the entire top layer and threw it behind her

 She's walking! She started weeks ago, before her birthday, but is much better now. She is cautious but undeniably adventurous and determined. She looks too small to be walking though. She is still a tiny peanut wee-nut.

She and big brother share a room and have for a long while. They are buddies and sleep 12 hours a night. I am SO grateful this plan worked out because when she was 5 months old I never thought that day would come. But they do well together and just chat in the morning if they are both up and moving before us. But usually they sleep great together, her in the crib, him in a big boy bed (a new addition as of last week!)

Aren't Tabitha's pictures outstanding!?!?! All those were hers. 

Now here are more of my growing girl since then!

how cool is this?

What's been going on around here? Enjoying homemade popsicles, adventures at yet ANOTHER farm we have near by and love, and family adventures galore.

 Here the goats are walking in a straight line, and originally they were following their "guard llama." They all live with one big llama who is supposed to scare off predators. 

 After our farm fun with Aunt Rach, the Guy and I enjoyed the baptism of a wonderful woman and friend. This picture is not great, but man it was a great night! She was so touched by everything taught and performed and her husband got to baptize her!!n! The Holy Spirit was there so strongly and I know heaven was shining down on us. I am so ecstatic that I got to be there to see this miracle and even got to officially welcome her to the women's Relief Society of the church! What an honor.

 Lastly, S loved having our friend and his motocycle visit. How cool is this!?

L's 11 month summary

Don't worry - just gnawing on a plastic fork. :) 

Where do I even begin with this angel of a child?!?! Life did not start out angelic, but this little lady has blossomed into a bright ray of sunshine in our home. I wanted to name her Rae, like a ray of sunshine. Jared wasn't a fan. :( But no matter. I love her and her name.

And the brain dump begins:
She wakes up early like her mom, except she announces that morning is here like a rooster might and then usually quietly waits for me to get her much later.
She crawls on one knee and one foot. Her left foot to be exact.
She uses her left hand to practice feeding herself.
She wants to do everything the big kids are doing. She wants to eat our food. She wants to feed herself. She wants to be in the middle of the commotion.
She loves house guests and many friendly faces.
She adores music. It makes her body pump, sway bend, or snuggle. She often sings with me when I put her to sleep and she definitely sings in church.
She wants to MOVE. Wiggle, crawl, roll, walk, cruise, up, down, over, back and forth. That's my girl.
Pick-a-boo and big bed wrestles are wonderful giggle times with her.
She loves her binki and will scream when it says good bye!
She's in that awkward time when two naps a day are shifting to one longer nap and I am still not sure were she needs to be.
Is she really almost a year?!?!
She makes me want to be (but it's unrealistic that I be) neurotic about cleaning my floors. She finds and eats everything, I don't even want to think about it.
She makes the BEST sounds. Grunts, groans, squeals, screeches, moans, and hums. She also tried to say words, like "adah!"
She points very well and knows that it helps her communicate.
She signs "more" and "please" when she REALLY wants to.
She flirts with people almost as badly as her big brother. She waves and makes friends everywhere we go.
She sleeps better than I thought was possible at the beginning, 12 hours and even thought she often wakes, she puts herself back to sleep.
She still has yeast flare ups but she is kind of a reborn baby from the newborn I knew. Thank you GAPS diet and donated breast milk to supplement my limited supply.
She's a grabber. She will grab and rip your skin off if you let her.
She loves her knit blanket from Sarah Barton! This is her favorite object other than that infuriating binki. It's pink, green and white and reminds me of salt water taffy. It must make her think of that too because I often find her gnawing on it.
She has opinions and she shares them with sounds, movement and faces. There is no guessing what she's thinking, kind of like her mama.
Sometimes we butt heads already because we are so much alike.

Getting to know billy goats. Notice the pink, green and white blanket on the stroller? That's her love.

In the tender moments of nursing and snuggling, I have had glimpses into the eternity of this woman's soul. I feel a wise, old spirit in that tiny body. She is a doer, a very motivated child who has a work to fulfill in this world. I connect to the feminine in her. That divine nature in her makes me feel her power for good and love in this world devoid of an abundance of brotherly kindness. When the time comes, and when she wants something, I know she will make it happen. She is determined to do and get and be when she wants it badly. But the jury's still out on so much within her. That's just what I have observed. But what do I know? I'm just the mother who gets to nurture and love what she already has and what God sent her with to our home. I cherish the responsibility I have to shape and watch this miracle unfold before me. I love her so dearly. Ever so dearly. I'll love her forever, I'll like her for always.

just one of the big kids

we adore this Aunt!